It is Monday morning. I have little time to sit around and think about the great day we had at church yesterday. I have four and possibly five yards that need to be mowed today. On this warm and humid morning I cannot afford to sit around resting on my laurels. There is work to be done. On top of the mowing I always have work to be done at the office when I can squeeze it in.
Yes, this is a Monday morning. I did not want to get out of bed this morning. Yet, the Bible teaches me this Monday morning is the day the Lord has made I should rejoice and be glad in it. This day is a gift from God. I could sit around lazily basking in a good day yesterday. I could sit around bemoaning these momentary trials before me. I could go through the day unengaged and without a heart to seek and to worship God going through the motions.
No, on this Monday morning I make a choice to rejoice in this day and be glad in it. I still face the same trials I did yesterday and as of last night two new ones. Regardless, God created this day. There are sights, sounds, and experiences I can have today. There are divine encounters I can have today as well. I must walk through this day like a child at a carnival excited by all I see and experience. Today I choose to live life to the full.
Most people hate Monday mornings. They call it getting back into the grind or the rat race. For the child of God a Monday morning should be a time of worship. This is a day to live the abundant life. This Monday is not a day to be endured. It is a day to be celebrated and enjoyed. Yes, we go back to work and in many places students are starting back to school. Here in Paradise our kids start school tomorrow. Many times we spend Mondays trying to recoup from the weekend. We certainly had a busy one in our house and it will not let up until around Thanksgiving. Still this is the day God has gifted to us. Many are recovering from heart shattering experiences. Many start this day with holes in their hearts. This day is a gift. It is a gift to be enjoyed regardless of where you find yourself on life's journey. Smell the grass. Look up at the wonder of the sky. Take time to engage people in conversation. Enjoy the bacon and eggs or the oatmeal. Savor every experience to the fullest today. Find the little blessings and look for the handiwork of God all around you. Get into His word.
I don't know what you are facing today. I do not even know how you feel. I do know God created this Monday. I do know we have a choice in how we live this day. I can begrudge the day and demands. I can enter the day with rejoicing and gladness. That is my choice. Nobody can make it for me. It is my choice. So today I start the day with gladness in my heart. I choose to be glad though there are things I am frustrated about. I choose to rejoice in God though there are things I do not understand. I am glad for the recent rains in Paradise giving me work mowing. I am grateful for God's provision with our mowing equipment. I am grateful today for good food I will have for breakfast. I am grateful for this computer to express my thoughts on this Monday morning. I am grateful for a great day at Faith Community Church yesterday. I am grateful for one last day with the boys before school starts tomorrow. I am grateful for a good night of sleep. I am grateful for a wife who surpasses them all. I am grateful for salvation and that I do not have go through this Monday alone without God's constant presence.
Yesterday is gone and tomorrow I am not guaranteed. All I have is today. Right now. I do not want to waste this day in worry about things I have no control over. [Phil 4:6-7]. I will not waste the day but seek to redeem the time. [Eph 5:16] Today I will live counting my days knowing they are limited and seeking to take full advantage of this day. [Ps 90:12]
It is Monday morning and I am thrilled to be alive and to get to play a small part in God's redemptive purposes. Yes, this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. [Ps 118:24]
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
One Year Reflections
I have written much about our journey in planting Faith Community Church. If you have kept up with this journey you know there have been some good days as well as some very tough days for us. Today Faith Community celebrated one year of God's faithfulness.
Many people gave testimonies. They talked about how the church started with prayer. One lady talked about how her and her children began praying that God would move us back. While she prayed God began working on my heart out in west Texas.
I went back to Seminole this week. I returned home emotionally drained. I spent time with so many people we love out there. I sat in the sanctuary grieving for a young family who lost their seven year old daughter to a brain tumor. I wept for them during the funeral service and wept wondering why God called me out there to begin with only to release me and call me to the enormous task of starting a church only two years later. I left Seminole with a heavy heart the first time and again this time. I returned to Paradise confused.
I do not nor have I ever doubted God's call for us to start this church. The cost has been high. I have felt more assault from the enemy over the past year than any other year I can remember. I have waged war in my mind to not dwell on what we gave up to come back here. I have fought to dwell on the vision of this new church. There have been many bouts with depression when I questioned God. I have struggled to understand why my family had to give up so much. I have often driven around this community wondering and asking God why others get to live in adequate housing and my family still has to wait on the sale of our house thirteen months later.
I had a hard time driving by our house in Seminole where another family lives as they continue to lease the house from us. I questioned God why the house has not sold. I cannot comprehend the answer. I have questioned God why we went from things being so good to things being a struggle.We went from the pinnacle of our ministry to starting over. God has not answered those questions. He has simply called me to follow Him and to trust Him.
As one person after another gave their testimonies this morning my heart rejoiced over those who trusted Christ as their Savior over the past year. We heard from four of them. I rejoiced as we watched the highlight video from the whole year. We enjoyed scenes from our celebration of baptisms. We saw pictures from our first Sunday in the day care. We relived our days in the junior high and high school cafeterias. In countless ways God has blessed this church.
What started out as a prayer meeting with six people has now grown much larger. We have celebrated baptisms twenty-one times in the last year. We have grown in our faith to remodel and move to our current lease facilities. We have planted roots here for the next two years. We thanked God for the three new families this morning who all stayed to eat with us after the service. We all pulled together to put up tables and reset this chairs for next week. The people cooked above and beyond the call of duty to provide a bountiful feast after church. No Thanksgiving feast could have been more plenteous.
People loved on one another. The fellowship among children, teens, and adults blessed the soul. I am convinced the people of Faith Community really love one another. We have grown together through the trials and hardships. God has given these people a mind to work. We have to work together.
Floods of memories and emotions came over me today. I recall all too well leaving Brenda and the three younger boys behind in Seminole for over a month to start this church. Brenda opened up to me recently and told me the five months we did not get to share a bed together have affected her. She still has a hard time when I go out of town and she has to sleep alone again. I also remember our pleasant reunion when they finally joined Taylor and I here. I shared with the church this morning the pain that stabbed my heart when the school classified us as homeless when we enrolled the boys. That day was one of the all time lows in my life. I walked out of the school trying to be strong for Brenda and the boys but feeling like a failure.
I recall the next five months as she lived in a house of a member and I lived in the RV on the same property. Eventually Turner started coming out to sleep with me. Those days were a challenge for all us including our host. When the door opened for us to move into a rent house I had mixed emotions. We were ready to be in our own space but that space proved to be very small. I finally relented believing we would only live there a short while. That was nine months ago. I have questioned God. He has given no answers other than for me to trust Him and to keep doing what I am doing.
Over the past year the shine of the dream wore off on me in light of the many trials we faced. In the midst of all of it I felt I had no one to talk to. Seldom have I felt more alone than in the past year and yet God has sustained me. Those quiet times in the RV, local cafe, libraries, and the rent house proved fuel to my weary soul. My times with the Lord in this office strengthen me to keep going after this dream.
In time God brought me out of the pit of despair. Interesting enough this happened at exactly the same time the church began to grow again after a period of decline. It has been slow but for three straight months (summer months mind you when typical church attendance dwindles) Faith Community has seen a steady increase in attendance. Today we had the third highest attendance we have ever had and the highest attendance since we moved into the warehouse.
Over the past year the attitudes of many of those in opposition to this church start have softened. Many of those on the ground floor of Faith Community were accused of following a man rather than God. I realized today it has not been easy for them either. Let God be the judge whether they followed God or a man. I still grieve the loss of some of these relationships. I love them as I always have. I miss them. The bonds of love forged in my heart over the four year period we served here previously have not been cut for me. God will be the judge of whether I really followed Him back here at His bidding to start this church.
In my prayer times as of late I have confessed to the Lord how tired I am. I rejoice with the rest of the church at all God has done in the past year. I have also labored under the strain of emotional confusion, physical exhaustion, and spiritual burn out over the past year. In the past I have always been able to take a prayer retreat when I felt the same way. That has not happened. There has always been something to get in the way. I have willed myself to keep going when what I have really wanted to do at times has been to go away and be renewed and refreshed. I know this will happen in time.
I have experienced moments of near euphoria over the past year and I have been stuck in the miry clay of doubt, confusion, and disillusionment. Through it all I have prayed, preached, and tried to stay the course. I do not doubt this is where God has planted the Edwards family. I have questioned God as to why about many things. He has not given me answers.
In the end I find it best when I simply surrender. I am not in control. I am not in control of what people in the community think about this church. I am not in control of how I am treated. I am not in control of my financial well being. I am not in control of my housing situation. I live in peace when I choose to surrender and trust God with the outcome of all the above.
This past year has been a good year. It has been hard and we have faced some trials as a family and as a church family of faith. We have beheld the power of God on more than one occasion. We have prayed together, dreamed together, and we have at times wept together. We have experienced God. We have labored together. It has been an adventurous ride with many twists and turns.
Our teenagers have met outside, in a small daycare room, in an old gymnasium, at a football stadium, and now in the warehouse. Through it all God has built a dynamic youth group. We also have several children laughing and adding life to our congregation.
What will God do in year two? I know it will be a thrilling ride. God will help us overcome. Many new people will be added to the kingdom as we watch God save and then celebrate their new birth with baptism. Praise the Lord. We are off and running the next leg of this journey. We expect God to do greater things in year number two.
Many people gave testimonies. They talked about how the church started with prayer. One lady talked about how her and her children began praying that God would move us back. While she prayed God began working on my heart out in west Texas.
I went back to Seminole this week. I returned home emotionally drained. I spent time with so many people we love out there. I sat in the sanctuary grieving for a young family who lost their seven year old daughter to a brain tumor. I wept for them during the funeral service and wept wondering why God called me out there to begin with only to release me and call me to the enormous task of starting a church only two years later. I left Seminole with a heavy heart the first time and again this time. I returned to Paradise confused.
I do not nor have I ever doubted God's call for us to start this church. The cost has been high. I have felt more assault from the enemy over the past year than any other year I can remember. I have waged war in my mind to not dwell on what we gave up to come back here. I have fought to dwell on the vision of this new church. There have been many bouts with depression when I questioned God. I have struggled to understand why my family had to give up so much. I have often driven around this community wondering and asking God why others get to live in adequate housing and my family still has to wait on the sale of our house thirteen months later.
I had a hard time driving by our house in Seminole where another family lives as they continue to lease the house from us. I questioned God why the house has not sold. I cannot comprehend the answer. I have questioned God why we went from things being so good to things being a struggle.We went from the pinnacle of our ministry to starting over. God has not answered those questions. He has simply called me to follow Him and to trust Him.
As one person after another gave their testimonies this morning my heart rejoiced over those who trusted Christ as their Savior over the past year. We heard from four of them. I rejoiced as we watched the highlight video from the whole year. We enjoyed scenes from our celebration of baptisms. We saw pictures from our first Sunday in the day care. We relived our days in the junior high and high school cafeterias. In countless ways God has blessed this church.
What started out as a prayer meeting with six people has now grown much larger. We have celebrated baptisms twenty-one times in the last year. We have grown in our faith to remodel and move to our current lease facilities. We have planted roots here for the next two years. We thanked God for the three new families this morning who all stayed to eat with us after the service. We all pulled together to put up tables and reset this chairs for next week. The people cooked above and beyond the call of duty to provide a bountiful feast after church. No Thanksgiving feast could have been more plenteous.
People loved on one another. The fellowship among children, teens, and adults blessed the soul. I am convinced the people of Faith Community really love one another. We have grown together through the trials and hardships. God has given these people a mind to work. We have to work together.
Floods of memories and emotions came over me today. I recall all too well leaving Brenda and the three younger boys behind in Seminole for over a month to start this church. Brenda opened up to me recently and told me the five months we did not get to share a bed together have affected her. She still has a hard time when I go out of town and she has to sleep alone again. I also remember our pleasant reunion when they finally joined Taylor and I here. I shared with the church this morning the pain that stabbed my heart when the school classified us as homeless when we enrolled the boys. That day was one of the all time lows in my life. I walked out of the school trying to be strong for Brenda and the boys but feeling like a failure.
I recall the next five months as she lived in a house of a member and I lived in the RV on the same property. Eventually Turner started coming out to sleep with me. Those days were a challenge for all us including our host. When the door opened for us to move into a rent house I had mixed emotions. We were ready to be in our own space but that space proved to be very small. I finally relented believing we would only live there a short while. That was nine months ago. I have questioned God. He has given no answers other than for me to trust Him and to keep doing what I am doing.
Over the past year the shine of the dream wore off on me in light of the many trials we faced. In the midst of all of it I felt I had no one to talk to. Seldom have I felt more alone than in the past year and yet God has sustained me. Those quiet times in the RV, local cafe, libraries, and the rent house proved fuel to my weary soul. My times with the Lord in this office strengthen me to keep going after this dream.
In time God brought me out of the pit of despair. Interesting enough this happened at exactly the same time the church began to grow again after a period of decline. It has been slow but for three straight months (summer months mind you when typical church attendance dwindles) Faith Community has seen a steady increase in attendance. Today we had the third highest attendance we have ever had and the highest attendance since we moved into the warehouse.
Over the past year the attitudes of many of those in opposition to this church start have softened. Many of those on the ground floor of Faith Community were accused of following a man rather than God. I realized today it has not been easy for them either. Let God be the judge whether they followed God or a man. I still grieve the loss of some of these relationships. I love them as I always have. I miss them. The bonds of love forged in my heart over the four year period we served here previously have not been cut for me. God will be the judge of whether I really followed Him back here at His bidding to start this church.
In my prayer times as of late I have confessed to the Lord how tired I am. I rejoice with the rest of the church at all God has done in the past year. I have also labored under the strain of emotional confusion, physical exhaustion, and spiritual burn out over the past year. In the past I have always been able to take a prayer retreat when I felt the same way. That has not happened. There has always been something to get in the way. I have willed myself to keep going when what I have really wanted to do at times has been to go away and be renewed and refreshed. I know this will happen in time.
I have experienced moments of near euphoria over the past year and I have been stuck in the miry clay of doubt, confusion, and disillusionment. Through it all I have prayed, preached, and tried to stay the course. I do not doubt this is where God has planted the Edwards family. I have questioned God as to why about many things. He has not given me answers.
In the end I find it best when I simply surrender. I am not in control. I am not in control of what people in the community think about this church. I am not in control of how I am treated. I am not in control of my financial well being. I am not in control of my housing situation. I live in peace when I choose to surrender and trust God with the outcome of all the above.
This past year has been a good year. It has been hard and we have faced some trials as a family and as a church family of faith. We have beheld the power of God on more than one occasion. We have prayed together, dreamed together, and we have at times wept together. We have experienced God. We have labored together. It has been an adventurous ride with many twists and turns.
Our teenagers have met outside, in a small daycare room, in an old gymnasium, at a football stadium, and now in the warehouse. Through it all God has built a dynamic youth group. We also have several children laughing and adding life to our congregation.
What will God do in year two? I know it will be a thrilling ride. God will help us overcome. Many new people will be added to the kingdom as we watch God save and then celebrate their new birth with baptism. Praise the Lord. We are off and running the next leg of this journey. We expect God to do greater things in year number two.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Who Do You Talk To?
Everybody needs somebody to talk to. Who is that for you? I am not talking about run of the mill conversations. Who do you bear your soul to? When life is pressing in on you with who do you share your heart? We all need somebody to talk to. We all need somebody with whom we can unload our burdened and weary souls.
It amazes me with all of our social media how many people still feel alone. In an age when you are judged by how many friends you have on a social media site, who can you really talk with and let down your guard. It is easy to "friend" someone on the internet. It is a whole different matter to be a true friend.
I have been around many suffering people and I have known a few seasons of suffering myself. I also know many people suffer alone with nobody to talk to. In our fast paced society we rarely make time for one another. We say things, "Let's get together soon," knowing full well we will never make the time. When did you last make time to have a heart to heart talk with someone? I did that last night and this morning with two of my sons and my wife. We talked about deeper things than most conversations.
You can go a week, a month or years and never really talk on a deep level with anyone. You keep everything inside.
Who do you talk to? If you could speak through this computer I bet the answer from dozens if not hundreds would be nobody! You struggle and strive through life without anyone to share your heart with. You battle sin alone. You face financial struggles in isolation. You fight through emotional trauma privately. You suffer in seclusion.
I ask you that question again; who do you talk to? For me, I run to Jesus. He does not judge and is always available. He forgives when I need forgiveness and He loves when I need love. He counsels when I am confused. He comforts when I am distraught and He lifts the load when I am feeling overwhelmed. Like the old song goes, "Let us have a little talk with Jesus and tell Him all about our troubles. He will hear our faintest cry and will answer by and by."
On this day I choose to run to Jesus. I unload my concerns on Him. I share my heart with Him. I release my tears to Him. I plead my case to Him. He is who I talk to. What about you? Who do you talk to?
It amazes me with all of our social media how many people still feel alone. In an age when you are judged by how many friends you have on a social media site, who can you really talk with and let down your guard. It is easy to "friend" someone on the internet. It is a whole different matter to be a true friend.
I have been around many suffering people and I have known a few seasons of suffering myself. I also know many people suffer alone with nobody to talk to. In our fast paced society we rarely make time for one another. We say things, "Let's get together soon," knowing full well we will never make the time. When did you last make time to have a heart to heart talk with someone? I did that last night and this morning with two of my sons and my wife. We talked about deeper things than most conversations.
You can go a week, a month or years and never really talk on a deep level with anyone. You keep everything inside.
Who do you talk to? If you could speak through this computer I bet the answer from dozens if not hundreds would be nobody! You struggle and strive through life without anyone to share your heart with. You battle sin alone. You face financial struggles in isolation. You fight through emotional trauma privately. You suffer in seclusion.
I ask you that question again; who do you talk to? For me, I run to Jesus. He does not judge and is always available. He forgives when I need forgiveness and He loves when I need love. He counsels when I am confused. He comforts when I am distraught and He lifts the load when I am feeling overwhelmed. Like the old song goes, "Let us have a little talk with Jesus and tell Him all about our troubles. He will hear our faintest cry and will answer by and by."
On this day I choose to run to Jesus. I unload my concerns on Him. I share my heart with Him. I release my tears to Him. I plead my case to Him. He is who I talk to. What about you? Who do you talk to?
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Suffering in Silence
You may be surrounded by hundreds of people on a daily basis and yet feel all alone. Those who live in metropolitan areas live, work, and commute besides thousands upon thousands and still many feel alone. You may be a new student leaving home for the first time as you embark on your college education years and feel overwhelmed and apprehensive. You may have just moved to a new town to start a new job and you feel grief over leaving friends and family behind mixed with crippling fears of not knowing anyone.
You may face the dungeon of dark thoughts that invade your mind and you do not have the freedom to tell anyone around you. You may be imprisoned in a deep dark secret sin and suffer with guilt and shame but you must keep up pretenses. You may suffer silently under the cloak of depression but feel you have no one to talk to. You may know something is wrong with you physically and yet due to lack of money or insurance cannot say anything to anyone. You endure the pain silently through another day. You may be so overwhelmed you feel like giving up. In your despair and hopeless suicide seems like a viable option. You do not have anyone to talk to because they could not handle the truth behind your facade.
You may live alone. The phone never rings. Text messages seldom come. Nobody seems to care. You will yourself to exist day by day. It is getting easier for you to withdraw from everyone and everything. You endure long days with extensive boredom and extraordinary sorrow. You long for companionship but nobody ever comes and so you suffer silently.
You may feel trapped in a loveless marriage. From the outside it may appear to others you have the perfect family. Inside the walls tell a different story. Anger, bitterness, fighting, strife, and un-forgiveness tear at your heart leaving gaping wounds. You work, worship, and walk through life in a daze all the while suffering silently.
You may be caught in the vice-like grip of addiction. You cannot find your way out to get your feet back on solid ground. You feel the shame and know the addiction is destroying your life. You cannot get free. Nobody may know and you suffer day by day silently.
I do not know all of you and I certainly do not what you are suffering through silently. For some it is the grief over the death of a spouse, child, or parent. Others sit paralyzed in fear not knowing how the bills will get paid. Either way you suffer. You hurt and you agonize day after day. Tears still fall. The hole in your heart will not go away. Others may move on but you are stuck. The suffering endures and you feel you must bravely bear it silently.
I have been there. I know the frustration and despair that can so easily set in. I also know how lonely those times can feel. It is easy to withdraw into your private pain and go on suffering silently. It is also easy to entertain the thoughts that nobody understands and nobody cares what you are suffering through.
The only hope I can give you is Jesus does. He cares. I know some of you are suffering with bitterness at God because the way He has dealt with you. Some of you are in some hard times. Many of you feel God betrayed you and let you down when you needed Him the most. Instead of faith and love you suffer silently through seething anger and doubt about God's faithfulness.
Jesus still cares. He still loves. He is still near you. "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you." [I Pet 5:10]
While suffering silently some of you may be in dire need of restoration, confirmation, and strengthening. You are not alone. Jesus is with you. Keep pouring your heart out to Him. Splash all your grief onto Him. Vent all your anger and frustration to Him. Express your weariness to Him. Carry your confusion to Him. Hurl your addiction on Him. He is with you and can handle all of it.
Please be reminded these days of suffering will come to an end. All diseases will be healed for the redeemed in eternity if not down here. Every burden will be lifted in heaven as well as down here for those who know and trust Christ day by day. Every day of struggle will be lightened in eternity. Keep pressing on. You are not alone and your days of suffering will not last forever.
Maybe this whole blog has been God's reminder that you are not forgotten and you are not alone. He is there. My heart goes out to all who suffer silently. Today may you be reminded you are not alone. Our Lord is with you in ways you may not be able to see to get you through this suffering. One day we will all triumph in His presence as we lay down the shackles of this mortal body. May we keep trusting, enduring, and praising until that day.
You may face the dungeon of dark thoughts that invade your mind and you do not have the freedom to tell anyone around you. You may be imprisoned in a deep dark secret sin and suffer with guilt and shame but you must keep up pretenses. You may suffer silently under the cloak of depression but feel you have no one to talk to. You may know something is wrong with you physically and yet due to lack of money or insurance cannot say anything to anyone. You endure the pain silently through another day. You may be so overwhelmed you feel like giving up. In your despair and hopeless suicide seems like a viable option. You do not have anyone to talk to because they could not handle the truth behind your facade.
You may live alone. The phone never rings. Text messages seldom come. Nobody seems to care. You will yourself to exist day by day. It is getting easier for you to withdraw from everyone and everything. You endure long days with extensive boredom and extraordinary sorrow. You long for companionship but nobody ever comes and so you suffer silently.
You may feel trapped in a loveless marriage. From the outside it may appear to others you have the perfect family. Inside the walls tell a different story. Anger, bitterness, fighting, strife, and un-forgiveness tear at your heart leaving gaping wounds. You work, worship, and walk through life in a daze all the while suffering silently.
You may be caught in the vice-like grip of addiction. You cannot find your way out to get your feet back on solid ground. You feel the shame and know the addiction is destroying your life. You cannot get free. Nobody may know and you suffer day by day silently.
I do not know all of you and I certainly do not what you are suffering through silently. For some it is the grief over the death of a spouse, child, or parent. Others sit paralyzed in fear not knowing how the bills will get paid. Either way you suffer. You hurt and you agonize day after day. Tears still fall. The hole in your heart will not go away. Others may move on but you are stuck. The suffering endures and you feel you must bravely bear it silently.
I have been there. I know the frustration and despair that can so easily set in. I also know how lonely those times can feel. It is easy to withdraw into your private pain and go on suffering silently. It is also easy to entertain the thoughts that nobody understands and nobody cares what you are suffering through.
The only hope I can give you is Jesus does. He cares. I know some of you are suffering with bitterness at God because the way He has dealt with you. Some of you are in some hard times. Many of you feel God betrayed you and let you down when you needed Him the most. Instead of faith and love you suffer silently through seething anger and doubt about God's faithfulness.
Jesus still cares. He still loves. He is still near you. "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you." [I Pet 5:10]
While suffering silently some of you may be in dire need of restoration, confirmation, and strengthening. You are not alone. Jesus is with you. Keep pouring your heart out to Him. Splash all your grief onto Him. Vent all your anger and frustration to Him. Express your weariness to Him. Carry your confusion to Him. Hurl your addiction on Him. He is with you and can handle all of it.
Please be reminded these days of suffering will come to an end. All diseases will be healed for the redeemed in eternity if not down here. Every burden will be lifted in heaven as well as down here for those who know and trust Christ day by day. Every day of struggle will be lightened in eternity. Keep pressing on. You are not alone and your days of suffering will not last forever.
Maybe this whole blog has been God's reminder that you are not forgotten and you are not alone. He is there. My heart goes out to all who suffer silently. Today may you be reminded you are not alone. Our Lord is with you in ways you may not be able to see to get you through this suffering. One day we will all triumph in His presence as we lay down the shackles of this mortal body. May we keep trusting, enduring, and praising until that day.
Monday, August 20, 2012
A Grieving Pastor
Friday morning I mowed a church lawn right across the street from a church I used to serve as pastor. While busying myself cutting grass and edging I noticed the church across the street getting ready for a funeral. My heart began to grieve. I had not heard who died but that made little difference. I began thinking of all those people I loved and still love and began to grieve. I also noticed many familiar faces getting out of their cars. These are people I love and miss still to this day.
The next day I received word a little girl in Seminole had died after a long battle with a tumor. Once again my heart grieved. I thought of this family and many others I love and miss. I grieved all day Saturday and even into the early morning hours of Sunday morning. I am still grieving this morning.
Many people have labeled me. I preach hard. I do not apologize for that. From that perspective many perceive me to be a hard man uncaring and desensitized to the needs of those around me. What only those who know me best have discovered is that I love deeply. I have a pastor's heart. Because I love so deeply when others hurt I hurt. When others grieve I grieve. When others suffer loss I feel their pain and I hurt for them.
As I write this I think about an elderly gentleman who told me after losing his wife of sixty years he knew he would marry her back when they were fourth grade. His last words to her beside her casket were, "I'll see you babe." Several years passed. A few months ago that reunion finally happened. My old friend departed this life to step into eternity. I miss him.
I miss a friend. I cannot sum up her life in this blog. She died so unexpectedly. Brenda and I still grieve for her. We say all the time we cannot believe she is gone. I also grieve the death of this little girl Turner used to play with. She was so young, full of life and vitality. How can she really be gone and this family left with empty arms to treasure her memories.
I grieve with a friend who recently had to take his oldest child to college. He told me, "I didn't know you could be so happy and so sad at the same time." I hurt for him. Like few fathers I have ever known he has loved and invested in his children. There is a huge void in his heart and I wish I could be there for him to talk and comfort. We do not live in the same town but I miss him and feel his sadness.
I recently received word how a friend in another town is struggling. I miss him. We shared many laughs, God moments, and a few tears together. I miss sitting across the table with him and talking, dreaming, and enjoying his company. It pains me at a time when he really needs a friend I am not there for him.
I think of other families whose lives became intertwined in ours. We never dreamed we would ever have to live apart from them. Though time has passed I have the hardest time letting them go. In fact, I do not want to let them go. Secretly, I pray God will unite us to serve together again all the time.
I write this with a heavy heart. Nobody but God knows how deeply I love. Every church I once served have new pastors. Though they have been able to move on from me I have the hardest time moving on from them. I love them deeply. I care about their well being. I have tried to let go but it is hard. How do you ever let go of people you genuinely love.
I am a rich man. Maybe not monetarily. I am rich in relationships. In the past few days I have spent a great deal of time thinking about that wealth of relationships all over the state. I think of people who stood with us in the toughest of times. I think of those who have repeatedly sacrificed to help us keep ministering. I think of those who stood by my side and helped me to shoulder the load. I think of those who have opened their homes and hearts and who have become more like family than friends. There are people I miss so badly it still moves me to tears including this very moment.
Today I grieve. I grieve for the many people I love and had to leave behind as I followed God. This morning I live with a heavy heart thinking of faces I no longer get to see on a daily or weekly basis. When you love people deeply, you are also going to live with a broken heart.
I grieve with widows who had to leave their husbands at the cemetery way too soon. They now eat meals alone and sleep in beds without the comfort of the love of their lives next to them. They live in houses filled with memories but nobody to share them with. They wake up each day and the phone no longer rings. They feel forgotten. Forsaken. I miss getting to make a pastoral visit from time to time. I grieve for people caught in the throes of sin and they cannot find their way out. I grieve over people living with broken hearts and shattered dreams. I grieve for others I know in ministry who are enduring various trials.
The weight of all this presses on my heart this morning. I do not want you to read this wrong. Faith Community Church is enjoying the best days in our short history. This in no way means I am less committed to God's call on my life to plant this church. Our fellowship is sweet. 28 of us went to lunch together yesterday. People linger long in huddles laughing and talking long after the service is over. God is doing a special work here and I love these people too. I love the Paradise community.
I still grieve over others and with others. I grieve because I love. I wish I could mention so many by name but I would forget someone causing hurt feelings. If you are reading this and begin to think, "Matt is thinking of me. He is grieving over me." You are right. Suffice it to say I love the flock I serve now as well as those flocks I served in the past. In some cases our time together was cut way too short. I have gone into every church believing I would serve there the rest of my life. Experience has taught me to love and enjoy people because you never know when God might call someone home or call them or me to relocate.
Yes, I grieve today but not as a pastor with no hope. I will see the dead in Christ again. Some of the people we had to leave behind will be reunited with us in this lifetime. We live in the same community and have unbroken fellowship again. Others we will continue to love from a distance. Only God can comfort the heart of this broken hearted and grieving pastor.
The next day I received word a little girl in Seminole had died after a long battle with a tumor. Once again my heart grieved. I thought of this family and many others I love and miss. I grieved all day Saturday and even into the early morning hours of Sunday morning. I am still grieving this morning.
Many people have labeled me. I preach hard. I do not apologize for that. From that perspective many perceive me to be a hard man uncaring and desensitized to the needs of those around me. What only those who know me best have discovered is that I love deeply. I have a pastor's heart. Because I love so deeply when others hurt I hurt. When others grieve I grieve. When others suffer loss I feel their pain and I hurt for them.
As I write this I think about an elderly gentleman who told me after losing his wife of sixty years he knew he would marry her back when they were fourth grade. His last words to her beside her casket were, "I'll see you babe." Several years passed. A few months ago that reunion finally happened. My old friend departed this life to step into eternity. I miss him.
I miss a friend. I cannot sum up her life in this blog. She died so unexpectedly. Brenda and I still grieve for her. We say all the time we cannot believe she is gone. I also grieve the death of this little girl Turner used to play with. She was so young, full of life and vitality. How can she really be gone and this family left with empty arms to treasure her memories.
I grieve with a friend who recently had to take his oldest child to college. He told me, "I didn't know you could be so happy and so sad at the same time." I hurt for him. Like few fathers I have ever known he has loved and invested in his children. There is a huge void in his heart and I wish I could be there for him to talk and comfort. We do not live in the same town but I miss him and feel his sadness.
I recently received word how a friend in another town is struggling. I miss him. We shared many laughs, God moments, and a few tears together. I miss sitting across the table with him and talking, dreaming, and enjoying his company. It pains me at a time when he really needs a friend I am not there for him.
I think of other families whose lives became intertwined in ours. We never dreamed we would ever have to live apart from them. Though time has passed I have the hardest time letting them go. In fact, I do not want to let them go. Secretly, I pray God will unite us to serve together again all the time.
I write this with a heavy heart. Nobody but God knows how deeply I love. Every church I once served have new pastors. Though they have been able to move on from me I have the hardest time moving on from them. I love them deeply. I care about their well being. I have tried to let go but it is hard. How do you ever let go of people you genuinely love.
I am a rich man. Maybe not monetarily. I am rich in relationships. In the past few days I have spent a great deal of time thinking about that wealth of relationships all over the state. I think of people who stood with us in the toughest of times. I think of those who have repeatedly sacrificed to help us keep ministering. I think of those who stood by my side and helped me to shoulder the load. I think of those who have opened their homes and hearts and who have become more like family than friends. There are people I miss so badly it still moves me to tears including this very moment.
Today I grieve. I grieve for the many people I love and had to leave behind as I followed God. This morning I live with a heavy heart thinking of faces I no longer get to see on a daily or weekly basis. When you love people deeply, you are also going to live with a broken heart.
I grieve with widows who had to leave their husbands at the cemetery way too soon. They now eat meals alone and sleep in beds without the comfort of the love of their lives next to them. They live in houses filled with memories but nobody to share them with. They wake up each day and the phone no longer rings. They feel forgotten. Forsaken. I miss getting to make a pastoral visit from time to time. I grieve for people caught in the throes of sin and they cannot find their way out. I grieve over people living with broken hearts and shattered dreams. I grieve for others I know in ministry who are enduring various trials.
The weight of all this presses on my heart this morning. I do not want you to read this wrong. Faith Community Church is enjoying the best days in our short history. This in no way means I am less committed to God's call on my life to plant this church. Our fellowship is sweet. 28 of us went to lunch together yesterday. People linger long in huddles laughing and talking long after the service is over. God is doing a special work here and I love these people too. I love the Paradise community.
I still grieve over others and with others. I grieve because I love. I wish I could mention so many by name but I would forget someone causing hurt feelings. If you are reading this and begin to think, "Matt is thinking of me. He is grieving over me." You are right. Suffice it to say I love the flock I serve now as well as those flocks I served in the past. In some cases our time together was cut way too short. I have gone into every church believing I would serve there the rest of my life. Experience has taught me to love and enjoy people because you never know when God might call someone home or call them or me to relocate.
Yes, I grieve today but not as a pastor with no hope. I will see the dead in Christ again. Some of the people we had to leave behind will be reunited with us in this lifetime. We live in the same community and have unbroken fellowship again. Others we will continue to love from a distance. Only God can comfort the heart of this broken hearted and grieving pastor.
Jesus Loves Me
We all know that children's song Jesus Loves Me. That song has taken on added meaning to Brenda and I in recent days. Let me tell you why.
While serving in Seminole I received a phone call about one of members being put in the hospital. On a Saturday morning Brenda and I drove to Lubbock to make a hospital visit like we had done hundreds of times before. Only this time we were going to visit a little girl and her family. The diagnosis was not good. She had an inoperable brain tumor.
While talking to the mom and dad in a different room Brenda and I heard that little girl singing, "Jesus Loves Me" from her bed. It moved all of us to tears as she did not know the diagnosis and the seriousness of her condition. Her happy and carefree spirit that day lingers in my mind even as I write this.
About a week later her family came back to church. Word had spread and we all knew the desperate condition. We gathered to pray at the end of the service. That little girl asked for a microphone after the prayer time and once again sang Jesus Loves Me before the whole church. People wept openly.
This began a long road of treatment and prayer for the girl's healing and recovery. Over the course of the last year and a half the family endured multiple trips to Houston for treatment and the agony of watching their little girl's health slowly ebb away. Thousands of people prayed for healing. Many had the faith to move the mountain.
That little girl's world slowly closed in as she lost her ability to walk, to talk, and eventually to eat or drink. Yet her faith in Jesus never waned. In fact on one sorrowful day she comforted her family letting them know she was not alone but Jesus was with her.
Saturday morning I received a phone call God had finally set her free but not in the way any of us wanted. The Jesus she had sung to called her home. My heart ached within me. I called the dad and had some prayer with him. I cannot understand. In the end I don't have to understand. I have to keep trusting.
We had to drive to Fort Worth later that day to get Taylor some new football cleats. He blew his others out in his football scrimmage on Friday night. While driving back home we got caught in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. At times I could only drive forty-five miles per hour. As we drove I sang along to songs on the cd. And then several songs came up that made me think of that vibrant little girl and her family. As the rain descended it mirrored the tears in my heart for this family. It reminded me of anther tragic day back in July of 2010 when a beloved wife, mother, and friend got called home to Jesus unexpectedly. It rained all that night and the rain once again mirrored the tears in my heart.
Three songs in a row played that ministered comfort. Bless the Lord O My Soul, Endless Hallelujah, and I Can Only Imagine. I sang in worship thinking of that little girl singing to Jesus and putting to sight what I can only see by faith. The last verse of Bless the Lord O My Soul goes like this:
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
I thought of about that little girl singing Jesus Loves Me not to her parents or to a church but to the Lord Jesus Himself. It comforted my heart and yet I still grieved. She has ten thousands years plus forevermore to keep singing the praises of Jesus.
When the song I Can Only Imagine played I fought back the years. I noticed Brenda sobbing in the passenger seat. We both thought of that little girl dancing and singing in the presence of Jesus.
That children's song Jesus Loves Me will never be the same for me. I will always think back to that Saturday morning in Lubbock at the hospital and that Sunday morning when she sang that song for the church.
I wonder if I will face my last days as bravely as she did. Will I still be singing God's praises when I stare death in the face? If my body is wracked with pain will I keep singing praises unending? I should. She did and continues to. We all should follow her example.
Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.
While serving in Seminole I received a phone call about one of members being put in the hospital. On a Saturday morning Brenda and I drove to Lubbock to make a hospital visit like we had done hundreds of times before. Only this time we were going to visit a little girl and her family. The diagnosis was not good. She had an inoperable brain tumor.
While talking to the mom and dad in a different room Brenda and I heard that little girl singing, "Jesus Loves Me" from her bed. It moved all of us to tears as she did not know the diagnosis and the seriousness of her condition. Her happy and carefree spirit that day lingers in my mind even as I write this.
About a week later her family came back to church. Word had spread and we all knew the desperate condition. We gathered to pray at the end of the service. That little girl asked for a microphone after the prayer time and once again sang Jesus Loves Me before the whole church. People wept openly.
This began a long road of treatment and prayer for the girl's healing and recovery. Over the course of the last year and a half the family endured multiple trips to Houston for treatment and the agony of watching their little girl's health slowly ebb away. Thousands of people prayed for healing. Many had the faith to move the mountain.
That little girl's world slowly closed in as she lost her ability to walk, to talk, and eventually to eat or drink. Yet her faith in Jesus never waned. In fact on one sorrowful day she comforted her family letting them know she was not alone but Jesus was with her.
Saturday morning I received a phone call God had finally set her free but not in the way any of us wanted. The Jesus she had sung to called her home. My heart ached within me. I called the dad and had some prayer with him. I cannot understand. In the end I don't have to understand. I have to keep trusting.
We had to drive to Fort Worth later that day to get Taylor some new football cleats. He blew his others out in his football scrimmage on Friday night. While driving back home we got caught in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. At times I could only drive forty-five miles per hour. As we drove I sang along to songs on the cd. And then several songs came up that made me think of that vibrant little girl and her family. As the rain descended it mirrored the tears in my heart for this family. It reminded me of anther tragic day back in July of 2010 when a beloved wife, mother, and friend got called home to Jesus unexpectedly. It rained all that night and the rain once again mirrored the tears in my heart.
Three songs in a row played that ministered comfort. Bless the Lord O My Soul, Endless Hallelujah, and I Can Only Imagine. I sang in worship thinking of that little girl singing to Jesus and putting to sight what I can only see by faith. The last verse of Bless the Lord O My Soul goes like this:
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
I thought of about that little girl singing Jesus Loves Me not to her parents or to a church but to the Lord Jesus Himself. It comforted my heart and yet I still grieved. She has ten thousands years plus forevermore to keep singing the praises of Jesus.
When the song I Can Only Imagine played I fought back the years. I noticed Brenda sobbing in the passenger seat. We both thought of that little girl dancing and singing in the presence of Jesus.
That children's song Jesus Loves Me will never be the same for me. I will always think back to that Saturday morning in Lubbock at the hospital and that Sunday morning when she sang that song for the church.
I wonder if I will face my last days as bravely as she did. Will I still be singing God's praises when I stare death in the face? If my body is wracked with pain will I keep singing praises unending? I should. She did and continues to. We all should follow her example.
Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Courage to be Uncommon
The word "uncommon" can be defined as unusual, rare, and exceptional. Last night after our youth service I went around to students one on one challenging them to have the courage to be uncommon in the way they live. I challenged them in essence to live lives of unusual, rare and exceptional character and behavior.
It is easier to blend in and to go along with the masses in order to fit in. I have never cared much for fitting in. I have wanted to blaze my own trails and to live an uncommon life. Though I cannot say I have ever accomplished anything exceptional, I can say I do feel I have an uncommon devotion to the Lord. I love Him and I seek Him. I do think God has given me an uncommon faith to believe Him for exceptional things.
It takes courage to live an uncommon life. The easier path is to live a common life. To live within the familiar and acceptable patterns of the day is the path of least resistance. When you determine to live an uncommon life you are inviting hardships. Hear this clearly. If you choose to live an uncommon life of devotion and service to Christ you will suffer persecution on some level. Depending on where you live may determine the severity of the persecution.
I live in the Bible belt and the extent of my persecution may just be getting gossiped about. There are parts of the world where living an uncommon life could mean imprisonment at best and a martyr's death at worst. Yet, followers of Christ willingly pay the price with lives of distinction. They refuse to give into the pressures they face to conform. They have chosen the uncommon life and sadly many of these dedicated disciples pay a high price for it. Go online and check out www.voiceofthemartyrs.com to read some of their courageous but horrific stories.
What I have on my mind today is not calling people to die as martyrs, at least not in Paradise, TX. I am calling people to love others in an uncommon way. I am calling the church to willingly love people others bypass and neglect. I am calling Christians to quit judging and to extend the love of Jesus Christ to all kinds of people. The popular and unpopular. The rich and the poor. All the different races. The squeaky clean as well as the down and dirty. All need the love and grace of Jesus Christ. It will take someone living and uncommon life to welcome all these people into their lives and the church.
Living an uncommon life will mean standing firm for convictions when others cast them aside conveniently to go along with the crowds. It takes courage to stand for what you believe. You may even find yourself standing alone. That is uncommon. It is rare to find students or adults who will stand firm when the heat is turned on. When everybody else bowed down to the golden image at the sound of the music three Hebrew boys refused to bow. They stood out like a sore thumb. They were called to suffer for it. You can read their story in Daniel 3. They refused to be intimidated and refused to compromise the law of God. Even though they were sentenced to be burned in a fiery furnace, God did not forsake them.
Their stand for truth and miraculous deliverance moved the heart of the king. Where is that kind of courage among the cheerleaders and on the football and volleyball teams? Where is that uncommon courage on the school boards, in the hall ways, in the office, out in the oil fields, and in homes.
Hypocrisy abounds in the church as people pretend to follow God one day and then follow the crowd the next. Faithful church members refuse the courage to follow God in an uncommon way. I will testify to follow God in an uncommon way is costly. It is still the right way, the biblical way.
I am calling all senior adults to live an uncommon life. Don't live out your last days grumpy and griping about everything. Refuse to be a part of the gossip in your church and community. Live an uncommon life with a sweet spirit and deep devotion to the Lord. I am challenging adults to live uncommon in the use of your time and resources. Seek first the kingdom of God and trust God will bring all the rest to you as you have need. Guard your time and do not throw it way in the same common ways your peers do. I am challenging college students to live an uncommon life in your morale standards and do not compromise them for anyone. I am challenging high school and junior high students to live uncommon lives on their campuses. I am challenging you to love the unlovable and to accept those others reject. I am challenging you to be bold in your witness for Christ as you speak of Him unashamedly in the classrooms, locker rooms and at your lunch table.
It is time to summon courage from God to live in an uncommon way. We were meant to live lives of rare distinction, set apart, and honoring to God. I am not saying it will be easy. I am saying it will be worth it. Lord, we ask for the courage to live and serve you in an uncommon way.
It is easier to blend in and to go along with the masses in order to fit in. I have never cared much for fitting in. I have wanted to blaze my own trails and to live an uncommon life. Though I cannot say I have ever accomplished anything exceptional, I can say I do feel I have an uncommon devotion to the Lord. I love Him and I seek Him. I do think God has given me an uncommon faith to believe Him for exceptional things.
It takes courage to live an uncommon life. The easier path is to live a common life. To live within the familiar and acceptable patterns of the day is the path of least resistance. When you determine to live an uncommon life you are inviting hardships. Hear this clearly. If you choose to live an uncommon life of devotion and service to Christ you will suffer persecution on some level. Depending on where you live may determine the severity of the persecution.
I live in the Bible belt and the extent of my persecution may just be getting gossiped about. There are parts of the world where living an uncommon life could mean imprisonment at best and a martyr's death at worst. Yet, followers of Christ willingly pay the price with lives of distinction. They refuse to give into the pressures they face to conform. They have chosen the uncommon life and sadly many of these dedicated disciples pay a high price for it. Go online and check out www.voiceofthemartyrs.com to read some of their courageous but horrific stories.
What I have on my mind today is not calling people to die as martyrs, at least not in Paradise, TX. I am calling people to love others in an uncommon way. I am calling the church to willingly love people others bypass and neglect. I am calling Christians to quit judging and to extend the love of Jesus Christ to all kinds of people. The popular and unpopular. The rich and the poor. All the different races. The squeaky clean as well as the down and dirty. All need the love and grace of Jesus Christ. It will take someone living and uncommon life to welcome all these people into their lives and the church.
Living an uncommon life will mean standing firm for convictions when others cast them aside conveniently to go along with the crowds. It takes courage to stand for what you believe. You may even find yourself standing alone. That is uncommon. It is rare to find students or adults who will stand firm when the heat is turned on. When everybody else bowed down to the golden image at the sound of the music three Hebrew boys refused to bow. They stood out like a sore thumb. They were called to suffer for it. You can read their story in Daniel 3. They refused to be intimidated and refused to compromise the law of God. Even though they were sentenced to be burned in a fiery furnace, God did not forsake them.
Their stand for truth and miraculous deliverance moved the heart of the king. Where is that kind of courage among the cheerleaders and on the football and volleyball teams? Where is that uncommon courage on the school boards, in the hall ways, in the office, out in the oil fields, and in homes.
Hypocrisy abounds in the church as people pretend to follow God one day and then follow the crowd the next. Faithful church members refuse the courage to follow God in an uncommon way. I will testify to follow God in an uncommon way is costly. It is still the right way, the biblical way.
I am calling all senior adults to live an uncommon life. Don't live out your last days grumpy and griping about everything. Refuse to be a part of the gossip in your church and community. Live an uncommon life with a sweet spirit and deep devotion to the Lord. I am challenging adults to live uncommon in the use of your time and resources. Seek first the kingdom of God and trust God will bring all the rest to you as you have need. Guard your time and do not throw it way in the same common ways your peers do. I am challenging college students to live an uncommon life in your morale standards and do not compromise them for anyone. I am challenging high school and junior high students to live uncommon lives on their campuses. I am challenging you to love the unlovable and to accept those others reject. I am challenging you to be bold in your witness for Christ as you speak of Him unashamedly in the classrooms, locker rooms and at your lunch table.
It is time to summon courage from God to live in an uncommon way. We were meant to live lives of rare distinction, set apart, and honoring to God. I am not saying it will be easy. I am saying it will be worth it. Lord, we ask for the courage to live and serve you in an uncommon way.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Midweek Refreshing
As we near the end of Wednesday I am in need spiritual refreshing. I am in need of meeting with the people of God to chew on the word of God. Even though tonight I will be teaching, I am always refreshed by the discussion of others who attend. I love chewing on the word of God.
At Faith Community our midweek service has no frills. All we do is dig into the word. For this season we are working our way through the book of I Timothy verse by verse. Studying like this reminds me of eating a hardy meal and sitting back in contentment afterwards. There should be a hunger in the hearts of all of God's followers for the word of God but sadly this is not always the case.
In all my years of teaching and preaching I have found the Wednesday night service to be the smallest by far. Over the years I have enjoyed these times of teaching more than Sunday mornings. People who typically show up for a mid-week service are pretty serious about their faith and want to grow. This can lead to some serious study.
A few years ago at a different church we spent over two years studying the book of Acts. We never had more than a couple of dozen people show up but that did not deter us from having a good time. Following that study we studied the book of Revelation. Though people seemed to enjoy that study I found that to be one of the most challenging to teach on a personal level. In a different church I taught studies on the lives of Noah, Abraham and Joseph. I also taught through the book of I Corinthians and I John. Those were good times. Though the crowds were never large the hunger for God's word among those who did show up more than made up for the small attendance.
I hope and pray you are a serious student of the word of God. I hope you crave more teaching and study. Now we are not just supposed to be hearers of the word. James instructs us to be doers of all those things we are learning.
In the middle of this hectic week I encourage you to take some time out of your schedule to go to your local church and get into a serious study of the word of God. If your church does not offer that you can do a systematic study of a book of the Bible on your own.
Let your soul get refreshed as you take a dip into the oasis of God's word. Let it wash over you. Let the nourishment of God's word strengthen you to get through the rest of your week. These are exciting opportunities. I look forward to feasting on the honey of scripture tonight. It will be refreshing.
At Faith Community our midweek service has no frills. All we do is dig into the word. For this season we are working our way through the book of I Timothy verse by verse. Studying like this reminds me of eating a hardy meal and sitting back in contentment afterwards. There should be a hunger in the hearts of all of God's followers for the word of God but sadly this is not always the case.
In all my years of teaching and preaching I have found the Wednesday night service to be the smallest by far. Over the years I have enjoyed these times of teaching more than Sunday mornings. People who typically show up for a mid-week service are pretty serious about their faith and want to grow. This can lead to some serious study.
A few years ago at a different church we spent over two years studying the book of Acts. We never had more than a couple of dozen people show up but that did not deter us from having a good time. Following that study we studied the book of Revelation. Though people seemed to enjoy that study I found that to be one of the most challenging to teach on a personal level. In a different church I taught studies on the lives of Noah, Abraham and Joseph. I also taught through the book of I Corinthians and I John. Those were good times. Though the crowds were never large the hunger for God's word among those who did show up more than made up for the small attendance.
I hope and pray you are a serious student of the word of God. I hope you crave more teaching and study. Now we are not just supposed to be hearers of the word. James instructs us to be doers of all those things we are learning.
In the middle of this hectic week I encourage you to take some time out of your schedule to go to your local church and get into a serious study of the word of God. If your church does not offer that you can do a systematic study of a book of the Bible on your own.
Let your soul get refreshed as you take a dip into the oasis of God's word. Let it wash over you. Let the nourishment of God's word strengthen you to get through the rest of your week. These are exciting opportunities. I look forward to feasting on the honey of scripture tonight. It will be refreshing.
The Foresight of Faith
If we could only see what God sees and know what God knows in foresight, we would not stress or doubt. Moses had to face this same issue. He obeyed God by going to the people of Israel and telling them how God had met with him and told him to go to Pharaoh and saying let Israel go.
God even gave Moses three signs to back up his bold claims. He had a staff that when thrown on the ground would turn into a snake. When Moses reached out to grab the snake it would turn back into a staff. Moses also could put his hand inside his coat and it would come out leprous. When Moses put the hand back in the cloak it came back out normal. Moses performed a third sign by taking water from the Nile River and pouring it on the ground where it turned into blood.
When the people of Israel heard all this they believed. Moses believed. That is until Moses and Aaron when to talk to Pharaoh. Things did not go according to plan. Pharaoh became angry and refused to give the people straw for making bricks while not decreasing their production quota. In essence things got worse rather than better after Moses obeyed. [Ex 5:1-23]
The people of Israel complained and rejected Moses' leadership. Moses questioned why God had called him to a task God was not blessing. All this reaction because neither Moses or Israel had foresight. They had no way of knowing what God intended to do and the miraculous ways God would work. Ten plagues were on the horizon. God knew this. God knew how Pharaoh would react to Moses's obedience and God had a plan. Moses did not have the foresight to know the plan so in a moment of weakness he doubted.
Who can blame him. Don't we do the same thing. We hear the Lord call us to do something and when we obey and it turns out badly we are thrown for a loop. We start doubting God and His plans. We all must live with the foresight of faith. We cannot predict the future with any certainty. Life has many surprise twists and turns. We can only follow in faith. It is that very faith that gives us confidence to hear from God and believe Him completely no matter how things look. With the foresight of faith we can keep following, withstand trials, and stay the course to completion.
Many times in my life I wish I had operated with the foresight of faith. I would not have stressed about provision. I would not have feared those steps of faith. I would have trusted God in the bleakest seasons knowing how things would work out eventually.
All I can see right now in this moment is this computer screen and my office. I can see through a small window but I am blind to all the things happening outside this door and around the community. God sees all. At times He chooses to reveal His plans for us which requires faith for us to believe. We then choose to move forward in trust or to retreat in fear.
There have been times when I moved forward in faith and it did not turn out like I planned. I started CentrePointe Community Church in faith but it still disbanded four years later. Things went from bad to worse as we waited on God for the next eighteen months to open a door for us into another ministry. That year and a half we suffered. Doors closed on other churches to pastor. We lived at times day to day trusting God for money for groceries, tanks of gas, and to pay bills. From that perspective I doubted God for a long time. Financially Brenda and I lived near poverty. We were stressed. God always came through. I remember drives alone so I could cry without Brenda and the boys knowing it.
If I could have seen with foresight all God would do, I would reacted to those circumstances differently. God preserved me for the Paradise community knowing one day I would start Faith Community Church here. God would use the painful lessons of CentrePointe Community Church to teach me how to start Faith Community Church and to avoid making some of the same mistakes. God used those lean financial years to prepare Brenda and I to take a cut in pay but to trust God to provide for us anyway which He has.
I want to live with the foresight of faith. Right now I face dozens of issues I cannot see the outcome with my physical eyes. With the foresight of faith I already know the outcome of each issue. All I have to do is rest in faith knowing God is at work in His way and in His time. I have to trust Him. I have come to know from first hand experience the truth of [Rom 8:28], "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." What is confusing and painful today God will work for our good tomorrow if we love Him and stay in tune with His purposes. I have experienced that in my life repeatedly.
So today after a couple of decades of faith walking I know I can trust God. I know with the foresight of faith I can live in peace and not stress. I have learned through experience God will come through just like He did for Moses and Israel through the ten plagues. He will come through for us too.
God even gave Moses three signs to back up his bold claims. He had a staff that when thrown on the ground would turn into a snake. When Moses reached out to grab the snake it would turn back into a staff. Moses also could put his hand inside his coat and it would come out leprous. When Moses put the hand back in the cloak it came back out normal. Moses performed a third sign by taking water from the Nile River and pouring it on the ground where it turned into blood.
When the people of Israel heard all this they believed. Moses believed. That is until Moses and Aaron when to talk to Pharaoh. Things did not go according to plan. Pharaoh became angry and refused to give the people straw for making bricks while not decreasing their production quota. In essence things got worse rather than better after Moses obeyed. [Ex 5:1-23]
The people of Israel complained and rejected Moses' leadership. Moses questioned why God had called him to a task God was not blessing. All this reaction because neither Moses or Israel had foresight. They had no way of knowing what God intended to do and the miraculous ways God would work. Ten plagues were on the horizon. God knew this. God knew how Pharaoh would react to Moses's obedience and God had a plan. Moses did not have the foresight to know the plan so in a moment of weakness he doubted.
Who can blame him. Don't we do the same thing. We hear the Lord call us to do something and when we obey and it turns out badly we are thrown for a loop. We start doubting God and His plans. We all must live with the foresight of faith. We cannot predict the future with any certainty. Life has many surprise twists and turns. We can only follow in faith. It is that very faith that gives us confidence to hear from God and believe Him completely no matter how things look. With the foresight of faith we can keep following, withstand trials, and stay the course to completion.
Many times in my life I wish I had operated with the foresight of faith. I would not have stressed about provision. I would not have feared those steps of faith. I would have trusted God in the bleakest seasons knowing how things would work out eventually.
All I can see right now in this moment is this computer screen and my office. I can see through a small window but I am blind to all the things happening outside this door and around the community. God sees all. At times He chooses to reveal His plans for us which requires faith for us to believe. We then choose to move forward in trust or to retreat in fear.
There have been times when I moved forward in faith and it did not turn out like I planned. I started CentrePointe Community Church in faith but it still disbanded four years later. Things went from bad to worse as we waited on God for the next eighteen months to open a door for us into another ministry. That year and a half we suffered. Doors closed on other churches to pastor. We lived at times day to day trusting God for money for groceries, tanks of gas, and to pay bills. From that perspective I doubted God for a long time. Financially Brenda and I lived near poverty. We were stressed. God always came through. I remember drives alone so I could cry without Brenda and the boys knowing it.
If I could have seen with foresight all God would do, I would reacted to those circumstances differently. God preserved me for the Paradise community knowing one day I would start Faith Community Church here. God would use the painful lessons of CentrePointe Community Church to teach me how to start Faith Community Church and to avoid making some of the same mistakes. God used those lean financial years to prepare Brenda and I to take a cut in pay but to trust God to provide for us anyway which He has.
I want to live with the foresight of faith. Right now I face dozens of issues I cannot see the outcome with my physical eyes. With the foresight of faith I already know the outcome of each issue. All I have to do is rest in faith knowing God is at work in His way and in His time. I have to trust Him. I have come to know from first hand experience the truth of [Rom 8:28], "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." What is confusing and painful today God will work for our good tomorrow if we love Him and stay in tune with His purposes. I have experienced that in my life repeatedly.
So today after a couple of decades of faith walking I know I can trust God. I know with the foresight of faith I can live in peace and not stress. I have learned through experience God will come through just like He did for Moses and Israel through the ten plagues. He will come through for us too.
Preparing for Rain
Last night I sat at a volleyball game and noticed it looked dark outside even though when I glanced at my watch I noticed it was only 6:00 p.m. Tanner, Tucker, Turner, and I left not long afterward for Turner's football practice. When we walked outside the gym I could see the skies darkening and flashes of lightening.
When Turner and I drove to his practice more lightening lit up the sky. I had my doubts practice would be held and sure enough we cancelled it. We drove back home before the rain fell but I began making prepartaions. I had Taylor move his truck from being parked another a tree. We let the dog out one last time before the rain fell. We buttoned down the hatches.
For the longest time we just received a lot of lightening and thunder. Then the winds picked up knocking several limbs to the ground. The rain started falling and then fell harder and harder. I went out in the garage pulling up a chair watching the rain fall. This is not a sight we have seen much of lately. The mowing business had all but come to a grinding halt.
For years I have enjoyed pulling a chair outside in the garage and watching rain fall. I do not know why my fascination with this but it is a habit. I praise God for farmers and ranchers getting blessed with the rain. I thank God for how rain revives the land. I thank God I will soon be busy atop the John Deere cutting grass all over Wise County. I thanked God not just for the rain falling but the gentle soaking rain that fell all night long.
I woke up at 2:30 a.m. to more lightening and thunder. I got up and sat in my recliner so I could listen to it rain. The rain continued to fall until around daybreak while I drifted to sleep. I think of all the farmers who sowed seed in anticipation of rain. There have been many days when it seemed like it would never rain. I thanked God for people I know in the hay business and farming businesses.
I bought a mower on faith preparing for rain so the grass would grow back in the spring. I have been amazed how God has opened doors for us to mow despite the drought conditions. Every week or two weeks some job has come up. Some of them have been one time jobs. Some have been more permanent. The boys and I have stayed busy.
Now with this rain and the possibility of more on Friday I should be busy for a long time. By purchasing that mower I prepared for rain. I readied myself when the grass would grow and people would be in need for help. God worked a couple of financial miracles so we get a mower and trailer. To be honest their were times when I wondered if I had done the right thing. At the time I felt God's direction. Yet in June and July when the rains quit coming and the grass quit growing I wondered if I had done the right thing.
I have peace I did. The boys and I worked together all summer long. Taylor and Tanner have continued to help me even while they have been in the middle of two a days for football. They have all gained an appreciation for hard work and getting rewarded for their labors. I am thankful for time spent with them. We have sweat together. Tackled hard jobs together. We have tried to our best work together. We have known the satisfaction of a job well done together.
We prepared for rain. All this is to make this point. In your life it might not look like God is doing anything. All you may feel is the oppressive heat of your circumstances and see the cracked ground of your heart and faith in drought like conditions. I assure you God is at work.
It has been over a year since I put my house up for sale in Seminole. Nothing has changed other than we have someone leasing it. I am preparing for rain. I check the houses for sale in Paradise often. I pray about this situation. I prepare for rain. I know any day the rain could come.
Faith Community Church is small by many church standards but I am preparing for rain. I am already looking down the road. I know soon we will need to purchase more chairs. In the not too distant future as we continue to grow we might have to add another worship service. At some point we will purchase land. I drove by a piece of land this morning and asked the Lord is that was the piece of property for us. All this preparing for the rain of growth in attendance and more influence in this community.
Preparing for rain is an intentional act of faith. For two months rain did not come. When it did come last night it would have been too late to prepare the fields to receive at that hour. Those preparations had to be made months ago. I prepared for rain the first time I stood to preach to the people of Faith Community in that daycare. We prepared for rain by moving our services to the school facilities. We prepared for rain as we leased our current facilities.
We must live preparing for rain in our lives. That will look different for each of us. At Faith Community Church I am living and preparing for rain months, years, and even decades down the road. When God chooses to send the blessings I want to be ready. You must live with the continual anticipation God will the rain of his blessings in your life.
Lord, thank you for the rain last night. I never want to take that for granted. I lift up my brothers in west Texas who depend on you to send life giving moisture to their land for their crops. I ask you to break open the skies and let the gentle soaking rain come. You are faithful. I ask you to relieve their stress and give them the perfect peace of your trust. For others you are calling to make advanced preparations for something will do in the future, I ask you to strengthen their faith for the journey. I ask you to help them follow through in faith regardless of what they see. I ask you to bring all this to pass. Lord, help us prepare for rain.
When Turner and I drove to his practice more lightening lit up the sky. I had my doubts practice would be held and sure enough we cancelled it. We drove back home before the rain fell but I began making prepartaions. I had Taylor move his truck from being parked another a tree. We let the dog out one last time before the rain fell. We buttoned down the hatches.
For the longest time we just received a lot of lightening and thunder. Then the winds picked up knocking several limbs to the ground. The rain started falling and then fell harder and harder. I went out in the garage pulling up a chair watching the rain fall. This is not a sight we have seen much of lately. The mowing business had all but come to a grinding halt.
For years I have enjoyed pulling a chair outside in the garage and watching rain fall. I do not know why my fascination with this but it is a habit. I praise God for farmers and ranchers getting blessed with the rain. I thank God for how rain revives the land. I thank God I will soon be busy atop the John Deere cutting grass all over Wise County. I thanked God not just for the rain falling but the gentle soaking rain that fell all night long.
I woke up at 2:30 a.m. to more lightening and thunder. I got up and sat in my recliner so I could listen to it rain. The rain continued to fall until around daybreak while I drifted to sleep. I think of all the farmers who sowed seed in anticipation of rain. There have been many days when it seemed like it would never rain. I thanked God for people I know in the hay business and farming businesses.
I bought a mower on faith preparing for rain so the grass would grow back in the spring. I have been amazed how God has opened doors for us to mow despite the drought conditions. Every week or two weeks some job has come up. Some of them have been one time jobs. Some have been more permanent. The boys and I have stayed busy.
Now with this rain and the possibility of more on Friday I should be busy for a long time. By purchasing that mower I prepared for rain. I readied myself when the grass would grow and people would be in need for help. God worked a couple of financial miracles so we get a mower and trailer. To be honest their were times when I wondered if I had done the right thing. At the time I felt God's direction. Yet in June and July when the rains quit coming and the grass quit growing I wondered if I had done the right thing.
I have peace I did. The boys and I worked together all summer long. Taylor and Tanner have continued to help me even while they have been in the middle of two a days for football. They have all gained an appreciation for hard work and getting rewarded for their labors. I am thankful for time spent with them. We have sweat together. Tackled hard jobs together. We have tried to our best work together. We have known the satisfaction of a job well done together.
We prepared for rain. All this is to make this point. In your life it might not look like God is doing anything. All you may feel is the oppressive heat of your circumstances and see the cracked ground of your heart and faith in drought like conditions. I assure you God is at work.
It has been over a year since I put my house up for sale in Seminole. Nothing has changed other than we have someone leasing it. I am preparing for rain. I check the houses for sale in Paradise often. I pray about this situation. I prepare for rain. I know any day the rain could come.
Faith Community Church is small by many church standards but I am preparing for rain. I am already looking down the road. I know soon we will need to purchase more chairs. In the not too distant future as we continue to grow we might have to add another worship service. At some point we will purchase land. I drove by a piece of land this morning and asked the Lord is that was the piece of property for us. All this preparing for the rain of growth in attendance and more influence in this community.
Preparing for rain is an intentional act of faith. For two months rain did not come. When it did come last night it would have been too late to prepare the fields to receive at that hour. Those preparations had to be made months ago. I prepared for rain the first time I stood to preach to the people of Faith Community in that daycare. We prepared for rain by moving our services to the school facilities. We prepared for rain as we leased our current facilities.
We must live preparing for rain in our lives. That will look different for each of us. At Faith Community Church I am living and preparing for rain months, years, and even decades down the road. When God chooses to send the blessings I want to be ready. You must live with the continual anticipation God will the rain of his blessings in your life.
Lord, thank you for the rain last night. I never want to take that for granted. I lift up my brothers in west Texas who depend on you to send life giving moisture to their land for their crops. I ask you to break open the skies and let the gentle soaking rain come. You are faithful. I ask you to relieve their stress and give them the perfect peace of your trust. For others you are calling to make advanced preparations for something will do in the future, I ask you to strengthen their faith for the journey. I ask you to help them follow through in faith regardless of what they see. I ask you to bring all this to pass. Lord, help us prepare for rain.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Preparing for Worship
Father,
As this new day dawns I ask you to prepare me and people everywhere for worship. I ask you to prepare us to do more than sit in church. We know we are forgiven positionally. You have declared the redeemed righteous. We ask that we go beyond that today to relate to you experientially. We want to feel your presence, to hear you speak, and to sing songs of adoration to you a living reality.
I don't know what you will do today. I do not know how you will move in my heart or the hearts of other worshipers. I ask you to stir our affections to love you more. I ask you to reveal truth not just in our minds but also in our hearts. I ask you to open our ears to hear clearly from you.
I ask you to give us the faith and courage to obey you. Please break the bondage of fear that cripples people spiritually. I ask you for fearless faith in my own life to obey you as well as in the hearts of others. I want to follow through no matter what you lead me to do. I pray congregations in all churches will follow through too on what you lead them to do. I ask you to deepen our resolve to follow through on all you have to say. No matter what is costs or how foolish it makes us look.
I ask you to lead us to fresh and life altering encounters with you. I ask you to speak words that will change us.
Remind us today you are watching, listening, and will be speaking. You will move in our hearts. We want more than just to attend church. We want to encounter you. So before we ever enter into the sanctuary we choose to meet with you to prepare us for worship. We believe this is going to be a great day and we are going to encounter you in significant ways.
As this new day dawns I ask you to prepare me and people everywhere for worship. I ask you to prepare us to do more than sit in church. We know we are forgiven positionally. You have declared the redeemed righteous. We ask that we go beyond that today to relate to you experientially. We want to feel your presence, to hear you speak, and to sing songs of adoration to you a living reality.
I don't know what you will do today. I do not know how you will move in my heart or the hearts of other worshipers. I ask you to stir our affections to love you more. I ask you to reveal truth not just in our minds but also in our hearts. I ask you to open our ears to hear clearly from you.
I ask you to give us the faith and courage to obey you. Please break the bondage of fear that cripples people spiritually. I ask you for fearless faith in my own life to obey you as well as in the hearts of others. I want to follow through no matter what you lead me to do. I pray congregations in all churches will follow through too on what you lead them to do. I ask you to deepen our resolve to follow through on all you have to say. No matter what is costs or how foolish it makes us look.
I ask you to lead us to fresh and life altering encounters with you. I ask you to speak words that will change us.
Remind us today you are watching, listening, and will be speaking. You will move in our hearts. We want more than just to attend church. We want to encounter you. So before we ever enter into the sanctuary we choose to meet with you to prepare us for worship. We believe this is going to be a great day and we are going to encounter you in significant ways.
Obedience
Sometimes we find it hard to obey. We have difficulty submitting to a parent, teacher, coach, boss, law enforcement officers and at times even to God. Why is this? What is it within us that stirs disobedience over obedience.
In the Garden of Eden God required Adam and Eve to obey Him by not eating from one single tree. You know the story. They disobeyed and every generation since them have felt the consequences. The Bible is filled with stories of people who disobeyed God and of those who chose to obey.
I think disobedience really could come down to our being deceived that disobedience will bring the greater reward, comfort, security, and pleasure than obedience.
This morning while having my time with the Lord I felt impressed to do a simple act. I cannot say I really wanted to follow through but I felt deeply impressed by God that the whole issue came down to obedience. So just seconds ago before I started this blog I obeyed. I followed through on what I sensed the Lord wanted me to do. At the end of the day it may not make a big difference but at least I know I followed through. I did what I was supposed to do. I obeyed.
This happened again earlier in the week. This time the prompting required us to make a financial sacrifice. I debated but in the end knew I had to obey. I felt extreme joy in the obedience. I had a choice. I could have ignored God's prompting. I would have suffered the consequences. I chose to obey and now have peace and joy from obedience.
To obey means to follow the commands or to comply with something. God is in the business of speaking to and leading His followers. He gives out instructions He expects will be obeyed. When God instructs us we are to follow through and to comply. Often in the church His instructions are ignored or rejected. People continue living their lives pretending they never really heard God's instructions. Some choose to disobey end of story.
I praise God for those few who live to obey Him. I know a shy lady who obeyed God by going on a mission trip to Africa though she was scared. She did not let fear hold her back from obedience. I know a man who gave a multi-thousand dollar gift for a mission project. He gave out of sacrifice and did so in obedience. I know people who have gone to people privately to confront them about a sin in obedience. Those people would have rather ignored such a conversation but in the end were glad they obeyed. I have heard stories about people who gave up their careers and financial fortunes to follow God into ministry of missions. I know pastors who have preached the hard sermons few others wanted to preach in obedience to God's leadership.
To obey is not always easy. I would have rather not followed through this morning. The whole thing put me in an uncomfortable position. Sometimes obedience can make you look foolish in the world's eyes. Many people thought that about George Mueller running an orphanage on faith.
Today I have a simple challenge. I challenge you to obey promptly in whatever God commands you to do. If you are to forgive extend forgiveness. If you are to give open your wallet. If you are to love express it tangibly. If you are to do something do not delay. Don't put off obedience. You never know how God is going to use your obedience. Big doors swing on little hinges. Likewise, big movements of God often swing on simple acts of obedience.
In the Garden of Eden God required Adam and Eve to obey Him by not eating from one single tree. You know the story. They disobeyed and every generation since them have felt the consequences. The Bible is filled with stories of people who disobeyed God and of those who chose to obey.
I think disobedience really could come down to our being deceived that disobedience will bring the greater reward, comfort, security, and pleasure than obedience.
This morning while having my time with the Lord I felt impressed to do a simple act. I cannot say I really wanted to follow through but I felt deeply impressed by God that the whole issue came down to obedience. So just seconds ago before I started this blog I obeyed. I followed through on what I sensed the Lord wanted me to do. At the end of the day it may not make a big difference but at least I know I followed through. I did what I was supposed to do. I obeyed.
This happened again earlier in the week. This time the prompting required us to make a financial sacrifice. I debated but in the end knew I had to obey. I felt extreme joy in the obedience. I had a choice. I could have ignored God's prompting. I would have suffered the consequences. I chose to obey and now have peace and joy from obedience.
To obey means to follow the commands or to comply with something. God is in the business of speaking to and leading His followers. He gives out instructions He expects will be obeyed. When God instructs us we are to follow through and to comply. Often in the church His instructions are ignored or rejected. People continue living their lives pretending they never really heard God's instructions. Some choose to disobey end of story.
I praise God for those few who live to obey Him. I know a shy lady who obeyed God by going on a mission trip to Africa though she was scared. She did not let fear hold her back from obedience. I know a man who gave a multi-thousand dollar gift for a mission project. He gave out of sacrifice and did so in obedience. I know people who have gone to people privately to confront them about a sin in obedience. Those people would have rather ignored such a conversation but in the end were glad they obeyed. I have heard stories about people who gave up their careers and financial fortunes to follow God into ministry of missions. I know pastors who have preached the hard sermons few others wanted to preach in obedience to God's leadership.
To obey is not always easy. I would have rather not followed through this morning. The whole thing put me in an uncomfortable position. Sometimes obedience can make you look foolish in the world's eyes. Many people thought that about George Mueller running an orphanage on faith.
Today I have a simple challenge. I challenge you to obey promptly in whatever God commands you to do. If you are to forgive extend forgiveness. If you are to give open your wallet. If you are to love express it tangibly. If you are to do something do not delay. Don't put off obedience. You never know how God is going to use your obedience. Big doors swing on little hinges. Likewise, big movements of God often swing on simple acts of obedience.
Friday, August 10, 2012
God Is With Me
While reading about the life of Joseph this morning something really struck me. Several times as Joseph had to cope with harsh realities we are reminded that God was with Joseph. He was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery. He was with Joseph when Potiphar's wife accused him of sexual harassment. God did not forsake Joseph when he was thrown into prison. God remained with Joseph after the cup bearer forgot all about him for two full years.
In the end God put Joseph exactly where he needed to be to fulfill God's plan to preserve his family during the years of famine. It might not have looked like God was at work but not one time did God ever leave Joseph. God was with Him and working the whole time.
This all set me to thinking about all the times in my life when I God has been with me. God was with me the day they called to tell me my mother died back in May of 1998. God strengthened me to preach her funeral.
God was with me during the lean years of being a traveling evangelist. He sustained me through severe bouts of depression. He empowered me to preach in backwood small churches as well before crowds of a thousand. He was with me when I wrote my first book in a small makeshift office that had formerly been used as a prayer room.
God remained with me through the confusing time of starting CentrePointe Community Church. When the church disbanded God did not forsake me. He sustained me through daily quiet times. He strengthened my faith through the darkest nights of weeping. He was with us as Provider during eighteen months when I had no salary. God stayed with me when He moved us to Paradise the first time. He kept us in the palm of His hand for four years as we loved and served the First Baptist Church.
God remained with me when He bid me to leave. Time and time again He counseled me my time at FBC Paradise had come to an end as He led me to FBC Seminole. God was with me through the transition. He blessed us to be able to buy a home out there. He was with all of us during the twenty-three glorious days of revival. He was with me during tragedy and the loss of a young mother at Family Camp. He was with me day in and day out as we learned to love that flock and community with all our hearts. We all thought we stay there forever.
The Lord was with me in a quiet time when He first told me to follow Him. For seven months He was with me reiterating that message over and over again. He was with me in my office one Saturday morning when He made it clear that His new call on my life would lead me away from Seminole and that it would also mean returning to Paradise to start a church.
He met with me that same Saturday afternoon as I went home to an empty house and prostrated myself on the living room floor in tears wrestling with God over this issue. He sustained me in the days following when I resigned with nowhere to live and not knowing what my salary would be.
God stayed with me during the month I lived apart from Brenda and the three younger boys as Taylor and I transitioned into life back in Paradise and at Faith Community. God was with me in those dark and lonely nights in the RV. God remained with me even after Brenda and the boys came here living in the home of a friend for three months while I stayed in the RV.
God sustained me during the up and down attendance of the first six months of Faith Community Church. God kept us as we moved into a rent house and closed out our lives at 2112 NW Ave B in Seminole, TX. God kept us financially as He sent His provision each time we had a need.
God remained with me as we moved into lease space as a church and I finally got an office again. He has met with me in this place in ways I could never put into words. He is with me this morning as I have sought Him in scripture reading and prayer. He has always been with me and ever shall be. He is with you too.
You may not can trace what He is up to but rest assured He with you through the joys and sorrows, triumphs and the trials, as well as the laughter and the tears. He is with you this very moment as you read this. He is available to comfort, strengthen, to hold, to reassure, to console, to counsel, and to sustain you through the hardest times. I pray you take comfort in that truth today as I have. He is with you.
In the end God put Joseph exactly where he needed to be to fulfill God's plan to preserve his family during the years of famine. It might not have looked like God was at work but not one time did God ever leave Joseph. God was with Him and working the whole time.
This all set me to thinking about all the times in my life when I God has been with me. God was with me the day they called to tell me my mother died back in May of 1998. God strengthened me to preach her funeral.
God was with me during the lean years of being a traveling evangelist. He sustained me through severe bouts of depression. He empowered me to preach in backwood small churches as well before crowds of a thousand. He was with me when I wrote my first book in a small makeshift office that had formerly been used as a prayer room.
God remained with me through the confusing time of starting CentrePointe Community Church. When the church disbanded God did not forsake me. He sustained me through daily quiet times. He strengthened my faith through the darkest nights of weeping. He was with us as Provider during eighteen months when I had no salary. God stayed with me when He moved us to Paradise the first time. He kept us in the palm of His hand for four years as we loved and served the First Baptist Church.
God remained with me when He bid me to leave. Time and time again He counseled me my time at FBC Paradise had come to an end as He led me to FBC Seminole. God was with me through the transition. He blessed us to be able to buy a home out there. He was with all of us during the twenty-three glorious days of revival. He was with me during tragedy and the loss of a young mother at Family Camp. He was with me day in and day out as we learned to love that flock and community with all our hearts. We all thought we stay there forever.
The Lord was with me in a quiet time when He first told me to follow Him. For seven months He was with me reiterating that message over and over again. He was with me in my office one Saturday morning when He made it clear that His new call on my life would lead me away from Seminole and that it would also mean returning to Paradise to start a church.
He met with me that same Saturday afternoon as I went home to an empty house and prostrated myself on the living room floor in tears wrestling with God over this issue. He sustained me in the days following when I resigned with nowhere to live and not knowing what my salary would be.
God stayed with me during the month I lived apart from Brenda and the three younger boys as Taylor and I transitioned into life back in Paradise and at Faith Community. God was with me in those dark and lonely nights in the RV. God remained with me even after Brenda and the boys came here living in the home of a friend for three months while I stayed in the RV.
God sustained me during the up and down attendance of the first six months of Faith Community Church. God kept us as we moved into a rent house and closed out our lives at 2112 NW Ave B in Seminole, TX. God kept us financially as He sent His provision each time we had a need.
God remained with me as we moved into lease space as a church and I finally got an office again. He has met with me in this place in ways I could never put into words. He is with me this morning as I have sought Him in scripture reading and prayer. He has always been with me and ever shall be. He is with you too.
You may not can trace what He is up to but rest assured He with you through the joys and sorrows, triumphs and the trials, as well as the laughter and the tears. He is with you this very moment as you read this. He is available to comfort, strengthen, to hold, to reassure, to console, to counsel, and to sustain you through the hardest times. I pray you take comfort in that truth today as I have. He is with you.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Surrendering a Dream
He had tears in his eyes when he walked through the door. He came unexpectedly, a teenage boy with a lot on his mind and heart. He needed to talk so we walked to the front of the church and sat on the steps of the stage. He could barely get the words out. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he tried to manage the words.
I had talked to him earlier in the week. This young man loves God and has been a strong witness for Christ on his campus and teams. In recent days I had noticed something different about him. His countenance seemed different. I pulled him aside one day to ask him about it. After some discussion it finally came out. He did not want to surrender his dream to God for fear God would take it away from him.
My challenge to the young man earlier in the week had been to fall on his face before God and repent and surrender all to Him. I reminded this troubled teen that his dream would not come true without God's help in the first place. I know he mulled this over for some time.
When he walked through that church door Saturday night he told me he had come looking for me because he needed to talk. I saw the brokenness that only God can bring all over this young man. As he cried he finally managed to blurt out, "I repented. I gave God my dream and surrendered everything." Getting those words out released a torrent of tears in this guy.
We talked for a bit and then I told him all the talking in the world would not be better than our praying together. The room felt hot as the programmable thermostat would not kick on to cool the room off for the morning worship service for hours. He sweat right through his shirt and so did I. Despite sweat dripping from our faces we knelt at the altar and I prayed a prayer of blessing for that teen.
When our prayer time ended we got up and hugged. I felt so proud of him for even the willingness to surrender his dream. I felt honored to be this young man's pastor. I have witnessed him leading his teams in prayer and devotions before games. I have heard him speak in public. I am proud to be his pastor and friend. I am more proud to be his father.
Yes, that young man that walked in the back of the church turned out to be one of my sons. It does not matter which one. He had a real encounter with God. He and I both have big dreams. I know what it is like to have to surrender a dream. I had to do that at FBC Paradise and FBC Seminole. It is painful to surrender your dreams and give God complete control. It can be a scary proposition if you do not know down deep God can be trusted.
I reminded my son of the story of Abraham and the test God gave him to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22. In the end God did not want Isaac. He wanted all of Abraham's love and loyalty. I think that is what God is doing in my son. I know that is what God did in me when he called us to leave Seminole. To this day many people still think I left because something bad happened and I needed to leave or had to leave. Nothing could be further from the truth. That church compensated us well. They blessed us continually. A remnant in that church hungered for God's word. All of it. Those people loved us and accepted us. We had favor in the community. We still have close contacts with many people out there. If you have kept up with these blogs you know God blessed us with a house. We considered that house our miracle house. God called me to lay all of that down to follow Him to start a church. I know what God told me to do even though I did not understand it then and I do not understand it now.
I counted the cost before we actually left Seminole but it has proven to be more costly than I first considered. I have wept countless tears for the people we had to leave behind. I do not understand. When I think of them even writing this I am moved to tears again. It has been a year since we left. The pain of not getting to minister to those people and fellowship with them pains my heart still. They have a new pastor and I have a new flock but a part of my heart will always remain in Seminole just like a part of my heart remains at FBC Paradise.
I had to surrender my dream, especially the dream of owning our own home again. Though it has been painful I know you can't go back. I can only follow God in faith and trust Him to make my paths straight. True, I had to surrender a grand dream in Seminole. In recent days God has been planting a grander dream in my heart for Faith Community Church.
It is almost comical. I spent Saturday night sweeping cob webs out of our drafty warehouse make shift sanctuary. It gets so hot in there that people say I sweat through my shirt and pants while preaching. The floors are bare concrete. The walls are made of metal panels. There are gaps where dust blows in through two bay doors. There are spiders and bugs galore. I contrast that with churches I have served in the past with beautiful sanctuaries, stained glass, baptismals, and luxurious offices. We baptize in a hot tub or swimming pool depending on the weather.
Yes, I too had to surrender a dream. I am still surrendering the dream of home ownership in the near future. What I know is that I am as fully surrendered and consecrated to God as I have ever been. He has given me a quiet contentment in where I am. I no longer stand to preach before hundreds. We have not had over a hundred in attendance but two or three times. What I do have is the peace of God that I am doing exactly what he called me to do even if everyone does not understand. I am also watching God build a church right before my eyes.
God called me to surrender one dream so He could give me a bigger dream. I sit here humbled by the new dream. His plans are best even though they are not easy and often have a great price tag. In recent days I have dreamed about Seminole and the people I love there. I miss them terribly but I know I cannot go back. I am laboring toward a new dream.
Yesterday we baptized 11 in a swimming pool! I am not sure that I have ever baptized that many on one day before. One teenaged girl who trusted Christ for salvation back at youth camp came even though she had played in a volleyball tournament until 3:00 a.m. She would not be deterred from holding back. A father and his two sons were baptized. A brother along with his two younger sisters were baptized. Two young men followed in baptism after years of their mother's praying. One little boy followed in baptism bringing to mind how his older brother had been saved first. Next came their dad followed by their mom and yesterday we celebrated the new birth of baby brother. In that pool baptizing one after another, hearing the applause and cheers of the people despite the 103 temperatures, made sacrificing the other dream worth it.
I looked around yesterday morning in our sweltering building and thanked God for the swelling attendance. We have had our best attendance since back in January during the summer months in a warehouse. I am talking about people who had not been involved in church a year ago. I made eye contact with several men who have been saved. I see people I am growing to love more and more each week. This is home.
God required me to give up one dream before He entrusted me with a new dream. He is faithful. I can trust Him with not only my dreams but also with my life, my family, and my future. So can you. I am thankful this is a lesson my son is learning as well. We can always trust God with our dreams and our lives.
I had talked to him earlier in the week. This young man loves God and has been a strong witness for Christ on his campus and teams. In recent days I had noticed something different about him. His countenance seemed different. I pulled him aside one day to ask him about it. After some discussion it finally came out. He did not want to surrender his dream to God for fear God would take it away from him.
My challenge to the young man earlier in the week had been to fall on his face before God and repent and surrender all to Him. I reminded this troubled teen that his dream would not come true without God's help in the first place. I know he mulled this over for some time.
When he walked through that church door Saturday night he told me he had come looking for me because he needed to talk. I saw the brokenness that only God can bring all over this young man. As he cried he finally managed to blurt out, "I repented. I gave God my dream and surrendered everything." Getting those words out released a torrent of tears in this guy.
We talked for a bit and then I told him all the talking in the world would not be better than our praying together. The room felt hot as the programmable thermostat would not kick on to cool the room off for the morning worship service for hours. He sweat right through his shirt and so did I. Despite sweat dripping from our faces we knelt at the altar and I prayed a prayer of blessing for that teen.
When our prayer time ended we got up and hugged. I felt so proud of him for even the willingness to surrender his dream. I felt honored to be this young man's pastor. I have witnessed him leading his teams in prayer and devotions before games. I have heard him speak in public. I am proud to be his pastor and friend. I am more proud to be his father.
Yes, that young man that walked in the back of the church turned out to be one of my sons. It does not matter which one. He had a real encounter with God. He and I both have big dreams. I know what it is like to have to surrender a dream. I had to do that at FBC Paradise and FBC Seminole. It is painful to surrender your dreams and give God complete control. It can be a scary proposition if you do not know down deep God can be trusted.
I reminded my son of the story of Abraham and the test God gave him to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22. In the end God did not want Isaac. He wanted all of Abraham's love and loyalty. I think that is what God is doing in my son. I know that is what God did in me when he called us to leave Seminole. To this day many people still think I left because something bad happened and I needed to leave or had to leave. Nothing could be further from the truth. That church compensated us well. They blessed us continually. A remnant in that church hungered for God's word. All of it. Those people loved us and accepted us. We had favor in the community. We still have close contacts with many people out there. If you have kept up with these blogs you know God blessed us with a house. We considered that house our miracle house. God called me to lay all of that down to follow Him to start a church. I know what God told me to do even though I did not understand it then and I do not understand it now.
I counted the cost before we actually left Seminole but it has proven to be more costly than I first considered. I have wept countless tears for the people we had to leave behind. I do not understand. When I think of them even writing this I am moved to tears again. It has been a year since we left. The pain of not getting to minister to those people and fellowship with them pains my heart still. They have a new pastor and I have a new flock but a part of my heart will always remain in Seminole just like a part of my heart remains at FBC Paradise.
I had to surrender my dream, especially the dream of owning our own home again. Though it has been painful I know you can't go back. I can only follow God in faith and trust Him to make my paths straight. True, I had to surrender a grand dream in Seminole. In recent days God has been planting a grander dream in my heart for Faith Community Church.
It is almost comical. I spent Saturday night sweeping cob webs out of our drafty warehouse make shift sanctuary. It gets so hot in there that people say I sweat through my shirt and pants while preaching. The floors are bare concrete. The walls are made of metal panels. There are gaps where dust blows in through two bay doors. There are spiders and bugs galore. I contrast that with churches I have served in the past with beautiful sanctuaries, stained glass, baptismals, and luxurious offices. We baptize in a hot tub or swimming pool depending on the weather.
Yes, I too had to surrender a dream. I am still surrendering the dream of home ownership in the near future. What I know is that I am as fully surrendered and consecrated to God as I have ever been. He has given me a quiet contentment in where I am. I no longer stand to preach before hundreds. We have not had over a hundred in attendance but two or three times. What I do have is the peace of God that I am doing exactly what he called me to do even if everyone does not understand. I am also watching God build a church right before my eyes.
God called me to surrender one dream so He could give me a bigger dream. I sit here humbled by the new dream. His plans are best even though they are not easy and often have a great price tag. In recent days I have dreamed about Seminole and the people I love there. I miss them terribly but I know I cannot go back. I am laboring toward a new dream.
Yesterday we baptized 11 in a swimming pool! I am not sure that I have ever baptized that many on one day before. One teenaged girl who trusted Christ for salvation back at youth camp came even though she had played in a volleyball tournament until 3:00 a.m. She would not be deterred from holding back. A father and his two sons were baptized. A brother along with his two younger sisters were baptized. Two young men followed in baptism after years of their mother's praying. One little boy followed in baptism bringing to mind how his older brother had been saved first. Next came their dad followed by their mom and yesterday we celebrated the new birth of baby brother. In that pool baptizing one after another, hearing the applause and cheers of the people despite the 103 temperatures, made sacrificing the other dream worth it.
I looked around yesterday morning in our sweltering building and thanked God for the swelling attendance. We have had our best attendance since back in January during the summer months in a warehouse. I am talking about people who had not been involved in church a year ago. I made eye contact with several men who have been saved. I see people I am growing to love more and more each week. This is home.
God required me to give up one dream before He entrusted me with a new dream. He is faithful. I can trust Him with not only my dreams but also with my life, my family, and my future. So can you. I am thankful this is a lesson my son is learning as well. We can always trust God with our dreams and our lives.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Celebration of Baptism
I just witnessed via You Tube my friend Jase Waller baptizing a man named Edguardo in Honduras. This on the same day I am preaching on the baptism of Jesus and we at Faith Community will celebrate the baptism of eleven people today.
I am awed by the power of God. Last night I came up to sweep the warehouse. I had a teenage boy come looking for me. In brokenness he told me his story of repentance. He had just offered God all of his life. He has been saved for sometime but through tears he told his testimony of repentance and not holding anything back from the Lord including his dreams. We knelt down to pray at the altar. I will not forget that moment.
Less than thirty minutes later after the teenaged boy had left in walked another man. He said he had been looking for me. He had a feeling he could find me at the warehouse. He needed to talk. He told me he had trusted Christ to save him years ago. He had never been baptized. He wanted to talk about it. He said he had been under conviction for the past couple of months. This is the exact time period I had been burdened to pray for him. Night and day I lifted that man and his sons to the Lord.
To make all of this better is the truth that he and his two boys will be celebrating baptism all at the same time. Hallelujah. Baptism is the outward celebration of the inward transformation Christ makes in a person's life. It truly is a celebration.
Whether it be in Honduras, west Texas, east Texas, here at Faith Community Church or to the far ends of the earth many will celebrate new life in Christ through baptism. We rejoice. Praise to God for his great salvation.
I am awed by the power of God. Last night I came up to sweep the warehouse. I had a teenage boy come looking for me. In brokenness he told me his story of repentance. He had just offered God all of his life. He has been saved for sometime but through tears he told his testimony of repentance and not holding anything back from the Lord including his dreams. We knelt down to pray at the altar. I will not forget that moment.
Less than thirty minutes later after the teenaged boy had left in walked another man. He said he had been looking for me. He had a feeling he could find me at the warehouse. He needed to talk. He told me he had trusted Christ to save him years ago. He had never been baptized. He wanted to talk about it. He said he had been under conviction for the past couple of months. This is the exact time period I had been burdened to pray for him. Night and day I lifted that man and his sons to the Lord.
To make all of this better is the truth that he and his two boys will be celebrating baptism all at the same time. Hallelujah. Baptism is the outward celebration of the inward transformation Christ makes in a person's life. It truly is a celebration.
Whether it be in Honduras, west Texas, east Texas, here at Faith Community Church or to the far ends of the earth many will celebrate new life in Christ through baptism. We rejoice. Praise to God for his great salvation.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Lord, Help My Unbelief
Life is hard. There are trials around every turn of every season. Small trials are manageable and we step through them easily. Others rock us to our knees. We can't physically get through. We can't reason our way through them nor can we buy our way through them. As we sink to our knees with no other hope but for God to do a miracle we find ourselves saying, "Lord if you can help me through this trial I beg of you to move mightily. I plead with you to will to help us. I urge you with all that is in me to come to our rescue."
Have you ever been there? Your emotions are so raw and frayed. You are bone weary from the battle of just trying to survive. You try to maintain faith because God is the only hope you have. It is easy to become discouraged especially as you see what only your eyes can see. When everything visible to you tells you there is no hope, faith can begin to leak giving room for despair.
There is a story in the Bible about a desperate father with a sick son in [Mark 9:14-29]. A very sick son. In his desperate condition he brought the boy to the disciples for help. The boy had an evil spirit that often threw him into convulsions. At times the evil spirit tried to kill the boy throwing him into both water and fire.
Sadly, the disciples proved to be of no help. When Jesus arrived on the scene he heard the whole story. It offended Jesus that the disciples had such little faith. They seemed to be the object of the statement when Jesus called them an "unbelieving generation." That phrase means a faithless and unfaithful. The disciples had witnessed many miracles. They did not have the faith to believe when Jesus was not present.
When Jesus arrived they brought the boy to Him. The father formed the only prayer he could think, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." That is a pretty good prayer. We want Jesus to take pity on us and help in life's most difficult moments. We want His compassion and strength leveraged on our behalves.
In [Mark 9:23] Jesus responded, "If you can? All things are possible to him who believes."
The father altered his prayer in the next verse, "I do believe, help my unbelief."
Unbelief is a formidable opponent. It is easier to doubt than to trust. It is easy to give up and give in than to believe God for a miracle. It is far easier to lose hope and think Jesus does not care. On this side of the computer there is no way for me to know all the things that fight to dethrone faith in your heart. I know what I face. I know what I see and both lend themselves to unbelief. Unbelief is the sure arch enemy of faith.
The wrong part of the father's prayer lies in the phrase, "If you can." With God there are no "if you cans." There never have been. With God there is only, "If He wills." Meaning if He purposes. Many times in my life I have pleaded for God's immediate intervention and God willed for me to wait. Jesus has compassion. He does care. He also has all the power to help. Sometimes I scratch my head as I wonder why He delays in sending the needed the provision, closing the doors on the job, and not providing the healing asked for. Brenda was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis eight years ago. I have pleaded with God to heal her. I know He can. The question is never, "If you can God." He always can. To this point He has chosen not to. Her joint ache. Nobody sees the struggle she has when she gets out of bed. Nobody hears the moans in the middle of the night. Nobody notices when she can barely move her fingers. She continues to smile, serve God, work, and offer joy and help to others. Why doesn't God heal her. It is not due to unbelief. I believe. I know He can. For now we continue to wait.
Jesus made a bold statement to that father, "All things are possible to him who believes." All things encompasses a lot. You cannot conceive of scenario that does not fit into the realm of "all things." I have seen people manipulated at the point of their belief. Some people have deeply damaged the souls of desperate broken people by saying your miracle has not come because you did not believe enough. That a guilt laden trip from the pit of hell. Not everyone doubts. Many believe. Many pray in faith. Many have stood strong in confident petitions.
Unbelief did not put Lazarus in the grave in John 11. God willed it to be so in order that He could bring greater glory to His Son when Lazarus came walking resurrected out of the grave on the fourth day. True belief trusts God no matter what. I have found it much harder to keep believing when my prayers were not answered in the time I wanted nor according to how I wanted them answered. If I truly trust the Lord I trust Him no matter how long the delay or what form the answer takes.
It is never a matter if Jesus can. The true question is what does He will and purpose to be done. For Lazarus that meant death. Yet it was not death. To be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord. Lazarus lived more in the four days he remained in that tomb than he did at any other point in his life. Jesus willed a greater miracle. Lazarus came back to life. He walked out of the tomb. He lived to praise and serve Jesus for another day. That did not mean he was more alive. More believed because Lazarus died and rose than would have if he had just been healed. I wonder how Lazarus coped with rest of his life. How did he cope with life down here compared to eternal life with Jesus? Did he ever get homesick for heaven? Did he ever talk about life over there compared to life down here.
The ways and purposes of God are beyond my comprehension. All I know is I want to pray, "Lord I do believe and help my unbelief." Unbelief is just little faith or lack of faith all together. I want to grow in maturity and believe when the miracle comes right away for when the miracle is delayed. I want to believe everyday and all day.
What are you up against today? Things may look bad, real bad, to the naked eye. I ask you to forget what you see and let me ask you a different question. What do you believe? What do you believe God can do in your situation? What do you believe God is purposing?
O Lord, I plead with you to help our unbelief. Many of us need nothing short a miracle and I know you are in that business. Please take pity and come help us. I know you can. You are strong enough. Nothing is impossible with you. I ask you to move our mountains. Move the mountain of cancer. I ask you to move the mountain of the housing market. I ask you to move the mountain of wayward loved ones. I ask you to move the mountain of despair that gobbles up our assurance in you. I ask you move the mountain of impossible. All things are possible to him who believes. I did not write that. You did. It is straight from your word and now for all those reading this, who's faces I cannot see and who burdens I cannot know, I ask you for miracles. I ask you to let them flow from heaven like a river. I pray for provision, peace, open doors, healing, restoration, repentance, revival, and whatever else is needed. All things are possible for the one who believes and I choose to believe for those readers today who struggle. I ask you for all of this in Jesus name. Amen.
Have you ever been there? Your emotions are so raw and frayed. You are bone weary from the battle of just trying to survive. You try to maintain faith because God is the only hope you have. It is easy to become discouraged especially as you see what only your eyes can see. When everything visible to you tells you there is no hope, faith can begin to leak giving room for despair.
There is a story in the Bible about a desperate father with a sick son in [Mark 9:14-29]. A very sick son. In his desperate condition he brought the boy to the disciples for help. The boy had an evil spirit that often threw him into convulsions. At times the evil spirit tried to kill the boy throwing him into both water and fire.
Sadly, the disciples proved to be of no help. When Jesus arrived on the scene he heard the whole story. It offended Jesus that the disciples had such little faith. They seemed to be the object of the statement when Jesus called them an "unbelieving generation." That phrase means a faithless and unfaithful. The disciples had witnessed many miracles. They did not have the faith to believe when Jesus was not present.
When Jesus arrived they brought the boy to Him. The father formed the only prayer he could think, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." That is a pretty good prayer. We want Jesus to take pity on us and help in life's most difficult moments. We want His compassion and strength leveraged on our behalves.
In [Mark 9:23] Jesus responded, "If you can? All things are possible to him who believes."
The father altered his prayer in the next verse, "I do believe, help my unbelief."
Unbelief is a formidable opponent. It is easier to doubt than to trust. It is easy to give up and give in than to believe God for a miracle. It is far easier to lose hope and think Jesus does not care. On this side of the computer there is no way for me to know all the things that fight to dethrone faith in your heart. I know what I face. I know what I see and both lend themselves to unbelief. Unbelief is the sure arch enemy of faith.
The wrong part of the father's prayer lies in the phrase, "If you can." With God there are no "if you cans." There never have been. With God there is only, "If He wills." Meaning if He purposes. Many times in my life I have pleaded for God's immediate intervention and God willed for me to wait. Jesus has compassion. He does care. He also has all the power to help. Sometimes I scratch my head as I wonder why He delays in sending the needed the provision, closing the doors on the job, and not providing the healing asked for. Brenda was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis eight years ago. I have pleaded with God to heal her. I know He can. The question is never, "If you can God." He always can. To this point He has chosen not to. Her joint ache. Nobody sees the struggle she has when she gets out of bed. Nobody hears the moans in the middle of the night. Nobody notices when she can barely move her fingers. She continues to smile, serve God, work, and offer joy and help to others. Why doesn't God heal her. It is not due to unbelief. I believe. I know He can. For now we continue to wait.
Jesus made a bold statement to that father, "All things are possible to him who believes." All things encompasses a lot. You cannot conceive of scenario that does not fit into the realm of "all things." I have seen people manipulated at the point of their belief. Some people have deeply damaged the souls of desperate broken people by saying your miracle has not come because you did not believe enough. That a guilt laden trip from the pit of hell. Not everyone doubts. Many believe. Many pray in faith. Many have stood strong in confident petitions.
Unbelief did not put Lazarus in the grave in John 11. God willed it to be so in order that He could bring greater glory to His Son when Lazarus came walking resurrected out of the grave on the fourth day. True belief trusts God no matter what. I have found it much harder to keep believing when my prayers were not answered in the time I wanted nor according to how I wanted them answered. If I truly trust the Lord I trust Him no matter how long the delay or what form the answer takes.
It is never a matter if Jesus can. The true question is what does He will and purpose to be done. For Lazarus that meant death. Yet it was not death. To be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord. Lazarus lived more in the four days he remained in that tomb than he did at any other point in his life. Jesus willed a greater miracle. Lazarus came back to life. He walked out of the tomb. He lived to praise and serve Jesus for another day. That did not mean he was more alive. More believed because Lazarus died and rose than would have if he had just been healed. I wonder how Lazarus coped with rest of his life. How did he cope with life down here compared to eternal life with Jesus? Did he ever get homesick for heaven? Did he ever talk about life over there compared to life down here.
The ways and purposes of God are beyond my comprehension. All I know is I want to pray, "Lord I do believe and help my unbelief." Unbelief is just little faith or lack of faith all together. I want to grow in maturity and believe when the miracle comes right away for when the miracle is delayed. I want to believe everyday and all day.
What are you up against today? Things may look bad, real bad, to the naked eye. I ask you to forget what you see and let me ask you a different question. What do you believe? What do you believe God can do in your situation? What do you believe God is purposing?
O Lord, I plead with you to help our unbelief. Many of us need nothing short a miracle and I know you are in that business. Please take pity and come help us. I know you can. You are strong enough. Nothing is impossible with you. I ask you to move our mountains. Move the mountain of cancer. I ask you to move the mountain of the housing market. I ask you to move the mountain of wayward loved ones. I ask you to move the mountain of despair that gobbles up our assurance in you. I ask you move the mountain of impossible. All things are possible to him who believes. I did not write that. You did. It is straight from your word and now for all those reading this, who's faces I cannot see and who burdens I cannot know, I ask you for miracles. I ask you to let them flow from heaven like a river. I pray for provision, peace, open doors, healing, restoration, repentance, revival, and whatever else is needed. All things are possible for the one who believes and I choose to believe for those readers today who struggle. I ask you for all of this in Jesus name. Amen.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Jesus Rescued Me
It has been nearly thirty years since Jesus rescued me. He looked on my utterly helpless estate as a teenage boy back in the piney woods of east Texas. I had endured sexual and a little physical abuse. I never knew the love of a father. One side of my family lived in generation after generation of sin. Out of that squalor God looked down on my helplessness and rescued me. He brought me out of the pit of destruction.
I have been thinking on that today after reading Luke 1:52, "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted my humble estate." I came from nothing. Parts of my family still used an out house. I can recall my grandfather plowing with a mule. We were poor and I looked like a ragamuffin when I went to school. We lived for a season in the backwoods. When I say the backwoods I mean you had to drive down a long dirt road that dead ended into family land. Nobody but family went down that road. Suspicious cars would be met with the Edwards clan and loaded guns. There were awful things that happened down that road. Sexual abuse. Alcoholism. Incest. Physical abuse.
Out of what most assuredly looked like a dead end road to disaster Jesus Christ rescued me. He loved me, sought me, saved me, and rescued me to a whole new life. Nobody thought I would amount to much. God had other plans. He placed in me a passion to love and follow Him and a desire to be available to Him. He exalted me to a place of preaching His word and writing to minister to the hearts of people.
As I sit in this office I am pretty stunned at how God changed the whole trajectory of my life one cool October night back in 1983. I have never been the same. Sure I have sinned and strayed from the Lord. Even in those times He has sought me and rescued me all over again.
Where would I be if I had not met Jesus? I would not be in church. I would probably not have finished college. I would not still be writing and even if I did I would not have anything worthwhile to say. I would not have Brenda, Jennifer, Taylor, Tanner, Tucker, or Turner. Everything I have good in my life I owe to Jesus Christ. Everything bad in my life that God turns for good I owe to Jesus Christ. I feel like Paul when he wrote, "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." [Gal 6:14]
Out of my humble estate Jesus found me and rescued me. He has exalted me to a place of honor. He has given me a purpose. He has blessed me with a family like I never knew. He has guided my life for these past near thirty years. All I can do in return is say, "All I am is yours Jesus. Every single breath. Every dream. Every desire. Every day for the rest of my life is yours poured out like a drink offering." That is my offering of worship.
I have been thinking on that today after reading Luke 1:52, "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted my humble estate." I came from nothing. Parts of my family still used an out house. I can recall my grandfather plowing with a mule. We were poor and I looked like a ragamuffin when I went to school. We lived for a season in the backwoods. When I say the backwoods I mean you had to drive down a long dirt road that dead ended into family land. Nobody but family went down that road. Suspicious cars would be met with the Edwards clan and loaded guns. There were awful things that happened down that road. Sexual abuse. Alcoholism. Incest. Physical abuse.
Out of what most assuredly looked like a dead end road to disaster Jesus Christ rescued me. He loved me, sought me, saved me, and rescued me to a whole new life. Nobody thought I would amount to much. God had other plans. He placed in me a passion to love and follow Him and a desire to be available to Him. He exalted me to a place of preaching His word and writing to minister to the hearts of people.
As I sit in this office I am pretty stunned at how God changed the whole trajectory of my life one cool October night back in 1983. I have never been the same. Sure I have sinned and strayed from the Lord. Even in those times He has sought me and rescued me all over again.
Where would I be if I had not met Jesus? I would not be in church. I would probably not have finished college. I would not still be writing and even if I did I would not have anything worthwhile to say. I would not have Brenda, Jennifer, Taylor, Tanner, Tucker, or Turner. Everything I have good in my life I owe to Jesus Christ. Everything bad in my life that God turns for good I owe to Jesus Christ. I feel like Paul when he wrote, "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." [Gal 6:14]
Out of my humble estate Jesus found me and rescued me. He has exalted me to a place of honor. He has given me a purpose. He has blessed me with a family like I never knew. He has guided my life for these past near thirty years. All I can do in return is say, "All I am is yours Jesus. Every single breath. Every dream. Every desire. Every day for the rest of my life is yours poured out like a drink offering." That is my offering of worship.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?
Lately it seems as if God is sitting right next to me in my devotions. For the past few days He has been using the life and faith of Abraham to encourage me. Here is the short of it. Abraham is old. Sarah is so old she is past her child reproductive years. Despite this God has promised them both a miracle child. Time ticked by and no miracle child came.
One day God appears to Abraham outside his tent. The basic conversation goes like this. Abraham offers his guests food. After eating the Lord says, "I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife shall have a son." [Gen 18:10]
Here is the challenge. "Now, Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah." [Gen 18:11] Next, Sarah laughs thinking of the impossibilities of her giving birth to her own baby at her age and Abraham siring a child at his age. There was no way.
I wonder how many of you reading this feel the same way. Your situation may be different but how many of you have something so hard in front of you that you see no way to overcome it. For you it might be trying to pay off a mountain of debt. It might be trying to put the pieces of your life back together after a painful divorce. It might be just trying to keep your head afloat day in and day out as you pay bills and try to put food on the table. Maybe you have a dream or several dreams that look so far out of reach you see no way to make them ever come true. Maybe like Sarah you have longed to have a child but that door has been shut to you. Maybe you hold out hope that you will find the love of your life and get married after living alone for so long. Maybe your impossible situation is none of the above but is just as impossible as all the rest.
While reading this morning I let my eyes rest of [Gen 18:14], "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
Is anything too hard for the Lord? That is a question all of us must answer at some point. Is cancer? Is a broken heart that won't mend? Is a shattered faith that no longer can believe? Is a rebellious child? Are long lost dreams? Is a failing marriage? Is putting together a full and abundant life after divorce? Is having a child when the doctors have said it is impossible? Is climbing out of the financial pit of destruction of a failed business and economic wipeout too hard for the Lord? Seriously, is what you are facing right now, as you read this article, too hard for the Lord?
Is your situation too difficult for God? Is it beyond His scope or strength? Are the trials you are facing so hard the Almighty cannot summon the power and resources to aid you?
God asked Abraham that question and then told him Sarah would have a child even though it seemed to be a medical impossibility. He also said all of this would occur at the appointed time. Sure enough at the appropriate season Abraham and Sarah held their miracle child. Yes, it took a little time (about a year) but the promised child came.
Lately I have seen the Lord move in some extraordinary ways. A family I know wanted to buy a business but did not have the capitol to put down for a small business loan. They prayed and God moved someone to give them the needed money for the down payment. Today they own and operate the business. I had the privilege of going there to pray with them for God's blessing on the business a few days ago.
A few days ago my family needed God's help. Money had gotten really tight and we had not bought the boy's school shoes or cleats. It looked like we would not have the money. Brenda both prayed and asked the Lord to help us. God used a business man whom I had not talked to in months to be the source of provision for us as he sent money to the office. When you see my boys in cleats or shoes at school know God did that. I could tell many other stories. You get the point.
It is my firm conviction nothing is too difficult for God. Nothing is too hard for Him. What is hard is for us to trust Him. What looks like a mountain to us is a mole hill to God. He is the Almighty. You can read this and dismiss it. You could, on the other hand, read this and believe God to help you. Your response will answer the question, "Is anything too hard for the Lord." I serve a God who has never had a hard day, faced a hard problem, or been taxed in His ability. Nothing is too hard for Him.
One day God appears to Abraham outside his tent. The basic conversation goes like this. Abraham offers his guests food. After eating the Lord says, "I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife shall have a son." [Gen 18:10]
Here is the challenge. "Now, Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah." [Gen 18:11] Next, Sarah laughs thinking of the impossibilities of her giving birth to her own baby at her age and Abraham siring a child at his age. There was no way.
I wonder how many of you reading this feel the same way. Your situation may be different but how many of you have something so hard in front of you that you see no way to overcome it. For you it might be trying to pay off a mountain of debt. It might be trying to put the pieces of your life back together after a painful divorce. It might be just trying to keep your head afloat day in and day out as you pay bills and try to put food on the table. Maybe you have a dream or several dreams that look so far out of reach you see no way to make them ever come true. Maybe like Sarah you have longed to have a child but that door has been shut to you. Maybe you hold out hope that you will find the love of your life and get married after living alone for so long. Maybe your impossible situation is none of the above but is just as impossible as all the rest.
While reading this morning I let my eyes rest of [Gen 18:14], "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
Is anything too hard for the Lord? That is a question all of us must answer at some point. Is cancer? Is a broken heart that won't mend? Is a shattered faith that no longer can believe? Is a rebellious child? Are long lost dreams? Is a failing marriage? Is putting together a full and abundant life after divorce? Is having a child when the doctors have said it is impossible? Is climbing out of the financial pit of destruction of a failed business and economic wipeout too hard for the Lord? Seriously, is what you are facing right now, as you read this article, too hard for the Lord?
Is your situation too difficult for God? Is it beyond His scope or strength? Are the trials you are facing so hard the Almighty cannot summon the power and resources to aid you?
God asked Abraham that question and then told him Sarah would have a child even though it seemed to be a medical impossibility. He also said all of this would occur at the appointed time. Sure enough at the appropriate season Abraham and Sarah held their miracle child. Yes, it took a little time (about a year) but the promised child came.
Lately I have seen the Lord move in some extraordinary ways. A family I know wanted to buy a business but did not have the capitol to put down for a small business loan. They prayed and God moved someone to give them the needed money for the down payment. Today they own and operate the business. I had the privilege of going there to pray with them for God's blessing on the business a few days ago.
A few days ago my family needed God's help. Money had gotten really tight and we had not bought the boy's school shoes or cleats. It looked like we would not have the money. Brenda both prayed and asked the Lord to help us. God used a business man whom I had not talked to in months to be the source of provision for us as he sent money to the office. When you see my boys in cleats or shoes at school know God did that. I could tell many other stories. You get the point.
It is my firm conviction nothing is too difficult for God. Nothing is too hard for Him. What is hard is for us to trust Him. What looks like a mountain to us is a mole hill to God. He is the Almighty. You can read this and dismiss it. You could, on the other hand, read this and believe God to help you. Your response will answer the question, "Is anything too hard for the Lord." I serve a God who has never had a hard day, faced a hard problem, or been taxed in His ability. Nothing is too hard for Him.
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