Alone with God
Last week, we decided to sit on the far side wall of the church facing the side of the audience. During the praise songs, we were singing this song...
You are holy
You are mighty
You are worthy
Worthy of praise
I will follow
I will love you
All of my days...
As we sang this sound, I looked out over the audience and watched people worship God. It was powerful and I had a revelation. God spoke to me watching these people worship. Many had both of their hands stretched up like a baby wanting to be picked up by their Daddy. Others had their eyes closed as they sang. A few smiled brightly with their eyes closed. A few others were crying.
I focused on a friend on the front row. Her husband was beside her, her young son and daughter on the other side. I know this girl very well - we grew up together. She and her husband have a totally souled out relationship with God. They are not "pretty" people. They don't play society's games. They are intently focused on their walk with God.
But in this moment, I focused on Nancy. A wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend to many, in that 3-4 minutes, she was totally alone with God. Eyes closed, arms stretched upward and focused on every word she sang to the Lord....
You are holy
You are mighty
You are worthy
Worthy of praise
I will follow
I will love you
All of my days...
Nothing else mattered in that moment for Nancy. She and God were millions of miles away from her earthly responsibilities. She wasn't a Mama, she wasn't a wife - she was totally alone with her Father. And there, in that moment, I was stuck with a word from God - my walk with God is ALL that matters. Compared to God, my wife and daughters don't "matter". To say they also matter greatly diminishes the enormity of God. One day all will be stripped away. My job won't matter. Taxes won't matter. Investments won't matter. Houses will be torn down. Our spouses and kids won't have the role they have on this earth. In that final and eternal moment, it will be me and God. It will all be about God and my walk with Him. It is God and God alone.
Now, I am not saying literally that nothing on this earth matters - that I should just focus on God and no one else. God gave me a wife and kids and a job and areas of service and He expects me to provide and care for those entrusted to my care.
But that worship experience drove home the real point - that ultimately and in the final analysis...what matters is God in the sense that to compare him to my wife or my daughters or my career is to just so greatly diminish who God is. He is worthy of no comparison.
And yet, I have find myself compartmentalizing God. I pull Him off the shelf for a short while and quickly put Him back away when I am done needing him. What God showed me was He craves full-time relationship with me. God doesn't want a part-time relationship with us. He desires constant, loving fathering of His children. Constant communication, constant asking "What about this Lord?", constant seeking... "Who is it You want me to reach out to?", constant studying "Lord, what does Your Word want to show me today?" and constant thanksgiving for the marvel of His grace and love.
I was liberated (here again, the Great Liberator has yet again opened another jail cell and set a part of me free...) last Sunday. God showed me. I get it!
Soar!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Social observations...
Just a few social observations. Be aware of what goes on around you. This age we live in is very dangerous.
Oakland California is opening to debate a measure to legalize marijuana because the city is broke and needs the tax revenues. California is an interesting observation in and of itself. It is a pretty liberal place and always has been on the cutting edge of evolutionary thinking. It is an incredibly rich state - Stanford University, Silicon Valley, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, vast lush farm fields, huge offshore oil reserves and yet the state is also teetering on bankruptcy. Miles of farmland is restricted from farming to protect a small animal that isn't even on the endangered species list - it seems the environmentalists crave the protection of this small animal over the jobs and tax revenues the farms would produce. They have huge oil reserves but the environmentalists won't touch it. And yet the state is going broke. Vast social programs to help the less fortunate have outstripped the vast revenues from the huge industries operating there. And now, they toy with legalizing pot to help balance the budget. What of the unintended consequences of this action? What of the oppressed that the very liberal seemed focused on protecting who already struggle with poverty and drug addiction? What will come for this group if pot is legalized? How easy will it be for the unemployed to get a job if their boss knows they can smoke pot on their break? What will happen to crime rates? It is shaky ground they sit on...quite literally.
Here is another observation -- The Rev. Katherine Ragsdale has been elected the President of Episcopal Divinity School - a major seminary near Harvard founded in 1974 after the merger of two divinity schools founded in the 1850's. She is an openly gay woman and has decided to take an aggressive stance on abortion. For her (and her teachings and the students coming through her Divinity school), it is not enough to be pro-choice but rather to be fanatically pro-abortion. She says abortion is a "blessing". (A blessing!) She goes on to say, "When a woman becomes pregnant within a loving and supportive relationship she has every option open to her. If she decides not to bear a child and has access to a safe abortion - there is not a tragedy in sight - only blessing. (a blessing!) The ability to enjoy God's good gift of sexuality without compromising one's education, life's work, or ability to put to use God's gifts and call is simply a blessing."
She goes to say that the workers who make abortions possible should be thanked --- now get this -- because they "are doing holy work."
In 2003, she said the Resurrection may never have happened. That the suffering and death of Jesus is "an interesting theory, but not one I find compelling."
This woman is running a school of Divinity. She is responsible for the education of future Episcopalian's who seek to enter to field of ministry.
So not only is our nation now running away from God but so are some of the leaders of our denominations. She hits the nail on the head that which plagues our nation - the ability to do whatever we want without having to compromise. No responsibilities - just being able to do what we want with no consequences.
It is a very dangerous age we live in. As we go about our daily lives, we ignore the creeping cancer that is eating our nation's soul. It is eating into our major denominations. Preachers are routinely embracing gay rights, abortion and saying you cannot believe the Bible literally.
God warns us that the days are dangerous. We have to be on alert because our enemy prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour. I'm afraid America is the next meal.
Where do we go with this? Where is the hope? The hope is in Christ. The final battle is already won. We know how this story ends - it ends in Christ's return as a mighty warrior who will destroy the foul one and send him to his death. We may be living in the worst of days. We'll see terrible things continue to happen. Let us be light in this very dark world. There is a battle being waged. We are troops serving a mighty General.
Soar!
Just a few social observations. Be aware of what goes on around you. This age we live in is very dangerous.
Oakland California is opening to debate a measure to legalize marijuana because the city is broke and needs the tax revenues. California is an interesting observation in and of itself. It is a pretty liberal place and always has been on the cutting edge of evolutionary thinking. It is an incredibly rich state - Stanford University, Silicon Valley, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, vast lush farm fields, huge offshore oil reserves and yet the state is also teetering on bankruptcy. Miles of farmland is restricted from farming to protect a small animal that isn't even on the endangered species list - it seems the environmentalists crave the protection of this small animal over the jobs and tax revenues the farms would produce. They have huge oil reserves but the environmentalists won't touch it. And yet the state is going broke. Vast social programs to help the less fortunate have outstripped the vast revenues from the huge industries operating there. And now, they toy with legalizing pot to help balance the budget. What of the unintended consequences of this action? What of the oppressed that the very liberal seemed focused on protecting who already struggle with poverty and drug addiction? What will come for this group if pot is legalized? How easy will it be for the unemployed to get a job if their boss knows they can smoke pot on their break? What will happen to crime rates? It is shaky ground they sit on...quite literally.
Here is another observation -- The Rev. Katherine Ragsdale has been elected the President of Episcopal Divinity School - a major seminary near Harvard founded in 1974 after the merger of two divinity schools founded in the 1850's. She is an openly gay woman and has decided to take an aggressive stance on abortion. For her (and her teachings and the students coming through her Divinity school), it is not enough to be pro-choice but rather to be fanatically pro-abortion. She says abortion is a "blessing". (A blessing!) She goes on to say, "When a woman becomes pregnant within a loving and supportive relationship she has every option open to her. If she decides not to bear a child and has access to a safe abortion - there is not a tragedy in sight - only blessing. (a blessing!) The ability to enjoy God's good gift of sexuality without compromising one's education, life's work, or ability to put to use God's gifts and call is simply a blessing."
She goes to say that the workers who make abortions possible should be thanked --- now get this -- because they "are doing holy work."
In 2003, she said the Resurrection may never have happened. That the suffering and death of Jesus is "an interesting theory, but not one I find compelling."
This woman is running a school of Divinity. She is responsible for the education of future Episcopalian's who seek to enter to field of ministry.
So not only is our nation now running away from God but so are some of the leaders of our denominations. She hits the nail on the head that which plagues our nation - the ability to do whatever we want without having to compromise. No responsibilities - just being able to do what we want with no consequences.
It is a very dangerous age we live in. As we go about our daily lives, we ignore the creeping cancer that is eating our nation's soul. It is eating into our major denominations. Preachers are routinely embracing gay rights, abortion and saying you cannot believe the Bible literally.
God warns us that the days are dangerous. We have to be on alert because our enemy prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour. I'm afraid America is the next meal.
Where do we go with this? Where is the hope? The hope is in Christ. The final battle is already won. We know how this story ends - it ends in Christ's return as a mighty warrior who will destroy the foul one and send him to his death. We may be living in the worst of days. We'll see terrible things continue to happen. Let us be light in this very dark world. There is a battle being waged. We are troops serving a mighty General.
Soar!
Monday, April 20, 2009
God's plans
John Eldredge was in town this weekend and gave a great talk on God's Fathering. So often when hard times hit us, we think "God, why have you abandoned me?" when in reality, it is God fathering us. We cannot get stronger and learn how to cope unless we are tested by some fire along the way. So when hard times hit, ask God, "Lord, what are your plans for me in this? What is it that you want me to learn?" It will radically change the way you cope with the hard times when you take your focus off of "me" and onto what our father is trying to teach us. Good stuff.
That brings me to this that a friend had put on his blog that is perfect for this...
Dreams I dream for you
You taste the tears
You're lost in sorrow
You see your yesterdays
I see tomorrow
You see the darkness
I see the spark
You know the failures
But I know your heart
The dreams I dream for you
Are deeper than the ones you're clinging to
More precious than the finest things you knew
And truer than the treasures you pursue
You see your shame
But I see your glory
You've read one page
I know the whole story
I hold a vision
Of what you'll become
As you grow into the truth
As you learn to walk in love
Let the old dreams die
Like stars that fade from view
Then take the cup I offer
And drink deeply of
The dreams I have for you
By Avalon
God dreams great dreams for us. He has a wondeful path laid out. We just need to let go of ours so we can...
Soar!
John Eldredge was in town this weekend and gave a great talk on God's Fathering. So often when hard times hit us, we think "God, why have you abandoned me?" when in reality, it is God fathering us. We cannot get stronger and learn how to cope unless we are tested by some fire along the way. So when hard times hit, ask God, "Lord, what are your plans for me in this? What is it that you want me to learn?" It will radically change the way you cope with the hard times when you take your focus off of "me" and onto what our father is trying to teach us. Good stuff.
That brings me to this that a friend had put on his blog that is perfect for this...
Dreams I dream for you
You taste the tears
You're lost in sorrow
You see your yesterdays
I see tomorrow
You see the darkness
I see the spark
You know the failures
But I know your heart
The dreams I dream for you
Are deeper than the ones you're clinging to
More precious than the finest things you knew
And truer than the treasures you pursue
You see your shame
But I see your glory
You've read one page
I know the whole story
I hold a vision
Of what you'll become
As you grow into the truth
As you learn to walk in love
Let the old dreams die
Like stars that fade from view
Then take the cup I offer
And drink deeply of
The dreams I have for you
By Avalon
God dreams great dreams for us. He has a wondeful path laid out. We just need to let go of ours so we can...
Soar!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The importance of failure
I read an interesting commentary in an investment magazine that is incredibly applicable to faith, our life, raising kids and our nation.
"So I just it's incredibly important to note that when you don't allow failure, you get more failure. When you take away the price of personal risk in your personal decisions, you get much more risk taking. So we are harvesting what we've sown."
I have had a series of conversations with folks about this issue with kids. From a school standpoint - allowing reckless behavior on school grounds - drinking on campus, cheating on tests, etc. If the punishment is a slap on the wrist, kids will be emboldened to push the limits even farther. Children push limits for a reason. They want to know there are some. They might protest but the protecting limits provides them with a subtle level of comfort they deep down crave. They instinctively are scared of the wide-open range - they know they cannot handle life with no rules, no boundaries and their instincts are right. They'll never thank us but you can almost see it in their eyes once they understand the rules.
I didn't drink in high school because my Dad made it perfectly clear - if you drink and I catch you, I will sell your car and you'll not drive again. I had saved my money to buy a portion of my car so this was a real threat. He also made it clear to not fool myself into thinking he didn't mean it. I knew he meant it. I knew there were boundaries and to this day, I am so grateful for his loving boundaries. He made me fully understand that there was a price to my decisions and understanding that, I didn't take the risks. Without the risk of loss, I would have tested the limits.
Oftentimes schools will fall back on honor codes as preventive measures to stop this kind of behavior. While I understand why we have honor codes -- that doesn't mean the teachers/administrators/parents shouldn't watch kids like hawks. We have speed limits in America and we are supposed to follow the honor code and not speed but we also have a police force to make sure we don't...to protect us from our own nature.
The Bible is full of God's loving boundaries on man. God knows. He knows our nature and he knows the enemy. He knows we will push the boundaries to see what we can get away with and in so doing, we ignore the possible cost.
Proverbs 7. If you haven't read this passage - I suggest you do. It is a powerful passage.
A wise man looks out his window down on the street below. He sees a younger man walking down the street and farther down the street, he sees a woman waiting on him. The lamb headed for the slaughter. The young man is walking down the street and sees the seductive woman looking at him, waiting for him. He thinks, 'Man, she digs me'. In his head he is hearing the song "Born to be wild". In the wise man's head watching all this transpire, he is hearing the soundtrack to "Jaws" playing.
The wise man knows what is about to happen. The young man, blind to his lust and ego, just sees the bounty -- he doesn't see the cost or the consequences of what is about to transpire. The woman seduces him and says "my husband is away for a long journey and I have prepared my bed. We can make love all night long and enjoy ourselves." All of this plays to the young man's sense of self - this is all about "me", she wants "me", "I'm" the only one, she'll cheat on her husband just to be with "me".
This young man was headed down the wrong path. Death and destruction lay in wait for him along this path. The wise man, having seen this over and over shouts "go the other way, avoid her at all cost!" The lamb is led to the slaughter. Read the passage.
God allows us to have failures for a reason - they show us our weakness, we learn valuable lessons and we see our utter dependence on Him. With no "cost" to our sin, we would be emboldened to reach for even more and in so doing, pull ourselves even farther from God. Thankfully, God knows us intimately. He knows the sin we are prone to fall into and if we seek His guidance and direction, He will steer us on a path away from the lusts of our heart.
This will make no sense until you have tried it...there is freedom - great magnificent freedom - in obedience to God. Thankfully He has rescued the slaves and set us free.
Soar!
I read an interesting commentary in an investment magazine that is incredibly applicable to faith, our life, raising kids and our nation.
"So I just it's incredibly important to note that when you don't allow failure, you get more failure. When you take away the price of personal risk in your personal decisions, you get much more risk taking. So we are harvesting what we've sown."
I have had a series of conversations with folks about this issue with kids. From a school standpoint - allowing reckless behavior on school grounds - drinking on campus, cheating on tests, etc. If the punishment is a slap on the wrist, kids will be emboldened to push the limits even farther. Children push limits for a reason. They want to know there are some. They might protest but the protecting limits provides them with a subtle level of comfort they deep down crave. They instinctively are scared of the wide-open range - they know they cannot handle life with no rules, no boundaries and their instincts are right. They'll never thank us but you can almost see it in their eyes once they understand the rules.
I didn't drink in high school because my Dad made it perfectly clear - if you drink and I catch you, I will sell your car and you'll not drive again. I had saved my money to buy a portion of my car so this was a real threat. He also made it clear to not fool myself into thinking he didn't mean it. I knew he meant it. I knew there were boundaries and to this day, I am so grateful for his loving boundaries. He made me fully understand that there was a price to my decisions and understanding that, I didn't take the risks. Without the risk of loss, I would have tested the limits.
Oftentimes schools will fall back on honor codes as preventive measures to stop this kind of behavior. While I understand why we have honor codes -- that doesn't mean the teachers/administrators/parents shouldn't watch kids like hawks. We have speed limits in America and we are supposed to follow the honor code and not speed but we also have a police force to make sure we don't...to protect us from our own nature.
The Bible is full of God's loving boundaries on man. God knows. He knows our nature and he knows the enemy. He knows we will push the boundaries to see what we can get away with and in so doing, we ignore the possible cost.
Proverbs 7. If you haven't read this passage - I suggest you do. It is a powerful passage.
A wise man looks out his window down on the street below. He sees a younger man walking down the street and farther down the street, he sees a woman waiting on him. The lamb headed for the slaughter. The young man is walking down the street and sees the seductive woman looking at him, waiting for him. He thinks, 'Man, she digs me'. In his head he is hearing the song "Born to be wild". In the wise man's head watching all this transpire, he is hearing the soundtrack to "Jaws" playing.
The wise man knows what is about to happen. The young man, blind to his lust and ego, just sees the bounty -- he doesn't see the cost or the consequences of what is about to transpire. The woman seduces him and says "my husband is away for a long journey and I have prepared my bed. We can make love all night long and enjoy ourselves." All of this plays to the young man's sense of self - this is all about "me", she wants "me", "I'm" the only one, she'll cheat on her husband just to be with "me".
This young man was headed down the wrong path. Death and destruction lay in wait for him along this path. The wise man, having seen this over and over shouts "go the other way, avoid her at all cost!" The lamb is led to the slaughter. Read the passage.
God allows us to have failures for a reason - they show us our weakness, we learn valuable lessons and we see our utter dependence on Him. With no "cost" to our sin, we would be emboldened to reach for even more and in so doing, pull ourselves even farther from God. Thankfully, God knows us intimately. He knows the sin we are prone to fall into and if we seek His guidance and direction, He will steer us on a path away from the lusts of our heart.
This will make no sense until you have tried it...there is freedom - great magnificent freedom - in obedience to God. Thankfully He has rescued the slaves and set us free.
Soar!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Ignore that noise over there in the tall brush...
One of Satan's most devious tricks is to convince us he isn't lurking around. He isn't here. He isn't a threat...go on, live your life the way "you" want...there are no consequences, there are no traps.
We see this in nature. The ONLY reason a lion captures a gazelle is stealth. If the lion stayed out in the open, he'd never eat. The reason he eats is that he hides. He stays in the tall grass waiting...just waiting for one gazelle to get lazy, one gazelle to ignore his instincts, one gazelle to get just a little too close to the tall grass.
The Message has a great summary of Ephesians 5:14-16 - "So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are dangerous times!"
In 1 Peter, Satan is compared to a lion - "Be on guard, you enemy - Satan - prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour."
We are at war. And yet, so many of us go about our daily lives ignoring the enemy. We send our kids off to school and simply ignore the warfare they face. There was a story last week about kids in England being faced with "education" on alternative lifestyles. They had a gay/lesbian week and read stories and watched videos on alternative lifestyles. These were young kids. Some parents were rightly concerned and took their kids out of school. The school system penalized the kids and even said they would seek to prosecute parents for taking their kids out of school. One report even said the parents could face jail time. Jail time for guarding their kids from material the parents found offensive!
We are at war. There is an enemy and he is coming after our kids very hard, very fast. It is a full-out assault and we are seemingly numb to it.
I talk to parents a lot about kids and the problems the kids face and it just amazes me how easily we dismiss behavior with, "Well, we all did that kind of stuff back when we were kids..." Don't get me wrong, I say/think that too. But then I also think, "What a minute, just because I screwed up when I was young...is that the life I want for my kids? Does it make it right?" I fear we just too easily rationalize it without the context of an enemy and warfare.
We send our kids off to hell every day in schools. That is dramatic but think about it - they go into hostile environments - teachers with agendas, curriculum that pushes themes far removed from God's word, sex, drugs, drinking, peer pressure, back-biting "friends", cliques, pressures to conform. Our kids face an all-out assault every single day. Even the little ones.
John Eldredge said in Waking the Dead - "Christianity isn't a religion about going to Sunday school, potluck suppers, being nice, holding car washes, sending our second-hand clothes off to Mexico. This is a world at war. Something large and immensely dangerous is unfolding all around us, we are caught up in it and we have been given a key role to play."
I read this today on a blog. I don't know this person or where they are spiritually but I have some hunches. It appears they are talking about walking away from a relationship and perhaps even a commitment. I share this not to beat on this person but to use it as an example of how far off the path we have traveled.
"Sometimes we need to part from this to have a fresh start. Sometimes we need to separate from the past so we can grow, transform and bloom into our highest expression of self in this lifetime. Sometimes we need to re-create an entire new life. Sometimes we have to say goodbye when things no longer fulfill a need, or make us unhappy. Life is short, why should we waste it on anything but happiness?"
Is that what life is about...my transformation into the highest expression of "self"? I was made in "self's" image not God's? Life for many of us has become simply the pursuit of happiness. "God loves me because I am happy." This person is saying sometimes it is necessary to just walk away from relationships/commitments if they no longer fulfill us or make us happy. They hauntingly end it with "Why should we waste life on anything but happiness?"
The pursuit of happiness would be just fine if there was no enemy. In Eden, happiness was freely abounding. But in this life, there is an enemy and we are at war. A pursuit of finding/doing whatever makes us happy will lead us into a trap. If the gazelle just pursued what made it happy, it would eat whatever grass looked appealing. It would stray from the pack. It wouldn't fear the tall grass - that grass would look tasty. And the gazelle would quickly become someone else's lunch.
We cannot ignore the presence of the enemy and just simply pursue the happy life. It is incredibly naive and very dangerous. To do so gives Satan open field to take us out.
God doesn't want us leading lives of misery - I'm not saying that. He came and liberated us so that we might have abundant life. God gets the last word. We know how the battle will end. God will be victorious. He defeated death at Calvary. "It IS finished"...the battle is won. My pleading is that we pay attention to the war going on around us. Pray for your children. Wrap them in prayer as they go off to school. Pay attention to what they are doing. Watch the cell phones, texting and email. Kids can so easily fall prey to the predator -- we need to be on guard.
Thankfully and gracefully however the war HAS been won!
Soar!
One of Satan's most devious tricks is to convince us he isn't lurking around. He isn't here. He isn't a threat...go on, live your life the way "you" want...there are no consequences, there are no traps.
We see this in nature. The ONLY reason a lion captures a gazelle is stealth. If the lion stayed out in the open, he'd never eat. The reason he eats is that he hides. He stays in the tall grass waiting...just waiting for one gazelle to get lazy, one gazelle to ignore his instincts, one gazelle to get just a little too close to the tall grass.
The Message has a great summary of Ephesians 5:14-16 - "So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are dangerous times!"
In 1 Peter, Satan is compared to a lion - "Be on guard, you enemy - Satan - prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour."
We are at war. And yet, so many of us go about our daily lives ignoring the enemy. We send our kids off to school and simply ignore the warfare they face. There was a story last week about kids in England being faced with "education" on alternative lifestyles. They had a gay/lesbian week and read stories and watched videos on alternative lifestyles. These were young kids. Some parents were rightly concerned and took their kids out of school. The school system penalized the kids and even said they would seek to prosecute parents for taking their kids out of school. One report even said the parents could face jail time. Jail time for guarding their kids from material the parents found offensive!
We are at war. There is an enemy and he is coming after our kids very hard, very fast. It is a full-out assault and we are seemingly numb to it.
I talk to parents a lot about kids and the problems the kids face and it just amazes me how easily we dismiss behavior with, "Well, we all did that kind of stuff back when we were kids..." Don't get me wrong, I say/think that too. But then I also think, "What a minute, just because I screwed up when I was young...is that the life I want for my kids? Does it make it right?" I fear we just too easily rationalize it without the context of an enemy and warfare.
We send our kids off to hell every day in schools. That is dramatic but think about it - they go into hostile environments - teachers with agendas, curriculum that pushes themes far removed from God's word, sex, drugs, drinking, peer pressure, back-biting "friends", cliques, pressures to conform. Our kids face an all-out assault every single day. Even the little ones.
John Eldredge said in Waking the Dead - "Christianity isn't a religion about going to Sunday school, potluck suppers, being nice, holding car washes, sending our second-hand clothes off to Mexico. This is a world at war. Something large and immensely dangerous is unfolding all around us, we are caught up in it and we have been given a key role to play."
I read this today on a blog. I don't know this person or where they are spiritually but I have some hunches. It appears they are talking about walking away from a relationship and perhaps even a commitment. I share this not to beat on this person but to use it as an example of how far off the path we have traveled.
"Sometimes we need to part from this to have a fresh start. Sometimes we need to separate from the past so we can grow, transform and bloom into our highest expression of self in this lifetime. Sometimes we need to re-create an entire new life. Sometimes we have to say goodbye when things no longer fulfill a need, or make us unhappy. Life is short, why should we waste it on anything but happiness?"
Is that what life is about...my transformation into the highest expression of "self"? I was made in "self's" image not God's? Life for many of us has become simply the pursuit of happiness. "God loves me because I am happy." This person is saying sometimes it is necessary to just walk away from relationships/commitments if they no longer fulfill us or make us happy. They hauntingly end it with "Why should we waste life on anything but happiness?"
The pursuit of happiness would be just fine if there was no enemy. In Eden, happiness was freely abounding. But in this life, there is an enemy and we are at war. A pursuit of finding/doing whatever makes us happy will lead us into a trap. If the gazelle just pursued what made it happy, it would eat whatever grass looked appealing. It would stray from the pack. It wouldn't fear the tall grass - that grass would look tasty. And the gazelle would quickly become someone else's lunch.
We cannot ignore the presence of the enemy and just simply pursue the happy life. It is incredibly naive and very dangerous. To do so gives Satan open field to take us out.
God doesn't want us leading lives of misery - I'm not saying that. He came and liberated us so that we might have abundant life. God gets the last word. We know how the battle will end. God will be victorious. He defeated death at Calvary. "It IS finished"...the battle is won. My pleading is that we pay attention to the war going on around us. Pray for your children. Wrap them in prayer as they go off to school. Pay attention to what they are doing. Watch the cell phones, texting and email. Kids can so easily fall prey to the predator -- we need to be on guard.
Thankfully and gracefully however the war HAS been won!
Soar!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Who can explain?
My debates with old friends continue around the theme of "can you really believe the Bible?" I have not shied away - I have pressed boldly into the void.
But something pretty simple struck me today - "who can explain"...
Who can explain exactly how "life" works?
Who can explain the beauty of spring?
Who can explain the majesty of the mountains?
Who can explain the warmth of the spring sun and just how good that makes you feel?
Who can explain the perfect v-formation of a flock of geese?
Who can explain the miracle of a young child's giggle?
Who can explain why the earth is in exactly the right place, so the temperature is exactly right to sustain life?
Who can explain why our planet stays in its perfect rotation?
Who can explain why there is just enough of a balance of warmth/cold, spring/fall, sun/darkness, light/rain, wind/humidity, deserts/ice and how all that stays in place?
Who can explain the seasons - the youth of spring, the maturity of summer, the harvest of fall and death of winter and how that exactly mimmics human life?
Who can explain why love feels so good and can hurt so bad?
Who can explain why we even have emotions? I mean if we "evolved", why do we have emotions? Surely, emotions would have been "evolved" out by now. What scientific good do they serve?
Who can explain why humans have the emotional need for a mate, for the completeness of sex (beyond the act itself), for family? Animals simply reproduce - they aren't driven by the need for relationship, completeness that comes from family. Why does man have these desires?
Who can explain why the sunsets are so pretty?
Who can explain why spring is so magical - lush green lawns, daylillies, azaleas, etc?
Who can explain and why does man obsess with trying?
Ronald Reagan said of his atheist son, "There was one thing he had long yearned to do for his atheist son. He wanted to serve his son the perfect gourmet dinner, to have him enjoy the meal, and then to ask him if he believed there was a cook."
Why do we so enjoy this world and all its blessings - our intelligence, our looks, our family, the miracle of children and all that is listed above...and insist on giving the credit to something other than the Creator?
There is a cook and He has prepared a glorious meal for all who will accept.
Soar!
My debates with old friends continue around the theme of "can you really believe the Bible?" I have not shied away - I have pressed boldly into the void.
But something pretty simple struck me today - "who can explain"...
Who can explain exactly how "life" works?
Who can explain the beauty of spring?
Who can explain the majesty of the mountains?
Who can explain the warmth of the spring sun and just how good that makes you feel?
Who can explain the perfect v-formation of a flock of geese?
Who can explain the miracle of a young child's giggle?
Who can explain why the earth is in exactly the right place, so the temperature is exactly right to sustain life?
Who can explain why our planet stays in its perfect rotation?
Who can explain why there is just enough of a balance of warmth/cold, spring/fall, sun/darkness, light/rain, wind/humidity, deserts/ice and how all that stays in place?
Who can explain the seasons - the youth of spring, the maturity of summer, the harvest of fall and death of winter and how that exactly mimmics human life?
Who can explain why love feels so good and can hurt so bad?
Who can explain why we even have emotions? I mean if we "evolved", why do we have emotions? Surely, emotions would have been "evolved" out by now. What scientific good do they serve?
Who can explain why humans have the emotional need for a mate, for the completeness of sex (beyond the act itself), for family? Animals simply reproduce - they aren't driven by the need for relationship, completeness that comes from family. Why does man have these desires?
Who can explain why the sunsets are so pretty?
Who can explain why spring is so magical - lush green lawns, daylillies, azaleas, etc?
Who can explain and why does man obsess with trying?
Ronald Reagan said of his atheist son, "There was one thing he had long yearned to do for his atheist son. He wanted to serve his son the perfect gourmet dinner, to have him enjoy the meal, and then to ask him if he believed there was a cook."
Why do we so enjoy this world and all its blessings - our intelligence, our looks, our family, the miracle of children and all that is listed above...and insist on giving the credit to something other than the Creator?
There is a cook and He has prepared a glorious meal for all who will accept.
Soar!
Monday, February 09, 2009
Anna and the teenagers
We just came back from a weekend camp at YoungLife's Sharptop Cove in North Georgia. It is an incredible place. YoungLife does camp the right way - the facilities, activities and food are world class. It is a great get away for teenagers where they are waited on and served by volunteer staff and the Gospel is presented to them in a powerful way. There is tons of fun and goofy skits to get the kids laughing and to get them to lower their walls.
A lot of families from Columbus were up there to witness the camp. YL has a family dorm where the families with small kids can stay. It was packed with Columbus folks and about two dozen kids under 10. Thankfully, we stayed at the adult guest lodge on the other side of the camp!
But I love kids - especially small ones - so it was fun for me to engage with these kids during the weekend. One family had three beautiful daughters ages 4-7. The middle child, Anna was especially captivating. I know both sets of grandparents and she has the eyes of one of her grandmothers. She has a sparkling personality and a great smile. I had fun goofing around with Anna during the meals and later ran into her in the YL store. She smiled at me and said "Hey, what are you doing here?" I think she thought I only existed in the dining hall! I told her I was looking for stuff and she said, "I am getting a harmonica" and she showed me her blue harmonica. "Wow" I exclaimed, "That is the coolest harmonica ever" and she smiled and went on her merry little way.
That harmonica never left Anna's side the rest of the weekend. She was always playing it, always smiling. At dinner Saturday night, she was sitting at the table with all the chaos of a YoungLife dinner (300 kids in one very loud room), minding her own business, playing her harmonica. I looked over at her and she saw me, smiled (she always smiles) and kept on playing. I told her that she was so good at the harmonica and she said, "I know my Mommy and Daddy think I should take lessons" and she kept right on playing. The next day at breakfast she was doing the same thing. Her Dad told me that she spent all day Saturday playing the harmonica and that the teenagers were always circled around her. As Anna played, the teenagers followed. When I was talking to her Sunday, I again commented on her harmonica and again told her that she was very good and she replied, "Some people think it is my talent". Big smile followed.
So here is Anna - beautiful, sweet, happy and very much in love with life and her harmonica. Anna is extraordinary. Anna knows she has a "talent" and she is looking for it. Anna knows she has something special to contribute to the world. Contrasting that are the lives of 300 teenagers. They too are extraordinary but very few of them believe it any more. They very much now believe they are just ordinary. Life comes at the teenagers very hard these days - MUCH harder than I think many of us even realize.
There very much is a battle underway for the souls of our children. Anna, at this point is safe and happy but we know what is coming - we can see it in these teenagers. Don't get me wrong - I love teenagers too but you can very visibly see the scars of battle on them already. Many of these kids have already lost their sexual purity. The vast majority has already started drinking and it is shocking how many are already using drugs. Many of them have bought the world's lies. Religion is simply whatever is relevant to them at that moment - "God just wants me to be happy" or "God is seen through my boyfriend or my friends - and I have a lot of friends so God is happy with me". They live their lives in the pursuit of happiness and for many of them, it has taken them into some very dark places.
It was striking to witness the vast gulf between Anna and many of these teenage girls. Anna is free. They are in bondage. Anna pursues happiness in her own little world and it is innocent...as innocent as happiness found in her harmonica. Anna doesn't understand peer pressure. Anna is happy in her own skin. Teenagers pursue happiness by trying to fit in and by doing whatever the crowd tells them is "right". We witnessed a dozen or so girls all showing up on Saturday morning all dressed just alike. It was freezing cold but they all had on shorts and Ugg boots. Someone in that group decided this is what they were going to wear and like robots, the rest followed. Teenagers have very little tolerance for extraordinary. They crave ordinary. They want to all look alike, act alike, dress alike so they can all blend in and numb the pain that can come from standing apart from the crowd. Many will seemingly sell their soul just to fit in - just to be a part of the "in" crowd. And so...they all become ordinary...just like all the rest of the group. When the group starts having sex, you have sex. When the group moves beyond beer to pot, you start smoking pot. You conform or you are cast-out.
The lie is that if you become ordinary that you will fit in. What you find as you become ordinary is that you have stripped away all that God made you to be. You have given up what an Extraordinary Creator used to make you unique so that the other ordinaries will find you pleasing.
I don't write this to judge any of them. I understand. I was there not long ago. But I write this because it stands in such stark contrast to Anna. She is happy being Anna. She thinks she can play the harmonica and she plays her heart out. She doesn't obsess over dressing like her friends or wearing too much make-up or straightening her hair like "everyone else" does. She has no concept of text messaging, cell phones or Facebook. She is just Anna. She is just one very happy kid. It simply breaks your heart to see the damage the world does when it strips the kid out of a young person and makes them look like every other ordinary young person.
Christ came that we might have life and have it to the full (abundantly). He wants us to be extraordinary not ordinary. He wants us to stand apart from the crowd and to be independent of the world. He wants us leaning on Him. He offers us freedom - great freedom - in the extraordinary life while it is just so obvious the bondage - the terrible bondage - of the ordinary life.
Anna and her harmonica have life to the full. It is no wonder Christ said we must come to him as a child. Eyes wide open, trusting, dependent, every day another great adventure to live, a new audience for our harmonica, another day to...
Soar!
We just came back from a weekend camp at YoungLife's Sharptop Cove in North Georgia. It is an incredible place. YoungLife does camp the right way - the facilities, activities and food are world class. It is a great get away for teenagers where they are waited on and served by volunteer staff and the Gospel is presented to them in a powerful way. There is tons of fun and goofy skits to get the kids laughing and to get them to lower their walls.
A lot of families from Columbus were up there to witness the camp. YL has a family dorm where the families with small kids can stay. It was packed with Columbus folks and about two dozen kids under 10. Thankfully, we stayed at the adult guest lodge on the other side of the camp!
But I love kids - especially small ones - so it was fun for me to engage with these kids during the weekend. One family had three beautiful daughters ages 4-7. The middle child, Anna was especially captivating. I know both sets of grandparents and she has the eyes of one of her grandmothers. She has a sparkling personality and a great smile. I had fun goofing around with Anna during the meals and later ran into her in the YL store. She smiled at me and said "Hey, what are you doing here?" I think she thought I only existed in the dining hall! I told her I was looking for stuff and she said, "I am getting a harmonica" and she showed me her blue harmonica. "Wow" I exclaimed, "That is the coolest harmonica ever" and she smiled and went on her merry little way.
That harmonica never left Anna's side the rest of the weekend. She was always playing it, always smiling. At dinner Saturday night, she was sitting at the table with all the chaos of a YoungLife dinner (300 kids in one very loud room), minding her own business, playing her harmonica. I looked over at her and she saw me, smiled (she always smiles) and kept on playing. I told her that she was so good at the harmonica and she said, "I know my Mommy and Daddy think I should take lessons" and she kept right on playing. The next day at breakfast she was doing the same thing. Her Dad told me that she spent all day Saturday playing the harmonica and that the teenagers were always circled around her. As Anna played, the teenagers followed. When I was talking to her Sunday, I again commented on her harmonica and again told her that she was very good and she replied, "Some people think it is my talent". Big smile followed.
So here is Anna - beautiful, sweet, happy and very much in love with life and her harmonica. Anna is extraordinary. Anna knows she has a "talent" and she is looking for it. Anna knows she has something special to contribute to the world. Contrasting that are the lives of 300 teenagers. They too are extraordinary but very few of them believe it any more. They very much now believe they are just ordinary. Life comes at the teenagers very hard these days - MUCH harder than I think many of us even realize.
There very much is a battle underway for the souls of our children. Anna, at this point is safe and happy but we know what is coming - we can see it in these teenagers. Don't get me wrong - I love teenagers too but you can very visibly see the scars of battle on them already. Many of these kids have already lost their sexual purity. The vast majority has already started drinking and it is shocking how many are already using drugs. Many of them have bought the world's lies. Religion is simply whatever is relevant to them at that moment - "God just wants me to be happy" or "God is seen through my boyfriend or my friends - and I have a lot of friends so God is happy with me". They live their lives in the pursuit of happiness and for many of them, it has taken them into some very dark places.
It was striking to witness the vast gulf between Anna and many of these teenage girls. Anna is free. They are in bondage. Anna pursues happiness in her own little world and it is innocent...as innocent as happiness found in her harmonica. Anna doesn't understand peer pressure. Anna is happy in her own skin. Teenagers pursue happiness by trying to fit in and by doing whatever the crowd tells them is "right". We witnessed a dozen or so girls all showing up on Saturday morning all dressed just alike. It was freezing cold but they all had on shorts and Ugg boots. Someone in that group decided this is what they were going to wear and like robots, the rest followed. Teenagers have very little tolerance for extraordinary. They crave ordinary. They want to all look alike, act alike, dress alike so they can all blend in and numb the pain that can come from standing apart from the crowd. Many will seemingly sell their soul just to fit in - just to be a part of the "in" crowd. And so...they all become ordinary...just like all the rest of the group. When the group starts having sex, you have sex. When the group moves beyond beer to pot, you start smoking pot. You conform or you are cast-out.
The lie is that if you become ordinary that you will fit in. What you find as you become ordinary is that you have stripped away all that God made you to be. You have given up what an Extraordinary Creator used to make you unique so that the other ordinaries will find you pleasing.
I don't write this to judge any of them. I understand. I was there not long ago. But I write this because it stands in such stark contrast to Anna. She is happy being Anna. She thinks she can play the harmonica and she plays her heart out. She doesn't obsess over dressing like her friends or wearing too much make-up or straightening her hair like "everyone else" does. She has no concept of text messaging, cell phones or Facebook. She is just Anna. She is just one very happy kid. It simply breaks your heart to see the damage the world does when it strips the kid out of a young person and makes them look like every other ordinary young person.
Christ came that we might have life and have it to the full (abundantly). He wants us to be extraordinary not ordinary. He wants us to stand apart from the crowd and to be independent of the world. He wants us leaning on Him. He offers us freedom - great freedom - in the extraordinary life while it is just so obvious the bondage - the terrible bondage - of the ordinary life.
Anna and her harmonica have life to the full. It is no wonder Christ said we must come to him as a child. Eyes wide open, trusting, dependent, every day another great adventure to live, a new audience for our harmonica, another day to...
Soar!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Abortion
I've written on this before and referenced Peggy Noonan's great summary of the bottom line on "choice" -- that those who crave choice in abortion fail to realize that their "choice" was made in the back seat of the car. Personal liberty was choosing who they'd sleep with - not in the murder of the "mistake". The mistake was sex outside of marriage...not the fetus. As Noonan says, "Anyone who has gone to drugstore on Friday night to buy condoms knows when life begins - it begins at conception..."
John Piper has a great talk on his website on abortion www.desiringgod.org. It is very strong especially towards Barack Obama. He says in the talk, "On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama said, “We are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters.”
NO Mr President. You aren't "protecting" women. He is authorizing the destruction of 500,000 little women every year. He isn't protecting "reproductive freedom", he is authorizing the destruction of freedom for more than 1 million babies in the US every year. Killing our children is killing our children no matter how many times you say over and over that this is "a private family matter"...it isn't a private family matter. It is murder. It is ugly. It is painful.
Obama said on the campaign trail that if one of his daughters got pregnant - he "would not them punished because of an unwanted pregnancy". Piper drives home hard at this point.
That isn't really what Obama wants. He doesn't really want his daughters having "reproductive freedom". He wants them chaste, holy, married, healthy, bearing children not carrying around with condoms in their purse. He doesn't really want them to be sexually free.
Be courageous Mr. Obama. You don't have to be the lap-dog of those around you. You can stand for your daughters. You can fight for them. God can change your heart.
Let us as believers commit to prayer for a change of heart in Mr. Obama. His daughters are beautiful, bright, optimistic children. They are safe...at this point. But if Daddy equips them with condoms and sets them out the door at 15 to find their sexual freedom, you and I know what will happen - they will reap what they sow.
Sexual freedom is a lie. IT IS A LIE. Satan lures us down that path to chase what feels good, explore our sexuality, etc. but we know that this path is chock full of destruction and pain. 1 million babies are aborted in the US every year. 50 million have been aborted since Roe v. Wade was passed. That is 50 million babies gone but even more painful is the untold price that act has on the millions of mothers. They never escape the pain of abortion. The act stays with them as a curse for life.
The path of life is narrow but obeying God and walking with God down the path of life will protect us. John 10:10 - The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come that they may have LIFE and have it abundantly.
LIFE. LIFE. Not abortion. Not death but LIFE. The path of this world is death and destruction. But the path of the Great Liberator is freedom. Freedom.
Soar!
I've written on this before and referenced Peggy Noonan's great summary of the bottom line on "choice" -- that those who crave choice in abortion fail to realize that their "choice" was made in the back seat of the car. Personal liberty was choosing who they'd sleep with - not in the murder of the "mistake". The mistake was sex outside of marriage...not the fetus. As Noonan says, "Anyone who has gone to drugstore on Friday night to buy condoms knows when life begins - it begins at conception..."
John Piper has a great talk on his website on abortion www.desiringgod.org. It is very strong especially towards Barack Obama. He says in the talk, "On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama said, “We are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters.”
NO Mr President. You aren't "protecting" women. He is authorizing the destruction of 500,000 little women every year. He isn't protecting "reproductive freedom", he is authorizing the destruction of freedom for more than 1 million babies in the US every year. Killing our children is killing our children no matter how many times you say over and over that this is "a private family matter"...it isn't a private family matter. It is murder. It is ugly. It is painful.
Obama said on the campaign trail that if one of his daughters got pregnant - he "would not them punished because of an unwanted pregnancy". Piper drives home hard at this point.
That isn't really what Obama wants. He doesn't really want his daughters having "reproductive freedom". He wants them chaste, holy, married, healthy, bearing children not carrying around with condoms in their purse. He doesn't really want them to be sexually free.
Be courageous Mr. Obama. You don't have to be the lap-dog of those around you. You can stand for your daughters. You can fight for them. God can change your heart.
Let us as believers commit to prayer for a change of heart in Mr. Obama. His daughters are beautiful, bright, optimistic children. They are safe...at this point. But if Daddy equips them with condoms and sets them out the door at 15 to find their sexual freedom, you and I know what will happen - they will reap what they sow.
Sexual freedom is a lie. IT IS A LIE. Satan lures us down that path to chase what feels good, explore our sexuality, etc. but we know that this path is chock full of destruction and pain. 1 million babies are aborted in the US every year. 50 million have been aborted since Roe v. Wade was passed. That is 50 million babies gone but even more painful is the untold price that act has on the millions of mothers. They never escape the pain of abortion. The act stays with them as a curse for life.
The path of life is narrow but obeying God and walking with God down the path of life will protect us. John 10:10 - The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come that they may have LIFE and have it abundantly.
LIFE. LIFE. Not abortion. Not death but LIFE. The path of this world is death and destruction. But the path of the Great Liberator is freedom. Freedom.
Soar!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Believe
I have had a series of debates recently with folks with a common theme - whether or not we can believe the Bible as a word-for-word, literal message from God. In the past few months, I have had a number of passionate debates with people from all walks of life around this topic. It is interesting that so many people believe so strongly that you cannot believe the Bible. Why is that?
The folks I have debated this issue with tend to focus on the Old Testament and some of the practices and beliefs that were practiced thousands of years ago..."How could God who is love condone the stoning of a woman who is divorced" (from an old college friend that, as it turns out, went through a bitter and painful divorce)..."How is it that God could condemn homosexuals?" asked another old college friend. He went on to say that Jesus was simply all about loving one another...He later told me that he respected my beliefs because while I was completely intolerant, I was at least consistent.
I had a debate a few years ago with a former co-worker. He is bright and well-educated. He is "evolved". He was captivated by The DaVinci Code and even taught a Sunday night class at his church on the book. That's right - a "bible" study on the DaVinci Code. He told me one time that "You cannot possibly believe the Bible word for word as a literal translation. You cannot ignore the writings of DaVinci...he was brilliant. You cannot be so closed minded." And yet, he believed the writings of DaVinci over the Word of God. I told him that he was playing with fire and that when the end of time comes, I'd rather not sit down with God and explain to Him on High that I found DaVinci captivating and brilliant.
For thousands of years, man has taken the Word of God and twisted it to make it fit his needs. It started with Adam & Eve - take what God says and justify doing what you want to do. For thousands of years learned, evolved, brilliant people have tried to justify their beliefs in opposition to the Word of God. Scientists have tried to disprove many of the events of the Bible from Noah's Ark to the parting of the Red Sea and even to the crucifixion of our Lord. As far as I know, they've come up empty.
If man takes the Bible apart and accepts portions of it but rejects other parts because they are too offensive or not agreeable -- Man becomes God. Man is saying he knows best. Our sin nature pulls away from the Truth. We simply cannot accept the Word. We have to rationalize it, tweak it, delete parts of it, etc. We'll peel it down to the few sections that we can make agree with our choices and call ourselves religious.
This mindset is everywhere in the modern church and it is extremely dangerous. Be careful. Trust the Word of God. Believe.
Soar!
I have had a series of debates recently with folks with a common theme - whether or not we can believe the Bible as a word-for-word, literal message from God. In the past few months, I have had a number of passionate debates with people from all walks of life around this topic. It is interesting that so many people believe so strongly that you cannot believe the Bible. Why is that?
The folks I have debated this issue with tend to focus on the Old Testament and some of the practices and beliefs that were practiced thousands of years ago..."How could God who is love condone the stoning of a woman who is divorced" (from an old college friend that, as it turns out, went through a bitter and painful divorce)..."How is it that God could condemn homosexuals?" asked another old college friend. He went on to say that Jesus was simply all about loving one another...He later told me that he respected my beliefs because while I was completely intolerant, I was at least consistent.
I had a debate a few years ago with a former co-worker. He is bright and well-educated. He is "evolved". He was captivated by The DaVinci Code and even taught a Sunday night class at his church on the book. That's right - a "bible" study on the DaVinci Code. He told me one time that "You cannot possibly believe the Bible word for word as a literal translation. You cannot ignore the writings of DaVinci...he was brilliant. You cannot be so closed minded." And yet, he believed the writings of DaVinci over the Word of God. I told him that he was playing with fire and that when the end of time comes, I'd rather not sit down with God and explain to Him on High that I found DaVinci captivating and brilliant.
For thousands of years, man has taken the Word of God and twisted it to make it fit his needs. It started with Adam & Eve - take what God says and justify doing what you want to do. For thousands of years learned, evolved, brilliant people have tried to justify their beliefs in opposition to the Word of God. Scientists have tried to disprove many of the events of the Bible from Noah's Ark to the parting of the Red Sea and even to the crucifixion of our Lord. As far as I know, they've come up empty.
If man takes the Bible apart and accepts portions of it but rejects other parts because they are too offensive or not agreeable -- Man becomes God. Man is saying he knows best. Our sin nature pulls away from the Truth. We simply cannot accept the Word. We have to rationalize it, tweak it, delete parts of it, etc. We'll peel it down to the few sections that we can make agree with our choices and call ourselves religious.
This mindset is everywhere in the modern church and it is extremely dangerous. Be careful. Trust the Word of God. Believe.
Soar!
Friday, December 26, 2008
It is finished...
No, this isn't a Christmas message though the focus on Christ and His finished work upon the Cross is very appropriate in late December. No, this message is about the buck.
As you may know from my earlier post, I killed my first buck in mid-November. It was a great thrill and so many people were so supportive of me in this process. I cannot tell you how touched I was by their support. The night I killed him I brought him home to show Shannon and the girls. Word spread that I had killed a big buck and friends started showing up to see the deer. We had a small celebration in my garage with close friends. Kind of crazy but very special.
As the days went on, I received a number of phone calls and emails of folks offering their congratulations. There is a neat community of hunters in Columbus and we rally around to celebrate each other's success. My hunting mentor - Ken Evans - was especially encouraging and supportive. Thank you Ken.
Blake Voltz - my neighbor and hunting club member - gave me the name of a taxidermist, Harrell Favors. I called Harrell and he couldn't have been nicer. He wanted to hear the whole story of how I killed the buck. I gave him the complete history, blow by blow, and he was truly, genuinely excited for me. He said, "Don't you worry, I'll go get the deer and I'll take really good care of him and do it just right."
At one point a few weeks ago, I sent Harrell an email from my blog of the story about the deer. His wife Jan wrote me back an incredibly nice and supportive email. She too is a hunter and completely understands the "sanctuary experience" of hunting.
She wrote this...A few years ago, at a family reunion, a male relative asked me, "Why do you hunt?" And for a moment, (just a moment) I was at a loss for words.....but when I haltingly answered, "There's no place I'd rather be a daybreak than in the woods...when the sun comes up, and rays of light filter through the trees, and the woods start to come alive with small animals scurrying about, and the birds greeting the new day and each other.....and as I look around, I see God in everything. I can almost hear his voice audibly as I talk to him." Before I could go any further, he smiled and said, "Same reason I hunt."
So time goes on and I've put the deer out of my mind. I trust Harrell and know he'll get it to me just as soon as he can.
Well, Santa came yesterday. My sweet wife became an elf and went to work to get me that deer on Christmas morning. She contacted Blake and told him what she wanted to accomplish. He - being the hunter he is - immediately grabbed it and said, "Let me take care of it, I'll call Harrell and arrange for it." Harrell, knowing the special circumstances immediately agreed to speed up the mounting. Something magical was about to happen in my life.
Shannon was so careful to conceal her elfish activities. Covert text messages, secret phone calls, etc. She had it all arranged. Blake picked up the deer last week and stored it at his house. On Christmas Eve, when we were at church, Blake was going to put the deer in the back of Shannon's car in the garage. When we were leaving to go to church, Shannon said, "Let's take your truck, my car is on empty." She feared I'd be suspicious - I wasn't. I'm proud to drive my truck anywhere - mud an all - especially to church! So we leave for church. Blake comes by and finds that her car doors are locked. He texts her and when we are riding home she is over there texting. Now I am getting suspicious. But she passes this off as some planning she is doing for a friend of hers. She goes in the house, unlocks the car and calls Blake. He is at his folks house eating Christmas dinner and gladly runs back to our house to try it again. I'm touched by his willingness to help.
So now it is Christmas morning and Shannon has kept this secret for a month conspiring with my neighbor and my taxidermist. About 10am, she says, "Richard I left something for the girls in the back of my car...go get it..."
Wow! You can imagine (or maybe see in my picture) just how special this was. I am touched beyond words by my wife's love for me and the effort she placed into making this happen. I am touched by Harrell & Jan Favors - folks I've never met but that I know will become good friends of ours. I am touched by Blake Voltz - for his love of hunting and his genuine excitement for his next door neighbor's good fortune.
We built a house a few years ago and I have a small study that is "my" space. A man's room. It is wood paneled with a pheasant on the wall, a print of a red-tail hawk (my blog is HawkSoars) and a Bucky Bowles print of quails lifting through south Georgia pines. My coffee table is a pair of benches pushed together that we used to have at our lake cabin (when we had it). These were made out of thick Mississippi heart pine from a 100+ year old barn from the farm of a friend. Over the mantle hung Robert E. Lee from my KA days at Mercer. Lee has hung in my house ever since I left college but I knew when I built this room that one day, I'd hang a big buck there. I even told Shannon that and she said, "You don't hunt Honey..." Well, the room is now finished. It is finished and I am blessed beyond words.
Soar!
No, this isn't a Christmas message though the focus on Christ and His finished work upon the Cross is very appropriate in late December. No, this message is about the buck.
As you may know from my earlier post, I killed my first buck in mid-November. It was a great thrill and so many people were so supportive of me in this process. I cannot tell you how touched I was by their support. The night I killed him I brought him home to show Shannon and the girls. Word spread that I had killed a big buck and friends started showing up to see the deer. We had a small celebration in my garage with close friends. Kind of crazy but very special.
As the days went on, I received a number of phone calls and emails of folks offering their congratulations. There is a neat community of hunters in Columbus and we rally around to celebrate each other's success. My hunting mentor - Ken Evans - was especially encouraging and supportive. Thank you Ken.
Blake Voltz - my neighbor and hunting club member - gave me the name of a taxidermist, Harrell Favors. I called Harrell and he couldn't have been nicer. He wanted to hear the whole story of how I killed the buck. I gave him the complete history, blow by blow, and he was truly, genuinely excited for me. He said, "Don't you worry, I'll go get the deer and I'll take really good care of him and do it just right."
At one point a few weeks ago, I sent Harrell an email from my blog of the story about the deer. His wife Jan wrote me back an incredibly nice and supportive email. She too is a hunter and completely understands the "sanctuary experience" of hunting.
She wrote this...A few years ago, at a family reunion, a male relative asked me, "Why do you hunt?" And for a moment, (just a moment) I was at a loss for words.....but when I haltingly answered, "There's no place I'd rather be a daybreak than in the woods...when the sun comes up, and rays of light filter through the trees, and the woods start to come alive with small animals scurrying about, and the birds greeting the new day and each other.....and as I look around, I see God in everything. I can almost hear his voice audibly as I talk to him." Before I could go any further, he smiled and said, "Same reason I hunt."
So time goes on and I've put the deer out of my mind. I trust Harrell and know he'll get it to me just as soon as he can.
Well, Santa came yesterday. My sweet wife became an elf and went to work to get me that deer on Christmas morning. She contacted Blake and told him what she wanted to accomplish. He - being the hunter he is - immediately grabbed it and said, "Let me take care of it, I'll call Harrell and arrange for it." Harrell, knowing the special circumstances immediately agreed to speed up the mounting. Something magical was about to happen in my life.
Shannon was so careful to conceal her elfish activities. Covert text messages, secret phone calls, etc. She had it all arranged. Blake picked up the deer last week and stored it at his house. On Christmas Eve, when we were at church, Blake was going to put the deer in the back of Shannon's car in the garage. When we were leaving to go to church, Shannon said, "Let's take your truck, my car is on empty." She feared I'd be suspicious - I wasn't. I'm proud to drive my truck anywhere - mud an all - especially to church! So we leave for church. Blake comes by and finds that her car doors are locked. He texts her and when we are riding home she is over there texting. Now I am getting suspicious. But she passes this off as some planning she is doing for a friend of hers. She goes in the house, unlocks the car and calls Blake. He is at his folks house eating Christmas dinner and gladly runs back to our house to try it again. I'm touched by his willingness to help.
So now it is Christmas morning and Shannon has kept this secret for a month conspiring with my neighbor and my taxidermist. About 10am, she says, "Richard I left something for the girls in the back of my car...go get it..."
Wow! You can imagine (or maybe see in my picture) just how special this was. I am touched beyond words by my wife's love for me and the effort she placed into making this happen. I am touched by Harrell & Jan Favors - folks I've never met but that I know will become good friends of ours. I am touched by Blake Voltz - for his love of hunting and his genuine excitement for his next door neighbor's good fortune.
We built a house a few years ago and I have a small study that is "my" space. A man's room. It is wood paneled with a pheasant on the wall, a print of a red-tail hawk (my blog is HawkSoars) and a Bucky Bowles print of quails lifting through south Georgia pines. My coffee table is a pair of benches pushed together that we used to have at our lake cabin (when we had it). These were made out of thick Mississippi heart pine from a 100+ year old barn from the farm of a friend. Over the mantle hung Robert E. Lee from my KA days at Mercer. Lee has hung in my house ever since I left college but I knew when I built this room that one day, I'd hang a big buck there. I even told Shannon that and she said, "You don't hunt Honey..." Well, the room is now finished. It is finished and I am blessed beyond words.
Soar!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
More thwarting
OK so I told you there would be more on the thwarting thing. Why then would I wake up at 4am this morning and not be able to go back to sleep? Hmmmm....I wonder. Try as I may, my mind raced and I kept saying "What is it Lord? What are you trying to tell me?" Very clearly, I felt the answer was "Get up and get in Me." So, here I am.
My desire for sleep is thwarted! God wants time alone with me and sometimes posting on this blog is the best way I can articulate my thoughts to God. So I will ramble a bit again this morning...bear with me.
The "big" story and the "small" story - John Eldredge does such a good job of laying out that our lives are part of a much bigger story. Much goes on around us and we are characters in the great play of life. I struggle with this issue with our children. Very often we will explain to them that life isn't about them. As teenage girls, they have a hard time grasping that at times - they are conditioned by TV, friends and this world that life very much is all about them. Our world conditions all of us to this point. Look at ads in any magazine or on any TV channel...its all about you. "You too can possess the American dream..."
Our sin nature drives us to self-centeredness. Our children struggle with that - all children do. From very early on in their lives we teach them it is all about them. And as teenagers, we try to undo that by telling them "Life isn't about you!" (is it any wonder we all wind up in therapy?) As young babies and toddlers, we fawn all over them desiring to meet their every need and every desire. That plays right into the sin nature they are born with. That is perpetuated through their teenage years and on into college - it is all about pursuing their dreams and goals and ambitions.
As adults, we struggle with it. As Christians, we struggle with it. No matter how hard we try, we seem to always make the story circle back to ourselves. I do it all the time. I give a talk at church and immediately I want to ask my wife or someone else, "How did I do?" I prepare a presentation for work and labor to make it as good as I possibly can so that it will set me apart. I argue points in a conversation with family or friends or business associates and deep down, it is about me trying to win my points. Do you see?
I have had a glimmer of liberation in this just this week. I had to give a talk this week for business. I labored hard in preparing my remarks and Power Point and was ready to go. It was going to be another "See how good I can make Richard look in front of other people" talk. And then, I changed course. I really think God laid all these teachings on thwarting to culminate around this talk this week. He hit me with the same message 3-4 times in the past three weeks as a lead into this talk. I see that now.
I was asked to make a presentation and for the first time I can remember, I shifted my focus from being on me to being on the audience. I believe strongly and passionately about what it is I wanted to say. I laid out my points like a lawyer ready to argue his case. But what God nudged me toward was putting myself into the lives of the recipient. They asked me for my opinion and I had it to give but God wanted me to make this talk about the folks in the audience - not me.
I had something to share. It was well prepared, well thought out but my acclaim ended right there. I did what I was asked to do - "Come and tell us what you think". I put myself in mode of God saying, "Go tell them what you think - they need it, they've asked for it...fill their need".
It was incredibly freeing and liberating to just give the talk, lay out what it was I felt led to say and then leave the room. I didn't need to stand around and subtly encourage the "Great talk" comments. Frankly and very truthfully, I didn't want them. This talk simply wasn't about me. It was about them. Their goals, their dreams, their desires. When I shifted my focus from me and my small story, I immediately entered into the big story.
Again, from the last post, there is nothing wrong with dreams, goals or desires but when they play themselves out in "our" story and not as a part of the "big' story, we digress from God and He will thwart us to pull us back toward Him. The small story is our story. We can live our whole life in that small story - providing for our family, building our business, paying off our mortgage, constructing our retirement and accomplishing our life goals. We can do all of that and lead a pretty good life but if we do all that ignoring the big story, we are missing out on the "more".
God promises so much more. "The glory of God is man fully alive". Fully alive means living in the big story - His story.
Its all about you Lord. Its all about you.
Soar!
OK so I told you there would be more on the thwarting thing. Why then would I wake up at 4am this morning and not be able to go back to sleep? Hmmmm....I wonder. Try as I may, my mind raced and I kept saying "What is it Lord? What are you trying to tell me?" Very clearly, I felt the answer was "Get up and get in Me." So, here I am.
My desire for sleep is thwarted! God wants time alone with me and sometimes posting on this blog is the best way I can articulate my thoughts to God. So I will ramble a bit again this morning...bear with me.
The "big" story and the "small" story - John Eldredge does such a good job of laying out that our lives are part of a much bigger story. Much goes on around us and we are characters in the great play of life. I struggle with this issue with our children. Very often we will explain to them that life isn't about them. As teenage girls, they have a hard time grasping that at times - they are conditioned by TV, friends and this world that life very much is all about them. Our world conditions all of us to this point. Look at ads in any magazine or on any TV channel...its all about you. "You too can possess the American dream..."
Our sin nature drives us to self-centeredness. Our children struggle with that - all children do. From very early on in their lives we teach them it is all about them. And as teenagers, we try to undo that by telling them "Life isn't about you!" (is it any wonder we all wind up in therapy?) As young babies and toddlers, we fawn all over them desiring to meet their every need and every desire. That plays right into the sin nature they are born with. That is perpetuated through their teenage years and on into college - it is all about pursuing their dreams and goals and ambitions.
As adults, we struggle with it. As Christians, we struggle with it. No matter how hard we try, we seem to always make the story circle back to ourselves. I do it all the time. I give a talk at church and immediately I want to ask my wife or someone else, "How did I do?" I prepare a presentation for work and labor to make it as good as I possibly can so that it will set me apart. I argue points in a conversation with family or friends or business associates and deep down, it is about me trying to win my points. Do you see?
I have had a glimmer of liberation in this just this week. I had to give a talk this week for business. I labored hard in preparing my remarks and Power Point and was ready to go. It was going to be another "See how good I can make Richard look in front of other people" talk. And then, I changed course. I really think God laid all these teachings on thwarting to culminate around this talk this week. He hit me with the same message 3-4 times in the past three weeks as a lead into this talk. I see that now.
I was asked to make a presentation and for the first time I can remember, I shifted my focus from being on me to being on the audience. I believe strongly and passionately about what it is I wanted to say. I laid out my points like a lawyer ready to argue his case. But what God nudged me toward was putting myself into the lives of the recipient. They asked me for my opinion and I had it to give but God wanted me to make this talk about the folks in the audience - not me.
I had something to share. It was well prepared, well thought out but my acclaim ended right there. I did what I was asked to do - "Come and tell us what you think". I put myself in mode of God saying, "Go tell them what you think - they need it, they've asked for it...fill their need".
It was incredibly freeing and liberating to just give the talk, lay out what it was I felt led to say and then leave the room. I didn't need to stand around and subtly encourage the "Great talk" comments. Frankly and very truthfully, I didn't want them. This talk simply wasn't about me. It was about them. Their goals, their dreams, their desires. When I shifted my focus from me and my small story, I immediately entered into the big story.
Again, from the last post, there is nothing wrong with dreams, goals or desires but when they play themselves out in "our" story and not as a part of the "big' story, we digress from God and He will thwart us to pull us back toward Him. The small story is our story. We can live our whole life in that small story - providing for our family, building our business, paying off our mortgage, constructing our retirement and accomplishing our life goals. We can do all of that and lead a pretty good life but if we do all that ignoring the big story, we are missing out on the "more".
God promises so much more. "The glory of God is man fully alive". Fully alive means living in the big story - His story.
Its all about you Lord. Its all about you.
Soar!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Thwarting
I have a series of posts to come on the topics of thwarting and idols. It seems that I can't escape these themes over the past 3-4 weeks.
Why would God thwart us? We have our desires and our dreams - why does it seem that these are nearly impossible to reach? So often, our dreams become our idols. We long for the perfect house, the perfect job, the chance to see the West, a completely healed family, investments that multiply, the peaceful life, etc. Many of these are worthy desires but if misplaced, they can become idols. Sometimes we long for family - family that fulfills our needs, understands us, moves towards us. Sometimes we long to "be somebody" - to be noticed, desired, viewed with respect or even honor. Again, these are worthy aspirations and again, if misplaced, can become idols.
We all have that "ache" in us for something. Oftentimes, it sets us out on a quest, a mission to fulfill that desire and satisfy that ache. They become our way of life.
Here is where the problems appear. When we have that ache, that longing as our priority in life...it is very likely that God is nowhere around. If our focus is on that desire - it cannot be on God. The quest itself can pull us away from God as can actually accomplishing our desire. If we won the lottery, we'd have it "made". Life would be complete. So how does God feel about that? See my point is that if "my" goals are fulfilled, "my" dreams realized -- where would I have room for God? It would be about "me", not "Him".
God is a jealous lover. The things we chase after and dream of and pursue are very often far removed from God. And so, in that, He thwarts. If we find our "salvation" in the lottery - we don't need God.
Man is an adulterer. We seek others. We pursue our wants and our desires and turn our back on the One who can fulfill all our needs. God operates in the "big" story. He sees the entire picture. Whereas I tend to focus on the "small" story...me. My goals, my dreams, my desires, my longing for acclaim, my vision, etc. My story is all about me.
And so...God thwarts. He knocks me off my horse as a gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) reminder that the things I rabidly pursue are serving to pull me farther and farther away from Him. God is a jealous lover. He wants all of us. Our idols take up a lot of the shelf space in our life - space designed God the One who loves us completely.
Much, much more to come on this. This post was a bit fractured - I'm gathering many thoughts. Stay patient with me as I work through these thoughts.
Soar!
I have a series of posts to come on the topics of thwarting and idols. It seems that I can't escape these themes over the past 3-4 weeks.
Why would God thwart us? We have our desires and our dreams - why does it seem that these are nearly impossible to reach? So often, our dreams become our idols. We long for the perfect house, the perfect job, the chance to see the West, a completely healed family, investments that multiply, the peaceful life, etc. Many of these are worthy desires but if misplaced, they can become idols. Sometimes we long for family - family that fulfills our needs, understands us, moves towards us. Sometimes we long to "be somebody" - to be noticed, desired, viewed with respect or even honor. Again, these are worthy aspirations and again, if misplaced, can become idols.
We all have that "ache" in us for something. Oftentimes, it sets us out on a quest, a mission to fulfill that desire and satisfy that ache. They become our way of life.
Here is where the problems appear. When we have that ache, that longing as our priority in life...it is very likely that God is nowhere around. If our focus is on that desire - it cannot be on God. The quest itself can pull us away from God as can actually accomplishing our desire. If we won the lottery, we'd have it "made". Life would be complete. So how does God feel about that? See my point is that if "my" goals are fulfilled, "my" dreams realized -- where would I have room for God? It would be about "me", not "Him".
God is a jealous lover. The things we chase after and dream of and pursue are very often far removed from God. And so, in that, He thwarts. If we find our "salvation" in the lottery - we don't need God.
Man is an adulterer. We seek others. We pursue our wants and our desires and turn our back on the One who can fulfill all our needs. God operates in the "big" story. He sees the entire picture. Whereas I tend to focus on the "small" story...me. My goals, my dreams, my desires, my longing for acclaim, my vision, etc. My story is all about me.
And so...God thwarts. He knocks me off my horse as a gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) reminder that the things I rabidly pursue are serving to pull me farther and farther away from Him. God is a jealous lover. He wants all of us. Our idols take up a lot of the shelf space in our life - space designed God the One who loves us completely.
Much, much more to come on this. This post was a bit fractured - I'm gathering many thoughts. Stay patient with me as I work through these thoughts.
Soar!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Chasing the Adventure
I've been hunting for three years. My father wasn't/isn't a hunter. I didn't grow up around hunting but a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to pursue this. I feel most alive when I am outdoors and so I set out to take up deer hunting. A good friend and mentor is an avid hunter and he took me under his wing and helped me buy my deer rifle. He showed me which scope to buy and even mounted the scope and got my gun ready. A neighbor is an avid hunter and I mentioned to him my desire to hunt and he let me join a great hunting lease. We lease 1,100 acres in Harris County - a beautiful tract of land with ridges, creek bottoms, planted pines and hardwood drains. I've seen some amazing things hunting - bobcats, raccoons, owls, hawks. I've seen a buck track a doe in heat like a hound dog. He ran by my stand with his nose to the ground and my yelling didn't distract him. I've seen another buck come in and watch a doe feed. He was so captivated by her that he lay down and watched her not knowing that death was looking right at him. I moved my stand to a hardwood area in between a food plot and a creek bottom. I've seen great activity in this stand including a huge buck last year that I hesitated before shooting. I wanted a better shot and waited for him to emerge from behind a tree. He never emerged, he turned and went away from me keeping the tree between him and me.
My friends have helped me and taught me along the way. When I let this big buck go, my mentor said, "Richard you have been watching too much TV where these guys watch deer for a minute or two before shooting - you usually get about 3 seconds to take your shot". Others have taught me about keeping both eyes open when scoping a deer, breathing slowly when shooting and squeezing the trigger slowly. I've learned a lot by listening - learning about the Rut, learning how deer move, learning about Trail cameras, scrapes and rubs. I've learned the importance of White Oaks. It has been an adventure.
This year has been frustrating. I bought two trail cameras and caught some really nice dear on the cameras but in the stand, I was being skunked. So most mornings this fall, I'd get down out of my stand about 9am and start to scout. I have walked miles and miles up and down creek drains. I've found deer paths, scrapes and rubs all over the place. I've found shed antlers from last year. I've savored my times in the woods on foot. I feel most alive hunting when I am on foot crossing streams, looking for signs and scouting new hunting locations. Think about it - Indians didn't hunt deer from a tree stand! They did it on foot! I make sure I stay alive by wearing orange when I do this and knowing where my buddies are at all times!
Last Saturday, I got down and found a great "bowl" in the creek behind me where it curves around a huge white oak. In fact, there are 5 big white oaks around there. I set up a ground blind and hunted it last weekend. I heard a big buck grunt (never heard that before) down in the creek. A small 4 point came out and the big buck passed back up in the woods so I couldn't see him.
This Saturday, I hunted my stand in the morning and got down to scout behind the White Oak bowl. I found a new deer trail and there were three huge deer rubs along this trail. Here is a picture of one...
This was a big tree and the deer flat out tore it up. The rub was very fresh. My blood started pumping. Just when I was about to give up (not really), God throws me a softball with these rubs..."He is there...stay patient."
So Sunday afternoon, I hunted the White Oak Bowl....nothing. I got frustrated and cold and about 5:15, I got down and headed back by my stand. I contemplated going home but something in me said, "What the heck, stay in the stand for another 30 minutes and just see..." I left my gear on the ground and climbed up with my gun and antlers.
I sat down and started rattling the horns. Immediately (about 2 minutes after I got in the stand), a 4 point emerged from my left. I scoped him and realized he wasn't a shooter and then I heard rustling to my right. I am left eye dominant so shooting left handed to my right is ideal. I swung the gun around and caught a monster coming out of the thick scrub. I knew immediately, this was THE one. I scoped him immediately and grunted at him (My mentor taught me this too - you make a MMMMMMMARK sound and deer will typically stop to figure out where the sound is coming from). He didn't stop. So, I grunted again. He didn't stop. There is a good chance this is the same deer I let go last year and I wasn't about to hesitate again. I slowly squeezed the trigger and he jumped and took off down toward the creek. He ran about 50-75 yards and stopped to look around. I thought I had missed him. Then he fell over, got up, ran to the left another 25 yards or so and fell again.
When I walked up on him, I could not believe my eyes. I had waited three years and never fired a shot. I had let a number of smaller bucks go. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get a deer. The enemy was beginning to whisper, "You see, you are a hack...you'll never match up..." and God was gently telling me all along, "Be patient, you are learning, you have done this..."
The deer scored 142 inches and weighed 237 pounds. For a first deer - he is amazing. Forgive the next pictures, they are kind of messy.
It has been quite an adventure and I am blessed beyond words by being so fortunate to have this as my first deer. So many things went into making this possible. The generosity of the land owner, the time my mentors put into educating me, the patience of my hunting buddies, my sweet wife's support as I left before sunup on many a Saturday, Rich for having a 4-Wheeler and being willing to help me bring the deer out of the woods, being in the right place at the exact right time and patience...lots of patience.
God met me in the woods these past three years. If you can't hear God around the noise and busyness of this life, get alone with Him. The woods are a great place for me to feel God. Crystal clear blue skies, golden leaves, the majesty of His nature, quiet and cool breezes. In this sanctuary, I've had great time alone with God and (And this will offend someone) - God was sweet to me yesterday afternoon. He kept telling me "Be patient" and then conspired events to collide this beast with me in a perfect setting.
Soar!
I've been hunting for three years. My father wasn't/isn't a hunter. I didn't grow up around hunting but a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to pursue this. I feel most alive when I am outdoors and so I set out to take up deer hunting. A good friend and mentor is an avid hunter and he took me under his wing and helped me buy my deer rifle. He showed me which scope to buy and even mounted the scope and got my gun ready. A neighbor is an avid hunter and I mentioned to him my desire to hunt and he let me join a great hunting lease. We lease 1,100 acres in Harris County - a beautiful tract of land with ridges, creek bottoms, planted pines and hardwood drains. I've seen some amazing things hunting - bobcats, raccoons, owls, hawks. I've seen a buck track a doe in heat like a hound dog. He ran by my stand with his nose to the ground and my yelling didn't distract him. I've seen another buck come in and watch a doe feed. He was so captivated by her that he lay down and watched her not knowing that death was looking right at him. I moved my stand to a hardwood area in between a food plot and a creek bottom. I've seen great activity in this stand including a huge buck last year that I hesitated before shooting. I wanted a better shot and waited for him to emerge from behind a tree. He never emerged, he turned and went away from me keeping the tree between him and me.
My friends have helped me and taught me along the way. When I let this big buck go, my mentor said, "Richard you have been watching too much TV where these guys watch deer for a minute or two before shooting - you usually get about 3 seconds to take your shot". Others have taught me about keeping both eyes open when scoping a deer, breathing slowly when shooting and squeezing the trigger slowly. I've learned a lot by listening - learning about the Rut, learning how deer move, learning about Trail cameras, scrapes and rubs. I've learned the importance of White Oaks. It has been an adventure.
This year has been frustrating. I bought two trail cameras and caught some really nice dear on the cameras but in the stand, I was being skunked. So most mornings this fall, I'd get down out of my stand about 9am and start to scout. I have walked miles and miles up and down creek drains. I've found deer paths, scrapes and rubs all over the place. I've found shed antlers from last year. I've savored my times in the woods on foot. I feel most alive hunting when I am on foot crossing streams, looking for signs and scouting new hunting locations. Think about it - Indians didn't hunt deer from a tree stand! They did it on foot! I make sure I stay alive by wearing orange when I do this and knowing where my buddies are at all times!
Last Saturday, I got down and found a great "bowl" in the creek behind me where it curves around a huge white oak. In fact, there are 5 big white oaks around there. I set up a ground blind and hunted it last weekend. I heard a big buck grunt (never heard that before) down in the creek. A small 4 point came out and the big buck passed back up in the woods so I couldn't see him.
This Saturday, I hunted my stand in the morning and got down to scout behind the White Oak bowl. I found a new deer trail and there were three huge deer rubs along this trail. Here is a picture of one...
This was a big tree and the deer flat out tore it up. The rub was very fresh. My blood started pumping. Just when I was about to give up (not really), God throws me a softball with these rubs..."He is there...stay patient."
So Sunday afternoon, I hunted the White Oak Bowl....nothing. I got frustrated and cold and about 5:15, I got down and headed back by my stand. I contemplated going home but something in me said, "What the heck, stay in the stand for another 30 minutes and just see..." I left my gear on the ground and climbed up with my gun and antlers.
I sat down and started rattling the horns. Immediately (about 2 minutes after I got in the stand), a 4 point emerged from my left. I scoped him and realized he wasn't a shooter and then I heard rustling to my right. I am left eye dominant so shooting left handed to my right is ideal. I swung the gun around and caught a monster coming out of the thick scrub. I knew immediately, this was THE one. I scoped him immediately and grunted at him (My mentor taught me this too - you make a MMMMMMMARK sound and deer will typically stop to figure out where the sound is coming from). He didn't stop. So, I grunted again. He didn't stop. There is a good chance this is the same deer I let go last year and I wasn't about to hesitate again. I slowly squeezed the trigger and he jumped and took off down toward the creek. He ran about 50-75 yards and stopped to look around. I thought I had missed him. Then he fell over, got up, ran to the left another 25 yards or so and fell again.
When I walked up on him, I could not believe my eyes. I had waited three years and never fired a shot. I had let a number of smaller bucks go. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get a deer. The enemy was beginning to whisper, "You see, you are a hack...you'll never match up..." and God was gently telling me all along, "Be patient, you are learning, you have done this..."
The deer scored 142 inches and weighed 237 pounds. For a first deer - he is amazing. Forgive the next pictures, they are kind of messy.
It has been quite an adventure and I am blessed beyond words by being so fortunate to have this as my first deer. So many things went into making this possible. The generosity of the land owner, the time my mentors put into educating me, the patience of my hunting buddies, my sweet wife's support as I left before sunup on many a Saturday, Rich for having a 4-Wheeler and being willing to help me bring the deer out of the woods, being in the right place at the exact right time and patience...lots of patience.
God met me in the woods these past three years. If you can't hear God around the noise and busyness of this life, get alone with Him. The woods are a great place for me to feel God. Crystal clear blue skies, golden leaves, the majesty of His nature, quiet and cool breezes. In this sanctuary, I've had great time alone with God and (And this will offend someone) - God was sweet to me yesterday afternoon. He kept telling me "Be patient" and then conspired events to collide this beast with me in a perfect setting.
Soar!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Savior?
I have a good friend and mentor. He is a very successful real estate developer. His brother is a successful surgeon. His other brother retired as a successful investment manager. It is a family of success. My friend has two sons - one is full-time staff with Young Life. The other son went to medical school and is practicing in Augusta, GA. His name is Grant. Grant could have written his own check but instead he chose to give up lucrative medical practice in exchange for a life of service. He started an inner city clinic in Augusta. His patients aren't glamorous - there is no insurance, there is very little commerce at all with this practice. It is a life of service. Grant told me one time that a man questioned him on this choice and told him, "Grant, you will poor..." and Grant said, "Yep, for the next forty years but I am thinking eternity and when you think eternity, forty years is a blink of an eye." Grant has it figured out and God is using him in a mighty way.
Read this below from his website...
Patient 2 – A kind inner city man with just your basic medical problems of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. He says everything is fine except…then he points to his head. "I don't trust nobody doctor." He tells a tale of sitting in his chair all night long and looking out his blinds every time he hears a noise. He stands alone at the bus stop. He walks alone and turns around if anyone is behind him to make sure he is not being followed. He is big and intimidating but has become imprisoned mentally. His wife passed away over 20 years ago and his son is in Iraq. "I don't trust nobody doctor," he repeats again and again.
We pray for his tormented paranoid mind that has imprisoned him. After prayer, the man gets ready to leave and then nervously speaks "Doctor…. one more thing…" I don't have time for ‘one more things.’ "There was an old lady out front who couldn't pay her co-pay. What's going to happen to her?" I inform him that people have to pay a little bit to be seen. It teaches them responsibility or something. "Well she said she could pay in a couple of weeks, but I don't know how she will be able to – Do you mind ….. I mean ….. Can I pay her co-pay?"
I have never seen a borderline paranoid schizophrenic reach out and care for a stranger like this man. I walked back in a closed exam room and wept. Is a president really going to change the world or will it be you and me and my paranoid friend. Has Christ not called us to this time and place to build His Kingdom and love His people? Are we going to change the world in the ballot box and then go home and wait for it to happen? We are his ambassadors, to build his kingdom, love a neighbor, serve the poor, and die to self.
Wow. What a story. What a shame...that more of us don't think this way. I fear America has lost this spirit and we have become a nation of people who expect the government to fix all of our problems. I fear we have become Christians who'd rather write a check to the church or to the Christian relief organization than we would roll up our own sleeves and do get dirty helping folks that are hurting. I'm convicted.
Our nation is about to be sadly disappointed when President Obama doesn't fix all their problems. When he doesn't pay off their debts. When he doesn't make everything "fair" or "right". He can't. There is only one, "The One" and it isn't Obama. It is Christ. Only in Him will the crooked be made straight. Only in Him can we be complete. Only in Him can wrongs be truly righted.
I'm thankful for my friend Grant. He is an inspiration to us all. Earthly poor - Eternally rich.
Soar!
I have a good friend and mentor. He is a very successful real estate developer. His brother is a successful surgeon. His other brother retired as a successful investment manager. It is a family of success. My friend has two sons - one is full-time staff with Young Life. The other son went to medical school and is practicing in Augusta, GA. His name is Grant. Grant could have written his own check but instead he chose to give up lucrative medical practice in exchange for a life of service. He started an inner city clinic in Augusta. His patients aren't glamorous - there is no insurance, there is very little commerce at all with this practice. It is a life of service. Grant told me one time that a man questioned him on this choice and told him, "Grant, you will poor..." and Grant said, "Yep, for the next forty years but I am thinking eternity and when you think eternity, forty years is a blink of an eye." Grant has it figured out and God is using him in a mighty way.
Read this below from his website...
Patient 2 – A kind inner city man with just your basic medical problems of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. He says everything is fine except…then he points to his head. "I don't trust nobody doctor." He tells a tale of sitting in his chair all night long and looking out his blinds every time he hears a noise. He stands alone at the bus stop. He walks alone and turns around if anyone is behind him to make sure he is not being followed. He is big and intimidating but has become imprisoned mentally. His wife passed away over 20 years ago and his son is in Iraq. "I don't trust nobody doctor," he repeats again and again.
We pray for his tormented paranoid mind that has imprisoned him. After prayer, the man gets ready to leave and then nervously speaks "Doctor…. one more thing…" I don't have time for ‘one more things.’ "There was an old lady out front who couldn't pay her co-pay. What's going to happen to her?" I inform him that people have to pay a little bit to be seen. It teaches them responsibility or something. "Well she said she could pay in a couple of weeks, but I don't know how she will be able to – Do you mind ….. I mean ….. Can I pay her co-pay?"
I have never seen a borderline paranoid schizophrenic reach out and care for a stranger like this man. I walked back in a closed exam room and wept. Is a president really going to change the world or will it be you and me and my paranoid friend. Has Christ not called us to this time and place to build His Kingdom and love His people? Are we going to change the world in the ballot box and then go home and wait for it to happen? We are his ambassadors, to build his kingdom, love a neighbor, serve the poor, and die to self.
Wow. What a story. What a shame...that more of us don't think this way. I fear America has lost this spirit and we have become a nation of people who expect the government to fix all of our problems. I fear we have become Christians who'd rather write a check to the church or to the Christian relief organization than we would roll up our own sleeves and do get dirty helping folks that are hurting. I'm convicted.
Our nation is about to be sadly disappointed when President Obama doesn't fix all their problems. When he doesn't pay off their debts. When he doesn't make everything "fair" or "right". He can't. There is only one, "The One" and it isn't Obama. It is Christ. Only in Him will the crooked be made straight. Only in Him can we be complete. Only in Him can wrongs be truly righted.
I'm thankful for my friend Grant. He is an inspiration to us all. Earthly poor - Eternally rich.
Soar!
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Choice
A friend relayed this story to me last night. He attended college with a girl and was good friends with her. She was raised in a Christian home and attended church regularly. As he said, "She knew the Truth - she knew right from wrong." She began to date a muslin boy from Egypt. My friend had a long talk with her and warned her against dating him because he feared she would be pulled away from her faith. The boy treated her well but she was warned that eventually his true self and true religion would emerge.
She ended up dating him more seriously and marrying him. A few years later, his true self emerged and the rules of Islam were forced upon her. In rebellion she got hooked up with a group following witchcraft and lesbianism. She hit rock bottom. Her world came apart.
In a moment of desperation, she turned back to God and prayed. In her prayers she anguished over how her life had turned out and she shook her fist at God and said, "How could you have let all this happen to me? Why didn't you warn me?"
With that she had a sudden flashback to her college days. She hadn't thought about my friend in years but suddenly he was there again. She remembered their entire conversation, remembered what he was wearing and remembered his warnings about choosing to turn away from God.
God said to her - "You see, I tried to warn you but you chose to ignore my warnings". Now God didn't say, "I told you so..." rather, He lovingly showed her His mercy in that conversation. She came back to God and restored her faith in Him.
It is so easy for us to blame God for our problems. We choose to ignore Him. We choose to do things our own way and when we make a wreck of our lives, we turn back to God and say "Why did you let this happen?"
Our nation has turned its back on God. We've removed Him from our schools. We don't allow prayer before football games. We've removed His values from our entertainment and replaced it with TV shows promoting alternative lifestyles, affairs, drug use, teenage sex, violence and greed. As we have seen, this opening of Pandora's box hasn't made us any safer or more complete. Alcoholism, drug use, addition to pornography, teenage sex and street violence are at all time highs and we wonder why God would let such bad things happen.
God didn't let these terrible things happen - they are consequences our decision to turn our backs on Him. God didn't "let" Adam and Eve get cast out of the Garden - they chose to disobey His command and then they were exposed to their own nakedness, their own sin.
There is still time for our nation. There is time to turn back to God. There is time to repent of our selfish ways. While we cannot individually change the course of this nation's path, we can change the path of our individual homes and lives. We can turn back to God. We can stop living for self and live for Him.
I love the words from this song...
Give me one pure and holy passion, give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You.
The ambition of our lives should be to know and follow hard after Him. It isn't to become CEO or to become rich or famous -- the ambition of our lives should be Him.
Soar!
A friend relayed this story to me last night. He attended college with a girl and was good friends with her. She was raised in a Christian home and attended church regularly. As he said, "She knew the Truth - she knew right from wrong." She began to date a muslin boy from Egypt. My friend had a long talk with her and warned her against dating him because he feared she would be pulled away from her faith. The boy treated her well but she was warned that eventually his true self and true religion would emerge.
She ended up dating him more seriously and marrying him. A few years later, his true self emerged and the rules of Islam were forced upon her. In rebellion she got hooked up with a group following witchcraft and lesbianism. She hit rock bottom. Her world came apart.
In a moment of desperation, she turned back to God and prayed. In her prayers she anguished over how her life had turned out and she shook her fist at God and said, "How could you have let all this happen to me? Why didn't you warn me?"
With that she had a sudden flashback to her college days. She hadn't thought about my friend in years but suddenly he was there again. She remembered their entire conversation, remembered what he was wearing and remembered his warnings about choosing to turn away from God.
God said to her - "You see, I tried to warn you but you chose to ignore my warnings". Now God didn't say, "I told you so..." rather, He lovingly showed her His mercy in that conversation. She came back to God and restored her faith in Him.
It is so easy for us to blame God for our problems. We choose to ignore Him. We choose to do things our own way and when we make a wreck of our lives, we turn back to God and say "Why did you let this happen?"
Our nation has turned its back on God. We've removed Him from our schools. We don't allow prayer before football games. We've removed His values from our entertainment and replaced it with TV shows promoting alternative lifestyles, affairs, drug use, teenage sex, violence and greed. As we have seen, this opening of Pandora's box hasn't made us any safer or more complete. Alcoholism, drug use, addition to pornography, teenage sex and street violence are at all time highs and we wonder why God would let such bad things happen.
God didn't let these terrible things happen - they are consequences our decision to turn our backs on Him. God didn't "let" Adam and Eve get cast out of the Garden - they chose to disobey His command and then they were exposed to their own nakedness, their own sin.
There is still time for our nation. There is time to turn back to God. There is time to repent of our selfish ways. While we cannot individually change the course of this nation's path, we can change the path of our individual homes and lives. We can turn back to God. We can stop living for self and live for Him.
I love the words from this song...
Give me one pure and holy passion, give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You.
The ambition of our lives should be to know and follow hard after Him. It isn't to become CEO or to become rich or famous -- the ambition of our lives should be Him.
Soar!
Friday, October 17, 2008
But remember—he gave us free will.
He gave us a choice. This is a frequent question, "Why does such a good God let bad things happen?" My wife had this conversation today with a friend. Man will say he doesn't believe in God and yet, man is so quick to ultimately blame God for his problems. Why is that?
We want our freedom. We want choice. Good news - He gave us free will. "You want choice, here you go..." Think of it terms of abortion. You'll correctly guess that I am against abortion. Always have been. As the father of adopted children, I am more so now than ever. But I digress. Abortion. "I want a woman's right to choose...." OK, you want it...here you go. I'm not a woman and I've never had or known someone who has an abortion so this may seem harsh but wasn't "choice" made in the back seat of the car? Don't the young women who decide to have sex with their high school boyfriends make "choice" when they give over their bodies to them? Isn't there a reason the Bible says that sex should be saved for marriage? Why is that? Don't you think God knows the devastating consequences of sex before marriage and, God forbid, an abortion?
The woman's right to choose crowd wants freedom of choice. The right to choose is made when a couple climbs into bed. The conception of the child is the consequence of that choice. Peggy Noonan captured this better than I've ever heard stated when she said, "Anyone who buys a pack of condoms late on a Friday night knows when life begins - it begins at conception - because that is what they are trying to prevent." The conception is the consequence of an earlier choice.
In an other example - teenagers drinking on a Friday night. They know it is against the law. They know that it is dangerous and yet, they make the choice to drink. The DUI is the consequence of that choice. The kids have the freedom to choose - sex, drugs, rock and roll - and they have to live with the consequences.
And when the consequences come - and they always do - why does man (even those who don't believe) always ask, "Why would a good God let this happen?"
The ultimate consequence is being alone. You've been there. You know that feeling - when you were caught cheating on a test in high school, the first time your parents caught you sneaking out or sneaking in, being caught in a lie...once the music stops there is that sudden, haunting of "I am alone in this."
This is from Eldredge's book Epic...
"We seem to forget—perhaps more truthfully, we refuse to remember—that we are the ones who betrayed him, not vice versa. We are the ones who listened to the lies of the Evil One in the Garden; we chose to mistrust the heart of God. In breaking the one command he gave us, we set in motion a life of breaking his commands.
The final act of self-centeredness is seen in those who refuse to come to the wedding banquet of God (Matthew 22:2–3). They do not want God. They reject his offer of forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus. What is he to do? The universe has only two options. If they insist, God will grant to them what they have wanted—to be left to themselves."
Remember He gives us free will. Remember there are consequences. The greatest consequence of all is separation from God. The only thing that bridges that gap is the freedom that comes from trusting in Jesus. "My life is a wreck. I wanted freedom, I got it and it isn't working out so well for me. I cannot do life on my own. I need to trust in Jesus. I need to finally lay down my life, my goals, my greed, my ambition and my desire to be my own Lord and the Lord of Lords take control." In that one act of faith, you bridge the gap from an eternity of aloneness and separation and come into an eternity of glory.
Soar!
He gave us a choice. This is a frequent question, "Why does such a good God let bad things happen?" My wife had this conversation today with a friend. Man will say he doesn't believe in God and yet, man is so quick to ultimately blame God for his problems. Why is that?
We want our freedom. We want choice. Good news - He gave us free will. "You want choice, here you go..." Think of it terms of abortion. You'll correctly guess that I am against abortion. Always have been. As the father of adopted children, I am more so now than ever. But I digress. Abortion. "I want a woman's right to choose...." OK, you want it...here you go. I'm not a woman and I've never had or known someone who has an abortion so this may seem harsh but wasn't "choice" made in the back seat of the car? Don't the young women who decide to have sex with their high school boyfriends make "choice" when they give over their bodies to them? Isn't there a reason the Bible says that sex should be saved for marriage? Why is that? Don't you think God knows the devastating consequences of sex before marriage and, God forbid, an abortion?
The woman's right to choose crowd wants freedom of choice. The right to choose is made when a couple climbs into bed. The conception of the child is the consequence of that choice. Peggy Noonan captured this better than I've ever heard stated when she said, "Anyone who buys a pack of condoms late on a Friday night knows when life begins - it begins at conception - because that is what they are trying to prevent." The conception is the consequence of an earlier choice.
In an other example - teenagers drinking on a Friday night. They know it is against the law. They know that it is dangerous and yet, they make the choice to drink. The DUI is the consequence of that choice. The kids have the freedom to choose - sex, drugs, rock and roll - and they have to live with the consequences.
And when the consequences come - and they always do - why does man (even those who don't believe) always ask, "Why would a good God let this happen?"
The ultimate consequence is being alone. You've been there. You know that feeling - when you were caught cheating on a test in high school, the first time your parents caught you sneaking out or sneaking in, being caught in a lie...once the music stops there is that sudden, haunting of "I am alone in this."
This is from Eldredge's book Epic...
"We seem to forget—perhaps more truthfully, we refuse to remember—that we are the ones who betrayed him, not vice versa. We are the ones who listened to the lies of the Evil One in the Garden; we chose to mistrust the heart of God. In breaking the one command he gave us, we set in motion a life of breaking his commands.
The final act of self-centeredness is seen in those who refuse to come to the wedding banquet of God (Matthew 22:2–3). They do not want God. They reject his offer of forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus. What is he to do? The universe has only two options. If they insist, God will grant to them what they have wanted—to be left to themselves."
Remember He gives us free will. Remember there are consequences. The greatest consequence of all is separation from God. The only thing that bridges that gap is the freedom that comes from trusting in Jesus. "My life is a wreck. I wanted freedom, I got it and it isn't working out so well for me. I cannot do life on my own. I need to trust in Jesus. I need to finally lay down my life, my goals, my greed, my ambition and my desire to be my own Lord and the Lord of Lords take control." In that one act of faith, you bridge the gap from an eternity of aloneness and separation and come into an eternity of glory.
Soar!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Be careful. Be still.
"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17
Be careful. Be careful of how you walk, of where you go, of who you associate with, of what you put into your mind. Make the most of your time for there are many "busy" things that compete for your 24 hours.
Satan has two strong tactics he employs to trip us up - the first is being busy. The busier we are, the less time we have to listen for the heart of God. Meetings, emails, blackberry's, little league, work, trips, charitable work, yard work, etc. Rush, rush. Go, go. Type-A. Power broker. Deal maker. Big producer. Important.
God wants you silent. God wants you slowed down so you can listen. Have you ever done this with your kids? "Please slow down a minute and be quiet so you can hear what I am trying to tell you!!" Don't you wonder if God isn't thinking the same thing about you and me? PLEASE get away from the noise. PLEASE get alone in the woods or in your closet so you can hear Me. PLEASE turn off the radio in your car and just communicate with Me. God longs for relationship with you. He craves time alone with you so He can nurture and guide you. Get quiet and listen.
Is it any wonder He says...."Be still and know that I am God"? (Ps 46:10). If you are still...you will know.
Satan's other tactic - if he can't drown you in the busy work of this world, he'll go silent and convince you he doesn't exist. If you think about Oprah or the other "peace" guru's, they never talk about evil. They talk about evolving - about becoming the complete "you". They talk about inner peace. They talk about finding your center. They talk about being in the "now". Do you ever hear them talk about evil? Do they ever address the fact that Satan does exist, that evil is real and that it prowls around looking for someone to devour? They don't because they have bought one of Satan's great lies..."I'm not here."
The days are evil. Yes they are. I watch our debates and shake my head. Our nation stands on the brink. Where is the leadership? Where is the depth of character in the men and women that lead our nation? Where are the straight arrows - folks that mean what they say and say what they mean? Even more sad is why most Americans don't crave such leadership. Sadly, it appears we have become a nation of people who want someone else to fix our problems. We are a nation that turns away from responsibility and always thinks "someone else is to blame for my problems". We are a nation that has turned our backs on God and now wants a handout.
This verse is powerful. The days are evil. Don't be foolish. Understand the will of the Lord. Be careful. Be still.
Soar!
"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17
Be careful. Be careful of how you walk, of where you go, of who you associate with, of what you put into your mind. Make the most of your time for there are many "busy" things that compete for your 24 hours.
Satan has two strong tactics he employs to trip us up - the first is being busy. The busier we are, the less time we have to listen for the heart of God. Meetings, emails, blackberry's, little league, work, trips, charitable work, yard work, etc. Rush, rush. Go, go. Type-A. Power broker. Deal maker. Big producer. Important.
God wants you silent. God wants you slowed down so you can listen. Have you ever done this with your kids? "Please slow down a minute and be quiet so you can hear what I am trying to tell you!!" Don't you wonder if God isn't thinking the same thing about you and me? PLEASE get away from the noise. PLEASE get alone in the woods or in your closet so you can hear Me. PLEASE turn off the radio in your car and just communicate with Me. God longs for relationship with you. He craves time alone with you so He can nurture and guide you. Get quiet and listen.
Is it any wonder He says...."Be still and know that I am God"? (Ps 46:10). If you are still...you will know.
Satan's other tactic - if he can't drown you in the busy work of this world, he'll go silent and convince you he doesn't exist. If you think about Oprah or the other "peace" guru's, they never talk about evil. They talk about evolving - about becoming the complete "you". They talk about inner peace. They talk about finding your center. They talk about being in the "now". Do you ever hear them talk about evil? Do they ever address the fact that Satan does exist, that evil is real and that it prowls around looking for someone to devour? They don't because they have bought one of Satan's great lies..."I'm not here."
The days are evil. Yes they are. I watch our debates and shake my head. Our nation stands on the brink. Where is the leadership? Where is the depth of character in the men and women that lead our nation? Where are the straight arrows - folks that mean what they say and say what they mean? Even more sad is why most Americans don't crave such leadership. Sadly, it appears we have become a nation of people who want someone else to fix our problems. We are a nation that turns away from responsibility and always thinks "someone else is to blame for my problems". We are a nation that has turned our backs on God and now wants a handout.
This verse is powerful. The days are evil. Don't be foolish. Understand the will of the Lord. Be careful. Be still.
Soar!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Consider this in the context of our world today...
This was written years ago by Rev. William Rogers of Denver, Colorado.
"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." Matthew 7:24
Our forefathers founded this nation on the rock of God's Word. Today people buy more Bibles and know less about the Bible's teaching than ever before. The result is a spiritual depression more serious than the economic one. By neglecting the religious principles once reverenced, our nation has slipped from the rock to shifting sand.
Daniel Webster left this warning: "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury our glory in profound obscurity." The only way back to real stability is by restoring the Bible to its rightful place.
If prosperity should return under present low moral standards it would mean more drinking, more deaths on the highway, more gambling frenzy, more divorces and suicides. First we must have a moral and spiritual recovery. "Except the Lord build the house, the labor in vain that built it." Our citizens must turn again to the Bible, to the Church, and to God.
Undergird your character with Bible truth. Teach your children from the Word of God. Gather every Lord's day in God's House to study the way of life. Say with Joshua: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." When we become a Bible-revering people our nation shall again stand on a rock where no storm can shake it.
----
Powerful, powerful words indeed - especially in 2008 when our nation has completely turned its back on God to pursue materialism and personal desires. Especially today when we consider who will be our next set of leaders. Especially today when our financial markets are rocked as a house built upon sand.
We need to be on our needs praying that God will show His mercy to our nation in this time of need.
Soar!
This was written years ago by Rev. William Rogers of Denver, Colorado.
"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." Matthew 7:24
Our forefathers founded this nation on the rock of God's Word. Today people buy more Bibles and know less about the Bible's teaching than ever before. The result is a spiritual depression more serious than the economic one. By neglecting the religious principles once reverenced, our nation has slipped from the rock to shifting sand.
Daniel Webster left this warning: "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury our glory in profound obscurity." The only way back to real stability is by restoring the Bible to its rightful place.
If prosperity should return under present low moral standards it would mean more drinking, more deaths on the highway, more gambling frenzy, more divorces and suicides. First we must have a moral and spiritual recovery. "Except the Lord build the house, the labor in vain that built it." Our citizens must turn again to the Bible, to the Church, and to God.
Undergird your character with Bible truth. Teach your children from the Word of God. Gather every Lord's day in God's House to study the way of life. Say with Joshua: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." When we become a Bible-revering people our nation shall again stand on a rock where no storm can shake it.
----
Powerful, powerful words indeed - especially in 2008 when our nation has completely turned its back on God to pursue materialism and personal desires. Especially today when we consider who will be our next set of leaders. Especially today when our financial markets are rocked as a house built upon sand.
We need to be on our needs praying that God will show His mercy to our nation in this time of need.
Soar!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Fireproof
Go see this movie. It is fantastic. My wife wanted to go last weekend and i talked her out of it. She mentioned it early this Saturday morning as a longing. I told her the TV football schedule and then proceeded out to the yard. As I was working in the yard I decided to come in and offer her the movie. She took me up on the offer. I'm glad she encouraged this.
This movie is anointed. God is all over it. You could feel it. Watching this movie, you knew God's people had followed their hearts in making this movie. They took a huge risk and you could feel God's blessing on their work. Our audience was vocal in their approval. Many a person shouted out "Amen" at appropriate moments and "Praise God" during the key points in the movie. We were in a movie theatre full of believers watching a clean movie made by believers proclaiming the love of God. It was powerful beyond words.
I don't cry. My wife has only seen me cry 1-2 times in nearly 20 years of marriage but yesterday I could not contain a flood of tears. This movie simply blew me away. I have never seen the Gospel so easily and beautifully proclaimed. Time after time, the writers infused the movie with the Gospel -- a young black girl is trapped by a fire and Kirk Cameron goes in to save her. He refuses to leave her. During the fires of our lives, God sends in our Rescuer and He will not leave us. In a car wreck scene, a terrified young woman is told over and over, "I am here. I will not leave you". Exactly what God tells us when we wreck our lives. "I am here. I will not leave you." As I type this, I choke up with tears. God does not leave us. He sent His Son in to rescue us from the wreckage of our lives.
The man in this movie has his marriage in ruins. He and his wife lead separate lives. They've grown apart. They are selfish. They annoy one another. As he is trying to save his marriage and working with his father, he tells his father, "How can I continue to love her and move toward her when she continues to turn her back on me?" As the son is saying this the father is walking up under a cross at a beautiful outdoor sanctuary. Right as Kirk Cameron is saying this, the father winds up right under the cross. How can Jesus continue to move towards us and pursue love with us when we continue to completely turn our backs on him and lead our own broken lives? It is a powerful visual.
This movie will change your marriage. If you've ever struggled with your spouse - he/she is selfish, unstable, needy, greedy, passive, aggressive, demanding, nagging, etc., you need to see this movie. It captures the typical marriage with stunning clarity and brutal honesty. "All fall short of the glory of God".
Please, please invest the time and money and take your wife/husband to this movie. You won't regret it but I'll bet you'll come out with a new perspective on your marriage and life.
This brings me to another point. This movie cost $650,000 to make and has already grossed more than $10 million. A small church in Albany, Georgia went way out on a limb to make this movie and God is rewarding their faithfulness. As an aside, it warms this Georgia boy's heart to see Albany in this film. The pine trees, Phoebe Putney hospital, downtown Albany, etc. It feels like home. But to the point - here is a film made by Christians that is thoroughly entertaining and powerfully moving. It is clean. It is safe. It is quality entertainment and watching it, you could feel God's hand all over it. I was drawn to tears just by the power of God in this movie. He ordained it. All I can continue to say is "You can feel God" in this movie.
But again back to the point - what we watch. I am so sick of this election and the media. I am sick of Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric and MSNBC. I am sick of the spin. I am sick of The View and Oprah. I am sick of the poison they are spewing.
The media opposes the Cross. They hate it. Let me say this again - they HATE the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They oppose him. They attack him. They are against anything that brings glory to God. The hate the Word -- you and I know it -- and yet, we watch them.
We let them into our homes. In effect....we embrace them. We listen to Oprah and it seeps into our minds, "Maybe she has a point...." She doesn't have a point. She is lost. She stands in direct opposition to the Word of God. And yet.....we watch them.
WHY? Ask yourself, "Why do I even bother to listen?" I know these people are Godless. I know that they have an agenda that opposes my Lord. So why then do we listen?
John 10:10 says very clearly, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it to the full." The thief is out there. He uses countless resources to come into our homes and tell us "God isn't real. God doesn't really care about you. You can make your own decisions and you can overcome the consequences...."
You know the lies and you know the liar. I just want to encourage you to see this movie as soon as possible and to pay attention to the sources of information you rely upon. We are in a world at war. America stands on the brink of financial ruin. Millions of Americans are addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography, food and the love of money. The enemy - one by one - is looking for ways to trip you up and take you out; Don't kid yourselves. You are under attack. Your children are under attack. The liar is sneaky. He comes as you sideways. Be on guard.
Fireproof your life. Fireproof your marriage. Fireproof your kids. We are at war and praise be to God that He has already won the victory.
Soar!
Go see this movie. It is fantastic. My wife wanted to go last weekend and i talked her out of it. She mentioned it early this Saturday morning as a longing. I told her the TV football schedule and then proceeded out to the yard. As I was working in the yard I decided to come in and offer her the movie. She took me up on the offer. I'm glad she encouraged this.
This movie is anointed. God is all over it. You could feel it. Watching this movie, you knew God's people had followed their hearts in making this movie. They took a huge risk and you could feel God's blessing on their work. Our audience was vocal in their approval. Many a person shouted out "Amen" at appropriate moments and "Praise God" during the key points in the movie. We were in a movie theatre full of believers watching a clean movie made by believers proclaiming the love of God. It was powerful beyond words.
I don't cry. My wife has only seen me cry 1-2 times in nearly 20 years of marriage but yesterday I could not contain a flood of tears. This movie simply blew me away. I have never seen the Gospel so easily and beautifully proclaimed. Time after time, the writers infused the movie with the Gospel -- a young black girl is trapped by a fire and Kirk Cameron goes in to save her. He refuses to leave her. During the fires of our lives, God sends in our Rescuer and He will not leave us. In a car wreck scene, a terrified young woman is told over and over, "I am here. I will not leave you". Exactly what God tells us when we wreck our lives. "I am here. I will not leave you." As I type this, I choke up with tears. God does not leave us. He sent His Son in to rescue us from the wreckage of our lives.
The man in this movie has his marriage in ruins. He and his wife lead separate lives. They've grown apart. They are selfish. They annoy one another. As he is trying to save his marriage and working with his father, he tells his father, "How can I continue to love her and move toward her when she continues to turn her back on me?" As the son is saying this the father is walking up under a cross at a beautiful outdoor sanctuary. Right as Kirk Cameron is saying this, the father winds up right under the cross. How can Jesus continue to move towards us and pursue love with us when we continue to completely turn our backs on him and lead our own broken lives? It is a powerful visual.
This movie will change your marriage. If you've ever struggled with your spouse - he/she is selfish, unstable, needy, greedy, passive, aggressive, demanding, nagging, etc., you need to see this movie. It captures the typical marriage with stunning clarity and brutal honesty. "All fall short of the glory of God".
Please, please invest the time and money and take your wife/husband to this movie. You won't regret it but I'll bet you'll come out with a new perspective on your marriage and life.
This brings me to another point. This movie cost $650,000 to make and has already grossed more than $10 million. A small church in Albany, Georgia went way out on a limb to make this movie and God is rewarding their faithfulness. As an aside, it warms this Georgia boy's heart to see Albany in this film. The pine trees, Phoebe Putney hospital, downtown Albany, etc. It feels like home. But to the point - here is a film made by Christians that is thoroughly entertaining and powerfully moving. It is clean. It is safe. It is quality entertainment and watching it, you could feel God's hand all over it. I was drawn to tears just by the power of God in this movie. He ordained it. All I can continue to say is "You can feel God" in this movie.
But again back to the point - what we watch. I am so sick of this election and the media. I am sick of Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric and MSNBC. I am sick of the spin. I am sick of The View and Oprah. I am sick of the poison they are spewing.
The media opposes the Cross. They hate it. Let me say this again - they HATE the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They oppose him. They attack him. They are against anything that brings glory to God. The hate the Word -- you and I know it -- and yet, we watch them.
We let them into our homes. In effect....we embrace them. We listen to Oprah and it seeps into our minds, "Maybe she has a point...." She doesn't have a point. She is lost. She stands in direct opposition to the Word of God. And yet.....we watch them.
WHY? Ask yourself, "Why do I even bother to listen?" I know these people are Godless. I know that they have an agenda that opposes my Lord. So why then do we listen?
John 10:10 says very clearly, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it to the full." The thief is out there. He uses countless resources to come into our homes and tell us "God isn't real. God doesn't really care about you. You can make your own decisions and you can overcome the consequences...."
You know the lies and you know the liar. I just want to encourage you to see this movie as soon as possible and to pay attention to the sources of information you rely upon. We are in a world at war. America stands on the brink of financial ruin. Millions of Americans are addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography, food and the love of money. The enemy - one by one - is looking for ways to trip you up and take you out; Don't kid yourselves. You are under attack. Your children are under attack. The liar is sneaky. He comes as you sideways. Be on guard.
Fireproof your life. Fireproof your marriage. Fireproof your kids. We are at war and praise be to God that He has already won the victory.
Soar!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Struggles
Dear ________ -
I just read your most recent blog post and was struck by the similarities to our earlier email conversations about this same topic.
I have been weighed heavy with this same issue for years. I am an investment advisor for goodness sakes and I still struggle personally with my own faults and shortcomings managing the resources entrusted to me. I am exactly where you are in this. But I've had some breakthrough on this.
You (and I) may never have a $7 million retirement account. Others surely will do "better" than we will financially. The lie is that a $7 million retirement would "complete" us. I deal with people with millions and they know no more peace than you or I do. So the first lie is that money somehow completes us. It doesn't.
The second lie is that any failures or shortcomings you and I have had in this regard have tainted us for life. It hangs over us as an accusation we cannot escape and _______, it is a lie of the foul one.
"Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
"By His stripes we are healed"
"He came to preach deliverance to the captives..."
"Captives". We are captive. Trapped. In bondage. Satan doesn't play fair. His goal is to lock you into that experience and even give you an identity in those mistakes so that he can put you in bondage over those events.
You remain in bondage over this and only the Great Liberator can free you and me of this bondage. He already has!
Here's the thing ______, rich or poor, skinny or fat...God has you and I exactly where He wants us - for reasons we may not understand but that He understands completely. I try every day to make money and grow my net worth. I try to be smart. I try to do the right thing and my money isn't multiplying itself exponentially. For years I have beaten the ever living crap out of myself over this and only very recently have I come to the place where I see that God has me where he wants me. I will be a good steward and will try to do the right thing but I may never reach "success" as the world defines it.
What has been release for me in this is the realization that God knows best. In His stripes I am healed. He has delivered me. I am free. I may never know why my efforts never "worked" and I don't need to. God has me exactly where he wants me. That is freeing.
The things of this earth will all burn up - 401(k)'s, pension plans, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual -- it will all burn up. I know men with $10 million , $30 million and $100 million net worths and it NEVER is enough. It NEVER brings peace. It is why men build $10 million homes. It is why we buy 72 inch plasma TV's. It is why we trade cars every 2 years. We are constantly searching for that one thing that will finally bring us satisfaction and, therefore, peace.
Peace only comes from the One that has already set ________ free. You are free. Take the bondage and chains of money off. Quit dragging them around. You are complete. You are accepted. You are whole.
In Christ
Your friend Richard
Dear ________ -
I just read your most recent blog post and was struck by the similarities to our earlier email conversations about this same topic.
I have been weighed heavy with this same issue for years. I am an investment advisor for goodness sakes and I still struggle personally with my own faults and shortcomings managing the resources entrusted to me. I am exactly where you are in this. But I've had some breakthrough on this.
You (and I) may never have a $7 million retirement account. Others surely will do "better" than we will financially. The lie is that a $7 million retirement would "complete" us. I deal with people with millions and they know no more peace than you or I do. So the first lie is that money somehow completes us. It doesn't.
The second lie is that any failures or shortcomings you and I have had in this regard have tainted us for life. It hangs over us as an accusation we cannot escape and _______, it is a lie of the foul one.
"Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
"By His stripes we are healed"
"He came to preach deliverance to the captives..."
"Captives". We are captive. Trapped. In bondage. Satan doesn't play fair. His goal is to lock you into that experience and even give you an identity in those mistakes so that he can put you in bondage over those events.
You remain in bondage over this and only the Great Liberator can free you and me of this bondage. He already has!
Here's the thing ______, rich or poor, skinny or fat...God has you and I exactly where He wants us - for reasons we may not understand but that He understands completely. I try every day to make money and grow my net worth. I try to be smart. I try to do the right thing and my money isn't multiplying itself exponentially. For years I have beaten the ever living crap out of myself over this and only very recently have I come to the place where I see that God has me where he wants me. I will be a good steward and will try to do the right thing but I may never reach "success" as the world defines it.
What has been release for me in this is the realization that God knows best. In His stripes I am healed. He has delivered me. I am free. I may never know why my efforts never "worked" and I don't need to. God has me exactly where he wants me. That is freeing.
The things of this earth will all burn up - 401(k)'s, pension plans, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual -- it will all burn up. I know men with $10 million , $30 million and $100 million net worths and it NEVER is enough. It NEVER brings peace. It is why men build $10 million homes. It is why we buy 72 inch plasma TV's. It is why we trade cars every 2 years. We are constantly searching for that one thing that will finally bring us satisfaction and, therefore, peace.
Peace only comes from the One that has already set ________ free. You are free. Take the bondage and chains of money off. Quit dragging them around. You are complete. You are accepted. You are whole.
In Christ
Your friend Richard
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