Storms

God

likes the storms in our lives. They will come. Not "if" they come but "when" they come...God likes them. He is in the storms. Consider this...

Nick Cash at Teen Advisors gave me a DVD from Nooma (Rob Bell) on "Rain". The story Rob told was captivating. He took his one-year old son for a walk in the woods. The boy was strapped on his back and was enjoying the walk through the woods. As they got all the way on the other side of the lake, it began to rain. Then, it began to pour. As Rob headed back, he covered his son's head but the little boy pulled the head cover off. As they kept walking back, the storm began to rage and was producing a soaking rain. The little boy began to panic and cry. The lightning and thunder kicked in and the little guy was now screaming. Rob stopped and pulled his son off his back and cradled him in his arms - holding him as tightly as possible and trying his best to shield him from the storm. Rob's pace quickened as he tried to hurry back to the cabin. As he carried his son he began to whisper, "It's OK buddy, you're safe with me, we're going to be OK, I love you. It's OK buddy, you're safe with me, we're going to be OK, I love you."

Rob looks back on that event as one of the most significant moments he's ever had with his son. They bonded on that walk and he protected him. He said one day, his son may be in therapy and that event might come up and his son might come to him and say, "Why Dad, why did you put me into that situation...why did you expose me to that?" What Rob would say is "Son, I'm glad you went through that situation because you drew close to me and let me protect you and hold you and get you through it. It was the best time of our relationship."

It's a neat story but here is my take away - God likes storms. He puts them into our lives for a reason. He allows pain for a reason. Because in those times of pain, oftentimes we turn to him, we lean on him and we need him. In that, He is well pleased.

The day before I showed this video to the 8th grade bible study at school, a client came into my office. He said he had something to share - something that happened to him in our office - and he wanted my assistant to join us. He said 8-9 months ago he had come in to see me about something and I wasn't in. So he got my assistant. She gave him the paperwork he needed to fill out and as he sat there filling it out, she began to share with him the recent news in our office of the 15-year old daughter of a co-worker that was recently diagnosed with cancer. The client sat there thinking, "I wish this lady would be quiet and leave alone. I want to fill this paperwork out and get the heck out of this office." He said what she didn't know was that just a few days before that, his 18-year old daughter discovered she was pregnant. The news was devastating to him. In fact, on the way down to my office he was sobbing. He composed himself enough to come into the office and then my assistant started sharing this story about the girl with cancer. And while he was wanting to get the heck out of my office...God was speaking to him.

After he left our office he heard God speak - "Here you are worried about your daughter bringing a new life into this world...when your daughter could be facing death." God put him in my office at the exact right time and put the exact right person in his place to share with him the exact right story to speak to his heart. A thunderstorm was raging around him that afternoon and God wrapped his arms around him and whispered, "It's OK buddy, you're safe with me, we're going to be OK, I love you."

Soar!

The Call
Do you ever get a "taste" of it - a "hint", a "whisper"? We became Christians with much excitement, much anticipation and much relief. Soon thereafter, the excitement and passion of our liberation from eternal jail fades and we fall into a life of religious duty. Teaching Sunday school, serving as deacons, leading the charge for the men's pancake breakfast, etc. We fall asleep in the pews. Our minds drift. Our daily walk falls into averageness.

Eldredge says sometime in the midst of this we sense that "something is missing - there has to be more to all of this." He then says a voice calls out to us saying "Aren't you thirsty for more...Listen to your heart. There is something missing."

As we awaken to this "taste" it is hard to know what to do with it. In my own life, over the past year, this awakening has been calling me and rather than run from it or stuff it down, I have embraced it and in fact, have chased it. (That is why this blog is called "Chasing the Adventure"). I want more of it. I get fleeting tastes or glimpses of the passionate freedom I first felt as a new-born Christian and then it passes. Lately I have been running back trying to taste it again. As I have explored this and shared my observations with other men, I have had times where I've been beaten back. I've been called a "trouble maker" because I am challenging some of what the organized church is telling me.

For example, I heard a sermon where the Pastor said he believes there will be tears in Heaven when we first arrive and review our life. We'll shed tears over all the lost opportunities we had during life. We'll shed tears over eternal blessings we will miss due to these passed-by opportunities. Then, we'll enter into Heaven and take what reward God will give us and clearly, others will get greater rewards than us.

What? You've got to be kidding me. That is what all this about? We'll get our reward but our room in the palace won't be the luxury suite...we'll have to settle for a non-smoking king-sized room? To me, that implies I will spend enternity looking across the table at Mother Teresa or Billy Graham and I will forever and a day lament the fact that they dine on lobster while I eat rubber chicken. To me, it implies I will spend eternity with guilt strapped on my back because of the opportunities I passed by in life. Come on, you've got to be kidding me. What is that all about? That is the "good news"?

To me, it is a "works-based" faith mentality that permeates our churches. Where is the grace, where is the passionate freedom that came when Christ liberated us (equally) from the eternal prisons of our own making? I don't get what the preacher was saying but I do get the message of that still, small voice that calls out to me "there is more to all this...something is indeed missing."

Jesus isn't a warden. He didn't come and die to strap me through enternity carrying shame over the dollars I didn't give to His kingdom. Perhaps He will reward me for what I did give to His kingdom - for the time I invested and the money I returned and the lives I did impact. Jesus is the great liberator and He freed me of the bondage and dilligence that is seemingly required by the modern church. Yes, this is a radical statement and yes, it makes a lot of folks nervous and yes, it is rebellious. So be it. The Lord I love freed me from that and I want to taste all of what He has to give as much as I can.

Soar!

Attack
Christmas. A time to be with family. A time to reflect on the incredible gift of our Savior. A time to get away from work and the worries of the world for a few days of peace.

A time of war.

War? You bet. The thief and his demons are on full alert over the holidays. What better time to launch a counter attack than on the day we celebrate the birth of the Liberator?

I left Thursday afternoon for 2 days in Atlanta with my wife's family. That morning, I had a run in with a client. This disagreement had been brewing for a week or so and it culminated on Friday morning. The client emailed me and said, "Thanks for the fruit you sent. I'm sorry for our misunderstanding but we don't feel like you give us enough of your time. I've felt that way a long time and I think my wife does too. I may be wrong but I don't think so. Merry Christmas."

It completely blew me away. Totally. Where on earth did this come from? I've spent a great deal of time with this client and his wife over the past 3 months. We had a misunderstanding because I got put in beween my client and his wife. He told me one thing, she another. When I acted on what I was told, he told me I had misunderstood. I thought we had worked it out, then...this. On the Friday before Christmas as I was in Atlanta with in-laws, he pulls the plug on the grenade and drops it in my lap..."you don't spend enough time with us..."

I blew up. It took me out and I had a real battle on my hands for 24 hours fighting the demons as they attacked. Where did this come from?

Why now? Why here 2-3 days before Christmas right when I am shifting out of work mode and into family mode? Why now?

It was an attack - pure and simple. What better way to destroy a family but to launch an attack right as the holiday is starting?

I wonder how many faced similar incidents over the past week? Where does this come from? The enemy. The thief. He comes to destroy.

Thankfully, even though it really upset me, I recognized it for what it was. Rather than centering on my client, I centered on the enemy as the culprit. I called on the Savior to crawl out of His manger and save me. The more we work to recognize the battle, the more clearly we see the magnificence of that gift 2000 years ago.

Soar!

Where is the servant?
I saw an interview with Barbara Walters with Joel Osteen - listed as one of the 10 most fascinating people of 2006. No doubt, Joel has an incredibly "successful" church - it is the largest in the US, has a $75 million budget and an 18,000 seat church. Early on, I watched him and I liked what I heard. It made me feel good. He is attractive and polished and his wife looks like a model. But, after a while, something didn't sit right with me. His message week after week seemed to be the same - "Prosperity...God wants us to be prosperous". It seemed that was the only message I heard from him ... it was all about feeling good and being prosperous. The Walter's interview spoke of Osteen's booming personal wealth (his book has been a #1 best seller). When pressed on this issue, Walters asked him, "You talk a lot about money (shows a clip of him praying for the Lord to bless the audience with bonuses, raises, promotions) - do you think God wants us to be wealthy?" Osteen replied, "God wants to bless us in many ways and certainly wealth is one of those ways." Then Walters says, "You avoid the controversy in your preaching about prosperity - you refuse to address the issues of gay marriage, abortion, etc." That was it - he is avoiding anything that is controversial. It is "feel good" Christianity. He isn't challenging our lifestyle choices. It is all about prosperity - ours and his.

Earlier this month, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about a watchdog group that audits ministries to make sure they are spending God's money where they say they are. The group found discrepancies in the ministry of Joyce Meyer in St. Louis. They dug up that her ministry has bought 5 houses, a private jet worth $6.5 million and expensive art work for her and her ministry and family to use. Ms. Meyer is unapologetic about the riches she has acquired. She spins a mix of down-home frankness and unabashed exuberance for wealth building. Her latest book is entitled, "Look great, feel great" (is that what Jesus talked about?). In 2005, her ministry had revenues of $109 million. No doubt her ministry does some great things in missionary work and in feeding the homeless and they have responded to the inquiries by selling off the houses. She cut her salary from $750,000 a year to $250,000 but changed the set up for the royalties from her books and tapes. Now these royalties run through a private company she owns. "It is kind of ironic" she says, "I am financially better off doing it this way. It is a blessing."

I am better off....(??)

Where is the servant? What are these ministries about? Enriching the pastor/ceo? Building wealth? Looking great, feeling great? Where is the servant?

I don't mean to be critical but there is a pattern here. It seems many of our "leading" pastors have abandoned what the Gospel says and are promoting ways to build a better life. They have tried to tie their message into wealth - to somehow proves God's pleasure in us by His blessing us with wealth. The more "pleasing" the message, the larger the flock grows. The larger the flock grows, the bigger the pastor's paycheck grows, the bigger the worship centers can grow...

Is that what Jesus did? Did he preach "pleasing" messages? Did he stand in the pulpit and pray for God to bless the flock with material possessions? Did he jet around the country in a private jet hawking books, CDs, DVDs just to have all the royalties run through his private company?

If anything in America, do we need to hear one more word about money? Is that America's problem...that we don't have enough money? Or, is it that we are way too focused on it?

Jesus spoke a lot about money but he didn't talk about how we can get more of it. He warned repeatedly about man's love/lust for money and the ruin it can create. We need to be very careful to what we listen to and the package it is wrapped in.

Soar!

And the world wonders "Why?"
There is an interesting book review in today's Wall Street Journal on the book "Unprotected" which is about the observations of a campus physician. For 200 pages, she tells of the suffering of young college women. She says cardiologists warn us about fatty foods, pediatricians encourage healthy snacks, helmets and discussion of drugs and alcohol. Everyone condemns smoking and tanning beds. Unfortunately, professionals refuse to address perhaps the most damaging activity a young woman chooses to engage in - sexual choices.

A girl, Heather, speaks about her intense bout of depression. The doctor presses her for a possible cause - she can't think of any and then she says, "Well, I can think of one thing: since Thanksgiving, I've had a 'friend with benefits'" (friend with benefits is the new lingo for someone you have sex with) Heather laments that she wants to spend time with this boy shopping and going to movies and says "that would make it a friendship for me." But the boy says "no" to all that because that would mean they are in a "relationship" and he wants none of that. Heather says, "I'm confused because it seems like I am not getting the friendship but he is getting the benefits."

Scary to say but this is the world we live in - the world our little girls are growing up in. And the world wonders why there are these terrible side-effects of this behavior. The author sees girls who can't sleep, who mutilate themselves and exhibit every symptom of psychic distress. Often, they have no idea why. "As these girls see it, they are acting like sensible, responsible adults: They practice 'safe sex' and limit their partners to 2-3 a year. They are following the best advice modern psychology can offer. They are enjoying their sexual freedom, experimenting and discovering themselves. They can't understand what might be wrong. And yet, something is wrong (amen to that). Sexually active teenage girls were more than three times as likely to be depressed, and nearly three times as likely to have had a suicide attempt, than girls who were not sexually active."

You see the lie in the world's "advice" on sex - "experiment, try many partners, find yourself and enjoy your freedom." Sounds a lot like Satan's advice to Eve in the garden - "experiment, try that fruit, free yourself from God's rules..." It is a lie. He is a liar. Unfortunately the "bright" minds of our world have embraced that "advice" and are spreading it and wreaking untold destruction on legions of young girls.

There are consequences of our sin. The bible is clear on that. Yes, God can and will forgive us but He does not take away the earthly consequences of our sin. Many times, that sin impacts others besides ourselves. These girls face real consequences for falling in under the lie. They face current health issues, suicidal thoughts and depression. Longer-term, they can be real consequences in their marriages.

God knows what He is talking about. "Flee from sexual immorality". Don't talk about it, don't negotiate about it, don't rationalize it...flee from it. Otherwise, there can be hell to pay.

The Perfect Dad
We all dream (or dreamed) for the perfect Dad. Men, women, boys and girls ... all have a deep need for a father. I can't speak for women too well but I see it in my wife. I see how even at 42, she still longs for her father. She needs her Dad to see her beauty, to marvel at her wonderful skills as a mother, to take her out for coffee and a talk, to take a real interest in her life and her kids - she needs a Daddy.

I see it in my daughters. There is something about a Daddy/daughter relationship that is very special. I am there and involved in my girl's lives. I am a presence in their lives. At a school play, church or at a basketball game, they will peer up into the crowd just to make sure Dad is there. Once we've made eye contact - they are fine. No need to look back again. Dad is there, just like always..."I can count on Dad. He is here for me."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect but I am around enough to see it. I see their need for a father.

I see it in the grown men around me (and especially in myself). We all long for our Dad. Someone to talk to about our life. Someone to listen as we recount our struggles in work, or with our wives, or with our kids. Someone to listen and say, "I know son, I know...".

We go off into the woods, the lake or to the golf course in search of Dad. Someone to show a geniune interest in us. Someone to show us how a gun works, how to call up a turkey, how to find the bass lurking in the lake, how to be patient to wait for the big buck. Someone to walk beside us down the dirt road into the pine forest or down the fairway with his arm around our back saying, "I am well-pleased with you." Men long for a father to call them and say, "I am thinking about this business opportunity and I want you to come into it with me."

It is a very basic human desire to long for a father. God installed that desire in us. All those things we long for in a humanly father are there for the taking with the Holy Father. No, He can't show you how to shoot a free-throw or load a bolt-action rifle but He can walk with you into the woods. He can commune with you. He will listen to your struggles and He will say, "I know son, I know." He will say, "In you, I am well-pleased."

We all long for a father and The Father waits with open arms.

Soar!

Secular view on what I've been discussing...
Warren Buffett once said, "Life tends to snap you at your weakest link. So it isn't the strongest link you're looking for among the individuals in the room. It isn't even the average strength of the chain. It is the weakest link that causes the problem. It may be alcohol, it may be gambling, it may be a lot of things. When I look at our managers, I'm looking for people that function very, very well. And that means not having any weak links. The two biggest weak links in my experience: I've seen more people fail because of liquor and leverage. Donald Trump failed because of leverage. He simply got infatuated with how much money he could borrow, and did not give enough thought to how much money he could pay back."

So it is our weakest link that Satan looks to snap. Where are you weakest? Is it another woman? Is it pornography? Is it alcohol? Is it lust for power or money?

Find your weakest link and do what you can to shore it up. The Bible is clear on sex - "flee from sexual immorality". Jesus also spoke a great deal about our lust for money and things being the ruin of many a man.

Guard your flank. Look for your weaknesses and shore that area of your life up. If you can't do it alone, get some help from men you trust.

Soar!

Freedom came at the Cross - Abundant life comes via the resurrection
A friend has been struggling and I shared this with him...

I know satan is tugging at you big right now - that is why i wrote to you. It really helps to focus on the John 10:10 verse - "The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly." Lean on that verse. When you get bent around the pole over something and that seething anger flies up out of nowhere - realize that is the enemy trying to take you out. When you feel those negative tugs, when you hear that voice that says... "You are a loser, you'll never get control of yourself..." realize where that is coming from. It isn't coming from God. That is the enemy trying to destroy you. It has helped me to lean on that verse every day when I am doing battle (and we do battle every day).

When I am tempted, it helps me to say almost outloud, "that is a lie - you are lying to me - you are a liar - get away from me". Without this, we can become a slave to our sin in total bondage. Where is there freedom in bondage? There isn't any. Christ came to free you. You are free. That is the Cross. We were freed at the Cross. But there is so much more to the story. The church is at fault for stopping at the Cross. Did you know for the first 400 years of Christianity, the Cross was hardly ever mentioned and it was not a symbol of Christianity? What they were so excited about was the resurrection. Lots of folks died on crosses back then - two of them died with Jesus that day. Nothing special about the cross per se. Yes, it is very important - crucial - in the story that Jesus sacrificed for us but it is the resurrection that is truly powerful.

You were freed from sin at the cross but Jesus came to give us life and give it to us abundantly and that is the resurrection. A new you, resurrected and powerful is the benefit of the cross. You are powerful because you have been freed. You don't have to live that old life. You don't have to hang onto your quest for perfection. You don't have to hang onto the incredibly overwhelming guilt you feel. You don't have to hang onto the wound you have in your soul due to your Dad walking out. Those are all real things but you are freed of them by the power of the resurrection and the promise of it.

God wants you to have an abundant life, free of the crap. It is yours for the taking. He gives it freely. Don't get me wrong, it isn't easy to do but it is there. The first step is recognizing that you are under attack and learning how to look for the signs of the attack and rebuking the attack when it comes. Remember, Satan would love nothing more than to totally take you out. He'll turn the dial up on the anger to see if it will blow you out. He'll throw another woman in your path. He'll try to trip you up with alcohol. He'll create havoc in your home with your kids. Anything to blow you up and take you out. Realize it is war and when you hear the whispers, throw that heavy burden off your shoulder. Let go of the expectations. Free yourself. Once you do, the path to an abundant life is right at your feet.

I am here to help you find that freedom and to lift you up in this battle.

Wow !
The title of my blog is "Chasing the Adventure" and I've put a few posts up about my hunting adventure. I love nature and love being outside. The woods truly are God's sanctuary. It is amazing to sit and watch nature. My deer hunting is clearly "chasing the adventure".

I hunted a good bit over the Thanksgiving weekend. Friday morning a nice 8-point walked right up to my stand - 15 feet in front of me. I could have shot him but he was young and I decided to let him go. That was hard to do. I also saw a 4-point and 2 spikes.

Sunday - yes, I skipped church! - my area slowed down and I only saw 1 doe. I did watch a turkey and had a goose fly right over my stand through the tops of the pines. But, that said, my "rookie" instincts were telling me my days in the pines were at an end. I needed to move my stand.

I crossed over to the other side of this 1100 acres and followed a road down toward a small creek. There is a large ridge across from the creek and the bottom area is loaded with acorn producing hardwoods. It is an area I've always thought looked conducive to deer. I parked my truck and walked up to the edge of the creek (still in camo) and no sooner than I got to the banks of the creek than did a large 10-point come crashing down the ridge chasing a doe.

About 30 yards in front of me, he hung a sharp right and bugged out away from me sniffing/blowing as he chased her. A sniff sounds like loud, squawking, hoarse chirp of a really big squirrel. Man, what a rush. So I crossed over the creek and as soon as I did, a 6-point came down the ridge chasing the 10-point and the doe - running, with his tounge hanging out. He ran right up to me and stood about 10 feet away from me. We stared at each other for a minute or so and then I moved and he sniffed/blew and crashed across the creek.

I followed him down back across the creek and as soon as I was back across the other side, I heard something else coming down the ridge behind me. A nice 8-point ran right up to the edge of the creek. He stopped and stared at me for another minute and at one point, he stomped his feet in an aggressive move to tell me he was the boss. For a minute there, I thought I was about to be on the next episode of "When animals attack". Finally, he bolted off in the same direction as the big 10-point.

Wow! What a thrill. 3 nice buck in one 2 minute spell. I was totally captivated. Needless to say, I went back and took down my stand and moved it down into this creek bottom!

If I never kill a deer, I have had the time of my life "chasing this adventure".

Soar!

Tempted?
Andy Stanley has a good sermon on his website www.northpoint.org on sexual temptation. It primarily deals with sex before marriage. It is a very good summary of why sex before marriage (and outside of marriage) is wrong. The culture doesn't want us to believe it but that is a lie.

He said a divorced woman approached him one time after he gave a similar talk to high school students and she basically said, "That was great and all but you are really just talking to the kids right? I've already been married. That doesn't apply to me ... does it?" He was at a loss for words and knew he had to come up with a one sentence reply that would stick with her. He responded, "Let me ask you this. Whenever you've had sex outside of marriage...has it ever made your life easier? Or does it just make things a bunch more complicated?" He said she teared up immediately and said, "It just complicates things." Of course it does because it is wrong. It isn't God's design and our world seems to have forgotten that.

Anyway, Andy has a great daily prayer he says and I want to share it with you. He ties it to the verse - "You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body."

"God, I surrender my hands, surrender my eyes, surrender my ears, surrender my feet to You today.
I want You to use this dying, decaying body to honor you somehow today.
I want to go where You want me to go.
I don't want to say what You don't want me to say.
I don't want to hear what You don't want me to hear.
I don't want to see what You don't want me to see.
I want to honor You in all I do.
Whatever the price for what I will miss seeing, hearing or feeling, I will pay to honor You. I will pay because I won't fall for the lie."

Short, sweet and to the point. It is warfare men. Put on the armor every single day and be aware.

Soar!

The Rut
As I have posted, I decided to take up deer hunting this year. I've bird hunted a lot but never deer hunted so this is a new adventure. It is also filling a part of my life I've longed to enjoy. I'm drawn to the woods - always have been. Saturday after I hunted, I took my youngest daughter and her friend on a hike in the woods behind our house. We discovered a huge hard wood with the most glorious yellow foliage I've ever seen. We found deer prints, coyote prints and a few other critter prints down near Heiferhorn creek. We spooked a deer in the woods. We pole-vaulted over the small rain creeks (the girls loved that!) and pretended to be on a treasure hunt. We came back and took my black lab back to the creek to let him swim (his reward for being such a good dog). It was a blast. Yesterday, I went back down to the creek to take pictures of the tree and as I walking back through the fall leaves I commented out loud, "How can anyone not love being in a place like this?" The glory of God is man fully alive. I am fully alive in the woods.

Back to the hunt. I have been in my stand each of the last 6 Saturdays and I have seen a deer every time. But I've never seen anything like what I saw this Saturday. The "Rut" is in - the female deer are "coming in" and their scent is everywhere. White-tail deer are one of the most cautious animals on earth. They have extraordinary hearing and scent detection and they can run, when spooked, like the wind. Yet, as cautious as they are, when the rut comes in, they throw caution to the wind.

When I got to the land Saturday morning at 6am, 3 of my buddies were there. They are all very experienced hunters so I am learning a lot just by listening. When I got there, Rich came up to me and said, "You're gonna be amazed this morning. I was in here yesterday and there are big tracks all up and down the road where your stand is. You're going to see a lot of movement today...be patient. You might get a shot at a decent 8-point but wait and be patient because there are some monsters crossing back and forth in here chasing these doe." He was right.

About 8:30 a doe came into my view grazing over to my left. I immediately knew to start looking for the buck. Sure enough, he came in right behind her. A small 8-point - big enough to legally shoot but not big enough for our group's rules so I sat back and watched. He followed all across the pine forest right in front of me. At one point, he got tired and lay down to watch her. I had him in my scope, clear as a bell, lying there watching this doe. He was captivated by her and all his other senses were turned off. He had no idea his death was but a slight pull of a trigger away.

About 30 minutes later, another doe trotted into my left and ran all the way across in front on me - slowly trotting. Two minutes later, in came a small 4-point following her scent with his nose to the ground like a beagle tracking a fox. I wasn't going to shoot him so I decided to see if I could spook him...I barked, grunted, whistled and hooted to try to get him to look up as he ran past me. But he kept his nose to the ground all the way across the pine forest like a dog on the scent. As he got to my far right, he lost her scent and began to back track his way. He worked his way back 1/2 way across my line of site (directly in front on me) and proceeded to walk directly to me. At 15-20 feet in front of me, he stopped and looked at me and then decided to bug out and leave.

Where was the legendary caution? Where was the training of nature? His ears and nose for caution were turned off and all he was thinking about was that doe. There is a lesson in that for us. We can learn a lot from watching the rut. Trophy deer get taken out during the rut. They abandon their years of training and their natural skittishness and throw caution to the wind for the chance to mate with the prime doe. Very often, it gets them killed.

How many a man has abandoned all caution to grab the prize only to be taken down? There is a lesson in here for us.

To end on a good note, I saw another doe about 9:30 and then departed my stand at 10:15 and headed home. Rich called me later that day and we traded stories about what we had seen. He said he came out about 10:30 and as he was walking down the road coming up past my stand, he saw a monster 8-point chasing a doe heading right toward my stand. He said he kept saying "Shoot Richard, shoot!" He couldn't figure out why I didn't shoot until he got to the trucks and realized I was gone.

The good note is that 1) Rich was right - had I stayed patient and waited, I would have had my shot at a trophy and 2) There is a monster right there in my zone. Hopefully over the Thanksgiving holiday, I will get another chance at him.

Soar!

Ransomed
Les Miserables is a great story and the introduction is a fabulous picture of the Gospel. Jean Val Jean is a criminal. He spent 19 years in jail for stealing food. He finds himself out of prison, alone, with no place to sleep except a park bench. By chance (now really, are there any "chances" in the Kingdom?), a lady approaches him and says to him, "You haven't knocked on that door...knock there".

Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

So Jean knocks on the door and the Bishop opens it. Jean says, "I am a criminal" and the Bishop says, "I know who you are, you are welcome in my home."

The Bishop takes Jean in, feeds him and gives him a bed for the night to which Jean says "A meal and a bed to sleep in - in the morning, I will be new man." Yet Jean is pulled by his old ways and he wakes up in the middle of the night and steals the Bishop's silverwear. When the Bishop stumbles across him in the darkness, Jean knocks him out and flees.

God offers and at times we knock Him to the floor, reject his offer of unconditional love and flee.

Jean is captured the next day and returned to the Bishop. The Bishop backs Jean's story and tells the police to let him go that he gave Jean the silver and wondered why he didn't also take the candlesticks he had offered him.

God's love outpours more than we can imagine...

Jean Val Jean is freed. The Bishop stares at him and says, "Don't forget, don't ever forget, you've promised to become a new man." (Born again?) Jean is speechless..."why are you doing this".

And then the key line, "Jean Val Jean my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God."

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

It is a remarkable piece of art that captures so clearly the Gospel. Jean did not deserve the Bishop's grace. He spit on the Bishop and stole from him. Yet, he was forgiven. He was given the Bishop's most valuable possession so he could begin his life as a "new man" - free of the bondage he was facing. Even after rejecting him, knocking him down and taking his most valued possession - even after all that, the Bishop "ransomed" his life and "bought" him out of his slavery to sin.

Soar!

War
If it is the heart, then it is also war. We are at war. The battle is over the heart.

"There was a war in heaven. Satan, who deceives the whole earth, was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him... he was overcome by the blood of the Lamb...Woe to the Earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath because his time is short...and the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." Revelation 12:7-17

There was war in heaven...
Satan was thrown down to earth as were his angels (demons)...
Woe to the earth because the devil has great wrath...
He was enraged with the woman...
And went off to make war with her offspring.

Satan is here. He is about making war with us and he is enraged. Pretty scary stuff. What does he rejoice in? Ted Haggard's fall. A man secretly trapped by pornography. An affair between a family man and a woman in his office. Greed taking over a man's decision making compromising his beliefs for the extra buck. A CEO seeking his own glory and riches ahead of the best interests of his employees and shareholders. All of these make the demons shout with glee.

I heard an interesting commentary about leadership - especially spiritual leadership. The speaker said, "You know the exceptionally bright, driven 25-year old employee who wants to be the CEO. He wants it bad. Yet, he is incredibly unprepared for that role. He is bright - no doubt - but he is immature. He isn't battle-tested. He hasn't seen the cycles to know when to expand and when to store dry powder. Those that crave power and responsibilty and leadership have no idea what they wish for."

Those that sit around and dream of becoming "the next Billy Graham", or the next spiritual leader of a church or community, have no idea what they are asking for. Satan prowls around looking for someone to devour. Who better than our spiritual leaders?

Satan came here to wage war. He is looking for men he can take out. Many a great leader has stumbled never to stand again - exactly the intent of the war. Take you out once and for all. Men, beware. Stand on guard. Watch your back. Watch the back's of your closest friends. Don't compromise. Don't let yourself get into situations where you can't escape. Be on guard.

The good news? "He was overcome by the blood of the Lamb."

Soar!

It is the heart...
It is the heart. The heart is what matters. We spend so much time and money on the body, the external, the view others see. We can polish up the outside and have everything looking perfect when the inside is rotting and decaying. The heart is dying. The world/Satan pitches in to help attacking us from all sides with the message of "conform or be castout". Sellout. "Just swear your oath to the king and we'll end the pain". When a man sells out - his heart dies. When a man accepts mediocrity and slumps into his lay-z-boy with a beer to dull the pain - his heart dies. When we dream great dreams and then say..."one day..." - a part of our heart dies.

But this isn't really what I want to talk about.
I have seen three incidents lately that speak to the heart.

I see a church of a friend at war with itself. Sides are being taken. Horrible things are being said. People are willing to "draw blood". Over what? "Things aren't the way they used to be, too much is changing." Nevermind that great things are happening for the kingdom - people are being saved, families are being healed, and even the budget is balanced. But oh no, folks are willing to totally rip the church apart due to egos, turf and control. The outside looks great but the heart is rotting and the damage could be catastrophic.

I see a school that is pretty on the outside. Beautiful new buildings are being built. Great things are being trumpeted about. The message is captivating. But parent after parent is beginning to say the same thing - "I wonder if anyone over there really cares about my child?" It is the heart. The outside is pretty but the heart is hurting. I sat with a mom this morning and she described the battle her 9th grade son is facing. He is an exceptional - I mean truly exceptional - student and athlete. As she described his struggles in the classroom and on the playing field, she burst into tears and she said "I just get the feeling none of them care - truly care - about my son." There are some sub-par teachers, counselors and administrators going through the motions working 8-to-4 with absolutely no passion for making a lifelong impact on children. But to the public, the message is "this is a truly outstanding place". It isn't the facade, it isn't what you say...it is the heart.

I see a business where the manager has done everything possible to pretty the place up. New carpet, new paint, new furniture, new sidewalks, new signs, bottled water and starbucks coffee. The "bling" is all there. The package looks about as pretty as it can. Yet, the heart is hurting. The people working there feel like "no one cares about me". The manager spends no time one-on-one with his people. He has made no effort to understand them or their business (the businesses that produce his paycheck). He cares about the external appearance but the business he is there to run is rotting beneath him and he doesn't even know it.

If you want to set the world on fire, if you want to change people's lives forever you go to heart. You can have the most outstanding school on earth in simple butler buildings if you get the heart right. A church can move mountains if it has the heart right and it doesn't need a $40 million campus to do it. A business can prosper and flourish as never before if it gets the heart right. It is the heart. Get the heart right and prepare to soar.

Soar!

He came to bring us Life...
This is taken from John Eldredge's Daily email for today - ties in with what I wrote yesterday...

"The glory of God is man fully alive." (Saint Irenaeus)

When I first stumbled across this quote my initial reaction was . . . You’re kidding me. Really? I mean, is that what you’ve been told? That the purpose of God—the very thing he’s staked his reputation on—is your coming fully alive? Huh. Well, that’s a different take on things. It made me wonder, What are God’s intentions toward me? What is it I’ve come to believe about that? Yes, we’ve been told any number of times that God does care, and there are some pretty glowing promises given to us in Scripture along those lines. But on the other hand, we have the days of our lives, and they have a way of casting a rather long shadow over our hearts when it comes to God’s intentions toward us in particular. I read the quote again, “The glory of God is man fully alive,” and something began to stir in me. Could it be?

I turned to the New Testament to have another look, read for myself what Jesus said he offers. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Wow.

That’s different from saying, “I have come to forgive you. Period.” Forgiveness is awesome, but Jesus says here he came to give us life. Hmmm. Sounds like ol’ Irenaeus might be on to something.

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:48).
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:38).

The more I looked, the more this whole theme of life jumped off the pages. I mean, it’s everywhere.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).
“You have made known to me the path of life” (Ps. 16:11).
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
“Come to me to have life” (John 5:40).
“Tell the people the full message of this new life” (Acts 5:20).

The battle for freedom
"The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." John 10:10

There it is. Simple. The battle lines are drawn. The thief is out there - he has been there long before Adam & Eve. After he tried to overthrow Heaven, he was thrown out with 1/3 of the angels who joined him in his evil plot. Ever since, he has prowled around looking for someone to destroy and he first reappears in the Garden as a serpent whispering to Eve, "You don't need God, you need knowledge."

Even today, he is there (perhaps more so today than ever) - looking, prowling, sneaking...hunting. As I do all I can to sneak into my deer stand and position myself just right for the right shot at the right moment to take the prized buck down and out, so too the thief sits in waiting. He sits hidden, camouflaged, covered over...waiting. Don't kid yourself men, he sits and waits for the right chance to take you out. Be it another woman, alcohol, power, self-accomplishment, greed, you name it - all weapons are fair game to him.

And yet, there is Christ who came to give us life. LIFE. And importantly to give us life that we "may live it abundantly". What this says to me is He wants me to live life with a passion that draws others in. So often, we think coming to God means installing a bunch of rules on our life - "don't do __________". The church has done a disservice in this regard by encouraging a bunch of "don'ts" on man and by encouraging men to "be nice".

We wonder why the men are checked out in church and the reason is pretty simple, Jesus came to give us life and give it to us to live abundantly with great passion and enthusiasm and the institution has tried to smother that. John Eldredge visited a mega-church in Texas a few years back to do a seminar and went downstairs to pray. He went into a 3-4 year old classroom and noticed a sign in the corner that read "How to make God happy" and it listed 9 things...1) Sit still 2) Don't talk out of turn 3) Don't touch any other child ...

John said it made him so mad he wanted to throw a chair across the room...a bunch of "Do Nots". Right there at an early age the church is sitting on the passion of a child - snuffing it out. Conform. Behave. Be nice. The most holy are those that best keep the laws - those that are so in control of their life that they somehow sin less than others. Comply. And we wonder why the men are drifting off.

Jesus came to free us. He ransomed us from a life of captivity so we might have freedom. William Wallace when he was being gutted alive was told, "just pay respect to the King and we will end the pain"...in other words, give in, sell out. Refusing to comply he shouted his last words, "FREEDOM".

Erwin McManus says this, "This is how life is supposed to work - it's an adventure, a journey, a trek filled with uncertainty, excitement and risk. I am convinced there is a voice in each of us crying out, a confession waiting to be declared without shame, "I want to live!". We were created with a passion to live. So many of us have abdicated our passions for obligations, as if passion is a luxury for the young and we all must grow up. The drive to eliminate sin has more than contributed to the problem of passionless living. We have come to believe (let me interject that the perhaps the enemy has lied to us) that human passions are adversarial to God and corrupting in their nature. We've been taught that the solution is to restrain our passions with His commands. The result has been a Christian religion based on rules, rituals and obligations. When this is the case, Christianity is essentially like all other world religions - all of which instruct their follows to restrain their passions - this is the essence of Buddha - to exist without desire."

Is that what Jesus taught? That we should exist without desire? No! Whatever else Jesus came to do, one thing is clear - He came to set you free. God is not a warden; He is a deliverer. He so cares about your freedom that He was willing to be taken captive and crucified on your behalf just so you can run free.

Soar!

Wild at Heart

Having returned from Colorado and John Eldredge's Wild at Heart boot camp, I can easily say this was the most significant spiritual time of my life. I cannot yet put words easily around what all I took in. It was simply incredible - God used this weekend to open my eyes in ways that have never been opened before.

I see my life in an entirely new context - my life is part of a grand design. We were born into an epic. We play a key role in the "play" and the enemy is looking for chances to take us out. I understand spiritual warfare better than I have ever understood it after this weekend. I see now - clearly - the ways the enemy has been trying to take me out all through my life. I see the battle for my wife. I see her struggles and see how the enemy is scratching away at her, wearing her down, attacking her in an attempt to take her down and, as a result, take me down. Satan went after Eve in the garden - not Adam. I see that he will come after my wife.

I see my role in my daughter's lives clearly. I learned how to pray for them. Frankly, I learned how to pray in general. I've been a "hey Jesus, you're great, I need ________" prayer person. John taught me how to pray - how to get on my knees, call the Spirit in and do business with God.

I see spiritual warfare oh so clearly. We are at war. We were born into a world at war. John uses video clips from secular movies to make his points. He showed the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan - perhaps the single most intense, graphic movie scene ever filmed. When I left that movie years ago, I said "every American needs to see the first 10 minutes of this movie to fully appreciate what our forefathers did for our freedom." I now say, "every Christian needs to see those first 10 minutes because it captures - perfectly - the image of being born (riding the boats symbolizes the womb and the doors dropping symbolizes the birth) into a world at war". If you will remember that scene, as soon as the doors opened, the men were slaughtered.

Satan sits on the beach with a machine gun looking to take us out. He'll use whatever he can and play on our sin to drive us over the edge. Guilt, shame, competition, anger, a father who didn't meet our needs, lust, the internet, television, alcohol...you name it, all is fair game as a tool for the enemy.

Perhaps the driving point of this weekend is our critical need for a band of brothers to walk with us through this war and help us "unpack" the battles we are facing. No wars are won by a single soilder charging up hills. Wars are won by men banding together to fight the enemy and watch each other's backs. So it is true for the spiritual wars we fight.

I will write more - much more - on this. What a weekend! We hiked to the top of the mountain at YoungLife's Frontier Ranch to watch the sun come up over the Rocky Mountains. We rappelled down a 125 foot cliff. We prayed together. Men wept as they came to terms with the wounds on their hearts, the agreements they've made with these wounds and their desperate need for a Savior. What a weekend!

I soar as never before!

Chasing the Adventure (2 of them)
I named my blog "Chasing the Adventure". As the fall sets in, I am starting to chase 2 new adventures. Thursday, I leave for Colorado to spend 4 days with John Eldredge and his team for the Wild At Heart boot camp. This will give me a chance to hear John, first hand, teach Wild At Heart. We'll be at Frontier Ranch - the YoungLife camp - in the Colorado mountains. The forecast is for snow. I can't wait. If you have read any of my posts where I reference Eldredge, you will know how in tune I am with what John is trying to teach.

My second adventure is deer hunting (and I hope later in the season, turkey hunting). I've bird hunted a lot but I've never hunted for deer. I love the outdoors and feel one with God when I am in the quiet of the woods. Deer hunting gives me a chance to spend some quality time early Saturday mornings alone with God.

I didn't grow up in a family that hunted. My father never hunted. Neither did my brothers. Yet, this is always something I longed to do. I wish my family owned land and I wish my father had been a hunter/fisherman who would have taught me about the sport growing up.

While that didn't happen, I decided last year to do this myself. I didn't want to get to the end of my life and say "you know, I wish I had hunted..." I'm setting out on the adventure - I'm "chasing the adventure". A great friend took me to Barrows to buy my rifle and scope. He sighted it in for me and got me set. I bought a nice stand from Cabelas and 2 weeks ago scouted the land I hunt on and found a great spot to plant my first stand. There are signs all around my stand of deer activity and I spooked a big one that day near my stand. I'm ready to go.

Who knows if this will stick with me. I might hunt this season and never hunt again but the important thing for me is that this is something I wanted to do and I am doing it. No one is showing me how, I'm just going to do it and I am looking forward to my mornings alone with God in the stand watching his sun come up and seeing the forest come to life. Let's hope I get a shot at a nice buck while I am at it!

Soar!

What is truth?
We are struggling with our school over the way they are teaching our kids. The work load is enormous - hours of homework and tests stacked one on top of the other. The school has significantly ramped up its pace in order to keep up with the other independent schools in the South. We've seen a disturbing trend in private education over the past few years. Schools are gearing themselves toward only the very brightest students. The push is on.

My wife and I wrestle with just what it is we want for our kids. We want our kids to be educated - but - we also want them taught values, character and integrity. We want them to work hard - but - we also want them to be kids. As a 10-year old, I remember coming home and playing in the woods, building forts, playing football and riding my bike. My 10-year old comes home eats a snack and does 1-2 hours of homework every single night. There is no play. There is no laughter. There is no downtime. There is no riding bikes with her friends. There is just school work.

Can't you see what is happening by just reading the above paragraph? The world is taking away, bit by bit, chunks of my daughter. A death by a 1,000 cuts. Is it any wonder our society is heading toward destruction? When a 10-year old is so stressed by her school load that she can't enjoy life itself? Jesus came to give us life. Life. And yet our world and our schools is slowing stripping life out of us.

The world is lying to us. The world haves us believe these things are important...Harvard, Yale, global competition, what the Indian children are doing, what the Japanese kids are being taught...if we don't run, if we don't push, our kids will fall behind. It's a LIE.

You know it is a lie when you fall into the trap and don't see a way out. I can't pull my kids out ... "what will everyone think?" or "what will they miss?" It's a lie because the schools are keeping up with the Joneses and the parents are following right along.

To boot, the school is teaching creationism and challenging kids by saying "you can't prove any of what you read in the bible whereas scientists can prove..."

The pros will tell you that advanced education is all about opening up the students mind. Challenging them to not accept the status quo - to reach and question their basic beliefs. It is about becoming "evolved". It is - in it's very basic sense - a lie.

Think about all the things we hear that go on in education today. God is stripped out. Harry Potter is being read. The occult is being studied. Godless teachers are telling children "you can't prove this..." Prayers are forbidden at school events. All in the name of "freeing" up the children to explore their beliefs. Freeing children up to "evolve". If you think about that...sounds a lot like what Satan whispered to Eve in the garden. "You don't need God...you need knowledge".

The world (satan) is lying to us. It is telling us "this is important". It flies in the face of God. Our kids are being taught/trained to go in another direction from God.

I am just coming to terms with what is going on around me and my kids and I don't like what I am seeing. More to come...

Teen Advisors
I had the honor to sit with members of the board of Teen Advisors yesterday to discuss the future of this wonderful ministry. I have previously served on the Board and they invited me back to "consult" with them on their future. We met for 2 hours and it was a great meeting. Men and women gathered around desperately seeking God's direction for this ministry.

Richard & DeeDee Stephens started this ministry 20 years ago. What a legacy! From a bunch of mothers sitting in a sandbox talking about how hard it is to raise kids to a ministry today that is reaching 300+ kids a year in Columbus area schools. Over 20 years, I'd guess that more than 5,000 kids have been touched in some way by TA. 5,000 kids! My 13-year old daughter was at Double Churches School this morning volunteering for Velocity (TA's ministry to the middle school). She witnessed and talked about peer pressure and standing firm in her beliefs. She is now counted as one of the ones touched by Richard & DeeDee's love.

This has been a labor of love for Richard & DeeDee. They have prayed, cried, sweated, anguished, trusted, leaned on, depended on and funded this ministry for 20 years. Richard is a successful businessman that has tithed from his business his money, time and love for TA. DeeDee is a mom that rolled up her sleeves and dreamed an impossible dream and made it happen. Most of us when our kids graduated and moved on, we would have moved on too. Not DeeDee. Her kids have been out of high school for a decade or more. She is grandmother 8 times over and is still in there fighting and sweating and loving for those kids. Our kids. My kid.

I feel most assured that the Lord is well pleased with how Richard & DeeDee have given so generously back to the Kingdom. What a sacrifice. What an example. What a labor and what a reward. 5,000 kids. Imagine the trickle down impact on 5,000 kids. Imagine the lives that have been saved. Imagine the good, solid marriages that are now in place because these kids got grounded and found the Lord through TA. Imagine the former TA's that are now teaching Sunday School, leading TA chapters, volunteering on YoungLife committees, raising their own kids in Godly homes and ministering in the workplace.

Man cannot quantify the impact. Only God knows. Again, I am sure He is well pleased.

So now, TA moves on. DeeDee is transitioning her Executive Director roll to Nick Cash. We sat and prayed with Nick and he wept because he realizes the big shoes he is about to fill. Please lift Nick up in your prayers.

Lastly, we talked about fundraising. It is hard for TA to raise money. Year after year, the budget is a challenge and a call to lean on God. We were struck by the realization that over the past 6-7 years - RiverCenter, CSU, Brookstone School, YMCA, PAWS, National Infantry Museum, the Library - that Columbus has raised more than $300 million for bricks and mortar ... building campaigns. $300 million. Yet, TA has a hard time raising $300,000 a year. People will give money to build buildings that in 100 years will be torn down.

TA builds lives. TA builds souls. TA is eternal and exponential in its impact.

Pray for Teen Advisors. Lift the ministry up and Nick Cash up and pray that eyes and ears and hearts will be opened across the city to meet TA's needs.