Every Step I Take…

In my fast track through the Bible that I recently began, attempting (I said attempting, now!) to read the entire thing in 90 days, I am finding it both refreshing and amazing at the what I am picking up along the way. I haven't really come across things I've never seen, but I am being wonderfully reminded of many truths I've known for years, yet somehow ended up in the dusty reaches of my mind. Sure, from time to time, as situations would warrant, those truths would come out, but they aren't things that I'd thought and meditated on, at least not on any regular basis. Suddenly, the joy of God's Word, the pull of His Spirit, and the growth that results are overwhelming me. I love to pull out the truth of God's word, and get it into my heart.

One of those times came this morning as I read of the patriarch Jacob, and his mad dash out of Caanan, running as far from his brother that he had cheated as he could. As he made the journey to the far Haran, to his uncle Laban's house, he had a powerful encounter with the Lord as he slept. He saw a ladder that spanned from heaven down to earth. On that ladder, Jacob saw angels going up and down on it. The the Lord spoke to him, and promised to him the same thing that he had promised to his Dad, Isaac, and his grandfather before that, Abraham. He said that he would give him the land on which he was sleeping, the land of Caanan. He promised that his descendents would be innumerable, and that through him, the families of the earth would be blessed. And then God told Jacob what has stuck with me all day long now:

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land…" (Gen. 28:15)

That is the part that gets me. When I read about the life of this man called Jacob, I am not reading a lot that says he was a man of faith that always made God happy. In fact, Jacob spent much of his life scheming, lying nd cheating to get his way. That was why he was on the run from his brother, Esau. Yet, in spite of his mistakes, his plans, and his scheming ways, God was with him! Even though he messed up royally, God didn't give up on the plans He had for this man. Friends, that is a comfort to me. I may not be a cheat, but let me be honest. There are times I let my own ideas get In God's way. There are times that my worries push me to lean on my own understanding to fix my messes. That is a big no-no, when one considers that the Scripture teaches that we are to trust in God, and not trust our natural understanding above God (Prov. 3). Yet, as much as I've messed things up, God is still directing my steps and making me that man He's called me to be. What does the New Testament say? "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28) That means to me that God isn't afraid of my mistakes. He doesn't wash His Hands of me when I fail. He picks me up, dusts me off, and uses that experience to mold me. Friends, God isn't joking when He tells us this precious truth. How amazing and how deep is His love and grace for us!

Now, I know that God isn't trying to bring us into a physical piece of real estate as He was with Jacob. The Lord Jesus has place of promise for us, though. He has a destiny for us. He alone sees the final picture of what we are to become. So let Him work out His will in your life through this time of testing. It may be painful now, but the time will come later on when you will look back and be thankful for what you've endured. Once you've passed through, you will be able to say with confidence, "It was worth it all!"

God bless!

Burnout

Have you ever had a really, really bad day? I know, that's like asking if you've ever been bitten by a mosquito or had a flat tire. We've all had days we wish never happened. I had one of those days this past Sunday. We had just come out of a string of revival meetings in which I had to play guitar every night. As a guitarist, you'd think I'd be thrilled to play that much. And I do love to play. But, once the revival closed out, I didn't touch my Strat but for a few minutes on day. I just got burned out. You'd think that after a few days respite I'd be ready to rock once church rolled (no pun intended-for real!) around Sunday morning. (I love being able say I'm gonna rock in church!) But this time I wasn't. It was evident, at least to my ears and fingers that I was still vegetating in the funk from pouring out and pouring out. I was off my game, and I just didn't want to be up there. That's how it was all day long. Even last night was tough. I made myself pull the guitar out and practice. I put my iPod on and pulled up a practice track on it. Nothing I played sounded right. My guitar didn't feel right. I just wanted to give up. But it was me. I was in a down time, a period where I was still coming out of some discouragement. Even though I wanted to give in and just watch TV, I needed to keep on pressing forward. And tonight, I plan on continuing that. I need to press on. You see, music in a real sense is part of my job. When I had to constantly do it as work, it burns me out. I needed to take time and get back to why I play music, even though it was somewhat painful. I play music because I love music.

We get that way in all areas of life. We spend and spend and spend, whether it's for work, ministry and even family. We need to take time to ourselves just to get recharged. If I've had a long day taking care of sick kids and keeping the well ones on task with homework and chores, I need to have some time to get away from the rush and clear my mind. I need to relax. I have a tough job in ministry that not many folks are lining up for. Keeping the books isn't very fun, and it can be intensely stressful at times. When I come home (often late), I want to forget numbers, checks and payroll and melt on the couch. I need recharging. And in ministry, I need that time that I can get alone with God, not waiting on cell phones and church needs. I need to simply get in prayer, soak the presence of God up, and let Him fill me. You'd think that in a revival, I'd be able to do that nightly, but when you are pouring out, it isn't easy to do that. Sometimes pastors really need revival after coming out of revival!

That time for me began Sunday night. I had some good time alone with the Lord at the altar. I am getting my battery recharged. And I need to remember why I follow the Lord. It isn't so I can do ministry. I love Jesus, and I want to spend time with Him. He's my savior. I do ministry because the love that I have for Him compels me to reach out to others. (And for that call I can't escape from.) My relationship with the Lord is not one and the same with ministry. But ministry flows from that relationship. Simply put, when I pour out of myself, like any old pitcher, I need to be filled back up if I am to be of any use. I let myself get poured out dry. I am now refilling.

This isn't the deepest message today. But I pray that it is just what you need. And it's the first blog in forever. But keep surfing over, friends. I'll do my best to have something here for you all.

God bless!

Sometimes I Just Need Daddy

A month or so back, my wife and I found out about a local football and cheerleader organization here in Lakeland, called the Lakeland Saints. They run football teams from ages 4 to 14. My boy, Timmy, who is 5 ½, has shown interest in football, so we signed him up for flag football. His first practice was this Monday, and he did great. The coach had them running, and got them familiar with blocking. It was a proud moment for me when I watched Timmy turn into a brick wall blocking another boy! Yesterday, they practiced running with the ball, then receiving. Timmy did great catching passes from the coach, even throwing the ball back. It was shaping out to be a great practice.

That's when it kind of turned around on the poor kid. The coaches lined them up in formation, and they got to run plays, going after the kid with the ball. They block and are really physical during these drills. Well, Timmy got caught off guard, and was run over by another kid. Shaken, he got up, and I saw immediately that he was upset. He saw me, and made a bee-line for me, tears flowing. He clutched on to me, and wouldn't let go for anything. He said he hurt his leg, and was so shaken that he didn't want to go back out on the field. It tore me up inside to take him back out there, but how else can he learn if he doesn't try again? Fortunately, practice was nearing its end, and we soon headed home. Before we left, the coach talked with him about remembering to block, and Timmy was ready to go for the next practice, which happens to be tomorrow.

Timmy will learn of the years that life doesn't get any easier. Today it may be a lineman knocking him down, but later on it will be something else. I've had some real experience in that lately. I've found myself under stress these past couple weeks that's been nearly crippling. I was at the point that I dreaded getting up in the morning. While I had to press on, I admit that I did what Timmy did yesterday. I ran to my Daddy. More specifically, I ran to my heavenly Father, or as Jesus told us to call him, Abba. That's Aramaic for daddy. It was an intimate word that a Hebrew child used when he talked with his father. Last week, having been knocked on my rear, I found myself running to the sidelines of life, crying out for God to cradle me and somehow, make everything better. While God didn't change the circumstances, His loving touch on me did give me the strength to carry on. I just needed my Daddy.

Running to Daddy is one secret God's men and women throughout the scriptures have employed throughout time. Abraham did when he was told to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Jacob did when he was facing the brother he cheated years before. Moses did when the nation cried against him. David did when raiders burned his town down and ran off with his and his men's families. Elijah did when the fear of Jezebel had crippled him. And Jesus did in the garden, just before He went to the cross. Friends, if all these found comfort in "the God of all comfort", how much more should we? We have a promise that whenever we need His grace, we can boldly come get it. Jesus is "touched with the feelings of our infirmities". He understands what we endure, and He is ready to give us the comfort and grace we need. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). The Lord is waiting, friends. He is ready to hold you in His Arms and give you the comfort and the strength to press on.

Sometimes, we just need our Daddy.

That Out-Of-Place Feeling

For the past month or so, I've have been making a concerted effort to get in better shape. As a pastor, I know stress that many people don't face. I don't just deal with my own issues; I've got other people to help, too. All a minister has to handle can take a great toll on him. That is why so many defect from ministry and work secular jobs. That's also why many are overweight, out-of-shape, or have health issues. Knowing that before I go into the senior pastorate, I felt I needed to do something about my health.

I had been going to work out in my townhouse's little gym of universal machines three days a week. Then one of the other pastors here at the church got a deal at a local gym for staff members to work out for free. I was stoked when I got my card. So, on Monday of this week, I ventured for the first time since high school into a real exercise place, with tons of free weights, Hammer Strength Machines, and every other piece of equipment under the sun. You should have seen me. I looked lost when I first darkened that door. I didn't know where to begin! I think I spent the better part of 2 hours working out, using equipment I'd never even seen before! But the thing I quickly noticed when I got there was that of all the guys there working out, I was decidedly one of the small ones. I thought I stumbled onto an ESPN weight training competition! Bulging biceps, protruding pectorals, and colossal calf muscles abounded. I'm not a small guy. I've seen some definite change in strength and definition in the past month. I do have some muscle hidden somewhere under a protective layer of blubber. I know how to lift. But I felt so out-of-place! With all those monstrous, gargantuan men, I think even Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been somewhat self-conscious!

I know I've written several times on a guy named Mephibosheth. I don't want to beat it into the ground, but it's such a beautiful picture of the grace of God toward us. Here was a young man who was born royalty. He was the grandson of the late King Saul, Israel's first king. When his dad and granddad were killed in battle, Mephibosheth's nanny took him and ran. The custom in those times was for the incoming king to kill off any possible heirs to the throne, protecting their position. So the nanny took the small boy and fled. Somehow, Mephibosheth ended up a cripple, unable to get around without assistance. His legs were useless. Some years later, when he had grown up, King David was reminded of a covenant he had made with his best friend, who just happened to be Mephibosheth's dad, Jonathan. The promise was that whoever died first, the other would care for his family. David found out about Jonathan's son, and he sent for him. He was living in destitution, a place called Lo-Debar. I've said before, it meant a "place of no pasture". It was desolate, dry, and depressing. Imagine what Mephibosheth must have thought when he saw a royal guard arrive at his house. Whatever happened, he was taken to Jerusalem, and there he met the king face to face. David dropped on him the news that he was going to be taken care of, because he made a promise to his daddy. "You shall eat at my table continually!" David declared. All he could do was bow to the ground and say, in essence, "Why me? Who am I, King? I'm nothing, and you are making me royalty!"

I imagine what Mephibosheth felt that day was somewhat similar, but hundreds of times great than I have felt this week at the gym. Every time he pulled up to the table, I wonder if he looked under the tablecloth. Why would he do that? To serve as a reminder to him that he didn't get to that royal feast under his own strength. He had to be helped there. Someone had to pick him up and carry him. There were no wheelchairs back then. If you were crippled, you had to have a hand to do anything or go anywhere. Mephibosheth simply could not have made it to that table under his own strength. Certainly he had to feel out-of-place, sitting with the King and his sons. But the neat thing was that just as David's sons had certain rights, so now did Mephibosheth. David in a sense adopted him, and gave him his royalty back.

When I look at how I've lived my life before Christ came along, I have to say, I feel out-of-place. I was not worthy of the sacrifice Jesus made for me. But He died on that cross for me anyway, and welcomed me into His presence. He forgave my sins, and He gave me eternal life. Friends, not one of us could ever do that on our own. Not one of us could ever do anything to bring about our salvation. It was all an act of God's grace. So when I go into His presence, though I go boldly, I have to "look under the table". I was a cripple spiritually, unable to save myself. It was the grace of Christ alone that saved me. If it weren't for Jesus, I'd be nowhere, friends. I'm glad for that out-of-place feeling. It is a constant reminder that I may not have belonged, I couldn't get there myself. But by the King's grace and mercy, here I am!

God bless!

Staying Connected

Something unusual happened today. I found myself sitting at my desk, and decided to take an email break from what I was doing. Normally, I get emails from my dad in Michigan all the time. Most recent was the photos he took at the Chelsea, MI Tax Day Tea Party. But today, I found a Facebook friend request from him. Not that friend requests are an uncommon event for me, I've been a Facebook subscriber for over a year. I get them constantly. It was funny to see that my dad had found the Facebook site at all. He is still learning how to use his new laptop! Before that, computers to him were cutting edge with the old Apple IIGS, 25 years ago. (If you read this, dad, just having some fun. I'll send you lots of meaningless applications for your FB page, like Retro Arcade games. Nothing like the original Pac-Man!)

The request set me off on a FB spree. I found my uncle, my aunt, a couple cousins, and even my grandmother! If I thought I had a lot of friends on that site before, they are coming out of the woodwork now. I hear somewhere out there, my mom has a page, too. I'll search her out soon enough. I like Facebook because it really connects old friends and family like nothing else. Not even Myspace comes close to the impact FB is having in this area. And, most of my friends and family are far away, out of state. Now I have one more way to staying in touch with those that mean so much to me. And I can send them cool pictures of Starbucks coffee, too!

When you think about all the ways we have today to connect, it can boggle the mind. We have instant messaging, email, cell phones, Myspace, Twitter, blogs and Facebook. But, let me take this and give you a mini-sermon. While it's great to connect with the people in our lives, we need to remember that we have a Savior who wants to stay in contact with us, too. With all the voices and things (even, dare I say, Facebook!) in the world that clamor for our attention, it can be extremely easy for us to forget that. I haven't even mentioned the worries, the stressors, and the cares of life, either. It's like a tug-of-war match is going on, and we are the rope!

I'm reminded of a church the resurrected Lord Jesus scolded in Revelation 3:14-22. It was the Christian Church in a wealthy city called Laodicea, in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). These folks had money, they had security, they had expensive clothing. They lacked nothing material. But the Lord saw something that did lack. They didn't see that they had grown distant in their faith, and lost the passion that they once had for the Lord Jesus. They were blessed with wealth, and that wealth distracted them from the One who gives us "every good and perfect gift". Though they were rich in cash, they didn't realize that the Lord saw them as impoverished. Though they had designer threads, they lacked the righteous threads that only Jesus Christ could give them. They had let the tangible things they possessed rob them of their deep, spiritual fellowship with their Savior. Read what Jesus said to them:

"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and with me." Rev. 3:19-20

Back then, people got together around the dinner table. Food played a big part in fellowship. What Jesus was saying to them was "Hey, guys, I miss your fellowship! But I never left you, you did. I'm outside the door of your heart, and I'm knocking loudly. I want that relationship back!" Friends, you hear Him "knocking", don't you? You can sense in your spirit that you aren't where you need to be with God. Do you feel something tugging on your heart strings, beckoning you back to the Savior who died for you? Don't pretend you can't hear Him, and don't turn the distractions up over the sound of the pounding. He desires to have that prime spot in your life. No, He desires to be your life!

A Lesson from Brownies

**This was inspired by a message from Pastor Tim Dilena.

I have a secret that many guys would have a tough time admitting. Funny, I usually end up doing at night when not many can see it. Now, don't let your minds wander and think, "This preacher has some dirty secret!". No, I'm addicted to anything illicit, or even take part in such things. You see, I love to bake! I've been doing it for a couple years now, and I have to say, I am getting some kudos from my wife and kids. In fact, as I type this, the smell of fresh brownies lingers in the air. Mmmm...!

Last night, I made a batch, only to mess up and place the pan on a burner I forgot to turn off when I melted the butter. What a Homer Simpson "Doh!" moment when I swore an hour after baking them that I could smell them burning! One whole batch, charred and tossed out like moldy cheese. So, this afternoon, I took my culinary skills out in the daylight and baked a fresh, homemade batch. (And a store-bought batch of walnut brownies for the Mrs.)

When you are just buying a box of brownie mix at the local Kroger (or Publix or Meijer's), it's easy to forget the steps that go into really baking brownies. Rather than dump a bag of mix into a bowl, and adding some water, eggs and oil, I actually have to go through a process. I have to measure out the flour. Then there is adding the sugar, the cocoa, eggs and vanilla. Mix them together, add some heat, and viola! You have some kicking brownies. Likewise, God takes us through various processes as He makes us the people He's called us to be.

My kids constantly want to lick the mixer and spoons. Yours do to, heck, you probably do, too! But have you ever had someone come into the kitchen and ask to lick the measuring cup clean after adding flour? Or begged to slurp down a raw egg? How about scooping down spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa? My guess is no. Who wants to eat those nasty things? I sure do love to have a spoonful of sugar, though. Likewise, we'd love to have nothing but good in life as Christians, don't we? Yet, the Lord uses the good and the bad to mold us into His image. We have to endure the flour and the bitter cocoa, and the slimy eggs, along with the sugar. Some pleasant, some not so pleasant, but all necessary for the finished product.

When this life is done, and we are forever in the Lord's presence, will be perfected. Not underdone, not overdone, just right in His image. I'm reminded of what happened when Solomon was having the Temple built. The stones for the building needed to be cut out, but when they were chiseled, it didn't happen on site in Jerusalem. The Bible says that they were cut and shaped while still at the rock quarry, so that the sound of the hammer was not heard in the actual construction. In other words, the rocks arrived ready for the presence of God. In this life, we have our troubles and our joys that all shape us. God is chiseling away the junk, to reveal the living stones (1 Pet. 2:5) that we are. When the time comes to stand in His Holy presence, we will be complete! "He who began a good work in you shall complete it by the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)

God bless, and have a great Sunday!

It’s The Little Things…

Every day I deal with it. Life, that is. It seems to come at us from all sides, doesn't it? If it isn't the rent money being gone, it's the car breaking down. Life always seems to randomly toss out blows like a blind boxer. I remember several months back, as I was driving into Lakeland from Davenport, the van suddenly died on me. There I was, in the middle lane of I-4, in morning rush hour traffic. I had cars and a couple semi trucks surrounding me. I managed to coast the van over and stopped just about halfway to town. With 3 of the kids with me, I called my wife, and then called Pastor Johnny for a ride. Then I called the insurance company to arrange a tow. Finally, very late, I got the kids to class, and I got started on my day. It was indeed a frustrating time.

Yet, through it all I didn't lose my cool. I managed to stay calm, even after hearing the price for repair (well over $1400). The funny thing is, I can have something huge like that hit me, and I cope. Yet, when something small happens, I can go off the deep end. I can manage the car repair, but don't you dare spill the apple juice! To my shame, I've let too many juice and milk incidents rob my peace as I blew up at the offender, only to feel like a pile of poop. (Good thing my kids are resilient.) In reality, the problem I had was letting life's blows chip away and sweeping the frustrations under the rug, thinking I'd dealt with it. The small juice spills and artwork on the wall was simply the straw the broke the camel's back.

As I read through the book of 1 Samuel the other day, I came across a familiar story for any serious Bible student. That would be the encounter David had with a man called Nabal. This guy was one rich homeboy. He apparently had quite a spread. He had dozens of servants, and shepherds tending to his flocks and herds. He also had good taste in women, because the Bible says his wife, Abigail, was a knockout. She had brains on top of beauty, too. (Funny how so many ladies who could have the best fish in the sea end up with bottom-feeders-just continue reading!) David had his men, some 600 guys with him. They saw this man's flocks and shepherds, and when they could have picked the shepherds off and ate the sheep, they protected them. The shepherds themselves testified that David's men were a wall around them. So, with a feast approaching, David sent to ask Nabal (whose name means "foolish"-just an FYI) if he could spare from his immensely huge supply of goods for he and his people. David was met with scorn and vitriol from Nabal. "Nabal answered David's servants, 'Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?'" What a guy, eh? Who cares if your possessions were protected because of this guy David. What happened next was really a little piece of straw busting the camel's back. David had a conniption over Nabal's response. He commanded his men to strap on their swords, and off they went to utterly obliterate all belonging to Nabal. Only when the foolish man's servant saw what was coming did God intervene by sending Nabal's smart wife to pacify David. He relented, and soon God took care of Nabal.

The funny thing to me is that while David exploded over the Nabal thing, he was literally on the run from the king of Israel, Saul. He was being hunted down like a deer in the woods, Saul trying desperately to kill David out of his raging jealousy. David spent years running, sleeping in caves, and hiding out with the Philistines and Moabites for protection. If anything should have pushed him over the edge, it should have been that. But when Saul's murderous intentions failed to set him off, it was Nabal's petty insult that did.

David was a man who knew the comfort of God. God was gracious and merciful to him while he was on the run. More than a few times, God kept Saul from reaching David. And even while running, David knew to praise and worship his Creator, who was keeping him. In fact, the heading of Psalm 57, one of David's psalms, tells that he was hiding in a cave from the raging king. In that psalm David praises the One who alone could save him, even while danger was hunting him down. "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." (vs. 1). I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness." (vs. 2-3)

Did you notice that odd word in the third verse? Selah. It means to stop and think. Take in what you just read. David apparently did not do a "selah" in this situation. He knew the One had his back. And even then, he let something small drive him over the edge. Man, how many times have I been guilty of that? I know the Lord has my good in mind. Yet, when it comes down to it, it's so easy to forget and freak out and sweat the small stuff.

What's on your back today? Ask the Lord to help you with it, because tomorrow it'll be something different. It may be a lot smaller, but it could be the straw that broke the camel's back. Don't let the little things get you. But give the big things to the Lord who sees you through. Believe me, friends, it adds up.

God bless!