Friday, December 28, 2012

Too Long

It has been way too long since my last post. I have found it a challenge to keep up my blog since I am working at a new job and can't always write and when I get home, I am often drained of energy.

But today I am writing and I hope to get back to it on a regular basis.

I've been meeting with a group of guys for Bible study on Friday mornings for the past few weeks. Out of the four guys who were already meeting, I only knew one. It has been good to make new acquaintances and to engage in biblical matters. The main discussion today was on Jesus.

I have realized that what we believe about Jesus, his Deity, his pre-existence, his sinless birth and life and his resurrection will be foundational for all other matters of faith. If we get Jesus wrong, everything else will be skewed and will not allow us to see Jesus for who he really is - The Christ, the Son of the Living God.

I hope to go deeper in this subject in future writings so I hope you will check back often. In the meantime, don't ask "who is Jesus to me?" but rather ask "who is Jesus?".

Happy New Year!!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Let's Be Thankful

In Luke 17 we find an encounter that Jesus has with ten lepers. These men, who have been separated from life and their families, see Jesus and begin to cry aloud for Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus stops and tells them to go show themselves to the priest. As they are going the all experience total and complete cleansing.
What I like about this story is that it really reflects all of us. Before we came to know Christ as Savior and Lord, we were like these guys. We were separated and without hope. Then Jesus comes along and we recognize that we are in desperate need for healing from our sin. The Bible teaches, from Ephesians 2, that we were dead in our sins and trespasses. So, we encounter Jesus and He saves us and cleanses us..
The response in Luke 17 to what Jesus did, was mostly no response except for one. The nine just kept going to the priest and did not thank or worship at the feet of Jesus. But one did. A Samaritan foreigner. We often neglect to thank and praise the Lord for all that He has done.
May we not be like the nine who experienced cleansing and neglected to give thanks but rather be like the one who recognized what the Lord Jesus has done and fall at the feet of Jesus and worship Him.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Life is a Journey

It has been some time since I last had a post. I apologize for that. Life has had me on a journey I never thought I would take. But it is one that I cannot change. I have also sought and desired to make wise decisions; ones that would bring glory to God. Sadly, that has not always been the case. I am thankful for God's graciousness towards me and His patience.

One this journey, I have learned or maybe better yet been reminded that all the glory belongs to God. No matter the situation, job, or place of ministry, God deserves the glory. Life isn't about what we do; it's about  how we handle things or react to things. It's about character and reflecting the Son in our life. It's about looking beyond the mundane or the tasks that lay before us and seeing the purpose of God and the avenue with which to bring God glory.

Serve God where you are with the giftedness He has given you and seek to bring glory to God.

I hope to be more faithful at sharing my journey with you. I still believe that things come to pass and I hope that my journey will encourage you on yours.

Take care

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Something New

Over the past few weeks I have been on quite a journey. Having just moved back from Springfield to Salina, I was blessed to gain employment at a local dealer in outdoor power equipment. Then about a month later, I was blessed to be offered another job. This new job deals with wholesale plumbing and HVAC systems and supplies. Now the ironic thing about these jobs is that I had and have no prior experience or real knowledge with either industry. After spending so much of my life involved in local church ministry, it is challenging learning new things but rewarding at the same time.

One of the things that I have learned, in all this, is that the Lord can and does use me wherever I may be. Ministry is not limited to the local church. Ministry is in and through the church and it is in the marketplace. It is at school and at home. It is at the mall and all places we do business. I think I have had this perspective for some time but with the recent changes in my employment, this reality has become even more clear and is in better focus. So, let us never think that what we do 8 to 5 or everyday is just work or a waste of time. As followers of Jesus Christ, our life is buried in His. It is His life that is living through us in all and every situation and that makes what do important and valuable.
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Take care

Thursday, May 24, 2012

A Fresh Breath

Over the past few days I have been reading through Ezekiel 37. It is the account of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones. It is a wonderful account of God demonstrating His power and sovereignty over His creation.
Through the prophet, speaking the words of God, the valley of bones come together. Not only do they come together but God puts sinews and flesh on the rejoined bones. But with all that, they are still dead until God sends His breath upon them. Then they become the living army that they once were. The life is in the breath of God.
There may be times in our life when we feel dry and distant from God. We struggle to spend time with God or the challenges of life get to us and we neglect the fellowship with Him by not praying or reading His word. Then God speaks and interrupts our dryness and sends His Spirit and revives us and restores us. The fresh breath of God changes our lives.
I long for the continual Spirit's work in my life. I realize that without God's sustaining power through His spoken word and the continual filling of the Spirit of God, I will become dry and lifeless. We need to keep in His word and we need to pray daily. These disciplines will aid us in knowing God and help us to not become dry and lifeless in our walk with Him.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Take the Good with the "Bad"

If your life is similar to mine, there are good days and then there are days that are not so good. I find myself despising the bad days and yet I must remember that both will come. I need to appreciate the good days and learn from the bad days; easier said than done!

There is this struggle to keep everything in perspective. Not everyday will be a good day. The days of sunshine and cool breezes can and will be replaced by dark clouds and rain and sometimes violent wind. In the midst of both days, God is present. He is the creator of all things and has set nature in it's course.

When the good days come, praise Him! When the bad days come, praise Him!

Friday, April 20, 2012

A Twist in the Road

Over the past few months, we have gone through quite a transition. We moved from our home of 15 years to a new but familiar area of the country in hopes of new adventures and maybe a "fresh" start. What we have discovered is that God granted us this move to help teach us faith, trust and that we are desperately in need of him for power, strength and mercy. So, this time has not been wasted at all and has served us well.

With that said, we are now in the process of moving back to our home. I still have no idea on what is next but we know that what we had in family and friends was and are valuable to us. I believe we needed this time to regroup, retool and realign ourselves to God and each other. We had lived in one place so long and had developed some routines and mind set that were not the best, maybe even wrong and selfish.

I have gained a new insight into the human condition and have dealt with my own sin and struggled to trust God. There are many who have gone through that struggle and are now in the midst of the struggle that I really had no idea what it was like. I took my faith and whatever biblical understanding I had for granted and trusted more in the outer practice than I did in the inner relationship we need to grow in our faith. Though unintentional, I had made life about the "appearance" and struggled with really being genuine. I truly regret that part of my life and am learning to live the crucified life.

So, as we take this "twist" in the road, I do understand that nothing takes God by surprise. I may be a little shocked on the twist but God is not. A scripture passage from Romans 8:28 has become a life verse for me and one that I have trusted in whole-heartedly. It states "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose".

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Something I've Noticed

In the family room of my in-laws home there is a wood burning stove. Every house my father-in-law has lived in, there has been a wood burning stove. When we would come and visit, during the colder months, the stove would be loaded with wood and burning hot. I never paid much attention to it and how it worked.

Since we moved to Springfield in January, I have had to learn how to "operate" the wood burning stove. On the stove are two adjustments for air intake and there is an electric fan/blower to move the heat out of the stove. Depending on the air intake settings, the fire will either have great flame or no flame but greater heat. Sometimes the fire seems to be out altoghter but something I've noticed is that when I open the door to the stove and the sudden rush of air makes the embers really come alive and all of sudden the flames are large and consuming the wood more rapidly.

Very simply, we need the Spirit of God in order to burn hot for His glory and honor. If we, through sin and disobedience, limit the influence of the Spirit of God in our lives, we will not be the followers of Christ God intends. The longer we don't let the air in, i.e. the Spirit of God, we will become cold and useless. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (emphasis added)

We need to allow the Spirit of God to "stir us up" and "rekindle" the fire of serving God with the giftedness we have as followers of Christ. This is a daily discipline to add new fuel (wood) to our lives. We must be completely dependent upon God to work and do what it is He does. We must fall in love with Jesus and "remember our first love" and not grow cold but burn hot with fire for God.

Prayer, Bible reading, meditating on the Word of God, serving, loving, demonstrating the power of God in your life are important disciplines we need to keep the fire burning.

Monday, March 5, 2012

What Was I Thinking

"What was I thinking?" I wonder how many times that phrase has been uttered by us humans? I am sure countless. We ask this rhetorical question following something we should have not done or following after we have eaten something we know we shouldn't have.

Where does this question lead us? Do we change and determine never to do the same inappropriate thing again or is it just a casual, fleeting regret? I wonder if Adam and Eve ever asked this question or if Sampson asked this question following giving up the secret to his strength? What about Jonah when he was in the belly of the whale for three days and nights?

The reality is that we don't have to wonder about these famous bible character's thoughts very long because we have sinned and then, whether internally or verbally, have shouted "what was I thinking!?!" When we worry or we are rude or we get angry or when we use hurtful words or fail to show compassion or _____________ (fill in the blank with whatever you have done that was contrary to the will and character of God).

What is the proper response to our sin? Paul states in 2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly grief (sorrow over sin) produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief (just simple regret) produces death." Our response to agree with God about our sin and then to confess it leads to forgiveness and cleansing. 1 John 1:9 states "If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

When we have those moments and say to our self "what was I thinking?" may we quickly come to our senses and turn back to the Lord, confess our sin and then receive his forgiveness and cleansing.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Beat Goes On

It has been awhile since I last posted. We are still in the midst of searching for employment and adjusting to new surroundings. God is faithful and He continues to sustain us and provide for us during this time.

One of the good things that is happening is that I have been able to spend time with Shelly and Kara. They may be getting tired of me being around so much but it is still good to be here with them. The other benefit of this time is that we are getting an opportunity to visit a variety of churches. Having been involved in direct leadership in church ministry for so long, this time has been good so that I might get a new perspective on church life and specifically on worship services. We have gone to churches that were very liturgical in their music style to a church that had a concert feel during the singing and a smoke machine. The lyrics to the songs were biblical and were helpful but the styles have been extremely different.

This has been a reminder that the worship of God is not dependent on musical style but on truth. Scripture is clear when Jesus told the woman at the well that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth.

So the beat goes on and we continue to follow the Lord and seek to honor Him in all things. We seek to surrender each day to His leadership, die to self and let His life live through us.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

And it Continues

We have made our move to Springfield and are getting settled in and adjusting to a new city. I thought about this time in our lives as a new beginning and I guess in some regards it is. But in reality it is a continuation of what God started years ago. This is a new place with new opportunities but it is still the same life and the same God who is in control.

The one thing that I have realized and valued, over the past couple of years, is the meaning of one day at a time. I can get overwhelmed pretty easy but these past experiences have taught me to just relax and take things as they come. We are given one day at a time and we need to live one day at a time. If we don't, we begin to look too far down the road and begin to think of things that probably won't happen.

Jesus taught that we need to take care of each day as it comes and not worry about tomorrow because today has enough trouble of it's own. I am grateful for the Word of God and all that it teaches us.

No matter what you face today, remember to take it one day at a time and rest in the Lord.