I'm proud to say I didn't watch a minute of yesterday's NFL playoff games or a second of today's presidential inauguration. Please don't misunderstand I'm not against either of those things (in fact I love football and pray for the president often) it's just been a wonderfully busy couple of days. To our society both are of paramount importance but just how important should they be to a Christian?
I've been seeing a lot of people ranting and raving about a great number of things on Facebook, TV, websites and the list goes on. They're all so passionate about worthwhile causes I think they lose sight of the MOST important thing, obeying the Lord!
Jesus didn't spend His time complaining about the Roman Government. Paul used sports as a metaphor but he wasn't obsessed with it. Some blast the church endlessly for the watered down preaching and the seeker friendly formats and although the Gospels did address this in part it was a very small part of the message.
In Mark the tenth chapter Jesus was met by a man who wanted top know what he could do to inherit eternal life. The Lord gave him the short list of stereotyped good behavior and when the man heard those things he said "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was a boy." the Word of God says "Jesus looked at him and loved him. He told him 'You're still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!'"
The one thing he lacked wasn't a heart for the poor. I believe he didn't have his heart centered on doing what the Father wanted him to. He was religious while being distracted with wealth in the same way I believe so many are distracted with their worthy causes today.
Sam Austin, one of my all time favorite evangelists made a valid point I will use for an example. A lot of Christians argue their view of the tribulation., Some say the church will be raptured out before so they are pre-tribulationists. Others say the rapture will happen after so they are post-tribulationists. Sam says is such an argument he is a pan-tribulationist because he believes it will all "pan out."
We are too distracted by our fears for this nations future. We make idols of sports and athletes. We complain about the church so much we lose the effectiveness we still possess. We need people who love and believe in God so much they trust Him and obey as He leads without making a sideshow of all the other things in our lives. I often say I don't know what tomorrow holds but I know who holds tomorrow. It's more than a cliche it's a pronouncement of FAITH!
I'm not worried about the president, gun control, or even the persecution of the church I believe God is in control and I will serve Him no matter what politicians say or what is considered popular. Sports are fun but they are just games the same as we play at home or with friends. Instead of bashing the church publicly and weakening it's witness even more why don't we obey the word and fix it from the inside?
I know some would say I'm burying my head in the sand about these issues and I would reply you must not have heard me preach recently. I do not back away from these issues but I also would rather praise the light than curse the darkness. How many people have all the griping and complaining, the doom and the gloom rants on the web brought to the cross of Jesus Christ? Very few I'd bet. I believe we need to show the way.
I could quote you a ton of scriptures here about why such behaviors are foolish and you probably already know them so I instead will close with a favorite of faith.
Philippians 1:3-6 "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"
The Lord started us on this journey and if we will not get distracted we can lift up the name of Jesus so that all men can be drawn to Him. That's hard to do when our words are full of bile. Lift HIM up friends and watch how He will take care of the issues.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember YOU ARE LOVED!
Simply Beautiful
Every night has a New Day Coming
Monday, January 21, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Absolutely NO Point to this one
Tonight, for the first time in about 15 years I played real basketball. At our church (Rocky Branch Assembly of God in Farmerville, LA) we started a 40+ Basketball league. For this first get together it was more of a fellowship as we had just a handful of men show up. The target group is men who are over the age of 40 or have a waist of over 40 and needing exercise. WHAT was I thinking?!? We played just two games, split the outcome, and worked up a good sweat with multiple breaks. It was fun but since I'm already sore I fear what the next day or two might bring. "Groooooaaaan"
My son recently bought a pint size, individual ice cream maker. In less than 10 minutes you can have authentic home made ice cream - whatever flavor you desire. I think the devil created this machine.
I'm SO crazy about my wife, SO very proud of my kids, and love, love, love our home cooked meals around the dining table. Recently one of the wonderful couples in our awesome church gave us a lot of fresh deer meat and we are enjoying this flavorful, steroid-less and hormone free food. I've never been a hunter but I was also raised that hunting was a-ok. Thank you Lord for this blessing to our home!
As my first Louisiana winter is half over I have come to the conclusion that it's a cupcake. Wimp.
I'm very thankful I've never been tempted by alcohol. My (admittedly limited) experience with people who are intoxicated is it seems to magnify the worst parts of their personality. Considering this and how I'm rarely happy with myself I fear I'd be a real jerk.
Soon they're coming out with Iron man 3, Thor 2, and there's another Captain America movie in the works. I say "So what? Bring on the green guy, I want more of the Incredible Hulk!"
One last rambling. I am one of those rare men who has a wife for his best friend. There is no one I'd rather spend my time with than my wonderful bride of almost 18 years. I remember our first date, where we first held hands, where we first kissed and my greatest regret is that I didn't marry her sooner. I said there was no point to this blog entry but here's one for free: To lie down each night with the first person you want to see when you wake up is a blessing so wonderful it had to be from God. Whatever you have to do, work to make your relationship with your spouse like that. Because I love her and know she loves me I can trust her, I cherish her prayers above all others, and I would give my life to protect her. My point is I am aware of how the Lord must love me to send this wonderful girl into my life. I pray you have someone like that.
Now I'm going to go eat some ice cream to chill the burning sensation in my arms and legs from basketball. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember YOU ARE LOVED!
My son recently bought a pint size, individual ice cream maker. In less than 10 minutes you can have authentic home made ice cream - whatever flavor you desire. I think the devil created this machine.
I'm SO crazy about my wife, SO very proud of my kids, and love, love, love our home cooked meals around the dining table. Recently one of the wonderful couples in our awesome church gave us a lot of fresh deer meat and we are enjoying this flavorful, steroid-less and hormone free food. I've never been a hunter but I was also raised that hunting was a-ok. Thank you Lord for this blessing to our home!
As my first Louisiana winter is half over I have come to the conclusion that it's a cupcake. Wimp.
I'm very thankful I've never been tempted by alcohol. My (admittedly limited) experience with people who are intoxicated is it seems to magnify the worst parts of their personality. Considering this and how I'm rarely happy with myself I fear I'd be a real jerk.
Soon they're coming out with Iron man 3, Thor 2, and there's another Captain America movie in the works. I say "So what? Bring on the green guy, I want more of the Incredible Hulk!"
One last rambling. I am one of those rare men who has a wife for his best friend. There is no one I'd rather spend my time with than my wonderful bride of almost 18 years. I remember our first date, where we first held hands, where we first kissed and my greatest regret is that I didn't marry her sooner. I said there was no point to this blog entry but here's one for free: To lie down each night with the first person you want to see when you wake up is a blessing so wonderful it had to be from God. Whatever you have to do, work to make your relationship with your spouse like that. Because I love her and know she loves me I can trust her, I cherish her prayers above all others, and I would give my life to protect her. My point is I am aware of how the Lord must love me to send this wonderful girl into my life. I pray you have someone like that.
Now I'm going to go eat some ice cream to chill the burning sensation in my arms and legs from basketball. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember YOU ARE LOVED!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Use a Broom to Clean, Not to Sleep
I want to share with you something I borrowed from a friend on Facebook.
Interesting conversation with God.
Me: God, can I ask you a question?
God: Sure.
...
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
God: I promise.
Me: Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do you mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late.
God: Yes.
Me: My car took forever to start.
God: Okay.
Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait.
God: Hmmm.
Me: On the way home my phone went dead just as I picked up a call.
God: Okay.
Me: And on top of all that, when I got home I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?
God: Well, let me see. The Death Angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me: (humbled): OH...
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The person who made your first sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what he has.
I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me: (embarrassed): Ok...
** Remember this next line **God: Your phone went dead because the person who was calling was going to give false witness about what you said during that call. I didn't even let you talk to them so that you would be covered.
Me: (softly) I see, God.
God: Oh, and that foot massager had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm sorry God.
God: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me in all things, the good and the bad.
Me: I will trust you.
God: And don't doubt that MY plan for your day is always better than your plan.
Me: I won't, God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.
God: You're welcome, child. It was just another day being your God, and I love looking after my children.
The line from God that said "Your phone went dead because the person who was calling was going to give false witness about what you said during that call. I didn't even let you talk to them so that you would be covered." When I read that today for the first time something weird happened. My tears just burst forth on my face.
If you've ever been the victim of a false witness you know how painful that can be. I have been and my reaction to those words told me something I didn't like, I'm not over it yet. I THOUGHT I was, but obviously I'm not.
I went through a place in my life where terrible things were said about me. Things that when I heard them I thought "That's crazy! Who would believe that?!?" annnnnd it turned out many did. Dang. The hurt was SO devastating I resigned my church, pulled myself and my family out of everything we were doing and like Elijah went running to the desert. By the way, the desert is hot and inhospitable. It's a place where you may want to lie down and die - don't go there!
In the desert I discovered far more was said and far more was believed. Things that were misquotes, taken out of context, and flat out lies were easily taken as the truth and I was looking for that broom tree. That's a bad place to dwell and just when I thought I was getting out of the desert I went back and looked at my blog history and couldn't believe the recent track in my writings and it was easy to see I need a healing to move forward.
So let me take this in a COMPLETELY different direction, what do YOU battle that is hard to get over? What event or relationship has left you scarred in a manner that just when you think you're over it there it comes again? I think most of us have something. Here in just a few minutes I'm going to get off my computer and I'm going to go write down the most devastating hurts I've had in my life. I'm going to include the names of people who've hurt me and when I'm done, down at the bottom of the page I'm going to write Habakkuk 2:1 which says "I will take my position and be on watch, placing myself on my tower, looking out to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my protest."
Habakkuk was a minor prophet who like his contemporary Jeremiah had to prophesy things people didn't want to hear. However, Habakkuk asked God questions on "Why would bad people succeed and the righteous suffer?" That's me sometimes. I wonder why folks I know aren't living as they should appear blessed and those I know love the Lord struggle.
That's why that scripture will be at the bottom of my list. Habakkuk didn't know but in 2:1 he proclaims it doesn't matter, I will do my job and one day I will hear His answers to my complaints. I want to serve the Lord like that.
I may never get over my hurt. Somethings don't go away just ask Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7). We must love the Lord enough to go on even when we are hurting, even when we don't understand. I will burn my list as a symbol to my physical mind and remind the enemy those things are consumed by my dedication to the Lord.
False witnesses, liars, adulterers, heartache, abuse, abandonment and on and on the list can go. We all have hurts and problems but we can all have Jesus as well. Turn to him whenever those feelings come and like Habakkuk you (and I) can do what He needs us to do.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember, YOU ARE LOVED!
Interesting conversation with God.
Me: God, can I ask you a question?
God: Sure.
...
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
God: I promise.
Me: Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do you mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late.
God: Yes.
Me: My car took forever to start.
God: Okay.
Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait.
God: Hmmm.
Me: On the way home my phone went dead just as I picked up a call.
God: Okay.
Me: And on top of all that, when I got home I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?
God: Well, let me see. The Death Angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me: (humbled): OH...
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The person who made your first sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what he has.
I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me: (embarrassed): Ok...
** Remember this next line **God: Your phone went dead because the person who was calling was going to give false witness about what you said during that call. I didn't even let you talk to them so that you would be covered.
Me: (softly) I see, God.
God: Oh, and that foot massager had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm sorry God.
God: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me in all things, the good and the bad.
Me: I will trust you.
God: And don't doubt that MY plan for your day is always better than your plan.
Me: I won't, God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.
God: You're welcome, child. It was just another day being your God, and I love looking after my children.
The line from God that said "Your phone went dead because the person who was calling was going to give false witness about what you said during that call. I didn't even let you talk to them so that you would be covered." When I read that today for the first time something weird happened. My tears just burst forth on my face.
If you've ever been the victim of a false witness you know how painful that can be. I have been and my reaction to those words told me something I didn't like, I'm not over it yet. I THOUGHT I was, but obviously I'm not.
I went through a place in my life where terrible things were said about me. Things that when I heard them I thought "That's crazy! Who would believe that?!?" annnnnd it turned out many did. Dang. The hurt was SO devastating I resigned my church, pulled myself and my family out of everything we were doing and like Elijah went running to the desert. By the way, the desert is hot and inhospitable. It's a place where you may want to lie down and die - don't go there!
In the desert I discovered far more was said and far more was believed. Things that were misquotes, taken out of context, and flat out lies were easily taken as the truth and I was looking for that broom tree. That's a bad place to dwell and just when I thought I was getting out of the desert I went back and looked at my blog history and couldn't believe the recent track in my writings and it was easy to see I need a healing to move forward.
So let me take this in a COMPLETELY different direction, what do YOU battle that is hard to get over? What event or relationship has left you scarred in a manner that just when you think you're over it there it comes again? I think most of us have something. Here in just a few minutes I'm going to get off my computer and I'm going to go write down the most devastating hurts I've had in my life. I'm going to include the names of people who've hurt me and when I'm done, down at the bottom of the page I'm going to write Habakkuk 2:1 which says "I will take my position and be on watch, placing myself on my tower, looking out to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my protest."
Habakkuk was a minor prophet who like his contemporary Jeremiah had to prophesy things people didn't want to hear. However, Habakkuk asked God questions on "Why would bad people succeed and the righteous suffer?" That's me sometimes. I wonder why folks I know aren't living as they should appear blessed and those I know love the Lord struggle.
That's why that scripture will be at the bottom of my list. Habakkuk didn't know but in 2:1 he proclaims it doesn't matter, I will do my job and one day I will hear His answers to my complaints. I want to serve the Lord like that.
I may never get over my hurt. Somethings don't go away just ask Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7). We must love the Lord enough to go on even when we are hurting, even when we don't understand. I will burn my list as a symbol to my physical mind and remind the enemy those things are consumed by my dedication to the Lord.
False witnesses, liars, adulterers, heartache, abuse, abandonment and on and on the list can go. We all have hurts and problems but we can all have Jesus as well. Turn to him whenever those feelings come and like Habakkuk you (and I) can do what He needs us to do.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember, YOU ARE LOVED!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas 2012
I've said before this blog isn't always about some great revelation. Occasionally I testify or even get on my soap box if I see something that burns my biscuits. This edition is definitely a testimony.
The last 48 hours have been one of the best Christmas Eve/Christmas Day I've ever known. Many of our church folks had asked us "Are you going home for Christmas?' to which our reply was "We are home." This wasn't trying to be reassuring or anything of the like, but a straight response of how we love our new home and how there's no draw to go elsewhere. There's an old song that said "Home is where you're happy when you're happy you're home." Then PTL we're home.
The day before Christmas we had finished all our shopping and were blessed to sleep late. A brother in the Lord invited me to a round of golf and even though it was December 24th it was warm enough we worked up a sweat (we've started walking the course for health benefits). When we finished I took the family out for lunch and a little grocery shopping that was Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve. I learned that when you have no more gifts to buy the hustle and bustle is MUCH less stressful.
We came home, did a few chores around the house, watched a Christmas movie or two while we feasted on a buffet of home cooked meals (left overs) in the refrigerator. By that time our relaxed day had become 8:30 in the evening and I had an idea. We took a long drive around our new home to see what it looked like under the peace and calm blanket of the year's most holy night. We went everywhere and were about to come home when my cell phone rang. A man who our church had been praying for had left this world for a new and wonderful heavenly home.
Now it may seem strange but this was a blessing too. You see, although this gentleman was not directly a part of our church, his family is a big part of it. We went to their home and spent a couple of hours talking with those he left behind and in my heart I marvelled at the love and concern of this family. Their devotion to one another was inspiring and somehow made the night seem more "holy". By the time we got home it was in the wee hours of Christmas morning and I fell asleep in prayer as I thanked God for my own loved ones.
Christmas Day we unwrapped our wonderful gifts, ate WAY too much of a holiday meal making recipes from my wife's family, and then went with friends to see Les Miserables with a packed audience. All in all a truly great day.
Now I sit here on my couch with the kids tucked in their beds and my sweetheart asleep beside me. I am a blessed and dare I say rich man. I will always remember this Christmas for a number of good reasons, but the one I think will stick with me more than any other is the sense of gratitude that I retire with. Deeper than Thanksgiving should be our appreciation for what Christmas truly brings, the best present which is our families.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and YOU ARE LOVED!
The last 48 hours have been one of the best Christmas Eve/Christmas Day I've ever known. Many of our church folks had asked us "Are you going home for Christmas?' to which our reply was "We are home." This wasn't trying to be reassuring or anything of the like, but a straight response of how we love our new home and how there's no draw to go elsewhere. There's an old song that said "Home is where you're happy when you're happy you're home." Then PTL we're home.
The day before Christmas we had finished all our shopping and were blessed to sleep late. A brother in the Lord invited me to a round of golf and even though it was December 24th it was warm enough we worked up a sweat (we've started walking the course for health benefits). When we finished I took the family out for lunch and a little grocery shopping that was Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve. I learned that when you have no more gifts to buy the hustle and bustle is MUCH less stressful.
We came home, did a few chores around the house, watched a Christmas movie or two while we feasted on a buffet of home cooked meals (left overs) in the refrigerator. By that time our relaxed day had become 8:30 in the evening and I had an idea. We took a long drive around our new home to see what it looked like under the peace and calm blanket of the year's most holy night. We went everywhere and were about to come home when my cell phone rang. A man who our church had been praying for had left this world for a new and wonderful heavenly home.
Now it may seem strange but this was a blessing too. You see, although this gentleman was not directly a part of our church, his family is a big part of it. We went to their home and spent a couple of hours talking with those he left behind and in my heart I marvelled at the love and concern of this family. Their devotion to one another was inspiring and somehow made the night seem more "holy". By the time we got home it was in the wee hours of Christmas morning and I fell asleep in prayer as I thanked God for my own loved ones.
Christmas Day we unwrapped our wonderful gifts, ate WAY too much of a holiday meal making recipes from my wife's family, and then went with friends to see Les Miserables with a packed audience. All in all a truly great day.
Now I sit here on my couch with the kids tucked in their beds and my sweetheart asleep beside me. I am a blessed and dare I say rich man. I will always remember this Christmas for a number of good reasons, but the one I think will stick with me more than any other is the sense of gratitude that I retire with. Deeper than Thanksgiving should be our appreciation for what Christmas truly brings, the best present which is our families.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and YOU ARE LOVED!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
"Et Tu, Brute"
Not long ago I was forced to retire a couple of my favorite Bibles for their own preservation. These were my everywhere, everything Bibles. I had used them in sermon prep, attending services, holding notes, etc. the list is long. But after such wear they were beginning to fall apart so I needed a new one. Now most pastors have a lot of Bibles. We get them as gifts, buy them as resources and so all I needed to do was go to my bookcase and there sat one, brand new and still in it's box.
This Bible had a beautifully tooled leather cover and even had my name imprinted on it in gold lettering. It was almost perfect. The almost comes from the fact that the words of Christ were not printed in red (always been a pet peeve of mine). Normally I would have just set it back aside but there was something about the easy reading of it that drew me so I thought "I'll just have to fix this one myself" and I set about to highlight every word of Jesus. Wow! What a great idea that turned out to be. In reading and then re-reading as I made sure I highlighted the right words I have been so moved and excited by a perspective I have never noticed before. It is from there I want to share something with you.
In John 13:21 the word says "After Jesus said this, he was very troubled. He said openly, “I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me.” I couldn't quit dwelling on that and couldn't figure out why. Jesus was VERY troubled by Judas betrayal even though He knew it would happen. WHY? Jesus had told everyone that one of them would betray Him. He knew it was coming and from whom. This leads me to conclude there was an especially close bond between Jesus and Judas. Look at John 13:21-30 and see what I mean. Even when He pointedly said who it was the others could not grasp it. I say this because later after the betrayal and before His arrest in the garden Judas is with the gang as if the Lord's revelation of betrayal had never happened (John 14:18-24). The disciples undoubtedly said among themselves, "He couldn't mean Judas will betray Him."
So even though they didn't get it and Jesus knew what would happen it didn't seem to lessen the blow. Again I wondered why, but not for long. The answer is obvious in ourselves. Jesus became flesh and in many ways He experienced all the same things we do. Now He was facing a terrible betrayal. Jesus knew and loved Judas. Our Lord had chosen the twelve Himself. They had walked dusty roads, preached to thousands, slept beside the same campfires and shared many meals together. Those men were undoubtedly closer to the Lord than His own family of flesh. They were truly His friends (John 15:15) and even though He knew it was coming the "Son of God" was born of Mary and the pain of disloyalty cut Him deep.
I looked up betrayal in the Bible and found this on the HeartQuest 101 site: "Scripture records a number of occasions in which a person or group was betrayed. The tragedies caused by these violations of trust are a strong lesson about the importance of keeping our commitments, and building trust in relationships." Some examples they give are;
In my own situation I found that when I forgave I served myself. Someone who had been very dear to me had hurt me and I had been in denial about it until I received a phone call from a third party that opened my eyes to things I will not share here. Needless to say the next few months were difficult. But when the Lord spoke to my heart that I had to let that go if I was going to serve Him I chased after it until I could. I wrote a letter to the one who had hurt me and held on to it for quite a while before I could send it. It was only when I dropped it in the mailbox that I felt the burden lift from my heart.
Forgive others for yourself. See what loving imperfect people can do for your own imperfect soul. I can promise you that you will be glad you did. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and remember, YOU ARE LOVED!
This Bible had a beautifully tooled leather cover and even had my name imprinted on it in gold lettering. It was almost perfect. The almost comes from the fact that the words of Christ were not printed in red (always been a pet peeve of mine). Normally I would have just set it back aside but there was something about the easy reading of it that drew me so I thought "I'll just have to fix this one myself" and I set about to highlight every word of Jesus. Wow! What a great idea that turned out to be. In reading and then re-reading as I made sure I highlighted the right words I have been so moved and excited by a perspective I have never noticed before. It is from there I want to share something with you.
In John 13:21 the word says "After Jesus said this, he was very troubled. He said openly, “I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me.” I couldn't quit dwelling on that and couldn't figure out why. Jesus was VERY troubled by Judas betrayal even though He knew it would happen. WHY? Jesus had told everyone that one of them would betray Him. He knew it was coming and from whom. This leads me to conclude there was an especially close bond between Jesus and Judas. Look at John 13:21-30 and see what I mean. Even when He pointedly said who it was the others could not grasp it. I say this because later after the betrayal and before His arrest in the garden Judas is with the gang as if the Lord's revelation of betrayal had never happened (John 14:18-24). The disciples undoubtedly said among themselves, "He couldn't mean Judas will betray Him."
So even though they didn't get it and Jesus knew what would happen it didn't seem to lessen the blow. Again I wondered why, but not for long. The answer is obvious in ourselves. Jesus became flesh and in many ways He experienced all the same things we do. Now He was facing a terrible betrayal. Jesus knew and loved Judas. Our Lord had chosen the twelve Himself. They had walked dusty roads, preached to thousands, slept beside the same campfires and shared many meals together. Those men were undoubtedly closer to the Lord than His own family of flesh. They were truly His friends (John 15:15) and even though He knew it was coming the "Son of God" was born of Mary and the pain of disloyalty cut Him deep.
I looked up betrayal in the Bible and found this on the HeartQuest 101 site: "Scripture records a number of occasions in which a person or group was betrayed. The tragedies caused by these violations of trust are a strong lesson about the importance of keeping our commitments, and building trust in relationships." Some examples they give are;
- Delilah betrayed Samson to the Philistines. Judges 16:16-21
- David betrayed Uriah to hide his sin. 2 Samuel 11:14-15
- Absalom betrayed Amnon, his half-brother, to avenge the rape of his sister. 2 Samuel 13:28
- Absalom betrayed David, his father, as he sought to steal the kingdom. 2 Samuel 15:10-17
- Joab betrayed Amasa, a rival military officer. 2 Samuel 20:10
- Jehu betrayed Joram and killed him. 2 Kings 9:14-27
- Officials betrayed Joash and killed him. 2 Kings 12:20, 21
- Haman betrayed God’s people. Esther 3:8-11
- Officials betrayed Daniel and attacked him for his devotion to God. Daniel 6:4-5, 6-8
- Judas betrayed Jesus, and handed Him over to the religious leaders. Matthew 26:46-56
- The Jews betrayed Paul, and conspired to kill him. Acts 23:12-14
In my own situation I found that when I forgave I served myself. Someone who had been very dear to me had hurt me and I had been in denial about it until I received a phone call from a third party that opened my eyes to things I will not share here. Needless to say the next few months were difficult. But when the Lord spoke to my heart that I had to let that go if I was going to serve Him I chased after it until I could. I wrote a letter to the one who had hurt me and held on to it for quite a while before I could send it. It was only when I dropped it in the mailbox that I felt the burden lift from my heart.
Forgive others for yourself. See what loving imperfect people can do for your own imperfect soul. I can promise you that you will be glad you did. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and remember, YOU ARE LOVED!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
My Darkest Moment of Ministry
I don't know if I've EVER shared with anyone what I'm going to talk about in this blog. Not that it's a great secret or anything scandalous, it's just something I hated when it happened.
A short four years ago my mother-in-law, Dianna Milligan passed away after a heroic battle with breast cancer. Now many people do not like their mother-in-law but I was the opposite, I loved her. I was probably closer to that incredible lady than I was to my own mom. It makes sense since I had my mom in my life for 19 years and Dianna for 23. She was a confidant, buddy, sister, mom, and dear friend. Her loss was hard to get over and left a much larger void in my life than I could ever have imagined. She made me feel like I was her son and not a son-in-law.
When Dianna passed I had been her pastor for around seven years and what a privilege it was. She was faithful right up to the end even watching the church nursery from a wheelchair. She was hard working, dedicated, kind, giving, and in an area I appreciate now more than ever I knew she always had my back. If someone said something bad about me, look out! She was ready to defend and never believe anything negative without talking to me first. What a blessing.
After she had passed and my father-in-law was making the funeral arrangements it fell to me to perform the service. Knowing how close we were some wondered if I could get through the obvious emotions but confidently I said I could.
You see I WANTED to deliver that message because she had meant so much to me. I wanted it to be the greatest funeral message I could ever hope to give and so I studied, prayed, and reflected on my friend much deeper than any other message before or since. I wrote, re-wrote, printed and reprinted my sermon notes over and over to make sure I could convey to those who would be in attendance what a great and rare lady we had all shared. When the day came I was ready, or so I thought.
The funeral was beautiful. Her family, friends, and co-workers shared different things that were touching and inspiring. When it came time for me to speak I went with confidence to the pulpit and off I went preaching a homegoing message for a woman I knew had entered the gates of heaven with a big smile on her face (funerals are sad so homegoings aren't funerals to me) .
When I preach I write very detailed notes. I know some don't and even others think that's wrong as if the Lord is limited because you write out what you feel He is saying to you in preparation for preaching. Others even complain that notes remove our reliance on the Lord and to that I say "hogwash" because I wouldn't have a clue what to write without Him. I know because I've tried.
With my four pages of notes (that's pretty standard for me on most messages) I began. I spoken with tear filled eyes and my voice occasionally cracked, but I felt great about everything I was sharing until I got to the last page. It was then that I noticed I had made a critical mistake. In my writing and re-writing, printing and reprinting I had messed up and had not brought a page four but two sheets of page three. Somewhere back at my home sat the conclusion of my message.
You must understand that the conclusion or closure of a sermon is the most important part. It is where scriptures, examples, and stories are tied together to make a point and of ALL times I didn't include that critical information in my notes.
It's amazing how time can seem to stand still in a moment. I know to the crowd that day it mush have seemed but a brief pause, but for me it was as a thousand years. The thoughts warped through my head; "Oh no! How could I have done this? This messes everything up and Dianna deserved my best!" I though many other things in that millisecond but quickly I regrouped and closed from my heart. It went fine but I was devastated inside. Now I know all the things most would say in comfort and I would agree and say them to someone else too but that was a very, very dark moment for me.
To this day some four years later that mistake occasionally haunts me. In fact every time I have something I consider different or important come up there's that memory of failure. Now at this point I could quote you a number of scriptures (2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, James 4:10 and thankfully the list is long in this regard) but what I want you to know is every time that dark moment comes up I center on this: "It's all right." Simple but true.
There's only been ONE person in the history of humanity who was perfect and for me to expect myself or anyone else to be is asking way too much. I forgive myself of that blunder every time it comes up and if you have anything in your life that haunts you please try it. You will never be able to forgive others until you can truly forgive yourself. Let it go and if it comes back let it go again.
I don't know if this story will help anyone but I felt led of the Lord to share. All our hurts don't always come from someone else and all our mistakes don't always have a tangible scar. Sometimes we just have a heart broken by our own hands. Whatever happened friend let it go as you would want someone else to do.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and always remember, YOU ARE LOVED!!
- For my friend
A short four years ago my mother-in-law, Dianna Milligan passed away after a heroic battle with breast cancer. Now many people do not like their mother-in-law but I was the opposite, I loved her. I was probably closer to that incredible lady than I was to my own mom. It makes sense since I had my mom in my life for 19 years and Dianna for 23. She was a confidant, buddy, sister, mom, and dear friend. Her loss was hard to get over and left a much larger void in my life than I could ever have imagined. She made me feel like I was her son and not a son-in-law.
When Dianna passed I had been her pastor for around seven years and what a privilege it was. She was faithful right up to the end even watching the church nursery from a wheelchair. She was hard working, dedicated, kind, giving, and in an area I appreciate now more than ever I knew she always had my back. If someone said something bad about me, look out! She was ready to defend and never believe anything negative without talking to me first. What a blessing.
After she had passed and my father-in-law was making the funeral arrangements it fell to me to perform the service. Knowing how close we were some wondered if I could get through the obvious emotions but confidently I said I could.
You see I WANTED to deliver that message because she had meant so much to me. I wanted it to be the greatest funeral message I could ever hope to give and so I studied, prayed, and reflected on my friend much deeper than any other message before or since. I wrote, re-wrote, printed and reprinted my sermon notes over and over to make sure I could convey to those who would be in attendance what a great and rare lady we had all shared. When the day came I was ready, or so I thought.
The funeral was beautiful. Her family, friends, and co-workers shared different things that were touching and inspiring. When it came time for me to speak I went with confidence to the pulpit and off I went preaching a homegoing message for a woman I knew had entered the gates of heaven with a big smile on her face (funerals are sad so homegoings aren't funerals to me) .
When I preach I write very detailed notes. I know some don't and even others think that's wrong as if the Lord is limited because you write out what you feel He is saying to you in preparation for preaching. Others even complain that notes remove our reliance on the Lord and to that I say "hogwash" because I wouldn't have a clue what to write without Him. I know because I've tried.
With my four pages of notes (that's pretty standard for me on most messages) I began. I spoken with tear filled eyes and my voice occasionally cracked, but I felt great about everything I was sharing until I got to the last page. It was then that I noticed I had made a critical mistake. In my writing and re-writing, printing and reprinting I had messed up and had not brought a page four but two sheets of page three. Somewhere back at my home sat the conclusion of my message.
You must understand that the conclusion or closure of a sermon is the most important part. It is where scriptures, examples, and stories are tied together to make a point and of ALL times I didn't include that critical information in my notes.
It's amazing how time can seem to stand still in a moment. I know to the crowd that day it mush have seemed but a brief pause, but for me it was as a thousand years. The thoughts warped through my head; "Oh no! How could I have done this? This messes everything up and Dianna deserved my best!" I though many other things in that millisecond but quickly I regrouped and closed from my heart. It went fine but I was devastated inside. Now I know all the things most would say in comfort and I would agree and say them to someone else too but that was a very, very dark moment for me.
To this day some four years later that mistake occasionally haunts me. In fact every time I have something I consider different or important come up there's that memory of failure. Now at this point I could quote you a number of scriptures (2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, James 4:10 and thankfully the list is long in this regard) but what I want you to know is every time that dark moment comes up I center on this: "It's all right." Simple but true.
There's only been ONE person in the history of humanity who was perfect and for me to expect myself or anyone else to be is asking way too much. I forgive myself of that blunder every time it comes up and if you have anything in your life that haunts you please try it. You will never be able to forgive others until you can truly forgive yourself. Let it go and if it comes back let it go again.
I don't know if this story will help anyone but I felt led of the Lord to share. All our hurts don't always come from someone else and all our mistakes don't always have a tangible scar. Sometimes we just have a heart broken by our own hands. Whatever happened friend let it go as you would want someone else to do.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and always remember, YOU ARE LOVED!!
- For my friend
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Moving Forward
Today I put on an old church T-shirt. “So what” you say? Well you need to know it’s the first time I have put it on since I resigned as pastor of that church. It was a big moment for me even if no one else thought about it or cared.
I’ve served as pastor of six churches in my years of ministry all filled with mountains and valleys. For a long time I believed it was my ministry to serve as a part-time pastor for churches that could not afford a full-time position. Often I went in to rebuild after a split or other such situation that had left the church depleted and needing to start over. I did this until physically I couldn’t any longer.
When things go bad in a church an often overlooked casualty is the minister. Please don’t misunderstand, I know full well in such times it’s often the leaders fault things go as they do but RARELY was the crash planned. In fact I’d say almost never is a church catastrophe what people wanted and those hurt or offended forget that in their own hurt or anger.
When there is dissention, factions, gossip, moral failure, or even the disastrous split the local body suffers and the pain starts in the heart of the shepherd. He or she must bear this burden more than anyone else even after they’ve gone somewhere else.
The shirt I wear today is from one of my most pleasant memories. When it ended my heart was shattered in ways I could not have imagined it could be. Almost everything that could have happened short of moral failure took place and the cost was unimaginable. I could see it coming, I had been told it was coming and even made contingency plans to prepare for it but when it did I couldn’t handle it.
I thought of leaving the ministry for good. I considered many, many excessive reactions and today as I wear that shirt I praise my God that I didn’t do them.
So, back to that shirt. When I moved on I burned many of my memories as to protect myself from them. How foolish. Memory is in your mind not a drawer. I have prayed for YEARS about this hurt as I asked God to help me overcome my bitterness, regret, and pain. It didn’t happen overnight but I can definitely feel it getting better.
I look at myself in the shirt and a flood of good memories flood over me, the good outweighing the bad in massive proportions and I want you to know this can happen to you as well but you must keep seeking the Father. I think of Galatians 6:9 where it says “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Moving on is a heart issue no matter why you need to move on or where from the most important thing is do not give up. Keep praying, keep seeking the Lord, just never, ever quit.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember, YOU ARE LOVED!!
I’ve served as pastor of six churches in my years of ministry all filled with mountains and valleys. For a long time I believed it was my ministry to serve as a part-time pastor for churches that could not afford a full-time position. Often I went in to rebuild after a split or other such situation that had left the church depleted and needing to start over. I did this until physically I couldn’t any longer.
When things go bad in a church an often overlooked casualty is the minister. Please don’t misunderstand, I know full well in such times it’s often the leaders fault things go as they do but RARELY was the crash planned. In fact I’d say almost never is a church catastrophe what people wanted and those hurt or offended forget that in their own hurt or anger.
When there is dissention, factions, gossip, moral failure, or even the disastrous split the local body suffers and the pain starts in the heart of the shepherd. He or she must bear this burden more than anyone else even after they’ve gone somewhere else.
The shirt I wear today is from one of my most pleasant memories. When it ended my heart was shattered in ways I could not have imagined it could be. Almost everything that could have happened short of moral failure took place and the cost was unimaginable. I could see it coming, I had been told it was coming and even made contingency plans to prepare for it but when it did I couldn’t handle it.
I thought of leaving the ministry for good. I considered many, many excessive reactions and today as I wear that shirt I praise my God that I didn’t do them.
So, back to that shirt. When I moved on I burned many of my memories as to protect myself from them. How foolish. Memory is in your mind not a drawer. I have prayed for YEARS about this hurt as I asked God to help me overcome my bitterness, regret, and pain. It didn’t happen overnight but I can definitely feel it getting better.
I look at myself in the shirt and a flood of good memories flood over me, the good outweighing the bad in massive proportions and I want you to know this can happen to you as well but you must keep seeking the Father. I think of Galatians 6:9 where it says “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Moving on is a heart issue no matter why you need to move on or where from the most important thing is do not give up. Keep praying, keep seeking the Lord, just never, ever quit.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and remember, YOU ARE LOVED!!
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