Christmas - The Rest of the Story

A baby in a manger, a small group of wisemen, and a shepherd boy. . .  decorated trees, presents, and a large bearded man in a strange red suit.  What's it all about?  I've heard people say it's about spending time with people you love and about "holiday cheer." I've heard people say it's about hope and love and counting our blessings.  OK, I can accept that, kind of.

As our worship team gathered at church last week to discuss our Christmas eve. service I had an unsettled feeling.  What if Christmas was just about the baby Jesus.  I mean it's an amazing thing, God coming out of heaven in the form of a poor baby.  This alone is almost beyond comprehension but what does it mean?  I mean how does God being born in the flesh bring us hope?  What if that was the end of the story?  The wisemen pack up their camels and head back East.  The shepherd boy goes back to the hills to tend his sheep.  The bright star fades away.  Mary and Joseph load up the donkey and take their baby boy back to Nazareth. Life goes on as usual.   The first Christmas was a beautiful thing but without the rest of the story it makes little sense.  Why was I unsettled? Why?  Because I think many people and certainly many Christmas celebrations make no connection between the manger and the cross.  As a matter of fact, many Christmas celebrations leave Christ out all together.  But that is a different issue, one that I will likely address before Dec. 25th.

How was this this little baby in the manger hope for the world?  What was the problem with the world anyway?  Famine?  Disease?  Discrimination?  War?  Sure, all these things were going on and people were in need of help.  But what could a baby do?  As the baby grew, he did feed the hungry (5000 at one time with a couple fish and a few loaves of bread), healed the sick (He even brought a few dead people back to life), and brought dignity to the outcast (a prostitute, a tax collector, and a group of lepers) but as far as I can tell we still have the same problems today.  Maybe it was just a short term fix.  Maybe he was just to be just an example.  Was the baby born to show us the right way to live so that we could have a better world?  Maybe.  I think that was part of it but we must have missed it somehow because we're clearly no better off than we we were 2000 years ago.  At least as far as the eyes can see.

There must have been something more.  There must be more to the story.  If the baby was to really bring hope and peace to the world then there must be something that we're missing.  We have to hear the rest of the story.  That was it!  That was why I was unsettled.  I needed to make sure that when we tell the story of the baby in the manger we CAN'T leave out the part about the grown man and the cross.  It was why he came (at least a major part of the reason).  Without the rest of the story, we could lump Jesus in with the rest of the people who brought us hope (Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and the like).

Here's my point: Jesus (Emanuel "God with us") came to save us from something WAY worse than famine, WAY worse than disease, WAY worse than war.  He came to save us from ourselves.  He came to save us from the power and the penalty of sin.  He did that not as a baby in a manger but as a man on a cross.  Three days after he was placed in the grave he rose bodily and was seen by hundreds of people then ascended into heaven. This is the rest of the story which makes that amazing day in Bethlehem so amazing, even more amazing (if that is possible) than God being born in human flesh.

Jesus Christ came to save sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.  He came as a sinless man to become sin for us.  He came to give his life as a ransom for many.  He came to conquer the grave and to give us the hope of eternal life.  That's the rest of the story!  When you see Christmas lights, hear carols, buy gifts, and bring cookies to the office party please don't forget the baby Jesus and when you remember him don't forget the rest of the story, Calvary.  If you are a follower of the Savior than don't forget to tell others the rest of the story.  Someone you know just might need to hear some good news!

Peace in Christ (both the Christ child and the risen Savior)

David

Seeing With Your Spiritual Eyes . . . Seeing Past The Problem

I had a pretty cool grandfather who lived in Raleigh, NC.  I only saw him once a year or so and since he passed away when I was young, I have very few memories of him.  But, the one thing I can still see like a well preserved movie clip was him leaning over, showing me his thumb and then with a tug, pulling his thumb in half.  I could see right through it like it had been sawed neatly in two. Then, just like that, he pushed the two parts back together, put up his hand, and wiggled his now one-piece thumb.  He would smile, wink,  then walk away as I sat there with my mouth gapping open.  Cool trick but it wasn't long before I figured it out and the illusion lost its power.


Read these words from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians:


Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)


This truth is HUGE!  What we see is not all there is!  Actually, what we don't see is more real and longer lasting.  It's like the silly thumb trick. Sure it looks scary and unfixable but it's not.  Paul is telling us (those who have trusted Christ) that we are not to lose heart because even though things may seem impossible or hopeless on the outside, we are growing closer and closer to God and to a time when all the troubles will fade away.  He tells us to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen."  How in the world do we fix our eyes on something that is unseen?


When I understood that my grandfather's finger wasn't really coming apart, when I just knew in my heart and head the truth, it didn't matter how well he pulled off the trick.  I just didn't buy it anymore.  I could see right though the illusion even though my eyes still saw the finger separate and come back together.  My mind's eye took power over my eyeballs! 


When we begin to grab hold of the truth of the Word and the character of God our spiritual eyes begin to see beyond what our eye balls see and what our remaining four senses discern.  When we lose our job and our eyes see our financial statements looking dim we trust in the Lord of all provision to carry us, not because our eyes see a solution but because our spirit knows there is one.  


Today, our worship leader pulled out this verse in Matthew Chapter 7.  In it Jesus told his disciples about the faithfulness of God:


 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."


I've lived long enough in the grace of God to know that even though I sometimes see a stone or a snake as an answer to my prayer, it can't be true because God doesn't lie.  That snake is like the thumb trick. If I am a born again child of God it is certainly a fish.  My temporary suffering will ALWAYS work for the good for me, for someone else, and for the Glory of God.  Always!


Our job is to begin to consciously make the effort to "FIX OUR EYES" on what is unseen so that we can indeed be "renewed day by day" and attain a FOREVER future that is beyond anything we can hope for or imagine.  


Ultimately it's a choice.  Where we fix our eyes is up to us.  Don't be fooled by Satan's lies and tricks.  His tricks are no more truth than my grandfather's thumb trick.  They certainly seem much bigger and scarier but God is ALWAYS in control of the outcome.


As always, please write us a note or comment if you need prayer or have a question.


Peace!


David

Don't Give Up!

Are you tired?  Is your hope dwindling or even gone? Has joy left you or maybe it never seemed to be part of your life?  Please know this:  Your are not alone!! You are loved beyond measure!!  You are valuable in God's sight!!  


I know that these words alone may seem powerless to provide the hope and power to change the way you feel and even more powerless to change your circumstances but they are none-the-less TRUTH and Jesus promised that the truth would set your free.


I want to share with you some things today that you may need to read over and over before they sink in and take root but you have to start somewhere.  As far as I know no one ever got from here to there without moving ahead so please hold on and take a few steps with me.


1) God made you with purpose


     "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5


     God spoke these words to Jeremiah but understand that you too were created by God and known by him before one cell ever came to be.


2) God loves you


     "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8


     You see, God's love came to you before you cleaned up your act.  Not only did he love you when you were making mistakes he gave up his son for you.  If you have children you can ponder that for a moment to see the magnitude of the gift.


3)  You are not alone in the midst of your trials and temptations nor are they without a greater purpose


     "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10


     "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:1-4


     You've never learned, grown, or been strengthened without struggle.  Courage doesn't come without danger, compassion doesn't come without people in need, and faith doesn't come without a circumstance for which we see no resolution.  


4)  If you turn to God he will give you hope and that hope will give you strength!


     "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him."  Psalm 62:5


     "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31


     Not only does God provide for you the hope but he also will turn that hope into real power!


5) This life and it's struggles are not the final word for those who trust in Christ.


     "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4




I have known hopelessness and despair and have seen the power of Christ to restore hope and life.  I know that in the pit of loneliness, addiction, fear, and depression these words may not immediately bring you healing but you will be lifted up if you put your hope in God alone.  You may not feel it today or tomorrow but do not give up!  Our emotions are fickle.  They come and go.  Read and pray over these five truths today, maybe ten times today!  If you need help please talk to someone.  If you have no one to talk to feel free to drop us a note.  If your are contemplating ending your life STOP!  There are people who are there to help.  Click the link below and contact them, your parents, your pastor, or a friend. 


http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/


God loves you and so do we.


Peace,


David and the I-61 Project

Leftovers - Giving God Our Table Scraps

So here is the scene:  You're on the brink of winning a huge contract for your company.  It's potentially the biggest contract the company has ever seen and you're in the running for the raise of a lifetime.  Your boss tells you he'd like you to invite the CEO of the potential customer company to dinner at your home and of course you smile and say, "I'd love to."  


You send the invitation and receive an RSVP for both the CEO and his lovely wife.  You clean the house, set the table, and then you look into the fridge and grab that stuff in the Tupperware at the back corner of the second shelf, the half eaten tuna sandwich wrapped in cellophane, and the left over burrito you couldn't finish last Friday.  Hmmm? Dessert?  Ah ha! Apple Jacks!  I love Apple Jacks!  So you put out a couple cereal bowls and check the date on the milk.  Just a 2 weeks past the "best used by" date so you open the top and take a whiff.  A little stiff but certainly not enough to make anyone sick.  You set the table put out the leftovers and the doorbell rings.  It's going to be a good night!  NOT!


I know the example is a bit over the top but maybe not so far off when we compare it to our relationship with God.  It's interesting how little of our good stuff we really give to God.  Many of us spend our money all week long on frivolous things and then put a few bucks in the collection basket on Sunday.  We talk to our friends, watch TV, chat on Facebook, then give God a 2 minute prayer at bedtime.  We use our talents at work, on the golf course, and in our hobbies but volunteer our time a couple times a year.  Now I know that many of you are giving God your best stuff so keep it up but the rest of us need some help.


Giving God your best stuff has an origin from the very beginning of man.  In Genesis the story of Cain and Able revealed that God wasn't please with the leftovers.  In Malachi God reminds us that everything we have comes from him and when we withhold our best stuff from him we are "robbing" him. There is a concept of "First Fruits" that I'd like to share as well. The first crops that God's people would collect from their fields and give to God were called the first fruits. This was a sign that everything the land produced belong to God (Deuteronomy 26:1-15)


Now this is not a guilt trip but a wake up call.  You see God doesn't need our stuff but he does desire us and our hearts.  He knows what is best for us and when we short change God with our time and our stuff we are really hurting ourselves.  But there is something else that is equally important.  When we give God our "first fruits"others benefit.  People may benefit from our financial giving, our talents, our love, and maybe just our time. I won't belabor the point but take a few minutes and survey a normal week of your life and see how you're spending your money, your time, and your gifts.  How you spend things reveals a lot about your priorities.  If you are desiring an evening with the God of all creation you might want to leave the old tuna sandwich in the fridge.




Peace,  David

Llama feet - What do your spiritual feet look like?

OK, you're probably tired of references to my trip to SW Colorado but I was talking with a friend the other day and something hit us that was fairly germane to the Christian walk so I have to share it today.  He was telling me about an internet piece he had received about how amazingly well designed the camel was and I told him that the llamas we had for our mountain trip were equally well suited for what they do.  So, I want to share with you a little about llamas and then see how you fit into the story.


The Llama is a camelid (same family as the camel) that was raised mainly in the Andes of South America.  They, like the camel, can go for days without drinking water and the eat almost anything.  They can carry 25-30% of their body weight for miles, up and down steep hills.


But here is the part that got us thinking:  They have the weirdest feet! They have two big toes with large thick toenails.  Their feet are soft and not hooved and they walk on rocky terrain without a thought.  As we walked a narrow and often rocky trail at high elevation, the llamas travelled effortlessly and seemed not to be concerned with the occasional dangerous slope.  They would stop and eat the dried grass as if they were walking on flat ground.  Their weird feet were made for this and they llamas were comfortable there.  But, when we got down near the trailhead, the path leveled out and there was little slope.  This part of the trail was in the dark timber and since we had had some recent thunderstorms the path was muddy and a bit slippery.  No big deal.  But when the llamas feet hit the mud they immediately became uneasy.  They slipped and slid and looked like they were afraid of falling over. WHAT?  They weren't afraid of falling nine hundred feet on a narrow rocky trail but are afraid of tipping over on level ground.  The thing is that their feet were made for one terrain and not the other.  Perfect.  We brought them because we were going to hike in the mountains and for the most part, not in the mud.


So, what are your feet made for?  I mean this more globally actually.  What are you made for?  We are the body of Christ and we are all made differently, with different gifts.  Paul tells us in Ephesians Chapter four that,


"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."


Maybe you are an out front person who shares the Gospel with whoever will listen.  Maybe you have the gift of compassion and are more comfortable sharing a quiet hug.  Maybe you are a hands on person who would rather fix a neighbor's roof than talk about your "feelings".  The point is that God made the llama's feet different than he did a cat's, a dog's, or your feet.  But each can do something different.


Here is my challenge for you today.  Reflect on your feet.  No, not your literal feet but your gifts.  How has God built you? What is your role in the Body of Christ?  What is your role in the family, in your workplace, in your church?  Spend some time in prayer and asked God to help you discern your place in his family here during your time on earth.  If your work was done, he'd have called you home!!


Peace,


David

Deserts and Storms - God is Still with You

I was watching "Man vs. Wild" the other day and there was Bear Grylls walking through a seemingly endless desert and salt flat.  The sun was intense and the heat brutal. Bear was tired, dehydrated, and he resorted to drinking his own urine which he  had saved in a snake skin.  His eyes were nearly swollen shut as he made his way toward the coast. Then, just like that, it appeared; the ocean.  He ran and dove in.  It was cold and refreshing and led him to rescue.


I know that this doesn't sound much like the makings of a prim and proper Christian blog but then again Christianity doesn't exist in a world of clean, neat, and perfect.  It exists in a fallen and often brutal world where scenes like I just described pale in comparison to some much worse.  A week ago I was hunkered down in a tent high in the San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado as a nasty thunderstorm battered the landscape, lightening struck close to our camp, and fifty mile per hour winds nearly flattened our tent.  In the morning there was snow on the ground and thick fog limited our vision to about fifty yards.  Then just like that the fog lifted, the clouds moved on, and the bright sun shone in the blue sky.  The storm was over.  It was awesome.


Cancer, bankruptcy, infidelity, depression, fear. . . . I don't know what your desert or storm might be.  Maybe you're in a time of bright blue skies and the storms have already blown by.  Either way we need to see the sovereignty of God in both times.  The Bible is packed with examples of God's presence during the desert times and in the midst of raging storms.  Sometimes it was punitive.  He, like a good parent, was chastising his children to lead them back home.  Sometimes it was to reveal the character of those involved and sometimes his plan was completely hidden from man.  But never was God caught off guard or impudent in the situation.  


Moses lead the Israelites through the desert for forty years on the way to the Promised Land.  Joseph spent time at the bottom of a well, was sold into slavery, and spent time in prison before he became Pharaoh's right hand man.  Jonah took a detour into the depths of the ocean and spent a few days in the belly of a great fish before he found his way to the safety of the beach.  The Apostles trembled in fear as the waves battered their boat before the Lord Jesus commanded the wind and the waves to cease their fury. 


I know that my storms don't come close to storms that others have weathered and your storms my be bigger or smaller than mine.  I think that it doesn't really matter how our storms compare to other's because it never really seems to bring us comfort to know others have had more intense storms.  Like if you just went through a divorce and someone says, "Well, you should be thankful because there are children in Africa who haven't eaten in weeks."  There is little comfort in that.


So here are the two points I want you to take with you today:


1) God is in control as much during your desert times and storms as he is in your Promised Land.  His desire is always to draw you nearer to him because there is no better place to be.  I know it can be intensely difficult to cling to faith but call on him and he will be faithful.  Don't be afraid to reach out to brothers and sisters in Christ as well.  I don't know what I would do without those of you who have lent me a shoulder or and ear (you know who you are).  If you are in Christ, God promises that one day there will be a reward that "no eye has seen and no ear has heard"  In other words, nothing we have experienced here on earth can compare to what the Lord has prepared for those that love him.


2) If you are in the position to comfort someone in a storm, remember the words of Ephesians 4:29, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  


Love you all,


David

A Withered Vine and a Dying Cowboy

Do you remember the old western movies where a cowboy who was wounded by an Indian arrow is found by a group of settlers?  The cowboy is at the edge of death and later we see him bandaged and lying in a bed with a woman sitting next to him holding a spoon full of mush.  She touches it to his lips and urges him, "You MUST eat to regain your strength."  A while later we see the cowboy healed and heading off into the sunset.  Hold that thought.

A thunderstorm hits and the winds howl.  A few days later you walk out into your garden to see your prized climbing rose with a number of broken and bent stems and branches.  There are branches on the ground that are dead, dried, and shriveled.  There are others that are bent and look withered but are still alive.

The dictionary defines "wither" as:

- to shrivel or dry up as part of the process of dying, or making something, especially a plant or part of a plant

- fade away; to fade or lose freshness or vitality

Jesus gave us a number of images that help us to see how much we need to be in communion with him.  He called himself the bread of life and living water and reminded his followers that if they remained in him they would never die.  He gave them a parable about the vine and the branches and warned that those branches that didn't remain attached to the vine and thus failed to produce fruit would be thrown into the fire.

I don't know about you but when I go off on my own for a while and fail to remain in the Word, fall away from my prayer time with God, and fail to stay in CLOSE fellowship with like-minded, bible believing brothers and sisters in Christ, I begin to wither.  I lose a little of my spiritual strength.  I struggle with sin.  I fail to produce good fruit.  It can feel a little like being a cowboy crawling through the desert with an arrow in your backside.

If you feel a little weak in your spiritual life or if you are sensing a little more distance between you and the Father then I urge you to eat of the bread of life and to examine your spot of attachment to the vine.  I know it's easier to say than to do but start by asking the Father for help.  Tell him you don't want to be apart from him.  He will draw you near.  Feed on the Word.  Pray, Pray, Pray.   Don't forsake gathering for worship and don't be afraid to tell a brother or sister how you feel.  Their prayers and encouragement are so valuable.

Take it from someone who goes through seasons of spiritual drought.  There are times of refreshing that will follow if you stay the course.  God has used those times to humble me but also to grow me.  He has reminded me of my utter dependence on Christ.  Feel free to contact us if you need some prayer or encouragement.

Peace,

David

Justice, Mercy, and Humility

Last Thursday I went to my son’s elementary school dedication.  It’s a brand new school and on the outside wall of the building is a verse of scripture that seems like a motto for life.  It comes from the book of Micah Chapter 6:

And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Seems simple enough but I think, as I really reflect on the verse, it is not quite that easy.  Let’s look at the three requirements with a little more light.

1)   To act justly

         The definition of “just” is:


         Based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair

        The definition of “Justice” is:


       Just behavior or treatment, the quality of being fair and reasonable, the administration    of the law

“Behaving” – that’s hard enough right from the start! Behaving morally right and fair presumes that there is a standard to which we are to adhere.  Who defines morals?  Man?  Society? If that is the case, the standards are always moving and quite frankly the standards keep falling to a lower level.  The Bible is clear that God alone is the moral lawgiver and the only standard by which are to measure ourselves.  To act justly requires us to know the standard and to see that, if we are totally honest, we fall woefully short much of the time.  That leads to repentance but also leads us to be able to better fulfill the next requirement of the verse we are examining:

2)   To love mercy


            The definition of mercy is:

Compassion or forgiveness show toward someone who it is within one’s power to punish or harm

An event to be grateful for

Performed out of a desire to relieve suffering; motivated by compassion

God is asking us not just to display mercy but also to “love” it!  We aren’t to say, “Oh, alright, I forgive you, if I must.”  We are to be like, “Of course I forgive you.  Who am I to withhold forgiveness from you when I have been forgiven SO much?” We are to be grateful and to lend compassion to those who are suffering.  Sounds easy but I think we need to examine our hearts and see if we are withholding mercy from anyone or if we are seeking our own desires at the expense of another.  Our spouse?  A friend?  A co-worker? An enemy?  Jesus said it’s easy to love those who love us but we are to love our enemies.  UGH!  OK, Micah didn’t say the Lord suggests.  He said the Lord requires.

3)   To walk humbly with your God

This implies that we are walking with God in the first place.  To walk with him requires us to be made right before him and the only way to be made right before him is to have been born again through faith in the One who gave his life for us.  The ultimate act of justice was God pouring his wrath out on Jesus for the sins of those who deserved death for their sin.  Justice demanded punishment (death) and in order for God to maintain his justice someone had to pay the penalty.  We deserved it but he took it.  So, it was also the ultimate act of mercy.  What an awesome example of fulfilling the Micah verse.  So we begin our walk with God by trusting in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus but there is an adjective in this verse - “Humbly” How hard it is to be humble?  How easy to say, “Look at what a good person I am.” Or “See how much better I am than the guy next door.”  Paul said, “what a wretch I am.” And, called himself “the worst of all sinners”.  Jesus, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, washed the feet of his disciples.

As we live our lives let’s try really hard to keep this verse close to our hearts and seek to do what the Lord requires.  We can’t do this on our own but “with God, all things are possible.”

Peace Friend,

David

A Sabbatical

I sat down today to write something and after about half an hour I highlighted the whole thing and hit the delete button.  So there I sat staring at a blank screen asking God for a word and what came to me wasn't a word for you but for me.  Ivor (my ministry partner) called and we worked though that and now I feel OK about the fact that I am not going to write anything else today but instead pursue my relationship with the God who mad me, loved me, saved me, and is growing me.  I have written faithfully for over eighty weeks and last week was the first time I didn't post to this Blog.  Today I hope that you to will ask God what he wants for YOU and wants from YOU.  Ultimately our salvation and our growth in Christ comes not from what we read or hear but from our own desire for and  pursuit of God.  God willing, I'll catch you back here next week. This may not sound very manly but I love you all (even if I've never met you).

Peace,

David

Preparation - It's often painful but well worth it!

Do you remember the spoiled girl in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory who wanted the goose that laid the golden eggs?  Veruca Salt was her name and I can still hear her yelling, "I want it NOW!"  Then there is this obnoxious commercial for a company that pays people a lump sum (much smaller of course than what they are entitled) for a settlement they would have received over time.  Person after person yells, "It's my money and I want it NOW!"  Cell phones, text messaging, satellite radio, Ipods, and WIFI have bred a generation of Americans who have the desire for immediate gratification.  We want it now.  The problem is that we don't necessarily want to do the hard work necessary to achieve much of what God really wants for our lives.  

I was at breakfast this morning with my ministry partner (doing church) when a really powerful analogy come to us. As many of you know, I am heading to SW Colorado to hunt Elk in September.  I am 46, live near sea level, and up until November of 2009 was a wee bit overweight.  I hadn't shot my bow in a few years and couldn't  keep a group of three arrows within 2 feet of each other at 40 yards to save my life.  I got winded when I gave my 50lb eight year old son a piggy back ride up the steps to his room and I wasn't at all prepared to carry a 50 lb. backpack up hill and hunt Elk with a bow at an elevation of 11,000 feet.  Sure it would be really great if I could fly out there, strap on the backpack, run up the mountain, chase a big bull elk, shoot with the accuracy of Robin Hood, an all the while feel like I was lying at the poolside in a fine resort.  But guess what?  This boy was unprepared. So what to do?

I needed to loose about 20 lbs., get in shape cardiovascularly, tune my bow, practice my shooting from different distances and different angles.  I needed some new equipment. I filled my pack with 55 lbs. of weights, strapped it on, and walked for miles and trotted up and down the nearby ski hill.  It was miserable.  I was hot, tired, sore, and stiff.  I had to spend time on the treadmill, in the gym, and in the backyard with the bow.  I had to break in a new pair of boots walking for miles on humid 90+ degree days while my family swam at the neighbor's pool.  You can't just go from ground level to the top of the mountain without preparation.  I think you get the idea.  

In the same way, I think, we as Christians want to have all the benefits, be fed spiritually, be lifted up emotionally, and find forgiveness but aren't willing to do the hard work, endure the suffering, or sacrifice the time we set aside for fun and pleasure in order to be all and do all the Lord has called us to do.  I know this for a fact because I do the same!  I want to be spiritually mature, strong in my faith, morally solid, and bold in my proclamation of Christ but I am not always ready to do what it it takes for that to happen.  Prayer, time in the Word, gathering with brothers and sisters to worship, enduring ridicule or loss of "friends" because of a boldness to speak the Name of Jesus.  Many of us are willing to invest an hour or to a week and maybe a few minutes each day to talk to God but there is no way we will see the summit of what God wants for our lives if we live this kind of Christian life.

We often think that immediately after Paul encountered the risen Christ he was all ready to do the work God set him apart to do.  We often see his powerful ministry in a condensed, Reader's Digest way.  Sure he was excited and filled with the Spirit and proclaimed Christ from the outset but his ministry did not happen overnight and without pain.  Galatians chapters 1 and 2 tell us that he went to Arabia for three years before he met Peter and James then another fourteen years passed before he returned to Jerusalem. Paul was stoned, beaten, flogged, and endured much suffering as I have pointed out in other posts but he also just plain spent time with the Father.  He knew the Word.  My son reminded me this week of a verse that is SO important and reminds us of our need for preparation, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)  How do I keep myself from sinning?  Hiding God's word in my heart.  How do I do that without being in God's Word.

The last component of this isn't what we do but what God has to do in us.  Sometimes it's just time, plain and simple.  We just aren't ready yet.  We can't run until we walk.  We can't chew meat until we have teeth.  We can't write a novel if we haven't learned to read.  God sometimes just has to bring us through some stuff, strengthen us, build our faith through suffering, teach us some things about him and about ourselves, and prune of some dead useless things from us before we can climb higher up the mountain.

Peace in Christ,

David

Is Anybody Out There?

In 1970 Pink Floyd released a song with only four words. They repeated the four words four times.   It's hard to believe you can write a song that has only four words but I think these words, in the form of a question, resonate with me and the only thing that might make the song more complete is an answer to the question:




Is anybody out there?


Is anybody out there?


Is anybody out there?


Is anybody out there?


I originally had a different path for this blog in relation to these four words, which I'll share at the end, but I think God is leading be down a different road.  


You may remember that a week ago I had a faith testing experience with a Monarch butterfly but that experience (which you can read at your leisure) revealed something else to me.  I have a number of people close to me, people I care about, who deny the existence of a creator God.  They have answered the question "Is anybody out there?" with a resounding "No!"  No God is out there.  I have written a couple blogs posts pondering the evolution-creation debate but as I thought about the butterfly I remembered its AMAZING life cycle.  


Please read this carefully and let it sink in.


In March and April  Monarchs lay an egg the size of a pinhead.  The egg sits on the leaf of a milkweed plant and four days later it hatches into a tiny caterpillar which eats and grows for two weeks.  It attaches itself to the leaf with silk and it's skin peels off as it is transformed into a chrysalis (like the cocoon of a moth).  Over the course of 10 days a mysterious process we call metamorphosis (change of form) takes place and out comes a beautiful and graceful adult monarch butterfly.  That in itself is amazing but read on!


This butterfly will lay similar eggs just before it dies only 2-6 weeks after being born.  The first butterfly is generation number one and the eggs just laid will be generation two. The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the first and second generations did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful monarch butterfly, laying eggs for the fourth generation butterflies.  Still with me?


Here is where it gets really crazy.  This fourth generation Monarch, born around September doesn't die in a few weeks but instead takes flight, heading to the warm weather of the south.  It flies 2500 miles to Mexico or California and will live 6-8 months before migrating 2500 miles back up north where it will lay eggs in March and April for the first generation of new Monarchs.  


"Is anybody out there?"  Hmmm?  I think that as I have shed my Godless view of evolution from the primordial soup of the cooling earth, the Monarch stands as a monument to the creativity of God.  If you doubt that God exists or that there is a designer of life please think hard about the Monarch and how it could have come to pass by slow steady changes over time.  I think you will have to cling to your atheism only with the strength of your pride.  I had the gift of having my pride stripped from me so that my eyes could see clearly the hand of God.  It is easier to lay it down rather than having it stripped but whatever works!


Lastly, I was going to use the words, "Is anybody out there?" as a reaction to the lack of response to my last post asking for questions or comments but God let me know today that it is His business who reads this blog, not mine.  Whether 0 or 1,000,000 it matters not.... I just need to keep writing.  God will take it from there.  My pride got in the way.  So that's why this is out on Monday and not Saturday.  I was pouting.......  :)

John 1:2-4 

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Here is a link to a time lapse video of a Monarch life cycle.. facts above where from monarch-butterfly.com


Monarch Butterfly


Peace in Christ,


David

I'm looking for your questions and comments.

I wanted this week to just share a little information about the I-61 Project Blog and then give you the opportunity to participate both for your benefit and mine.  The blog has gone out into Internet world for eighty-three weeks and has reached forty-seven countries and forty-nine states.  My hope is that in this someone has drawn closer to God through faith in Jesus Christ and that questions have been answered, hope renewed, doubts relieved, and comfort zones stretched.

The Blog is an off-shoot of our main ministry website THE I-61 PROJECT which contains audio podcasts, videos, and soon christian music videos.  The content on the main site will increase as our resources increase but, in the meantime the blog will go out as long as God allows.

I want to give you the opportunity to participate in the content of the blog.  I would like you to share any questions you have about life, faith, God, the Bible, or any other questions or thoughts that might be unsettled in your heart.  I certainly don't have all the answers but God does.  Sometimes he give us the answers but other times we have to settle for the fact that we will never be God so we will never have all the answers.  But God in his grace does share much with us through his Word and through revelation by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you receive this blog through an email subscription there should be a link at the bottom that says, "Email the Author" and if you are reaching us directly via the website then you will see, to the right of this week's post title, a small box with a number circled in red.  That is the comment box.  Click on the number and it will open up a comment box for you to drop us a note.  If you don't have one of the profiles listed you can use "anonymous".  If you haven't subscribed to email delivery and you want to get the blog sent directly to your email click the "email subscription" highlighted above and click on the "Get the I-61 Project Blog Delivered by Email" link on the right side of the page.

Please feel free to share or ask anything.  No topic is off limits.  I may not be able to post all of them but I will answer all of them.  If you want to be sure you receive an answer make sure I have your email address.  I will not ever publish or share the address but will only use it to respond to your question or comment.

One last thing:  If you haven't used the "Search Previous Post" tool on the right side of the page you might want to give it a try.  Type in any word or phrase such as "I need more faith" and the search engine will look through all eighty-three posts and list ones that contain that content.  It is a good way to see if your question has already been addressed.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Peace in Christ,

David

Yo-Yo's and Roller Coasters - Enduring the Ups and Downs of Life

Yo-Yo's and roller coasters . . . seems like our lives are a lot like them.  They go up then down, then up then down again.  I was driving in my car today contemplating life.  Seems I do that quite a bit these days, most of the time it's not very dramatic or too deep but today was different.  My faith is being tried and I guess that's a given, but this week it ramped up a bit.

You probably know by now that I am a Christian and I believe in an all-powerful, sovereign, just, and loving God.  I believe God has purpose in all things and is NEVER caught off guard or surprised by events, good or bad.  So here I was driving down the road in my SUV when out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of a beautiful Monarch butterfly. No sooner did my mind begin to form the words "Isn't God good!" when, SPLAT! It hit my windshield at 60 miles per hour.  In an instant this flying piece of art was turned into a green speck of goo on a piece of glass.  OK, so not the usual content of a Christian Blog but there is a connection.  I protested out loud to God, "Lord, what was that about?! Why did you go through all the trouble of making this thing if you were just going to let it die like that?"  I didn't hear God verbally but I felt pretty convicted that God is God and I am not.  The words God spoke to Job in Chapter 38 popped into my head, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?"  Then God went on to remind Job how much he didn't know. He reminded me of the same.  So on I went having to trust that God knows and has purpose in all things.  He could have stopped the butterfly from hitting the windshield but didn't.  Why?  Only he knows and I have to trust that.

Don't worry, I'll get around to the Yo-Yo and roller coaster thing soon but a couple more things need to be shared first.   A couple weeks ago I was playing the guitar in a worship service that included the baptism of a little baby (a topic for another post).  The baby was there with his mother, father, and two toddler siblings.  There were four full rows of happy family members and friends.  This morning I learned that on Thursday the baby's father was killed when his vehicle hit a tree.  I looked up to heaven and didn't have the strength to form the word, "Why?" but as I played and sang songs to God today I couldn't stop thinking about the butterfly.  God could have reached his hand down and stopped the man's car but he didn't.  Why? Only God knows.  Seeing a monarch butterfly in flight - UP.  Seeing it hit the windshield - DOWN.  Seeing the smile of a father as his child is baptized - UP.  Hearing of his sudden death - DOWN.  Yo-Yo's and roller coasters.

My daughter came to visit this week and when she was sitting across the table from me at dinner and I could look into her eyes I was on top of the world.  UP.  When I put her on a plane for Philly, my heart sank. DOWN.

Healthy one day, cancer the next.  Successful businessman one day, unemployed the next.  Strong in your faith one day, doubting the next.  Holy and righteous one day, sinful the next.  Yo-Yo's and roller coasters.

So what to do?  Paul tells us that he had to endure the highs and the lows and here is what he said in Philippians 4:11-13

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.


It's all about Jesus.  It's about HIM who gives us strength.  In this world everything is temporary and fading.  I wrote before about our things being rusty and moth-eaten. Even our lives are described in the bible as a breath, a vapor, and like a cut flower.  Jesus warned a man who was storing up riches that "This very night your life will be demanded of you."  Jesus was clear that our focus was to be on God through the life Jesus gives us in his sacrifice at Calvary.  Our strength comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who lifts us to great heights and carries us in the extreme lows.  We can do all things through him.  Remember that when the Apostles were seeing Jesus perform miracles they were UP and when they saw him die on the cross they were DOWN.  But, God didn't leave them there did he?  No, he gave them and he gave us probably the most powerful visual to restore our strength: the resurrection.  He gave them hope. He gives us hope.  One day my friend there will be no more DOWNS, EVER! Only UP, UP, UP.  It's a promise for those who have been saved by faith in Jesus.  Like Bart from MercyMe sings, "Hold Fast!" 


Peace,


David

Get Rid of the Static - Listening to God Above the Noise of the World

I was driving to work the other day when I turned on the radio to a Christian station.  This particular station is a bit smaller and it's broadcast radius equally small so as I turned a corner in the road the once clear voice of the Bible teacher became intermingled with classical piano music.  For about a mile or two the Word of God was very difficult to hear as two out of every three words was overtaken by static, the musical notes of the piano, and then by the voice of the classical station DJ.  So, back and forth it went: 


Bible Teacher :  "Jesus said in John Chapter one, 'in the begin . . .'


static, static, static 


Bb7, F#m7, A, Em


static, static, static


Bible Teacher:  "Through Him all . . . "


D.J. :  "Now we'll enjoy Chopin's Nocturne in B-Flat minor"


static, static


I realized that God was showing me something in this.  He was showing me that, in this world, there are many things that compete for our attention especially those things that hinder us from hearing and discerning God's voice (a voice that the Bible, at one point, calls a "still small voice").


Did you ever try to answer your cell phone at a rock concert?  You know how you try really hard to listen to the person on the other end but the music is so loud and the crowd is so overwhelming that it's impossible.  You try plugging your other ear, sitting down, and tucking your head between your knees and you can hear a little better but the conversation is still marred.  If it's a really important call you stand up and walk out of the arena to a quiet place and soon the competing music and the roar of the crowd begins to fade.  Slowly,  the voice on the phone becomes clear and the conversation productive.


As I drew nearer to the Christian radio station tower the classical music faded and the Word's of John the Apostle came through clear as a bell:


"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, came from the Father, full of grace and truth."


The Bible tells us that the children of God recognize his voice which is a wonderful truth but equally true is that we need to be listening.  My children know my voice from all other voices but for some reason when they are playing a video game, in a trance-like state, my words fall on deaf ears.  When the game goes off (which it does really fast if my children ignore me) and they look in my eyes, it seems the words sink in much better.  


In Matthew Chapter 15 Jesus was teaching the crowd of followers and began his teaching with these words, "Listen and understand . . ."


In Mark Chapter 4 Jesus was sharing the parable of the sower and he begins with this, "Listen!  A farmer went out to sow his seed."


Did you notice the exclamation point?  Jesus knew that even more important than hearing was actually listening.  Everyone within reach of Jesus' voice could hear him but not everyone listened.  We often say, "I wish I could hear the voice of God." But I think God showed me again this week that if I want to hear him I need to tune out all the other static.  I need to turn off the TV, the IPOD, and the computer.  I need to get alone with him and spend some time in his written Word and on my knees (of whatever posture you find fit to pray).  Sure God can yell and often times I have found that if I have ignored him or failed to listen I get a really uncomfortable wake-up call.


I'm not sure if this touched you today, but I pray that your ears begin to hear and your heart respond to God's often still small voice.


Peace Friend,


David