Happy New Year

I know I have been away for a while. I haven't fallen from the faith or started going door to door as a Jehovah Witness. No, the Lord told me in the fall it was time to stop writing and start studying again. So that's where I've been the last few months, doing good old fashioned Bible study.

It was about this time last year I wrote my first devotional and it was on the gift of Jesus at Christmas and from there I was encouraged to start a blog and I was on my way. I got some great feedback from people and it spurred me to write as much as possible. My intent was not to come across as a know-it-all, but rather to share what God was doing in my life and encourage others to seek Him in a passionate way.

I love the week after Christmas and before New Years because it gives me a great opportunity to reflect on the wonders of what God did in my life in the past year while looking forward to what God will do in the upcoming year. I am happy to say with confidence that I am not the same person I was a year ago.

Through time in His word and through life experiences, 2008 is a year I won't soon forget. In July, I sat and watched as the Lord took home a 21 year-old after a three month battle with cancer. In December, I sat and prayed with a good friend until he lost his five-year battle with cancer and he went to be with Lord. A longtime employee of mine was diagnosed with colon cancer and he is in the battle of his life. What are you trying to teach me Lord?

He definitely taught me (with a little help from my wife) that I was no longer availabe to sweep issues and problems under the rug. As Judy says, it was time to get the shovel out and get in the trenches and do the dirty work. In what seemed like the longest August of our lives (it had nothing to do with the heat outside), Judy and I got busy and did the work that was needed in our marriage and I know the Lord has taken us to another level.

If we had any hopes of helping hurting couples in their marriages, we had to get things right in our own home. Judy and I have made a commitment not to settle for mediocrity in our home and in our marriage so we know to expect a constant barrage from the Enemy.

God gave me another lesson for me this year and it dealt with the subject of love. We talk about love in our world all the time, but the Lord told me this year that it was time to stop telling people how much I loved Him and start showing people how much I loved Him. A dear friend gave us a Christmas present with a framed picture of our Golden Retriever, Carly, and her golden, Miley.

At the bottom of the picture was a verse, 1 John 4:16, God is Love. The entire verse reads like this, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

God showed me more about love this year than in any of my previous 47 years. I got off my self-righteous butt (at times) and began to love people where they are and encourage them in their daily life and their spiritual journey without judging them and their motives. Showing agape unconditional love is not necessarily an easy thing, but it is the God thing. I had to show that if God is truly in me that I had to be loving others.

I know He is faithful to complete the work He has begun in me. I am excited for 2009 (even with our new president) because I know that God holds my future. My Bible study has shown me in the last week that God is pleased when when we choose to walk with Him (see Enoch and Noah).

I hope to be regular in my posting in 2009 and I pledge to be transparent as always. Have a blessed 2009 my friends and may the Lord show His lovingkindness to you and your family.

Don't Panic, God Is Still In Control

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. "

John 14:27 NASB

This verse today comes courtesy of my wife and it's the words of Jesus himself. Judy sent this verse to me in regards to my running the ship hear at work for a couple of days while the rest of my family is vacationing on cruises and hanging out on the beach in Australia.

This is the great thing about God's Word. It has many applications. Maybe when you first read the verse and saw the word fear you might have jumped to tomorrow's election and fear gripped you about what might happen if the wrong person wins. Let's face it, in this world there is a lot to be fearful of.

No matter what the fear, Jesus has the answer. Peace. And notice Jesus points out that there is a difference between the heavenlies and the worldly. Wordly peace will not be the same as peace from Jesus. Jesus' peace is eternal. The world's is temporal. I think back to my childhood when someone had wronged me and if that person happened to be an adult I knew I could go to my parents and tell them the problem and immediately I would feel a sense of peace because I knew they were in charge. They had my back. And if my dad had his dander up I would be sitting there saying, "Go get 'em Dad. Give it to 'em."

That's what Jesus can provide for us. He has our back and our front. He has our hearts and our souls. He has these things if we get out of the way and keep our eyes fixed on Him and allow Him to be God. How often we get fearful because we try to take back control from Him and do things our way and in our timing.

Now this doesn't mean we don't have a part to play. It's not just sit back and say, "Oh well. God will do all the work." God wants us to be obedient to help advance the Kingdom. Isn't it much more rewarding to be part of the process and not just let someone else do all the work?

While we're waiting, while we're studying, while we're praying, while we're being obedient, God hasn't left us alone. Jesus is referring in this verse that the peace He is leaving is gift of the Holy Spirit. What a great down payment until Jesus returns.

I have seen this peace played out in my life and the lives of others. Judy and I have tremendous peace about the elections tomorrow. Regardless of who's president or what marriage may look like, I know that God is still in control and that His church is the ultimate bride. His peace has carried a friend through her marriage struggle and the uncertainty of the future. Where I know she is really hurting, she constantly tells me, "I have great peace in this, I have great peace in this."

His peace has carried another family as they are dealing with cancer and have dealt with it for five long years. The end is near and in only through the love of Jesus could He flood this family with the peace of knowing He has them in the palm of His hand.

Shalom to you all.

Action Needed, Not Words

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

Galatians 6:2 NIV

I'm back for now. I don't know for how long though since I try to share when God gives me something to share. I don't want to write just for the sake of writing. Today's verse the Lord brought to mind and it speaks to what has been going on for Judy and I the past three weeks.

The Lord has asked us to get in the trenches with people going through struggles and so it was time to walk the walk as they say. No more writing about Godly behavior, but instead getting in and helping friends when they need it most. It's easy to tell people that you love them and that you'll pray for them, but it's another thing to carve out time from your schedule to talk, listen and pray over someone that is hurting.

Later in Galatians 6 in verse 10 Paul tells us we are to especially love our fellow believers. "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." I believe the Lord wants us to help each other out so we can be better equipped to go out into the world and be a witness for Him. If we are so bogged down in our struggles we won't be of much use for the Kingdom.

The Lord has really worked me over recently about agape love. This is that unconditional I'll love you at any cost no matter what you're going through kind of love. He helped bring me to that point by working me through the judgmental side that I displayed a few years ago. I had a real struggle being compassionate for someone going through something that wasn't an issue for me.

God and His marvelous Word helped get me aligned and He used some prior ministry experiences to mold and equip me. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35. When Jesus talks, I listen.

I am a strong believer in Christian fellowship and having mentors that can help you individually or as a couple. God has blessed Judy and I with people that we can call upon in a moment's notice for help or prayer or just to listen. We in turn endeavor to pay it forward using the skills the Lord has equipped us with.

What has the Lord equipped you with that might be of use to fellow believers? Maybe it's a circumstance that you have gone through that you might now be able to help someone else with. Are you actively looking to build relationships with other Christians that will sharpen you? Are your eyes open to the people around you to notice if they maybe going through tough times and you might have something to offer?

I can tell you firsthand the feeling you get from helping others in a time of need is oh so gratifying and you never know when you might need the help of others. That doesn't mean we keep score when we help others, but instead we let God do that and He will bring the help we need when we need it.

Who Said Becoming Like Jesus Is Easy?

"But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:13 NASB

I finally made it. My one year Bible reading plan has brought me to the New Testament and I get to hear from the words of Jesus. Now, I'm the first one to admit that I have a hard time understanding the words of Jesus. I know, he spoke in parables to make so the people could grab onto his messages easier, but the more I read the words of Jesus the more I discover that people don't talk like Jesus. Not then and not today.

Now I've read through the Bible several times in different translations, but I probably have an easier time in the Old Testament than I do understanding what Jesus means when He says the things He does. Jesus says things that seem so upside down to our thinking. "Those who are last wil be first." Huh? "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead." That doesn't sound too caring.

And then there is all the Kingdom of God is like .................. It can be anything from a mustard seed to leaven to a dragnet. I don't even know what mustard seed, leaven and a dragnet (a TV show right?) are. All this being said, I am studying Jesus' words very closely and I read through the Gospels this fall. The verse above is an example of something I have noticed this time around.

In a space of six chapters, Jesus mentions the word compassion. He not only talks about compassion, He felt it and lived it. His examples included having compassion for the sinners, the hungry and the lost. I don't know why God wanted me to catch this in Matthew this time around.

I do know there was a period in my life that I was lacking compassion for people. If I wasn't experiencing a certain problem or issue in my life, then I didn't feel too badly for those that did. If I was going to walk like Christ and become like Him, God did some quick work with me on that one. For one, God has allowed some trial in my life that have opened my eyes to those hurting.

He has taught me what it means to empathize with someone and not just feel sorry for them. Jesus felt compassion for those that were hurting, but He didn't just leave it with His feelings. He did things. Like not send the 5000 away hungry after hearing His message. He fed them. With just two fish and five loaves of bread.

Notice in the verse above Jesus says to go and learn compassion. It isn't something that comes naturally to us in our flesh. We need to experience people and be in relation with them. I have also found that we won't personally experience everything or every situation just so we can have compassion for people. I have never gone hungry or been homeless or had cancer, but I know people who have and it's my place to see where I can meet a need when God puts someone in my path that is experiencing life struggles.

Jesus never "turned the other cheek" when it came to helping people. He had compassion and mercy and He didn't just offer prayer when they could use a meal instead.

How's your compassion meter running? Do you live in such a bubble that you have a hard time reaching out to others or even thinking about others? Are you afraid of the commitment of reaching out to someone that is hurting and it might take a lot of your time? I challenge you to look for ways to be compassionate. Sometimes it may as easy a hug for someone or to stop and pray.

God will be glad you did and so will you.

Nothing Is Impossible

Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

Mark 10:27 NASB

I find great comfort in this verse. I think you would all agree that we live in troubled times. Our nation is in financial crisis, we're in a global war on terror and the culture seems to reach a new low every year.

While my prayer would be that our nation would turn to God and we would see a national revival, we can start a revival at home. We can seek the Lord when we face the impossible situations in our lives. Whether it's financial, relational, unhappiness or you're just plain exhausted we have the hope it doesn't have to stay in the depressed realm.

Many of you have heard this verse for years or you may have memorized, but do you recall the context it is used? Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the difficulty of rich people making into the kingdom of God. He knows their dependence of Him will be tougher because they might not see the need because they are financially independent.

Assuming your salvation is secure can we all not use the miracles of God in our lives? Judy and I have been involved in marriage ministry for over 12 years and we have seen some pretty impossible situations. We have seen couples dealing with adultery, depression and abuse and these are all Christian couples. Did you really think you would be immune to these kind of issues when you came to Christ?

But many of these couples chose to believe in a big God that they worship on Sundays to turn their impossible situation around. They chose to believe in the promise that God can turn the bad things of life and make something good out of them. I'm still amazed when I think about where they were to where they are today. It's called testiomony. Testimony to God's goodness, His faithfulness and His grace.

Are you facing what seems like an impossible situation today? Are your ready to give up? Does it look like there is no way out? Find someone you know to be strong in the Lord and run your problem by them. You'll feel better telling someone, but you could get a new perspective on the issue. Undoubtedly, they will pray for you and over you and commit your problem to the Lord.

God still does miracles today and not just medical ones. Remember the operative word in the verse above, ALL. Let's take all our problems to Him and believe in His promises and watch what happens.

Are We Hypocrites In God's Eyes?

As I endeavor to stay actively involved in the political culture through talk radio and cable news it seems I regularly hear the word hypocrite thrown around. It is usually used about someone who comes out against something and then fails in the practice himself.

Now I don't condone someone publicly stating one thing and then doing another, but I have news that shouldn't be a big revelation. WE ARE ALL HYPOCRITES. It's called being sinners. There is a segment of society that believes if they don't publicly give an opinion or state their values then they are free from being labeled a hypocrite.

To anyone who doesn't think they're not a hypocrite ask them if they strive each day to do good, to do the best job they can, lead honest lives. Now ask them if they have failed in their attempt. They answer will be yes so does that make them a hypocrite? They said they wanted to good, but instead they did wrong.

I decided to go to Websters Dictionary and to God's Word and see how hypocrite is defined and used. Websters has two definitions. 1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion and 2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. I would say the world operates under the second definition the most. It loves to point to the Ted Haggard's and Rush Limbaugh's of the world for their failures in acting in a way that says we would be better off not offering an opinion on any moral matter lest we might fail in it.

Now when people of influence offer an opinion and even offer one strongly there is no question credibility is lost. Are they being hypocritical? Yes, but it is the credibility of the person, not the message, that is damaged so we need to leave room for repentance and strive to do better the next time with the Lord's help.

What does the Lord say about being a hypocrite? Jesus makes several references when He makes an emphatic point." "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers ; therefore you will receive greater condemnation." Matthew 23:14

These verses go on and on and you can see in the Word that Jesus is usually talking to the scribes and Pharisees. The Greek word for hypocrite in its context is hupokrites and one of its meaning is an actor or stage player. People acting in dramas would wear masks to cover themselves to not show their true self.

This is the definition we need to be more careful not to be falling into. Are we acting all Godly on Sundays raising hands to worship Him and then dishonoring Him Monday through Saturday by the way we live out our lives. Being a Godly hypocrite is showing yourself to be more public than private. Do we publicly pray for the culture to get better and then privately view internet porn? Do we need accolades when we do ministry or are we happy to know that God knows?

We all know we fall short of God's glorious standard, but when we mess up confess up and be quick to note if others know your sin that we're not trying to change the rules or the standards. Don't fall into the trap that says, "Everyone is doing it" or "Nobody's perfect." We have a standard to follow so let's keep striving for it and not look to lower the bar or our expectations. The Lord will honor our efforts.

Amen!!

Repent

That is why the Lord says,“Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse.

Joel 2:12-14a NLT

If you've noticed my verses in recent weeks they all have come from the Old Testament. My Daily Walk Bible has me going through the minor prophets and I just love it. The Old Testament is so often ignored except for the Psalms and Proverbs and maybe some old Bible stories about Moses and Daniel.

I think the criticism of the Old Testament is that God is always angry and it's full of His judgment. People love the New Testament because it's full of God's grace and His love and His mercy. If you have been avoiding the Old Testament because you think there isn't any application today or it's just made up of old stories think again.

The verse above is from the minor prophet, Joel and he preaches a message that I love. It was necessary in his day and it sure is necessary today. Repent. The people of Israel and Judah had this wonderful habit of loving God when things were good, then ignore Him, a prophet would come and preach repentance, but often the people would ignore him and then punishment or consequence would follow.

As long as there is sin there will be a need for repentance and today is no different. The sin maybe different than 5000 years ago, but the need for forgiveness is not. The difference is we have a Saviour and the Israelites could only hope and wait for him. His name is Jesus and because of his obedience we can run to God and not hide from Him. He will forgive our trespasses, but we need to confess to Him before we can receive His forgiveness.

No matter which prophet is preaching repentance, you will almost always see a reminder of God's compassion and mercy. He is not sitting up in heaven waving His finger at us saying, "Mark blew it again. He's run out of chances with me. There is no chance of him getting into my Heaven." Thankfully the Lord forgives me and you over and over and over. I do know the Lord would like us to get it and not keep repeating our mistakes so we don't continue in the same consequences.

My favorite part of the passage is the end. Did you catch it? If we repent of our sin or sins, perhaps instead of a curse we might get a blessing instead. What a turn of events. Where we might deserve punishment instead we might get a reward instead. I think that goes against any parenting book we might read. "Child breaks rules, buy him a toy and then take him to McDonalds."

Is there anything in your life you need to repent or change course of? You know you can't hide it from God anyway. I can tell you first hand that if you're not sure if you're in any sin, then ask God and He will reveal it. He pointed that out recently to me in my marriage that I wasn't doing the things I was called to as a husband. God said, "You asked and so here it is." I confessed it and we dealt with it and moved forward.

You too can move forward and receive His blessings. Praise God!!

Is It Okay To Discrimate?

dis·crim·i·nate
Pronunciation:
\dis-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt\

1 a: to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar features of b: distinguish , differentiate
2: to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences ; especially : to distinguish from another like object
1 a: to make a distinction b: to use good judgment
2: to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit

I don't know why it is when I have a thought and I think it's profound and then it's affirmed somewhere else I get so excited. This happened this past week while reading the book, Vintage Jesus, by Mark Driscoll. Driscoll is a pastor of a church in the Seattle area and a friend recently turned me on to him. I link to his blog in my favorites.

I have often said that will all the talk about discrimination and how bad it is that we all discriminate in some form every day. Now granted, we mostly hear about discrimination when it comes to race and I'm not condoning that, but Driscoll in his book says that discrimination in and of itself is not such a bad thing, but often it becomes sinfully applied. His reference is to John 14:6 where Jesus says, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Part of the definition of discriminate is discernment or good judgment. We need to discriminate every day. A few questions to ponder. If a stranger was to come to your door and ask to come in would you let him? When you have a dinner party do you make sure your guest list is perfectly balanced by gender and race? If your 15-year-old daughter had a date pull up in a Porsche convertible would you let her go out with him?

The answer to these questions is probably no. Does that mean you're discriminating against people that drive nice cars and you hate strangers? Again, no because you are using good judgment and safety issues could be involved.

Here's where my view is probably a lot different than the world's. I believe God's clear distinction in the human race is that He has made us male and female. While there may be different cultural distinctions between races and sexual orientations, I see the gender difference as being clear.

Though men and women are both loved equally by Him, we are not the same. After 21 years of marriage and living with a teenage daughter, I know full well men and women don't speak the same, we don't think the same and we don't act the same. Neither is better than the other, just different.

My wife recently came back from a conference at the Honda Center called, "Women of Faith." There was probably 15,000 women in attendance because it was an event geared towards women. Were they discriminating, male-hating women because they didn't invite men? No, because it was geared for the target audience of women just as Promise Keepers is geared towards men. Now if these conferences didn't allow hispanic or African-Americans that would be a different story.

I sometimes play golf with a friend at local club that is for men only. This is a little tougher? Is this discrimination? I still say no, although a club that I couldn't bring my wife to play would not be one that I would want to join. Now a golf club is a business and I would fully support if someone wanted to open a golf club for women only.

My point here is we all need to show good judgment and discriminate in our choices and selections. We need to be careful in how we make them and that they are not based on any pre-conceived notion or stereotype. I believe safety is always a concern and we know we have to answer to the Lord for our judgements.

What about God and Christians? We always hear that we're narrow-minded and discriminating because we believe Jesus is the only way to God. When it comes to answering our critics a proper response would be that since God allows us to pick and choose who we hang out with and invite into our homes why can He not have the same luxury?

When our doorbell rings we don't usually let someone in who doesn't know the owner. It's our house and don't we make the rules? I think anything less for God in deciding who comes into heaven is a little selfish on our parts. But hear is the kicker that shows that God is anything, but discriminating.

He sends his invitation to come into His home to everyone. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, black, white or Hispanic, marital status or if your gay or straight. If we acknowledge the Owner of the Kingdom and repent of our sins we can all come in and join the celebration. I don't think that would fly in our homes if someone came to the door and said they knew who you were and really liked you and would you let them in now?

May we all discriminate with the proper discernment and remember that God is more inclusive that any organization or club could ever be. He loves everyone and He wants us all to know His Son, the One that will bring us all into His glorious presence.

The Bottom Line

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.Psalm 62:11-12 NIV

One of the many beauties of God's word is that when you hear a verse and it speaks to you it makes you want to pass it on. This is the case from the verse above. I heard this at the end of a Bible study taught by Beth Moore and the verses jumped out at me.

If you're like me at all you can be in a meeting or a long conversation with someone and you reach a point that you want it to end. And to clarify things you ask, "What's the bottom line in all this? What's my takeaway from our meeting?"

David, the writer of the psalm, had one of those moments. God's so powerful that He spoke one thing and David heard two. When it comes to the big God we serve it is so easy to get up in the questions. "God, why does this happen to this person when you should punish that person instead? God, I'm confused and you're word seems so complicated. God, why does my life seem to be such a struggle?"

David summarizes it by reminding us that our God is strong, He's loving and He rewards us for what we do. Jesus did the same thing for us when He brought the Bible down to the nitty gritty by telling us that we should "Love God and love others." Walking with Jesus and walking with others should not be that tough.

As we face tough situations and difficult people we can know that we have a powerful God on our side and that He loves us and those around us. If we make the right decision God will reward us or correct us if we don't. The rewards might come later, but often the corrections come sooner.

My bottom line for today. Do you get overwhelmed walking the Christian life? Do you get caught up too much in doctrine and miss what God wants to do in and through you? Do you fill yourself with a lot of head knowledge and forget the application?

Find a truth about God you need to hold tight to and may that be your takeaway today. That's all for now.

Roseville Couple Alters Marriage License

Judy and I love to talk politics. We love to go back and forth about the issues, the people involved in the campaigns, the cable news commentators. Sometimes, we have to scale back from the tv coverage and just switch to to home improvement shows instead. We also have many friends that tell us they hate to talk politics so they barely know it's an election year.

This year is not one of those years that we can afford to "sit this one out." Besides the all-important presidential election we have another one of those California Propositions to vote on that's about as big as it get for us. It's Proposition 8 and it's called the Marriage Amendment. It's simple, about 14 words, stating that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

Can you believe that it's come to this? A union that was ordained by God in the garden between Adam and Eve has come down to a vote that must pass or we'll see another chip away at the family that we have know for, well, forever. I have an example of some people who know this firsthand and have found out the hard way that our society is changing and not for the better.

Judy has a friend who lives in Sacramento and she has a son who got married at the end of August. When the marriage license was filled out it listed Party A and Party B where it's always been groom and bride. So the groom filled in his info in the party A section, but he hand wrote in groom crossing out the party A and he crossed out party B and wrote bride where his fiancee filled in her info.

They went ahead and got married. The bride's dad is a pastor and married them, but in the last week they were notified by the state that since they altered the application there license is invalid and they are not legally married in the eyes of the state. This means she can't change her name yet or join his benefits on a health plan as his wife. Now in God's eyes they are married, but nonetheless, they still have this hurdle.

Their story has made the news in Northern California and it's in the video above. I've posted my first you tube video. Woo hoo!!!

I'm not sure the route they're going to take, but the point is this is what its come down to. Everything that we have considered normal and have taken for granted as God-ordained or common sense is being thrown out the window and we now have to fight for.

For our friends who don't like to talk politcs, its becoming a lot less about politics and lot more about righteousness. We can't afford not to be kept abreast of what's going on in Washington and Sacramento. Talking politics in a way is more like defending our faith and what we hold to be truth. God's truth.

If you're at all like me, you have to be frustrated. We vote on these "big" proposition issues when they come our way and then a few months later a judge overturns the "will of the people" and claims it's "unconstitutional." It's discouraging, but we can't give up. God calls us to not run from our culture, but rather engage it and make a difference.

We can't sit out November 4 and do nothing. We need to vote again and again for marriage the way God has laid it out. Be ready to defend your position if asked by a neighbor or a work associate and pray that God will stir in the hearts of those sitting on the fence.

Time With The Lord, It's Worth The Effort

"Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Hosea 6:3 NLT

I am such a softy for verses like this one. When I think about the fact that the creator of the universe and all its galaxies, the One who has put the oceans and mountains and trees and plants and animals in place wants to know little ole me. It's almost more than I can bear. I am that much in awe.

But doesn't God already know me if He created me? Yea, and while nothing we do surprises Him it still gives Him great comfort and great joy when we make time to get to know Him. Just think of our own children. If we have spent anytime with them as they've grown up we feel pretty comfortable that we know how they operate, how they think and feel.

I don't know how many times I'll ask my son Taylor if I pick him up from school, "How was your day? Fine," he'll reply. Sure I would like more and later on I know he'll talk my ear off and ask me about what' going on at work or what his mom and I are doing and it brings me such pleasure to interract with him.

Now I write this as we're now in the second week of school and I don't know if it's an end of summer thing, but I'm finding it hard to get going in the morning and I'm a morning person to begin with. I've had to pray a little more earnestly that the Lord would strengthen me as it's my desire to spend time with Him before I start my day. I'm thankful for the answer today as my coffee is working well at this early hour.

So how is your transition from summer to fall going? Do you now have to make adjustments to your quiet time because this "school thing" has started up again? Have you made those changes yet or have you put God on the backburner? Ask the Lord to meet with you today or tomorrow and as we get the daily planners and blackberries filled for the fall season make an appointment to spend with Jesus.

As sure as the desert goes from extreme heat to manageable, the Lord will respond to us. And how do we know that? It's in His Word. Can I get an amen for that?

Compassion Needed Everywhere

I had the opportunity to be home on Labor Day and I was astonished as I watched the coverage of Hurricane Gustav on the cable news channels. It was though the reporters were salivating at the prospect of this storm hitting the Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans. There was such anticipation coming from them like Christmas had come early.

Now, why would this be? The obvious answer was the chance to see what the federal government's response would be three years after Katrina. Side note thought that came to me the other day: Do you realize that we personalize a hurricane more than babies in the womb by nature of naming these storms? You mention Katrina and everyone what you're talking about like it's a person, but the unborn is so often relegated to fetus status. Just a thought.

As I was watching all these people evacuating New Orleans I couldn't help but think about the flooding that took place in Texas earlier this year or the fires we had this year and last in California. I don't recall the outpouring of concern from the media about the loss of these people's homes.

Let's face it. If a person loses his home to fire, flood or earthquake it becomes that person's Katrina. A home lost to someone in San Diego is as devasting to someone in New Orleans. I'm ashamed to say that this country has now gone political correctness in the arena of weather. The Bible is very clear that we are to have compassion for everyone. Not just those of certain races or political parties or financial postion.

The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthian church. "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

I'm not against helping those in New Orleans, but God is calling us to be compassionate to all people. If we see someone in need and He calls us to help them, then help them. Our ability to comfort others comes from the Lord. The verse above says He is the source of all comfort. We are just fortunate to be a tool or instrument to be used in the process. Praise God for the opportunity!

I love this verse because it says we are not just to be consumers of compassion. God sends people our way when we need and He expects us to show compassion to others when the opportunity presents itself. Call it a "pay it forward" kind of thing. Now that doesn't mean that the person we show compassion to will necessarily be the one who comforts us later. That would trap us into thinking we're doing good deeds with a catch. May that not be our though.

We should always look to others that God puts in our path or our hearts to lend a hand. So the next time you see a family that's house is burned down or is carried away in a mudslide let's be empathetic and compassionate to their situation. Who knows, we never know when we'll need a hand ourselves.

Minimum Requirement

And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple.

Ezekiel 43:12 NLT

I love reading the Old Testament. I don't find it to be just a bunch of old stories with strange people and prophets that said and did weird things. It's not just a part of the Bible that shows God's wrath and the New Testament is His grace.

I love to find the application from every book of the major prophets to even the minor ones like Obadiah and Nahum. The passage from above is taken from Ezekiel, a major prophet, who was given many visions of things to come and the one above is a blueprint of the future temple.

When I see the word temple I don't think of the place Jewish people go for worship. I think of Paul telling the Corinithians that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to treat it as such and honor God with how we live.

The Lord was telling Ezekiel that holiness was the minimum requirement to be a part of his temple. From the building itself to the priests who ministered there to the people who came to offer their worship and sacrifices, it was all to be set apart for God.

What about us? Can we strive to make our lives from the words we use to the shows and movies we watch to the food and drink we consume to the way we treat people be done in complete holiness? Can we treat our bodies or the bodies of the people in our sphere of influence as though we were doing it unto the Lord?

I pray that we would all set our sights and our standards at the highest possible level. May we all look to not take the easy road to skate by or do just enough. Instead of using the old slogan, "What Would Jesus Do?" how about asking "Would God Approve or Would He Be Pleased?" This can be applied to our relationships, our conversations, our tv viewing and our internet surfing.

We live in such a secular society that is learning that "Big Brother" is watching now and it comes in the form of cell phone videos and You Tube and it's really coming to bite people in the rear. I see this an opportunity from the Lord for our public life to start to line up with our private life.

May we all welcome the intrusion. Or cause us to look inward to change.

I Could Get Used To This Vacation Stuff

Rest is good. I guess God does know something that I don't. Who would have thought? Judy and I and the kids just got back from 4 days in Carlsbad and I can't believe how the Lord could provide us such rest at a time we needed it most.

It's so nice that we can go from 110 degrees to a sunset like the one above in only two hours. We truly are blessed to live where we do. There is just something about a sunset over the ocean that brings me to a place of worship. He put all this in place, the waves, the sun, the sand and yet He still desires to spend time with me. How cool is that?

Judy and I keep busy all year long so it was nice to have a minimal agenda. We actually stayed in bed in the morning past eight o'clock. I know now why we don't have black-out curtains at home. Our kids would be late to school everyday and the Lord wouldn't know who I am since I would oversleep my quiet time.

This vacation came at just the right time for our family. Judy and I feel called by the Lord to be on the front-lines of marriage so he has been fine-tuning us the whole month of August. We went three straight weeks having pretty heated discussions in our marriage that left Judy asking, "Does everyone else have to have their closets cleaned out like us? God has us deal with everything!"

Judy and I have been committed to seeing growth through the struggles. Since I believe we are both tracking with the Lord, He is constantly changing and transforming us. And through these changes in ourselves we have had to learn to adapt to the changes in the other. It's been a bumpy road, but God brings tremendous peace on the other side.

The scripture that God keeps bringing to me comes from 1 Corinthians 13:5 where it says love does not demand its own way. Obviously, it says a lot more about love in this chapter, but for now, not being demanding speaks a lot to me right now. I have no place or no right to demand my wife change or do something for me that I want because it would make my life easier.

I have surrendered all claims to my life to the Lord and I know He will use Judy to meet my needs as He will use others, but I can't mold and shape her into what I want her to do. So she knows I will take my concerns to the Lord if I think she should change in any area. I know the Holy Spirit is working in her so I'll let Him do the work and trust Him for the results.

We come back now refreshed and ready for ministry. We love marriage and all that it can bring to a family as well as to society. If we're to help and bring encouragement to others, we know we have to deal with things in our backyard. As well as our closets.

Striving For The Sexy Marriage

A magazine cover caught my eye recently at the check-out stand at the market. It was a women's magazine and on the cover was actress Kyra Sedgwick and it had a sub-heading about her and her hubby Kevin Bacon keep their marriage sexy after 20 years.

As I often do in the check-out lines when it comes to the magazines, I had to laugh. A sexy marriage. Now Judy and I have been married over 20 years and I was thinking, "Do we have a sexy marriage like Kevin and Kyra?" "What is a sexy marriage?" In this day and age have you noticed everything is sexy from hair to pillows to cars to shoes?

I didn't buy the magazine at that point even though I was curious to hear Kyra's story as to how someone in Hollywood could be married more than two years yet alone 20. I ended up finding the article online and even though I don't know them to be Christians, just being married 20 years and not quitting did give her some insight.

Some things she said were a bit weird like "I'm constantly amazed that we are still surprised and interested in each other." Let me touch that one. While I can be amazed at how God still surprises me with new things about Judy, the last thing I would say is I'm surprised I'm still interested in her. Let's face it, if we didn't change and hopefully for the better, wouldn't it be a bit boring knowing this is what I can expect till death do us part?

As believers, we should forever be changing into His image and thus life should never be boring. I don't want to be the same man and husband for Judy this time next year and I don't expect her to be the same wife as well. We have been riding an August roller-coaster in our marriage that I am committed to turning into growth. If we don't grow from disputes then all that is left is hurt feelings and resentment.

One of the wise things she said about keeping the relationship strong was, "We got help when we needed to be alone. We check in with each other all the time. I think that's ultimately the best for the kids, because they feel safe when they know Mum and Dad are good, enjoying each other's company and wanting to be alone together."

It's so easy to get caught up in the routine of being parents. Homework, lunches, bus-driving, the works. It all starts up again in 10 days. Let me say "Woo Hoo." Now in June it will be a different story. But Judy and I have been big advocates for going on dates and spending time alone. We know we will be of no use to Taylor and Shelby if we're not good, if we're at odds or being of one voice.

Our "date nights" have changed over the years from going out to dinner for a nice meal to a trip down to Starbucks or lately sitting out back or front with no interruptions enjoying a glass of wine and good conversation. Like Kyra said in the quote above, the kids feel "safer" when the parents are "good." Isn't that a place we all want to be?

I encourage you all to find your "date night" with your spouse. Find what can work for you and try not to talk about the kids while you are on your date. I love when our conversation can be about meaningful things or Godly things. I call it talking in the "Spirit." We have taken on the task of doing a book study together about Jesus. We read a chapter at a time and then discuss it. It's help bring a freshness and newness factor to our conversations.

Have a great weekend everyone. Enjoy the final days of your summer. God is good and He is sending us to Carlsbad for four days starting on Sunday. I will catch up with you all next Friday and if you are interested and have made it this far I have tried to make posting a comment easier by taking out some of the restrictions. You don't have to set up a google account. Sorry it took so long to make the change. I'm still learning this whole blog thing. See you next week.

A Great Illustration

This doesn't happen often. I blog about agape love on Monday and then on Tuesday I saw a movie that perfectly illustrates it. Maybe you have noticed on my blog the movie recommendation list and it's quite short. It only has one movie and it wasn't mainstream at all.

It's not that Judy and I don't like to go to the movies, but have you noticed this summer every movie seems to be some sort of superhero story. Even movies that don't start with a comic book superhero background still seem to create superpowered characters out of regular people.

The movie I'm playing reviewer to here is "Henry Poole is Here." I first heard about this movie on Rush Limbaugh's website and he's the first to admit he is pretty much an action oriented movie kind of guy. From there I went to www.pluggedinonline.com to read there review and I immediately knew this was the kind of movie for Judy and I to see.

The movie is actually playing at the mall theatres and when Judy and I arrived five minutes before the movie we were the only ones there. I asked Judy if she appreciated that I booked the theatre for her for our date night. She set me straight not to try anything with her.

Without detailing the story line I will tell you that it is a great God story. The central character in the movie, Henry Poole, buys a home and just wants to be left alone. God had a different plan as each person He sends to Henry offers kindness and love and looks for nothing in return from him.

The movie is subtle and not preachy about God though God is mentioned a lot in the movie. It's all about people loving an unlovable person and it doesn't necessarily wrap up in an hour and a half to a beautiful happy ending. It doesn't mean the ending isn't good, but it leaves things to the imagination.

It's a great feeler movie with elements that will make some cry, but it also forces you to think. It became great dialogue for Judy and I this morning as we discussed our favorite scenes and how we saw God work in the various characters. It's the type of movie that doesn't come out Hollywood often so I'm curious to the background of the script and the fact that Hollywood has to know that conservatives will like the movie.

The other plus for Judy and I was the movie was clean with just a few curse words that didn't seem out of place for the character. They didn't spoil the movie by adding sex to a scene that 99% of today's movies would have.

There's my movie plug for the day. A movie with a good story with characters that can't fly or beat up 10 guys at a time. Just a man struggling with life, faith and purpose and what can happen when God puts loving people in his path. I pray that we can all pour into people each day with the kind of love that God has shown us.

Loving The Unlovable

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

Matthew 5:43:47 NLT

Have you ever read through God's word and especially the teachings of Jesus and find yourself glancing over or moving on when you read something that doesn't make sense or is really hard to do. This verse from the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is one of those verses for me.

Can you fathom what Jesus is asking us to do in this verse? I'm not only supposed to love the likable and kind and great people in my life, but also the difficult ones as well. I know I am not alone here. We all have difficult people in our lives and Jesus rightly points out (doesn't He always?) we're not doing any favors for the Kingdom if we ignore those that say rude things to us or give us cutting or sarcastic remarks or are just downright mean.

The type of love that Jesus is talking about here is from the Greek word, agape. You've probably heard this word in your days in church and the key component to the meaning is selflessness, not doing something for someone because we are looking for something in return. Imagine that. This was the type of love Jesus poured out for us on the cross. He loved us so much that He was willing to die so we might have eternal life.

This verse from Matthew came to me after reading in 1 John 4:7 where it says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. How do I know if I love God? This verse says if I am loving others and Jesus says that includes those we don't know or don't like.

Identify the difficult people in your lives. Maybe it's your boss, your neighbor, your co-worker or maybe it's someone closer like a relative. Now I won't say that all difficult people are non-believers, but even if they know Christ, they musn't know His love very well. Think of ways to just love on them. Meet a need, say hello, send them a text, but try something.

If we're doing the tough things that God call us to do, like love everyone imajine the impact we can have. Our minds can get so cluttered with God stuff at times lately I have been going out the door in the morning telling myself to just love people and love them expecting nothing in return.

Because it won't be nothing you get since God will have noticed and He will receive the glory. Isn't that why we are all here?

Let Me Stop What I'm Doing And Listen

I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

Psalm 116:1-2 NLT

I'm weird. I admit it. Things pop in my head at times and I wonder how those thoughts got there. One is this image that God is in human body form with arms and legs and He walks around heaven ruling His kingdom all the while keeping an eye on things down here.

Part of my thinking I'm sure comes from the scripture that says that we are made in His image and that God did come in human form through Jesus' time on Earth, but nonetheless, I find myself drifting away and putting God in a box. I don't know why I need to remind myself that God is with me all the while He is with my wife and at the same time He is with my kids.

That being said, in regards to the above Psalm, a little mental picture is okay. Just the thought that each day when I lift my prayers to the Lord they do not get crowded out because someone else is also bringing requests to Him. God is not up in heaven saying, "Enough!! Can't I have a little quiet? I can't hear Mark because all his friends are talking to me at the same time. One at a time please."

Instead, He hears all of us and my favorite image is that of God bending down to listen. It's not us shouting up to Him and waking Him up, but the Lord is actively waiting to hear from us and like I used to do when Taylor and Shelby were younger, I would bend down to their level to hear them. I know they liked it when I bent down because now we were looking eye to eye and it wasn't so intimidating for them.

Since we know He bends down to hear us and He listens, isn't it more comforting to keep active in prayer? While we can't forget the omnipresence of God I think it's healthy enough to imagine God bending down and setting all heavenly matters aside and hearing what is on our hearts and minds. Let us not forget that we always have an audience on one.

Guilty!!

I want to expand on a subject that came up in church last week and God showed me again in a book I'm currently reading so I guess it's important enough to go a little deeper. It's a subject that we may not like to talk about a lot and especially about ourselves. It's the subject of sin.

Now I will be the first to admit that I can be quick to notice the sin in other people's lives and a little slow to notice mine. When I come to my confession time during prayer, I admit that I ask the Lord did I sin yesterday? How ridiculous, huh? As if I went through the day not missing the mark, but the point is we easily give ourselves grace.

Where Pastor Bob was great to point out this past weekend is we have two types of sin: sins of commission and sins of omission. The first ones are a little more obvious I think. These are the things that we do wrong, the breaking of His law, the world's law and the like. The sins of omission are not quite that obvious. These are sins where we fail to act or we're lazy or disobedient. In short, we don't do the things we ought to do.

"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." James 4:17. Just a reminder that it's God telling us about our omission and not man. If we're walking and tracking with the Lord, sins of omission are the ones I think most believers will be committing. We're wise enough to know what we shouldn't do, but often it's a little easier to hide the things we should be doing. I will use myself as an example.

I am blessed to be married to a wise Godly woman who sees things that I don't often see. She sees the big picture very well when I can get caught up in the excitement of a moment or an event. Recently and not intentionally I will point out, I sinned. I missed the mark on how I should have been treating her and she called me on the carpet for it.

Normally, my first reaction is to get defensive, but the Holy Spirit had me stay silent and listen to why she was upset with me. I eventually tried to muster a defense, but ultimately I was convicted. I was guilty. I had not acted in a very loving way to my wife. "For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church." Ephesians 5:25

If Christ had loved the church this way we would be in big trouble. Thankfully, I have a loving wife who has the freedom to point out my sin and where it can be hard to take at the time, the benefit is tremendous. From there, we were able to come together in prayer and I could take it to the Lord and know in my heart I was forgiven. It was a true 1John 1:9 moment. I was completely cleansed from all unrighteousness.

A verse I take very seriously as a husband is from 1Peter 3:7. The last part of the long verse says that I am to treat her as I should so my prayers will not be hindered. This means if I am not treating Judy the way I should according to His word, the prayers that I offer on your behalf will fall on deaf ears. I don't want that to happen since I pray for you all regularly.

I try to find the spiritual in all things and since Judy and I have reconciled and restored, the peace over us has been overwhelming. There is a new sense of freedom and a deeper sense of love. I believe we experience this peace with our Heavenly father when we come to Him and admit we blew it when we fail to act according to His standards and that we'll strive to make it right or make it right the next time if given the opportunity again.

Isn't grace awesome? It's beautiful to see in our earthly relationships, but I'm so glad that we are saved by grace with the Lord. Have a great weekend. I love you all and today I know my prayers are going unhindered for you all.

Amen!

Take The Tried And True Way

This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

Jeremiah 6:16 NLT

Have you noticed the number of new "religions" that have sprung up recently? Usually, it has someone famous tooting its horn such as Tom Cruise with Scientology or Madonna with Kabala or Oprah singing the praises of "the Secret."

Because God gives us free will and choice and He doesn't force His way upon anyone, people are seemingly searching for purpose and direction and the proverbial "answer to the meaning of life" just about everywhere. On the home page of Kabala it says that it gives the answers to the "why" of life and it's about tapping into the energy of the universe.

You're probably like me and chuckle when you hear things like this because we know we don't need the energy of the universe when we've been empowered by the Creator of the Universe. I was on call yesterday morning and driving down Portola and I was astonished at the amount of cars in the parking lot of the Spiritual Center. It's located near the Post Office and they teach the "Secret" or so the sign says. And not only that, but they have two services on Sunday. I couldn't believe it.

At that point I stopped and prayed for those people inside because I know they are lost and are deceived each and every Sunday. Unlike our verse above, chances are these folks don't know about the old, godly ways. I don't know if they look around and see the Christian church up the street and they form an opinion about what goes on inside and they just choose the new "flavor of the month" to get to God.

My prayer for us all is that we would keep our eyes open for those "lost souls." People out there are hurting. I saw it yesterday in church as person after person left the prayer partners at the end of service with tears in their eyes and genuinely sobbing. If they're in our church chances are there is plenty who are not and trying to deal with the struggles in their own strength.

We need to invite them to experience the tried and true ways of our Heavenly Father. We know they will find a God who cares and who loves them and He will give them rest. May we be an example for Christ that represents His love instead of one that would send someone seeking the wrong road.

Can You Hear Me Now? That's Not All

We've all seen the commercials by now. I think they have gone on for years now. The nerdy Verizon guy who goes around the country and makes sure everyone has a cell phone signal saying, "Do you hear me now? Good." It was funny at first, but like everything it starts to get a little old.

Being able to have a good cell phone signal to hear is one thing, but it's another to listen to the person on the other end. I mean really listen. The one thing that gets me into more trouble at home is my inability to be a good listener. I hear Judy and Shelby when they talk to me, but because my mind has a tendency to be thinking about other things, I haven't really listened.

I don't do it to be rude, but I don't know how many times I have heard later, "I told you we were going to do this or I told you I had a doctor's appointment. You musn't have been listening again." I cringe every time I hear those words. What's the answer for me (and I hope there are other guys out there with this problem)? I know it's to slow down and pay attention to the person who is talking to me and focus.

This listening problem can also happen to us in the spiritual realm as well (doesn't everything?). 584 times the Bible mentions the word listen and in most cases it's in relation to us listening to God. The other times we would like God to listen to us. Like life, listening to God and his voice can keep us out of trouble.

Jesus also implored us to listen to his voice or there would be consequences. Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” Mark 4:24-25

Imagine that. There is a benefit to listening and a consequence for being absent-minded or ignorant. If we slow down enough in our busy schedules enough, set time aside for Jesus, turn off the television and radio in the car once in a while, we might be able to listen for His voice.

I know at times I hear God and I think I know what He wants me to do, but if I don't listen close enough or if think I can hear Him over the television there is a good chance I'll get His instructions wrong. The verse above is telling me if I don't listen intently or I get lazy and ignore Him, I not only will lose out on gaining wisdom, but in a way I'll get dumber. Spiritually dumb!!

I have the privilege of teaching in a spiritual growth class at church and one of my topics is the importance of quiet time. We are now officially in the hot lazy days of August and lounging by the pool or sleeping in on the weekends sounds especially appealing. But for Judy and I, we know we need the Lord more than ever in this season. I'll admit, I'm tired by the end of the day and getting up early can be a struggle.

But the benefits are immeasurable. I get to spend time each day with the creator of the universe and He wants to speak to me and He wants me to listen. My prayer is that we would all take a Psalm 46:10 moment each day. Be still and know that God is God. Be ready. Be prepared. Hear God's voice and more importantly listen.

I gotta go. I hear Judy calling and I don't want to miss out and what she has to say. Bless you all.

His Faith Comes To The Top

Lindsey Sowles death last Thursday night was not the only tragedy of the day. Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, a well-known evangelist who holds a popular crusade at Angels Stadium every August, lost his 33 year-old son Christopher in an automobile accident earlier in the day.

While the Sowles family agonized for months over Lindsey's illness, Christopher went to work one day and wound up in the presence of the Lord. Do we not know that life is short or has it become a cliche or a catchy ad slogan? I've added a link at the end of this post to Pastor Greg's first appearance in church since his son's death. It's about 18 minutes in length and it is moving.

As a pastor, he has had to say all the right things for years to family's that were hurting, but he will tell you this is the toughest thing he has ever had to deal with. But the place he knew he had to be on Sunday was in church and to praise the One who is now hosting his son Christopher. I mainly wanted to post today to encourage you to take time to watch the video and see real faith put on display for us all.

The verse that gave Greg great comfort was from Job 1:21. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." What a great place to go for comfort, the Word of God.

Pastor Greg had a chance to curse God, but he didn't. Instead, he offered people a chance to receive Christ (he especially challenged the young people) since he knew he was being watched. And miraculously many did. A steep price for a family to pay, but God is being glorified already and the Kingdom of Heaven is expanding through Christopher's death and I suspect that many more will in the time ahead as Pastor Greg's altar calls will have a bit more passion and a bit more urgency. Praise the Lord for his family and his ministry.

http://blog.greglaurie.com/?p=272

You Look Especially Radiant Today

Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Isaiah 43:7 NKJV

This was a verse that came to me last week and I was drawn to the word glory. If you're like me you hear it in Christian circles all the time. "We need to bring God glory" or "we need to glorify God in this or that." But what does that mean?

The original Hebrew word for glory is kabod and it means the splendor of God's presence. When I meditated on this fact it became overwhelming to me. I am here and you who acknowledge Christ as your Saviour are here to reflect the existence of God in our lives. In case creation wasn't enough (and it is for me) we need to show others that God exists by the way we live our lives.

That means whether you work in an office, run a business, you're retired, you're a stay-home mom we need to show the world that God exists. As the verse above says, it is why He created us. I know this doesn't directly fall under the five purposes as written by Rick Warren, but God's Word is clear here.

The thing about God's glory or his splendor or his majesty He is going to receive it in everything. God will receive the glory in the church or He will put things into motion so He does. He will receive it in the good times of our lives as well as the bad times. It's what makes testimony so powerful. If you have gone through a struggle recently and you have made it through the other side the way to give God the glory for it is to tell others about it.

Lindsey Sowles was glorifying God to her last day on Earth. She touched people's lives right there at Desert Regional from her hospital room and in the hallways. While she was here she knew her purpose was to show that God existed, even in illness. I have other friends that are cancer survivors and they do the same. They know that God has healed them for a reason and it is to give him glory and help others.

So when people observe you or meet you for the first time what do you think you reflect? Even if you don't get the opportunity to share the gospel, do you endeavor to show the love of Jesus in all you do? But more importantly, if you have received blessings or success in your life have you acknowledged the One who gave it to you?

I'm heading outside now. I think I'll need extra sunblock today for all the glow out there. Amen

Lord, Hear Our Prayers For The Sowles Family

A family I know lost a loved one last night. Her name was Lindsey Sowles and she was just 21 years-old and her body gave in to that terrible disease called cancer. I wrote of her last week and continued praying for a miracle right up until the end. I fully expected God to heal her and I am glad I prayed in that regard all the way to the end.

For whatever reason that I can't explain right now, the Lord had me there last night. I got the call to go and help lead in prayer for a last minute miracle from the Lord, but when I arrived I found myself mostly silent. I was blessed to be there as I witnessed an incredible family led by Lindsey's dad, Steve, who really put meaning to "faith in action."

But I know my prayers for the Sowles family does not end with the death of Lindsey. Instead I have to step them up even more. I have a daughter and a son and I can't even imagine the anguish of what it must be like to go through an ordeal like this. As I sat in Lindsey's room, I found myself just in awe of Steve has he epitomized what a spiritual leader in the home looks like. He was a tremendous source of comfort for his family and I know it was something I would never forget.

Lindsey's mom, Debbie has the joy of the Lord shining on her face every time I see her. Even in this trial, she greeted me with a warm hug and a big smile and was quick to share the wonderful God stories that had gone on the past three months.

Moments like this undoubtedly bring out the questions to God of why does this happen and especially to someone so young, but I found myself in the car on the way home reflecting and thinking about my own family and praising God for them. I thanked Him for the love they show me everyday and how they make me want to be a better husband, father and person.

As I got in my truck for the ride home, I immediately set my Ipod in the car to the worship song, "Amazed" and set the controls to repeat as I just worshipped over and over to the God of the Universe who is so amazing that He desires a personal relationship with all of us. His love is so wide, so deep and so great that we can't even comprehend it. As hard as it is to believe, but God loved Lindsey more than her family did and we rejoice today that she is fully healed and cancer free and beginning life in eternity with Him today.

The Lord knew it was time for me to move on and suddenly the "repeat" setting was gone and the next song came on and it was "Amazing Grace (His Chains Are Broken)" by Chris Tomlin. I wept through the entire song as each lyric in the song ministered to my heart. God has a way of doing that.

For those of you who know the Sowles family and even if you don't, pray for their strength and their healing. It will be especially tough in the days and weeks ahead for Steve and Debbie and their kids Aaron and Heather as well as Lindsey's fiance, John. Also, remember to cherish your loved one's just a little bit more, hug them a little tighter and appreciate everyday the Lord gives us because we truly do not know how long we have here.

I praise you today Lord for the Sowles family and may you hold them tight in your arms as they grieve over their beloved Lindsey. Amen.

Am I Invited?

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:41-42 NASB

Mary and Martha were sisters and along with their brother Lazarus were best friends of Jesus. They believed he was the Son of God and were very welcoming when Jesus came for a visit.

However, when Jesus arrived the two sisters acted very differently. Martha was frantically doing everything to prepare the home. After all, they were hosting the Son of God so who wouldn't be working their socks off like Martha. No doubt, she was cooking, cleaning and putting everything in its right place. Verse 40 says that Martha was distracted by all her preparations.

What was Mary doing while her sister was doing all the work? Waiting at the feet of Jesus listening to everything He had to say. It's not like Jesus was her next door neighbor and she could tap into His wisdom whenever she wanted. Mary knew she had to soak in all of Jesus while she could.

My favorite part of the passage is where Jesus tells Martha only "one thing" is needed when it comes to a gathering. The "one thing" is Him. What's great to me about this passage is that it has such great application for today. How many things do we do from dinner parties to small group functions to church services where we plan and we meet and we brainstorm trying to come up with the perfect event?

Jesus is really saying, "Hello. Anyone home? Just invite me and you'll be fine." I think we worry so much about the externals like the food that's served, the sound, the lighting or if so and so will be there and not enough of whether Jesus is on the guest list. No matter how committed a Christian you are, if Satan can't get to you he can always keep you busy or distracted.

I'm well aware of how hot outside it is in July. I know it's easy to get lazy or slow down or just stay extra busy with all sorts of summer activities and vacations. But are you finding time to spend with the Lord? Are you making adjustment to your quiet time to meet with Him? Do you make Him welcome at your gatherings?

Remember, He is the most important ingredient and He doesn't want to share His glory with anyone. Have a great week and who's going to be your first invite to your next function?

Do You Believe In Miracles? Yes!!

The above question and answer came from announcer Al Michaels at the end of the infamous Olympic hockey game between the USA and the Russians back in 1980 where we pulled off an improbable victory that propelled us to winning the gold medal. It was a sports version of David versus Goliath.

The word miracle is thrown about rather casually these days from sports (it'll be a miracle if they can come back and win) to the dating scene (it'll be a miracle if the two of them wind up together). I looked up in the dictionary and one of the definitions of miracle is an event manifesting or considered as a work of God.

I think we would all associate a miracle as something outside the realm of human hands or possibility. We would recognize it as a "God thing." I usually put medical needs in the realm of miracles which brings me to the story of my blog.

Monday night I had the privilege of attending a fundraiser for Lindsey Sowles, a 21-year-old girl who is currently dying from cancer after being in perfect health about four months ago. I know her parents well since her mother Debbie worked at my church for years, but only briefly met Lindsey on a service call at their house a few months back.

As her condition worsened with each passing week my friend Carlos, who had been regularly giving me her medical updates, advised me that she was near death. We needed to be praying for a miracle and that God would use Lindsey to bring glory to Himself. The doctors had essentially given Lindsey a death sentence back in June, but Carlos was unwavering in his support to Lindsey's dad, Steve, to keep praying solely for Lindsey's healing.

It caused me to think heavily about my prayer life when it came to healing for people with serious medical conditions. I am the first to admit I have found myself praying with lack of belief in what I was praying for. My prayers to the Lord probably confused Him so much that He stopped listening. It was the type of prayers with the "out clause" that if it didn't turn out like I wanted it must have been "God's will."

Carlos encourage me to pray for nothing but Lindsey's complete healing. Nothing more and nothing less. My friend Ginger, who was instrumental in getting Lindsey's story on KESQ recently, has always said part two of the story will be her healing. This time around, I have prayed for nothing but a full recovery.

As only God can do, He orchestrated a lunch on the beach in Newport last week for Judy and I with a friend and we got to talking about healing and she reminded us of the times that Jesus healed. Jesus would often ask the person He was about to heal "if they believed they would be healed" and when they said "yes", then He healed them.

One specific example was Jairus' daughter who was in need of healing and Jesus was purposely slow in getting to her and by the time he arrived she was dead. "The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Mark 5:40-42

Two things stand out to me in this passage. One that people were laughing at the Son of God. Can you imagine laughing at the Lord and discounting His abilities and His power. The second is that Jesus cleared the room of everyone except the parents and His disciples. They were the only ones who believed that Jesus could still heal the girl, even after she had died. This happened a lot in scripture. The unbelievers were cleared from the room.

Does this mean that every time we pray for miracles they happen the way we want them? No. I do know for certain however, that Lindsey will be healed, it's just a matter of what side of heaven will it occur. I also thought the other day that to God there is no such thing as a miracle. If he can put the starry host and heavens in place with a spoken word, do you think it takes much effort for Him to heal Lindsay? No. It can happen in a moment's notice and God will certainly not break a sweat to do it.

I have been emphatic of my prayers for Lindsey's healing recently. Was she able to attend her own fundraiser Monday night? No. Has she gotten out of her bed and walked recently? No. But she's also still here six weeks after her doctor had predicted her death. She's had some progress and some regress. God has brought enough healing for her boyfriend to propose in the hospital (she accepted, how cool is that?) and it has caused her doctor to open his eyes to God's hand in all this.

Cancer is all around us and it probably has effected at least someone you know. I can't believe how many people I know that are my age or younger that have had to deal with it. And praise God they are still here and giving God the glory. So for you Lindsey and my friend, Skip Osgood, I'm praying for complete healing. Nothing more. Nothing Less.

In God's healing team there is no room for unbelief. Amen.

What Are You Reflecting?

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB

Have you ever run into someone you haven't seen in a while at a high school reunion or a family function or even a wedding and you come away from the meeting saying "that person has changed"? Or maybe you thought that hadn't grown at all and they were just like they were the last time you saw them. Is that a good sign?

It's one thing to say someone's appearance hasn't changed, but should we really be the same week in and week out and year in and year out? I believe if we're tracking with the Lord and growing in Him and seeking Him daily then we will be forever changing. Call it Christian evolution. Evolution where we are becoming like Christ.

We know that the Apostle Paul tells us later in chapter 5 that we are new person when we come to Christ, but just because we are saved from eternal separation from God doesn't mean that we just stay stagnant and apathetic in our growth. If we find ourselves in a rut at a church, maybe not being challenged, then we need to take the needed course of action.

Possibly we need to mix up our quiet time a bit, seek out different pastors on the internet for some fresh preaching, start a new Bible study and seek the Lord for direction and wisdom. But whatever you do, don't just sit back and think God is going to supernaturally change you.

Isn't it an awesome feeling to know as a believer that our purpose is to become like Christ. Philippians 2 tells us we are to have the mind of Christ and the verse above reminds us that as we grow in Him, we reflect the Glory of Christ to others. I love this translation because it reminds us that as we grow God will move us from this glory to the next and so forth.

I don't know about you, but I have met several people in my walk with the Lord that shine the glory of God in a way that it is so obvious that you just know that they have a deep relationship with Christ. There is something that is just a bit different about them. They talk different, they have a joy across their face that just exudes the love of Jesus.

I'll tell you when I meet people like that I sure try to hang around them and learn from them as much as I can. It's like they experience the glow that Moses did when he came off the mountain after his encounter with the Lord. It caused Moses to wear a veil so the people could look at him. He was shining that bright.

So ask yourself if you ran into someone that hadn't seen you in a while would they notice anything different? Are you growing in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit to take up new challenges that the Lord may be leading you in? Do you know Jesus more today than you did last week or last month?

I pray that you all reflect God's glory this week and beyond as we go out into the world that so badly needs the love of Jesus. God is calling us all to make a difference and reflect His love on this hell-bent world we live in. Grow and rest in Him this week and may the Lord bless you and keep you this week. Amen

The Kingdom of God is Calling

Have you ever heard the saying "I don't want to learn something new because now I might be asked to do it?" You know, the whole ignorance is bliss deal. As believers in Jesus Christ and the Good News, we are not privy to ignorance or turning the other cheek.

I trust most of us have know Jesus for some time, we have been transformed by Him and we're grateful for the eternity we have because of Him. And because we have invited Him into our lives there is no room for us to deny Him or ignore Him. He wants all of us or nothing. We can't pretend we haven't heard the Good News or been changed because of it.

I have been so draw recently to the Biblical phrase recently, "the Kingdom of God." The New Living Translation has 66 references to it and so it has caused me to meditate and pray about the "Kingdom of God" and all that it entails.

I am a very passionate person about the things that I love and because I feel called to a deep relationship with Jesus I try to keep moving forward in my relationship with Him. I have heard the Good News, I have received Jesus in my heart and I know that He has changed me. For me, there is no turning back and my desire is to see everyone burn with a heart for Jesus. It doesn't require that we all work at a church to love the Lord and chase Him.

While I know that not everyone expresses their love for Jesus like I do, I have noticed that a lot of people can get complacent in their walk with the Lord and that includes me at times. That's where the "Kingdom of God" comes in. My study has taken me to understand the Kingdom of God to be the place where we will reign with Christ someday and we must pursue it all costs or we run the risk of backsliding.

Jesus explains in his parables that the Kingdom of God is like anything from a mustard seed to little children. He tells us that the door to the kingdom is narrow, it will be tough for the rich to enter and if one of your body parts is causing you to sin you would be better off to get rid of it.

However, three passages about the Kingdom of God cause me to stand up and notice. They are all passages from the Apostle Paul and they address our inheritance of the Kingdom.

" When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

"Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world." Ephesians 5:3-5

"Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

I think it's worthwhile to reviews these lists periodically and make sure we haven't backslid any. It's easy to become righteous when it comes to homosexuality, but what about greed, idolatry, envy and division. While I feel my salvation is secure, it causes me to never take it for granted. Jesus calls us to "take up our cross daily" so why not be saved daily.

These lists also point out that if we are truly followers of Christ we should be motivated to continually grow in Him, being led by the Spirit, or we run the risk of apathy. Since it's easy for us to rank sin as some being worse than others we need to remember that it's all detestable to God. I know I need periodic reminders and thank goodness for His Word.

I pray that we would all carry the enthusiasm for Jesus in our lives, but also to the unsaved as well. If you haven't noticed lately and you'd have to be living in the North Pole for the last 10 years, but our world and our culture is in steady decline. We've had fires, earthquakes and floods, but through it all there is still hope. And his name is Jesus and we need to tell others while there is still time. Listen to the words of Jesus.

" The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Mark 1:15

Our Words Do Matter

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
Proverbs 12:18 NLT

I’ve chosen a verse for my devotion this week that cuts right to my heart. I used to be guilty of cutting words or sarcastic ones to the point that I thought it was a spiritual gift. I somehow had gotten so lazy in my speech that I used to speak so sarcastically to people that I didn’t even notice.

But that was when God got a hold of me and gently nudged me and reminded me that I need to build people up with my words, not talk in code using sarcastic phrases like, “must be nice” when referring to someone’s good fortunes or “high ya stranger” which is code for “why haven’t you called recently?”

Besides the Book of James in the New Testament which we’re studying in church, there is a great book in the Old Testament called Proverbs which speaks volumes about the words we use. The Proverbs warn us about the destruction our words can cause if we talk too much or we lye or we gossip.

I can’t think of anything that has gotten me in more trouble over the years with my wife or my kids than by the misuse of my words. “Actions may speak louder than words” is a saying that may be true to our faith, but when it comes to how we treat people, I think our words can speak pretty loudly as well. I could spend a whole day of doing good deeds for my wife, but saying something stupid or insensitive to her will wipe those achievements away real fast.

However, there is good news. The flip side to this verse is our words can produce great results. They can bring about healing. The Proverbs equate our good words to wisdom and sweet sounds to the ears. “Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24

What kind of words are you using? What comes out in the heat of the moment? Are they cutting or sarcastic that are meant to tear down or do you use words that encourage and pick people up at a moment when they need it most? I have been so blessed that God always sends people to pick me up (especially Judy) when I need it most and He has asked me to try and do the same.

I encourage you to look for ways to build people up with your words this week and watch for the results. Start at home with your spouse and then work your way through your kids and then see if it can spread to your neighborhood and workplace. I don’t mean that you need to give false praise that sounds phony, but if something that the person you’re speaking to deserves kudos, then give to him or her. And look and note the reaction and look for the resulting change in your relationship with that person.

I look forward to hearing your stories.