My Rock, Fortress, Deliverer

"The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer, My God is my Rock in Whom I take Refuge." (Psalm 18:2) This picture and scripture were sent to me last Sunday by Dan Arnold, a member of our congregation. We had sung "It Is Well With My Soul" in our morning services, and Dan was recounting God's protection of him through a very difficult health situation. Dan said "I feel that I am the guy in the lighthouse with everything swirling about me, yet I am safe because God is my protector." Wow, how powerful is that! While I have never had to deal with a serious health issue like Dan, I have felt the same way regarding serious situations in my own life. Even though I felt like I might be swept away by the power of circumstances beyond my control, I could identify with the writer of the Psalm, "God, You are my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer". If you are reading this blog today, and you are up against a difficult situation, God is on your side. Ask Him to be your Rock, your Fortress, your Deliverer. Jesus once said, ""You have not because you ask not" (James 4:2). Do you need physical healing, a relationship restored, wisdom for a major decision? Take a moment and ask God. He is listening and ready to move on your behalf. If you need help praying and believing God, let me help you. Post a comment and we'll call on God together. Blessings.

Christmas In July

I have a pile of new Christmas music on my office shelf. It is 98 degrees outside and the humidity makes it feel 104. Somehow this isn't very conducive to "hearing angels on high". However, one thing you need to know about me is that when it comes to Christmas, I am still such a "kid". Right next to my computer screen I have a small pewter Nativity scene and on a shelf to my left side I have another larger, more traditional manger scene. On another shelf is my Santa mug and on one wall is a small watercolor of Santa with the phrase, "I Still Believe". Next to it are two Terry Redlin Christmas prints titled "Heading Home" and "The Sharing Season". So there, I'm out of the closet. I am a 356-day-of-the-year-Christmas-celebrator. I can hear the Bud commercial now, "Hey 356-day-of-the-year-Christmas-celebrator man..."

So why am I working through the pile of Christmas music now? As of today, July 25th, Christmas is only 153 days from now. Since we do a couple of Christmas concerts and programs earlier than Christmas Day in December, we need to begin rehearsals and preparations in early September. I must admit that even though "the weather outside is frightful" (hot and humid) and there is no "fire is so delightful" inside, I love this process. I am still intrigued by the Christmas story. I love re-reading the various accounts in the New Testament and trying to put myself into the story, to fill in the blanks that the Gospel writers do not cover. Christ coming to earth was indeed the greatest gift to us, and somehow again this year, I want to make sure that whatever we do to share the story, people who have never received this greatest gift, come into contact with Christ. So, another CD goes into my player and here we go..."Son of God, purest Light, Lord on high is here tonight..."

Living Far From Your Children is Tough

Yesterday morning Kathy and I took our daughter Aimee and our 3 grandchildren to the airport so they could fly home to Eureka, CA. They were able to spend 2 weeks with us and the time flew by. The thing that made saying goodby very difficult is that we don't know when we'll see them again. As they flew home, Aimee was going home to some big changes. In my last blog I wrote about her husband, Jason, spending a few days in the hospital and the senior pastor they work for resigning. Life is never dull...

On this trip, I met JJ for the first time. He was born in January and Kathy went out for a couple of weeks. By the time we see him again he might be walking, and shaving. :) Our neighbors that live across our street from us have 3 children that all live close by. Most Saturdays one or more of them visit and bring their children. Sometimes Kathy stands at our door and wonders what it would be like to visit with her grandchildren whenever she wanted. While I realize that a lot of people, from all walks of life and vocations, live far from their children, full time Christian ministry is the reason that our family is so spread apart. On one hand we all have tried to hear from God and work in the place that He has lead us to, but, the downside is that it never seems to be very close. Our second son, Josh and his wife Kelly, are preparing to travel to other countries with Book of Hope. Visiting them will be a challenge. I wonder if God has designed it in heaven for families to live close to each other. Wouldn't it be cool if multi-generations of families could live close enough together to get to know each other well. I would love to know some of our relatives that lived before my grandparents. I know a little about them from my parents and grandparent's stories, but that's about all. That would be the ultimate in genealogy research! For now, we'll save our pennies and Google map our next trip to see our kids.

This Didn't Surprise God

Life changes so quickly. Our daughter Aimee, our granddaughters Madelyn and Elyse, and our new grandson, JJ, are visiting with us from Eureka, California. Aimee is the children's pastor at her church and her husband, Jason, is the associate pastor at First Assembly of God in Eureka. Aimee and our grandchildren, and Kathy's (my wife) parents, were here last Sunday and celebrated Kathy's birthday with her and the rest of our family. What a treat, and so much fun. But things change so quickly. By that night, we got the word from Eureka that Jason had been admitted to the hospital with severe stomach pains and a high temperature. Later the diagnosis came, a perforated colon. We had anxious hours as we prayed and waited for the results of tests and changes brought on by medication. By Monday morning there had been some improvement. Later on Monday, however, the senior pastor that Jason works with came by to see him. This was not your normal pastoral hospital visit. His pastor told him that later that evening he was gathering the church board together to announce that he was resigning his position as senior pastor and moving to Sacramento, California to work at another church. So Jason gets to deal with a "kick in the pants" and a "punch in the stomach". Going from concern about his health to concern about his and Aimee's future. As we talked about this on Tuesday, Kathy's mom said something that put it all in perspective, "this did not surprise God". She (Marjorie Ferrin) was so right. Regardless of our independence and self-sufficiency, God isn't surprised or incapacitated by life. He really is in charge when we allow Him to be. This is Thursday and Jason will probably be released today. Tomorrow he gets to start working on the future of First Assembly of God in Eureka, California. God is right there, He knew what was going to happen, both with Jason's health and the health of the church, and He knows what to do now. Wow, what a stress reliever. Aimee has been a real trooper. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had decided to go home early. But Aimee has learned that God is not surprised, he really can be trusted, and things can really work out for the best when we rely on God. So Kathy and I are excited, we get to enjoy Aimee and our grandchildren for a few more days. We'll be concerned about their future, but trusting God sure makes it easier.

I Love Fireworks-Thankful For Heroes

Last Sunday evening we held our church's 2nd Star Spangled Spectacular. This is our version of an old-fashioned patriotic picnic. We had good food, lots of great conversation, activities for kids to do, great summer weather, patriotic music and we capped it all off with a wonderful fireworks display. The fireworks were set off in a field right behind our church property. Right in the middle of the fireworks display I had a wave of thankfulness go over me. Thankfulness for the opportunity to be happy, safe, and to celebrate our freedom in a manner that we had chose. Thankfulness for the people who make our freedom possible. In our highly politicized society, we are emotionally shoved back and forth as the merits of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are debated, and the military is either praised or demonized. But something that cannot be debated are the heroes, throughout our history, who have placed their lives on the line for this country and have given us the privilege of celebrating our freedom just like I described earlier. Consider one hero, Marine Lance Corporal Jake Knospler. On November 12, 2004, Jake was leading his fire team during the fight to liberate Fallujah from terrorists. An enemy grenade hit Jake in the face, blowing away his jaw and part of his skull. he miraculously survived his terrible wounds and more than a dozen surgeries. Even with these terrible injuries, when Jake was asked about his future, he said, "I have to get better. My country, my Corps, and my family are counting on me."


Thanks to Jake and thousands like him, we can count on them for the protection of our freedom. As we celebrate the 4th of July this year, we have a lot to be thankful for. There are countless heroes who have given their lives so that we can choose to do whatever we want on Friday. Let's stop for a few moments and thank God for these heroes, and their families.

Oil Fuels the Jihad

I am really struggling with issues related to oil, the price of gas and our government's seeming paralysis on this subject. I also really struggle with the fact that we are funding, with our outrageously high oil dollars, the Jihad against us. Ollie North, in his book American Heroes, says "Today's fiery leaders of "the religion of peace"-both Sunni and Shia-have instigated and sustained a Jihad, fueled with petro-dollars, paid by the very people they perversely describe as their enemies. Sheiks, imams, mullahs, and ayatollahs routinely expound the virtues of "martyrdom" and vicious treatment for Christians and Jews-and use the money gleaned from petroleum to finance the expansion of their Jihad."

The cost of drawing a barrel of oil out of the ground is less than $30. per barrel. The current price, July 1, 2008, is $142.49 per barrel. The difference between the real cost of oil and the price we are willing to pay means that despots, tyrants, and terrorists are awash in petro-dollars. Consider these quotes-"we love death-the Americans love life-that is the difference between us."-Osama bin Laden, following Sept. 11. "War is our best hobby. The sound of guns firing is like music for us. We cannot live without war. We have no other way except Jihad... The Americans love Pepsi Cola; we love death."-Maulana Inyadullah, Afghani Muslim fighting alongside the Taliban. Now consider Proverbs 8:36b, "All who hate me love death". We really are in a spiritual war, as well as a physical one. We need the wisdom of God to help us live in an increasingly dangerous world where we are hated simply for who we are and what we believe. In stressful times, people turn back to God. "Oh Lord, may we as a nation look to You again for wisdom, strength and direction. Help us repent of our independence and turning our backs on You. Restore to us a love for You and Your ways. Bring revival to the U.S. Oh God, You are our only hope."