The July 27th God Sightings reading is from 2nd Chronicles 19:1-20:37. God Sightings is the One Year Bible our church is reading through this year. In chapter 20 a "vast army is coming against you from Edom,". Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, is one of the few kings who honors God. He calls on the name of the Lord before the people. He ends this public call with these words. "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." Verse 13 says, "All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones stood there before the Lord."
What a wonderful picture, a king, responsible for all the people, and fathers and husbands with their families, standing before the Lord, acknowledging their powerlessness and lack of plans. Have you ever been here? No power to defeat an enemy...poor health, financial reversals, broken relationships...and no plan. But what happens? Even in our desperate situation, we try to fix the problem. We try everything we can think of, sometimes making it worse. Finally, when all of our "plans" are exhausted, we turn our eyes upon God.
Next time you are in a desperate place, gather your wife or husband, grab your children and pick up your little ones. Tell Him, "we have no power to face this (insert desperate situation) that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
So what happened? Verse 24 says, "When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground, no one had escaped." The story goes on to say that it took 3 days for the men of Judah to carry away all the plunder. They didn't have to lift a finger, God fought the battle for them. Now, where is Kathy and the kids?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
An Impressive Ministry
I just returned from spending three days with with Josh & Kelly (my second oldest son and his wife) in Pompano Beach, Florida. They are field directors with OneHope, a ministry that has distributed millions and millions of copies of the Book of Hope around the world. They also show the God Man video. Millions of children and adults have come to know Christ because of OneHope's ministry. Josh and Kelly are home for a few days of R&R after leading interns and teams of young people non-stop since January. For the past month they have been conducting soccer camps in South Africa in conjunction with the World Cup tournament in South Africa.
This morning, before I drove to the airport, they gave me a tour of The Forum, the headquarters for OneHope. The Forum houses offices, residences, auditoriums and a variety of rooms and meeting places. Besides their own ministry, several churches meet in The Forum as well as many groups and other ministries. Part of the ministry of OneHope is to partner with other ministries and provide resources, including the building, to help them. They also sponsor a team of young people who minister in a nearby neighborhood that has one of the highest crime rates in the city, along with being an extremely poor area. It was a joy to meet many of the people who work there. People totally given to world wide missions. What an exciting place to be. On all the walls there were stories of changed lives, people and cities reached for Christ through their ministry. There were also pictures of children who received milestone copies of the Book of Hope. The most current one I saw was a picture of a child with the 600 millionth copy, and that was two years ago. David and Barbara Green, founders and owners of the Hobby Lobby stores are major sponsors of OneHope. In fact, The Forum is dedicated to the memory of David Green's mother.
It is an amazing thing to see a fully developed ministry that began as an idea in the mind of one man, Bob Hoskins, inspired by the Holy Spirit and very obviously blessed by God. I am so proud of Josh and Kelly, totally sold out to God and serving him by sharing the gospel in a foreign country. They are in good hands with OneHope, and OneHope is fortunate to have them.
This morning, before I drove to the airport, they gave me a tour of The Forum, the headquarters for OneHope. The Forum houses offices, residences, auditoriums and a variety of rooms and meeting places. Besides their own ministry, several churches meet in The Forum as well as many groups and other ministries. Part of the ministry of OneHope is to partner with other ministries and provide resources, including the building, to help them. They also sponsor a team of young people who minister in a nearby neighborhood that has one of the highest crime rates in the city, along with being an extremely poor area. It was a joy to meet many of the people who work there. People totally given to world wide missions. What an exciting place to be. On all the walls there were stories of changed lives, people and cities reached for Christ through their ministry. There were also pictures of children who received milestone copies of the Book of Hope. The most current one I saw was a picture of a child with the 600 millionth copy, and that was two years ago. David and Barbara Green, founders and owners of the Hobby Lobby stores are major sponsors of OneHope. In fact, The Forum is dedicated to the memory of David Green's mother.
It is an amazing thing to see a fully developed ministry that began as an idea in the mind of one man, Bob Hoskins, inspired by the Holy Spirit and very obviously blessed by God. I am so proud of Josh and Kelly, totally sold out to God and serving him by sharing the gospel in a foreign country. They are in good hands with OneHope, and OneHope is fortunate to have them.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
This May Sound Boring To You
I just spent the week at the annual National Association of Church Business Administrator's conference in Orlando, Florida. I always thoroughly enjoy this week and come home with some great information and ideas that I can immediately put to use. 3 years ago I made an insurance contact that saved our church enough money to pay for this conference for 4 years. This year I didn't come up with that kind of contact, but I do have some needed information about expanding the use of our church management system, using our computer network better, and a great information about how Obamacare will affect our church.
Now I must admit, this conference must be similar to a computer technicians conference. It is kind of geeky with a church administrator twist. I spent the week with several Assemblies of God administrators. Most of them are from churches that are quite a bit larger than ours. The thing that stood out to me is that we all love our churches (people) dearly, and would do anything to see God move among our people in a marvelous way. Even though we are responsible for the management and financial well being of the church, seeing God move in people's lives is way more important. One of my good friends, David Wagner, from Orange, Texas is from a church that has had an ongoing revival for at least two years. Some of the stories he tells of transformed lives is amazing. Another friend from Renton, Washington shared with me about the hundreds of new people coming to their church, and so many of them coming to the Lord for the first time. Another friend from Tulsa, Oklahoma told me about their new senior pastor and his passion for new converts. They had less than 5 people saved in the past 15 years. In the year that their new pastor has been at their church, they are averaging 5-7 people come to Christ every single Sunday.
Even though we are the number crunchers, the building supervisors and church managers, there is a spiritual depth and hunger that is so refreshing. I'm praying that next year I can sit with my administrator buddies and say "let me tell you about WCAG..."
Now I must admit, this conference must be similar to a computer technicians conference. It is kind of geeky with a church administrator twist. I spent the week with several Assemblies of God administrators. Most of them are from churches that are quite a bit larger than ours. The thing that stood out to me is that we all love our churches (people) dearly, and would do anything to see God move among our people in a marvelous way. Even though we are responsible for the management and financial well being of the church, seeing God move in people's lives is way more important. One of my good friends, David Wagner, from Orange, Texas is from a church that has had an ongoing revival for at least two years. Some of the stories he tells of transformed lives is amazing. Another friend from Renton, Washington shared with me about the hundreds of new people coming to their church, and so many of them coming to the Lord for the first time. Another friend from Tulsa, Oklahoma told me about their new senior pastor and his passion for new converts. They had less than 5 people saved in the past 15 years. In the year that their new pastor has been at their church, they are averaging 5-7 people come to Christ every single Sunday.
Even though we are the number crunchers, the building supervisors and church managers, there is a spiritual depth and hunger that is so refreshing. I'm praying that next year I can sit with my administrator buddies and say "let me tell you about WCAG..."
Saturday, July 17, 2010
This Weather Is Amazing
A lot of the country is experiencing a blistering heatwave. Here in St. Louis, it's heat combined with humidity. The temperature today was 94 here in Ballwin where we live, but the heat index pushed it up to 105. There is a heat advisory for tomorrow, more of the same.
I watched parts of the Cardinals - Dodgers baseball game. It was an afternoon game. Everyone looked miserable, the players, the umpires, the fans. I was even miserable and I was inside. The AC unit in our house is original to our 30 year old house. With the combination of heat and humidity, it doesn't get below 80 degrees inside until later in the evening. The irony of it all is that yesterday I had a meeting to work on a Christmas script. It's a little hard to think of winter and Christmas in this weather. Although, I must admit, it wasn't that long ago that we were complaining about the cold and hoping that spring was around the corner. I guess we're all funny that way, when its hot-wishing for cold, and when its freezing-hoping for warmth.
Being content means adapting to the circumstances and doing the things we need to do, regardless of our environment. Last Tuesday I worked about 3 hours in my backyard. When I came in, every inch of the clothes I was wearing was wet with sweat. Not just damp, yucky wet. I kept trying to find someone to hug in the house but everyone kept running away from me. After I had showered and cooled down, I was glad for the work I had done, regardless of the weather. Content... Fall will be here before long, football games will be played, leaves will start to turn yellow and red and one nippy evening I'll smell the first fire of the season in one of my neighbor's fireplace. Until then, bring on the heat.
I watched parts of the Cardinals - Dodgers baseball game. It was an afternoon game. Everyone looked miserable, the players, the umpires, the fans. I was even miserable and I was inside. The AC unit in our house is original to our 30 year old house. With the combination of heat and humidity, it doesn't get below 80 degrees inside until later in the evening. The irony of it all is that yesterday I had a meeting to work on a Christmas script. It's a little hard to think of winter and Christmas in this weather. Although, I must admit, it wasn't that long ago that we were complaining about the cold and hoping that spring was around the corner. I guess we're all funny that way, when its hot-wishing for cold, and when its freezing-hoping for warmth.
Being content means adapting to the circumstances and doing the things we need to do, regardless of our environment. Last Tuesday I worked about 3 hours in my backyard. When I came in, every inch of the clothes I was wearing was wet with sweat. Not just damp, yucky wet. I kept trying to find someone to hug in the house but everyone kept running away from me. After I had showered and cooled down, I was glad for the work I had done, regardless of the weather. Content... Fall will be here before long, football games will be played, leaves will start to turn yellow and red and one nippy evening I'll smell the first fire of the season in one of my neighbor's fireplace. Until then, bring on the heat.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Like Father, Like Son
On Father's day I wrote a blog about my dad, actually for my dad. For the past several years he has had a lot of difficulty with his hearing and it is almost impossible to communicate much beyond a greeting. I wanted him to read my thoughts about him. I've also been thinking a lot about him because he is having some serious health problems. Yesterday I caught myself doing something that I must have picked up by observation, or maybe it's built into my genes. I picked up a magazine and started reading it from the back to the front. Why would I do that? Because that's how my dad reads a magazine. I have found myself doing this over and over again. I have never asked him why he does that. Why do I? Another interesting thing that has stuck with me for my entire life is the idea of not littering. From as early as I can remember, my dad always told me, "use the trash can". "If you have a gum wrapper to throw away, and there isn't a trash can nearby, put it in your pocket and throw it away later." To this day, I cannot roll down my car window and throw anything out, even a gum wrapper.
Here's another interesting one, when we were driving, and my dad made an unusual driving maneuver, like passing a car on a two lane road, or speeding up to get away from someone, or having a rare moment of road rage, after the incident was over, he would always cough. Guess who else does that? Yup, I have caught myself time and time again coughing after a driving maneuver that was out of the ordinary. I remember my sister Lori, after doing something just like my dad would, telling me in frustration, "I'm just like dad." It must have been something she would have liked to change. In other blogs I've told you about "sweeping the street", "dressing up" and other ways that I have imitated my dad, either because I wanted to or because that is the way it is.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Just like I have imitated my dad in so many ways, good and not so good, how much more do I want to imitate my heavenly Papa. Oh Lord, help me to walk so close to you that I pick up your mannerisms, your character, all the things that you want me to be. May someone say, "he's just like his Dad."
Here's another interesting one, when we were driving, and my dad made an unusual driving maneuver, like passing a car on a two lane road, or speeding up to get away from someone, or having a rare moment of road rage, after the incident was over, he would always cough. Guess who else does that? Yup, I have caught myself time and time again coughing after a driving maneuver that was out of the ordinary. I remember my sister Lori, after doing something just like my dad would, telling me in frustration, "I'm just like dad." It must have been something she would have liked to change. In other blogs I've told you about "sweeping the street", "dressing up" and other ways that I have imitated my dad, either because I wanted to or because that is the way it is.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Just like I have imitated my dad in so many ways, good and not so good, how much more do I want to imitate my heavenly Papa. Oh Lord, help me to walk so close to you that I pick up your mannerisms, your character, all the things that you want me to be. May someone say, "he's just like his Dad."
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
My Bucket List
A fun movie is The Bucket List, featuring actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. In the movie they meet in the hospital, each one finding out they have terminal illnesses. They compose a "bucket list" - things they want to do before they "kick the bucket." Throughout the movie they bring out a page from a yellow legal pad and cross off each event as they complete it. They set off on a world wide adventure of their lives. The movie is worth renting.
In this morning's Bible reading, King David was getting some of the things done in his kingdom that had been desires of his heart. He had wanted to build a temple, but God told him otherwise. He wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, but the first attempt had ended in disaster. In today's reading, David is successful in his attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem and place it in a special tent that he had built. I wonder if David had a bucket list? As you read through the account of his life, it seemed like there were a lot of things he tried to accomplish at the end of his days.
As I thought about this passage of scripture that I had just read, I thought about my own life. I have been a husband for almost 36 years, (August 9th), a father for 34 years, a pastor for 36 years. If my good health continues, I would like to work full time for 8 more years. For the most part, my life has been fairly predictable. So what would be on my bucket list? If I could had the time and resources, what would be at the top of my list. Without a doubt, number one would be to spend some time in Israel. I would love to see the land of the Savior. I would also like to have enough time to spend in a missions project somewhere in the world where my work would have a lasting impact. I would love to spend some time with a struggling congregation, helping them to heal and get back on their feet. Maybe in a small Colorado or Oregon town with a trout stream running through it. I would enjoy going back to Alaska and fishing for salmon or steelhead in one or more of Alaska's majestic rivers. Perhaps flying into the roadless wilderness where few people visit. I would like to record a second piano project, probably a Christmas project.
How about you? Do you have a list? Let's see, I think I have a yellow legal pad somewhere around here...
In this morning's Bible reading, King David was getting some of the things done in his kingdom that had been desires of his heart. He had wanted to build a temple, but God told him otherwise. He wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, but the first attempt had ended in disaster. In today's reading, David is successful in his attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem and place it in a special tent that he had built. I wonder if David had a bucket list? As you read through the account of his life, it seemed like there were a lot of things he tried to accomplish at the end of his days.
As I thought about this passage of scripture that I had just read, I thought about my own life. I have been a husband for almost 36 years, (August 9th), a father for 34 years, a pastor for 36 years. If my good health continues, I would like to work full time for 8 more years. For the most part, my life has been fairly predictable. So what would be on my bucket list? If I could had the time and resources, what would be at the top of my list. Without a doubt, number one would be to spend some time in Israel. I would love to see the land of the Savior. I would also like to have enough time to spend in a missions project somewhere in the world where my work would have a lasting impact. I would love to spend some time with a struggling congregation, helping them to heal and get back on their feet. Maybe in a small Colorado or Oregon town with a trout stream running through it. I would enjoy going back to Alaska and fishing for salmon or steelhead in one or more of Alaska's majestic rivers. Perhaps flying into the roadless wilderness where few people visit. I would like to record a second piano project, probably a Christmas project.
How about you? Do you have a list? Let's see, I think I have a yellow legal pad somewhere around here...
Monday, July 12, 2010
Hearing the Specific Voice of God
My daily reading this morning was from 1st Chronicles 14. In this chapter there were two accounts of the Philistines coming against David and his troops. Verse nine has the first account; Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, I will hand them over to you." Then, in verse thirteen there is a very interesting exchange between God and David. Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, "Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
Wow, what a wonderful relationship that God would give David such very specific directions in order for David's army to achieve victory. I can't tell you all the times I have longed for God's specific instruction like this. While I have been privileged on many occasions to hear from God, never has it been this specific. Generally God has spoken to me through his Word or in my mind to confirm His Word, or confirm a truth I was trying to apply to my life. Is it possible that we can expect God to speak to us with this kind of detail? I think so, after all, David was a human, like me. While he was called a "man after God's own heart", he was still a man, with weaknesses and sin. But he also knew how to seek forgiveness and how to worship his way to God's heart. "Oh God, help me to come into Your presence in such a way that You are able to speak to me in very specific ways."
Wow, what a wonderful relationship that God would give David such very specific directions in order for David's army to achieve victory. I can't tell you all the times I have longed for God's specific instruction like this. While I have been privileged on many occasions to hear from God, never has it been this specific. Generally God has spoken to me through his Word or in my mind to confirm His Word, or confirm a truth I was trying to apply to my life. Is it possible that we can expect God to speak to us with this kind of detail? I think so, after all, David was a human, like me. While he was called a "man after God's own heart", he was still a man, with weaknesses and sin. But he also knew how to seek forgiveness and how to worship his way to God's heart. "Oh God, help me to come into Your presence in such a way that You are able to speak to me in very specific ways."
Thursday, July 8, 2010
One Of Those Milestone Birthdays
Tuesday, July 6th, Kathy celebrated one of those milestone birthdays. She probably doesn't want me to tell which one, but there were two groups of five candles on her cake. In the morning I fixed a brunch for Kathy and our kids. She opened several cards and our gifts. The only thing she had asked for were Barnes & Noble gift cards. She was hoping to get enough on the cards to get a Nook e-book reader. At times, Kathy has trouble holding books because of her battle with fibromyalgia. She thought the Nook would be easier to hold. I had told Kathy that we were having the brunch with our children early in the day so that the two of us could have a birthday dinner by ourselves. I told her we had 6:30 PM reservations. That evening, we left home and made a stop, at a local grocery store bakery to get a cake that I had ordered. I could tell she was a little puzzled. Then we went a little farther and stopped at an Italian market to pick up the salad and pasta that I had ordered. Now she is really confused. Then we drove to one of good friend's home. As we turned the corner onto their street, Kathy proceeded to tell me that our friends were out of town, they had left several days earlier. What she didn't know was that everyone from our small group was at our friend's home. What a fun surprise. Not only was she surprised and got to eat a wonderful Italian meal with good friends, her friends had gone together and purchased a Nook for her. She was quite surprised, and grateful.
It was so much fun to plan this day for my soul mate, my lover, my wife. We have been married for almost 36 years. We have had a wonderful life together and we're looking forward to many more years in the future. The great times have been so much fun and the tough times have only served to cause us to depend on each and our Lord for strength and wisdom. I love to watch Kathy smile and laugh, she did a lot of that on her birthday. Yay...
It was so much fun to plan this day for my soul mate, my lover, my wife. We have been married for almost 36 years. We have had a wonderful life together and we're looking forward to many more years in the future. The great times have been so much fun and the tough times have only served to cause us to depend on each and our Lord for strength and wisdom. I love to watch Kathy smile and laugh, she did a lot of that on her birthday. Yay...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
An Interesting Contrast
On Sunday we went to downtown St. Louis to see the late afternoon airshow and then the fireworks. Since the airshow airplanes used the Mississippi River as a reference point, I walked out on one of the bridges to get a closeup view. From current military planes to WWII planes to old bi-planes, it was a great show.
About halfway through the airshow, I began to notice small birds that were apparently nesting somewhere on the bridge supports. They would fly out from under the bridge and swoop up and down, almost as if they were mimicking the airplanes above them. After a while it almost became comical to many of us as we watched both the planes and the birds. Now, the planes were spectacular, some more than others, but the birds were just as good. :)
The last military plane was a current fighter jet. Its last pass was very low, 50 feet or so off the river. Just before the next bridge, it went straight up and disappeared in a few seconds. What a demonstration of incredible engineering. As everyone turned back to the river after watching the jet, there were the birds, swooping and doing very acrobatic maneuvers. Pretty cool. What a contrast. It reminded me again that while man has created some amazing things, God's creation is far more amazing.
All in all, it was a great night. Later on the fireworks were spectacular. Happy birthday, America!
About halfway through the airshow, I began to notice small birds that were apparently nesting somewhere on the bridge supports. They would fly out from under the bridge and swoop up and down, almost as if they were mimicking the airplanes above them. After a while it almost became comical to many of us as we watched both the planes and the birds. Now, the planes were spectacular, some more than others, but the birds were just as good. :)
The last military plane was a current fighter jet. Its last pass was very low, 50 feet or so off the river. Just before the next bridge, it went straight up and disappeared in a few seconds. What a demonstration of incredible engineering. As everyone turned back to the river after watching the jet, there were the birds, swooping and doing very acrobatic maneuvers. Pretty cool. What a contrast. It reminded me again that while man has created some amazing things, God's creation is far more amazing.
All in all, it was a great night. Later on the fireworks were spectacular. Happy birthday, America!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Heroes
I went to college with a hero. I had several classes in the building that housed criminal and police studies, sociology, military science, etc. It also housed the San Jose State University ROTC program, and there was a room in that area for students to gather. That is where I met Grady Triplett. He was in the ROTC program and headed for a career in the military. Over the couple of years that I knew Grady, we had a lot of lunches together with other students, talked about a multitude of topics and generally had a good time. Jack In the Box was just down one block from this building, so we had many Jumbo Jacks with cheese...
Grady graduated in 1971 and was assigned to a platoon headed for Viet Nam. At this time he was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army. I don't think that Grady ever thought about being a hero, at least we never talked about it. He was a normal college student, eager to graduate and serve his country and to make a career of it. Shortly after arriving in Viet Nam he was shot in the neck by a sniper on August 17, 1972. He probably never even knew what happened.
If you go to the Viet Nam veterans memorial in Washington D.C., you see this incredibly long wall with hundreds of names on each obelisk. When I have had the opportunity to be in our nation's capitol, I have always tried to go to this memorial. I make sure I stop at panel 01W and count down to line 67. His name is there, Grady Thomas Triplett, my friend, and my hero. Even now as I'm writing this, I'm tearing up, 38 years later. Some things you never forget.
On this 4th of July, 2010, we can't forget those who gave the supreme sacrifice for us. Thank you, Grady.
Grady graduated in 1971 and was assigned to a platoon headed for Viet Nam. At this time he was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army. I don't think that Grady ever thought about being a hero, at least we never talked about it. He was a normal college student, eager to graduate and serve his country and to make a career of it. Shortly after arriving in Viet Nam he was shot in the neck by a sniper on August 17, 1972. He probably never even knew what happened.
If you go to the Viet Nam veterans memorial in Washington D.C., you see this incredibly long wall with hundreds of names on each obelisk. When I have had the opportunity to be in our nation's capitol, I have always tried to go to this memorial. I make sure I stop at panel 01W and count down to line 67. His name is there, Grady Thomas Triplett, my friend, and my hero. Even now as I'm writing this, I'm tearing up, 38 years later. Some things you never forget.
On this 4th of July, 2010, we can't forget those who gave the supreme sacrifice for us. Thank you, Grady.
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