If You Are Desperate Today

In the lobby of the Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, there are four wonderful paintings that display the four defining truths of the Assemblies of God. They are: Salvation, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Healing, and Second Coming. Ron DiCianni is the artist. You can see the four paintings here, AG paintings.

I love this story because it illustrates how much Christ cares for each of us individually. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each tell this story. Basically, this woman has had a female, hemorrhaging disease for twelve years. She had spent a fortune, actually all she had, and had gotten worse instead of better. Jesus is being followed by a large crowd. He is on his way to heal the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler. This anonymous lady, pushes through the crowd to get close to Jesus. She knows in her heart that if she can just touch His clothes, "I will be healed.". I love how DiCianni portrays her on her hands and knees. She is in the position of surrender, defeat and desperation. The only thing missing from the painting is the huge crowd. As soon as the woman touches the hem of Christ's garment, she is instantly healed. Jesus sensed power leaving Him and asked, "who touched my clothes?" The disciples can't believe He is asking this question because the crowd is pressing Him, jostling Him, this is really a crowd scene. Jesus looks around and finally finds the woman. She falls at His feet and tells Him her story. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Today you may not need physical healing, but you might need emotion healing. Perhaps you have been caught in the present economic downturn and are desperate for God's provision. Maybe there is a relationship in your family that needs healing, or perhaps you need freedom from fear, bitterness, or anger. You may need deliverance from an addiction. Let this woman be your example, do whatever you need to do to get to Jesus, including crawling on your hands and knees. Touch Him with your prayer, your cries of desperation. He will turn and find you and say "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." He will find you, despite the size of the crowd.

All Things Work For Good

Here is a small portion of Max Lucado's book God's Story Your Story.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 

We know…There are so many things we do not know. We do not know if the economy will dip or if our team will win. We do not know what our spouse is thinking or how our kids will turn out. We don’t even know “what we ought to pray” (Rom. 8:26). But according to Paul, we can be absolutely certain about four things. We know…

1. God works. He is busy behind the scenes, above the fray, within the fury. He hasn’t checked out or moved on. He is ceaseless and tireless. He never stops working.

2. God works for the good. Not for our comfort or pleasure or entertainment, but for our ultimate good. Since he is the ultimate good, would we expect anything less?

3. God works for the good of those who love him. Behold the benefit of loving God! Make his story your story, and your story takes on a happy ending. Guaranteed. Being the author of our salvation, he writes a salvation theme into our biography.

4. God works in all things. Panta, in Greek. Like “panoramic” or “panacea” or “pandemic.”All-inclusive. God works, not through a few things or through the good things, best things, or easy things. But in “all things” God works. Puppet in the hands of fortune or fate? Not you. You are in the hands of a living, loving God. Random collection of disconnected short stories? Far from it. Your life is a crafted narrative written by a good God, who is working toward your supreme good.

Kathy had the idea of starting a "Blessing Jar", a place to write and save all of God's blessings as we continue our journey of faith. Yesterday I paid all of our remaining October bills, and had enough money to do that. November will be another story, but I have a real good feeling that God will take of November. One interesting thing is happening with our house. It's been for sale since July. August and September were disasters...5 showings in two months. In the last week and a half, it's been shown 4 times and today we have to leave so it can be shown again. I know that God's timing is His own. He rarely shares it with us. What does this increased activity mean? We'll find out. Perhaps it will be one of the more dynamic "blessings" that we put in our Blessing Jar.

Do-Overs

At times, we all do self evaluations, particularly about the major events in our lives. Sometimes we are tempted to spend time wondering what we would do if we could go back and re-live past events and do them over. Over the past 19 weeks, with a lot of extra time on my hands, I've thought about major events, both good and not so good.

Last week as I was wrestling with our budget, now that my severance pay has ended, I though about the 3 children that have adopted. As I was having a mini pity party, thinking about raising a second set of kids and all the expenses related to that, I thought about the fact that if we had not adopted our kids, we would have had several years as empty nesters. We could have doubled our retirement account and not be as limited as we look for a new ministry position without having to think about 3 teenagers and their needs. As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of a church service we had when Nicole was about 18 months old. The founders of the Royal Family Kids' Camps were our guests and Wayne Tesch was telling the story of one of the foster children that had attended one of the camps. As he described the horrible living situation this little girl lived in, and all of us were feeling so sad for this situation, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "you rescued Nicole from a fate worse than this."  This little 18 month old had already taught me so much about adoption and fatherhood, and this was a great confirmation that we had done the right thing.

In a recent blog, Ronnie Floyd said, Adoption is one of the clearest pictures of the gospel we could ever see. In fact, the doctrine of adoption is the heart of the gospel. We were hopeless and lost, but Jesus brought us into God's family. Our adoption story started in 1980 as foster parents. We fostered children for 20 years. Nicole was our first child that had no where to go. None of her relatives could pass a home study and her birth problems were severe enough to scare away potential adoptive parents. Since she had been our foster daughter for over a year when it was determined her family could not adopt her, we decided to. That was 18 years ago. Nicole is now 19 and a wonderful young lady. Later we brought Sam, 17, and Shawn, 16, into our family.Even though we didn't attach a lot of spiritual emphasis to our decision, James said in his New Testament book, Religion that is pure and undefiled, before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. Even though raising our adoptive children has been more challenging that our birth children, and there may be more challenges in the future, we wouldn't change a thing.

As I finished what I was doing with our budget, I thought about how blessed we are to have been adoptive parents. God will take care of us all, because He loves these children even more than we do. Do-over? Never. Blessed and contented? Yes.

Technology and Keeping In Touch

New technology is wonderful. Watching the rapid improvements in televisions, audio equipment, computers and especially phones, is almost awe inspiring. It seems like using your phone to make calls is a minor usage of it. Instead, we browse the web, text, play interactive games, keep our calendar and a multitude of other tasks. If you can download apps, you have an almost unlimited range of things you can do with your phone. This is the upside. The downside is that personal communication is taking a backseat to the use of technology. Send an email instead of making a phone call. Text instead of hand writing a note. Write on someone's Facebook wall instead of paying a visit...

Yesterday, I experienced the use of technology and received encouragement and inspiring conversation from our son and a good friend. Josh called from Hungary and it sounded like he was right next door. He was calling to get an update on my job process. I love to talk with Josh, he is always encouraging and really cares about his mom and dad. Josh called on a European plan cell phone. The other call I got was from Figi. My good friend Rob Leacock called to see how we were doing. His wife, Lori, had read my "job update blog" and Rob was checking on us. Again, that was a very encouraging call and I enjoyed talking with Rob for a few minutes. That call came from the internet. It is amazing to me that for a country so far away, again, it sounded like Rob was very close. The only glitch was when Lori logged on her computer and the band width didn't support both the call and her web browsing. She logged off and Rob was crystal clear again.

Earlier today Kathy and I sat in Starbucks with Claudia Alexander for a couple of hours and worked on a project. That was a great time for Kathy and I, very inspiring. Just before we sat down, our son, Jason, called me to check on us. I love talking with Jason. Our older sons constantly bless us. Tonight I played the piano for a recording session. Dear friends, Craig and Cindy Young, were singing the vocals. We had a wonderful time doing the recording and then talking after the session. Again, an encouraging and uplifting conversation.

Sometimes technology doesn't do it. Sometimes we need the personal touch of a person we can sit with and talk, or talk person to person on the phone, even if it's from a foreign country. I need to remember that for myself. There are some people that need to hear my voice, or read a handwritten card from me. How about you? Is there someone you need to touch personally? I think I'll buy some note cards and envelopes tomorrow.

Looking For A Job In the Summer of 2011 - Another Update

My last job hunt update blog was posted on August 24th. At that time, I had already discovered some interesting things about matching my skills and abilities to specific church ministry jobs. Since then, here's a couple of things that have been confirmed. 1) While churches are hiring Worship Leaders/Ministers of Music, they generally want that person to have at least 3 years of experience and their age to be somewhere in the middle of the age range of the church. That means, in most cases, someone in their 30s or 40s. While I have been a Minister of Music for 31 years, with very wide and diverse experience, my age puts me outside the preferred range. 2) My other skill set is in Church Business Administration. I have found that I am competing with many former financial institution employees who are CPAs or MBAs and will work for reduced church wages until the financial situation in the USA improves. For instance, I made the short list at an Episcopal church in Austin, TX for the position of Church Business Manager. The position was filled by an out-of-work CPA in Austin for a substantial reduction in pay. This worked great for the church, they paid their budgeted salary and got a very qualified employee, and did not have to pay for relocation expenses. This is a fairly typical scenario.

Today marks the 18th week of my job search. The severance package from my former church ends this week. Since most churches exempt themselves from paying into their state unemployment fund, church employees who are laid off or terminated cannot get unemployment benefits. In other words, our income completely stops after today, with no unemployment benefits eligibility. I am taking advantage of our state COBRA insurance program to continue our health insurance, but after October, we will pay the entire family premium. With 3 teenagers at home and Kathy and I both having some medical needs, health insurance is a necessity. A recent statistic I saw was that people in my age group take an average of 33 weeks to find a new job. With churches, once the holidays arrive, rarely are new employees hired until after the New Year. That means unless I can find a job before the third week of November, the holiday weeks will probably be lost to effective job hunting.

So, where are we? First, extremely grateful for the tremendous support of our family and friends. Thank you for all the meals and encouraging conversation, phone calls, cards, emails, etc. Just yesterday, some dear friends took us to breakfast and then to Sam's to "stock up". This is just one example of God truly blessing us through our friends. Second, in my wildest imaginations, I would have never thought that I would be in this situation at this stage in my life. To be let go from a church where I had served for almost 9 years, and in the words of the pastor "done a great job for our church", and in the worst economic period since the Great Depression, is almost unthinkable. However, God was not surprised. Now that our safety net is gone, this is where the real trust in God will come into play. I have always taught and believed that God is our Source. He uses our jobs to provide income, but He is the Source. The Salazars will find that out in the next weeks, and possibly months. Our relatives and friends tell us constantly that they are praying for us, and many of them have sent scriptures and words of encouragement. Please keep those prayers going heavenward and the encouragement coming to us. While we may go through some deep water, I know we'll have a victorious story to tell when we reach the shore. If you read this long post and have reached the end, thanks for your interest, support and prayers. Blessings...

The Creator Is Still Creating

Last Christmas Kathy gave me the BBC video series Planet Earth and Blue Planet. These two multi DVD series are incredible looks at the wonderful planet we live on. As I watched each DVD, I was awed over and over again at God's creation. I was amused every time the narrator said something like "we're not sure exactly how this came to be, but it is amazing." I don't think the secular videographers meant to produce such great illustrations of God's creativity.

This morning I finished reading the book of Job. In chapter 38 God responds to Job and his friends. God asks, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? NIV

As I read these words, I thought again about the BBC series. I can see God measuring, figuring, planning, building small models and carefully creating each piece, each animal, each plant fitting together perfectly. As the creating began all the angels shouted for joy. What a thrilling scene. Here's a couple more thoughts; astronomers tell us that the universe is continuing to expand. No one know why. I do - God is still creating. He is making room for all the new stars and planets that are filling the space. One last thought. I read an article recently about a new species of shark turning up in a meat market. Scientists were amazed at this newly found species and they commented that there are probably thousands of plant, animal and insect species that haven't been discovered yet. I think God has a wonderful sense of humor. I can see Him continuing to create new species here on earth just to stay ahead of the scientists. I think He gets a real kick out of us finding something brand new and making a big deal out of it. I can see him leaning back and and laughing a huge cosmic belly laugh as His new creations are discovered. Just like creative artists continue to paint, sculpt, compose music, etc., I think our Creator is still creating. Creations that we will enjoy throughout eternity. Be careful when you squash that spider in your basement...it may be a brand new species...

He Gives More Grace

He gives more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sends more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He adds His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.


His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He gives, and gives, and gives again.


When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed when the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun. (emphasis mine)

These are remarkable lyrics, a complete sermon right from God's Word, in 12 simple lines. It is even more remarkable when you consider that the author, Annie Johnson Flint, was orphaned at 6 years old and spent thirty years bedridden with arthritis. Annie initially wrote poetry as gifts to friends, but her talent became widely known. Many of her poems were set to music and published in books like Out of Doors.

When you think you have reached the lowest point, and you have exhausted all of your hoarded resources, God is just beginning to help you. Isn't it amazing how when you think your story is the worst ever, you find out someone else has had it much more difficult than you could ever imagine? In spite of Annie Flint's very difficult physical life, she really understood how much God loved her and cared for her. He does the same for you. If you know Annie's song, sing it right now. If you don't know the melody, read the lyrics slowly and let God make them real to you today. He will...I know...I've already sung the song this morning.

The Irony of Being Unemployed on Labor Day

On this holiday Monday, I think I would rather be working. I don't think I've ever said that on a holiday, but obviously, this is a different time and circumstance.

As a Christian that is trying desperately to trust God and stand on His Word, the national and international news can be unsettling. No jobs added in August isn't exactly a confidence builder. And, I must admit, I'm not holding my breath waiting for our President's jobs speech on Thursday. To top it off, this morning my daily Bible-Through-the-Year reading began the book of Job. Speaking of confidence building... :)

One thing struck me this morning as I read the first reading. After each of Job's servants reported in to tell him of all the losses he had suffered, and they were incredible losses, this is what it says at the end of the first chapter, "At this, Job got up and tor his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.' In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (emphasis mine) I know I will never experience the depth and profound sorrow of Job's experience. However, my family and I may go through some deep water in the next few weeks and months. One thing I know, and God's Word through Job taught me again today, is that I must stay focused on God as our source, not the source of the calamity. Once Job dealt with the initial news and grief, (he tore his robe and shaved his head), he then fell to the ground in worship. I really want that to be my attitude.

So, if you see me in Walmart with a torn shirt and shaved head, don't panic. You will know that God and I are doing okay.  

Looking For A Job In the Summer of 2011 - Update

I started the process of looking for a new ministry job at the end of May. It is now near the end of August, 3 months later. Here is what I am finding out; there are a lot of people looking for work, there are a lot of people looking for ministry jobs, the average professional job seeker takes between 33 and 104 weeks to start working again. I spoke with a pastor in a medium sized church a couple of weeks ago. He is filling two pastoral positions. He told me he was overwhelmed by the number of resumes he had received. He said the last time he had to fill a position, pre-2008, he only got 5-6 resumes and since only 2 were qualified, it was easy to fill the position. While he didn't tell me how many resumes he had received for the position I was looking at, I could tell he was nearly paralyzed by the stacks of applications and resumes. One music position at a larger Iowa church generated 100 resumes. A Birmingham, AL church looking for a church administrator received over 70 resumes.  While we are all aware of the very difficult national economy, unemployment rate and housing market, it really hits home when you are trying to find a job and sell a house.

The good news is that God knows what is happening, His word is still true, and people are getting hired. I have several situations that I'm waiting on, and I'm optimistic that very soon I'll be "back in the saddle." A friend gave me a booklet written by a friend of his when he was unemployed. He wrote "God has already identified my next job, my assignment is to find it." I firmly believe that God has picked our our next ministry position and He will help us find it.

For our friends that have shared a meal with us, written cards, called and emailed, thanks so much for your support. Thanks for your prayers for us. Please keep holding us up in prayer. We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary — we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Rom 5:3-5 the Message

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

I have been reading Near To the Heart of God, Meditations on 366 Best-Loved Hymns this year along with my daily Bible study. Today's hymn, Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart really jumped out at me.

It was written by George Croly, an Irishman who was asked in 1835 to reopen a church that had been closed for 100 years. It was in the heart of the London slums, but his powerful preaching attracted large crowds. He prepared a fresh hymnal for the church and he included this hymn he had written.

   Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
   Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art; and make me love Thee as I ought to love.


   I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, no sudden rending of the veil of clay,
   No angel visitant, no opening skies; but take the dimness of my soul away.


   Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh; teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
   To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh, teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.


   Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love, one holy passion filling all my frame;
   The kindling of the heaven descended Dove, my heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

Read each verse slowly, meditating on each one. This is a wonderful prayer of submission to the will of God.

Today Is Our Anniversary - Best Years of My Life

Today Kathy and I are celebrating 37 wonderful years of marriage. The big event on the weekend of our wedding 37 years ago was the resignation of President Richard Nixon on our rehearsal evening and then his leaving the White House with his family on the day of our wedding. There are a lot of highlights that are vivid memories, but there is also a lot of time in which I do not recollect much. This kind of reminds of the story of the two retired guys who are talking and one says to the other, "I couldn't help but notice that you call your wife 'sweety', 'baby doll', 'sugar', and other romantic names. How have you kept that much romance in your marriage all these years? The other guy turns to him and says, 'actually, I forgot her name about 10 years ago and I've been too embarrassed to ask her what it is."

Well, for us, it's not that bad. We have many wonderful memories that we recall. We've been so blessed. One of the biggest blessings has been our unified desire to serve God full time, anywhere, anytime. We've had some great adventures, and both of us have seen our experiences as adventures in helping to build God's kingdoms. We've had the blessing of raising six children, three birth children that are now grown and all involved in full time ministry, and three teenagers still at home that bring both great joy and present interesting challenges. We look back at some great ministry successes and people that we've had the pleasure of mentoring and guiding into successful ministry and other careers. Today we have an interesting predicament, looking for a job and trying to sell a house in an economic climate that is creating financial havoc in our nation. However, God is faithful, He will provide.

As I think about today, the greatest blessing for me is the love that Kathy and I share. I love her so much. She is my best friend and confidant. I love her laugh, and the way she brightens up a room. Of the two of us, she is the "people person" and I enjoy watching her be with people. I love the fact that after we've been with a group of people I get to go home with her. 37 years is a lot, particularly in our present society, but for us it is another signpost on a lifetime commitment that we agreed to 37 years ago. Now we're older, hopefully wiser, and ready for the next adventure, whatever or wherever it may be, together.

Our Universe Never Ceases To Amaze Me

Last week I watched a Discovery Channel documentary on the 400 years of the telescope. It was a very interesting progression from a simple spyglass with limited range to the current telescope technology that will replace the Hubbel telescope. The pictures of our galaxy and well out into our universe were amazing. The knowledge of how stars are born, the rapidly expanding universe and our relative size in our universe were just a few of the topics covered. I was amazed again at our Creator's work.

The documentary's narrator mentioned more than once how much we cannot see and speculated on how much more there was out beyond what our technology could reach. This reminded me of how big our Creator must be. Psalm 147:4 says He determines how many stars there are and calls them all by name. In Psalm 33:6 it says, He merely spoke, and the heavens were formed and all the galaxies of stars. In another place in scripture it says that He spreads the stars as a canopy over His throne. I can't even imagine how big God must be to be able to do this. Plus, the universe is expanding at a rapid rate. Does this mean He is still creating, and the universe is expanding to allow room for all His new creation?

I am thankful for one huge thing. In this documentary, they showed earth as a large planet and then began to pull away to show how vast just our galaxy is, and then continued to pull away beyond the Milky Way. Of course, Earth, had long disappeared from sight. So, I am thankful that the God who created this incredible universe, knows where I live on this tiny planet. He cares about me, loves me and knows exactly what I need. And in return, He allows me to know Him. Incredible...

These Layoffs Helped the Country

In 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles there is an account of the nation of Judah returning to Jehovah God. King Josiah directs that the temple should be repaired. In the process of starting the renovation, Hilkiah, the priest, finds the Book of the Law. While the Biblical account doesn't say that the priest reads some or all of the book, the implication is that they are so stunned by what is written there that they immediately take the Book of the Law to the king. In 2nd Kings 22, the book is read to king Josiah. He is so distressed by what he hears that the scripture says he tore his robes. Eventually the king has the book read to all the people.

In chapter 23 there is an account of the sweeping reforms that the king makes as he brings the people out of generations of idolatry and back to God. With my current mindset of looking for a job, as I read these passages, the idea of layoffs came to mind. First he did away with the pagan priests, he tore down the living quarters of the male shrine prostitutes (and put them out of business), and he put the women weavers out of business. (they weaved material for the idol Asherah) Josiah put the priests out of business that burned incense, fired the staff of the idol gates at the entrances to the cities and then he fired all the mediums and spiritists in the land. As I thought about this account, when you consider that this was nation wide, it meant that at the least many hundreds lost their jobs and actually it was probably thousands.

The end result of this massive layoff was a revival in Judah. Chapter 23 of 2 Kings has the account of the celebration of Passover in Jerusalem. Probably the first time in at least 200 years, and Passover had not been celebrated this way since the days of the prophet Samuel.

Our country is possibly on the brink of financial disaster, as is most of the world. A financial collapse in the U.S. would have wide reaching repercussions in the rest of the world financial markets. We truly need a return to Jehovah God in our country. In the midst of widespread fear and anxiety, we have an answer that we must find a way to communicate to a needy country. We must offer spiritual and Biblical answers to the present environment of uncertainty. Layoffs can be good...particularly when it drives us back to God.

Looking For A Job In the Summer of 2011

This is my first blog post since June 29th. Kathy and I have been very busy getting our home ready to sell. We finally finished all the big items a week ago and this is the first week our house has been listed with a realtor. Finally some breathing room. If you are interested in seeing pictures and all the details, go to www.realtor.com and do a search on 433 Melanie Meadows Lane, Ballwin, MO 63021.

I sent my first resume at the end of May. To date I have sent 49 resumes, mostly to churches and ministries looking for a Church Administrator. I have another church to send a resume to tomorrow, so it will be an even 50. Here are some things I have learned over the past two months.

1) It is going to be difficult to be a full time Minister of Music/Worship Pastor again. No one is looking for anyone that isn't 40 or younger. I friend of mine who helps churches find senior pastors and staff pastors was kind enough to tell me in a recent face-to-face conversation, "forget about music, concentrate on Church Administration. However, the right church and right situation are not out of the question. If God has picked a place for me to be a MofM, I'm ready.

2) There are a lot of former church pastors and support staff members looking for positions. 3 years ago a church would get 4-5 resumes and applications for open positions. I have talked with several pastors and staff members where I have submitted a resume to find that churches are receiving 15 or more resumes for smaller churches, (300 in attendance and under) and up to 100 resumes for larger churches.

3) It is taking church employees anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get settled in a new position. Younger people are on the shorter side, older people are on the longer end. Unfortunately, I'm on the older end. (We're also trying to sell our house in the worst housing market since the 20s)

4) Salaries are lower than 3 years ago. While churches are filling positions for staff they really need, they are very conservative in salary and benefits spending.

I have had periods of real anxiety, bordering on panic. We have 3 teenagers at home and from our experience with our first set of teenagers, we are in the most expensive part of their lives. 3 teenage drivers is a killer for auto insurance, for instance. However, here are some positive things I have experienced;

I can't tell you how many times my devotional Bible reading for the day has had incredibly encouraging words right from Scripture. Our friends have been very encouraging, and we have had lunches and dinners with many of them. We have friends going to church with us, and all the cards and phone calls have been great. I believe that God has assured me that He knows exactly where we are at, what we need and there is a divine plan in place. We aren't too picky about where we live or what denomination we work in. Our only real desire is to know what we are doing before our high school students need to start school.

So what is the bottom line? Jeremiah 29:11-12 I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. (the Message)

If you think about it, breathe a prayer for us. I promise I'll blog more often and let you know what is happening. Okay, time to work on number 50.

Your House Never Looks Better Than When You're Trying to Sell It

Why is it that everything we ever wanted to do to our houses gets done when you are trying to sell it? For instance, I've had several yard projects that I wanted to do over the next couple of years. Guess what, they're getting done in the next few days. Today, Shawn, his friend Cruz and I loaded up a full trailer load of old wood, an old rabbit hutch, yard debris, old landscaping stuff, plus "treasures" from our basement and took it all to the dump. Our backyard and basement sure look good.

Both of our boys wanted dark paint in their rooms. Sam's is camouflage and Shawn's is Bronco orange and blue. Our realtor said we  should probably lighten the rooms, so today I painted one of the rooms with a High Hiding Primer-Ideal For Drastic Color Changes-Low Odor-Covers in One Coat-Dries in 30 Minutes. Well, at least it dried in 30 minutes. Tomorrow morning I'll roll all the spots that it didn't cover and tonight the window is open because the paint smell will knock you over.

Oh, by the way, we ordered new carpet for the basement. We would have never done that for ourselves, but, your house never looks better than when you're trying to sell it. Tomorrow I leave for the annual National Association of Church Business Administration conference. I know I'll enjoy it, and I particularly enjoy being with many other administrators that I know. But, I'll also be thinking about all the things I need to do when I get home. I would never get all this done if I was working. :)

Today I Will Make A Difference

In 1985, Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors, wrote a book titled On the Anvil. Here is a short excerpt from the chapter Today I Will Make A Difference.

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

Each day for me is a combination of getting our house ready to sell and checking in with my contacts and resources to find a job. I could spend time replaying all the scenarios that led up to my being dismissed, and mentally think of ways to correct misinformation, but God has given me a tremendous peace about our future. He will take care of every situation and He will bless Kathy and I for not looking backwards, but trusting Him forward. I will make a difference because each person I come in contact with will see a positive outlook and a loving and caring attitude. I have noticed that in the past two weeks, (I have not worked for two weeks), I am driving differently (more courteously), I have more time to help people, my blood pressure and pulse rate are down several points, I'm sleeping better and I have lost 10 pounds. I suppose I could be in a panic and want some kind of revenge for the predicament we're in, but I have chosen a much higher road. You can make a difference today. Let God help you, He will.

Some Thoughts On Jonah

One day this week my read-the-Bible-through-in-a-year reading was the book of Jonah. I've read this story many times, but this day I read Jonah's prayer in chapter 2 over and over. I stopped and meditated on his predicament. One thing that struck me was how calm this prayer seems. Now, I know that Jonah didn't write this book as the events unfolded, but nevertheless, he seems pretty calm. He begins by saying, "In my distress I called to the Lord," you think?! If it were me, it would read, "In my distress I pounded on the fish's insides with my fists, kicked as hard I could and yelled at God to save me at the top of my lungs." Later on Jonah writes, "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord." Do you think Jonah lost consciousness while he was in the water? Can you imagine the terror he must have felt as he tried to tread water in the midst of a huge storm and big waves? I had an experience in Southern California while body surfing The Wedge, a well known, big wave area of Newport Beach. The waves were so big that day that it took everything in you to get out beyond the break to catch a wave. I remember the first, and only wave that day, because it ground me into the sand as it broke. It was so big that it held me on the bottom until I couldn't tell which way was up. By the time I was able to get out of the water, I really thought I wasn't going to make it. I can't imagine Jonah's experience.

One more interesting thought. Seaweed can really get you. Because I was raised on the West Coast, we went to the beach quite a bit. At times there was a lot of seaweed in the water and it would wrap itself around your arms or around your legs, and the moment it touched you, you knew that a shark had just chomped down on your arm or leg. The relief that it was just seaweed gave way to a moment of agitation as you threw the seaweed as far as you could away from you. Jonah says, "seaweed was wrapped around my head." Can you imagine poor Jonah, seaweed around his head, pounding on the insides of the fish, crying out to God.

Jonah's prayer ends with "What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." So what is the application for us? Our vow is to live our lives according to God's Word. To love Him, worship Him and live so a watching world will know that we have a special relationship with Him. If you feel like Jonah today, vow to live like God wants you to. Then remember Jonah's words, "Salvation comes from the Lord." He will save you. His promises are true.

The Power Of the Lord

This morning, as I was reading my daily through-the-Bible-in-a-year pages, a story that I have read many times leaped out at me. It starts in 1 Kings 18:46. Elijah had just seen the power of God demonstrated on Mt. Carmel as a confrontation between the god Baal and the one true God, and it resulted in a powerful manifestation of God's power. After that, clouds begin to form and the multi-year drought comes to an end. The story continues: The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Here are some things to consider about this; remember that there are no paved roads and they were descending Mount Carmel so the road was winding and rocky. Second, it was customary for kings to have runners go before them. Third, Elijah was from Gilead (East of the Jordan River, South of the Jabbok River, North-east of the Dead Sea), where Bedouins lived. Bedouins were famous for their running ability, much like the Ethiopians are for producing world-class Marathon runners. The distance from Mount Carmel to Jezreel was about seventeen miles, about 9 miles short of a marathon. So the run was quite a feat no matter the pace or training!

So you are saying, "and....". Well the and is, the power of the Lord came upon Elijah, and regardless of his background and even perhaps his training, God helped him do a supernatural feat. Do you need for God to help you perform a supernatural feat? Have you ever had the power of God come upon you in a powerful way? I can tell you right now that I need for the power of God to come on me. I have several feats that need to be done in the next few days. We need to prepare our house and yard for sale, we need to begin processing all the things that need to happen when you relocate, and I need for God to present the exact right open door. What is your need? Take a moment right now and ask God for His power to come upon you to help you do something that you know you cannot do in your own power. When is happens, leave me a comment. Blessings...

Leaving the Church I've Served For Nine Years

I have served at the Minister of Music and Administrative Pastor at West County Assembly of God for the past nine years. This coming Sunday, June 5, will be our last Sunday at the church. I was hired in 2002 by the founding pastor of the church, John Wilson. He retired in 2007. As sometimes happens with the change in senior pastors, associate pastors who holdover from a previous administration are encouraged to find other places of ministry. After serving four years with our current pastor, my tenure has ended and I've started the adventure of finding a new place of ministry.

I will continue to write this blog. In fact, I will write several blogs in the near future about some of my experiences as a staff member at this church. For now, however, I wanted to tell you that if you go to the WCAG website to access my blog, you will need to subscribe to it. After Sunday, the link may not be in the place where you have found it in the past. Go to the bottom of this page and look for the "Subscribe To: Posts (Atom)". When you click on it, you will be taken to a page where you can subscribe to my blog. You will get an email notice when a new blog has been posted.

Thanks for all your comments on the various topics I write about. I have really enjoyed blogging about spiritual and Biblical topics, personal experiences and blogging about my family. I will blog frequently about our adventure as we trust God for a new ministry opportunity and trust Him for the sale of our house. While our economy is not producing many jobs, and the housing market is down, this gives us the opportunity to really watch God move on our behalf. Our family is seeing this as an adventure in trusting God, and we'll let you know how it goes.

A Great Hymn Story

Joachim Neander was born on May 30, 1650. He only lived thirty years. In those thirty years he served faithfully an an endearing pastor and as the author of sixty hymns. In his spare time, he loved to hike through a beautiful valley near Dusseldorf, and after his untimely death from tuberculosis, this valley (or thal in German) was named for him - Neander-thal. (you know what's coming, don't you.)

Ironically, many years later the skeletal remains of an early race of humans were found in that valley and dubbed "Neanderthal man." The discovery gave a temporary boost to supporters of human evolution. How odd that the name of the writer of one of our greatest creation hymns should be attached to a theory he never would have supported.

   Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
   O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
   All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
   Praise Him in glad adoration.

   Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
   Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
   Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been
   Granted in what He ordaineth?

   Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
   All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
   Let the amen, sound from His people again,
   Gladly for aye we adore Him.