Dare to Dream

Do you dream?

No I am not talking about what happens to us when we fall in to REM sleep. Rather I am talking about those thoughts and ideas about the future. Those ones that we have when we say "wow wouldn't that be awesome if this happened!" I hope you do.

Over the past few years this has not always been the easiest thing for me to do. There have been so many things happen in my life that I have sometimes found myself in place where I could not dream. I was essentially scared to get my hopes up again to only have things come crashing back down. This is a difficult place to be in. If you ever find yourself in this place I would encourage you to read Psalm 126. These verse really spoke to me today in that I was reminded by God to never give up dreaming dreams that only he can fulfill. They may not always come true but in dreaming big dreams we will be a person whose mouth is filled with joy and whose tongue shouts with joy.

What is even more amazing about this lessons is that my friend Holly was also struck by this same concept of daring to dream. If you have not already read her blog post (Saturday November 29, 2008 post) on this I would encourage you to do so.

So do you still dream? If so what are some of your God sized dreams? If not, why not?

An Update

It has been some time since my schedule has really allowed me to really post an update on all things going on in the Baily family right now.

On the immediate job front:
Many of you know that I have started working overnights at Wal-Mart. While this may not be the ideal job it is definitely a door that God has opened for us. The timing could not have been better and the vast majority of the actual jobs I have had each night have been ones that I would have chosen for myself. God continues to answer many of my other prayers with this job.

On the ministry front:
We have heard back from IBSA and we looking at becoming next gen church planters. We are looking at meeting with the IBSA next gen team this coming week to determine where would be the best fit for us and to find out some of the practical steps we need to take to get on the field.

Along with this we are also exploring some of the ways we can still serve the people of Macomb. We are seeking God's direction on this and would appreciate your prayers in this.

On the family front:
So far adjusting to my new work schedule has been trying to for all of us. We believe we have figured out a pattern that will work best for us and we hope to try this new pattern this coming week. We have all been sick recently and are hoping that we can all get well this week but only time will tell.

I hope this gets some of you a little more updated on our life and times.

Ch ch ch changes

Last night was my first night working overnights at Wal-Mart. It was an interesting night. All in all it went well but it is frustrating for me personally because I could not get as much done as I think I should be able to do. This was mainly due to just not being as familiar with things. This will change as I work more and more nights.

I would ask that you be praying for me in one special way. I have been to work twice and have had to spiritual conversations. I am hoping that God will continue to open doors for me to speak His truth in to the lives of people who so desperately need to hear it.

Cannot Be Shaken

"Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever." Psalm 125:1

What an amazing statement!

To grasp how profound this declaration is I think we need to first look at what exactly Mount Zion is. First, it is a really mountain. Most people seem to agree that it is the easternmost of the two ancient hills of Jerusalem. It seems most likely that it was the site of the Jebusite city captured by David (2 Samuel 5:6–9). Second, Psalm 74:2 tells us that it is the place where God dwells. I think this second understanding gives us some incredible insight into our understanding of Psalm 125:1.

Normally I would take some time and give you the insight that God has given me through this verse but today I would like to do things differently. I want your input. Take some time and meditate on this verse and let me know what God teaches you about your trust in Him.

Times of Struggle..

It may seem like a cliche to many of you but today I have been pondering the idea of calling on the Lord in my distress and how He does help. Specifically, I have been thinking about Psalms 120 and 121. Here are some of my thoughts (please note they are in no particular order).

1. In Psalm 120:2 the word translated save or deliver has this connotation of being snatched away. This would mean to me that what the psalmist is requesting to be removed quickly from the lying and deceitful tongues. I think it is interesting that he does ask for God to stop their sin rather he request to be removed from them.

2.Psalm 121 speaks of my help coming down from the hills and that it is the very Maker of heaven earth that is my help. There is great power in that help. I think some times we speak of God's help in ways that dismiss this level of power. How can I avoid this?

3.Psalm 121:7-8 tell me that God is watching out for me. This tells me that even though things seem bad right now that there is a larger picture that I cannot see. I firmly believe that God's leading in my resignation was a means of protecting me from something else. I have no idea what it was but I believe this to be true.

Good Deeds

This may come as a surprise to some of you but doing good deeds does not come naturally to people. This is true if you are lost and it is still true if you are saved. If it came easy or naturally to Christians then Paul would not have taught Titus that church going folks need to learn to engage in good deeds. So if Christians must be taught to do good deeds, then how are we to accomplish this?

I think it begins with Christian leaders setting the example. We as leaders must be willing to do those things that we know to right and true even when it makes us uncomfortable or nervous. We must be willing to do it even when we do not necessarily want to do it. We must be willing to do it even if others around us are not willing to do it. If leaders were to consistently do this then I believe that those in our local congregations would eventually follow in their footsteps. I believe that in watching God work through those good deeds people would drawn to God's activity. This could eventually create a snowball effect that would begin to spread beyond one congregation. In the end if leaders are willing to do the hard work then others will eventually follow. I believe this is why men like Titus and Timothy were willing to hard things. They had seen their mentor Paul do even harder things all for the sake of the Gospel.

I also think this goes beyond church leaders. I think a tremendous amount of responsibility falls on parents to teach their children to do good deeds. Parents must seek ways to involve their children in ministry and helping others. It is these experiences that will build a foundation for decades of Godly service. In my family we have started doing what we call family ministry. Family ministry means that whenever possible we look for ways for all four (yes the 3 and 2 year old can do ministry) of us to be involved in ministry. Some times this means things take longer but this extra time is worth it.

So what good deeds have you done today? Who are you intentionally trying to teach about doing good deeds? How can you and your family do ministry together?

Aiden's Call to Worship

As most of you know Aiden started preschool this fall. On Thursdays he gets to hang out with Pastor Burdick who has a guitar. They learn some really cute songs and we had the chance to record one our personal favorites right now. You can check it out for yourself...

http://www.logonix.net/~dtboy/Aiden-Come%20and%20Worship.mp3

Be the Herald

Timothy's primary job was to be the Herald in his area of the world. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to preach (proclaim as a herald) the word. He goes on to say that the time will come when people will no longer want to hear truth they will simply want their ears tickled. I wonder if this happened to Timothy.

Did Timothy ever see within his congregation this sort of ignoring of truth? If so what did he do? Was he faithful? No matter what happened I do hope he remained faithful. For it is God and His truth that we commanded to hold on to. Where are you in this kind of struggle today? Are you a herald of the word? Are you proclaiming His truth? Maybe you do not know His truth so you cannot begin to proclaim it. I do not know where you are but I do know what He wants of all of us and that is be faithful to Him no matter what may be going on in our lives. It is my hope that one day I can stand before others and proclaim as Paul does in verse 7 that I have fought the good fight and that I have kept the faith.

Playing in the Florida Sand

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing in the beach sand that Mimi and Papa brought to them from the Island (Florida). Thanks Mimi and Papa!

The Future

I know many of you who are regular readers of this blog are in a rather interesting place in your life. You are at that place where you are truly trying to find out where God wants you to be and what He wants you to do (think career, job, ministry, schooling, etc..). Let me tell you from personal experience that no matter what He calls you to it will be an incredible adventure. There will be highs and lows but if you can keep your focus on Him then His joy will never fail.

Because of my recent resignation I am in a interesting place and one that I do not exactly enjoy being in. At the same time I believe that we are following God's plan for us. If we can continue to seek out His will and follow it then He will blesses us in ways far beyond our imagination. The blessings are not why we do it but they are a part of our future if we hold true to Him.

While there is a great part of me that burdened with sadness there is also a great part of me that is looking towards the future with great hope and expectation. I hope that today you too have at least a part of you that is looking towards the future with great hope and expectation.

Resignation

It is with a heavy heart that Angie and I would like to announce my resignation as Student Minister at University Baptist Church. I officially turned in my resignation last night during the Deacon Council Meeting. This decision is not something we took lightly and was the result of much prayer. We offered a two week notice and we were asked to turn in keys and not return.

If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them but please understand that I may be limited in what I am able to share so as to avoid gossip and rumor. I would appreciate your help in this area as well in that if you do not have first hand knowledge of "facts" in this situation please do not talk about those facts with others as this will only lead to misinformation and confusion. Once again if you have a question please feel free to ask me and I will do my best to answer it.

Making Hard Decisions

I think deep down inside of each of us we desire for someone or something to tell us what to do and how to make the right choices. For many us we look to God for those answers. We accept it on faith that He loves us so much that He has a plan for us and that He desires to be intimately involved in our lives. What happens when we are at a cross roads and we do not seem to have answer as to which way to go? How do we handle this? How should we handle it? How are suppossed to move forward?

I know in my head that God will give the direction I need when I need it. The hard part for me is living this truth out. Then again is that what faith is all about. Moving in a direction where we do not always see all the way down the path. So tonight I am at a cross roads. I am at that place where I need to make some decisions and I having to march forward with the advancement of time trusting that God will give the clear direction I need exactly when I need to get it.