Blessing

One of the most rewarding and difficult parts of my life is my marriage. I love my Angie beyond reason. I love the passions that she has. I love her desire to be like God and to do things well. I love how she longs to be an even greater mother, homemaker and minister. Like most other marriages we have certainly been through our ups and downs. This past year we have found ourselves in more downs than ups and I accept my lion's share of the responsibility in this. I have not been the leader that I have needed to be. I have not been the kind of Godly man and husband that she needs me to be. The end result of this has been a marriage and family that has not been all that God has wanted it to be. This in turn has been used my the enemy to attack the emotional well being of myself and my wife. We have struggled with feelings of failure and inadequacy. For myself these feelings have permeated every aspect of my life. I feel like I have been a failure at work, at home and at church. I can look back at this past year and see some good things that have happened and yet I still see the whole of the year as a failure. I know in my head that it is not as bad as it seems but some times one of the hardest things we have to do in life is move head knowledge to heart knowledge.

As this year comes to a close I felt it only appropriate to try and place some sort of redeeming touch on the year by starting a new daily devotional with my wife. I know some of you may be wondering why not just start something new on the new year and I can see your point. For me though it was why wait. Why should wait another day to do something I should have been doing a long time ago.

Today's lesson deals with a marriage being a blessing. Specifically it deals with what the Hebrew word for blessed means-“to endue with power for success, prosperity, fertility and longevity.” When I read this I was struck by the word success. When we ask God to bless our marriage we are asking Him to infuse it with the power to succeed and to endure. We also know from Scripture that when ask God for these kinds of things that He will provide it to us. Therefore, way back when Angie and I first got married and we asked for God's blessing upon it He gave it (and us) the power to succeed. What an amazing thought this is that no matter who bad things may get or how dark the future may seem that God has already granted us the power to succeed in our marriage. This thought has literally blown me away!

If this is true of marriage then it must also be true in other areas of our lives. When God chose to bless something it means that He is empowering it to be successful and to endure. I know that some of you may be thinking of some ministries or churches that have failed and wondering if it was never God's will for that ministry to exist or not. The simple answer is no. We live in a fallen world and just like Adam and Eve's marriage started out as perfect it to would fall in to some level of failure. I think we see one result of the cracks in their marriage by how their 2 sons dealt with each other. The fact that one brother killed another and then ran away reflects at least partially on Adam and Eve and the examples the set for their kids.

In the end God does not want us to focus on the failures that are around us. He wants us to focus on those successful parts of our lives. He wants us to be able to see the things that have gone well and that are going well. I pray that to do you will take the time and focus on the things that have gone well (even the small things) and not dwell on the bad. The enemy would like nothing more than for you to come to the end of your day and to look back and see nothing but defeat. Do not allow the enemy to steal your joy in this way.

40 Days in the Gospels-Day 1

Today I read through Matthew 1 and 2. One of the things that really struck me today was how many times God used people's bad decisions in the lineage of Jesus. For example, if it were not for David's adultery with Bathsheba then we would not have Salomon who is in the direct line of Jesus. This was just a simple reminder that God uses us in ways we could never imagine even when we make mistakes larger than we ever thought we would/could. I hope that today you remember or hear for the first time today that God love us in spite of us.

40 Days in the Gospels-Intro

Today I begin, along with the teenagers at Crosspointe, a 40 day journey through the 89 chapters that compose the Gospels. During the next 40 days our group would appreciate your prayers, thoughts, comments, words of encouragement, etc.. as we not only seek to deepen our relationship with God through His Word, Our Actions, and Our Prayers. Over the next 40 days each one of us will be seeking to

Study Our Bible
Witness To Our Friends
Encourage One Another
Act On What We Read
Talk It Out With God

If you would like to join us on this journey simply download your journal and begin. You can start any time and we would love to here from you about how your 40 days changes the world you live in.

Second Chances

In our life we have opportunities to in essence hit the reset button on our life and relationships. God is merciful and gives us these chances in spite of our shortcomings. I feel as though I am in that place with so many things in my life. I am at that place with my wife. I am in that place with my family. I am in that place with my job. There is so much that I have not right and there is even more that I want to do better. I am battling the feeling of so much to do with so little time so why even try. I know in my head that I have to take it one step at a time. I know that the best plan is for me to listen to God and do the things He wants me to do in the order He wants me to do them.

I pray that I will be able to do this. I pray that I will be able to keep priorities set correctly.

Making A Choice

Our lives are filled with all kinds of choices. Some may seem mundane and simple while others we recognize as profound and potentially life altering. There are some choices that all of us have everyday. One of those choices is how are we going to look upon our world and life today. I know that some of us wake up and feel like we do not have any choice in the matter. Those of us who have or are battling depression understand this feeling of hopelessness when it comes to how we view the world around us. This does not change the fact that we have a choice in the matter. The choice may be a difficult one and it may be one that we have to be continually making through out the day but it is a choice nonetheless. I pray that today you will find the strength you need to make the choices you need to make, no matter how hard they are.

Job 36:15-16

"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction."He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food."

Courage

Making a stand can be a difficult thing but it is necessary if we are going to change the culture in which God has placed us. We must face the storms and praise Him! The storms WILL come of this there is no doubt. When they come will you be washed away or will you stand and sing. Will you chose to go dancing in the rain and praise Him for all that He has done and all that He is going to do?? The choice is yours!

Running

Many of you know that I have been running off and on for years. Most of the time I start up again because I know that I need to get in shape and for me this is one of the best ways to it because I have clearly definable and attainable goals (distance and speed). This time around has been different because I have acquired a small running partner. Aiden asked a number of months ago if hew could start running with me. I was skeptical at first but who am I to tell him no if he wants to get in shape and be active. So I started doing some research about 7 year olds running 5Ks and how best to keep them safe and healthy during the training process. Along the way we picked up some nice Nike running shoes (Thanks Mimi!) and some really cool memories.

The goal for us was to be ready for the Corn Boil 5K. I had been planning on running this race myself and when we set the goal it gave us plenty of time to get him ready. Over the months of training we started out by following the C25K plan until we got to a point that was really more than he could handle and then we started our own plan. With each run he continued to show me that he really wanted to do this so much so that if we had not been running for a few days he would begin asking about when we were going to run again. Before we knew it was race week and I realized that we had only run 3 miles one time and so I knew that we needed to run that distance at least once more before the race to give me a better idea of where he was in his training (and to be able to give Angie an idea of when we would be finishing). So off we went! As we are completing our first lap around the course Aiden says that he is tired and wants to stop. I am thinking "Really!!! We are 2 days out from the race and he wants to stop after 1.5 miles!! No way!" Eventually I would get him to run about 1.75 miles before we finished for the day. I was saddened that we had done all of this work for so long he did not seem like he was ready. I was frustrated with myself that I had failed him and that he was not going to have a good race because I had not done what I needed to do for him to be ready. However, there was nothing I could do now, we would just have to line up, run and see what happens.

The morning of the race, Aiden was beyond excited! I have never seen a 7 year old so excited to get up so early! After registering and looking through our goodie bag we started our routine. We stretched and did some light jogging to get all warmed up. We talked about doing our best and that he probably would not win the race this year. As the race started I had to keep my little rabbit from starting too fast as he was just a little on the excited side! As we made the first turn I was fully expecting Aiden to slow down and need/want to walk but he didn't he just kept running. This pattern would continue through out most of the race. We did stop a couple of time but not for very long. As we were approaching the last half mile he was beginning to reach his limit and he just wanted to walk. I knew he had done such an amazing job and I knew he could keep it up if I could find the right motivation and find it I did. I told him that if he kept walking then his friend Tommy was going to pass him and beat him. That was more than enough motivation for him to not only finish the last half mile but to pick up his pace a little bit.

Overall Aiden finished in 35:23 (11:25/mile) which was 5th in his age group. In all reality he did even better than 5th because the top 3 boys in his age group were all 10+ so in then under 10 age group he was 2nd and only about 1 minuter behind 1st. And for the record he beat Tommy by about 40 seconds!

Since the race Aiden and I have continued to run we hope to compete in another race together some time this fall. During these runs I find myself being the motivator to just keep running, running, running (think Dori in Finding Nemo). The other day during our run Aiden reminded me of something I told him a long time ago during our runs. When we run it isn't just the two of us it is the three of us,God is always with us when we run and that when we find it hard to keep going we can all on Him to help us. He reminded me once again of Matthew 21:16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?"

This time I have been able to spending running with Aiden has been amazing. I have no idea how long it will last but I am determined to enjoy it as long as possible. 

Thanks to the The Daily Herald for taking this awesome picture! See the original and article here.

Accomplishments and Momentum

We all go through those times that are just a struggle to make it through. Some times those times last for days, months or even years and some times they last no more than a few hours. Lately it seems as though I have been having a lot of those moments. Today, in many ways was one of those days. Today some of the poor decisions (mostly related to finances) that I made recently had finally come around to bite me in the butt. Today I had to deal with my own guilt over what I had done and how it is currently impacting my family. Through out the day I was battling those voices that were telling me that nothing I do is right and it will always be that way. I knew these voices were lies but they were so constant that they made themselves hard to ignore. As the day and battle went on I found myself slowly starting to win small victories and accomplish little things. I realized that with each successive positive thing those voices got a little easier to handle and a little more distant. Then it happened. One little thing went wrong and all those small victories vanished.

It took me a few minutes to realize what had happened inside of me. Once I did though, I realized the shear stupidity in thinking that way. I was once again able to see how things were going right and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train it is Jesus. In end I realized that all the while Jesus had kept me from going down the deepest parts of the path the voices were laying before me. He was giving me everything I needed to be in the right place and all I had to do was accepted and move forward. He provided the way for me and He protected me while I found it.

Life as a Soldier

"No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer"- 2 Timothy 2:4

"Basic Combat Training (BCT) is a training course that transforms civilians into Soldiers. Over the course of ten weeks these recruits learn about the Seven Core Army Values, how to work together as a team and what it takes to succeed as a Soldier in the U.S. Army." -US Army Website

I think we could learn a tremendous amount about what the Christian's life should look like by examining what the Army's has determined to be its core values. To this end I am considering writing a series of lessons that correlate to these 7 values. Any thoughts?

Dare to Dream Big Dreams

One of the reasons I love God so much is that He is the God of Big Dreams. I love the fact that He can do so much more than you or I could ever imagine. As we examine our own lives we ought to be able to see this. Just think about how many times the amazing has happened. It may be some thing as "small" as finding some extra change that allows you to go to McDonald's or buys that half gallon of gas that you need to make it home. Or maybe you are one of those people who have had a miraculous healing. Or maybe you are one of those people who entire life, world view and perspective has been changed in an instant. Or maybe you have had all of these kinds experiences and then some. No matter where you fall, the point is still the same, God is an amazing God and He is so much more than any person or group of people could ever imagine. I hope the videos below help each us to know, either for the first time or be reminded for the one millionth time, how great God is.

 

 

Stop and Think

Have you ever considered the craziness of the planet we live on. We live on a big rock that is spinnning at 1,000 mph while also circle a huge ball of flaming gas at about 67,000 mph. Seriously stop for a moment and think about how crazy that is. Have you ever stopped long enough to think about it? I know I never really have. I would encourage you to do so today. Before you do though take a few minutes and check out this video from Francis Chan.

How easily we forget....

It saddens me when I realize how easily I forget what I know about God. My recent struggles have really brought this to the forefront of ny mind. I was remind about as I was reading in John 1 and the calking of the disples. Jesus is immediately recognized as the Son of God by these men yet over the next 3 years this men will struggle with who Jesus is. I see myself in these men. I remember a time when really relying on God was 2nd nature and yet now I struggle with this. I remember a time when I saw the world around me with spiritual eyes and now I struggle to see my world as more than things and stuff. I long to be back to those earlier places. I long to take my family to those same places. I know that with God this is possible, may my heart catch up with my mind soon on this one.

From slavery/death to service

So I have been participating in a sort of Bible reading challenge. The leader of our group is a friend of mine from college and so far it has been good for me in that it has helped to keep me in my Bible. One of the great things that has been happening as I move through the Old Testament passages is that I feel like I am reading many of them for the first time even though I know in my head that I am not. This just goes to show you the living nature of the Word of God.


One of the times that this became most clear to me recently was when I was reading about the 10 plagues to strike Egypt. I have heard most of my Christian life that when Moses went before Pharaoh that he said something like "God has said for you to 'Let my people go.'" I guess I never really thought much about what Moses actually did say because it never seemed to matter, in the grand scheme of the situation, to me. However, I have new perspective on this and here is why.

Exodus 9:1-NASB with Emphasis Added
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me"

Think about what is going on in this passage. Moses is telling a man who is thought to be a god that he needs to let his servants go so that they can go and serve another god. So not only is Pharoah losing an incredible source of free labor he is losing them to a rival god. This would have required Pharoh to humble himself on two fronts. First, the letting the people go would mean that he is not all powerful. Second, it would mean that he had an equal when it comes to gods.To think that any man in his position would have humbled himself this way is unrealistic. We tend to look back at this event and wonder why Pharoh was so stubborn but ouir vision is skewed by time, culture and knowing what would eventually happen. Pharoh is not really doing anything all that surprising and in fact I believe God knew that it would take a tremendous amount of humility for Pharoah to let His people go. I believe that God wanted Pharoh to be like the servants of Pharoah in Exodus 9:20 who feared the word of the Lord. Sadly it did not happen and Pharoah and Egypt paid a terrible price.

The other part of this passage that struck me is that God states the purpose for the Israelites to be released. Simply stated they needed to be released from Egypt so that they could serve the one true God. This was their purpose, the reason for their existence as a nation and people. This is not unlike the purpose we find for believers today. We see in 2 Timothy 1:9 that when God saved us He did it so that we could participate in His holy calling and do His will. In essence, we were saved to serve Him just as the Israelites we rescued from slavery so that they could serve the Lord. 

As I have been thinking about this over the last few days I have started looking at why God has saved me and what holy calling He has for me now. Part of me feels as though I am constantly doing that and not in a good way. I feel like I am like a ship that is just bouncing around in the sea without a heading. There have been plenty of days in which I had Captain Jack Sparrow's compass so I could find the path to that which I desire most. I hope to be in that place someday soon where I truly feel like I am on the right course and that I am at peace with that course. It is my hope and prayer that you are either on that path or will be soon.