Eagerly Watching

Here are some thoughts after having read Psalm 5:3-" 3 In the morning, O Lord , You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch."

How many of us start out each day before God in prayer and then eagerly wait/watch for his answer? I know I don't usually do this. In fact, I would go so far as to say I rarely do this. I know God answers prayer but I lack that eager anticipation when I'm waiting to see Him do only what He can do. Why is that?

I don't really have a good answer. I suppose a lot of it has to do with how close I am in my relationship with God. Maybe it has to do with church culture that I'm in. Nobody around me thinks like that so it makes it harder for me to think that way. I don't know why but I'd sure like to change it. I'd love to be at a place where I eagerly expect God to well ..... be God. How about you?
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It is finally here

I've known that this day was coming for a long time. I knew early on that there was something special about Denise Bavone. The fingerprints of God on her were unmistakable. I knew that God had big plans for her. I could see that He desired for to go and do far beyond what she could imagine.

She has been on incredible journey over the last few years. I've watched experience great joys and incredible lows. Through it all God has been with her. He has been molding her for this moment and this hour. The adventure she begins today is the culmination of years of God working in her life. I'm honored that God allowed me to be a part of that process.

I know that the Denise that leaves today will not be the Denise that comes back in December. She will experience things that will forever change how she sees the world and how she understands God. I'm so excited for her. I look forward to seeing how God uses her to change lives because I know that He will.

I love my Kermit and I will miss her but I wouldn't have it any other way. She is following God in to the unknown and I can only hope that I would be able to do the same.
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Annual Christmas Decorations

Just a little video of how Santa decorated our home this year for Christmas. Enjoy!

Understanding Christmas means.....

For those of you who have been in Sunday School regularly for years have you ever had the thought of "didn't we study those same passages last year at this time?" I would venture to say that this thinking would be especially true for those of you were in Sunday School through out your childhood. I know even for me, someone who did not grow up in church, I have had these kinds of thoughts. In light of this I have made it my goal each year to look at the birth of Christ with a different kind of lens each year. Some years I have examined through the more typical lenses and some years I have sought out those miniscule details and pour over them with a fine tooth comb.

This year God has placed it on my heart to look at the birth of Christ through the light of the Cross. My thinkinking has simply been that while the birth story is amazing and wonderful it is not unique to Christianity. In fact, Muslims agree with us on many of the major elements of the birth if Jesus. Therefore, if I am going to best understand the significance of the birth then I must look at from the view of the Cross (the one thing that sepearates my belief from that of others). To do this I am revisiting an old bible study by Dawson McAllister, A Walk with Christ to The Cross. This bible study will forever remain etched in my mind because it was this very study that we were working through at a  Dawson conference when I first gave my life to Christ.

This week I have been looking over the time of the Passover Feast and the scene in which Judas is identified as the one who would betray Jesus. Have you ever really wondered why judas did what he did. I know that the Bible tells us that Satan entered in to him and from that point forward I believe that Judas has no real understanding of what he is doing but that is only part of the picture. The fact is that the deal to turn over Jesus was already in place before Satan entered in to him. So why was judas so willing to go in that direction?

I think the bottom line was Judas had lost patience with Jesus. He had started following Jesus with the wrong motives and hopes. He had expected Jesus to gather an army of followers that would literally bring about a formal Kingdom here on earth. He believe that Jesus would forcibly remove the Romans from Israel. He wanted to be on the front lines of such an event. At first, it easy to see how Jesus' actions would have coincided with Judas's desires. Over time though we see Jesus saying and doing things that are driving away the large masses and thus ruining whatever chances there was of building up an army to defeat the Romans. As this realization began to come over Judas it is conceivable that Judas had one of two thoughts. 1. If he hands Jesus over to the religious leaders then he forces Jesus' hand and the battle will finally commence. 2. He is spiteful and full of rage and by handing over Jesus exacts some level of vengeance for the 3 years of his life he has spent (wasted) with Jesus.

I am not really sure which path Judas went down and in the end I am not so sure that it matters. What does matter is the way in which Christ handle all of this. Up until the very last possible moment Jesus offerred Judas a second chance. When Jesus dips the bread and offers it to Judas He is essentially giving Judas a peace offering, a means of saying I desire peace between us and you don't have to do this. Judas of course rejects this offer. Jesus does not sulk at this rejection, in fact He basically asserts His authority and orders Judas to do his job quickly.

I cannot imagine how hard that entire scene must have been for Jesus. To be in a place where you are literally face to face with the one who will betray you. To have the armies of heaven at your disposable yet knowing that You cannnot use them because You must go down this path of sufferring and death. To be face to face with a friend who is about to commit a wrong that will be more than he can handle and yet be unable to stop him.

The fact that Jesus willingly placed Himself in this most difficult of positions is amazing. It is my hope that as we approach the day in which we celebrate the birth of Christ that we will always see His birth in light of the great sacrifice He made for us on the Cross.

Contrasting Pictures in Acts 2 and 3

The biblical Book of Acts is amazing account of the many signs and wonders that surrounded the early church. It is also a story about how the church leadership developed in those early years of the church. Most church goers have read through many of these stories as they tend to fill us with that sense of awe and wonder about God's great and mighty power. Some times though I think we can get complacent when we go to read through the Book again as come into expecting only to see or read about certain things and thus ignoring some of the other aspects of the great stories in Acts.

This is where I was earlier this week as I began a new reading plan on my blackberry bible. I was looking forward to reading about the great miracles and acts of faith found in the book of Acts. What I was not necessarily expecting to find was an overall portrait if how different the church should look when compared to its surroundings. I found this while reading through Acts 2 and 3.


Acts 2 shows us how the power of God fell upon the Apostle. Acts 3 shows how the Apostle began to take the message to the people. We also see in Acts 2 how the new believers began selling their possessions so that none of them had need. They had essentially created the first church benevolence fund :) We can contrast this picture with how society was taking care of the needy as it is found in Acts 3. Acts 3:2 tells us that a lame man must beg for alms each day to provide for every day needs. While it is true that this man had help getting to the gate of the temple he was stilled required to beg for money. I think these contrasting pictures show us how the church is supposed to look different from the world around us.

We are called to be strangers living in a foreign land. We are supposed to act differently than the world. In fact, we are supposed to be the catalyst for change in a world that desperately needs. Unfortunately, for far too long the American church (as a general group) has been doing the opposite. We have been more concerned about our buildings blending into the surrounding neighborhood than changing the neighborhoods we are in. The end result of this is a society that sees nothing particular special or miraculous about the God we worship and love.

Wanting to know more

I can't tell you how many times, a history buff, I have wanted to know more a life or situation. If you think about we actually know very little about historical events and people. At some level this always bothered me because as a history student I was asked to give analysis of people and events and I knew there was always more there than meets the eye. Take for example the life of Christ. There huge portions of His life that we have no information on. In fact, the Bible tells us that the miracles recorded are only a part of the picture. As frustrating as that may be for us some times there must be a reason for it.

This same principle is true in my day to day life. I want to see so much more of His plan yet if I did my faith would be the weaker for it. In the end maybe that is the reason why we know so little about the past or the future. God made it this way as a means of developing our ability to have faith, to trust in that which we cannot see.

Just a thought for you before the Hawks game.

Why so few church plants

As someone who is involved in the church planting movement here in Illinois I have often asked myself the question of why there are not more people jumping at the chance to do some thing nobody else is doing so you can reach someone nobody else is reaching. When I first pondered this question I thought of the usual answers about calling and giftedness. While these are important pieces to the church planting puzzle I am not sure they full explain the lack of new church plants.

I think too often people have used calling and giftedness as excuses for not trusting God. I think that if were to really hone in on many people's lives we would begin to see that it is their lack of complete trust in God that prevents them from being a part of new works. I think most of the people would realize that they should trust God but they do not really understand why they should trust God. So if you are one of those people here are some reasons why I think we should trust God. (Theses are in no particular order).

1.He created you and me. Genesis 2:7 specifically tells us that God took the time to literally form Adam from the dust of the earth. In the creative actions of Genesis 1 and 2  this is a unique action taken by God. In all of the other creative moments before Adam God simply spoke and things happened, however in the cases Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-22) God took extra special care to mold and shape them with His hands. This special attention continues to this day as evidenced by David's proclamation in Psalm 139:13 that God literally wove him together while he was in his mother's womb.

2.He gave you the breathe of life. Genesis 2:7 not only tells us how God formed Adam but that He also breathed into him the breathe of life. Most people read this as God simply putting air into Adam's lungs but I think there is more to it than that. I think that this is the moment in which God gave Adam a soul. God provided Adam with life on earth and the ability to have life eternal (through the soul). Today we have that same opportunity despite the fact that Adam and Eve brought death into the world. The New Testament shows us that Jesus literally gives life to those who are dead (Ephesians 2) because of sin.

3.He has always existed and He will always exist. Genesis 1 shows us that God created the heavens and the earth and therefore He existed before them. The book of Revelation shows us that He will always exist (ch.21-22 especially show this). God is not going anywhere.


4.When we call/cry out to Him He promises to answer us. So often I believe people simply pray to God because it is what we are supposed to do. Rarely do many of us pray with the expectation that God will not only hear us but that He will answer. Jeremiah 33:3 is God's promise to us that if we will call out to Him then He will answer and teach us great and mighty things.

Many of you as you have read this have thought of some other reasons to trust God. Please share your thoughts with us so that we all can move further along on our journey with God.