Walk This Way

The books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles tell of the history of the nation of Israel and their leaders. As I read through it some if it sounds too audacious to be true (even though it obviously is.) Men and women become drunk with power, kill off their entire families to preserve their ruling position, meet secretly to overthrow kings, manipulate entire nations to get what they want, bribe each other and other rulers for personal gain, submit to other forms of worship, and in some cases, worship the One True God.

The books provide only a brief commentary on the lives of people who ruled. They might give details on a few instances which sum up the character of the ruling parties, but each part essentially lets us know if that person was evil in the eyes of God or if they chose to follow Him.

Who we are and the legacy we leave will be determined by the sum total of all our life experiences and the decisions we make. Those closest to us will see the depth and intricacy of our lives, but it still leaves one big question. Did we live to serve God or not? In the footnotes of history that is what will matter most. 

That is the lasting inheritance that I want to leave for my children and the generations that follow. In spite of my flaws and many mistakes I pray that they would know that I loved God and did the best I could to follow His leading.

Day by Day

I am a goal-setter and vision caster (although not as much as I would like to be.) I write every day in my Franklin Planner, keep task lists in my phone, and keep running lists of projects that I look over continually for thought & plans of attack. 

My wife & I just had a conversation about my day at work and I commented that I got some things done, but I wasn't satisfied with what I achieved because there is still so much to do. She replied that she always expected that answer and never anticipated hearing me say that I had finished everything on my list. 

That was not the style of life in Arizona on our mission trip last week however. I got up each morning with the first objectives of drinking as much coffee as possible, praying, and immersing myself in the Word. The rest of the day was determined by the work projects from AICM staff and hitting the rez on the blue bus. I didn't find myself constantly checking a task list or wondering how to spin things into greater productivity. I simply worked with our team to get that immediate job done and move on to the next one.

I don't want to lose my future focus in what I am doing now, but there was a simple satisfaction in striving to complete that day's task and nothing more. It is a balance I need to continue to learn to manage. By nature of my calling I must seek the future, yet I should also find satisfaction in completing what today holds and enjoy the journey while it lasts.

Finding Excitement

There are a lot of things that get me excited in life:

• seeing my family after being away for a while
• time alone with my gorgeous wife
• watching someone commit their life to Christ in baptism
• helping people experience fulfillment in Christ
• investing in other people & seeing them trust God more fully
• leading in worship & seeing people passionately engaging
• seeing offerings increase as more people trust God with their finances
• a crowded room of people who are desperate for truth
• teaching God's truth to people of all ages
• seeing pieces of the promises of God for my family's lives
• immersing myself in the mission field with a unified group of workers
• the veil being pulled back and a glimpse of heaven shared with fellow warriors as we pray for a nation of people to be set free in the middle of their territory
• returning home to serve in the mission field we have been called to reach.

Band of 20

I could not have arranged to put together a more cohesive mission team this last week. God orchestrated (as He does every year) the exact grouping of people that He needed to accomplish His objectives. Not only we were set up to knock out tasks, invest in the full-time missionaries in Arizona, and love on Native American peoples, but it was the perfect group of people to care for each other. 

We experienced laughter, tears, genuine concern, spiritual stretching, hard labor, and exhaustion together. There was a rhythm to life in those seven days that thumped sweetly in our spirits. While we won't regain that exact communion again, I am grateful for each member of our mission family and the insight into authentic, Christian unity that God provided me through each one of them.

Speak to Me

As I doubt myself and my obedience to Your will

In the midst of satan's lies about my value

As I struggle to survive the difficult days

When the cacophony of worldly noise fills my ears

As I lie resting and seeking recovery

When I am in desperate need of refuge

When I have lost my way and sight of Your path

When I simply need encouragement to maintain my heading

While I long for reminders of Your boundless love for me

When shame and guilt over my past threatens me

As I strive to love my wife and children more completely

While I seek to make my vision Yours.

Here I am, everything. 

Father, speak Your life over mine.

It's Not What You Know

God tells us to actively seek out wisdom and that if we do, we will find it in Him. That is a promise that brings hope for us.

We can work much more easily to be knowledgeable (says the man with hundreds of books in his office), but to gain wisdom requires the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the difference in knowing all of the reasons that something is right or wrong and having the discernment & discipline to choose the right thing-even if it is difficult.

Knowledge puffs up-it increases our ego and we use it as a weapon against others. It is wisdom that is godly, character shifting, and world-changing. True wisdom is a gift from God that He is ready for us to open if we would but eagerly search for it.

Press In Close

Relationships have times of closeness & synergy and other times that require much more work and effort to reap success. Our relationship with God is no different.

I have had periods of time where my prayer & Bible reading are flowing with fruitfulness and peace. It seems as if I am in a constant state of prayer and closeness with God. Every time I open up my Bible I receive an incredible insight and revelation. Being in this spiritual "zone" changes my focus and energy as I draw on the sweet intimacy of God.

What do we do when we are no longer in that zone? Our humanistic side tells us to pull back. Our frustration level rises-especially since we aren't seeing the results we hoped for. 

The phrase that God keeps telling me is "press in close." It strikes an image in my mind of a child clinging to the legs of their father-not even speaking, but simply pressing in close and hanging on. As someone who is always looking for new steps of growth & future vision perhaps this is the message that I need to hear the most. There will be times of growth and fresh understanding and yet some of the most refreshing times for our souls will be found when we simply press in close to our Father.