Faithful Persistence

Genesis 19:29 "So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived."

Lot wasn't rescued because of his great faith, in fact, history doesn't paint a picture of a man with a high level of integrity or mature character. This family was rescued by the faithful prayers of Abraham.

Who are we desperately praying for? What family members, friends, and co-workers are we asking God to rescue? I recognize that salvation must be an act of free will, but we can still be in persistent conversation with God for their protection. Even when we don't see the immediate results, we have to continue to petition God to save the people we care about. We'll find that as God rescues them from their current circumstance they may have their eyes opened to the grander vision of salvation He is offering.

Rapids Pace

I have fond memories of white water rafting trips with the youth from Florida. We would stop each summer after our summer conference trip and raft down a portion of the Ocoee River in Tennessee. I have some pretty great stories about swift rivers, teams coming together in trust (and sometimes survival), boats flipping over, and the beauty of nature around us.

The key to surviving the trip down and staying in your boat is to pay attention to what is ahead of you. If you can see the rocks and understand the flow of the river you can maintain your position. You end up working ahead of a particular rapid to ensure your safety instead of slamming into the rocks and then trying to adjust your position.

Sometimes in ministry I feel like I am slamming into the rocks and then trying to correct my raft--not always with great success. It can be jarring to your body (both physically & spiritually) when you are only reacting to what is happening to you instead of preparing for what you see ahead. I recognize that we don't always know what is coming, but we can prepare through diligent, focused prayer and intentional reading and application of God's Word. I felt that way this morning as I spent an hour refocusing my vision through these disciplines. The first part of this week was consumed by the river as it swept me along and battered me against the rocks. Because of my time with God this morning I feel confident in saying that the rest of this week won't bring the same tiring results, but will foster success as I navigate my way downriver with God's direction.

Gentle Rebuke

I was sitting in church this past Sunday and had just shared a communion thought for Advent that reflected on the hope found in Christ. I have to admit that I had been struggling through a few personal things that morning in my prayer & preparation. I had spent time committing it to God, but knew it was going to be a continual process. As I sat there I felt God speak directly to me and giving me a gentle rebuke. I wrote it down so that I wouldn't forget that moment & the truth of what He is saying:

"You preach this all the time, but do you really believe that there is hope in me? Do you believe that my love for you is unfailing and can't be outsinned? Why do you carry the weight of hopelessness when I have offered you my true hope?"

I confess that there are times when I wrestle with the veracity of God's hope for me and my family. I know in my heart that it is true, but that doesn't always translate into my spirit. I suppose my response to God would simply be:

"I know that my only true hope is found in You, but sometimes the weight of ministry, the journey of parenting, the burden of my sin, and the details of life overwhelm me. Forgive me, Father and thank You for restoring my confidence even when I can't see the end of these struggles. I will trust that You have better things ahead. Where else can I place my hope but You?"

Different Measures

The past two days have held a lot of activity and prayer, but not much in the way of directly measurable productivity. I've been fortunate, however, as God continues to show me how He works in all circumstances. On two different occasions in completely different locations I have been approached by people who knew me from Northridge. One of them wanted to talk about making a decision for Christ and the other was trying to get his adult son connected to the church. I wasn't advertising who I was or what I was doing, but they both took the initiative to come up to me and start a conversation.

It's another reminder to me of how God is actively working in & through us. He is constantly providing opportunities for us to positively impact the people in our community. There is a continual flow of the Spirit that draws people to Him and when we are open to it we will be surprised how many people are ready to hear truth. It's further validation that God doesn't measure productivity by the number of things accomplished, but by our level of eager obedience.

Settling In

In Genesis 11, Terah the father of Abram (later Abraham) took his family and started on a journey. In verse 31 of chapter 11 it says, "Terah took (his family) and together they set out...to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there." In the next chapter Abraham is called by God to finish the journey and head into the Promised Land where his descendants will live. God's plan was for his people to end up in Canaan and even though Abraham was going in that direction at first, his family stopped short of their goal.

What are we settling for in our families? Are we content with only fulfilling a portion of God's vision for our marriages & children? We attend church fairly regularly & think that is good enough so we don't continue to make the investment in true growth. We are content with showing genuine, unconditional love to our families a few times a year (birthdays, anniversary, Christmas) and falsely believe that will cover us for the year. We get excited about a vision for great potential in our family, but are too afraid to make the lifestyle changes that obedience requires. We give just enough to appease our guilt, but not enough to truly trust God with our finances and see remarkable breakthroughs in blessing.

If we want to be passionately true to our faith in Christ we need to have the courage to refuse to settle for anything less than God's complete promises regardless of the personal cost and level of devotion required to see it fulfilled.

Parental Guidance

Today has been a very long day interspersed with good and tough moments. My greatest satisfaction was found in the 40 minutes we spent around our dining room table with our girls at the end of the day.

My wife & returned from our staff Christmas party and gathered our girls up to begin our Advent readings as we celebrate Christmas. What was intended to be a 5-10 minute event ended up taking much longer as we sat around the table and talked. We lit the candle representing hope, read Scripture, and then shared a great deal about our hopes for them. We shared our passionate desire to see them grow up firmly rooted in their relationship with Christ. There was a time of honest confession from us and laughter over past circumstances.  We talked about the need for our family to do more intentional things together and how we were going to take advantage of the opportunities God has given us while we can. It ended in prayer and with us reaffirming our constant love for our girls.

Parenting is the hardest thing I have ever done and I am confident my wife would agree. We most certainly do not have all of the answers, but we are firmly committed to seeking God's wisdom and raising them the very best way we can. There are ups & downs, but tonight's time with our ladies was most definitely another step in a positive direction. It's a difficult lifelong journey and yet I wouldn't trade it for anything.

In the Middle

Today my beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed, middle daughter turned 14. We have several friends who have commented on how they can't believe that she is this old & when I stop to think about it I admit it's a struggle for me too.

The time that we have with her under our roof is quickly growing short and I know that there is still so much that we need to do to prepare her for what comes next. It's a daunting responsibility and my wife & I want to do our very best to guide her down God's path. She is already making so many good choices and we want to do what we can to help her determine how to keep choosing wisdom. Bailey is most definitely a daddy's girl (even my wife says so) and I don't take lightly the trust that I have to protect her heart. She is genuinely sweet and hates to think that you might be upset with her. I constantly pray for the protection of her innocence and for the maturity she will need to keep herself safe in her decisions.

I love this girl with all my heart and can't wait to see the woman she will become. I just pray it doesn't happen too quickly.