Marching Forth!

Have you felt like you could do nothing right?  No matter how hard you tried to prove yourself to someone, no matter your sacrifice, effort, or success, it was never enough?  Many people carry the burden of trying to please their parents into their adulthood, feeling like they were never able to satisfy their parent's expectations.  An ache of bitterness and unworthiness remains in the heart with a deep unsatisfied longing for acceptance and love.  This is the tragic end of too many father/son relationships. This is the emotional and relational baggage many carry into their relationship with God.  Perhaps this fuels the need to constantly "prove" ourselves to God so we may experience the love and acceptance we have always craved.  At church this morning, we read the story in Luke 17 of the ten lepers who were made well and the Samaritan who returned, praising and glorifying God.  The thanksgiving and humble thanks of the ex-leper were visible evidenc...

There's something about being wanted that attracts attention.  During World War I and II, this was a poster used to recruit young American patriots to serve their country in the U.S. armed forces.  Uncle Sam looked everyone who saw this poster dead in the face with outstretched finger, saying " You!  I want you !"  It doesn't matter whether you see this picture from straight on or from the side:  if you can see Uncle Sam, he's looking right at you. Now we know that there are certain things which will keep someone from serving in the military:  asthma, blindness, paralysis, disease, or lack of motivation.  The intention behind the sign is to motivate and encourage.  Allow yourself for a moment to be a 19 year old man in a little town with big dreams.  The sight of this sign send a spark of hope in his heart:  could it be true?  I can serve my country in the army?  The government wants me to help?  If Uncle Sam said, "I n...

Throughout my recent trip to Australia my mind wandered to what I might do when I arrived back in the United States.  I knew for certain that the chapter at my life on staff at Calvary Chapel El Cajon was finished.  If you're in the middle of a great book, there's no turning back to "re-live" a chapter you were particularly fond of.  The enjoyment of the finished chapter urges you to anticipate the next.  That is how it has been for me.  The time I spent at Calvary was the greatest chapter of my life, but that chapter is closed.  Now I am looking forward to the next chapter but I'm not capable or allowed to skim to the end.  Page by page the story unfolds, and every page more interesting with unexpected twists and turns. The moment came last Thursday (11/19) when I stepped onto the tarmac of the commuter terminal in San Diego.  That surreal moment was 60 days in the making as I toured and preached in churches and houses throughout Australia:...

I came across an interesting verse during our family's Bible reading after dinner.  It's a verse that has struck me before, but I couldn't escape it even as I went to bed.  Let me give a little background:  Jeroboam was king of Israel and had led the people into idolatry.  He had a child named Abijah (meaning father, i.e. worshiper of God ) who became sick.  Jeroboam asked his wife to disguise herself and visit the prophet of God named Ahijah (meaning brother, i.e. worshiper of God ).  God spoke to Ahijah who was blind and told him that the wife of Jeroboam would come in disguise.  Interesting, isn't it, that the one who was blind would be so spiritually perceptive? Ahijah pronounced a stern judgment against Jeroboam and all his descendants since he had done more evil than all the kings before him through his idolatry and casting God behind his back.  Concerning the child Abijah, the prophet said these words to Jereboam's wife:  " Arise the...

I am the first of three children born to my parents.  My mom told me how horrified she was when a group of medical students walked by when she was giving birth and someone yelled out, "Look, she's crowning!"  and they looked in with their clipboards in hand.  I can't remember if it was me or one of my siblings, but my mom was very annoyed at one of the nurses because right after birth the nurse strongly flicked the newborn's feet with her fingers to make the baby cry.  Strong crying ensures that the lungs are clear of fluid and that life-supporting oxygen is reaching the brain.  Although crying is not desirable in a baby at 2am, it is almost a comforting sound to a mother and father to know, "He's breathing.  He's alive."  How devastating is silence at birth! I know many people close to me who have suffered miscarriages or given birth to stillborn children.  How horribly painful and depressing to have a baby forming in the womb with all the exc...

One of the most common questions I am asked about Australia is, "What are the biggest differences between Australia and the States?"  This is a difficult question to answer because everything is very similar yet everything is a little different.   A common misconception is that people assume that Australia is the same as the United States because they speak English.  People also believe that Australia is a Christian nation because America is.  These are both false assumptions and the longer you live in Australia the more clear this becomes.  But because inquiring minds want to know, here are my top five differences between the States and Australia in no particular order: Australian people have an insatiable appetite for American news, especially politics .  When I met new people, one of the first things people would ask is about President Obama or health care reform.  Australians care more about American politics than most Americans by far! ...

During my time in AUS, I've had a lot of unique experiences.  Today I ate kangaroo and crocodile for the first time, and experienced a game that I have to shake my head with a smile and say, "Only in OZ!"  It's called Furyball, and I made a video to share a little slice of country life in Canberra.  Enjoy the action!

It is a great challenge to wait upon the LORD expectantly.  We find a great deal of comfort with schedules, future plans, meetings, and appointments.  We find joy in looking to the future and saying things like, "This time next year, we'll have a baby" or "A month from now, we'll be living in our new home."  There's a certain amount of joyful expectation for me to say, "In five days, I'll be back in the States."  I know I have a ticket for a plane departing to LAX next Thursday, so this isn't a stretch.  If by God's grace I manage to be at the airport at the right time, I have a seat reserved for me to go home. People love to predict.  Watch any pre-game NFL program and listen to the commentators posture and argue concerning game predictions.  Every single week ESPN has predictions of the points each player will score.  It seems that predictions seem to give a sense of control in the outcome, even though they do not affect the sco...

" He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. [5] As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.  [6] In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper either this or that, or whether both alike will be good ." Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 One aspect of following Jesus Christ in faith is not knowing exactly where He is heading.  We know that all things work for good to those who love God, but we often don't know how He will make good of a situation.  It is not until much later we begin to recognize the hand of God leading, guiding, and protecting us.  During my evening reading last night, I came upon this verse and was very blessed.  I have been asked many times by people in OZ how the LORD is leading me in future decisions:  if I have a sens...

I read an interesting book recommended by Bob, my host in Sydney.  He has a lovely family:  Jacqui his wife, Samuel (7) and Kate (4).  The book is called "Already Gone" by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer which claims the teaching in most churches today does not answer fundamental questions and doubts that people have.  Children are taught Bible "stories" and emphasis is not placed on their historical, scientific, and archaelogical fact.  When kids continue to go through school, they are bombarded with scientific "facts" which often contradict a Biblical worldview.  Due to these doubts not being directly addressed from the pulpit or Sunday School classes, many people leave the church during their college years on in their 20's.  Since I have worked with youth for many years and have seen the staggeringly high attrition rate among "churched" youth, this book did not come as a surprise or shock. Darwin's "Origin of Species" published in...

I'm the kind of person that loves a challenge.  I enjoy challenging myself to improve at everything from bowling, building, speaking, writing, in practically every area of my life.  I like board games that challenge me to think.  I like to read books and listen to sermons that provide strong challenges.  When muscles are not strained through strenuous exercise, they begin to atrophy almost immediately.  In the same way, when I am not spiritually challenged I feel like my strength begins to wane.  Fellowship with other believers, being challenged by the Holy Spirit as I spend time in the Word and prayer, and through the testimony of other strong believers, my "spiritual fitness" level is greatly increased. But there is a catch to every challenge:  it involves the necessity of action on our part.  For a new reader, even the simplest of words are a challenge to read and pronounce.  As reading improves, what was once a challenge no longer provi...

Looking back on my life, historically my first impression would be better classified as a wrong impression.  There have been many times I had a negative first impression of people who later ended up being among my best friends!  The first glance or personal interaction can distort the truth of reality.  People are more than just a face and a name, and it is a shame for us to judge by appearance.  It is not above a man to do what is shameful, or to even make a practice of it. When I arrived in Sydney, I took the train from the terminal to the home I am staying at in Baulkham Hills.  The train was creaky and old, and as I rode the train from the Central Station tall graffiti-covered brick walls loomed on either side of the tracks.  Rubbish lined the sides of the tracks as we sped under grey, overcast skies.  Serious people stared straight ahead as the train jostled from side to side.  Abandoned buildings with broken windows, the same red bricks, t...

" Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God, [8] who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the mountains. [9] He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry. [10] He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. [11] The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy ."  Psalm 147:7-11 On the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne cup horse race is held annually in Victoria, Australia.  It is often called "the horse race that stops a nation."  For many people in Victoria it is a holiday where men don suits and women wear dresses and fancy hats to watch the horses race.   Even people who are not horse racing fans gather to watch the powerful steeds, pick their winner, and place their bets.  All can appreciate the quickness and power of a horse running at top speed.  God is the One wh...

Today was a significant day in my walk with Jesus.  It was a fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken to me seven years ago:  " You will preach, and you will be sent ."  I believed in seven years I would see the word of God fulfilled.  Never could I have imagined in 2002 that God would have moved me out of the trade that I loved, into a full-time position working at a church, and later leave that position to pursue the call of God to march forth to the east side of Australia.  As I stood before the congregation at Calvary Chapel Melbourne, it struck me that God has done a marvelous thing.  He truly does all things well. If you follow the blog you know a little of my testimony.  I never aspired to be a preacher, and never planned on serving in the Body of Christ in a pastoral role.  Yet the call of God to preach was clear, as clear as His call to minister in Australia would later be.  Australia is certainly new territory for me, but the sa...