Busy Week!

On the blog I enjoy sharing occasionally on a personal level what is going on "behind the scenes" as our family serves the LORD in Australia.  Nearly six months ago, our family moved to Sydney.  So much has happened in that time!  It has been exciting to see God's faithfulness in establishing us among amazing friends and family in Christ.

Laura has been homeschooling the boys and things have been going well.  Yet when a wonderful door of opportunity for our sons opened at Norwest Christian College (a local private school), we decided to go for it!  This week has been very busy in meeting for interviews, gathering the paperwork for enrollment, and Zed sat an exam for a scholarship.  Today we are meeting with a staff member to discuss enrollment and finances. We are thankful to have a God as a Father who knows our spiritual, practical, and financial needs.  We are also grateful to many who have financially aided us through donations.

As far as the church goes, it seems like things are gaining momentum in a hurry!  I was able to do some physical work at church this week which is a great blessing, enabling me to dust off some gifts and feel a sense of accomplishment.  I did some painting and assembled a new BBQ, a must for a proper Aussie church fellowship.  We plan to start hosting a BBQ lunch after service around once a month for starters, and hope that it will be a blessing and encouragement to those at our church.  With a ladies clothing exchange tonight, upcoming men's retreat and church conference, and a mid-week Bible study in the planning stages, there is no shortage of work to be done.  Pray for us!  We are very excited as we see God's plans unfold.

I have also continued service work outside of the church with the Pyjama Angel Foundation.  It is a volunteer organization focused on mentoring and promoting literacy with kids in foster care.  For one hour a week, my role is to go to the child's house and read with him, help with homework, and be a consistent positive role model.  I am pleased to say I have been placed with a 10 year-old boy in a local suburb and will pick up games and books next week in preparation.  Needless to say, I am very excited to start.

I recently (this Tuesday) began a workout routine from the book "Workforce Warrior" given me by my dad.  I bought a barbell and 70 kilos of weights off eBay.  Although I did my first workout three days ago, my body feels like I just finished!  I am ridiculously sore, but in my twisted mind that means it must be really effective.  What I like about the program is that it requires a relatively small amount of time and focuses on building strength and an intense cardio-workout at the same time.  The workout was not enjoyable by any means, but no doubt I will enjoy physical benefits if I stick with it.  Since I stopped working in construction and spend more time at the computer, I feel a commitment to fitness as a positive step to overall mental and physical health.

Thanks again for reading the blog and posting comments.  Feel free to browse through the old posts and read what catches your eye.  I pray that God ministers to you powerfully through the Holy Spirit, and that Christ would be your all in all!

Limes and Mandarins

When we first moved into our home in Australia, I didn't notice there were fruit trees in the back yard.  Because of their small size and the lack of fruit, they more resembled bushes than trees.  After a month or so, I examined the shrubs more closely and realized someone had planted two citrus trees in the corner of the yard.  One turned out to be a lemon tree, and the other seemed to be a lime tree. For several months I monitored the progress of the bumper-crop of limes and wondered how I could best use them.  Then seemingly overnight, much to my shock, the small green fruit turned bright orange.  I had misjudged the tree by its fruit.  I didn't know it at first, but my lime tree was a mandarin tree (tangerine for you American readers)!

 As I sampled a mandarin this morning (very glad it wasn't a lime!), I thought about how Jesus says, "By their fruits you shall know them." (Matt. 7:20)  The works of the flesh are very distinct from the fruit of the Spirit.  Fruit takes time to develop and grow.  When I first saw the tree, a cursory glance did not reveal any fruit.  But it was there.  And after a while I saw the fruit and thought it to be a certain variety.  But time and the miracle of growth proved that I again was incorrect!  Though I was wrong from start to finish, now I am the beneficiary of delicious fruit.  I didn't plant the tree, I didn't prune the tree, I hardly watered the tree, but now I enjoy God's results.

How true this is of our spiritual perceptions at times!  We look according to appearance and make judgments based upon what we can see or understand.  How wise we would be not to make such judgments concerning others!  Sin in scripture is clearly defined and must be seen as such.  But speaking for myself, I have misjudged fruit even as I have been blind to the hearts and intentions of others.  I am learning to leave all judgments to the LORD.  God grants time for fruit to ripen to maturity.  I think mandarins are more useful than limes, but God makes limes, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges too - different flavours, different colours, but all of the citrus family.  God has made us all different with unique personalities and ways we communicate.  A mandarin is no better than a lime:  both have been designed and crafted miraculously according to God's will.

Praise God Christians are part of the Body of Christ and Jesus is the Head!  He has saved us, forgiven, and purified us, ordained, called, and equipped us to serve Him and others.  Instead of judging, let us commit our ways and the ways of others to the righteous Judge, Jesus Christ.  Isn't all the fruit made by Him and for Him anyway?

More than Dawn Watchers

At Calvary Chapel Sydney, we have a weekly prayer meeting which begins at 6am.  When I visited Calvary Chapel Santee in the USA, I was pleased to hear they also have a weekly prayer meeting on the same day at the same time!  They call their time of seeking the LORD the "Dawn Watch" prayer meeting.  A great name, I thought.  Since we're on the other side of the world they won't care if we use the same name for our prayer meeting, right?  Prayer is intended to be a great privilege and delight for every believer.  While others might be sleeping, I want to be one who is watchful and expectantly waiting on the LORD.

A scripture association which comes to mind with the name "Dawn Watch" is Psalm 130:6:  "My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning-- yes, more than those who watch for the morning."  Who are those who watch for the morning?  One example is seen in Job 7:4:  "When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn."  Job grieved the loss of his children and health, and spent his nights in sleeplessness.  He had been afflicted by the hand of Satan and could find no comfort even among his wife or friends.  Another example is seen in the book of Acts when Paul endured a storm on the sea.  For many days no one had eaten food and their chance of survival seemed slim.  After Paul shared a word of encouragement from the LORD, the words in Acts 27:29 well-describe the watchfulness of the crew:  "Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come."  These stories share the same themes:  intense suffering, lack of rest, and counting on the new day to bring fresh hope and consolation.

These examples of those who wait for the morning add force to what the Psalmist says:  "My soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning..."  This is the kind of intensity which should mark our praying.  We should seek God with more fervency than a man who has tossed and turned in agony all night.  We should desire to enter into the presence of God with more urgency then desperate men fighting for their lives.  When we take our eyes off Jesus, it is easy for us to despair.  It is natural for us to be overwhelmed by circumstances out of our control.  Our lack of entering into God's throne room of grace with prayer compounds our struggles.

But praise be to God, who has given us an advocate in Jesus Christ!  No matter how the wind and seas might rage, He is able to calm them with a word!  I love the story when Jesus slept through a fierce storm as His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee.  Panicked, they woke up Jesus and screamed, "Jesus!  Don't you care that we are perishing?"  In their minds they were thinking, "Do something to help out, Jesus!  Grab and oar, control the rudder, help us get these sails down!  Give us a hand!"  But Jesus did something so unexpected, so divine, that they were dumbfounded.  Mark 4:39 reads, "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."  They wanted Jesus to grab an oar:  Jesus planned to still the storm.

Out of the depths of suffering comes great hope in God.  The lamentations of Jeremiah contain the gut-wrenching consequences of sin.  Even in the midst of darkness, God's promises and truth shone bright.  If those words were written in times of ease and plenty, they would not hold half the significance they do, being spoken out of suffering few have endured.   Lamentations 3:21-26 states, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. ²² Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

Do you seek God more than those who watch for the morning?  May we be numbered among them, for great is God's faithfulness!

Counselor or Companion?

"Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion."

1 Chronicles 27:33

There is a difference between a counselor and companion.  Ahithophel and Hushai both played important roles in David's life, and the stark contrast of their relationships occurred when Absalom usurped King David's throne.  Ahithophel gave counsel to Absalom even as he had done with David.  He was loyal to whomever sat upon the throne in Israel.  Yet Hushai remained loyal to David and gave counsel to undermine that of Ahithophel so David might survive and regain his rightful place on the throne.  When Ahithophel saw Absalom and his men favored Hushai's advice over his own, he set his house in order and hung himself.  If you are interested to read the biblical account, it can be found in 2 Samuel chapters 15-17.

As Christians, we find a counselor and companion in our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  When we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us.  He guides us into all truth not as a paid informant, but as the closest friend.  As a good husband encourages and loves his wife faithfully and sacrificially, so God tangibly reveals His love for us.  No woman simply wants counsel from her husband:  she desires a companion.  God counsels us as the closest companion.  Most people are happy to give counsel, but few are willing or able to walk the long road of a lifetime commitment to God and one another sound marriage requires.  God's love is infinite, and it never fails.

Amazing as it sounds, this is what God desires from us too:  communion and companionship.  God needs no counsel from us (a good thing to remember in our prayers!), but He desires us to be faithful companions to Him.  He wants us to remain loyal even if the entire universe were to attempt to dethrone Him.  Interesting that the word "companion" is translated as "neighbor" 102 times and "companion" five times (KJV Old Testament).  Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.  The second is like it, to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Because of the love God has shed abroad in our hearts, we are to love God and all other people with this same love, the love of a companion.  What a revolutionary thought for us people who ration out our love depending on feelings and familiarity with someone!

Jesus says in John 15:12:  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."  The question then must be asked:  how does Jesus love us?  Completely, eternally, sacrificially, faithfully, graciously, without prejudice or partiality.  How can we love one another like this?  We must first receive of Christ's love and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  No man can love like this, but through the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus can love others through us.  We must be willing to be a companion to those who are lost, a close friend to our neighbors, and a lover of the unlovable.  Everyone has opinions on how other people should live their lives.  It is the love of a companion which often is completely missing.

Let's be willing to grow in the gracious love modeled by Christ:  2 Peter 3:18 says, "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."