Marching Forth!

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! ...