Marching Forth!

This morning in church the words of Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:20 was read:  " Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me ."  The immediate context is Jesus addressing the church in Laodicea concerning their lukewarm condition.  When this passage was read, a picture popped into my mind:  Jesus, standing at the door of a church building knocking while everyone inside ignored the sound of His voice caught up in their own plans. The Laodicean church thought they were on fire, but they were of the kind Paul wrote about in 2 Cor. 10:12 :  " For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise ."  Yet it would be wisdom to consider and judge ourselves according to God's standards.  Physical life is evidenced first by inner ...

In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy said, " And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country ."  How the climate of America has changed!  Modern culture is saturated with seeking the most benefits with the least cost.  Between social programs, government grants, welfare, and medical insurance, there are many potential benefits of living in America.  But when is the last time I asked, "What can I do for my country?"  Unfortunately if I even tried to ask I would likely be directed to an 800 number with an automated voice response.  Since the days of President Kennedy, the implications of "country" in America has become synonymous with "government."  Country is more than government, just like church is more than a building. After dinner, our family typically reads a chapter from the Bible.  Tonight we read this in 1 Chron. 16:28-29 :  " Give to the Lord, O families of...

This morning I had "Awesome God" stuck in my head.  " Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love:  our God is an awesome God ."  I could hear an orchestra playing along, a symphony of praise raising up to God in heaven.  Like cannons were used in the recording of the 1812 Overture, I imagined howitzers firing off at the crescendo.  I wonder:  do the angels sing songs written by men?  If I could imitate the songs of angels I certainly would!  A song should never fire us up more than our excitement concerning the God of whom we sing. How awesome is our God!  He has created the universe with a word, at whose face the world will flee.  In Rev. 20:11 we read, " Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them ."  Earth and heaven cannot hide from God, and neither can those who inhabitant them.  T...

"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written:  "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."  [37] Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. [38] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, [39] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord ." Romans 8:33-39 How easy it is to pass quickly over well-known passages of scripture!  We are always the loser when we fall into...

As I was working on the twelfth floor of the new dorm on UCSD, I had an inclination to look toward the north.  Because of where I was in the building, I could see south easily but the north only had a small window.  " What's the point of looking north ," I asked the LORD, " when I can hardly see anything ?"  It struck me that looking towards the north is like trying to see my future.  Looking south is like looking at my past, a panoramic view of the ocean and La Jolla spread from a high vantage point.  Yet looking north all I could see was a big concrete wall with a small square window.  A wide, wild future lays in front of me but I only have a tiny window through which to see.  My future is there sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, but it will always be elusive.  It will always be ahead of the present. Needless to say, the way we see and the way God sees are very different from each other!  I am reminded of God's words in Jeremiah 29:11 :...

This question greeted me in bold permanent ink as I closed the outhouse door on the jobsite.  As a rule, I never respond to questions written on bathroom walls - especially when God is involved!  It is a bad witness to damage property in God's name, and more horrible still to degrade His holy name with the depictions of racism, hatred, and sexual perversion found inside some construction site outhouses.  "Jesus loves you" written among that filth is a fitting example of the bright light Jesus brought to this earth.  But the grandeur and glory is lost when His name becomes graffiti.  He deserves people who live out that truth rather than writing it in hiding. The temptation to respond on the bathroom door with pen and ink was over before it began, yet the question begs to be answered just the same.  Is God an angry God?  How can I know what angers Him?  Psalm 7:11 says, " God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day ."  T...

" Time heals all wounds ," the cliche goes, and I couldn't disagree more.  This assumes all wounds can be healed.  In fact, time has no ability to heal in itself.  Our bodies have been designed to repair themselves over time, but time has no magical qualities in itself to heal.  It amazes me how often cliches and proverbs are casually said without thought of their veracity.  Take the slogan, " What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas ."  It is ironic Las Vegas is called "Sin City" and the last part of Numbers 32:23 says, " ...be sure your sin will find you out. "  I'll save this for another time!  Back to wounds, it is not only the elderly that struggle with unhealing wounds:  children, singles, parents, and grandparents have the potential to carry not only physical wounds, but emotional wounds that no amount of time could possibly heal. Wounds are more than baggage.  No medicinal treatment, herbal remedy, or surgeon's scalpel has the ...

Make Me Thy Fuel From prayer that asks that I may be Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee, From fearing when I should aspire, From faltering when I should climb higher, From silken self, O Captain, free Thy soldier who would follow Thee. From subtle love of softening things, From easy choices, weakenings, Not thus are spirits fortified, Not this way went the Crucified, From all that dims Thy Calvary, O Lamb of God, deliver me. Give me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay, The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire, Let me not sink to be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God. - Amy Carmichael (quoted from Start Where You Are , Swindoll, pg. 187)

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seemed hopeless?  Bad situations often become worse.  It is easy to be burdened under stress and trials which churn out turmoil without end.  Perhaps you have been in an abusive relationship, as a child or an adult.  Maybe a loved one is dying with a terminal illness or you have been diagnosed with one yourself.  Your expectations have been crushed, your hopes shrouded in frustration and disappointment.  Hopelessness occurs when we measure our abilities against a scenario and find them wanting.  We are faced with the reality that we do not possess the power to create change in another person or situation.  How can we live in the face of our frailty and failures? In the Bible the Answer to this question is given.  To this day, leprosy remains incurable yet treatable.  In the days of Christ, it included grotesque disfigurement of the body, living in isolation with others who were suffering...

I've been watching "The War," a WWII documentary that aired on PBS some time ago.  I recognize the names of many of the places battles were fought from the ships I worked on in the shipyard like the Belleau Wood (WWI) Tarawa, and Peleliu.  The focus of a good part of the fourth DVD was concerning the battle of Peleliu.  An airstrip on Peleliu was heavily defended by the Japanese and the Major General of the 1st Marine Division believed the battle would be over in four days.  Though there was an intense offshore bombardment from battleships, cruisers, and carriers for days before landing on the beach, the Japanese positions remained virtually unharmed.  Of all the battles in the Pacific, it had the highest casualty rate for the U.S. armed forces.  What some thought would be quick and easy took over two months and with 1,794 Americans killed and 8,010 wounded. As I watched the tragic history of the battle unfold, I thought of the spiritual warfare involved...

Today as I was insulating pipes at the UCSD northern housing development, a smile spread across my face.  When we work as unto the LORD, there is no drudgery in it.  I realized working in the trade for me is a labor of love.  It is not that I love fiberglass clogging my pores, hitting my hardhat on pipes, or cutting the dickens out of my knuckle with a sharp hanger strap:  I love the job my God has given me to perform.  I want to please Him and be about the business He has granted to me as steward. I thought to myself, I don't have to do this.  There's a lot of easier things I could be doing, things that are more comfortable and less strenuous.  Have you ever had to wear a hardhat, a respirator (dust mask), and safety glasses at the same time, climbing up and down a ten foot ladder hundreds of times a day carrying knives and cutting fiberglass?  It's a strange life, but one I wouldn't change because it's what God has given me to do.  It fee...

Last school year I had the privilege of attending a class trip to Sacramento with my oldest son, Zed.  The focus of the trip was the California Gold Rush and we visited Sutter's Mill where gold was seen lying on the surface of the ground.  I don't know if you've ever been chaperon to a group of six fourth grade boys with gold fever, but I spent a lot of my time trying to subdue their enthusiasm.  We'd be driving on a bridge over water and some would shout, "I see huge gold nuggets in the river!"  No, I'd tell them.  If there were gold nuggets the size of basketballs lying in plain sight in the stream, the Forty-Niners would never have left.  At least there would be a huge active gold mine, not a quaint little settlement living off the tourist trade.  Undeterred, these kids continued to shout about the fortunes they would walk away with after a couple of easy minutes picking up nuggets off the ground. We were taught by the camp staff how to pan for go...

" As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country ." Proverbs 25:25   I've been watching "The War," a 15-hour World War II documentary which aired on PBS some years ago.  I bought my dad the DVD box set and my mom and I have been catching a little here and there when time permits.  One thing infantrymen and soldiers of the cross have in common is the great value they place on news from loved ones.  Almost more valuable are the letters written by the soldiers and sent back home!  Periodically throughout the film, letters are read with a voice-over written by a soldier named "Babe."  Every letter was dated and treasured by the family members who received them.   Most every day I check my e-mail.  Often I'm like Ralphie in "The Christmas Story," who looks into the mailbox every day for his Little Orphan Annie decoder ring only to find an empty mailbox.  But some days I open my e-mail inbox and read a message which refreshes...

While watching TV this weekend during a football game, I saw a promo for the Super Bowl halftime show that will feature "The Who."  The commercial had clips of the band performing with guitarist Pete Townshend sliding on his knees.  Then the band is shown smashing their equipment on stage:  the drums were torn apart, and the neck of the guitar was shoved into an amp speaker.  I can only describe their actions as the overall destruction of their expensive, quality equipment they just used to play songs that made them a famous household name.  Ironic, I thought.  To buy quality gear and then destroy it just doesn't make much sense, even if the fans do eat it up. Watching the band tear everything apart reminded me of other rock groups I've seen do the same.  Jimi Hendrix squirted fuel on his guitar and set it on fire, and Marilyn Manson trashed the stage using a mic stand as a club.  I don't know what drives a person to break perfectly good things...

Culture is an interesting dynamic that affects the way we see the world and interact with others.  Depending on ethnicity, family heritage, tradition, and religious beliefs, culture has an infinite amount of variables.  The same can be said about a particular fellowship, what people would commonly call "church."  All the born-again Christians in the world make up the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head.  For example, there are many Baptist churches in the United States and they all have distinct cultures which have been cultivated over the years.  One church is highly involved in foreign missions while another church participates in "Adopt-a-Block" every Saturday.  Many fellowships have a liturgical style of worship with organ and hymns only, and others have a more contemporary feel with electric guitar, bass, and drums.  Some pastors preach in robes while others wear a shirt and tie.  It is likely that whatever "church" you regularly attend, ...

Tonight we did something new as a family.  A little background:  while I was working at church, it was evident ministry has the potential to siphon away quality time that should be spent with my wife and kids.  There were times when I would be in the church building at least 6 days a week, hosting high school events and studies, meet with kids for discipleship on my off-day, and on and on the list would go.  After about six months of seeing our family time dwindle down to nothing, we decided to create "Family Night," a night we would guard for quality family time.  We might watch a movie, play board games, work a puzzle, I would read a book out loud, or bake a special treat.  It was a huge success, and it was not long before the kids were looking forward to the next Family Night.  Monday is our typical Family Night and it is not uncommon for Tuesday to also be Family Night because, as Abel sometimes claims, "Last night didn't seem like a real Family Ni...

There is a hymn which goes, " Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings see what God hath done !"  This song gets it right.  The blessings are not the end in themselves, but the gracious outflow of a loving Father and merciful Savior.  Sometimes we look at blessings as "overtly beneficial things that make my life comfortable" because we are naturally self-centered.  Blessing can be disguised with trial, failure, and loss.  Often we do not realize how blessed we are until we lose what we have. I am a big Charger fan and yesterday the Chargers lost a playoff game in terrible fashion.  It's one thing to be whipped by solid play, but it is another thing entirely to give the game away through mistakes, penalties, sloppy play, and bad fundamentals.  Laura and I were talking about sports and how a loss by a team can affect people's attitudes and outlooks.  Movies, music, and sports among other things have the capacity...

During my reading the other day, a verse caught my attention.  At the beginning of Christ's ministry, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After responding to each temptation with the truth of scripture, Luke 4:13 says, " Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time ."  The word "opportune" stood out to me.  The definition of this word in Hebrew is " an occasion, i.e. set or proper time, opportunity, (convenient, due) season ."  While Jesus walked the earth, He was in all points tempted and remained without sin.  But the devil did not stay away.  He would be back for another go because he is persistent as he is wicked. Ephesians 4:27 says Christians must not give place to the devil.  The word translated "place" in Greek means, " spot, location, occasion, or opportunity ."  I guarantee Jesus did not give any place to Satan, yet He was tempted by h...

When I arrived on the jobsite this morning, I was surprised to see a co-worker pull up.  I had been working by myself for a week so it was wonderful to have some help.  Over the New Year's holiday the apprentice who had been working with me (commonly called a "helper") broke his collarbone in two places and made wrapping duct for him out of the question for six weeks.  While I worked I wondered if I always rightly appreciate the help God provides through the Holy Spirit.  If having a co-worker on the job fills me with gratitude, how much more thankfulness should I cultivate in my soul for the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence within me! Our natural view of "help" is strictly selfish.  When a person is lost he screams "Help!" because he desires to find his way or be found.  When a child is caught in a rip current she might cry for help to attract attention to be rescued.  Receiving help from someone carries the idea that others are supposed to as...

I've been staying busy working these days and this week has been a blur.  Someone said that " Time flies when you're having fun ."  I've been having fun, but I've also been very busy.  I've Monday through Thursday I worked at a the New Willow Elementary school and today I worked at a new housing development at UCSD.  I will be working with a crew on Saturday as well, trying to catch up with the plumbers and pipe fitters.  We are insulating the heating hot water supply and return, condensate, and domestic hot water.  Hopefully us insulators will have the job to ourselves. Wednesday night during the communion service I was absolutely blessed by a vivid night of fellowship with my Savior and brothers and sisters in Christ.  I was struck with the horror of the cross:  not only is crucifixion brutal in itself, but to consider that the King of Kings hung upon a cross adorned with wounds for which I am personally responsible, crowned with thorns which ...

A lot has changed since the time of Christ.  One of the primary differences from 2,000 years ago is the abundance of silence.  Today we are bombarded with the constant sound of cars, planes, lawnmowers, machinery, TV, music, iPods, appliances, etc.  In centuries past the most common sounds in a village would be animals, people talking, and maybe the wind in the trees - if you were around trees, that is.  Though the mind can be difficult to "quiet," quiet used to be much more plentiful.  We have been trained to be uncomfortable and awkward with quiet.  If we are driving and there is a pause in the conversation for longer than 20 seconds, we'll turn on the radio.  When a "moment of silence" is requested at a major sporting event, there are always a bunch of knuckleheads who believe that is the moment to yell something idiotic.  Silence?  We just don't do silence these days. Remember when Elijah fled from Jezebel fearing for his life?  H...

"Status quo" is defined as " the existing state of affairs at a particular time ."  There is no one more revolutionary than Jesus Christ.  Revolutionaries are only seen as rebels by those who benefit from the status quo.  God had given the Jews His law so man might know the character, nature, and righteous statutes of his Creator.  But man became enamored with the law itself and the feeble attempt to keep it.  The focus became the effort of man, not the glory of God.  Suddenly there were religious experts who were trained to interpret this law and feverishly police and punish anyone who transgressed.  Profiteers saw and seized opportunities for monetary benefits for themselves and the organization, not to mention status and position among leaders of the community. Jesus came on the scene and said, " You have heard it said...but I say unto you... "  Instead of quoting ancient rabbis or deferring to the status quo position, Jesus turned everything...

As I look forward to 2010 I wonder if it will hold as many twists and turns that 2009 proved to have.  The last year saw me resign from a full-time ministry position to spend 60 days in Australia separated from my family.  But it wasn't terrible because God was with me the whole time.  He provided a job in my trade a day after my return from Australia that is enabling me to work towards the ultimate goal of immigrating to Australia. I just watched a bit of "Patton" this evening, the outspoken, gregarious, opinionated, and amazing four-star general who saw action in both World Wars.  There was a line that caught my attention as he described what he felt was his destiny:  " I've always felt that I was destined for some great achievement, what I don't know ."  I feel I've spent a lot of time "not knowing" this last year.  I didn't know where I'd be going in Australia, where I'd be staying, who I'd be staying with, where I...