My Resolve

I'd like to eat less...and love more.
I'd like to not be as angry...and be more encouraging.
I'd like to not be so busy...and spend more time helping my son put together legos.
I'd like to not be as critical...and serve my wife more without having to let her know about it.
I'd like to not be so petty...and enjoy slow time with good friends.
I'd like to not be the same...I will be different.

More of Him...less of me in 2008!

Christmas Morning

Only 30 minutes of set-up and one small spat with my wife later and the boys are playing their Wii. It is a lot of fun. We will all enjoy it! What else conveys the true spirit of Christmas than playing with electronics all day on Christmas?

The snow outside really is beautiful (and I really hate snow!). I really enjoy being together with family on days like these. Christ's birth didn't just bring peace but he has also brought so many blessings into my life (and yours too). I am glad to be alive today. I am glad I have my sons and my wife with me.

I am thankful for all of my friends. I am so excited about 2008. There is so much more of God's goodness to explore while we are still here on earth. I want to experience every last bit of it!

Blessings of Christmas to you and a wonderful new year ahead!

Merry Christmas!

Seeing Clearly

Seeing clearly is critical. The other day as I was driving along, the ice and snow was slushy in the streets and that is when I found out that my washer fluid was empty. I made an executive decision that I would keep heading toward my destination without stopping to buy more washer fluid. Bad choice.

As I kept driving my windshield kept getting worse. I would use the wipers every once in a while hoping that the moisture would clean off with a swipe of the wiper blade...no luck. It only smeared it on thicker.

It got so bad, in a short amount of time, that I had to pull off at the nearest gas station and buy a gallon of fluid. Then I had to wait in the parking lot a few extra minutes as the smudge was cleared away with the new fluid and my wipers beat furiously over my windshield.

That is life, friend. You cannot move forward without a clear vision for where you are headed. At least that is what the Scriptures say.

Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (KJV)

It can kill a person to drive with the windshield unclear. In fact, there was a recent case here in Des Moines where a young man left his home early one morning and wanting to save time, he didn't take the time to scrape the ice off his windshield, he ended up hitting a 13 year old girl on her way to school. Thankfully, she wasn't killed, but she ended up with broken legs and ribs.

All because one person, in a hurry, thought that he could get to where he was going without seeing clearly. A lesson for us all.

You can not get to where God is wanting to take you in life without clearly having His vision for your life before you. A church cannot become the church God is calling it to be without a clear picture of where it is He is wanting them to go.

In 2008, we find our clarity. You need to fill up your tanks with the fluid of His Word (Ephesians 5:18) and you need to do what it is He is asking you to do. We have aspired as a congregation to INFLUENCE lost people for the sake of Jesus Christ and to CONNECT with other believers in Christ within our church (more than a casual Sunday morning hello) and to DEVOTE ourselves to becoming more like the image of His Son by studying His written Word and finally to HELP wherever we see a need that we know we can fulfill because our gifts from God are for that very purpose!

We make these more than words in a newsletter in 2008, we make them reality! We WILL be the church God is calling us to be. It starts with you.

Christmas Video Production

Here is our latest video production for the Christmas Season...Merry Christmas!

A Father to a little boy

I saw a picture of myself today. I wasn't thumbing through an old photo album or anything. I didn't physically see it. I saw it in my mind. I saw it in the way my son acts. I saw it in my own feelings.

The picture I see is not of a grown man full of confidence and courage. The picture is of an insecure little curly headed boy. A boy who desperately wanted affirmation.

That same boy...the one I see in my mind...he haunts me daily. Like I said, I see him in my sons actions from time to time. And then I want to run and affirm him so that he doesn't harbor any long-term feelings about himself.

But I also see that little boy at times when I am alone with my thoughts. And he scares me. That little boy, I think, needs something from me that I am not quite sure I know how to give it to him.

I want to be the best dad I can be and I want to be the best man I can be. Sometimes I am not sure I can do both at the same time.

I still have stuff that I wish I'd have dealt with when I was younger instead of carrying it along with me into adulthood. So now there are times when that picture of that little curly headed, insecure boy weighs so heavy on my heart in such a way that I feel like I am reliving those times in my childhood when I just wanted to crawl away and hide.

But grown men can't do that (I wouldn't look good crawling anyway). I keep affirming myself recently with the things I learned a few years back from Christ-Life Solutions...that who I am as a person isn't what others say about me...it isn't what I say about me, for that matter, either...but who I am is who God says I am. Period.

I am His child. I am His curly headed, insecure child.

I am the Dad to my boys now. But sometimes...in harder, quieter moments...I live with a deep regret that I never had a Dad. I was robbed of that.

So my heavenly Father has to pour out a little extra Fatherliness my way from time to time. Now is one of those times I need Him.

Boy like me/Man like You

Rich Mullins was a Christian musician who was tragically killed in a car accident a number of years ago. He wrote a song that I believe really had a great Christmas message to it. The song is called "Boy like me/Man like You". As we get ready for the upcoming Christmas season where we celebrate and remember the birth of our Lord Jesus, ponder the words of this great song by Rich Mullins...

You was a baby like I was once
You was cryin' in the early mornin'
You was born in a stable Lord
Reid Memorial is where I was born
They wrapped You in swaddling clothes
Me they dressed in baby blue

I was twelve years old in the meeting house
Listening to the old men pray
And I was tryin' hard to figure out
What it was that they was tryin' to say
There You were in the temple
They said You weren't old enough
To know the things You knew

Well, did You grow up hungry?
Did You grow up fast?
Did the little girls giggle when You walked past?
Did You wonder what it was
That made them laugh?

CHORUS
Did they tell You stories
'bout the saints of old?
Stories about their faith?
They say stories like that make a boy grow bold
Stories like that make a man walk straight

You was a boy like I was once
But was You a boy like me
Well, I grew up around Indiana
You grew up around Galilee
And if I ever really do grow up
Lord I want to grow up and be just like You

Did You wrestle with a dog and lick his nose?
Did You play beneath the spray
Of a water hose?
Did You ever make angels in the winter snow?

Did You ever get scared
Playing hide and seek?
Did You try not to cry
When You scraped Your knee?
Did You ever skip a rock across a quiet creek?

And I really may just grow up
And be like You someday

New Birth

This past Tuesday evening I was privileged with an experience that I have never had. I was able to baptize a gentleman who was born in 1917. That's right. He is 90 years old!

But he had been sprinkled as an infant and had been in a small group that had been studying material that covered Scriptural baptism. And during that small group study he had come to the conclusion that he needed to follow through with it himself.

The Bible does not support the idea of an unimmersed follower of Christ. And that thought compelled him to "cross the bridge" and be baptized.

I was really proud of his decision because there are more reasons to not do something like that than there are to do it. And yet, the reasons to be baptized may not be as many as the reasons not to be but they are certainly more significant.

And he did it. He did not let his age stop him. He did not let his health stop him either. I was very honored to participate in such a special night for this very nice man.

So, you don't know his name, you don't need to. But you do know how old he is. So remember him in your prayers. Say a prayer for a 90 year old babe in Christ.

Colors

I love fall. I love the colors on the trees. I love the coolness in the air. I love the fact that the leaves just blow everywhere. (I don't even mind cleaning the leaves out of my yard on a nice fall day!)

It really is a beautiful time of year. And it is amazing to me that the earth can be such a beautiful place. Iowa is a beautiful place. So is all of the earth.

Even with the fact that this planet has been forever marred by sin. Even understanding that everything is in this process of death and decay because of Adam's sin. Even though there are wars that rape and pillage the land. Even though some cities pollute the air and and seas. Even though our ozone layer has been apparently depleted...earth is still amazingly beautiful.

Psalm 57 says that God's glory is "over all the earth." The whole world and the heavens above still proclaim the awesomeness of God...even in it's fallen state.

And that gives me hope to know that even me, a sinner, someone who has been scarred and beaten up by my own selfish sinfulness...even I can be a beautiful thing for all to see God's glory through.

Even more amazing than the blazing colors of fall, God can use me, a broken, sinful man to display His wondrous works in a way that far out does any dapper Maple on a Fall day.

The Psalmist wrote:

You made him (man) a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:5-9, NIV)

We, in our smallness, have been elevated by God to be used as a billboard to let everyone see how great our God really is. My favorite song we sing at church is "How Great Is Our God." He really is!

Vacation Slideshow

Here is a vacation slideshow of the most relaxing and best vacation I think I have ever had. Hope you enjoy!


Online Videos by Veoh.com

A Drive Home One Day

My sinful attitude and nature still amazes me. I don't know why, I've lived with it all my life and have been cognitively aware of it for many years now. But still, I am a sinner. And that was made very clear to me on my most recent drive home.

It began with the lady that pulled out in front of me on her cell phone. It really isn't a giant thing, but I can't effectively communicate to you how steamed I got at that simple driving incident. In my anger I wished many driving perils upon her and all her future generations. And then it hit me, I'm sinning. I am angry (not a sin) and wishing terrible things for this lady who may have been talking to the Dr. from the ICU telling her that she needs to rush in because there wasn't much time for her loved one.

But because she was a lady that cut me off and because she was on a cell phone, in an instant of anger I realized that I am a sexist jerk who has no idea what it is like to put himself in someone else's shoes.

And then, not too much farther down the road in my quick drive home I noticed someone walking on the side of the road. She too was a lady. A very pretty lady. A very pretty lady wearing a very tight shirt and very short shorts. I think I took three long looks at her as I passed her by and then one more for good luck in the rear view mirror as I was farther down the road.

And then it hit me, I'm sinning. I wasn't undressing this gal in my mind I want you to understand that. But I was lingering on her shapes and curves enough for me to understand that I had forgotten something. Here's what I forgot in my moment of "window shopping"...I forgot about the beauty of my own wife AND I forgot that the lady I was looking at was also someone else's daughter or someone else's mother or someone else's grandchild.

She is not a piece of meat for me to admire, she is a child of God, someone for whom Jesus came and died on the cross for. And I forgot that in that 30 seconds that this incident took.

And then a little farther down the road, just before I got home, I was slowed down by an elderly woman who could barely see over her steering wheel. And again anger slowly started to rise up in me as I drove. I think I thought something like this, "I can't believe that she is allowed to even be driving! Somebody needs to take her license away."

Now she hadn't done anything particularly wrong. She wasn't driving erratically. She wasn't even really going slow, honestly...she was just driving the speed limit. Her great trespass against me - she slowed me down. I was speeding, she was abiding by the law. And to top it off, she was elderly.

And then it hit me, I was sinning again. This older woman made me (by the fact that I was behind her) slow my life down (and I didn't like it). I realized that I sin all the time. I speed too much. But that is just a small part of a bigger picture, I speed with my life too. I am always on hyper drive it seems. I don't slow down enough and I miss a lot of life as a result.

This older woman's other crime was that she was old. I realized in this small span of time that I am a bigot. I don't like older people. I realized in those few moments that I drove behind her that I have had some pretty negative run-ins with elderly people that have soured me just enough to lump most of them into the same boat. And that is wrong.

Wow! What a drive home. What a wretched worm of a sinner I am that I can't even drive less than 10 miles to my home without falling into sin within the confines of my car. (Just imagine what I am capable of when I am not driving!)

In that short drive home I was made to realize that I am still in need of my Savior. I am still in need of Jesus' saving grace. I am not that far progressed beyond when Jesus first saved me 24 years ago.

Everything else in my life I do at a fast pace, but when it comes to growing and maturing for the Lord I move at the slowest of snail's paces. I am a very, very slow learner in these things.

Each and every day I need to do what Paul commands for us in Romans 12:1-2..."Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)

I need to climb back up on the altar again and burn up all my sinful self and dedicate the rest of my ash-ridden self to God's purposes.

New Video Used in Sermon

This short little video we shot on a whim last week as a last minute addition to an illustration for last Sunday's sermon (http://www.godsfort.org/resources/sermons/audio/bridge3.mp3). The version we show at church during service does not include the credits at the end. We put the credits in on Youtube to give credit where credit is due. Here's the video...

THE DAY

At the time of me writing this, I have 11 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes and 42 seconds before we leave for Disney World. I am so excited I can barely wait. I am so ready to check out of here and not think about church stuff, sermons, strategies or structure the whole time I'm gone.

I'm not taking my laptop or my pocket pc because I am not going to check my e-mail while I am gone. I am going to be completely disconnected. And I can't wait.

But my wife keeps telling me, don't wish your life away. We have living to do before the vacation comes. She's right. I know she is. But man it is hard to do when you're excited about something.

On the other end of the spectrum, last night I visited with a woman whose husband I buried this past Friday. Her daughter called me on Monday and set up the appointment. She said her mom has been inconsolable and she wanted to know if I could come and visit with her mom.

So last night I sat there as she told me how grueling each and every moment is. How every TV show is horrible, every movie because those are all things that she used to do with him and now she can't share the experience with anyone.

And this poor widow who was hurting so much wanted very much for God to take her as well because it is so hard to face each day alone.

And I want a section of my life to go quicker because I want to go to Disney! What shame.

There is a period, future-oriented that I can long for. I am allowed to do it. It is THE DAY. The day that we get to go to heaven and be with the Lord. The Scriptures say, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere." (Psalm 84:10)

I am not a universalist. I don't believe we're all going to heaven when we die, but I sincerely hope that those people, like the dear one I was with last night will one day know the Lord.

Because to grieve and not have hope is excruciating. I had no comfort to give. I had a few words to offer. A prayer and a hug. But nothing beyond that. She was in the midst of pure, unbridled grief. And that big black bag of sorrows is hard to bear.

I need to not wish my life away like my wife says...but I do long for a day when this is all over. When the people that I minister to won't have unbearable grief anymore. I long for THE DAY. I hope that day comes soon (maybe even before I pay off my house - that would be great!)

Floppy Hats and Noisy Turtles

Something horrible happened today. Something that stopped me in my tracks. And if I was totally honest with you, almost brought me to tears (and that takes a lot).

My external hard drive crashed. And it really is hard to communicate to you how much work and how many hours and how much expended energy is represented by that fact. I even lost this coming Sunday's sermon. (Something that almost made me cuss!)

This seemingly small thing, affected me in a tremendous way today. My spirits were darker than they have been for a long time. We had a prior commitment as a family to go to a Bible study earlier this evening over to the home of some very good friends of ours.

I most sincerely did NOT want to go. I was in no mood for it. But I went. And I am glad that I did. Because the time there was not what I thought it would be. You see, I thought I would just be there thinking the whole time about my computer issues and how to overcome them.

But it wasn't like that. I enjoyed my time. I slowed down. It was a little like an oasis. It was retreat-like. More than usual.

Something interesting happened before we got there that set the stage for that to be able to happen to me I believe. We were running late, and right as we were getting ready to go my wife told me that we needed to stop at the grocery store to get some ice cream to add to her homemade black bottom banana bars.

Now, logic would tell me that the pan of banana bars is more than sufficient to fulfill the desert role, but logic has never won an argument for me yet. So we went to the grocery store.

As I sat stewing in my already stressed out state behind the wheel, my wife ran into the store to get the ice cream. And then I noticed a lady coming out.

She was wearing a denim floppy hat. And as she walked closer in front of my vehicle, I saw the reason for the hat. She had no hair. None. I surmised it was because of recent chemo therapy treatments she was undergoing. She also looked skinny and pale. She was an older lady. But there was something in the way she walked.

And then it hit me like a half gallon of ice cream upside the head. I knew why my hard drive broke down in one of my more intensely busy ministry weeks of this year. I knew why my wife hadn't gotten ice cream earlier in the day ( I would have even settled for earlier that hour). You see, had those things not happened then I would not have been able to catch the lesson.

As that dear child of God walked in front of my vehicle, God whispered to me that my "problems" aren't really problems at all. I am upset over all the wrong things.

And then here's the other interesting tid bit, as I write this, late in the evening, trying to get ready for a funeral service the next morning, my turtle has decided to begin to climb and clamor and make all sorts of ruckus. This wouldn't be a big problem except for the fact that his nighttime accommodations are a 20 gallon long aquarium located next to my computer desk.

And so I was getting frustrated that as I was getting to my most important point about me being distracted and upset over all the wrong things, my noisy turtle was ruining my concentration!

I am a mere mortal man. With the attention span of a toddler and the will power of a wino and the spiritual fortitude of a twig...you'd think I have no business leading a congregation of people closer to God.

But what I do know is that when life throws out failed hard drives and noisy turtles God will have a tendency to have someone cross your path in a denim floppy hat to remind you that there is much more to life than the things we seem to focus on.

So here I am, Lord. I humbly ask you to shake me up. I invite you whole-heartedly to rock my world. And as you do those things, could you also bring my hard drive back to life and make my turtle be a little more quiet? If not, that's okay. I love how you show me your truths each day!

FREE

From SiMPLE CHURCH by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger...

One of the happiest days in the life of Jose Diaz was Sunday morning, August 7, 2005. It occurred at Christ Fellowship in Miami, Florida. For the first time Jose was able to worship sitting next to his father, Luis Diaz. Luis had been a believer for many years, but had never attended church with his son, Jose.

He couldn't. He was in prison, for twenty-six years.

On Sunday, August 7, 2005, they worshipped together. Luis Diaz was released four days earlier because DNA testing had proven his innocence. He had been wrongfully convicted. Because of the evidence, he was no longer considered the Bird Road rapist. You probably saw the story on the news. It made the national headlines.

The Bird Road rapist was on the prowl from 1977 to 1979. Many victims described him as an English-speaking Latin male, over six feel tall, and weighing approximately two hundred pounds. He sometimes took things from the victims.

After her attack, the first victim saw Luis Diaz at the gas station where she worked.

Four days earlier she provided police with a description: Latin male, six feet tall, about two hundred pounds, English-speaking, with a two-door green or black car. Luis Diaz drove into the gas station in his green four-door Chevrolet. The victim called the police with his license number, and she later identified him as her attacker from his driver license picture. Diaz weighed 134 pounds and was five feet three inches tall. He was married with three children. He spoke no English. at this time no charges were filed.

The attacks continued, and the public grew more and more concerned. The police focused on Diaz. Another victim made an identification of him from a photographic array. He was arrested in August 1979. Two days later fourteen victims viewed a live lineup. Five victims identified Diaz positively. Later several more victims identified Diaz from a video lineup. Prosecutors brought eight charges against him.

Luis Diaz insisted he was innocent and went to trial in May 1980. There was no physical evidence connecting Diaz to the crime. A search of Diaz's home produced no items taken from victims. No weapon was ever found. No semen or blood was found in Diaz's car, though four of the victims had been raped in the attacker's car. Most of the victims had described the attacker as taller and heavier.

Diaz, because of his job as a fry cook, reeked of onions after his night shift. None of the victims described an odor. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Diaz was found guilty and sentenced to multiple life sentences.

In 1993, two victims came forward and recanted their identifications of Diaz. Jose, his son, began researching DNA testing and how it was used to overturn wrongful convictions. He knew his father was innocent. He wrote letters and partnered with groups such as the Innocence Project to produce a motion for DNA testing. DNA tests from two of the victims proved the same person raped them. It was not Diaz.

All charges were dropped, and Diaz was freed after twenty-six years.

Like Jose Diaz, we are called to free prisoners. Not from physical jail cells but from spiritual ones. We are called to offer freedom to those who are imprisoned by sin.

In Luke 4:18 Jesus said...He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners... (NIV)

Loving even when it's hard

Her name was Sheila. She started coming to our church and just quietly attended and left services for a number of months. We came to find out we were neighbors. Sheila never really graduated from a silent Sunday-only relationship with our church. But our family relationship grew a bit with her.

My boys mowed her lawn for her. And a lot of small talk was held on either of our front porches. But Sheila got sick. She got really sick. We continued to keep up the lawn, but now it was for free. When she went into the hospital, we made sure the house was okay and her trash would get out on trash day and her mail wouldn't pile up.

I remember going to visit her on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas day in the hospital. She was pretty depressed those days, but she smiled when I brought the boys in to see her.

Sheila's health continued to deteriorate. She became weaker and more frail. Her stays in the hospital would grow longer at each interval. When she would be home for a while, my wife, on more than a few occasions took her over chicken soup (or some similar dish) to cheer her up.

Then she got really bad. It became apparent that she wasn't coming home from the hospital. One of the numerous visits I had up there I met her sister. On one particular visit, her sister asked me to step out of her room where she proceeded to dress me down in the hallway for not having done more for her as a pastor.

In my own defense, I began to enumerate some of the things I had shared here earlier. But she only told me I should have done more. Then she began to tell me how the church should have done more (even though 90% of the church would never have even known who Sheila was due to her incognito attendance patterns).

I left Sheila's hospital room that night hurt and angry. Sheila died a couple days later. In anger and spite (I presume), Sheila's sister hired another pastor to perform the funeral (who at the graveside forgot her name). The whole ordeal stung me to my core.

But my wife was a great support and encouragement through the whole deal. A little later that year, the week of Christmas, there was a knock at my front door. It was cold and had recently snowed.

When I opened the front door, there was Sheila's sister. I was more than taken back, but composed myself quickly enough to invite her to step in out of the cold. She did.

When she came in I noticed tears on her cheeks. She told me in a shaky voice, "Mike, I wronged you. And I need you to forgive me for how I treated you when Sheila died."

Her words were like warm apple pie. I told her, "There's no need. I forgave you when it happened. I can't imagine how much hurt was in your heart when you lost your sister."

Those words seemed to release a flood of tears for her and then she embraced me there on my front porch. After a good hug and cry, Sheila's sister pulled out some homemade chocolate chip cookies she had in a zip lock bag she had put in the pocket of her parka. I humbly accepted (inwardly, that was almost as exciting as the whole forgiveness thing!)

Now Sheila's sister still comes over. She hasn't sold her sister's home yet, but is hoping to soon. We talk when she comes. And things are good.

Proverbs 17:17a "A friend loves at all times..."

Friends

In life we are given very few, what I would consider, "close" friends. We all have friends...at least, for the most part. People that we enjoy the company of and people that we occasionally like to just hang out with.

But from time to time, we come across a certain kind of relationship in the friendship realm that really is special. I have been blessed sincerely to have a few myself.

I have four guys that I can easily say I think I would do just about anything for any one of these guys. Steve, Kyle, Dave and Corey.

I was just kind of thinking about my friendships today. And realizing that I really am a very blessed man.

I really do thank God for these kinds of friendships. I hope you have close friends like this too.

Now I have a couple woman friends...but there really isn't a comparison. My wife is my closest friend and Miss Margaret is another dear friend.

But I really appreciate God sending some other guys into my life to help me walk my walk and talk my talk.

I probably don't tell them enough how much I appreciate them, but I know I get far more out of the friendship than they get from me. So thanks guys! Thanks for your friendship!

The Bridge (Finished Product)

Okay, here it is. I am very excited about this. We worked very hard. I would especially like to thank my youth pastor for all his hard work at putting flesh to the skeleton of my vision for this. What do you think?

The Bridge Video Shoot

We shot our latest video today. We will be posting it up on Youtube soon and embedding it on our main site at Godsfort.org. I am very jazzed about this because we are also mailing out over 5,000 postcards in the neighborhood where my church is located. The mailing will be directing people to our website where we will have the newest video on the main site.

This video is the promo for the upcoming sermon series I will be preaching in September entitled "The Bridge." The Bridge series has a simple premise...God bridged the gap between fallen man and himself by sending His Son Jesus to die for us.

Another cool feature will be that each week at the church we will be constructing an actual bridge in the auditorium as the series progresses so that by the last week the bridge will be complete. And then the invitation will be given for people to walk across the Bridge into a right relationship with God.

I will embed the video here a little later this week when we get it done. We still have one more pick up shot to get tomorrow evening and then editing. But I promise you won't be let down. It will be our best video yet.

Betty Reno's Two Moons

She was one of the most interesting ladies I had ever met. She had a strong personality and was always just a little "off", if you know what I mean. I was fresh out of Bible college, which means, of course, that I knew everything. That is, until I met Betty Reno. She helped me learn several things about life.

I remember one particularly beautiful night getting a phone call around midnight from Betty. She was frantic and scared. She told me, "I know He's coming back. I just know it!"

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and asked her what she was talking about. She said, "I see two moons! There are two moons! Jesus is coming back!"

I again asked her, "What are you talking about, Betty?!"

She told me to look outside. I did. One moon...it was a particularly beautiful clear evening. I told her plainly, "Betty, I only see one moon."

She insisted, "I can see them as plain as day! There are two moons in the sky. Jesus is coming back!"

I told her, "Betty, do me a favor, go look out of another window at the moon." She did.

She said, "Well I only see one moon out of this window."

I said, "Betty, I think you are seeing a reflection through your other window. Good night."

That was what it was like dealing with Betty Reno. Just a little off but definitely someone that kept me on my toes because I never knew quite what to expect. She didn't fit any mold. There was only one Betty Reno.

On another occasion as her health was failing, she unfortunately had to have a colostomy bag because of her failing colon. I went to see her the day after the long surgery. After only being in the room with her for a couple of minutes, Betty pulled up her hospital gown to show me her new bag that they had put on her.

I was completely unprepared to see Betty in all her post-surgery and completely nude glory. Being that she was almost 83 at the time, I can honestly say that this is something not one of my Bible College Professors prepared me for.

What do you say to an 83 year old nude woman with a colostomy bag? That should have come up somewhere between Interdisciplinary Studies 101 and Homiletics. But no. I didn't get that part of the course.

So I said what I guess your supposed to say in that circumstance, "Nice bag."

A little later, less than six months, actually, I buried Betty Reno up on the hill from the church building in Putnam where I ministered at the time. I remember the evening of her visitation how I noticed one of our lights went out in the sanctuary. So I waited until everyone left the church and then pulled out the ladder to change the bulb.

As I was on top of the ladder I swear I heard a noise come from Betty's casket. I got off of that ladder quicker than it took me to climb up it and made an executive decision that the light changing could wait until daylight the next morning.

I didn't want Betty giving me one final lesson from that coffin that evening. So I went home. The funeral went off just fine. Early that next morning I got the light bulb changed before anyone get there.

But I will never forget Betty Reno. Definitely one of a kind!

Holiness and GPS Devices...

I was thinking about something the other day as I passed by a cornfield. I thought about how a farmer can plow his field, plant seed in that field and fertilize and cultivate...but when it is all said and done, that same farmer is completely dependent on forces outside of himself. That farmer cannot make a corn seed germinate. He can't produce rain or sunshine.

For that farmer to be able to make harvest, he depends on certain things that only God can give. But the farmer knows that unless he diligently pursues his responsibilities to plow, plant, fertilize and cultivate, there will be no harvest at the end of the season. In a weird sense, the farmer and God are partners. The farmer cannot benefit anything if he has not followed through with his responsibilities.

Farming is a joint venture between God and the farmer. The farmer cannot do what God must do, and God will not do what the farmer should do.

And for me to be holy or righteous it is equally a joint venture between me and God. No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his or her life, but just as surely no one will attain it without effort on his own part. God has made it possible for us to be a holy people, to walk in holiness...and he has given to us the responsibility of doing the walking. He does not do that for us.

I bought a GPS device not too long ago for my vehicle. It is extremely cool. It gives me turn by turn directions in a comforting feminine voice (I named mine "Elayne"...that's my wife's middle name).

One of the other features of the new gadget is that it also alerts me when I am speeding. It will give two loud beeps when I have exceeded the speed limit. But it won't constantly beep...the indicator will stay red until I have gone back under the speed limit.

That has been pretty eye-opening, frankly. I speed a lot. I never realized how much I speed. Now I have this device that serves as a gentle reminder in my life to obey the law.

We all need that from time to time. That is what the Holy Spirit's role is in the life of the Christian. He is there to gently remind us and convict us of sin in our life. He will not harass...just like "Elayne's" two beeps. The Holy Spirit will not force you to do good and be holy, He will only remind you of God's call on your life.

I can ignore "Elayne" though. I can just turn up my radio and not even hear the beeping and speed to my heart's content. Some people do that with their lives. They live in such a way that they can't even hear God speaking to them. In fact, some people are just the opposite they buy fuzz busters or radar detectors so that they can intentionally speed and not get caught doing it.

"Elayne's" purpose is a lot like the Holy Spirit's role in making me a holy person. There isn't a heavy hand being imposed on me forcing me to live a certain way...it is a subtle and gentle reminder that I am expected to abide by the law.

How have you been living lately? With a fuzz buster or with a GPS?

Politics…you gotta love it!

The following was from another blog I read periodically...

What's in your wallet?

What's a paltry one million dollars to a member of Congress?

Well, apparently not enough to know if an organization about to receive that big block of cash actually exists.

Republican Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona, the fiscal crusader who's never met an earmark he likes, questioned Democratic Rep. Peter J. Visclosky of Indiana on the House floor Tuesday about whether the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure actually exists - since, hey, it's getting like a million bucks or something.

Visclosky, who chairs the spending subcommittee responsible for the project, had to admit that, well, he didn't have a clue.

After a lengthy back-and-forth, Flake, complaining that his staff couldn't find a website for the center, asked Visclosky, "Does the center currently exist?"

"At this time, I do not know," the Indiana Democrat replied. "But if it does not exist, the monies could not go to it."

And who could possibly be the sponsor of such an earmark? Yes, you guessed it, the man Republicans love to hate, Pennsylvania Democrat John P. Murtha.

Despite the money's uncertain destination, the House rejected Flake's measure to strike the funds, 326-98. And the Visclosky bill also sailed through, 312-112.

As I said, what's one million dollars to a member of Congress?

UPDATE: I failed to report last night that a certificate filed with the requested funds says the money is actually earmarked to Concurrent Technologies Corporation, a nonprofit technological consulting firm. A brief search of campaign finance records shows CTC President and CEO Daniel R. DeVos, of alternately Central City and Johnstown, Pa. has contributed $7,000 to Murtha's reelection campaign since April 2002.

There Really Is Only One Way

You've probably heard people say through the years that there may be surface level distinctions between various world religions but if you strip them down to their essentials, all religions fundamentally teach the same thing and so it doesn't matter which one you follow.

In other words, all spiritual paths lead up the same mountain. Because all religions basically teach the brotherhood and sisterhood of men and women and the universal fatherhood of god.

I will admit that there is some common ground that is shared by many of the world's religion's, especially when you look at the level of basic values and statements and beliefs about morality.

And that is a good starting point when we have a dialogue of respect between people who respect different faith systems. But at the same time there are significant differences between the world religions that cannot be ignored.

In fact, with this one outlandish assertion by Jesus (that He is the only way to heaven - John 14:6), Jesus put Christianity in a separate class by itself. Because if the path to God is through Jesus then Christianity cannot be reconciled with any other religion.

This uniqueness of Christianity is rooted in the uniqueness of Jesus himself. For instance, other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I will show you how to find the truth." But Jesus says, "I am the truth."

Other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I will show you the way to salvation." But Jesus says, "I am the way to eternal life."

Other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I will show you how you can become enlightened." But Jesus says, "I am the Light of the world."

Other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I will show you many doors that lead to God." But Jesus says, "I am the door."

For a long time people have tried to harmonize the various religions of the world but there are drastic and irreconcilable differences between Christianity and all other belief systems. Every other religion I have ever studied is based on people doing something through their struggling and through their striving to somehow earn good favor with God.

So they use a Tibetan Prayer Wheel or they have to go on pilgrimages or they have to give alms to the poor or they have to avoid eating certain foods or they have to perform a certain number of unspecified good deeds or they have to pray in a certain way or they have to go through a cycle of reincarnation or they have to pray over a beaded crucifix.

They are attempts by people to reach out to God. But Jesus Christ is God reaching out to us. Jesus taught the opposite of what those other faiths teach.

He said nobody can do anything to merit heaven and so you might as well stop trying. We are all guilty of wrongdoing.

That is consistent with human nature. We know that not a single person would claim to be perfect. Jesus also said that this wrongdoing separates us from God because our God is holy and perfect.

And when we accept his sacrifice on our behalf, we become reunited with God.

All other religions are spelled: DO. Because they teach that people must do a bunch of religious rituals to somehow work their way to God. But Christianity is spelled: DONE.

Because Jesus Christ has done what needed to be done on the cross. We just need to receive it.

R.C. Sproul said this, "Moses could mediate on the law, Mohamed could brandish a sword, Buddha could give personal counsel, Confucius could offer wise sayings, but none of these men were qualified to offer an atonement for the sins of the world."

Jesus alone is qualified. And you have to think through the question of various world religions on a purely logical level. Would it not be the height of irrationality for God to go to one side of the word and to whisper into the ears of people: "This is who I am, this is what I am like, this is what is necessary for you to become reconciled with me."

And then for God to go to another part of the world and say to another group of people: "I know I told them this, but actually I am very different from what I told them."

That would make no sense and be utterly illogical. God would have to be schizophrenic in order to tell people contradictory ways to reach him.

So it does matter what "path" you follow in your spiritual journey. The only thing that is true about all religions leading to the same place is that all of them but following Jesus Christ will lead you straight to hell. Jesus Christ really is the only way to God!

I don't get it...Yo no lo consigo.

We are a couple of days out from July 4th and I was struck with a thought today. I was in a store parking lot and I saw a Mexican family get out of a vehicle that had a Mexican flag emblazoned on the back of the car. That just got me to thinking.

Why do they proudly display their flag in this country? I am not trying to be an antagonist or a racist with the question, it is truly something that stumps me.

They flee that country by the millions to get into this country. And then they actually have the gall to display their pride in that nation. That doesn't make sense to me.

If there was true Mexican pride, then Mexicans would stay in their country and make it a better place.

For me, it is like the alcoholic who beats his wife and then pleads with her later that he is sorry and that he really does love her. Here's a new thought...if you love your wife - don't beat her. AND, if you love your country, don't run from it.

The fact is, Mexico is a mess. I heard former congressman Bob McEwen speak about his son-in-law getting a new job at the border of Mexico and Texas right after he had graduated from college. On his first week, he had to cross the border for work into Mexico for business. On his way back into America, Mexican police stopped him and demanded $600.00 in cash. He was a newly graduated college kid on his first job. He didn't have any money.

They took his car for a little drive and then when they brought it back everything of value in the car had been stolen...his laptop, palm pilot, even the change in his change tray! Mexico is a corrupt, broken nation.

Mexican people are not bad...but the nation is a disgrace. I do not understand any display of the Mexican flag in this nation.

Now, an American flag flying down in Mexico. That I understand. That is something that can be done with pride. No matter where you are on this planet. But especially in Mexico. We are Mexico's only saving grace.

I think July 4th should become a national holiday for Mexico as well. They owe this country much, they most certainly have stolen from it much.

Don't misinterpret what I am saying. This isn't intended to be a segment to bash Mexicans. Mexican people aren't any different than American people. They are created children of God in need of a Savior. It is just Mexico that I have issues with.

I just can't understand flying a Mexican flag in this great nation.

Iowa Renewal Project

I am writing this blog post from my pocket pc in my hotel room via wi-fi (aaah, you gotta love tecnology). We were given the opportunity to come to this event sponsored by the Iowa Renewal Project (a group that is attempting to influence pastors with preaching the need to get involved politically). I listened to Bob McEwen deliver one of the most profound messages I have ever heard on our country's founding fathers. Then we heard Newt Gingrich speak on a similar topic (I got to meet him privately and shake his hand).

My wife's favorite part is that she got a new outfit. My boy's favorite part was swimming in the hotel pool. Mine was just getting a quick little get-away with my family!

For the families...

I went out on a tough ministry situation tonight. It involved alcohol, domestic violence and a lot of darkness. I took my youth minister along with me. Sometimes it is really hard to see how broken some families can become.

Lord, help the families of the church I serve in. Help them through their struggles. Become the center piece of their lives. Help them to know and see your love for them. Bind Satan from his incessant work in their lives as well. Keep him at bay.

Protect my own family, Lord. Keep my marriage strong and healthy. I am not a perfect husband, Lord, but I haven't fallen into the kind of darkness I saw tonight. Keep me from that. Help my sons to always see Jesus in me. Help them to know that who I am at church is exactly who I am at home. Help me to not be a hypocrite.

For the family we helped tonight. Help them to have peace in their home. Rest through the night. And help them to fight for their marriage. Help them to see that you have a dream for their marriage as well. Help them live for you, Lord.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Weekend at the 40

Well, this past weekend was a fun experience for me. I went down to southern Iowa (Lucas County) and had a camping excursion with my two sons and another guy from our church. We caught snakes, rode four wheelers and just had a fun time. Check out some of these photos...


Getting in the mud and just having a good time. Sometimes we all need to do that! I know I did. Check out these photos that I took that are a little more "pretty":



This was the original photo I took of these pretty daisies. But look at the same photo with a little touch-up in Photoshop:

Here's another set of pictures, with the original first:

Now for the touched-up version:

I really like taking photos of nature. I think if I weren't a pastor, that is probably what I would do for a living. When you take a good image and then add some easy filter effects with Photoshop, you can come up with some stunning photographs.

Once it's out, it can't go back in!

Last night my wife did something that I won't soon forget and hopefully my sons won't either. Tired of the recent rash of critical words and general bad attitudes coming out of their mouths (usually aimed at each other) she wanted to show them something that would hopefully graphically illustrate what she saw was the problem.

She went and got a tube of toothpaste and a paper plate and handed them to my oldest son. She then asked him to squeeze out all the paste onto the paper plate. At first, he just laughed thinking she was just being silly, but then when she told him again to do it in a firmer voice, he knew she was serious.

So he squeezed out all the toothpaste onto the paper plate into one big glob in the center of the plate. Then she took the squeezed tube and the pasted plate and handed it to my youngest son and asked him to put the paste back into the tube. He laughed nervously not knowing if she was really serious or not. She was.

So after only a moment's hesitation, he started trying to put the paste back into the squeezed out tube. It was a mess. And he soon discovered it was also impossible to do.

Then Shannon, my very wise wife, told the boys (me included) that when our words leave our mouth, they are impossible to take back. Putting your spoken words back in your mouth is as easy as putting toothpaste back in a tube you squeezed it out of.

So be mindful of your words that you speak to each other. They have great potential for ill or for good. Once it's out, it can't go back in!

Those Wacky Muslims

Sir Salman Rushdie celebrates his 60th birthday today in familiar circumstances: he is once again the subject of death threats across the Islamic world. You may remember him as the famous (or infamous depending on whether or not you are a Muslim) author of The Satanic Verses (1988) which is the tale of a prophet misled by the devil. Considered to be blasphemy all across the muslim world, this book has caused Rushdie more problems than good. Back when the book was released the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on all Muslims to kill him.

What did he do now? Well, he has been recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth, thus unearthing the old wounds again. And Muslims are protesting in the streets of London, even burning effigies of the Queen and burning British flags. Even more extreme, is one of the government leaders in Pakistan, the foreign affairs minister, said this yesterday, "If somebody has to attack by strapping bombs to his body to protect the honor of the Prophet then it is justified." He later backed off that statement. But he still made it nonetheless.

Question for God when I get to heaven: What is up with them? They are all crazy lunatics.

I guess you could say that they are impassioned about what they believe…but if that is what it means to be passionate then I want to be apathetic. The "One True Prophet" Jesus came to love and show us a much better way. Muslims are deceived by Satan and fascinated with death. That is the center-piece of their belief system. Bloodshed and violence.

They will go the same way. He who lives by the sword dies by it.

Atomic Power

Dallas Willard wrote something in his book, The Divine Conspiracy, that I haven't been able to shake. He said it almost in passing. He said that man has unlocked and discovered within the absolute smallness of an atom are all the energies of the sun. And we have harnessed that power.

Yet contained within the smallness of a human, lies completely unlocked the power of God. Yet we struggle with sin.

What a thought?!

A Lesson From Violet

I did a funeral today for a gal named Violet. I was told that she was a devout Christian who read her Bible almost every day. She was very active in her church (their church was without a pastor...that's why I was called in) and taught Sunday School and played the piano.

Her two sons helped me plan out the service. But the interesting thing to me was the fact that neither of these guys attends church now. I wonder why that is.

It may be that having a real faith is more than attendance at church or even being involved in a congregation...I think we can get involved and miss the main point.

My goal is that when I am laid into the earth and my sons stand at my graveside that they will say something like, "My dad inspired us to be closer to Jesus. He wasn't perfect but we want to have a faith in Jesus like he did."

If I can accomplish that, then I have accomplished my life's goal. Having people at my church be impressed with me doesn't count if my sons don't see it in my life. Being an influential member of a congregation (I'm told that Violet was) doesn't mean anything if I cannot leverage influence over my sons lives to live for Jesus.

It is most important that my family sees it in me rather than a church I attend being impressed with me.

My sons have to listen to me preach every week...but I want them to see the sermon I preach every day.

Comes in Three's

They say things happen in three's. I don't know if there's anything to that or not. But three cool things did happen to us today. We had kind of bartered some work with a friend that installs kitchen counter tops for a living. By barter, I mean that he got us a new counter top and installed it and I did some computer stuff for him. So he came today.

We also, of course had to have our kitchen sink taken out to do this, so we replaced the sink and bought all new fixtures for it. And our buddy, Nate came and did some fine plumbing work for us. He is in our small group. And just happens to be a very dear friend too.

And lastly, but maybe most importantly, we got our X-Box shipped back to us after it had broken down on us. And it came today while the counter top guy and the plumber were busy doing their thing.

So it came in three's. And that means, my boys were happy and Shannon was happy too!

A Demon Tale

I was visiting today with my youth pastor and we were talking about angels and demons and all that. And I relayed a story with him that I had forgotten about for some time.

My step-father, Steve Partin, (he is no longer my step-father but took on that role when I was 12 years old and held that until my mid twenties) is the one who actually shared this with me.

When he was young he grew up in a difficult environment. His father was an alcoholic prone to violence when he drank. His step-mother was more of a gentle-natured lady. But from time to time when his Steve's dad was drinking he would beat on his step-mom and Steve too (if he was in the vicinity).

So his home life wasn't good. Well, there were a couple of times where Steve told me about his step-mom was convinced that the home they lived in was haunted. She had seen and/or felt spirits that were "around" that place.

Their life at the time centered around caring for Brahma cattle and working the orange grove. So even though Steve was young, he was a fairly strong lad for his age. And that good old farm-style living was what that came from.

One particular night, Steve said he remembered laying in bed and hearing his dad getting louder and louder with his step-mom. Of course, he had been drinking and by the tone of his dad's voice he could tell that this was only going to have one inevitable conclusion.

So Steve, being a pretty strong young man, had already confronted his dad on a couple of separate occasions resulting in Steve keeping his step-mom from being hit, but Steve almost got killed in the process.

Listening, as he lay there, he was growing madder and madder at the situation. He decided in his heart he was going to stop his dad and not let him hit his step-mom. So he tried to get up.

But, and this is where the story gets strange, he felt as though he was being pinned down on his bed. He tried to get up but the feeling of being held down grew even stronger. He couldn't move no matter how hard he tried.

Then he felt a dead weight on his chest and he had to just sit there in the dark and cry as his father spun into a drunken rage and beat on his step-mom once again downstairs.

Way back when Steve originally told me this story, he was convinced it was the ghost who haunted that home that held him in his bed that night. I'm not so convinced.

I believe this happened to my step-dad, but I don't believe in ghosts. I believe that there was most certainly darkness in that home and that demonic forces literally were swimming with pleasure at all the dysfunction that took place there.

And the fact that Steve was going to stop his father that night means that those demons would not have been able to have all the fun that they ended up having as his dad beat his step-mom again. I believe they held him there. They stopped him.

I believe that demons can and do such things from time to time given the right circumstance...what do you think?

Our Hobby

Sinner Friendly

I have a buddy that preaches at another church in another state and he responded to our church's latest newsletter. In it, I included an article about the myths of being a purpose driven church. You can see the article here:

http://www.godsfort.org/resources/Newsletters/June2007.pdf

Well, he wanted me to see another view point about being a purpose driven church (of which I like to try to be). He said that being "seeker-friendly" would better be labeled being "sinner-friendly" in his mind. He think that the whole purpose driven mentality is making our church's too much like the world.

I responded and told him I considered it the highest compliment to be "sinner-friendly"...in fact, isn't that what they said about Jesus? I say, woe to the church that isn't "sinner-friendly!"

What else are we supposed to be about? Do we just lock ourselves in our pretty little buildings and admire our stain-glassed windows and say, "Glory to God!" No.

Just like I said last week in my sermon, I think our church's new slogan should be, "Hell...no!" Literally not one more person go to hell.

As Spurgeon said, "If they must go to hell, then let them go with my arms around their ankles! If they must go to hell, then let them have to push me aside first to be able to get there!"

Winning the lost...sinner friendly! Something that Jesus smiles about!

Pastor

My uncle in Seattle preaches at a small congregation and has a monthly aticle he publishes called "Scott's Thoughts." His latest article dealt with the use of the term "pastor" and whether or not it is correct for ministers to be called this or not.

Well, of course he diligently exegeted two passages of Scripture to undeniably prove that it is absolutely incorrect for Christians to call their preachers "pastor." Pshew! Man am I ever glad we got that issue cleared up! I was really worried about all the senseless usages of people calling their minister "pastor" that was going on.

Do you have any idea how much sinning is going on in churches across America with this? We have got to get the word out. In fact, maybe we could start an all-out campaign and call it "The Pastor-less Life" or "40 Days without a Pastor." That might do the trick.

Or maybe we could actually focus on the fact that people all around the church are dying and going to hell because too many ministers and pastors are focused on the wrong things!

My Grandma

My Grandma was able to come and visit me. I am so happy we had this time together. She turned 80 years old today. She has been a believer all her life. She is the reason that I am who I am.

She beat sense into me when I was a wee one. She preached to me when I was a teenager. She prayed for me all the while.

And her hard work payed off. I am God's worker. I do what I do because my grandma cried and prayed over me.

I love her. I will miss her. I thank God for her. She is the rock that holds our whole family together.

She truly is one of my biggest heroes in life.

Infant Baptism

Today I want to look at the practice of infant baptism. How did it develop? Is it biblical?

To answer the first question, we have to look at the church's history. We really don't see infant baptism popping up until about the 4th Century.

There are two key things that were at work when thinking about the issue of infant baptism...church doctrine and the infant mortality rate. In that era of time, life was very agriculturally centered. It was not uncommon for a farm couple to produce 9 or 10 children but only have 2 or 3 of them survive.

Infant death is hard enough to deal with now, and it was equally so back then, but it was much more common place. Grieving mothers in that day and age did not grieve any less than a mother would today who has lost a child. It was a cold, hard fact of life. Most babies did not survive.

The other issue was the Roman Catholic doctrine of "Original Sin" (OS). OS was the belief that all babies are born with sin. Therefore, if they are not baptized they will not go to heaven. So it was absolutely essential that infants were baptized immediately upon their birth to ensure that they go to heaven.

In many instances, it was not uncommon when a child was being born that those present were the woman in labor, the mid-wife and a Catholic Priest. As soon as the baby was delivered, the rite of baptism was performed (through sprinkling the child with water).

So this doctrine accomplished two things, it helped pacify a faulty belief that an innocent child had met the requirements for heaven and it helped ease the pain of a grieving mother when that baby would almost surely die.

So that is how it developed, but is it biblical? No. That is the short end of it.

Last post, I quoted Mark 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." The importance of belief in becoming a Christian cannot be overstated. This is simply impossible for an infant to do. An infant does not have the mental faculties necessary to have that kind of belief.

Some who practice infant baptism point to passages in Acts, like Acts 11:14, where it speaks of a whole "household" being saved...from which we can infer that even infants were baptized. This is absolute nonsense. The Scriptures never say an infant is baptized...never.

If I say that I will get rich after I'm saved doesn't mean it will happen. And the Scriptures are equally as silent about that as they are infant baptism. (So I better not look to that method for getting rich!)

Infant baptism is practiced still today by many churches and denominations. I wouldn't say that it is evil. But it is most certainly not biblical.

It would certainly be okay to say it is dangerous. Because it is definitely dangerous for someone to think that if they were baptized as an infant that they have done all that they need to do. Nope...there's more.

And there is the issue of making the baby mad. Most babies cry and scream when water is sprinkled in their face...so at purely a courtesy level...it is kind of a rude thing to do.

Now one thing we do practice for infants is what is known as a "Dedication." This is based on what Hannah did with her child in 1 Samuel:

1 Samuel 1:27-28
I prayed for this child , and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there. NIV

We don't expect every child born to be set aside for being a full-time minister but we do think it is good for young parents to take it seriously that they raise their child and set that child aside in such a way that they publicly say, "We are going to raise this child in the ways of the LORD. We will have him love Jesus all his days."

That is a good thing. A Biblical practice and something that makes the parents feel good too!

Baptism: To Be or Not To Be

A debate has raged for aeons as to whether or not a person should be baptized to be saved or not. I have a pretty simple view of this whole issue. I don't get caught up in all the differing hypotheticals (i.e., If a person is headed toward the baptistry and they are hit by a bus, do they still go to heaven?). I think those are all stupid wastes of time to even discuss.

I think it boils down to this...Jesus said we should, so do it. Mark 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." Why would anyone counter Christ's remarks? Who would argue against Jesus' position?

Now is a person saved before they are baptized? What exactly happens at baptism? How should baptism be performed? Those are all worthy discussions.

But whether or not a person should be baptized was settled by our Savior. The only individual who trusted Christ in the New Testament and was not baptized was the thief on the cross. Everyone else who trusted Christ and followed him in the New Testament was baptized. So the idea of an un-baptized follower of Jesus is not supported in the New Testament.

Next post I'll look at infant baptism and whether or not that is a valid practice.

The Darkness

"I've been in here before!" I exclaimed. I knew this place. But I couldn't see. The room was dark. And even though I knew I had been there before, there was something very unfamiliar with the room.

My goal was to just get through the room. But someone has monkeyed with the layout. I still can't see a thing! It is pitch black. It is can't even see my hand in front of my face black.

So there I stand in the doorway. Do I move forward into the darkness or do I turn around and leave the dark room? Going across the room brings with it real risks. I could do serious damage to myself if I move forward.

The thing is, even though I can't see anything, I like this place. It is comfortable. It has a sweet aroma about it. It feels right to be there. I WANT to be there. I don't want to leave.

What I think is, that if I stay here, even though I can't see anything, then I might not miss something. In fact, I think that this place is better than most places. It is kind of fun, come to think of it, to be challenged by the room.

But lingering causes my heart to race, because I really shouldn't be there. I don't want to get caught in the dark room. Maybe it would be better to move away from the doorway and more into the darkness, that way no one would be able to see me if they walked in here.

So I scoot a few steps away. Nothing happens. What was I afraid of?! In fact the flooring was smooth and very comfortable to my feet.

But now, a new thought occurs to me. What if I can't find my way back to the doorway? If I go too far, I am really committed to this path across the dark room. Do I really want to do this?

I really shouldn't be here.

I start to scoot back towards the doorway, but this time the floor isn't smooth and comfortable it is painful and it is stabbing me. It is much like when you run your hand against the grain on a piece of wood and then the wood pierces your hand.

And, something even worse than the pain in my feet, I am much farther from the doorway than I thought. I panic. I lurch my body forward toward the doorway, leaning with my arms out ahead of me, groping out in the darkness, hoping to touch something solid (and not painful).

Now all my energies are focused on getting back. I don't care about the pain now. I just want out of the dark room.

I finally reach the doorway. And I become more aware of just how bad I have hurt my feet. Why did I do this? Why did I ever convince myself that this was a good thing? It isn't. It's bad.

I place my hand on the knob and twist. But as I do I feel a sense of longing again for the darkness. Can you believe it? After all the pain I went through? I quickly let the longing go and open the door.

Light. It hurts. But it is a good hurt. I feel so much better. The ground here is hard and cold, but it doesn't hurt.

My eyes are adjusting. I can make out shapes now. There are others.

I turn around and look through the doorway into the darkness. I don't see anything but a pair of yellow eyes staring back at me.

I am so glad I'm here. But even as I am here, my heart grieves over leaving the darkness. I vow, no I pledge...no I hope to not return to the dark room again. But it is like I can feel the darkness calling me back...

1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness , we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. NIV

A Cool Moment

Today I made a run with my sons to QuikTrip (a local convenience store) and we went in for a drink (the boys got fountain pops and I got a bottled water). Well, as usual, the boys were taking their time and I had already gotten my drink, so I told them I'd be in the van.

We were parked right in front of the store, so I could easily see them and what was going on inside. But something outside caught my attention. A man that had one shoe on with ripped pants at the ankles and a bright yellow shirt walked in front of me.

He was carrying a bag that he set down and a trash bag that he had filled with pop cans and bottles. He stopped directly in front of my van and opened the lid to the trash can and took out two more pop bottles to add to his collection. When he closed the lid, he looked over at me and we made eye contact...me sitting in air conditioning in a nice van, and him on the outside, dirty and hot.

I looked away nervously. He walked into the store.

My boys were still inside fiddling with their sodas. And I noticed his bag he had left resting against the wall outside of the building. I got an idea and stepped out of my van.

I walked over to his bag, took out my wallet and left some cash inside of it.

Then my boys came out. I moved the van from where we were parked in front of the building to a distance away where we could still see his bag clearly. I told them what I did.

We waited, watching for the dirty man with the bright yellow shirt to come out of QuikTrip. When he did, we were hoping he would look in his bag. He did.

He pulled out the cash and then looked around. We looked away so that he wouldn't notice us.

Jacob, my youngest, yelled, "AWESOME!" And we drove off. It was a cool moment. He never knew we did it...he never knew who did it. But we did and God did. And that was cool.

Latest Video Shoot

Don't please...just preach!

You know, sometimes when you preach, you worry about what people are going to think. You worry if you will do a good job and really move people. You worry if they will get mad at you or not by the things that you say or the way that you say it. You worry.

It really is liberating to stop worrying about what people think though. Paul said in Galatians 1:10b:

If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. (NIV)

I can't slow down to worry anymore. I need to get this message that is in me out. I need to get it out of my heart like I have a splinter deep in my skin that I keep trying to dig out.

My heart beats for lost people. If they are going to choose to go to hell...then, as Spurgeon said, let them go having to jump over my body. Let them go with me still holding onto their ankles. Let them go but let me do anything and everything I possibly can to make sure I can stop their blood from being on my head.

And that kind of preaching isn't popular. That kind of preaching can get a guy fired. But that is a risk I'm willing to take. I would rather be unemployed but have helped one more know about Jesus Christ. I'd rather flip burgers knowing that I got to baptize someone else.

That's why I'm here. That's why God let's me breathe still.

Stale Bread

Call it tough. Call it harsh. Call it mean. But I got a nice loaf of bread. You see, we usually buy not the most expensive loaves of bread. But today, I got a really expensive loaf of bread.

We have this rule in our home. It's a simple rule. When you make a sandwich, close up the loaf of bread and put it back in the bread holder. The rule continued to be blatantly broken causing me great sorrow and grief.

And my youngest son, who has come into some financial means via lawn care services provided by himself, was given the opportunity to buy his father a really expensive loaf of bread causing him great sorrow and grief.

Ultimately, parents you have to take your stand on the most important things! And fight we will and win we must when it comes to stale bread!

Church 2.0

On the recent trip I had taken down to Arkansas I brought back a little friend. A Three-toed box turtle. I knew my boys would think I was the bomb for bringing them a pet turtle. And of course, I was right. They think the turtle is awesome.

I let them name him. They chose "Church 2.0". The reason for the name is this is the 2nd turtle we have had in our family's history. The first one we had about 10 years ago or more and he was called "Church"...thus the name "Church 2.0" for our newest addition.

Box turtles are cool. They have a hinged plastron (bottom shell) that they can withdraw into and be completely safe from predators. In fact, in Southern Missouri, where we acquired Church 2.0, the only real threat to a three-toed box turtle is the road.

The turtle has become quite acclimated to his surroundings with us and he has quite a voracious appetite. So he doesn't withdraw into his shell so much.

I know a few people that come to church and then seem to really get acclimated to the environment and then all of a sudden they experience something difficult and they withdraw into their own shell. Maybe, they stop attending Sunday School...or they say they need a "break" from a ministry they have been involved with...or they start missing Sunday morning worship with a regular frequency.

And when that occurs I know something bad is about to happen. You see it may seem safer to withdraw, but the problem is that most times when people withdraw they do it and they are sitting right smack dab in the middle of the road and they can't see it coming, but a truck is getting ready to roll them down.

When we isolate and withdraw from our brothers and sisters in Christ we no longer remain accountable. We can't see the problems that others can easily see. And we gently and slowly, kind of like a turtle, fall away from the faith.

And that is the truck that our enemy is driving in our direction and the one goal he has is to flatten us from ever desiring going back to Church.

Hebrews 10:23-25

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (NIV)

Mother's Day 2007

We had another great weekend at The Fort! Mother's Day is a time to take it easy but we still packed a big punch with a great couple of services. We had our Kingdom Kids ministry sing at one of the services and a trio of ladies sing at both services...great music and a good message to boot!

We played a video that we have been working on for some time and it was received great! The video was a montage of the kids sharing their own thoughts about what moms do and what they would like to do for their own mom and what they would like their mom to know. It was cute and very heart-warming. Everyone left with a smile and we were all encouraged by just meeting and worshiping together.

During my message I shared a little item that I really liked and several asked for copies so here it is:

Before I was a mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a mom

I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts and I slept all night.

Before I was a mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a mom

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a mom

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

So there you are. Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

Arkansas Excursion

Just got back from a quick excursion to Bella Vista, AR. What a beautiful part of the country! Just gorgeous rolling hills. Went on a geocache but wasn't so successful at that but we did catch a snake.

I went with my buddy Kyle down to his folks home. They are great people and were very gracious and hospitable.

One of the spots we were at was called Tanyard Creek [ http://www.beautifulbellavista.com/tanyardcreek.htm ]. This was a beautiful spot with wonderful scenery. Enjoy a couple of the photos we took while we were there.

It was a great little get-away but mostly I enjoyed just being with Kyle and learning about him and his family. Life is better when you have good friends!

Danger in the Shadows

Well...we made it. My youngest son has come home different. He is no longer the innocent child...but now he knows a little more about the world.

One of the reasons for a trip like the one we took is to let him know about things that he cannot possibly see as a potential danger that are ahead of him. In just a couple years, my son will begin to yearn for more and more freedom...as is natural for every young adolescent. He will think that his mom and dad are holding him back.

I heard Dobson tell a story about a time when he and his daughter raised hamsters for a time. He said he could remember this one furry little fellow that spent most of its adult life trying to break free from the confines of the cage it was in.

It would use its head and shove against the door of the cage. It would pace back and forth as if looking for a weakness in the cage to attempt a break. It would gnaw and chew on the bars of the cage in hopes of getting out.

But little did that hamster know that most of the time, the family dog would sit and wait in the shadows just watching for the opportunity of that hamster escaping. If that little hamster ever did get out, the family dog would make a quick, easy meal of it.

From the vantage point of the hamster, life seems like a little cage with all kinds of impositions and rules and regulations. But from Dobson's perspective, he could see the safety of such a cage and helping that little hamster from becoming some dog's lunch.

My job as dad is to help my son be safe from a savage world that is ready and lurking in the shadows to pounce on him and devour him. I want him to be prepared for such dangers and know where to turn and how to escape.

We made a good start of it this past weekend. It certainly is not over...parenting isn't over in a weekend...but we have laid a good foundation. I have been incredibly blessed to be able to raise such good young men as my two sons!

Thrill Ride!

So here we go! We leave this weekend for the big get-away and the discussion with my son about life. I feel like this is kind of like a roller coaster. Not in how I am feeling but in what I am doing.

If I was on a roller coaster with my son and I knew what turns were ahead and where the drop-offs were but didn't share it with him...I am not really prepping him for what lies ahead. I think if I can let him know about all the twists and turns that are awaiting him as he enters puberty and adolescence then he'll have an advantage that most don't have.

And just like a roller coaster, adolescence is quick and has a predictable beginning and a very predictable ending. So he can know what to expect and what to watch out for. That way, as he begins the life navigation process, he will have a compass with him. Me, his earthly father and God, his heavenly Father. True and trusted.

My goal is to arm my son with what he needs for the tumultous times ahead of him. I'll let you know how our weekend was when we get back...in the meantime, pray for us!

What now?

What now? Do we continue to watch the news stories about the tragedy on Virginia Tech's campus so we can have ABC and CBS and NBC help us properly deal with the tragedy?

Will we feel better when we learn all about Cho Seung-Hui and can identify with his horrible childhood?

I think we need to take a moment and pray for some hurting Moms and Dads. I think we need to pray for hurting families and friends of the young people that lost their lives.

I think that we need to take pause and remember that God has numbered our days...and not one of us is priviledged to know when our time is up on planet earth.

I think that we should brace ourselves for the people that will look at the situation and ask, "How could a loving God allow such a tragedy to occur?"

I think we should be equally as ready for those who are drawn closer to Christ as a result of this evil act.

I think we should be watching to see how God fulfills Romans 8:28 in this situation. He already is.

I think we should thank God for the life He has so graciously allowed us to live.

What now? Love God, love people. In other words, keep doing what you have been doing. Focusing on the two most important things in life - love God, love people.

Hitting the Glass

There are some things you just can't do. The other day I had gotten to the church building early and went into my office. I turned on my laptop and sat down as it was loading up. All of a sudden, I heard the loudest sound. It came from the front entry way.

I had no idea what it was. It sounded kind of like a rock or large object being thrown against the front glass doors. When I got to the front doors nothing was there. No glass was broken. But just outside the door on the ground lay a Robin.

Apparently this bird thought he could fly full-speed into our entry way but was abruptly stopped by the glass wall.

This past week, there was a whole lot of hub-bub over Don Imus and his remarks about the women's basketball team at Rutgers University. All of it ultimately resulted in MSNBC dropping the broadcast of his radio show and then CBS followed suit and dropped him altogether.

Some of the loudest voices calling for his resignation were the "Reverend" Al Sharpton and the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson. Two of the most reputable and integrous men in America...NOT.

I found it kind of funny when I thought about it. Their credibility is about as abrupt as that Robin running into the glass. On the outside, it appears they can ask for Don Imus' resignation...but reality is a hard, impenetrable force. And a closer examination would show that both those "men" (Sharpton and Jackson) have no footing whatsoever.

They are as racist or even more so than the worst that Don Imus could dish out on a bad day. And you need to know, that I am no Don Imus fan. What Imus did was wrong and stupid. I just find it humorous that it drew out some of society's biggest hypocrites.

And an even closer examination would show that I really don't even have that much credibility on the issue of race. I have harbored racist thoughts in my heart many, many times. I have commented on the way someone walks and made assumptions about that person because of the color of their skin.

I have had bad things happen to me by someone of another race and felt quite justified in my superior attitudes because I am not like one of "them." I think there haven't been many races that I haven't had something against at one point or another.

I have disliked blacks and Mexicans and Jews and orientals and Europeans...and even here in Des Moines, I have had opportunities to harbor racist feelings against Bosnians (Des Moines is home to many Bosnian immigrants). So I am an equal opportunity racist, I guess.

I am no different than Don Imus. I may not have had a microphone as big as his. But I have felt and thought things about other human beings that is just as reprehensible as what he said. I guess I am just like Jackson and Sharpton too because I am a hypocrite too.

I wish that I would begin to see people like Christ does...his children in need of a lasting relationship with him.