Cowgirls & Army Men
Playing dress up can be a lot of fun. Seth and Shani dressed up yesterday for a trip to the Toledo Zoo, where they recieved some good candy. (My favorite is Almond Joy candy bars, and I'm glad they were generous and shared one with me!)
I enjoy seeing Seth's & Shani's imaginations at work, and I appreciate how they are fully present in their play - without thinking about how others see them, how much money they have, or how popular they are. Reminds me of Jesus' words about needing to become like children to enter His kingdom.
I have a couple rambling thoughts about dressing up:
... David tried to wear King Saul's armor and it didn't fit. Instead of forcing a square peg in a round hole, David refused to wear something that wasn't designed for him. Any yoke or burden that doesn't fit is not from God and should be discarded, no matter how nice it may look, or how well it may have worked for someone else.
... The clothing I always want to wear never goes out of style and is appropriate for every location and event. It is Tailor-made for a perfect fit. I'm talking about the armor of God, covered with a coat of humility.
...There is a story of Jesus healing a man who had been demon possessed, and after the healing the man was dressed and in his right mind. That's a nice description - dressed and in his right mind.
... You can have fun without wearing a mask. In fact, you can enjoy life a lot more when you're secure enough to never wear one.
With the Falcons in Philly
I was honored to travel with the BGSU Falcons to Philadelphia, where they played Temple University today. Though the team was very disappointed with their performance (Temple broke a 20 game losing streak today), I had some great opportunities to share the love of Jesus with players, coaches, the team doctor, video crew, trainers, and cheerleaders.
I was very impressed with the level of professionalism involved in a Division 1 football program. Every aspect of the trip was smooth - bus ride, flight, hotel accommodations, excellent meals, and a great camaraderie. I spoke at 7:30 this morning at the chapel service about living a life with no compromises and total obedience. I used the OT example of Achan and related how partial obedience is still disobedience, and the actions of one impact all of us. I also shared a few verses from Deuteronomy 28, which spells out a lot of wonderful blessings for obedience. One of the players, "K.B." helped me by sharing a wonderful testimony of how God had rewarded his obedience this week. He went on to have a great game, making three key catches on 3rd downs. The coaches and players all love and respect this senior captain, and he has blessed my life greatly.
I'm home now and tired, but very, very happy to be with my family again. I was only gone two days, but the more time I'm spending with them, the more I look forward to being at home. I am blessed beyond measure!
Gifts, God's Love & Confessions
I'm learning just how much God loves us. I had some amazing experiences yesterday that taught me the lengths to which He will go to discipline and protect me. Yesterday morning I spent some powerful time in prayer with my friend Andrew before going home to meet with a Spirit-filled insurance man who is in myBNI (Business Network International) group. After showing Kim and me how we can save $100 per month (praise God!) we "had church" in our kitchen. As we prayed, the Holy Spirit moved on Doug and he prophesied over us. Within two hours, part of his prophecy was coming to pass! (Doug gets it. He's a great example of a regular Christian who is operating in the power of the Holy Spirit as he works in the marketplace to advance the Kingdom of God.) The direct confirmation of his prophetic words were evidenced in a call I received from a dear friend whom God has used repeatedly in my life.
Connie's words were direct and clear. In a loving but stern rebuke, I was confronted with an area in my life that needed to be completely yielded to the Lordship of Jesus. The things she said were not her words, but God's words, which I gladly receive. Sin - all sin- is serious business and cannot be taken lightly. One profound thing she said was that I was blaming the devil for something that was really my own fault, the result of my own flesh. I think many Christians have readily credited the devil with temptation rather than face our own complicity in it. Hallelujah for the Truth which sets us free!
I spent some time in the afternoon reading the Word and crying out to God. Much progress was made, but I knew there was more God needed to do. At the gathering of the church last night, God did more! The Spirit directed us to the story of Achan in Joshua, and how Achan's hidden sin resulted in death. What followed is simply amazing. Open confession of sins. Serious sins. Hidden sins that no one else knew about but are hindering God's perfect will in our lives. And there was grace, oh so much grace and forgiveness. After a while, it was obviously time to rejoice in the finished work of Christ and take in His life-giving body and blood. Then we sang a few songs celebrating our Savior and enjoyed His tender presence among us.
This morning Mike and I prayed together and our time was rich and brought blessing to both of us.
My knowledge of the Truth has been expanded through these significant personal experiences of His grace.
I'm learning a lot about the necessity of people operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I'm learning more about the significance and necessity of confessing our sins to each other.
I'm learning what a precious gift Kim is and that God has great things in store for us that we must experience together, or we won't experience them at all.
I'm learning more about the importance of believing God's Word.
I'm learning more about the infinite, satisfying love of God.
I am determined to dig deeper and find out more about the sufficiency of Christ. I certainly have a long way to go, but an important breakthrough has happened. Thank God for His love!
late nite confirmation
Last night I received a call from the BGPD that one of our officers was involved in a fatal shooting. I went immediately to the station to talk with the officers. The patrolman who was involved has been a friend of mine for several years. In fact, he was the one who suggested that I consider being the chaplain, so it was a special privilege to spend some quality time with him after such a significant event in his life. We talked and prayed and just shared life together.
I have a huge appreciation for the job our officers are called upon to do, and I hope that the future media coverage will be favorable. It is always unfortunate when someone's life is taken. We can't know what is in another person's heart, but the perpetrator appears to have been committing "suicide by cop" and left the officer no choice. The day started out like any other, but ended unlike any other for everyone involved.
I've been enjoying the opportunity to minister in more obscure ways than ever before - an individual here or there, a crisis, a relaxed conversation, and simply being a listening ear. It's not glamorous and doesn't have any outward signs of remarkable "success," but it is an important role God is teaching me.
I got home after 2:00 am and told Kim the details. As I lay down in my comfortable bed, I said, "I really felt like a pastor tonight." And Kim said, "You are." Regardless of a title or position, I was reminded again that God's calling is irrevocable.
Trip to TN
We traveled to TN for a friend's wedding this weekend. It was beautiful and we really enjoyed visiting with the Mitchells. This is a friendship in our lives that the separation of miles and time never diminishes, and I'm grateful for the history we share and the new memories we made.
We met some new friends on this trip, too. We met women who are recovering addicts and former prostitutes who are trophies of God's grace. We also met a really sharp young couple from GA who have not yet found a church home. My new friend Jeremy made two comments that I hope to remember. He said that in many of the churches he is familiar with there is "a separation between church and life." That is a convicting statement and truer than I would like to admit. No matter when you worship or where (a cathedral, house or school) if the "event" is disconnected from the rest of your life, something is lacking.
The second thing he said related to the methodologies used by many well-meaning Christian leaders to "attract" people to a given church. Jeremy quoted his mother when he said: "If you win them with a hot dog, you can lose them with a hamburger." Translation: when the ministry down the street offers something different/better, consumers who are attracted by low-commitment, "what's in it for me" ideology will not feel much loyalty to stick around. I guess all of the ministry programs (hot dogs) will continue to be utilized and great attempts will be made to improve them (turning them into hamburgers), but I hope all this activity and accompanying allocation of resources doesn't replace actually going and meeting people where they are.
On Sunday we worshiped at a great church that is reaching out to their community, actually living the Great Commission and going to where people with needs are rather than simply giving away "hot dogs" in an attempt to bring people in. Don't get me wrong - they are giving away a lot - food, clothes, etc. But the point is that they are going out to serve people that most of us would overlook.
The music was exceptional and it was nice to sense God's presence so powerfully. I was struck with what I perceived to be the congregation's very high loyalty to one another, and the seamless way we enjoyed both ancient and contemporary elements of worship.
The best part of the trip was the time Kim and I had to talk, and we talked about some serious things. It's been over a year now since my career change. I don't know where God is taking us, but I know that I have to learn the meaning of contentment in the present before I can be ready for the future - whatever it is.
I can relate
I'm reading Matthew this week and I find myself relating to the religious people who wanted Jesus to perform some tricks (the biblical terminology is signs/wonders). I think they wanted him to prove himself and "make" them believe. Even though he could have easily wowed them, he chose not to and even spoke harshly about their "need" for a sign. He said "No." They didn't like it. And neither do I.
I think the issue was that they wanted to control him for their own purposes - the same way I often do. And when Jesus doesn't do what I want, Burger King style - my way, right away - it's easy to pout and question rather than to rest, with simple, childlike faith. I know that's what I'm supposed to do (trust, believe, wait patiently, rest) but I certainly don't always do it. Even though I don't want to kill him (as the religious leaders did), I have definitely intentionally avoided Jesus when he didn't give me what I thought I wanted.
I'm learning these days that I have a lot more to learn. I thought I was farther down the road of maturity than I really am. But rather than be discouraged by that, I realized (at the gathering of the church that meets at my house tonight) that I need to be encouraged by it, and have fun on the journey.
