Remember Moses? I had a buddy named Moses, he was in my wife's youth group. Good guy, but wrong Moses. Moses in the Old Testament, he wrote the first 5 books, got the Ten Commandments, on TV he looked a lot like Charlton Hesston. Ya, that Moses. His career as a Prophet began as his career as a shepherd ended. He saw God in a burning bush, heard the voice of God. Know what amazes me? He argued with God, telling God that he can't be His voice. He said "but I stutter, I don't speak well". You can read the story in Exodus chapter 3.
Here we are, thousands of years later, same place. In reading a book my Dr. Jeff Iorg on calling, I realized my desire to write isn't just a desire. It's a calling. I don't believe that He is calling me to write something an important as the Mosaic law, but I am to write for His purpose. The issue is my short coming. Moses stuttered, I am dyslexic. If you are not familiar with dyslexia, it's a disorder that causes information in your brain to sometimes skip a step. All information in your brain comes from the place that it is stored and goes though a "processing plant" where it's put in order, then comes out of your mouth or pen. The same process happens when you listen too or see into. It comes in, goes through the "processing plant" and put in meaningful order and then goes into the brain. Sometimes my brain's "processing plant" doesn't run to well.
I once viewed my disorder as just that, a disorder. It's become so much more to me than that, it's an opportunity for God to display His power. Those things I write that make sense and are in order come from His power, not my mind. It is His writing and I have been blessed that He allows me to use my pen, or keyboard for it.
So what's your stuttering problem? Maybe you are like Moses, and have a tongue that gets twisted. Maybe you are like me and have a problem that keeps the world from making sense all the time. Maybe it's something else, but I am sure that each one of us has an issue. In II Corinthians 12, Paul prays for a thorn to be removed from his side. Many believe this thorn is blindness that Paul apparently dealt with as he aged. It made it difficult to pen the epistles we find in the New Testament when you can't see. Jesus answered his plea with "My grace is sufficient for you, and my strength is made perfect in your weakness" (verse 9).
I have a thorn, but like Paul, I will gladly praise God for my weakness and the power He displays though my weakness and in His power.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Blog writers block
I have a desire to write in this blog every day. You will notice that every day hasn't happened. I do, however, get frustrated when I sit down to write and just stare at the screen. It's not that there is a shortage of things in my life. I am moving in a week and a half, we are starting Vacation Bible School tomorrow. If nothing else, my 3 kids give me a wealth of material. Instead I am looking at the empty screen.
It's not that I don't have stuff in my head, but my problem is combining it into a complete thought. I am reading some interesting stuff, trying to continue my education though some study. I am thinking about trying to learn some basic Greek stuff. I have stuff going on.
I think it comes down to one of two things. Weariness or laziness. I'll admit I am tired. I think I have a virus of some sort, everyone in the family has been a little ill in the last week. I don't want to think about stuff to write. I have to think about VBS and moving and packing and stuff with the kids, I am weary. I'm also lazy. Admit it, you are too. Not in every aspect, but there are some things you should do, but would rather not put the effort into it. Isn't that why they invented the microwave, riding mower and remote control? Sometimes it's easier not to worry about the side things. After all, I don't get paid to blog. I don't know how many people actually read my blog. I guess if you are reading it, that's at least one.
Well I will try to do better. I have a few things in my head I’ll put down, and maybe find something interesting to say after all.
It's not that I don't have stuff in my head, but my problem is combining it into a complete thought. I am reading some interesting stuff, trying to continue my education though some study. I am thinking about trying to learn some basic Greek stuff. I have stuff going on.
I think it comes down to one of two things. Weariness or laziness. I'll admit I am tired. I think I have a virus of some sort, everyone in the family has been a little ill in the last week. I don't want to think about stuff to write. I have to think about VBS and moving and packing and stuff with the kids, I am weary. I'm also lazy. Admit it, you are too. Not in every aspect, but there are some things you should do, but would rather not put the effort into it. Isn't that why they invented the microwave, riding mower and remote control? Sometimes it's easier not to worry about the side things. After all, I don't get paid to blog. I don't know how many people actually read my blog. I guess if you are reading it, that's at least one.
Well I will try to do better. I have a few things in my head I’ll put down, and maybe find something interesting to say after all.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
the pain of being a father
Charles H. Spurgeon was a great man, pastor and theologian. He had great gifts, but also have great afflictions. He suffered from many things, one of them was gout. He developed the disease at age 31, and was often debilitated by it. He speaks of one of his episodes from gout in a sermon:
"When I was racked some months ago with pain, to an extreme degree, so that I could no longer bear it without crying out, I asked all to go from the room, and leave me alone; and then I had nothing I could say to God but this, 'Thou are my Father, and I am thy child; and thou, as a Father art tender and full of mercy. I could not bear to see my child suffer as thou makest me suffer, and if I saw him tormented as I am now, I would do what I could to help him, and put my arms under him to sustain him. Wilt thou hide thy face from me, my Father? Wilt thou still lay on a heavy hand, and not give me a smile from thy countenance?' ... So I pleaded, and I ventured to say, when I was quiet, and they came back who watched me: 'I shall never have such pain again from this moment, for God has heard my prayer.' I bless God that ease came and the racking pain never returned"
Spurgeon said he never again had that pain, yet pain did continue in his life, eventually killing him at the age of 57. The man experience and knew pain.
Today I went with Brayden, my youngest son, to have the pins taken out of his elbow. If you don’t know the story, Collin, his brother, pulled him backwards one day while they were running in the backyard. They were being boys, but Brayden fell hard on his left arm and broke it at the elbow. He had to go to Phoenix Children’s hospital and have pins put in it. I went today and the pins were pulled out. I am not sure if it was more the pain or more the fear. The doctor assured me the pain from the pins is minimal, pulling the tape off is probably what hurt the most, and of course he cried because he was scared.
As I held my crying son, my heart broke like has only happened a few times. Other times when my children have been hurt and I couldn’t stop the pain. I would have given anything to take his place, to be the one who had to endure the pain. I couldn’t. I think God is often in the same place. For whatever reason, we must endure pain. Its part of the human experience, the human condition, it makes us grow and heal and mature. It hurts us, and I know it hurts God as our Father. He wants to fix it for us, and the only way to fix it is to let us endure.
I had no choice but to hold my son as he cried as the doctors caused him physical pain. The only way his arm would be made right was through the pain. The only way we are made right is sometimes through the pain. Cry if you must, hold onto the Father, He loves you and will see you through it.
"When I was racked some months ago with pain, to an extreme degree, so that I could no longer bear it without crying out, I asked all to go from the room, and leave me alone; and then I had nothing I could say to God but this, 'Thou are my Father, and I am thy child; and thou, as a Father art tender and full of mercy. I could not bear to see my child suffer as thou makest me suffer, and if I saw him tormented as I am now, I would do what I could to help him, and put my arms under him to sustain him. Wilt thou hide thy face from me, my Father? Wilt thou still lay on a heavy hand, and not give me a smile from thy countenance?' ... So I pleaded, and I ventured to say, when I was quiet, and they came back who watched me: 'I shall never have such pain again from this moment, for God has heard my prayer.' I bless God that ease came and the racking pain never returned"
Spurgeon said he never again had that pain, yet pain did continue in his life, eventually killing him at the age of 57. The man experience and knew pain.
Today I went with Brayden, my youngest son, to have the pins taken out of his elbow. If you don’t know the story, Collin, his brother, pulled him backwards one day while they were running in the backyard. They were being boys, but Brayden fell hard on his left arm and broke it at the elbow. He had to go to Phoenix Children’s hospital and have pins put in it. I went today and the pins were pulled out. I am not sure if it was more the pain or more the fear. The doctor assured me the pain from the pins is minimal, pulling the tape off is probably what hurt the most, and of course he cried because he was scared.
As I held my crying son, my heart broke like has only happened a few times. Other times when my children have been hurt and I couldn’t stop the pain. I would have given anything to take his place, to be the one who had to endure the pain. I couldn’t. I think God is often in the same place. For whatever reason, we must endure pain. Its part of the human experience, the human condition, it makes us grow and heal and mature. It hurts us, and I know it hurts God as our Father. He wants to fix it for us, and the only way to fix it is to let us endure.
I had no choice but to hold my son as he cried as the doctors caused him physical pain. The only way his arm would be made right was through the pain. The only way we are made right is sometimes through the pain. Cry if you must, hold onto the Father, He loves you and will see you through it.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Building a playground
So I worked on building the playset at Desert Sky tonight with Simon. Nothing real spiritual about that. It was a pain. Bolts didn't want to go into place, things didn't fit snug like I wanted. Things didn't go as planned.
My life is like that playset. The swings sometimes gets twisted and the bolts don't fit in the holes right. I imagine your life is like the playset too. There are small things amiss or askew on it. Take a step back and what do you see. A swing set with children laughing and having fun.
What's my point? It's simple. Look for the fun and laughter. Look for the joy, for the things God has for you. You see, the swing set doesn't need to be perfect for the kids to have fun. You don't need to be perfect for God to love you and rejoice on you. You don't need to be perfect, just forgiven, and He can take care of that for you.
My life is like that playset. The swings sometimes gets twisted and the bolts don't fit in the holes right. I imagine your life is like the playset too. There are small things amiss or askew on it. Take a step back and what do you see. A swing set with children laughing and having fun.
What's my point? It's simple. Look for the fun and laughter. Look for the joy, for the things God has for you. You see, the swing set doesn't need to be perfect for the kids to have fun. You don't need to be perfect for God to love you and rejoice on you. You don't need to be perfect, just forgiven, and He can take care of that for you.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Forgotten Closets
I know my profile says Sioux City Iowa. I am going to Sioux City Iowa in less that 3 weeks, but currently I am finishing things at Desert Sky Baptist Church in Casa Grande Arizona. I graduated, we are doing VBS next week, I preach on Father's Day and in the mean time, try to get everything labeled, passed off and accounted for. One of the duties I am passing on is music/sound/video/worship stuff. Setting up the program lyrics and running the sound board. I met with some guys this morning to get some music stuff set and set up. In doing so I cleaned the music closet.
I found a very large spider. I also found the books they used at the very beginning of the church, about 5 years ago. I found a monitor that was still new in the box. There was some good things in there. . . and a big spider.
I think we spiritually put stuff in closest sometimes. We spend so much time on the mandates, duties and order of Christianity, we begin to lose sight of where we came from. We lose touch with who we used to be. Ephesians 2:11-12 reminds us to remember we were once separated from Christ. In Revelations, John writes to the church at Ephesus to remember from which they have fallen in chapter 2, verse 5. It must have been a hard lesson to learn at Ephesus. I think it's a hard lesson for us to learn.
When those who are lost act like they are lost, how do we respond? When those who are lost behave the way lost people do, what is our response? Do we love them, or do we shun them? Do we want them to find punishment or redemption? When a lost person wrongs us, does something selfish and sinful and hurts us, do we love them and pray for them, or do we want to exact revenge? Do we act like Jesus, who was led like a lamb to the slaughter, or do we fight back and make our own needs known?
I think if we look in our forgotten closets of the way we use to behave (or sometimes still do) we will find that we are not so far removed. We are not much higher than those sinners that we often detest so much. We remember, not so we can revist the sin or we can roll in guilt, but we can remember where we were, and how far God has brought us. We remember the journey, so we can help someone else on the same journey. Just watch out for the big spiders.
I found a very large spider. I also found the books they used at the very beginning of the church, about 5 years ago. I found a monitor that was still new in the box. There was some good things in there. . . and a big spider.
I think we spiritually put stuff in closest sometimes. We spend so much time on the mandates, duties and order of Christianity, we begin to lose sight of where we came from. We lose touch with who we used to be. Ephesians 2:11-12 reminds us to remember we were once separated from Christ. In Revelations, John writes to the church at Ephesus to remember from which they have fallen in chapter 2, verse 5. It must have been a hard lesson to learn at Ephesus. I think it's a hard lesson for us to learn.
When those who are lost act like they are lost, how do we respond? When those who are lost behave the way lost people do, what is our response? Do we love them, or do we shun them? Do we want them to find punishment or redemption? When a lost person wrongs us, does something selfish and sinful and hurts us, do we love them and pray for them, or do we want to exact revenge? Do we act like Jesus, who was led like a lamb to the slaughter, or do we fight back and make our own needs known?
I think if we look in our forgotten closets of the way we use to behave (or sometimes still do) we will find that we are not so far removed. We are not much higher than those sinners that we often detest so much. We remember, not so we can revist the sin or we can roll in guilt, but we can remember where we were, and how far God has brought us. We remember the journey, so we can help someone else on the same journey. Just watch out for the big spiders.
Monday, June 2, 2008
redeeming the time
In a book like the Bible, it's hard to pick a favorite verse, but I have one that really speaks volumes to me. There is just one problem, which is our English language and translation. We often translate the verse to be less than what I believe it talks about. The verse is question is Ephesians 5:16. Most translations will say something like "making the most of the time".
The Greek word is εξαγοραζομενοι. It is found in Galatians 4:5 and 3:13. It gives the idea of saving from loss, or from purchasing back. It's more than making the best use of the time, but it's saving the time, rescuing our time. We may look at this in only a future tense, but I think there is an aspect of time past we can take back. Let me explain.
Look at the book of Joel. If you are familiar with Joel, you will know it's about The Day of the Lord, a time when God sends wrath on the ungodly. The interesting thing here, however, is the Hebrew nation fully expected the Day of the Lord to come to their neighbors. It didn't, it came to them. A lesson learned, God's discipline we expect to come on the sinner, yet it's the Christian that God holds to the standard because of Salvation. Perhaps we should look for correction not on the nation, but on the Church.
In Joel, the Day of the Lord came in the form of locusts which devoured the land. The people were commanded to repent and return, and in Joel 2:25, God makes a promise to restore the years that the locust has eaten. This is not a promise of future grace, but of grace offered to the past. The promise is not to make the future great, but to restore the years that were taken.
This brings me to my thoughts this morning. This weekend I graduated with a individual who's past was ravaged by the world. He walked across the stage and received his seminary degree while his family applauded. In his ministry, God will use him to reach people that wouldn't begin a dialogue with me. He will bring hope to those who have no hope. He will bring God's light into places I could not go. His past is not glorified, it's simply redeemed.
Romans 8:28 is this point made simple. All things will be used for the good of those who love God and have been called according to His purpose. Each day can be restored, the time can be redeemed. The years have not been wasted, each day gives us things learned, experiences gained, we learned how to live, or sometimes how not to live. We can take the darkest years and restore them and redeem them and use them for the glory of the Lord. It may be in ministry, testimony, or simple praise and adoration. Today, I want to redeem the time, the time I wasted, those times I failed. God will use them for His glory.
The Greek word is εξαγοραζομενοι. It is found in Galatians 4:5 and 3:13. It gives the idea of saving from loss, or from purchasing back. It's more than making the best use of the time, but it's saving the time, rescuing our time. We may look at this in only a future tense, but I think there is an aspect of time past we can take back. Let me explain.
Look at the book of Joel. If you are familiar with Joel, you will know it's about The Day of the Lord, a time when God sends wrath on the ungodly. The interesting thing here, however, is the Hebrew nation fully expected the Day of the Lord to come to their neighbors. It didn't, it came to them. A lesson learned, God's discipline we expect to come on the sinner, yet it's the Christian that God holds to the standard because of Salvation. Perhaps we should look for correction not on the nation, but on the Church.
In Joel, the Day of the Lord came in the form of locusts which devoured the land. The people were commanded to repent and return, and in Joel 2:25, God makes a promise to restore the years that the locust has eaten. This is not a promise of future grace, but of grace offered to the past. The promise is not to make the future great, but to restore the years that were taken.
This brings me to my thoughts this morning. This weekend I graduated with a individual who's past was ravaged by the world. He walked across the stage and received his seminary degree while his family applauded. In his ministry, God will use him to reach people that wouldn't begin a dialogue with me. He will bring hope to those who have no hope. He will bring God's light into places I could not go. His past is not glorified, it's simply redeemed.
Romans 8:28 is this point made simple. All things will be used for the good of those who love God and have been called according to His purpose. Each day can be restored, the time can be redeemed. The years have not been wasted, each day gives us things learned, experiences gained, we learned how to live, or sometimes how not to live. We can take the darkest years and restore them and redeem them and use them for the glory of the Lord. It may be in ministry, testimony, or simple praise and adoration. Today, I want to redeem the time, the time I wasted, those times I failed. God will use them for His glory.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
the good kind of tired
So it's been a crazy weekend. Saturday we left the house to run to JC Penny's to get me a new tie, and then went to First Southern Baptist Scottsdale for graduation. I graduated from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership. I also received the 2008 MAEL Pursuit of Excellence award. We left the graduation to get Kaylee in and out of her dance recital for her ballet class. Went to bed, got up this morning and went to church. After Sunday School and visiting, I got to Baptize Kaylee. After Church, it was off to the store and back home for lunch. Then to the second performance of Kaylee's recital, then off to dinner and home. I am worn out, but it's a good kind of tired. Making good memories, seeing the Lord work in our family and our lives. Spending time with my family and friends. It was a great experience, but I’m glad it’s behind me. I could use a rest.
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