Simple thoughts

This morning I feel reinvigorated by some simple thoughts and truths. I have been praying for guidance in a decision for some time and this morning had a much better answer to my prayers than the answer I was looking for. Instead of the circle yes or no response God reminded me how absolutely amazing my life is. Through no work of my own, and actually in response to a life hell-bent at opposing God, I have been given a new life in Jesus. I have been invited into the family of God, having been purchased from the bondage to sin I’d sold myself to and brought into communion with God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I now live a life in faith that the Son of God who rescued me by dying for me while I was His enemy, will certainly provide all things needed now that I have been adopted into His family. This Jesus that I call Lord is in fact the Lord of all creation through whom everything that was made was made by and for. This good news, in ways I find it hard to imagine, gets clouded out at times by the stuff of this world.

What I felt as all of this was pouring through my mind was that every problem I ever have has at it’s root at least one common cause: my trying to be God of my life again. While I know the truth of the gospel is that those who are Christians are redeemed– they are purchased back by God. For me this means that God is both my creator who made me once and has every right to my life, an he is by redeemer who through Jesus bought me back from my state of rebellion. So once again my life is not my own for I was bought at a great price. So it is that I say behind every argument I have with my wife, every selfish act I do, every lustful thought I have, every bad financial decision, every time a miss God’s standard for holiness– that behind each of these is that part of me that still wants to be or thinks I am God. That I have rights of my own. That my time is mine. That I can choose anything only because I want that thing. In fact the reality is every moment, relationship, opportunity, resource, and gift that I have isn’t mine because my life is not my own. They all belong to God an I am simply entrusted with them.

Now I can also argue as others have that we are our most human– our most authentic and whole when we live in this kind of trust and intimately dependent relationship with God. But for me (and I think many Western Christians) I need more to embrace a death to myself more than a reminder of how to be wholly me. I have grown up in the land of opportunity where I was told I can be whatever I want and I can do anything I put my mind to, and I blended this easily with the Bible which says that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

What I need more often than not is a realization that if God never does anything else good for me again He has already given me enough that I will be eternally, gratefully, devotedly, and unashamedly His. Every other good thing is only heaping blessing on top of blessing.

So, God I end saying that I seek your will out of obedience to you– in a desire to follow your leading wherever you want me to go for my life really is yours. And I pray for wisdom in faith that you who called me from darkness when I was still your enemy will not leave me hanging now that I’m your son.

Thank you for another day to try to get things right(er).

Random thoughts from my day off (so far)

So after a long few days preparing and running Operation X, an outreach experience for our student ministry I am taking the first of a few days off. It hasn’t been uneventful however. I’m currently at a Krispy Kremes in Mesa waiting for our Mazda to get fixed.

I went first for a physical and blood work to be included in our adoption paperwork. Fun.

That’s the picture with 2 needle marks.

The first was done by what I now assume is a rookie in the ways of blood drawing. After pushing the needle around for a while she called for relief from a non-rookie (needle still stuck in my arm) to take over.

So this weekend I witnessed some real God-moments in kids lives as the Holy Spirit moved in a worship and prayer session Saturday night.

Just now I got news from my mom that one my sisters is in the hospital. “Coincidentally” I’m just down the road so now I’m more anxious for my car to be ready and to get there before stopping by Queen Creek for a staff photo.

Besides that I’ve been thinking about whether I really, truly care about evangelism the way I should and could. It’s too easy to get caught up in doing things and jobs and realizing that another year has passed and wondering if I’ve really spent my life spreading gospel above all else.

Pastor Rick Warren Hosts McCain and Obama

John McCain and Barack Obama discuss faith and politics in a forum hosted by Pastor Rick Warren (center) Saturday night (Mario Anzouni/Reuters)

Saturday night Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life successfully moderated the first public event between the two candidates for president.

Warren’s premise for hosting the debate is that while he believes in separation between church and state, he does not believe in a separation between faith and politics. After all, he asserts, “faith is just a world view, and everybody has some kind of world view.”

I felt that Warren performed very well in his role as moderator, and appreciated the forum to hear the candidates discuss matters that matter to me.

I encourage you to check out CNN’s full discussion available online.

Walking in Wide Spaces

I stumbled over this beautiful, yet counter-cultural truth in Psalms 119 this morning:

Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth,

for I have put my hope in your laws.

I will always obey your law,

for ever and ever.

I will walk about in freedom,

for I have sought out your precepts.

I noticed the word used for “freedom” is a phrase in the Hebrew– it literally reads something like “I will walk in a wide place”. This statement captured my heart and my attention as I thought about it. The writer is declaring that he has hoped in God’s laws, he has striven to obey God and will continue to do so for ever. And the result of having sought out God’s precepts and striven for obedience? Freedom. And I wonder, freedom from what? Perhaps there’s a freedom from the pressures of sin. Pride brings pressure as we struggle to maintain an image that over-represents us. Financial pressures narrow our existence as we’ve had eyes bigger than our pocketbooks. Relational pressures weigh us down when we do life our way instead of God’s.

In God, under his laws, his precepts, his direction is found a wide place to roam.

Freedom.

Swatting Flies and Lessons in Futility

I So I picked up my son from a friend of ours who watches him once or twice a week during our work days. Here he is sitting with some of his animals (which currently go everywhere he goes) and wearing “Daddy hat”

So when we got home we went to play in the backyard. Well, let me take you back about 30 minutes. On my way to pickup Eli, I went to get into my car. If you read my last post, I found out that while our Malibu doesn’t always start, the problem is that the manufacturer’s anti-theft system keeps forgetting that our key should be allowed to start our car, so it overrides it. Well there’s a workaround: you can turn the ignition to the on position and wait for 10 minutes. Then for reasons unknown to me the car will turn off the security feature and allow you to start the engine. I googled our issue and discovered this is a common problem.

So I go to get into my Malibu (hoping it will start) and I was attacked by about 15 flies which had apparently claimed my car as their own. I’m not sure if these were some Africanized killer flies or what but after battling through them, firing up the engine (yes) and picking up my son and taking him home we went out to play in the backyard.

Well apparently the fly swarm at the office was not an isolated event. While

trying to hang with my boy in the backyard flies were pestering the heck out of me. I’d had enough, so I went inside and grabbed a weapon. A man can only take so much pestering, and abuse before taking action and I’d had enough. I swung my weapon like a samurai defending his home. I swatted high, I swung low. Flies fell from all corners of my backyard as I released my fury. About 25-30 felled flies later I rested, satisfied that some good had been done, and that I should return to the point of the evening: hanging with my son.

Somewhere in the middle of my fly-killing spree I wondered two things:

1. Are my 2-Story Neighbors enjoying the show?
2. Is killing 30 flies really going to make a difference?

I not sure about the first answer, but for the 2nd? It made a difference to this one:

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the impact of my life, and what I spend my time on. I’ve been reminded lately to make every effort to transform the potential that God has given me into actual ability to do good in the world. We were born with potential, but we are not supposed to die with it. So much of life is spent “chasing the wind“, and skill is required to avoid futility and walk out in a life of purpose.

God help us to find and fulfill the good plans you have for us.