Sleepless in Smith River

Last night I went to bed with every intention of getting a good night sleep and then waking refreshed this morning. Well, when I looked over at the clock at 2:30 am and I was still wide awake I knew that was not going to happen. So while I laid there the Lord seemed to say to me, “if you are going to stay awake all night why don’t you get up, get your Bible and spend some time with me in prayer,” which is what I did. I rolled out of bed, got my Bible along with a book I had received at a pastors conference in Jacksonville, turned on a light and sat in the quietness of our living room and began to pray. I just began to give things to the Lord, areas of my life that I wanted Him to take control over. There are some who think that just because you are a Pastor you are on top of everything..(well we are not). I have had people over the years say to me, “well I am not you”, as if I am able to handle everything that is thrown at me in life simply because I am in the ministry. So I began to pray and asked the Lord to give me wisdom and strength in various areas of life and ministry.

After a good time alone with Him in that semi-dark and very quiet room last night, I picked up that book and began to read. Before long it was 4:30 am and after just being in His presence for awhile and letting Him quiet my heart, I went back to bed and went right to sleep and woke up this morning probably more refreshed than I would have if I had gone to sleep right at first. Because the refreshment I got was not from physical sleep, but from the encouragement I got from prayer and what the Lord gave me through my reading.

On one of the pages of the book I read was a statement by Paul Tripp – counselor, pastor, and author. This excerpt comes from his book ‘A shelter in the Time of Storm’:

“You are clearly not in control of the details or destiny of your life, yet as a rational, purposeful, emotional being, you cry for a deep and abiding sense of well-being. In your quest, what you are actually discovering is that you were hardwired to be connected to Another…In this way, every human being is on a quest for God; the problem is we don’t know that, and in our quest for stability, we attempt to stand on an endless catalog of God-replacements that end up sinking with us…

There is a Rock to be found. There is an inner rest to be experienced that’s deeper than conceptual understanding, human love, personal success, and accumulation of possessions. There is a rock that will give you rest even when all of the things have been taken away. That rock is Christ, and you were hardwired to find what you are seeking in him. In his grace, he won’t play hid-and-seek with you. In your weakness and weariness, cry out to him. He will find you, and he will be your rock.

He is the rock for which you are longing, he is the one who alone is able to give you the sense that all is well. And as you abandon your hope in the mirage rocks of this fallen world, and begin to hunger for the true rock, he will reach out, and place you on solid ground.”

Extreme Makeover part three

All of us want to feel good.  We want to feel good about life and we want to feel good about ourself.  Take me for instance, yesterday afternoon I felt great.  We had a great service at Smith River Baptist, we worshiped the Lord in music, spoke on the blessing of sharing the most liberating news to ever hit the planet and that's the gospel of Christ, did a skype video call to our missionaries in Chile and hear from one of our college students preparing for ministry on the mission field.  I got to be with my church family and have a church dinner together afterwards in the gym.. I was feeling good.  Then I came home, put on my Joe Montana no. 16 SF 49ers football jersey and got ready to watch them slay the NY Giants in a NFC championship title game.  Nope, didnt happen.  By the end of the night not only had the 49ers lost in the most ridiculous way, (2 fumbles on a punt return by the same player which put the Giants in field goal positions), but also I got crushed in xbox Madden football by a 10 year old boy from church, (Robby I want a rematch!!) and then I heard that the Oregon Ducks head football coach was going to leave in order to coach in the pros (which by monday morning he had refused) ..so, when I went to bed I wasn't feeling as good and joyful as I had felt a few hours before.  Although I was feeling good for Robby that he went to bed knowing he had taken down his Pastor  :) 

Now, I totally realize those are trivial reasons for not feeling good and I mention them only in a humurous way.  Because there are people who genuinely do not feel good about life and especially in regard to the context of this blog do they not feel good about themself.  They get up in the mornng, look in the mirror and do not like what they see and they set out to do something about it.  Thus their goal for the day is to feel better about themself.

What do you do when you want to feel better about yourself? Well, some people shop – “I’ve just got to buy something” they will say. For others, its eating or just the opposite - dieting. Everyone has something they do when they want to feel better. And for some people it’s trying to improve the way they look and how they dress and its not just women - it’s men as well. That’s why some men (and women) hit the gym and the weights, it is not just a health reason, they are doing something that will help them feel better about themself. But then their are others who go to an even more extreme idea in order to feel better. Their solution is getting a face lift, rhinoplasty, tummy tucks, liposuction, and Botox, But you know, when it’s all said and done you’re still stuck with the same you on the inside.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve your outward looks. But God has a purpose for your life and that is to have a real attractiveness and beauty that comes from within. It’s a beauty that the finest beautician, plastic surgeon and fitness gym can not give. And that beauty and makeover begins in the heart with who we really are. God wants to make us into a totally new person – with a new character, new attitudes and new actions and it all begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Then, as we get into the Word of God, and we let it work itself out in our life we will then begin to see amazing changes take place.

We will start feeling better about ourself when we see ourself thinking, acting and talking different. That is when a real makeover has taken place.

Extreme Makeovers part one

It seems that more and more people today are getting makeovers, and while it may make you feel better about yourself and give one a sense of confidence and self esteem, it still leaves you as the person you really are on the inside.  It doesn’t change the real you.  Only God can give an internal makeover that can bring real peace, patience, self-control, kindness and goodness in your life and all the while give you an inward beauty that will truly be an extreme makeover. 

It's a new week...so what

It is Monday morning a beautiful cool fall day on the northern coast of California. The shades to my office window are open, I am sitting here with my Mocha and thinking about the goodness of yesterday when we were able to be in Gods house with Gods people. But that was yesterday and here we are now at the start of a new day and a new week. However, have you asked yourself, “why do they call them new days and weeks?”. I mean really, doesn’t each day and week give us the opportunity to simply repeat the day and week before, (complete with all the previous mistakes and hardships)? We get out of bed and basically say. “here we go again” - same job, chores, homework, laundry, lawn to be mowed, bills paid, on and on, over and over. Then for some there is the house cleaning and we say, “didn’t I just clean that room last week?” And, for the person who worked the night shift or the one who lost sleep tending a sick child, the new day presents another whole list of difficult things to be tackled with a tired mind and body.

Well when we allow ourselves to focus on the weekly problems we have a tendency to lose sight of God.  We face the same difficult circumstances over and over, day after day, week after week. Then what happens is, we begin to let those difficulties become our focal point. And as a result, we find it ever more difficult to see God and realize He is present.  But God’s presence prevails everywhere and in everything. God inhabits the ordinary and transforms its character into extraordinary. Whatever our crises or celebration, our boredom or adventure, God is present. To find God sometimes requires a change in attitude of heart. Choosing not to concentrate on our problems but instead choosing and realizing God is ever present is the key.

Perhaps you are looking at this new week with a bit of pessimism. Perhaps you are expecting once again as you found out last week that every bump in the road seems to steer you off course. If so, realize God is with you, He is faithful, His mercies truly are new every morning. Woodrow Wilson said, “Without God the world would be a maze without a clue.” How true that is.

This is the day that the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it.

Stay focused on Him

Text messages, Facebook and Jesus

What a world of technology we live in today. The ways to connect with people is absolutely amazing. Now, I have not seen the movie, but I recall the line from the movie “He’s just not that into you” where Drew Barrymore says “I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work so I called him at home and then he e-mailed me to my Blackberry and so I texted to his cell and then he e-mailed me to my home account and the whole thing just got out of control. And I miss the days when you had one phone number and one answering machine and that one answering machine has one cassette tape and that one cassette tape either had a message from a guy or it didn't. And now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting” Yes things have changed that is for sure. So while there are in fact more ways to be rejected, there are so many ways to stay connected. And that we do, and we do it well. From facebook, myspace, youtube, text messages, skype, twitter, iphones, blackberry, and every other type of cell phone and device. Not only do we have these means of communication but we use them fervently, religiously. We text while we drive (though in some states it’s against the law), walk, watching TV, eating, working, and exercising. Facebook? Well that speaks for itself how often we are all on that. Cells phones are surgically attached to our bodies and people with a Bluetooth headset protruding from above their ear. The malls, airports and sidewalks are filled with people walking around as it would seem talking to themselves. Oh, how we communicate today. We put people on hold when our cell phone goes off. We check our ‘incoming messages’ while talking to someone personally, sitting in a meeting, or church. After all, we have to look at and answer all these messages and do so now. And what is amazing and sometimes rude is that it actually takes the priority over the person we are talking who is standing right there in front of us. The line we give is …“I gotta take this call”. I want to say, “wait a minute, I was here first”.

Now, I wonder what the Lord thinks about all this? Personally, I have no idea. But I do have an idea of what He thinks when he sees us put Him on hold. When He sees himself not having the same priority in our life like these devices we faithfully use and messages we frequently get. I wonder if He would say to us, “do MY WORDS have the same priority in your life as your text messages, facebook posts and incoming cell calls? ….You stop what you are doing, you excuse yourself from others, it’s the first thing you check in the morning – afternoon – and evening so that you can communicate with others, so…why do I not have that place in your life. Why are you so busy that you don’t have time for me? You communicate so well with others, please communicate with me and let me communicate with you.”

You see, I am not just writing a blog to you, I am writing what God is speaking to me about. God is saying, “Steve, you sure don’t have a problem finding time to check facebook so how about finding more time to spend time with me?....Steve, you like to stay connected with people, so how about staying connected with me. Steve, how about putting me at the top of your priority list too”

We are going through a series on crazy love at church that is based on Francis Chans book. One of the things that God is challenging me with is this realization that God wants me to pursue Him everyday. And the way I pursue Him is by connecting with Him everyday, keeping Him on my mind as I am on His ..every moment. See, as a Pastor and simply as a husband and a man, I find myself so drawn away by so many distractions. Yet, I seem to find the time for facebook, and text messages….don’t you?...Lord, help me to spend time with you… I want to stay in constant communication with you Lord…I need you, I need your wisdom and direction.. We might say, If the Lord would send me a text message I would take it and read it..well, you know He did, it is in His Word and our communication comes by taking the time to read it daily and spending time with Him in prayer.

See - We can get so busy that we put off the most important things in our life and the most necessary things. It happens me, and I know it can happen to you

Overcoming Disappointments

Everyone knows disappointment sooner or later. Friends break their word, marriages end in divorce, our children move away, colleagues betray us, the company lays us off, doctors, can’t cure us, our investments disappear, our dreams are shattered, the best-laid plans go astray, other Christians disappoint us, and very often, we disappoint ourselves. We live in a world of disappointment, and if we don’t come to grips with this truth, we are doomed to be unhappier tomorrow than we are today. John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the U.S. wrote in his diary: “My life has been spent in vain and idle aspirations”. We all want to do something, we all make certain assumptions and have expectations about life. But if those expectations are not met, we are disappointed. There is a strong correlation between good mental health and having assumptions that match reality. And there is a high correlation between misplaced assumptions and having a variety of emotional problems, including depression. Put simply, we are disappointed when things don’t go the way we thought they were going to go. Wrong expectations lead to disappointment, and disappointment leads to despair.

Now, with all that said. Don’t let your discouragement keep you from doing what you know you have to do in life. If you can’t follow the big plan, follow the small one. If you can’t see ten steps into the future, then take two or three steps. Or just take the next step in front of you. I posted on facebook last week this quote from John Maxwell. “The smallest act of obedience is better than the greatest intention” You know, he is right. Better to do a little than sit around dreaming about doing a lot. If you cannot obey God in some grand gesture, then obey Him in the small things of life. Do what you know needs to be done and do it for the glory of God.

God's Will

God’s will usually guides us into areas of life where we are gifted, have strengths, passions, and desires. If you are trying to figure God’s will out, start with these questions:

What am I gifted to do? What am I passionate about? What stresses me out? What breaks my heart? What motivates me to action? Where do I fit in? Where do I excel? What doesn’t feel like work to me? What does feel like work to me? What brings me peace? What do others see in me (strengths/weaknesses)? What do I think needs to be changed?

Imitators of God

God has blessed me with 5 grandchildren. I love watching them grow up and learn new things even if it is at times from afar. And the more I watch them I realize they are becoming more like their parents. I see little things they do that is just like their mother and father. The more they grow, the more they will imitate them  – as my children did with me and I with my parents.

Now my prayer as a Grandfather is that my sons and daughter and their spouses will live in such a way that my grandchildren will want to imitate those God like things they see in them. And, I might add, the godly qualities they see in their grandparents as well.

It has been said that people become like the people whom they admirer and spend time with. So if we are spending time with our children and they admire us, then they will become like us…so that means we better be spending time with the Lord and becoming more like Him-so that they ultimately become like Jesus.

One of the ways we can become imitators of God is to let the Lord Jesus live His life through us in the power of His Spirit. And, when you live by the power of the Holy Spirit He will open your eyes so that you can see yourself more clearly. The more your eyes are opened to yourself, you will become aware of the things in your life that are so not like Him.

Have you ever looked at a pond out in a field? You walk by it one day and the water seems clear, you walk by a day or so later and the pond is muddied or filled with debris. What happened? Well it started months before when leaves and twigs fell to the surface, floated for awhile then sank to the bottom and out of sight. Then something stirred the waters and all the debris rose to the surface once again reminding you just how unclean the pond really was. Well this is what happens in our life. We allow things to fall in on our life, hang around for awhile then settle to the bottom. Then we wonder what is wrong with us, why are we acting like we do? Well if we will allow the Holy Spirit to do His work, He will stir our hearts and brings to the surface of our life those areas that should not be there. We may not like what comes up and what we see. But if we will deal with them by confessing, repenting and turning from those things, we will begin to walk in such away where we ourselves are becoming imitators of God.

Because of Jesus

The Bible says that because Jesus Christ came at Christmas time, three things can be true in your life.  I want you to remember this as we enter 2011.  Because Jesus came at Christmas: First, my past can be forgiven.  Second, my present can be managed – why? because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Third, my future can be guaranteed.  When I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ it secures my eternity with Him. 

Who are you influencing today

Today my heart is full and full of praise for the Lord. Yesterday my daughterNlaw wrote on her blog about our granddaughter who is part of their church’s kids praise and worship team. Marty wrote about how she was so thrilled that Peyton loved Jesus and wanted to be part of something that gave worship to the Lord. Then a couple of weeks ago I read on Scotty’s facebook page about his desire to raise his children for the Lord. He stated how important it was not to be so concerned about their financial future, but their spiritual future. Then there is my daughter Kari who is just now beginning her parental experience in raising Addison and I know her and TJ will have the same spiritual desires for their children. Well, on this week approaching Fathers Day, my buttons are popping with pride for my three children and the impact they are making on their families and children. And while I know very well that the spiritual influences in my grandchildren’s life comes from many areas (which include both parents, both sets of grandparents, and their church) I still take spiritual pride in the direction my children are giving them as fathers and as a mother.

Now, as I was thinking about all this, my wife handed me a prayer letter from our missionary Dan Freeman. In his news letter he brought a very interesting fact about the influences in his life and that got me thinking about the influences of my life, my children and now my grandchildren.

In Dan Freemans newsletter he writes this:

“Many years ago, there was an unknown pastor that lead a young man to Christ. The young man’s name was Kimball and he became a Sunday school teacher. His walk with the Lord took him to a shoe store one day and he witnessed to a shoe salesman named Dwight L Moody and lead him to Christ. Moody became an evangelist that was used by God to influence a young man named Frederick Meyer. Meyer began preaching on college campuses and lead Wilbur Chapman to Christ. Chapman in turn influenced another young man Mordecai Hamm who became a great evangelist in his own right. Hamm would later lead Billy Graham to the Lord along with a young man named GB Vick who would be influenced by Hamm to go into the ministry. Vick became the Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Detroit and later was the first president of Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri (where I attended, along with Scotty for 2 years and Kari graduated from there). While in Detroit, Vick led a young man named Richard Freeman (Dan’s father) to the Lord and Freeman later became pastor of Ryan Road Baptist Church. “

And this is where I insert my story. Because years later Freeman would influence a young man who would get saved during his ministry, and surrender to full time ministry. That young man was me. I was saved and surrendered to the ministry under Richard Freeman.

So, I now have 3 children and 5 grandchildren that are being influenced for the cause of Christ from many directions and other family members. But it’s interesting to know as well that part of their lives have been directly affected by a spiritual family tree that goes back to a shoe salesman.  I doubt he had any idea of the impact he would make for Jesus Christ way back then.

You never know who you will impact for Jesus Christ…..so..what kind of influence and impact are you and I making today?

Love part 2

We live in an age that honors personal feelings above almost everything. We do what we want when we want because we feel like it. And if we don’t feel like it we don’t. But as I survey I Cor 13 of Gods Word I am struck by the complete absence of any stress on personal feelings. The kind of love spoken of there is seen, experienced and demonstrated. While it may start in a feeling of compassion or pity - it never ends there.

Gods Word gives us several elements of a love that should be evident in our lives. The first one is Patience - The Bible says ‘Love is patient’ and its not dealing with patience in difficult circumstances but rather patience with difficult people and that can be tough at times can't it?  But It also carries with it the idea of one who has the power to get even but chooses not to use that power.

As we think of ways to be patient, let me suggest that you start with someone you love. 

Love

You know we use the word ‘love’ so loosly that its really lost its meaning. We say we love America, love our car, love pizza, love our mate and love God all in the same breath. But In I Cor. 13 of Gods Word it talks about what real love is. What it looks like in the nitty-gritty of life. Whether it's toward our mate, children or just a friend. And true love that the Bible talks about is a love that is better seen than defined. It’s a love that is seen in our actions towards others.