Spiritual Reflections from the Third World

Dwelling

2011-08-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

As I was working today a familiar verse, Psalm 91:1, came to mind. It says, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty". I have read this verse many times, of course, but today my spirit was drawn to two words that I had not thought much about before, "dwells" and "shadow". What does it mean to "dwell" in the shelter of the Most High? The dictionary definition is, "to live or stay as a permanent resident". What better place to reside than in the God's shelter, and thereby rest in His shadow. In this place of shelter and rest I find my peace. Though the world around me is in turmoil I can have peace when I am in His shelter.

Saddened

2011-05-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

The news of the day (Osama bin Laden's assassination) and the reaction to it sit upon me like an anchor. I am grieved by the glee displayed not only by unbelievers, but also brothers and sisters in the faith. It has caused me to think, "How must the Father feel about this?" Of course, His heart must broken that one of His beloved sons has passed onto eternity without (presumably) receiving the gift of Jesus blood.

"He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9b

If we have hate in our hearts how are we any different than Osama? According to Scripture we have committed murder too.

Jesus said, "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" Luke 6:27

"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord." Romans 12:19

Brothers and sisters, our kingdom is not of this world! Osama bin Laden was just as much a beautiful creation of God as you or I. We have NO right to determine that someone else's life should end. Did this murder prove anything other than that we were out for vengeance? Who do you think won in this? Of course, the only one who won was the enemy of our souls. He must be absolutely giddy that not only was he able to claim a soul for himself, but supposed followers of Jesus are reveling in this outcome.

I do not swear allegiance to any earthly kingdom, but rather I am looking for heavenly kingdom. Don't say that I am ungrateful for the "freedoms" that I enjoy in this country. I am, but I would rather trade it all for a country filled with believers who are passionate for the kingdom of God, who are willing to suffer to the point of death for the name of Jesus.

A sinner saved by grace

Light & Salt ??

2011-04-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Two months ago I returned to a work environment that I had not been a part of for 6 years. I re-entered the world of a metal fabrication shop. This job change was brought on by necessity and is not expected to last much longer, but during my time there I have had time to reflect on what it means to be salt and light in a lost and dying world.

I knew before returning to the shop that it would be a bit of a shock to me because it had been so long since I had listened to the steady diet of profanity, vulgarity, and general roughness that goes on in that sort of workplace. However, as I have worked alongside these men who are lost and hurting I have become deeply ashamed of the witness that so many "Christians" that have come in contact with these men. I have heard countless times, "if that is what it means to be a Christian, no thanks!", or some other variation of this statement. Also, the word "hypocrite" has been used many times to describe believers who do not act in a Christ-like manner.

I have observed that much of this poor view of Christians is brought about by mistreatment at the hands of so-called believers. How sad that the lost cannot say, "Wow, he treated me with compassion! I see that Jesus has made a difference in my life."

This time has caused me to evaluate how I act and realize that I am being watched closely to see if I am just another "hypocrite". Do I treat the "slow guy" in the shop with compassion? Do I try to help him instead of joining in with the others in tearing him down? Do I make sure that I always speak with openness and honesty? Admittedly, I do not always hit the mark, but thankfully there is grace anew each day.

Pray for me that I might be salt and light, and that I might act with Christ's love.

Grief

2011-04-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 6th anniversary of Alaina's birth and Saturday will be 6 years since her passage to the Father's arms. I have been surprised in the 9 months since we have returned to the States from Nicaragua that there is still a lot of pain in my heart from our loss. I guess that I thought I had "dealt with all of that", but I believe that I had suppressed the pain to enable me to move on with the activities of life.

In any case, here we are remembering once again what was and what might have been. I find myself thinking of what it would be like to have a 6 year old girl in our family. I think of how painful it was to let her go. And I think of the bittersweetness of knowing that she is in everlasting joy with Abba Father. I suppose I am even a bit envious that she is there and I am still here struggling through life.

I know that this experience was for a purpose and I appreciate that I can now share in the pain that others around me are experiencing, but...

I miss you little blondie and can't wait to see you in heaven!

Te quiero mucho mi chelita linda! Se que estas en la presencia de nuestro Papa y espero estar contigo pronto!

Ugly materialism

2010-12-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

One of my big struggles during this time of "re-entry" into the reality of America today is to not be super-critical of the rampant materialism that surrounds us.

Entering this Christmas season has taken it to new levels.

I feel nauseous when I see everyone clambering to buy more stuff that don't need, bigger televisions, newer cars, new toys, more clothes, etc. The overwhelming advertising of more things is disgusting, and of course, we "must have" all of these things for our happiness.

Contrast this rush to spend money that most of us can't afford to spend on things that we do not need, with the condition of many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, and, perhaps, even here in our country.

Millions of people go hungry in the world each day while we indulge ourselves. Small groups of believers meet in the elements or rickety structures while we spend millions of dollars to make Taj Mahal-like structures so that we can "worship" in comfort. We insist that we need ridiculously large houses while many in the world would be happy to have a roof over their heads that would keep them dry.

One would expect this type of behavior from the unbeliever. After all, if I am not a follower of Christ what motivation do I have to care for my fellowman. I would expect to be as selfish as possible and spend all that I have on my own desires.

Sadly all this behavior that I have described is just as common among believers as non-believers. How is it possible that we live in luxury while many people in the world don't even have access to basic necessities?

Recently I began reading Ron Sider's "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience", which speaks of this subject with great clarity. He states that if the church would take tithing seriously there would statistically be enough extra money available to "solve" world hunger. Obviously an oversimplification, but the point being that we are so self-indulgent that we can't even give a full tithe.

However, as I pondered this more I realized that there is another problem with this logic. The assumption of Sider is that if we gave the tithe to the church it would be used to help our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Unfortunately I think that it is far more likely that we would simply surround ourselves with more opulent church buildings and other things that we convince ourselves we must have.

The early church should challenge us today in how we act toward each other. Acts 4:34-35 says, "There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

That, my friends is love for others, self-sacrificial love, putting the well-being of the needy ahead of my own comfort and security.

Humility

2010-11-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

Once again a long time has passed since I last wrote. A lot has happened in that time, and as always God continues to teach me things about myself. Some of them have not been easy or pleasant, but I know that He is always working to mold me into a useful vessel.

When we returned to the US from Nicaragua in July our plan was to spend 2 months here and go back to our home in Nicaragua. However, during the 2 month time period we were slowly convinced that we needed more time here to work on some unresolved issues. We also realized that we needed some time to rest.

One morning, as I was going about my work and wrestling with the decision to stay here longer than what we had planned, God made it very clear to me that to return to Nicaragua right away would be a foolish and selfish decision. We obviously needed time to rest, process, heal, seek restoration in relationships, etc. To place "ministry" above those needs would be detrimental to my families well-being and would not be God honoring.

Now this sounds like an easy decision, right? Well, for me it was not. I HATE to disappoint people! All of our friends in Nica are waiting for us to return. Our family and friends here are expecting us to go and follow this dream. How can we not go when we said that we would? God said, "Eat some humble pie and admit to everyone that you are not ready to go just yet". Ouch! I don't want to admit to anyone that my life is not perfect and that we don't have it all together. I don't want anyone to think that we are not going to follow through with what we said we would do. I don't want to change the plan.

This has been a hard, but freeing lesson for me. I have realized how often in the past I would continue on a course of action, to my or my families detriment, simply because it was expected of me and I didn't want anyone to say or think anything. That is a terrible place to live and I don't want to live there any longer.

Yes, it is hard to say that we are having to put our plans on hold for a year to seek some healing in our lives. But at the same time I know in my heart that it is the right thing and I am freed by walking in humility.

We will return to our beloved Nicaragua when we are ready. I hope that it is soon because I miss it so, but in the meantime I will wait patiently.

Jump off a cliff...

2010-06-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have written any kind of reflection and, frankly, I went through a sort of dry spell for a while where I felt like God was not saying much. Recently however the lid has been blown off of all of that and God is asking me to take some steps that feel like stepping off of a cliff.

Coming from my North American cultural upbringing I have it ingrained in me to never attempt something without first having a good idea of the outcome, especially when it comes to our finances. Living here in Nicaragua I have been constantly challenged to see the Nicas trusting God with their finances because they do not have the savings accounts, investments, etc. Their faith, when it comes to trusting God to provide for their physical needs, is in a whole different league from my own faith.

Why might it be that they trust God so much more to provide for their needs? Probably because they do not have all of the "safety nets" that we always have behind us in North America. We are always encouraged to "save for the rainy day" and buy insurance for every possible eventuality that we can imagine. When we have all of these things in place what do really need God for anyway? I always have my own means to resolve any problem that might present itself.

I have become fully convinced that until I take a leap of faith in regards to my finances, and stop relying "on my own understanding", I will NEVER grow in my faith. If I really believe that God will take care of me then I need to live that way and stop trying to set it up so that there is no room for him to work.

I know that God is calling us, as Abraham, to step out into the unknown. Admittedly, the "play it safe" side of me wants to resist this idea, but I am learning to give my fears to God and am excited to see what God has in store for us.

So if in the near future you hear that we are doing something that seems sort of crazy be sure that we have "jumped off the cliff" and are growing in our faith as we see God provide for us. It is an exciting prospect to give EVERY ASPECT of our lives over to our Loving Father.

Holiness

2010-04-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Over the course of the past year God has been convicting us to be more vigilant about what we read, watch and listen to. He has impressed on us that everything that enters our mind/spirit feeds us. This food can either be healthy, nurturing, up building food, or it is poison. There really is no middle ground. If something we are reading, watching, or listening to is not building and feeding our spirit it is poisoning us and many times opening doors for the enemy to work in our lives.

For many years we had been blind to this truth. Of course, we stayed away from the really obviously demonic, but we allowed the world and the lukewarm members of the body to convince us that there really was no danger. “That is a really good movie. What does it matter if there is nudity, infidelity, or graphic violence? I know that those things are wrong but watching them is not going to cause me to go out and do the same.” Or, “I’ve been working hard and I’m exhausted so I just want to relax and enjoy a show or a steamy romance novel. I don’t agree with the values that they portray, but there really is no harm.”

We would like to kid ourselves and think that we can partake of the things of the world and they will not affect us, but the Word tells us in I Corinthians 5:6b that, “… a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough”. Also, “… or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14b) If we are filling our spirits/minds with darkness there is no room for light. I John 1:5, 6 says, “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.”

Admittedly, it is often not easy, but we must die daily to our fleshly desires. I have been a fan of “The Simpsons” and “The Office” for a long time, but if I am really honest I would say that neither of those shows builds my spirit. To the contrary, they either blatantly or subtly portray violence, foul language, infidelity, sexual relations outside of marriage, and various other themes that are contrary to my beliefs and principles. If I spend time filling my mind with those things it is certain that I did not spend that time feeding my spirit, and it is also likely that I have opened doors for the enemy to build strongholds in my life.

The path to holy living is littered with temptations and detours. Sadly, it appears that most Christians today have given in to the deceitful lies of the enemy and instead of standing with each other against the devil we try to convince each other that there really is no harm in these activities.

A couple years ago I had the opportunity to spend the evening with a group of students from a prominent Mennonite College. After we had finished eating our dinner I was shocked and dismayed when almost the entire group (and the professor) went out onto the dance floor at the restaurant (when the restaurant was chosen we had no idea that there would be music and dancing in the evening) and joined the other patrons in an hour of gyrations. I ask myself, “What is the ultimate purpose of this type of dancing?” It is to provoke sexual excitement, period! The same goes for books with detailed descriptions of love scenes, movies with sex scenes, etc.

If we are taking part in these activities and filling our minds with garbage, how are we ANY different from the world? We are meant to be “light on a hill”. If we treat sex as casually and cheaply as the world, how will they know it is something beautiful, sacred and mysterious? The Bible tells us to keep the marriage bed pure and honorable. This cannot happen when we bring somebody else (images from a book or movie) into our marriage bed. How do we expect to have a pure and holy relationship with our spouse with these images in our minds?

In 2 Cor. 6:17 Paul quotes Is. 52:11 when he says, “Therefore come out from them and be separate.”

Dear friends, lets stand together and exhort each other to holy living. Let’s not be afraid to speak up and say, “I don’t think we should be watching this, listening to this, reading this, joking about this, or talking about this.” I distinctly remember a couple years ago when a brother wanted to share that his daughter appeared in a picture with a sports star, but he warned that on the same website it was possible to encounter some images of cheerleaders. I really appreciated his message to everyone (especially the men) that we need to be careful what type of images we are viewing. We need more of that type of courage to stand up for what is right.

I am praying for revival in the church, but if we want to hear God’s voice and see his power displayed in our lives we need to remove the darkness and not allow the devil a foothold in our lives. I imagine being able to meet with my brothers and sisters and share together (with as much excitement as we talk about sports) about what God’s been doing in our lives

Pray for me that I might be able to choose holiness and stand against the devil’s schemes.

Your brother in the fight.

The Battle

2010-04-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been reminded, again, that the enemy is relentless in his schemes to destroy us. The church that we had previously attended here is currently embroiled in problems with the pastor (again!). They are having serious marital issues and of course this is causing all kinds of stress and discouragement for the congregation.

As we have learned even more about the dysfunctional nature of marriages here in Nicaragua I have become more and more convinced that the enemy does not work in the same way in all parts of the world. It appears that here in Nicaragua he focuses on destroying the family unit and therefore destroy the message of Christ to a lost world. Infidelity is the norm, a sensual way of dress the custom, and lack of trust for one's spouse to be expected.

The solution is war! Out-and-out war in the heavenly realms. I have committed to come against the schemes of the devil. Enough apathy! It is time we realize that the fight that we have with our spouse, the disagreement in the church, or our clash with our co-worker is not really about a struggle with "flesh and blood", but rather is a fight in the spiritual realm.

What are we here for?

2010-02-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Psalm 82:3-4: Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

James 2:15-16: Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

James 4:2b-3: You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

These verses and countless others in the Old and New Testaments challenge my worldview and beliefs about money and my purpose here on earth. My number one purpose is for relationship with the Father. Judging by how many times the Bible talks about caring for the widows, orphans, poor, weak and oppressed I would have to say that these people groups are close to God's heart and should be high on my list of priorities. Accordingly, God has laid a burden on my heart for this sector of society.

Recently, through a variety of methods, God has been revealing to me that many of my (and societies) views of money and comfort are incredibly selfish and self-centered. James states it very well when he says that we ask to spend on our own desires. How true!

What do we do when we get that raise, Christmas bonus, tax refund, or inheritance? We go buy the nicer car, bigger house, new TV, new toy, etc. Recently I read that John Wesley determined early in life what amount of money he needed to live and promised that anything that he earned above that amount he would give away to the poor. When he made that pact he did not earn much more than the determined amount, but by the time of his death he was earning 50 times that amount and was giving all of the extra away. He also said that if he died with more than 10 British pounds in his possession he would consider that he had stolen that money from someone in need.

How about it? How often do we decide that our car isn't good enough, our house is too small or old, our clothes are out of style, or dare I say it, our church building is inadequate? Meanwhile, a majority of the world's population is living hand to mouth with barely enough food to survive or decent clothes to wear. In the communities where we work the houses are tiny and often made of sticks and mud with black plastic as a roof. One woman in particular, whose house is about 10' wide by 20' long is always welcoming people to sleep in her house. I know that at least on one occasion 14 people spent the night in that tiny house. How many of us think that our 3 bedroom homes are too small, when more than likely our living rooms are larger than this woman's house?

These recent revelations have challenged me to re-evaluate all of my desires and plans. I still struggle with knowing when to give, how to really help someone, and knowing what is excess. This will likely be a struggle for the rest of my life, but I am content to know that God is still working on me.

Passion

2009-11-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

As usual I really enjoyed worshipping together with other believers yesterday. The worship was quite powerful and the message very pointed. The brother spoke from I Corinthians where it says that when we meet together everyone should have something to share, and thus edify the body of Christ. However, he went a direction that I did not expect. He said that for that to be possible we must be spending that time investing in our relationship with God. If not, we will not have anything to share when we meet together. He went on to speak about the importance of our time spent with God, passion for God, reading the Word, and praying. This is an area where I have made progress in the last months, but still lack much in the way of discipline, especially when it comes to prayer. I have really enjoyed reading the Word; it has come alive for me.
As another preacher said recently, "If we don't have passion for God, we will not have passion for the lost." How true. It is very humbly to take an honest look at myself and realize where my passions lie. Too often I am more passionate about things other than my relationship with God. Where do put my energies and what do I spend my time thinking about?
Think about it!

Faith

2009-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

I think that, perhaps, in a previous blog I have written about faith, but it has been on my heart again recently, so here goes. It has been revealed to me, once again, that having faith and trusting God is an incredibly freeing thing. This has been on my mind as we look toward the future, after we end our term here with MCC in July 2010. My human, westernized, inclination is to try to “figure it all out”. What am I going to do, how are we going to make a living, etc. However, I have heard very clearly from the Lord, a couple of times, that he is asking me to trust him. The amazing part to me is that, instead of feeling more stressed about not knowing how things are going to work, I feel free. I know that He has an incredible plan for my life and I know that all the resources in the world are his. Why in the world would I have any reason to doubt that he will take care of us? I am excited to see what it is exactly that he has in store for us, but I am at peace waiting on his timing.

Que el Señor les bendiga grandemente!

Another lesson in rights

2009-11-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

Just when I think that I have a good perspective on the things that are "mine" God sends another test my way to see just how tightly I am holding onto my possessions. On Saturday, as I was enjoying an hour away eating breakfast with my lovely wife, the jeep was broken into and the radio and a set of sockets were stolen. This happened on a busy street with lots of foot traffic. I never even dreamed that something like that would happen in that location. Anyhow, as in the past when various other small things have been expropriated, I was challenged, once again, to realize that all of the "things" that I like to think are mine, are really God's things. I can quickly judge just how tightly I am holding onto those things by my reaction when I found out that they have been taken. Do I rejoice or am I infuriated that someone would dare to do such a thing? Well, I wouldn't say that I rejoiced, but am happy to say that I have found that I can have peace even in such circumstances.
Here is the rest of the story: We had parked almost directly in front of an internet cafe where a friend works. We went in and said hi then walked 50' down the street to eat. A bit later the friend looked out and saw that someone was in the jeep so he said, "hey, isn't this steve's jeep". The kid said that it was someone elses and so, since he didn't see us anywhere, our friend went back inside to work. We returned to the jeep a bit later and quickly realized what had happened. I started it up to leave and, being that the power wire for the now nonexistent radion was shorted out inside, melted all the wires together that went to the positive battery terminal. After a quick "farmer fix" another friend accompanied me to our favorite electrician and he had it all fixed up before lunch.
On a side note, when I bought the jeep the ignition was so worn that any key in the world would start it. It was on my list of things to fix until a couple weeks ago a friend came to work and said that he had a dream that the jeep was stolen. Within a couple days I went and had the ignition replaced. What would have happened if I had not had it replaced? Who knows, but I firmly believe that God speaks to us in many different ways.

The Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and give you peace."

Unknown destination

2009-10-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Every time that I reread "the faith chapter" (Hebrews 11) I am struck by the incredible faith represented in each of their lives.
I am excited, as I look ahead to the next chapter of our lives, to see where God is going to take us. It appears, at this point, that the physical location will be back in PA, but I am more interested in where He is going to take us spiritually. What opportunities are we going to have to minister to the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans, etc? I find a tremendous in knowing that if we follow him wherever He leads we cannot possibly go wrong.

Fear

2009-10-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been a long time since I have written anything, but this does not mean that God has not been doing anything in my life! Actually there have been a number of things going on, and I simply have not had the energy to try to put my thoughts together in coherent sentences.

God has been showing me recently how much of a problem fear is in my life. I have, for as long as I can remember, had trouble speaking up, making phone calls, going new places, meeting new people, etc. Recently we were listening to a tape of a message that we had heard a number of years back regarding "the Father's love". I was struck particularly by the verse from 1 John 4 that says, "Perfect love drives out all fear". In other words if I am comfortable with the Father's love I will not have any fear. If I know who I am in the Father, and realize deep in my heart, that He has made me just the way He wanted, and that He loves me just the way He has made me, I will not be bound by fear of man. I think I lay awake for a good part of that night repeating that verse over and over again, and basking in the peace and freedom that I felt with the realization that I do not need to live in fear of what others may think of me.
I am glad to say that since that night, a few weeks ago, I have been able to step out and do some things that I would have struggled to do before, and as I take those steps I enjoy an even greater release from fear.
I want to challenge you to honestly analyze your life to see whether fear may be keeping you from not only doing things that enjoy, but more importantly, keeping you from being obedient to God. Fight against that fear. Do not accept it! It is not from God! HE LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE! Why should you fear what ANYONE may think.

Blessings and Peace

Kingdoms

2009-08-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here in Nicaragua there is always some kind of real news happening, often involving the government, that probably does not get any coverage outside of this country. Honduras has made the international news recently with its political machinations, but what has been going on here is probably just as newsworthy.
Thinking about this, and whether it was worthwhile writing about some of these things so that family and friends in other parts of the world could be informed, I was struck by the thought that all of the kingdoms of this world are the same. They (politicians) are all in it for the power and the glory. Even if they enter the political arena with pure ambitions they soon give in to greed, corruption, and the lust for more power.
From the, now-deposed, would-be dictator in Honduras, to the current president/dictator her in Nicaragua, and even to our own infanticide-supporting president of the USA, none of them is really interested in justice.
Why did Jesus say that His kingdom is not of this world? He had little interest in what the earthly kingdoms were doing. He was, and still is, more interested in establishing a heavenly kingdom.
What should this tell us? The church should not be spending its time trying to build righteous earthly kingdoms, but rather focus its energy on the heavenly kingdom. Rather than attending political rallies and protests, and arguing over whether a pro-war president is better than a baby-killing president; we should be proclaiming Jesus Christ and His kingdom. And, yes, He did command us to pray for our leaders!

Update from life

2009-07-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

As you have probably noticed, I have not written anything in quite some time. Obviously, this is not because nothing has been happening in our lives. I have been up to my eyeballs in work for the past few weeks and, of course, the boys keep me hopping when I am at home.
Anyhow, I wanted to share a bit of some of the things that God has been lately. As I shared some time ago, we have decided not to return to the church that we had been attending previously. Not really relishing the prospect of looking for a new church home, we had been putting it off. Finally, this past Sunday my wonderful wife encouraged me that we should stop making excuses and go to the morning service of a church down the street. I had to admit to myself that all of the "good" reasons that I had for not going were really just excuses. So we went, and wow did it feel good to be back in a gathering of fellow believers to worship together and hear the Word. We (actually Colleen) noticed that, contrary to the norm in the churches here, there were quite a few couples and men in the church. Additionally, we enjoyed the message about the importance of being purposeful about the spiritual instruction of our children. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and will definitely return to the church.
I would like to share a bit more about the theme of marriages and families. We can see that the enemy loves to attack marriages and families. In our own lives he has been hard at work as well. I would like to say that he is never successful in his schemes, but that would not be true. However, I am happy to say that in the past weeks Our Loving Father has been at work revealing the lies of the enemy and restoring brokenness.
Our devotional for this morning was based on Psalm 50:21 "These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought I was just like you." The writer of the devotional challenges the readers to speak up in the face of sin because if we do not everyone will think that we approve of the behavior. At the end he asks if there is something that we could do to influence our sphere for Christ. Our answer was that we should support marriages and families. It is apparent that the church (universal) is not doing a good job of encouraging, admonishing, and supporting couples. Why else is divorce just as prevalent within the church as it is outside?
As I was working with a few fellows this week we were talking and in conversation the one Christian brother asked me a question that underscored the magnitude of the battle in this particular culture. "So, honestly, how many years have you been faithful to your wife?" Thankfully, by the grace of God I am able to answer that I have been faithful for the entire 9+ years that we have been married. How sad, that this seemed to surprise them. The enemy is hard at work here in that area and the strongholds are monumental. I believe that this is an area that the church needs to attack through prayer, more prayer, and more prayer.

Sorry for the rambling. I did not have my thoughts together very well.
One closing thought: If we really believe that God hears our prayers why do we not spend more time praying?

Pride and the Lord's Correction

2009-06-16T16:14:00.001-07:00

Sundays are usually the busiest days for beggars coming to the door asking for food. This past Sunday was no different. In the morning one boy came and in the afternoon a boy of about 10 came with his 2 little sisters.

First they asked for food and I was able to give them some leftovers that we had sitting around. As it was raining and a bit chilly, they asked for t-shirts for each of them. And finally they asked for some toys for a little brother at home.

I asked them where they lived and the boy said they lived in a plastic house (which means a tiny shack covered with black plastic). I asked them where their parents were and he replied that they don't have a father and that their mother is sick and doesn't work.

After they left I was congratulating myself on my generosity and just I was to have given them all that stuff. Suddenly the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "But that gallo pinto (beans and rice) that you gave them was not what it could have been. You could have added that bit of cheese that you have. And the bread and cookies were old and you were not going to eat them anyhow. You were never going to wear those 2 t-shirts and the 2 of Zach's were his oldest, most worn t-shirts. The toys were not very nice that you gave. How are you any different than Cain; who did not give an offering that was pleasing to God?"

My self-satisfaction was quickly revealed for what it was, pride rearing it's ugly head. It made me think how much I am like the rich Pharisees who want all to see them put their huge offering in the offering plate.

I thank God that He does not miss an opportunity to teach me more about myself. I am also thankful that He is slow to anger and abounding in love and grace.

Justice and Fasting

2009-06-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog last year you know that one of my favorite passages was (and still is) Micah 6:8. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I have spent a good bit of time thinking about justice and searching the Word for revelation about what it means to act justly. I still have many questions about what justice really means, but lately another scripture has been on my heart, and I would like to share some of my thoughts.

For many years I have enjoyed some of the passages in Isaiah, but it was not until recently, as I was thinking about the subject of fasting, that I discovered Isaiah 58. In my Bible the chapter is entitled "True Fasting", and the early verses talk about what a fast should not be. I like to begin reading at verse 6, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Some thoughts and observations:
We are told that this is the kind of fasting that God desires. However, reading on we do not see the "normal" fasting activities of abstinence from eating, and spending all day in prayer. Instead we are told to act with justice, help the needy, and set the oppressed free.
How, I ask myself, is this fasting? Perhaps because it means abstinence from our selfishness and apathy in the face of the needs around us.
In any case, there is something about this passage that speaks to my heart, as though to say, "This is what God wants you to do."

Recently I read a book entitled "A Seasick Doctor", about a doctor on one of the first Mercy Ships. I absolutely loved the book, not because it was an exciting tale, but rather because the calling of the doctor, to work with the poor and downtrodden, resonated with my heart.

I don't know yet what God has in store for us, but I am convinced that wherever He has us, we are called to minister to the poor, the needy, the sick, the orphans, the widows, and the oppressed.

Church difficulties

2009-06-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Being part of an assembled, cohesive body of believers has been an important part of our lives here in Nicaragua. We have, at times, felt fed, supported, challenged, and useful as part of a small Assembly of God church here in Matagalpa. We have had opportunities to contribute financially and serve alongside the members in the various ministries of the church.
Some of my personal growth has come by walking through difficult times with this church. We have seen the departure of two pastors due to corruption and greed. The upheaval during those times was draining, but God used them to show me that my peace cannot be based anywhere but in Him.
Just before we left for the States we began to feel with this third pastor that, as with the other two, there is a spirit of greed and a vision that does not place God above all else. It appears that he is only interested in having a big, beautiful church building, a large congregation, and overflowing coffers. Meanwhile, the hearts and spirits of the people are dying or being crushed by the pastor in his zeal to accomplish his mission of building another church (he has told us often that he has planted and grown at least 13 churches from nothing).
So that is the background. Now fast forward three months and we have returned. What do we do? Our hearts are not in returning to that church, even though our best friends are there. We do not feel that we can support the pastors vision and know that simply by being there we are seen as such.
Providentially, three days ago I took the same bus as a dear friend and brother in the Lord on the return trip from Managua (2 hours away). He is a leader in the church and has gone through much pain and turmoil through all of this. We were able to catch up on many subjects, and as we walked the few blocks from the bus stop to our house I finally found the courage to tell him that I wasn't sure we would be returning to the church. I thought that perhaps he would try to convince me otherwise, but was surprised when he said, "Jesus did not come to build a denomination, but to bring Salvation. It is not necessary to attend the "correct" church, but to worship God wherever we are." (paraphrased translation)
I have spent the last couple days mulling this over and thinking about what the Scriptures say on the subject. Hebrews 10:25 says: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...". Why exactly are we told that? So that we can exhort, correct and pray for each other. So if I accept the idea that we need to be part of a body; that leaves two options: return to the old church or find a different one. As much as I do not like looking for a new church home that is probably what we will do.
Please be in prayer that God would direct us in this journey.

Oh, have I mentioned how much I dislike the idea of denominations. Wouldn't it be so great to simply say that I am a member of the body (church) of Jesus Christ!

Reflecting on what is and what might have been

2009-04-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

This week we will be remembering the fourth anniversary of the birth and death of our daughter, Alaina. So I wanted to reflect a bit on what all of this has meant to us, but more specifically to me because not all of my experiences are exactly the same as Colleen’s have been.
This anniversary obviously brings back some painful and heartbreaking memories, but I can honestly say with joy and peace in my heart that I am able to reflect on her short life without feeling like the pain or grief is unbearable. In fact, I find that it is almost gone and I am able to think of her tiny features, her blond hair, and the time I spent with her as cherished memories rather than with bitterness or anguish.
I firmly believe that this healing would not have been possible without the peace that Jesus said he would leave with us, and the knowledge that her death was not the end, but rather is beginning. I can say this because I have seen others who have walked through this dark valley many years hence, and without the comfort of Jesus as their personal Savior they are at the same place emotionally that they were on the day that it happened.
I rejoice in being thoroughly and completely convinced that God knows what He is doing, and that He does indeed have a plan for my life. I often do not understand what He is doing, but the knowledge that He is in control is sufficient. At this stage of my life, and seeing through the “dark glass”, I believe that I have an idea what God’s plan may have been, though I would venture to say that 5-10 years down the road I may have a better, or different, understanding.
I would never have described myself as a cold, unfeeling, or uncaring person. Quite the opposite, I would have said that I cared about people. However, after the excruciating experience of losing a child, I now have a compassion for the hurting that I never could have imagined before. When someone relates a story of some injustice, a loss, or some other experience that is causing them pain I get this indescribable feeling in my chest, almost as if someone was reaching in and twisting my heart. It can almost be embarrassing at times because I find myself getting teary-eyed about other people’s pain, when the same story does not seem to have much, if any, effect on most of the people around me.
My challenge to myself is to act on these feelings by bringing words of encouragement, and/or providing some sort of physical aid, if necessary.
I thank God that He is Lord of all, and He will always do what is best for me, even when it hurts.

Giving up my "rights"

2009-03-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if I have written about this before (I apologize if I am being repetitious), but I felt today that I needed to reflect some on my “rights” and what God asks me to do in relation to my “rights”. Let me begin by saying that this subject is something that I heard a career missionary speak about, and it has caused me to evaluate my life. Instead of repeating what I heard I will attempt to reflect on my own life and struggles in this area.
As naturally selfish beings we are born with the belief that we have rights to many things. Additionally, our society, and even our very Bill of Rights, affirms that belief. We believe that we have rights to: various freedoms, long life, health, wealth, happiness, etc. Therefore, since we believe that we have these rights we often will fight for them or at least become indignant and angry when we feel that we are not being allowed to enjoy them. I, for one, struggle with anger when I see that the government is more and more infringing on my “right” to practice my faith.
Here, however, I would like to suggest that God wants us to give all of our “rights” up to Him. I submit that if we give all to Him we will receive more than we could imagine. Do not misunderstand, I am not suggesting that we give to Him in order to receive a blessing. For instance, if instead of clinging to our right to have affluence and never know need, we say to God, “I give up my right to a good paying job, job security, and the nice sum in my investment accounts” , the only blessing that we may receive is the “peace that passes understanding”. We cannot give up our rights with the expectation that we receive back even more, but instead give them up because they are not really ours in the first place, and knowing that God knows a whole lot better than we do how to take care of those issues.
I would imagine that Abraham felt like he had a right to keep Isaac for himself. After all he was his only son. How could God ask him to give up his right to his only son? How could God ask Gideon to give up the comfort and security of a large and well-armed army when heading into battle? How could God ask Joseph to give up his right to his good reputation and marry the unmarried and pregnant girl, Mary? In all of these cases, and many more in the Bible, God had a better plan in mind. Could we not suppose that the same thing is still true today?
Though I do not in any way claim to have arrived, I would like to say that when I have been able to give up my rights I have found that I have been overwhelmed with peace, knowing that I no longer needed to strive or worry about the situation. How much easier it is to trust that God will take care of me than to try with all of my might hang onto my “rights”.

Honoring those in authority

2009-03-03T08:11:00.001-08:00

I find these times to very challenging to me, not because of the “economic crisis” or because I am worried about my job or retirement account. Rather, I find it very difficult to see the direction that this country is taking, and at the same time “Submit myself for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men” (1 Peter 2:13). Now I have to put my money where my mouth is. During the past administration I often complained that I wished that instead of spewing hate-filled words against the leaders people would follow the Biblical mandate and pray for them. Now I find myself on the other side and it would be very easy to allow hate or anger to creep in when I see that the leaders are taking the country down a path toward increased immorality and death. I am challenged to pray for them that they could make wise decisions and that God could touch their hearts.
I am reminded again that I do not identify myself with an earthly kingdom (which rise and fall), but rather with a heavenly kingdom (which stands for eternity). When I dwell on these thoughts and promises I am able to be at peace in the midst of the troubles that surround us.

What I miss...

2009-03-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have written anything new, but I suppose that most of you know that the last weeks have been a bit hectic so you will have to excuse me.
Readjustment (even temporarily) to life in the States has at once been easy and also very difficult. It has been easy and enjoyable to be around family again and to be able to sit and have good conversations about life. However, I have found the blatant materialism to be excruciatingly difficult to come to terms with. A trip to the store is overwhelming because there is so much stuff for sale that one could very easily be convinced is quite necessary for life, but having spent the last year and one-half in a place where most of that stuff does not even exist, I would have to say that not only is it not essential much of it is completely unnecessary. Sure, there is materialism in Nicaragua, but it is such a different scale that it is hardly noticeable.
I find that I miss the sound and the cadence of the Spanish language, but much more I miss the warmth of the relationships that we have developed. As I read through 1 Peter this morning I read in 4:9 “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” I realize just how “far ahead” of us the Nicaraguans are on this front. An example: A couple weeks before we left for the States we stopped over at a friend’s house as it was getting towards dusk. The lady of the house (she was the one Colleen wanted to talk to) was not there, but her husband was. We explained what we were there for and that it would be short visit, but he invited us in and told us to be seated. He had been working on hooking the wiring up to his house so that he would have lights when it got dark. Now I don’t know about you, but if someone showed up at my house towards dark and I was working on hooking up the juice I would say, “I’m busy, this is important, I can’t talk right now”.
Being back here in the hustle and bustle (even though we are not doing either) makes me realize just how much I appreciate that about the Nicaraguan culture.

To Give or to Save?

2009-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

Throughout our time here in Nicaragua, and especially in the past few months, I have spent a lot of time thinking about saving money versus giving it away. I have come to the conclusion that there are two paths that I can go in this regard.

1.I can save/hoard the money that I receive so that if something happens, at any time in the future, I will have the means to take care of whatever the problem may be.

2.I can give my money away to those in need and trust/know that if/when we have a need in the future God will provide for us.

I have come to the conclusion that it is better to lean more toward the second option. I have found it to be a tremendous blessing to help the needy around us. I am reminded of the verse that says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And the other verse that talks about the beauty of the lilies, how they do not worry about a thing.

Ah, the Irony...

2009-01-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

Just the other day I wrote the blog entry about our lack of understanding of the power of the spirit realm. Well, here we are in a 3-day "spiritual" retreat with all of the Central American MCCers, and I am disturbed by what I have heard in the teaching session that I have attended.
The speakers have been brought in from Chiapas, Mexico to lead us through the retreat. One is a native Mexican and the other is a Swiss lady, pastor/theologian in the Reformed Swiss church background. Apparently the two of them have been working together for some time in Chiapas.
They are focusing on the Mayan Christian traditions and rituals, and are leading the group through various exercises. I assumed that they were coming from a "normal" evangelical viewpoint and felt that I was open to hear what they had to say. However, the alarm bells started to sound when they started to lead us through gymnastics to "gather the power from the earth and sky", and bring it inward. They proceeded to talk about getting in touch with the heart of "Mother Earth" and to understand that God is in all of creation (not that we can see who God is, but that He is actually in the animal, plant, etc.).
Meantime they had created a traditional Mayan altar in the center of the room with various colors of flowers and symbolic candles. They proceeded to explain the "paths" from one candle to another: red to black signifies God's life and death, white to yellow signifies something (can't remember) to corn/plenty, and there were two others that I cannot remember. The three paths form a traditional Mayan cross. In the middle they place a small clay pot with burning incense. Each person lights a small candle and offers him/herself to God, through the candle.
OK, this is as best I understood/remember it. However, as they continued to talk about all of these things I became more and more filled with the conviction that this was not of God, and so I left the room before they performed the incense part of the ritual.
I keep asking myself if I am over-blowing the whole thing, but I cannot shake the feeling that they are entering the realm of the occult, and it is not benign! I opened my Bible to 1 John 4 (funny, I had a marker there) and read: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
This experience is at the polar extreme of ignorance of the spirit realm, but I fear that the spirits with whom they are dealing are not of God.
If anyone is more knowledgeable on this subject or has some insight I would love to hear your thoughts.
More to come as I process this.

Prowling Like a Roaring Lion

2009-01-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

First of all, I have to insist that all of you (men especially, but women too) read a fantastic book called, Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge. He articulates so well some of the things that I have felt over the years and has helped me to understand myself and my role better. Anyhow, I say all of this because I am going to include an excerpt from the book to illustrate what I want to say.
It goes like this:

The invasion of France and the end of WWII actually began the night before the Allies hit the beaches of Normany, when the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were dropped behind enemy lines to cut off Hitler’s reinforcements. If you’ve seen The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan, you remember the dangers those paratroopers were facing. Alone or in small groups, they moved through the dead of night across a country they had never been to in order to fight an enemy they couldn’t see or predict. It was a moment of unparalleled bravery … and cowardice. For not every trooper played the man that fateful night. Sure, they jumped; but afterward, many hid. One group took cowardice to a new level.
Too many had hunkered down in hedgerows to await the dawn; a few had even gone to sleep. Pvt. Francis Palys of the 506th saw what was perhaps the worst dereliction of duty. He had gathered a squad near Vierville. Hearing “all kinds of noise and singing from a distance,” he and his men sneaked up on a farmhouse. In it was a mixed group from both American divisions. The paratroopers had found [liquor] in the cellar … and they were drunker than a bunch of hillbillies on a Saturday night wingding. Unbelievable. (D-Day)
Unbelievable indeed. These men knew they were at war, yet they refused to act like it. They lived in a dangerous denial – a denial that not only endangered them but countless others who depended on them to do their part. It is a perfect picture of the church in the West when it comes to spiritual warfare. During a recent church staff meeting, a friend of mine raised the suggestion that some of the difficulties they were facing might be the work of the Enemy. “What do you think?” he asked. “Well, I suppose that sort of thing does happen,” one of the other pastors replied. “In the Third World, perhaps, or maybe to thwart a major crusade. You know … places where cutting-edge ministry is going on.”
Incredible. What a self-indictment.

I think that this excerpt says it so well. The western church is asleep. We have swallowed the lie that the enemy is not really active. It is time that we wake up and start practicing some serious spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and the cosmic powers of this dark age.

Just Actions???

2008-12-28T13:25:00.001-08:00

Micah 6:8 says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

Time and again I return to this verse asking the question, "What does it mean to act justly?". If I am living a life of ease and know that there are people around me who are in need am I acting justly? Does it matter the reason for their poverty? This may sound like a strange question, but I will dare to say that there are people who are poor and in need because they don't want to do anything about it. Obviously this does not apply to all cases.

Ironically, I sometimes wonder if the work that we (NGOs) are doing here in Nicaragua is actually helping or if we are really just reinforcing their "look for a handout" mentality. How can I act justly in the face of countless needs and access to limited resources?

Here are a couple concrete examples that are troublesome for me.
Am I acting justly if I do not pay my housekeeper a "livable" wage, even if I am paying a better than typical salary for that type of work? How do I act justly when the drunk comes to my door looking for money or food?

I have had many conversations with a good Nicaraguan friend about "helping" the people, and he always says that when asked for help I should simply say that I don't have anything to give. I think, "Easy for you to say because it is true for you", but I know that he is simply trying to protect me from the "sponge" element of society. However, I cannot forget the verse that says that to whom much has been given much will be required. I have to think that even though I have very little money by US standards I have still been given much.

Recently we had a situation at church where a young lady asked for a loan for bus money to go visit her sick father. We do not know her well, but we have seen her regularly for the time we have been at the church, so wanting to "help", and not being able to honestly say that I did not have, I gave. Later, my friend asked why I had given her the money and warned me that she is not to be trusted. I protested that if there is a genuine need I feel that I am called to help. The catch is, how do I know if it is a genuine need? Of course, when the young lady showed up at church the next Sunday with her hair dyed I had to resist the temptation to be angry.

Did I act justly?

The Spirit Realm

2008-12-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

“The devil roams around like a roaring like, seeking whom he may devour.”
How true, yet we sure do not act like it.
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers of darkness”
By all appearances we do not believe this to be true. Many people in the 3rd world understand quite clearly the powers of the spirit realm, but the enemy has quite effectively convinced us that he is not really active. I beg to differ. He not only is active, but he is the cause of many of the problems that we simply accept as “part of life”.

Friendship, Transparency, Prayer

2008-12-07T12:19:00.002-08:00

“A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.”
As we have reflected on friendship recently we have come to realize that it is very difficult to find people who are willing to actually be friends; meaning people who are willing to take the time to care, to listen, to help, to be transparent, to share from their hearts, and to share in one’s struggles and victories. Culturally we are so accustomed to having acquaintances, but we have very few friends. How desperately most of us really need someone who cares, but how few of us actually have that someone. Our conversations are often so shallow, “How are you doing; how’s work going; what have you been up to; how are the kids; I’ll be praying for you; okay, take it easy”. As the author put it so beautifully in Wild at Heart (I will paraphrase), we walk away from that conversation and we don’t give a rip about that person. We only say those things because it is the Christian thing to say. How true. In our churches we really don’t want to hear about someone else’s problems. We simply are not interested.
I remember quite clearly one Sunday we were at a particular, unnamed, church, and during the Sunday school time a dear brother dared to speak up and share a struggle that he had as a father. He bared his heart in a way that is simply not heard, or frankly acceptable, in the church, and when he finished not a person in the room said a word (to my shame neither did I). He was left in embarrassed silence, as though somehow he was the only person in the room who ever struggled with anything of the sort. The message to him was quite clear, “Don’t ever share anything like that again. We simply do not want to hear it”.
This experience, among many others, has reinforced my belief that church as we know it does not work. The only place that we have ever felt free to really drop our masks has been in a couple of small groups that we have been a part of where we were all willing to be transparent together. We were able to bear each others’ burdens, lay on hands and pray for healing or freedom from demonic oppression, share our joys and sorrows, exhort each other, admonish, and praise God together. Frankly, the most beautiful and supportive time in my Christian walk has been with those groups. Those people, even with all of their flaws, have been some of the best friends and most supportive brothers and sisters that I have ever had.
In place of the chit-chat at church I would love to hear people excitedly sharing what God is doing in their lives, what He has shown them in His word, or what miraculous and marvelous thing He has done. On a trip recently, we had the privilege of meeting another young married couple, and in the few hours that we had to together we were able to share, with excitement, what God is doing in our and their lives. They were perfect strangers, but it was one of the most fulfilling and stimulating conversations that I have had in recent history. Why? Because it is thrilling to talk about the power of God and what we believe it means to really serve Him.
To refer back to a phrase that I mentioned earlier, “I’ll be praying for you”, I would venture to say that this is the most commonly told lie in the church and amongst Christians. I have told it too, many times. We say it because we think that it is what a good Christian should say, and it is what we should do. However, how many of us walk away from that conversation and never think about it again, or if we do happen to think about it we quickly say, “Lord, please help Joe”. There I’ve done my duty. What nonsense! There are two reasons I believe that we act this way.
1. We simply do not care enough about our brothers and sisters to take them to the Lord in prayer.
2. More importantly, we don’t believe that God listens to our prayers and/or will do anything. By looking at the life of most Christians today one would come to the conclusion that we have the wimpiest and weakest god that could possibly exist. Is it blasphemous to say that, I think not? Look at how we act and how we pray; when we pray we don’t really expect God to act, and we never pray for God to do things that are impossible.
I love the account that one of my former co-workers told me a couple years ago. Sorry Steve if I don’t get it quite right, but it is a great account, so here goes. This fellow was commuting 1 hour each way to and from work, and the heater/defroster ceased to work in the car. This became a problem as winter came on in Pennsylvania. He was forced to drive with the windows down so that the windshield would not frost up, and even bundled up he would arrive at work quite chilled. With a young family he did not have the money to have the care repaired so he continued on this way for a time. However, one day his pastor learned of the problem and said, “This is crazy, this cannot be”, and laid hands on the car and prayed. From that day on the heater worked again.
Why does this seem so incredible to us? Why do we always search for the most logical physical solution to a problem when we have the Almighty, All-powerful God just waiting for us to ask? Didn’t Jesus say that we will do even greater things than He did? I am forced to believe that we don’t really believe that God is all-powerful.
However, I have resolved that I am going to start acting, and asking, like I really believe. Why should I accept that my son is lactose intolerant? That is certainly not God’s plan. Why should I tolerate allergies and act like there is no recourse, other than medications? Do I believe that God is powerful enough to bring healing to any sickness? I am excited to see the miracles that God is going to perform. Just last evening (Sunday) Zach and I went to the church service, and left Nathaniel and Colleen at home because he was suffering from a cold (as are many other children). It struck me during the service that I should ask for healing and expect to see results. So that is just what I did, and when I arrived home that is exactly what Colleen told me. He had woken up from his nap grouchy, but had begun acting differently part way through the evening (about the time that I was praying). Now before you say that the cold had just run its course let me assure that that is not the case. It had only begun 24 hours earlier, and you all know that a cold never runs its course in 24 hours. I rest my case.
Don’t think that I am boasting; that is not the case at all. I am simply illustrating the weakness of our faith (mine included), and the lack of strength in our prayers and our faith. God delights in giving good gifts to His children. We need to step up, believe, ask, expect, and receive with thanksgiving.
Also, we need to resist the enemy and cast him out, but that is for another day…

Knowledge vs. Relationship

2008-12-07T12:19:00.001-08:00

Something that has bothered me for some years is the belief and custom in the church of requiring that a pastor have a seminary education. As a friend of mine aptly put it some years ago, “seminary would be better called a cemetery”. In other words, it is the place where love and passion for God is replaced by alleged knowledge about God and scrutiny of His word. Love for God is replaced by man’s wisdom. 1 Corinthians 8:1b-3 says, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.”
I do not read that the apostles and early church leaders were the most educated men of their time, but God used them to proclaim His word. Likewise, some of the best and most powerful preaching that I have ever heard has been from men of little education, but who have a heart for the Lord. On the other hand, I have heard many teachings/sermons from seminary educated men who can speak at length about God and His word, but the love and passion for God has been killed by too much study and knowledge about God.

Praying with Power

2008-12-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

WE DO NOT PRAY IN POWER. That is the conclusion that I have come to recently. When we pray and ask for something we do not really believe that God is going to do anything. We pray for people out of a sense of obligation, not because we expect to see something happen. We need to begin praying and expecting that God is going to work a miracle in whatever the situation may be.

Empty Christianity

2008-12-07T12:14:00.001-08:00

2 Timothy 3:1-5 says, 1“But mark this: There will terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
Sadly, this is the state of modern Christianity in the developed world today. The lie of the enemy has been swallowed by the church. The truth of God has been exchanged for a lie. The lie is that there is no absolute truth, everything is relative and situational. Here are a few examples:
1. Abortion: Incredibly there are many, many Christians today who, at best, are noncommittal, and, at worst, are blatantly for the killing of the most vulnerable among us. Satan has convinced many of us that the “rights” of the mother are more important than the life of the baby. How terrible it is that we condone the taking of any human life because it may cause some inconvenience. Many Christians are celebrating the recent victory of president-elect Obama, but are somehow indifferent to the fact that he is for the free and liberal slaughter of the unborn. How is it possible that we have been so browbeaten by the world that we are not willing to stand up and say that abortion is, without exception, wrong?
2. Sexual perversion and homosexuality: Once again the church has been cowed by the world into a position of silence on this issue. Or in some cases, the church is supportive of this abomination, on which the Bible is quite clear.
3. Divorce: Jesus said that Moses gave the children of Israel divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. However, the New Testament is quite clear that divorce, and especially remarriage is wrong. Why then are our churches full of divorcees? Why do we never hear any teaching on this issue? Because we have bought the lie that God’s word does not really say that it is wrong.
In all these issues and more it is time that the church speak up and not be intimidated by the hate-mongers of the world that would try to tell us that we dare not say that anything is wrong. Jesus did not walk around trying to be liked by the people. He was never afraid to speak the truth, even when he knew that it would lead to his death. We must do the same.
Our churches are full of people who have knowledge about God, but have no relationship with God. Faith has become meaningless because it does not make any difference in our lives. We say that we believe in an all-powerful God, but we live as though He can’t do anything. We do not pray in power, we are afraid to speak His name and the truth of His word. We are content to go to the church building on a Sunday morning to hang out and talk about our lives, and perhaps mention God a couple times. Our churches have become social clubs, a place to go to see some “friends”, but the power is God is not present. We are not willing to be transparent about our struggles, our doubts, or our fears. And if we dare to speak from our heart we are looked at strangely and the conversation moves on to something else.
I will try a bit of transparency here and you see how it makes you feel. I too, have spent many years going to church on Sunday, purportedly to worship God, but if I am going to brutally honest with myself and you, I went for the chit-chat and the hang-out time. I went to make myself feel good by saying “hey” to some acquaintances, but I was rarely, if ever, challenged to walk in closer relationship with God. I dare say that this is the case for the majority of people that fill our churches on a Sunday morning. Think about what is the subject of most conversations at the church: how you are doing, what you are going to do that week, the weather, your work, your kids, etc. Do you ever talk, excitedly, about what God is doing in your life? How about what new revelation you have had from His word? Or how about some miracle you have seen?
As Paul said in Timothy, “having a form of Godliness, but denying its power”. I will dare to say that this has been my Christian walk for many years. My faith was something that made me feel good about myself, but I never walked in the power of God. This is evident in a couple ways.
1. I have always been afraid to speak up when someone, especially a Christian, would say something that I know is in direct contradiction to the word of God.
2. I have not really believed that God is an all-powerful God. I will relate a part of our lives that speaks to this lack of faith and also speaks to the earlier abortion issue.
Some of you know something about the rough times that we went through 3-1/2 years ago. First, we lost our 2-day old daughter, and a few months later we found out that we were expecting another baby. We were told by the best doctors that we needed to abort the baby because there was no way that he could survive because of his position in the uterus and that it was likely that Colleen would die in the process. So we, not knowing what else to do, terminated the pregnancy at an early stage, and comforted ourselves by saying that there was no alternative. This was one of the cases of “the mother’s life at risk”. However, looking back, with some new revelation of who God is, I realize two things:
1. We asked for the advice and counsel of the best earthly doctors, but we never asked the “Great Physician” to work in the situation. This, of course, was because I did not really believe that he was able to do anything.
2. I had no right to decide that it was okay to end one life because of my fear of what might happen.
Thankfully, I serve a merciful and forgiving God, and I know that He forgives me for wrong choices and lack of faith. However, I am now challenged by my new-found revelation of the Father, God to step out in faith and believe that He will work.
So I challenge you to examine yourself and your relationship with God. Do you really have a relationship with Him or is your faith simply convenient and nice? Are the activities that you are doing, especially at church and as a church, really of eternal value, or are they simply a substitute for a relationship with Him?

Walking in the Light and the "Modern" Church

2008-12-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Walking in the light (I John 1:5-7): “God is light; in him 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, purfifies us from all sin.”
This reminds of the eye-opening message that we heard from Jack Frost several years ago at Life Center. Our enemy loves the darkness, and never operates in the “light”. He loses his power over us when we confess our sins and bring them into the light, but as long as we walk in the darkness he will continue to have power over our lives. Not only will the sin still have power over us, but the enemy will also bring guilt because of the sin. We need not live this way because Christ has died for our sins. “There is therefore no condemnation to those are in Christ Jesus…” The guilt is another lie of the devil to try to make us believe that we are not free from the old self.
So what should this look like in the church? TRANSPARENCY. We need to begin sharing with each other instead of all walking around acting like we have it all together. The church is filled with actors and phonies. The enemy has convinced us that everyone else has it together and that we are the only ones who struggle. Therefore, we feel like we cannot share our struggles. Also, it is a lie from the devil that we can live independently. To share from one of our experiences; we have been part of various ‘small groups’ over the years, but one experience stands out vividly. We were trying to foster a deeper level of sharing in a group and had shared some of the struggles that we battle. When we finished sharing we asked if there were others who would like to share. One of the other members spoke up and said, “We don’t really have any problems to share”. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is one of the major problems in the church, we do not share with each other, and therefore the enemy continues to have power over our lives.
This leads into one of my other themes that I have been mulling for some time, the paradigm of the modern church. In my view it is broken, and needs to be completely replaced with an old paradigm, the model of the early church. I have been studying the workings of the early church throughout the NT and I don’t read anything about huge edifices, endless activities, and countless committees. Instead I read about small groups of believers gathering in their homes, sharing from their lives, breaking bread together, encouraging each other, laying on hands and praying for each other, preaching from the Word, exhorting and admonishing each other.
There are several things that I think are fantastic about this model.
1. The small groups allow for intimacy and transparency. They also give space for each member to grow in his/her gifts and use those gifts to edify the body.
2. There is no need for a giant, expensive church building. An incredible amount of money is wasted in church buildings; money that could be put to a better use. Perhaps a building could be rented to meet together corporately once or twice a month.