One Person at a Time...

"Ask the Pastor" TODAY at 5:05 p.m. on WORD.FM

Had an e-mail from John Hall (of the John & Kathy show on 101.5 WORD.FM) last evening and was asked to come in this afternoon from 5:05-6:00 p.m. for a segment of "Ask the Pastor." If you have the opportunity, turn on your radio or listen on the computer! 

Less Than 24 Hours From Home!

What seemed like a long time away--22 days--has passed by so quickly that it is less than 24 hours until I will be back home in Cabot, and once again serving as a child of God, a husband of one wife, a dad of two daughters and the pastor of a great local body of Jesus Christ--the Lord willing of course.  I never presume that what I plan to happen WILL happen, but am grateful for the many times when it has, and for those occasions when it hasn't but God has provided something even better!  (For those times when it hasn't and what has happened seemed at the time to be worse, is another day's post!) The time away has been productive on many fronts--my daily times with God havebeen great; Emmy and I have invested many quality hours together; the week-long missions trip through Tapestries of Life was great; getting to know Quinn and Lisa Seamans has been a major blessing--their dedication to Jesus and to seeing "the children come home" at the TLM orphanage is inspiring; I've written drafts for six messages; and watched Men's Fraternity videos and Rick Warren/Crown Financial Ministries "Managing Money God's Way" video series and have been blessed and challenged by both; and I've gotten to "rest" in God in a way that hasn't happened in a long time.  Now, in less than 24 hours comes the test of God's transformation in me--continuing to live the life with all the obligations of the daily life God has given me.  I look forward to the challenge, because by God's grace I'm ready!

A "Formula" For Life!

One morning while I was running and praying, on the long, straight road that runs west out of Fabens, I was reflecting on how many changes were going on in my life at that very moment.  Then I realized that life is really an extended series of changes or transitions.  I started reflecting on the lives of biblical characters and how they responded (or failed to respond) to changes and transitions in their lives.  Suddenly, a "formula" came to my mind, a formula that I have no doubt reflects the truth of God as found in His word. Here it is:

Transition - Transformation = Death             Transition + Transformation = Abundant Life!

As we go through transitions in our lives, God intends to use them to transform us by His indwelling Holy Spirit.  That transformation yields the abundant life Jesus told us He came to bring in John 10:10.  As I reflected on Biblical characters that demonstrate this "formula" two Pharaohs came to mind. The first was the Pharaoh during the life time of Joseph.  You may remember that Pharaoh had a dream, which disturbed him and which no one could interpret.  Joseph was brought out of prison to interpret the dream, which he did.  He told the Pharaoh that his dream meant there would be seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine.  The Pharaoh faced a tremendous transition.  How wold he respond?  He allowed the news to transform him, put Joseph in charge of a grain storage program and the result was that not only Egypt, but surrounding nations including the family of Israel experienced LIFE during the seven years of famine.

Then there came a second Pharaoh who didn't remember what Joseph had done.  He forced the Israelites to become his slaves.  God heard the cries of the Israelites in their bondage and sent Moses to demand that the Pharaoh release the Israelites.  The Pharaoh faced a time of transition.  He would be losing hundreds of thousands of workers, but it was God who called Him to this change, this transition.  He said --- "No!"  which meant that he was not transformed.  In due time not only he but also his entire nation faced death instead of abundant life.  As you read through the Bible you see the reality of transition bringing the opportunity for tranformation repeated over and over again. What about our lives?  As we face transitions how do we respond?  The formula is true whether we want it to be or not.  That means when we face transitions, we must call out to God to fill and empower us with the Holy Spirit so He may transform us, then we will experience abundant life in and through the transition.  That doesn't mean we'll like it.  It doesn't mean everything will always be easy.  It DOES mean that whatever happens in our lives, God can use it -- and will use it if we give Him control -- to give us abundant, Christ-centered life!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation...

Remember those days when you were in school, and after summer vacation the teacher would have you write a brief essay titled "What I Did On My Summer Vacation!"?  (Am I dating myself as belonging to the prehistoric crowd?)  Anyway, here are some of the highlights of what I did during my first week in Fabens, Texas:

• Visited an orphanage in Anapra, Mexico, and saw twenty-four precious children whose lives suddenly have hope!
• Ate burritos at "Burritos Chavez" in Guadalupe, Mexico, and realized that you really can't judge a book by its cover or a store by it's outside appearance!
• Watched 10 Men's Fraternity vides in the "Winning at Work and Home" series that we will be using at New Life this fall, and was blown away by the wisdom and practical application offered by Robert Lewis in those videos!  I'm already a better husband, dad and worker just for watching them.
• Had a special night out with Emmy at Whataburger (our favorite place to eat in Texas!), and realized once again how great it is to be a husband and dad in a family where Jesus is first!
• RELAXED.  Really!  I realized that it had been a long time since I had a week with no real scheduled activities, so I "scheduled" renewing activities all week long, and none of them involved wheel barrows, mulch, trees, lawnmowers, etc....
• Read and re-read the Gospel of Mark a number of times.  Realized again that the life of Jesus (and His death and resurrection) IS truly the most amazing life ever lived, and reason enough for me to live in and for Him!
• Ate at WhataBurger again! 
• Took naps during the hottest part of the day, and appreciated the invention of air conditioning more than ever!
• Realized once again that God instituted the concept of Sabbath for US not for Him!

Life in the "slow" lane...

I've now been away from home for sixteen days, and away from blogging for nearly four months.  I've logged perhaps four posts in that time.  Why the dirth of posts?  It hasn't been for lack of "grist" for the "mill"!  Life has been going 90 miles per hour.  Until, sixteen days ago that is.  Emmy and I left for Fabens, Texas and Guadalupe Mexico then, with Emmy scheduled to serve on the Staff of Tapestries of Life Ministries for three weeks, and me "scheduled" to take a week of vacation, serve on the New Life Community and Family Mission Team for a week, and then close out the three weeks away with a week of study leave.  At the two thirds point through the three weeks, I've discovered something--or I should say I have RE-discovered something: God speaks more clearly when I slow down and focus on Him!  Actually, God speaks clearly ALL the time. It is when I slow down that I HEAR Him!  I've been running and praying throughout my time away, logging sixty miles and ten hours of prayer time during those runs.  Getting up at 5:05 each morning and then heading out for a run and prayer before it gets light and before it gets HOT, has SLOWED my life down tremendously!  During that 30 to 100 minutes of prayer time, God has spoken clearly and often.  I'll have a new "formula" to share in a future post that adds to the one with which New Life folks have become familiar:

      Information - Application = Information, but  Information +Application = Transformation

You may wonder why it is that if life has slowed down so much during the past sixteen days, that it took until the sixteenth day for a post to appear.  That would be a good question to ponder.  The answer to that question is that I have prayerfully been considering whether blogging is the best use of a portion of the twenty-four hours God gives us each day. After all, since I can't add to that finite number of twenty-four hours each day, I must consider how each of those hours (and even minutes) is invested.  After all, if I want to continue life in the "slow" lane--that is life with ample time for God each day when I return to Pennsylvania this Saturday afternoon, then I must be more intentional than ever about building "margin" into my life. 

This much I know:  When I return to Pennsylvania there won't be fewer challenges to guarding my daily time with God, but more.  There will be 24 hours in each day as there have been here.  The key will be to do what I've done here:  Keep God first; plan each day--remembering that all of us tend to overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can do in a year; and remember that in the end my having a healthy and growing relationship with Jesus will determine whether I have a healthy and growing relationship with my family and my church family, and whether Jesus can trust me with greater responsibility in every area of my life.

A few questions for you:  Are you putting Jesus FIRST each day?  Is your relationship with Him growing?  Is there enough time in each day to do what He wants you to do?  Are you DOING what He wants you to do?  Is there a SCHEDULED time of Sabbath (rest and renewal) in your life, ensuring that you have an hour each day, and a day each week resting and renewing yourself with the Lord?  God has been asking me those questions over the past sixteen days, and I've been finding that the more of them I can answer, "Yes!" the more like Jesus my life becomes, and as the New Testament reminds us from beginning to end that IS the goal of our time here after He becomes Savior and Lord of our lives!

Good Friday at Northway...

Since New Life didn't have a Good Friday service yesterday, Nancy, Emmy and I decided to go to Northway's Good Friday Service.  It was powerful!  They celebrated baptisms and the Lord's Supper during the service.  At first, I thought having baptisms was a little strange -- on Good Friday, but as Pastor Kent reminded us when we are baptized we are "buried" with Jesus, what better what to remember His death AND to remember that the moment Jesus died one of the miracles that took place is that many people who were dead CAME BACK TO LIFE!  Jesus death has been producing new life from the very moment it took place!  What an awesome and powerful reality!

"Good" Friday...

Every year as Good Friday approaches, I'm reminded of how strange it sounds to call the day "Good" Friday. From outward appearances, it was the worst day in human history!  Jesus, the one and only Son of the Living God, who had lived a PERFECT life here on earth was beaten and crucified.  God came into the world, and the world executed Him.  How is that "good"?  We know the answer.  Jesus' death on the cross, His innocent blood poured out, paid the penalty for our sin, and opened the door to eternal life.  Jesus' resurrection on Easter morning provided the proof that Jesus was (and IS!) who He claimed to be--the Messiah, the Son of God!  Good Friday makes Romans 8:28 real.  When the Apostle Paul wrote:  In all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, we need only turn to Jesus on the cross--ostensibly the WORST thing that ever happened, and see that profound truth of the statement.  If Jesus had not died on the cross, the way to heaven would be closed to us.  Since He died on the cross and rose from the dead, the door to eternal life stands wide open!  That is incredibly good news!  Yes, it is GOOD Friday, because through the amazing love and sacrifice of Jesus, each of us has the hope and promise of eternal life.  I pray that we will take time today to reflect on the day and THANK Jesus for His incredible sacrifice that we may have the life that is truly life each day!

Breaking the Fast...

This evening I will eat with my family for the first time since last Saturday evening.  I intended to make this week of fasting a "modified" fast in that I would eat some fruit for breakfast and some fruit and vegetables for dinner each night, but God had something else in mind.  Instead, I drank only water and a little juice each day.  Yesterday and today, I did add some almonds to give me a little energy, and I ate a banana yesterday, but I sensed that God wanted me relying on Him for strength, and while the week has had its ups and downs (as does every week!) from a standpoint of the events that took place, this was one of the most powerful weeks of my life from in the sense of God's strength being with me in my weakness.  I thought many times this week, particularly in the last several days as my physical strength became less, of how my strength truly is in the Lord.  A number of situations came up through the week that took me out of my "plan" for the week, and I didn't get several important things accomplished that I planned to do, but God used me in the unexpected events that took their place in powerful ways.  I don't mean to seem so nebulous, but sometimes pastors must be discreet, because ministry takes us into situations that are not for sharing with everyone.  God empowered me to offer counsel this week in several cases that I had not planned to be involved.  The challenge is to know when God is calling us to set aside our plans, which we have made in an effort to serve Him, and to participate in His greater plan.  It's a challenge because sometimes the "diversions" from our plans are just that--diversions.  At other times they are God's plan.  Discernment is necessary, and thankfully during times of fasting discernment typically grows, because we are more focused on God and His purposes in our lives.  I look forward to the meal with Nancy, Emmy and Emmy's friend, Rachel, this evening, but I have enjoyed feasting on God's strength in my time of fasting and weakness these past seven days.  I pray that for all of you who also fasted during this past week that God has worked in you in powerful ways as well!

Where Have I Been?

After getting off to a great start with regular posts in 2009, I haven't posted an entry since March 4--13 days ago!  How can that be?  No excuses.  Life has be coming at me fast--too fast.  So, I'm not going to try to fill in all the blanks form the past two weeks.  Here are some highlights:

• The Strategic Minsitry Planning Retreat in Colorado was amazing!  Had the opportunity to invest six months worth of staff meeting time with the staff, and we all got to know and understand each other at a deeper level than ever before.
• The Campus Development Plan (CDP) which includes the Master Site Plan, and the rough floor plans for Phase 1 & 2 of our Mission out post are complete!
• The move back to the Primary Center from the Auditorium has been tremendous!  Worship attendance has increased both Sundays, new guests have been finding us, and everyone I've talked to likes the brighter, more-fellowship friendly, more intimate atmosphere--AND it's warm!
• On a sad note, both Wendy Kovach and Bev Broskey's mom's have gone to be with the Lord in the past week or so.
• Lacrosse season has started, and both Emmy and I are learning a new sport!  The first scrimmage wasn't pretty, but Nancy appreciated that I didn't raise my voice even once concerning the officiating.  (Since I don't know ANY of the rules, for the time being ignorance is bliss!)
• The 10-100 prayer time is going great!  I"m a few hours behind on my goal of 100 hours of prayer for the month of March, but by the end of today I will have more than 50 hours of prayer time invested in the month of March so far!  God is doing an awesome work in those times!  I hope that those of you who made the 10 hour commitment are keeping up, too!
• The 40 Days of Commitment worship services and LIFE groups are making a major impact in my life, and I've been hearing some great stories of what God is doing in some of your lives, too!
• Life Management is becoming a blessing, and even though you wouldn't know it from the lack of posts, order is slowly coming to my whole life.  By the end of this week, there will be some margin in my calendar for the first time in --- EVER!
• God has been bringing new people who need Jesus across my path at a higher rate than usual, and giving me great opportunities to offer Him to them in words and actions!

There's a lot more, but that's enough for now!

Back to It Tomorrow!

After two days in Tampa, three days with Nancy at the Family Life Weekend to Remember and two days of vacation it's time to get back in the saddle tomorrow!  Actually, the two vacation days resembled planning days more than vacation, but God is doing so much cool stuff in my life, my marriage and New Life right now, that purposeful vacation is a great way to ease back into the flow.  A few of things to look for if you're a New Lifer:

• The 10-100 prayer challenge coming up March 1 (I'll let you in on what it is this Sunday!)
• 40 Days of Commitment starts this Sunday--so BE THERE!
• This Sunday's CLUB update will be more specific than any in a long time!
• New Life's going to be on the move--more on Sunday!
• New Life's Staff is going to be in Colorado May 2-6.  Come this Sunday and find out why!
• Are you catching my drift?  Sunday is going to be a big day--JOIN US!