Urban Legends

In a Hurry to Nowhere

2011-03-24T05:52:00.002-06:00

I have a family member that is always in a hurry but has no where to go. She is retired, doesn't have to go anywhere and yet she is always rushing us to the next thing. She will be chewing food as she is washing dishes, never finishes her meal at the table. I'm not that different, it seems like I have a habit of rushing through things for the next "adrenaline rush". I have become an expert at short conversations, I know how to cut conversations . . .you know - never ask deep questions unless I'm counseling someone. As a pastor, I perfected the art on Sunday morning, "how are you? Great . . . I have to go to the next service, great seeing you". I use to hate that part of Sunday mornings in a large church, the superficial pastoring of hundreds, the permission to care from a distance, the forcing of relationship only when absolutely necessary. The burden of relationship was on the parishioner not the pastor, they were to call the church if they were in trouble but otherwise, I have tons to do, lots of programs to run. Eugene Peterson says, "Impatience, the refusal to endure is to pastoral character what strip mining is to land - greedy rape of what can be gotten at the least cost . . ."

Its been a relief not not do that every Sunday now but my strategies to avoid "caring" continues, my ambition to succeed overtakes my heart for relationships.

Its interesting that in my 20s, I valued relationships way above anything else. Then ambition for ministry success took over as I "matured". Balance is something I speak about but struggle to actually do. Lord, give me balance . . . help me love you and people more than the task.

Lent, the Garden and Life

2011-03-15T08:48:00.004-06:00

Lent and Easter are great times to get back in tune with Him. I like Spring and seasons of life, they bring change, newness and freshness to a crazy life.

The time of Lent is one that I began taking seriously a few years ago. It has become a yearly ritual of getting up early to read the bible, read devotionals and pray. Last year it was amazing but as soon as Easter Monday hit, I went back to my old ways of undisciplined devotions. Honestly, I was burned out. I spent about two hours reading, journaling and blogging. It was too much for my status of life. I should have cut out the blogging. Blogging can seem so self-focused and so here I am doing it again. No, not this Lent. I will only blog once a week but try to focus internally, not externally.

I started working hard on my garden, planted sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, cantolope, squash, cilantro, Serrano peppers, basil and broccoli. Who plants broccoli? Gardening is really hard work, so much preparation of the soil and garden before you even begin to plant. My biggest challenge was to plant early not late. This year I accomplished it. There are so many analogies to life in gardening, planting seeds, weeding, bearing fruit, etc . . . more on that later but I want to focus on one, "seeds". I think of the words of Jesus, "you reap what you sow". From attitudes, words and actions there is always reap time.

Reap Time: The father who is upset that the kids won't talk to him but he sowed anger, distance and independence; the lonely girl that is perplexed on why others don't want to be in her life after years of selfish, self-centered living. The person that can't understand why God won't answer his prayers yet he is the ruler of their own life, never submitting to God's plan. . .
we will reap what we sow.

God help me sow good seeds in good ground in my family, my work and my relationships.

Day Nine - Final Day in Peru - Awesome!

2010-08-12T11:28:00.014-05:00

Its bitter sweet to wake up knowing it will be your last day on a mission trip. For me its been three years since I have traveled abroad for a trip, so I will savor it. One year I traveled to Kenya, Peru, Ethiopia and Mexico; children bring so much joy but really help ground us at home. I miss Micah and Bailey dearly. Being at the orphanage brought a flood of emotions, I pray that a godly spirit of adoption will grow here and around the world.

After bringing our luggage downstairs, we walked to the Maranatha church in Cusco. Since it was a service in Quechua, the preaching had to be done in Spanish and therefore left me to do the preaching. The Quechua service was packed even though it starts at 8:30 AM and the cool thing is that the majority of attenders are young families though there is plenty of diversity. This is my sixth trip to Peru but the first time my sermon was translated in Quechua. The church was so responsive and passionate about worship. The team really enjoyed the worship and experience. See pic on left and click on video here. The pastor made and invitation and four young men came forward for prayer as they trusted in Christ that morning. It was amazing!

After the service we rushed to the airport to fly to Lima. We boarded the plane but there was a major problem, the plane was too heavy. They kept asking for volunteers to take the next flight and they could not get enough. The TACA flight attendant began picking on me . . .not sure why. She kept pleading with me to get off and they would give me a voucher for another flight plus put me on the next flight. I was open to it but told her about my previous commitment to preach at a church in Lima at 5 pm but she insisted. The plane could not leave and we were stuck. Finally they had a few more volunteers and the plane left an hour early. Not sure why she chose me . . . maybe my scary terrorist face is softening . . . nope. We arrived an hour later than expected.

The team shopped but I went to Emmanuel Church (click for website) in Lima. Its one of my favorite churches in Peru, I have preached there before and I was asked to preach at their 5 PM service. Our host David Quispirocca (see pick on left) is a pastor there. It was packed again, they have six services on Sunday and it is always full. I preached on John 4 and focused on how God chooses anyone he wants to serve. I called on them to get out of their comfort and launch forward to serve Him. As I asked for those that needed prayer for strength to serve to come forward for prayer, the stage was so crowded that we could not pray for them individually, I had to pray for the whole group and then send them back to their seats. David asked for those that trusted Christ to come forward after the stage was cleared and about six people came forward, they were prayed for and helped.
Another cool thing was that Anthony Diliberto (current LCMS missionary in Peru) was able to attend and sit with us. He will be working with Mark and Sandi Eisold in Lima.
(Pic on left: my friends: David, Mary, Jorge, Jonathan and Juana plus boys)
Our team and our Peruvian hosts ate our last dinner together. We exchanged toasts, thanks, gifts and great food. It was a great day, great mission and great trip!

After a six hour flight to Miami, damaged luggage - thanks American Airlines and a three hour flight to Dallas, we made it home on Monday afternoon. It was AWESOME to hug, hold, kiss and talk to Bailey and Micah. Micah kept grabbing my cheeks and kissing me. Thank you Lord that we are home safe and to our children - one of my constant prayers.

This is my last blog on Peru. We managed to be away from the kids for 10 days. My sister and all our family did an amazing job take care of our kids . . . huge thanks. I also thank those that financially supported the mission . . .last but not least I thank our team that was just amazing. To our future Peruvian Missionaries Mark and Sandi Eisold; Pastors: James and Martha Rockey - Florida, John and Cindy Dawson - Ohio, Kirk and Tina Miller - Colorado. I also thank POP Carrollton for collaborating with us in Lima - Go Rosaline and PLI for sending us on this mission - Thanks Steve and Rita!
I especially thank my dear wife and partner with whom I am more than privileged to serve on so many adventures around the world and at home!

GLORIA A DIOS!

Picture here is Cindy and John Dawson, Sandy Eisold and Tina Miller at over 13,000 feet range.

Day Eight Part Two - "We were terrorized by the Floods"

2010-08-12T08:26:00.010-05:00

I remember the floods in Peru last January, we prayed and I asked others to pray for those in Cusco. We had already planned to go to Cusco so this was going to add to our list of opportunities to help.
We drove to the worst area outside of Cusco, house after house was turned into rubble. Most of the houses are made of adobe and straw, . . adobe tends to give to standing water.
The team spread out to minister to as many as possible.
Jen, Jorge (Pastor of Cusco Maranatha Church) and I approached two ladies sitting outside their plastic homes. I asked them what happened. The elderly lady spoke with such humility and sadness, she said, "The floods came in the middle of the night, we weren't warned or prepared. We all thought the waters would go down, instead they came up at night and we are lucky to be alive." She then began crying, it was more of a quiet weep. She said, "We were terrorized. We can't sleep well at night, keep dreaming about it happening again."
The have been living in these refugee plastic homes. Basically its four poles that are wrapped with heavy plastic. "USAID" is all over them (see pic below), it felt good to know that the US was involved in helping at some point. . . but it is now seven months and the people still live in these shelters that are not very good. Its freezing cold at night and burning in the day as plastic exaggerates temperatures to the extreme. You never hear about the Peru refugees anymore on the news. We are moved by current disasters but soon forget those left behind without any help.

We were moved to pray with them and give them bibles. Jen then grabbed two blankets that we brought from our home and wrapped them around the two ladies. They were moved to tears again and thanked us over and over again. They were so gracious, so grateful and so hurt. Jorge's church had already delivered over 1 ton of supplies and more was coming. When is the government going to allow them to rebuild? Who knows but they need help soon. O Lord, please provide a way for these people to find safe shelter.
It was awesome to do this with Jen and the other sick members of our team. Thank You Lord that they are feeling better.

Next Stop: Orphanage in Cusco
We have always visited orphanages in almost every country where we do missions. Its always a painful and joyful experience to see the children. This was no exception. We were moved by this kids, so loving and happy in this new family. Most of them were abandoned or abused and the government placed them here. This orphanage is run by American missionaries (See pic on lefso the conditions (by our standards) were much better than other ones we have seen. The children looked happy, cared for and secure. We were impressed with the work they are doing with these children. They are currently building a new orphanage in the jungle and will move there once complete. Of course funds are short so we hope to help somehow. The cool thing is that most of these kids go to the school run by David's sister Mary, the one we painted and taught parents. Both ministries collaborate together to help the orphans, its awesome.
We sand happy birthday to two orphans and I pulled out my old trick - Animal Balloons. At first it was just me but soon the Peruvians swarmed me to help make the giraffes and small dogs. I am really good at making those, any other animal I try to make looks more like your lower intestine than an animal. The kids loved them and so did the adults. Jen again was the last one to leave, she loves orphans and her heart is so moved by them. She makes friends quick and ends up hurting so much for them.

We left home exhausted but satisfied after a very long day in the mountains with the Quechua youth, the flood refugees and the orphans of Cusco.

Pic on left is Pastor Mark Eisold giving balloons to orphans. He and his wife Sandi are moving to Lima Peru in December as LCMS missionaries. They are dear friends and we were so excited to introduce them to Peru and our friends in Peru. Pleased pray for them and support their awesome work in Peru.

Tomorrow is our last day in Cusco as we fly to Lima and Miami! I love what we are doing but I really miss my kids. I can't wait to get home.

Day Eight - Andean Quechua and I ate Alpaca cooked in the ground!

2010-08-10T15:49:00.012-05:00

Our sick members are improving but not good enough to make the long trek to altitude of 13,000 feet to reach the Quechua people in the Andean mountains. Altitude has affected everyone but we are acclimating slowly. Our first night in Cusco I kept waking up gasping for oxygen. The hotel has loaned us an oxygen tank that we have all shared to help us acclimate.
We drove three hours through the mountains to reach the Quechua Tanca Village. The scenery was breathtaking, God painted snow-capped mountains and beautiful valleys for us.
We arrived at the church in Tanca and went into the church. The youth of the area were having a retreat and they wanted to have us speak to the youth. Over 100 teenagers gathered all around us, they were so cute and small. At 6' 2" I feel like a giant here (won't mention my weight).
They sang us a few worship songs songs in Quechua, they sound so much like other native groups around the world. Click here for the video. For a moment I couldn't believe we were here.

I was told as I walked in that I was to speak to the youth on romance and dating relationships. Within five minutes I was on stage speaking, I'm used to that by now. I preached to them from Genesis and Isaiah about waiting for the right person and for the right time. I shared my personal testimony of how God found my wife for me and not the other way around. I invited those that needed special prayer to come forward, they rushed the stage. I was overwhelmed and asked my team to help me pray for each one. As they were praying, the Spirit began breaking them down, many were in tears in brokenness. It went on for quite a while as they repented and looked to God for help.
After the retreat we were invited to eat . . . we were in a hurry but we were told that the Quechua people take rejections like this very seriously. They had cooked Alpaca (Llama that looks like sheep with long necks) . . .in the ground with hot rocks. I couldn't believe it . . . they saw how curious I was so they uncovered one of the Alpaca's from the rocks. See Picture on the Left and Video here.
My PLI team did not want to take a risk and eat Alpaca cooked in these rocks since we were all struggling with our health but we did not want to offend them either. Our solution was not perfect but it include the leader (me) eating it and taking it to go in little baggies since we were in a hurry to leave. I had some concern about my stomach but then again, I ate Mopani worms in Botswana, Crocodile in Kenya and unmentionable meats in other countries. "I can do this". I took a bite and it was spicy and hard, not very tender. The Quechua leaders were satisfied and we left feeling really great about the ministry.
We drove back and met the sick members at the flood refugee camp. More on this tomorrow!

DAY SEVEN - I will give you my son!

2010-08-08T00:24:00.007-05:00

(Picture on left: Seminary class I taught on missions)

After breakfast, our team worshiped and had a good devotional by Tina. It was on Psalm 1, about a tree planted by waters, how it will prosper. After the devotional, we sand the song from Newsboys called, "He Reigns". I sensed that we were to sing the song but I wasn't sure what the connection was with the devotional. The song is about every nation singing praises together to God and then I got a thought, "Revelation 22". I went there and the connection came . . . "And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. . . And they will reign for ever and ever." Missions is about being part of that healing to all nations, bringing joy, peace and love.

This morning, four of our members had to stay back. One of our desires on mission trips is to do what others can't do for good. We were asked to paint a room at the Christian School. It seemed like those that were able to work were tired, fighting sickness too and were not too energetic. As soon as we began painting, the team was energized. We finished a whole room in a very short time and it looks great.

During lunch we sat around and asked our hosts David Q's family to share how they trusted Christ. They all grew up in a Christian home and trusted Christ at a young age. But the interesting story is how their parents came to Christ. The pastor that had introduced them to the gospel. He asked them, what is the most important thing to you that you should offer God. The mom came back and said, I offer God my son that I am about to deliver. That son is David Q. David has been a missionary in China, USA, Switzerland and Peru. The rest of the children are all in ministry too. Jonathon is the President of the Maranatha Seminary, Elizabeth and Carlos work at Emanual Bible Church in Lima, George is the Vice-President of the denomination, Mary is the Administrator of the Christian School. We are amazed that they are now all having major impact on the country of Peru. One mom, one commitment, country changed.

That four of our members went to teach the parents of the Christian School. I got to go to the Seminary and teach a class on Missions. It was pretty incredible to hear about the Seminary. They are training 300 students for less than $15,000 per year. They charge students about $12 a month. They have eight institutes all over the country including two in the jungle and the others in the mountains. God is doing amazing things in this country through these friends.

I am going to come back to Peru for sure. I have been here six times but never felt this excitement for long-term strategic and sustainable ministry. I also love Cusco, great city.

Our team members are recovering but still not 100%. Keep praying for us!

Day Six - 40% of our team is down!

2010-08-07T01:10:00.004-05:00

We all woke up tired and several of our team members woke up sick. The men were to go and train 100 pastors from 10-1 pm and the women were going to a christian school. Jen was so sick that she could not lead the team as expected. The ladies had a small look of panic on their faces. In faith they proceeded to plan as much as possible with very little information. They did fabulous.

The men had to teach 100 pastors, many of them from the jungles of Peru. Some can not speak Spanish and had to have some translation in Quecha language. The pastors belong to a network of churches that was started by Swiss missionaries in the 1950s. The Swiss left in 2000 and have left the church to the Peruvians. The church has doubled in 10 years, they now have 240 churches. The pastors were so gracious and gave us an excellent review. We spoke to them mainly about the pastor's family, how to value the marriage and their children. Many Peruvian pastors are burning out, struggling in their marriages and losing their churches. It was awesome to hear their responses and their repentance.

The rest of the day was spent taking care of the sick . . .on our team. Two more got sick and by the end of the day 4 our of ten were sick.

God is teaching us so much even through sickness. He has a purpose in our lives even when we don't like what he is doing. We want healing but we want Him more!

Day Five - "Its worth the climb - keep going"

2010-08-05T08:11:00.011-05:00

At an altitude of about 8000 feet, Machu Picchu, now one of the 7 wonders of the world!
Jen and I are not big into ruins and past civilizations but this was just amazing.

We took the bus up from our hotel and enjoyed the breath-taking drive up to the ruins from our hotel. The rest of our group left at 5:30 AM to see the sun rise over the ruins. I was not so eager so we took our time and left after 9 am. Unfortunately for my eager buddies, the clouds were too heavy and we were not able to see the sun until after 1 pm.
(Click on the picture to see it larger, pics can never do it justice but I hope you get a taste of its beauty)
We were told to do the zig-zag climb, that would give us the highest elevation to see over the whole ruin . . . we were ruined! To climb steep steps for what seemed to be a mile was not an easy feat, we stopped several times to catch our breath and give our body some rest. Jen has bone spurs in her ankles and every step was painful. . . we discussed walking back but she said, "we have come this far, . ."An American walked by us and said, "Its worth the climb, keep going". It was just what we needed. As we were arriving to the top, a llama jumped in front of us, it was so cool.

"Its worth the climb, keep going". Those words seemed so simple and yet so powerful. Its true that what separates success from failure is perseverance. It's not my favorite word for sure when I'm struggling, because it usually means hard, enduring work . . .but I love it too when I finally succeed. Sometimes all we need is an encouraging word, "Keep going", "You can do it", "Don't quit", etc. . . Afterwards we will say, "It was worth it"! Maybe you have been thinking of quitting . . .don't stop, its worth the climb.

When we finally arrived at the top we were just blown away. There were llamas and tourist from all over the world everywhere. A tour guide took us through and gave us the history of MP and the Incas. It was a great experience . . . put it on your top 10 places to visit in the world.

DON'T GIVE UP! KEEP GOING - ITS WORTH THE CLIMB!

Today in Cusco the men head off to the pastor's conference and the women to a christian school to teach. We are excited to share and partner with other believers.

Several of our members are sick, including Jen, she will have to stay in the hotel this morning, pray that she gets better soon. Its also really cold here, for Peru. We had a heater on in our room last night, everyone is wearing coats. Though our health is not great, we still know that we were called here, that this is exactly where we were supposed to be. Its great to feel God's peace in the midst of chaos.

Keep praying for us! We miss you friends and family . . .we will be home soon!

Day 4 in Peru - Can you say Machu Picchu?

2010-08-04T07:00:00.007-05:00

Tuesday was an amazing day of planes, trains and buses. We boarded our Taca flight from Lima and were surprised at how new and comfortable the plane was. We landed in Cusco, flying over mountains was exhilirating for our team. Everyone is still relatively healthy . . . I still have this chest cough but nothing too difficult.
We then took a 1 hour bus ride to the train station. It was really cool to stop and shop on the way, see the Quecha people, pet lamas and eat lama meat, really tender.
The train ride was 2 and a half hours to Aguas Calientes (hot springs) which is only 30 minutes from Machu Picchu. BREATHTAKING! Snow cap mountains, beautiful countryside, raging rivers.

Today we climb up to Machu Picchu . . well, the team is already there, Jen and I are taking it easy this morning, getting up at 4:30 AM to see the sunrise was a little too much. You have seen one ruin, you´ve seen them all . . .at least that is what my friend Jim E. would say.

Tonight we returned to Cusco and met with the leaders of 200 churches. On Thursday we will be teaching at their annual conference.

We ask for your prayers as some of our members are sick. Altitude here is 11, 000 feet.

We love you and hope you are well family and friends!

FROM the Mountains of Peru,

Can you say, CHOW, CHOW

Peru Day Three - What is true religion?

2010-08-03T00:30:00.003-05:00

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction . . . " James 1:27

I woke up early, rested and refreshed. Today we visit young but old friends at El Nino Emmanuel Orphanage in Huaycan. We have worked with these children since 2004 and wow, the place has changed. The children came out as always, hugging us and greeting us. It was awesome to see Daisy, our sponsored orphan.
The ladies took all the kids out to eat, shop for shoes, etc. . . the men took on a project of laying some new concrete outside the kitchen. I convinced Richard Ray (Prince of Peace Carrollton/Fox4News) to stay with us and work, he did and we had some great talks.

The pastors worked really hard, they were worked so hard to break up the concrete, then they leveled it off. The concrete guy came over and in a few hours we layed a slab of concrete outside the kitchen. It was awesome to watch it all come together so fast.

The orphanage has changed drastically. In just a few years it has been totally transformed. Prince of Peace has had alot to do with it including the new kitchen, dorms, etc. . . It was heart-warming to know that the orphans have a much safer and cleaner place to live. As always, I was asked to help pay for more than we could do, its hard to say no but we did what we could.

The wives had a great day with the kids. They "ate everything" on their plates and were so happy to eat out. The shoe shopping experience was great too. Jen got to take daisy to the doctor to purchase new reading glasses for her. She has had a hard time doing school work and we hope this will help. Daisy has grown so much, she is now 11 years old and looks great. She stuck to Jen, got Jen her food, her drink and would not leave her side. As always, tears were shed when we left.

When we first arrived at the orphanage in 2004, we offered the orphans an orange or a toy . . .they took the orange without hesitation. They were hungry. Today we see great progress in their lives and we thank God for the provision of so much for their lives. Thank God for the lama mamas of Prince of Peace that have a huge heart and vision for these children!

You want to please God? Look after those that don't have much, especially orphans and widows.

Peru Day Two - Who is in Control?

2010-08-01T23:55:00.004-05:00

Maybe we are not in control like we think. Maybe even things that seem random are part of a plan. Today God convinced me that even events that seem trivial are orchestrated by him.
So last night we had the banquet with the pastors from Huaycan, it was a blessed night. Three of our pastors had chosen their choices of churches they wanted to preach at. There were only two options left, Kirk and I had to choose. Being the coordinator, I asked him to choose and I would take the left over . . But Kirk was gracious, he said, lets flip a coin. I called it and he won. This was purely by chance right?

I was stuck with the early church and I was exhuasted. How could I get up at 6:00 AM, leave by 7:00 AM in a time that I'm struggling with a chest cold, coughing alot and to top it off, I was the only one without a translator which means, I had to preach in Spanish.
When Jen and I went down for breakfast, we were surprised that David Q was there to meet with us, it was a great morning. We then arrived at the church I was preaching and the pastor recieved us during the praise and worship, we went to his office. While we were talking the praise and worship team sang, "Cosecha", one of my favorite spanish songs about the harvest and I thought . . ."Screw it, I'm supposed to be there, I love that song and it is exactly what I'm preaching". The worship was awesome, then they sang another favorites, "Todo Poderoso" . . .I began to melt and I sensed His presence in worship like I haven't in a long time. . . I love spanish worship, it speaks to my heart like nothing else.
Jen and I went up during the sermon time, she shared about our family, adoption and her cancer scare . . .the people were moved. I then preached on John 4, about the Harvest. It was perfect for the church. Afterward we were asked to pray for a young woman with cancer, she was weak and fragile but in faith we begged God for healing.

We were ushered out to a taxi to the next church where I was to preach. It was another amazing church, the worship was wonderful and led mostly by young people. The offering was led by middle schoolers but the quality was just the same. The pastor's daughter played the drums with so much skill, coolness and worshipful attitude - she is 11 years old.
(Picture on left is the pastor, his wife and children, the girl on the far left was the drummer)
They were so amazed that I preached on the Harvest as they are doing a major outreach next Sunday and this is the message that they needed . . . by chance? Not a chance. There are no accidents. We were so blessed.

In the afternoon we joined Prince of Peace Carrollton for outreach in the plaza of Huaycan. There were thousands of people there, it was packed with people and activities. The POP youth did their mimes in front of hundreds and afterwards we went out and shared the gospel with people. Beth Daugherty and I teamed up as we shared with a group of 15-20 people. Beth was sharing and I was translating for the first half and I did the second half all in spanish. The people were intently listening to our message, with full attention on our words about eternal life. When I asked who trusted Christ for the first time, over 15 hands were raised, most of them were men. (See pics on left of the group) We were awed at the response. We gave them bibles and instructions for their next steps. Many people were ministered to that night, many trusted Christ. One of the best things was the joining of forces between PLI pastors with POP missionaries . . . can Lutherans actually do this?

I am learning that though I think I'm making choices, many of them are already orchestrated. Instead of worrying, instead of thinking too much, I need to "relax and enjoy the ride". Even a person like me that doesn't worry too much still needs to give up the thought that I have some control - I don't . . . and neither do you! So enjoy the ride!

Prayer Needs:
1. Continued health for our team (get rid of my cough/cold)
2. On Monday we will minister in the orphanage, grace, strength and love to help them.
3. Continued unity of our team and working of God within our team.

Thanks friends for praying for us! We love you!

Great Day One in Lima

2010-07-31T23:54:00.003-05:00

Our plane rides were long but good, we arrived in Lima right on time until we could not find one piece of luggage. It took forever to get out of the airport and to our hotel, our team was so wasted by 2:00 AM when we got in our rooms. Peru is a great country, it has so many unique things and the people are so cool. We missed it, we have not been in Peru since 2007. We quickly connected with old friends David and Carlos.

El Condado Hotel is really nice and we had our normal breakfast, tons of fruit here. We got to Huaycan and Will Kemp was teaching the pastors. He saw us and quickly rapped up so that we could begin. It was great seeing the Prince of Peace people that we totally love, especially are old Peru leaders like Rosaline, Richard and Catherine, Lori H and new ones too like Susan W.

We taught on Leadership and Self-Deception (Oscar), Marriage unity (James, see pic on left), the Spiritual Life (Kirk) and Outreach (Mark, pic on left bottom). The ladies did their own session. Peruvians in Huaycan were so open. Many broke down as they shared stories of their struggles. Our own team was quite moved by the ministry already, many tears were shed today by both the locals and our team.

One pastor told me that he came to Christ at the age of 50. He was an alcoholic, adulterer, idoltere and non-believer. His wife kept praying for him. One night he had three different dreams where God told him to find an evangelical church. . . he woke up, told his wife and his life was changed immediately. Soon people began to congregate in their home and he became a pastor. He is now 65 years old.

We got an opportunity to lay hands and pray for several people, it was amazing. Many shared deep hurts, problems and needs. Our team worked beautifully today. I am so proud to be their friends. I also thank God for PLI (Pastoral Leadership Institute) and the concept of mission trips to all pastors. I agree, all pastors should go on at least one foreign mission trip.

Long time, back to the blog

2010-07-19T15:55:00.003-05:00

Its been since Easter that I have blogged. Don't get me wrong, I like to blog but I was burned out of blogging for straight 40 days.

Just got back from a great vacation in Galveston. It was awesome to be at the beach with my wife and kids.

I will be blogging again soon on our trip to Peru. Our team of 10 will be in Lima and Cusco. We are all pastors and our wives. In Lima, we will be training pastors and their families and working in an orphanage El Nino Emmanuel in a town called Hauycan. In Cusco we will train pastors as well as do outreach work.

More on this coming soon . . . .

Depart on June 30th
Return on August 9th

Day 40 Resurrection!

2010-04-04T07:46:00.003-05:00

Day 40 of my 40 day spiritual journey.

Its Easter morning, beautiful day to celebrate the most important day of a Christian's life. Millions will go to church this morning around the world to remember Christ's resurrection.
Most of my Easters for the past 20 years have been on a church staff, where I have a million things to do that weekend and on Sunday. Most years I'm at church at 7 am or earlier, get through 3-4 services and then go to eat afterwards with the family. By the time I get home, I'm exhausted. Today, I celebrate Easter by going to church once only, don't have to preach and feel quite relaxed.

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

He is not here! He is risen. Those words must have shocked Mary to the core. How can that be? Is it real? Its a dream come true that I dare not believe easily.

What dreams does God have for us that we dare not believe?

More on this later. For now, Happy Resurrection Sunday! He is risen!

Day 39 - Betrayal of A Kiss

2010-04-01T20:31:00.002-06:00

Day 39 of my 40 Day Journey through LENT.
Its Friday, Good Friday. Schools are off, children are home, families are gathering preparations for the holiday weekend. In Dallas, its dark outside, windy and about to rain. What does this day mean to me? Its meant not eating meat at the school cafeteria, painting the Easter eggs, going to the “dark” service. Putting all that aside, this day is about the death of Jesus.
31Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: " 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered, 32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." 33Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." 34"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." 35But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.
The irony of the story. The conviction of loyalty, commitment and friendship is quickly lost when the test comes. All of them left Jesus but only one betrayed Him. Judas.
43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
50Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."

I wish I could know what happened to him during the miracles and raising of Lazarus. Did he believe? What was he thinking? How could you see these kinds of miracles that only come from God and then turn around and betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver? How about me? How about you? I have seen countless miracles, experienced the hand of God so vividly, I can’t deny His work but I do deny him. Why?

Self-betrayal. Self betrayal is denying what I know to be true for a lie. We feel guilty and then we betray God. Guilt is so damaging and we find any way to justify ourselves. The guilt drives us to blame Him or just ignore him. This happens in all relationships but with God, its very damaging to us. The Arbinger Institute calls this, “putting people in a box”.
The disciples struggled through this after running away . . then came the guilt. We see Peter who was so brave and yet so scared. He said, “I never knew this man”. In just a few hours Peter had justified his running and now was in a state of betrayal.

Maybe the reason you and I ignore or deny God is not that we don’t love Him, but that we feel guilty. Maybe we haven’t done a good inventory and taken our sins to the cross. That is the answer. Stop justifying yourself and blaming God. We are sinners. We sin. You and I need forgiveness. Lord, Forgive me. Crucify my sin. Death to my flesh. Alive unto God.

Day 38 - "The Moment" you needed is here . . .

2010-03-30T23:13:00.006-06:00

Day 38

Reading: Matthew 21

I’m changing from the poetic books to certain passages pertaining to this holy week.

I love the drama that happens as Jesus comes into Jerusalem. You know the disciples are nervous. I’m sure they are face daily surprises by Jesus as they enter the final phase.
¹²Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³"It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,'^[e] but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'^[f]"

¹⁴The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

¹⁶"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.
"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,
" 'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise'^[g]?"

¹⁷And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

What a great day he had in Jerusalem, can you imagine his Twitter.

Went to Jerusalem, drove out the thieves from the temple, healed the sick, loved the children singing to me, got the leaders of Jerusalem po’d and went back to our hotel at Mary and Martha’s in Bethany.

That is how we read the bible sometimes and we miss the amazing color, smells, emotions and the “moment”.

The “moment” when he first launched forward toward the money changers and turned tables over, coins going everywhere. Do I ever get that “moment”, that righteous indignation?

The “moment” when the first sick guy came over and he was healed, his face, his voice, his smile, the tears. When was the last time you cried for what Jesus did for you? Do you miss that “moment”?

The “moment” the children began singing, “Hosanna”. Pure praise from little children to the God of the Universe in the flesh, right in front of you . . . its Jesus the Messiah. Their praise was precious, genuine, from the heart and totally deserved. What stops me from this kind of “moment” with God?

Lord, I want more “moments” like these. Create in my life a movement that always gravitates to you, to thank you, to praise you sincerely, to smile at you and to cry with you. One more “moment” Lord, one more “moment”.

Tonight, Miles Hildebrandt was born to Colleen and Ryan. I salute you Miles and I praise you Lord for this miracle.

By your birth Miles, you are praising Jesus saying, "Hosanna, Hosanna to the Highest!".

This is your moment!

Day 37 The Kingdom, Immigration and Health Care

2010-03-28T06:42:00.003-06:00

Day 37
I’m close to the end of my 40 day journey. What did I learn? What difference has this made? More on that later.
Reading for the day: Ecclesiastes 4
Qoheleth is not a happy guy, he says that a dead man is happier than a person that is alive but even better not to be born. Why? The evil of this world is horrible. I am not sure what evil he saw but it included the oppressing of people.
1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter.
I have seen a lot but maybe not as much as Q. I saw the people of Cuba, oppressed for decades without. They had lost a lot of dignity, pride and desire to improve. The communist had stripped them of their privacy, freedom of speech and religion. I was so angry that my friends could not even talk in privacy, had to always watch their back and didn’t have enough food to eat, it was blatant oppression.
I have seen the oppression of poverty, ignorance and disease in countries like Botswana, Kenya and central America. The dump in Guatemala was horrible, children eating out of it. Some villages in Africa that have over 50%
HIV, children orphaned by diseases and having to care for the younger ones, prisons in these same places - you won't believe it.
And yet we complain in America that we that 30 million will now get healthcare, that an oppressed family who is here illegally is getting educated and given a chance to life. We get so worked up about these political issues without regard to the care for the oppressed. We rather the rich get richer than the poor get a hand. We get self-righteous in our political stance and follow the media leaders’ views because “We are American”. Jesus is not American and Capitalism is not the biblical way. I have to seek hard to find a few Evangelicals that care more about the undocumented workers than they care about the “law”. The Kingdom of God is much more powerful, its one where compassion, justice and righteousness rule. Stop pushing a political party or view . . . push God’s Kingdom, His Kingdom will rid of all oppression, injustice and evil. Lord, may your Kingdom come quickly!

Another picture of futility is the ambitious person that is constantly trying to work hard at bettering him circumstance from his neighbor. Competition is meaningless. Its much better to have a friend and help each other out. Our culture's value of independence is extreme, we lose community and yet we get more stuff. We live our lives full of stuff and empty in meaning.

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”

Lord, may I learn what it means to collaborate. May I stop all competition and seek to better my neighbor.

Day 36 You are God - I am not!

2010-03-27T07:28:00.001-06:00

Day 36 There is a Time for Everything
Reading: Ecclesiastes 3
In the end of Chapter 2 Qoheleth says this,
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.
Life is about pleasing God. And though the Beatles seem to have stolen chapter 3, man does have purpose in fulfilling God’s plan.
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Life has cycles and without God, it would seem meaningless.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Here is the message from what seems to be a pessimistic book, God put eternity in our hearts but we live in temporal place. That creates tension. That gives us a sense that both should be at work. We try to make temporal things have eternal meaning . . . and they don’t . Our work, accomplilshment, stuff are all going to burn. The only things that lasts are humans. Humans have eternity in them, everything else doesn’t. Therefore, be happy with your work here but focus on God and people.
Lord, help remove the discontent from my heart. Whatever you bring to me, will enjoy. Whatever you place I find myself, I will praise you. You are God – I am not! My ambition and attempts to make life work without you always fail and are meaningless. I am your servant, teach me and speak to me now.

Day 35 LIfe Sucks, Serve God

2010-03-26T06:39:00.002-06:00

Day 35 Been there, done that – it all sucks!

Reading: Ecclesiastes 2

Qoheleth, the writer continues his cynical view of life, he tried everything. Since he was a king, he could do whatever he wanted.

I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. ² "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?"
His first attempt was most basic human pursuit – pleasure. Can you imagine the power to do whatever you want? He then tried “laughter”, I guess he had all kinds of Jesters come and make him laugh, bet he wished he had Comedy Central.

³ I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

He then tried the party life to find out what was there . . .and I found out the same – nothing.

Okay, this guy had the dream life, read this . . .

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem ^[a] as well—the delights of the heart of man. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

If Solomon wrote this, he was the wealthiest man alive and in history, we read in other texts that he had a harem of over 3,000 women.

I love what he wrote, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor. ¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

So we should learn from Solomon, he had it all. What more can we get that he didn’t have?
Why are we trying to get more pleasure? More stuff? More position? Its all meaningless. Stop trying, you are on a treadmill that won’t end.
Life is about people, God and eternity. Life is about meaningful relationships.

Why not stop, play with your kids, spend time with a family member, take time to “smell the roses”. Enjoy the gifts of God and your place in life, that is the key.

God, move me to be content, move me to know that meaning is about you and others . . .NOT about me!

Day 34 Would Solomon want an I Phone?

2010-03-25T06:55:00.003-06:00

Day 34 of my Spiritual Journey through Lent

Would Solomon want an I Phone?

Reading of the day – Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes was written by Qoheleth Hebrew, (Ecclesiastic), or “preacher” to an assembly of wise men of Israel. Most believe it was Solomon who wrote it though Luther led the view that it was someone else.

The message of the book can seem depressing until you get to the end, so hold on. This is man’s view without a hold on eternity.

1:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

That is the first theme of the book. When you look at life like this it has such aimless cycles.

³ What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

⁴ Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

Does your job really matter? Does your life? What is the purpose of all that you do anyways? Are you really making a difference?

⁸ All things are wearisome, more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

⁹ What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

I love this last line, “nothing new under the sun.” Spoken like a true cynic, Solomon (or whoever) is at the end of his life, has seen it all.
Wait, he never saw an IPHONE? Does it really matter. Does an I phone really improve our lives that much? No. Its really cool though. My Android can scan any bar code and tell me where to get that item, for how much and I can actually order online right there. So amazing. But who cares? Does that speed, knowledge and efficiency really give me so much more time? Meaning? Remember that futurists in the 1950s were predicting that the new technologies would save us so much time that we would have tons of time in our lives. The washer, dishwasher, vacuum, microwave, etc . . .hmmm – nope.
One of the greatest and repeated errors of our modern culture is the belief that technology brings meaning to life. Like a new toy, it loses its excitement after a while, everything does.

This chapter is humbling to man.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered by those who follow.

Dang it! After all the work I have done? Yea, our life is but a vapor. We can try all we want to make a name for ourselves, to leave a mark in history, but its all meaningless.

What about wisdom? Look at what he says:

¹⁶ I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." ¹⁷ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

¹⁸ For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Meaning in life is not about getting things. No car, relationship, job, vacation, trip etc . . .can bring you meaning alone. Meaning in life doesn’t come from man, the world or ourselves. Meaning in life only comes from eternity, what lasts. That is what brings true meaning, true satisfaction. We will discuss this in chapter 12 but I can’t leave you depressed, meaning comes from serving God and doing good.

Lord, bring me to a place of understanding of life. I don't want to chase after the wind, I wand your Spirit (wind) in me. Show me how I can have meaning and bring a smile to your face.

Day 33 - All the Single Ladies Stand Up!

2010-03-24T08:36:00.003-06:00

Day 33 of my spiritual journey through Lent.

I am the most blessed man to be married to a wonderful noble woman with great character but someone God seemed to add great beauty and charm too. I won the lottery in life with Jen. I can’t explain the blessing it is in my everyday life to have a great wife.

Proverbs 31 is a great way to close my study in proverbs.
Stand up for the needy and find a good wife
31:33 do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.
4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
God is very concerned for justice, therefore the young King is exhorted to lay off the alcohol, party and wild lifestyle. Why? So that he won’t forget the forgotten . . the poor. It was critical for the theocracy (God government) to be alert and watch out for the poor. Oh that our government, churches and institutions had that kind of interest in the poor.
Is it okay me to give money to the homeless guy? What if he buys alcohol with it?
6 Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;
7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
These verses don’t answer the question directly but it is interesting that medicinal alcohol has been used forever.
The Bachelorette
Have you watched the show? So much to comment but its always interesting and dramatic. The guy chooses one of many beautiful woman to marry in a TV show after weeks of spending time with them one on one. These guys need to read proverbs 31, they make so many mistakes.
Its not hard to find a cute girl, to be enthralled by charm, beauty and sex. But a good wife, someone that can bless you for the rest of your life? Much harder.
ALL THE SINGLE LADIES LISTEN UP! Well, maybe all the young men should be the ones listening too.
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
A good wife has great character and is very difficult to find. The problem is that character is tested in time, can’t happen in a few dates. It takes great skill in studying and discerning whether a person has great character, in addition most get charmed and can’t are therefore blinded to the true inside. How do you discern then? You must look for and find these characteristics:
Noble Character and Trust-worthy, Faithful
That will bring a lot of blessings because:
She is a skillful entrepreneur
She is a hard-worker, (rises early to provide you tortillas and eggs, its in the Hebrew language)
She is a caretaker, cares for all not just herself
She cares about the poor and feeds them too
She prepares ahead and plans for the future
She is resourceful and can make a lot of a little
She can laugh at life and doesn’t take herself too seriously!
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Don’t be deceived young man by looks, bodies and sweet talk. If you want to be happy the rest of your life, you must find a woman with noble character. “But shouldn’t I also be attracted to her”, a guy always asks.
Of course you want attraction but attraction can be gained later if not as strong at the beginning. Romance is a choice. . . cupid is stupid if that is all there is. I would not put attraction as optional category but I wouldn’t put it in the top three things I need in a person.
I have met so many single cute ladies with great character waiting for a guy to ask them out while good guys keep going after charm and beauty alone. . . they seem scared of really good girls. Stop looking with your eyes young men, look at the heart first!

Thank you Lord that you answered my prayers, protected my future and set me on a wonderful life through a great wife!
All the noble ladies stand up!

Day 32 - Am I content?

2010-03-23T06:31:00.004-06:00

Day 32 of My Spiritual Journey through Lent
Proverbs 30
Its been a great walk through Psalms and now to finish proverbs. I pray Lord that you will give me this morning the wisdom I need and want. Lord help me find you in your Word, walk with me and draw me to yourself. Grow a hunger and thirst for you and your word in me.
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

These are hard economic times, so many are struggling to make it. The days of luxury are over for most of us. This is the tightest financially that we have been in a very long time Lord. Thank you for providing what we need and even many wants. To buy without a second thought of budget is unwise. Lord thank you for giving us neither poverty nor riches. May our times of plenty never lure me into thinking that I don’t need you daily. May our times of poverty never trick me to steal or cheat. I don’t need the lottery, I don’t need the government, I need you Jesus. You are Jehovah Jireh, we will trust in you.
What does Paul mean in the NT when he speaks of “Being content”?
Philippians 4:12
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
1 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Discontentment is a way of life when we seek security, pleasure and comfort. There are four things, yea five that are never satisfied in America:
The lust for more things (or better things), the lust for love and sex, the planning of people for security, search for a fit and beautiful body, and the never-ending search for entertainment and adventure.

May America’s hunger for righteousness, justice, love of others, care for the poor and thirst for Jesus explode. May the economic problems brings us back to repentance, humility and to simple lifestyles.

Change us oh Lord, change me! I thank you for providing so much, for being so gracious and merciful.

Day 31 You Turn my Mourning into Dancing

2010-03-22T06:32:00.001-06:00

Day 31 of my Spiritual Journey through LENT
Readings Psalm 30, 60, 90, 120, 150
The last day of Psalms gives me a smile in my face for I know that they have led me to Him, every day they lifted up my soul.
Psalm 30 reminds me of a trial that I went through in college, it was the worst trial to date. It was Tim Hansel’s book, “Mourning into Dancing” which seem to have been reprinted with this title, “You Gotta Keep Dancing”, one of the best books on grief and pain that I have ever read. It gave me so much wisdom as a young man, along with my daily readings of Psalms and proverbs.
30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
I rest in the fact that no trial can keep you down forever, God has the last word. There are so many benefits to pain and most of us just want to get relief during it, we want to escape the pain. But pain has its purpose, its work and its fruit. One of the things about pain is that it can become a friend, a reminder and a leader to grace.
But why so long, I’m ready to move on . . . Tim Hansel’s quote is “Crucifixion is a slow death”.
But that was Friday, Sunday is coming. Sunday is a day of resurrection, a day of new life. Easter is only two weeks away. Hold on, Sunday is coming.
It was the Spring of 1989 when I suffered this trial, a broken engagement three months before the wedding. I was devastated! And I had gone through a lot of pain leading up to Easter but that morning, everything changed. Until then I was holding on to the Lord for dear life, emotionally broken but HE turned my mourning into dancing. He can do the same for you. Hold on for now, you will see a new thing He is doing!

Ironic. Look at Psalm 60, its introduction is this,
For the director of music. To the tune of "The Lily of the Covenant." A miktam of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
David instructs the director of music to sing this to the tune of “Lily of the Covenant” after striking down 12,000 Edomites. Somehow I don’t think David saw the irony. I wish I knew the tune.

Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, it is the oldest of psalms dating back to about 4,000 BC. (That is right, this song is a true “Oldie”).
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor [b] of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Moses is probably an old man by this point, he sounds like Solomon in Ecclesiastes. He brings us back to the thought that life is short and painful, enjoy your days by obeying God and enjoying each day. Learn to count your days because they are fleeting.

Lord, I am trying to take it all in, but I need your perspective. I need you to help me major on the majors. May I not forget to “smell the roses” today!
Thank you for my life, my wife and my kids. You have truly poured blessings on me!

Day 30 - Who cares about the Poor?

2010-03-21T07:34:00.002-06:00

Lord help me give my life to the poor!

Day 30 Who cares about the poor?
Proverbs 29 – I chose to separate this proverb from the psalm readings due to the length and great importance to psalm 119.

We want the righteous to prosper! Why? Lets read this great Proverb 29.
2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.
13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.
14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will always be secure.

Tim Keller from Redeemer Presbyterian in New York has a great teaching on this passage, I believe it is prophetic for the church today.
The righteous person brings joy to all the people because they care about justice for the poor. It is great when you have someone ruling fairly for the poor because the Lord will bless the land since He cares so much for the poor. That is why a nation that has justice for the poor, will be strong.
When we look at a passage we must define terms first in the biblical context. The terms we must define include the word “righteous”, “poor” and “justice”. The reason we must define them is that I believe that many in the contemporary church have defined them according to their own context not the biblical one.
In the Old Testament “Righteous” describes the ones that care and act for God, the poor and forgotten. They are not “self-righteous” religious people. They are people that live in humility, generosity and justice. They will fight for the ones that can’t fight, they will protect the weak and they will tend to the hurts and needs of the poor. For Jesus, the good Samaritan would be considered righteous verses the religious leaders who passed on helping the beaten man would not. When the rich man came to Jesus and asked how can I be truly righteous, He answered “Sell all you have, give it to the poor and follow me.” So a “righteous” person was not one that has theological congruence to Hebrew religion alone but one that had life congruence to Hebrew religion also. It wasn’t an accent to a belief but a living of that belief in practical love to your neighbor.
In contemporary theology, we describe “righteous” in terms of salvation and eternity. “by faith we obtain righteousness through Christ”. So we become “righteous” according to Romans and Ephesians “By grace and through faith”. Since its nothing we do to earn this righteousness, we just believe.
There is a problem when we go and interpret OT passages by Pauline theology, we miss the point of the texts. Yes, salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. No argument there. There is a big BUT though.
The big BUT is that today, we reinterpret those OT passages with a meaning of Roman “righteous”, therefore some would say, “When Christians rule, the people rejoice” or we say, “We are already righteous in Christ, I don’t need to earn in by helping the poor.” Some will say, “faith credited for righteousness is an Abraham concept”. I agree. But a righteous person in the OT acted out his faith by fighting for and giving to the poor.
In addition, we wrongly reinterpret “poor” to mean, “poor in spirit”. So if we believe that if we only help the humble then we are acting in righteousness. We also reinterpret “justice” to mean it in a legal terms only without any daily practicality.
The conclusion is that we end up spiritualizing these passages of the OT without putting them in the forefront of our Christian action. Our Christianity becomes limited to bible study, Sunday church and evangelism. Helping and acting for the poor is left to more “liberal” groups and government agencies. Unfortunately, many in Christianity believe that if they give to an agency that feeds the poor, that is all they have to do – their duty is complete.
Most of our churches keep starting new programs for the church members and nothing for the poor. What about closing down most of our church programs except Sunday morning worship and give the rest of our week to help the poor? Will never happen.

This is some of what helping the poor could be for the church:
1. We must not just feed them but empower them to feed themselves. This requires relationship, commitment and a strategic plan. We should be about helping the poor by training them how to get a job, keep a job and succeed at a job. Job training and finding programs are necessary.
2. Financial literacy and debt consultation. Many of the poor go to “Payday Loan” type of places and pay from 20-40% interest on loans. ITS ROBBERY! We need training of the poor in investing, saving and setting up emergency funds. In addition, we should fight to close down every “Pay day Loan” that takes advantage of the poor. Write letters to our local and state government officials, protest these loan sharks from preying on the poor. How about starting "Financial Peace University" in West Dalals, East Dallas, South Dallas, South Carrollton, East Plano, South Ft. Worth, Irving, Grand Prarie, Farmer's Branch?
3. The poor can’t get loans from regular banks to start businesses. They are not supposed to “redline” the poor but they do. Though they have a desire to start their own businesses they can’t. Go to West Dallas, you can’t find banks there, you have to drive miles upon miles to find a bank.
We must launch fair and sensible “micro-loan” non-profit organizations in our churches for the poor. We have so many bankers in our churches, get them together and brainstorm a strategy for the poor.
4. The poor can’t fight against abuses and neglect by their landlords, utility companies and government agencies. We need advocates to go for them. Can we get our social and legal experts in our churche to target one or two apartment complexes?

5. The education system is failing poor students and keeps the fat cats rich. We must fight for the school districts to get it right. DISD has a drop-out rate of 68% among Hispanic freshman. This is wrong! We must inspire parents and the teens to stay in school and be rewarded for it. (See what LINC NT is doing with schools in Carrollton and moving to DISD soon) Can our churches try to tutor and get involved in public schools?

6. Poor families are being destroyed by society vices and financial pressure. It’s a cycle that keeps hurting kids and families. We must fight for the family, train parents and reconcile relationships. We need our church families to teach these families how to live.
7. The undocumented workers that don’t break laws need a way to become legal that is fair and not impossible to reach. The current system costs thousands and requires expensive legal help. Many of them are abused by employers. We need lawyers in our churches to volunteer some of their time to help them.

There are many things Christians can do, this is just a start. Its time for us to take the Bible in its entirety. When we rule righteously, the people of our land will rejoice.

Lord, help me fight for the poor, help me care for those you care about.

I found the Secret of Life - Day 29

2010-03-20T07:28:00.001-06:00

Day 29 Psalms 29, 59, 89, 119, 149
Here is the secret of life!
Because Psalm 119 is so long and has so much, I will save Proverbs 29 for tomorrow as it too has so much to discuss.
God is not like humans, He keeps us accountable but does not kick us out of the house. We have a God that keeps loving and is faithful to us even when we are faithless.
89:30 "If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.
Psalm 119 is another favorite, its an amazing alphabetic acrostic psalm. Each stanza has eight verses beginning with the same Hebrew letter.
One of my favorite themes of this Psalm is “the Word of God.” It has everything that man needs. It helps guide him, keep his way pure. The Psalmist “LOVES” following the word of God, he treasures it above everything else. Oh so few who really understand this, “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.”.
This is the best psalm and encouraging word I have had in a while.
33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.
I actually want to just quote the whole thing here but I won’t. Read it slowly again and again. Memorize it! Meditate on it. Make it your daily bread.
The Psalmist has two main emphasis here, Love God’s word and obey every detail of it. May I e the same Lord, I am not in love with your word and definitely don’t obey it as I should. Give me a thirst and hunger for your word and for obedience. The latter is much more elusive then the former. Help me obey you because of my love for you. Grow my love for you and dim my passion for the world’s riches, lusts and power. Light a fire in my spirit to obey every detail, every day, consistently growing in that love.
54 Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.
55 In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your law.
56 This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.
That is it! I want to have a habit of obeying your Word. To rise to it and sleep in it, to eat it, to day dream about you. May the secret desires of my heart all be turned to you. May the quiet hopes be all on you. May my greatest joys be walking with you. Nothing I desire compares to you!
97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
“You are wiser beyond your years” .
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.
Jesus, teach me, mold me to love you, your word and your commands.

Day 28 Lord, thank you for kicking my butt!

2010-03-19T07:47:00.000-06:00

Day 28
Readings in Psalms 28, 58, 88, 118, 148 Proverbs 28
After two days of Cuba talk, its time to get deeper into the psalms and proverbs.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.
Wow. So many struggle with cordial outward and hate inward. Lord help me be more and more honest, give me more integrity of heart.
Psalm 58 is so dark, so sad. This has to be the saddest of all psalms, with no sense of hope. The worst part of the psalmist life at this point was that he was totally alone, “darkness is my closest friend.” Lets move on to more hope please.
NOW we are in the hope of Psalm 118 . . .great! THANK YOU LORD! His love endures forever!
5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
Its interesting that he says, “The Lord has chastened me severely but has not given me over to death”. Amazing that he is so honest, my translation - “the Lord kicked my butt but didn’t kill me.” Ha, ha. Wow. I love the psalms, they break the Christian molds of communication with God. Who in our churches ever talks like this? No one. “well pastor, the Lord really didn’t kick your butt . . . bla, bla, bla. . .Oh well the Lord doesn’t kick butts, he disciplines you. . . . He is not angry with you, he is just a meek, sweet God ”. Whatever! The scripture talk about God as a terrifying God too, the word “awesome” does not mean what we mean, we mean “really cool”. But in the OT scriptures “awesome” God meant, He is scary, you better bow down and obey Him.
Thank you Lord, you have saved me and you are a great, awesome God. I bow before you and I ask for mercy. Thank you.
Psalm 118:23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
27 The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.
Proverbs 28 has so much treasure:
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.
6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
So true. There is no life in a man whose ways are messed up. His riches are sickening.
18 He whose walk is blameless is kept safe,
but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.
19 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
20 A faithful man will be richly blessed,
but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good—
yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
22 A stingy man is eager to get rich
and is unaware that poverty awaits him.
27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Lord help me give my life to the poor!

Day 27 - Lent, Communists and Cuba Part 2

2010-03-18T06:38:00.005-06:00

Day 27 The Communists had me in Cuba Part 2

Today’s Readings Psalms 27, 57, 87, 117, 147 Proverbs 27

Cuba has nothing to do with Lent but that is me – random.

Psalm 27 is an amazing one, Love David’s analogies:

The Lord is my 1. light, 2. salvation, 3. Stronghold

When you have Him, you can look around and say, “Whom shall I fear?”

The Communists in Cuba! Sometimes when we go through major trials, our faith might seem weak, but its actually being tested and proves itself strong. While I was worried, had a lot of anxiety, I was still “calm” (according to Mattie). I was not hopeless, I was not distraught. Faith is not the absence of concern, fear or worry . . . it’s courage to move forward with hope.

^27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

⁵ For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

So true: “in the day of trouble he will keep me safe”.

The last verse is what we need to do, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

So back to Cuba,

I was sitting in the chair as nervous as I could be when the Jefe walks in and says to me in Spanish, “are you Oscar Benavides”. “Yes I am”. “Let me see your passport.” He takes it from me. There was no greeting, introduction or courtesy. The powerful don’t have to be nice, they do whatever they want. This is a huge contrast between the suffering people of Cuba and the communist, the people are the nicest, warmest people. The commies are __________ (you fill in the blank).

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.“ Psalm 57:1

The Jefe started writing down every detail from my passport, every single detail. Its amazing how slow everything is in Cuba, they always take such time to investigate passports, as if they have never seen one. . . funny now that I think about it.

After the long silence, he said to me, “You are from Mexico?” , “Yes”. “How long have you been here?”, ”I answered him, “four days”. ” “When did you arrive?” I answered. “What hotel are you staying at?”. He asked me several more questions. At this point I figured he was not asking for new information, but was checking my facts to see if he could catch me in a lie. This went on for a while.

At about this point my confidence began to rise. I knew that I had to do two things 1. Stay alive and get out of here 2. Don’t get my team or future teams in trouble. Therefore say as little as possible, be evasive if necessary without lying. Don’t lie. If he asks me a difficult question, rephrase the question in a way that I can answer. . . don’t get caught in a trap. Lord you are with me, I sense your strength.

He then said, “I know what you have been up to. . . I know where you have been and what you have been doing. You arrived at the airport at this time, went to this hotel, then you went to eat here, you have been to these homes, and you have done this, then you did this” . . . on and on he detailed everything our team had done, even the homes we visited in Velasco, a small town. I was shocked . . .tried to keep my composure. But felt something I had never felt before, like cameras watching your every move these people had been spying on us since we arrived. It was scary, who was it? Who was the spy? Was it the bus driver? Was it a translator? I wish it was like a bond movie but it wasn’t, it was dark, evil and angering. My worldview changed in that moment. I had seen so many movies of the communists, read books, etc . . . but to actually be in it, be spied upon, it changes you. You become somewhat paranoid, cynical and very careful. You lose any sense of freedom you felt all your life. I have never had my freedom of privacy taken away from me like this.
My nervousness started to turn to anger. “He sends from heaven and save me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me.” Psalm 57:3

Next he said, “I know what you are trying to do. You are doing illegal activities. You are guilty of spreading religious propaganda.”

BOOM! Those words hit me, am I going to be arrested now? Will I have to go to a joke of a court and defend myself?

Was I guilty? Well, yes and no. The American team never preached in church or in public. Our strategy was genius and hard to say its illegal according to their laws (at least by all my law school studies in Havana sic.)

We would go to Christian homes. They would invite their neighbors and we would share about America and our story. The Cuban translator would pass out tracks, bibles, etc. but our American team never would do that as that was illegal for us to do. Our story of life included our saving relationship with Jesus and through those stories, hundreds came to faith.

I now had a confidence in me, I said, “No I did not do that. We went to homes and spoke to friends but we didn’t spread religious propaganda.”
“Yes you did” he said emphatically. I shook my head no as he spoke. “No we did not, we only visited friends.” Though he knew where we were, he didn’t know exactly what we were doing in the homes.

His intimidation continued and I stood my ground and would not budge on the accusation.

He finally said, “You must either stop doing your activities or you will be kicked out of the country.”

He took out a piece of paper and wrote on it. It said that I and my team would stop evangelism or we would be kicked out. He told me to sign it.
I said, “no, I am not doing anything wrong.”. He said, “you must sign it or you will be kicked out.”.

This is where the tide began to change. I said, “Are you forcing me to sign this?” I knew what I was doing, in typical difficult Oscar fashion. I wanted to make him sweat too. I had been subjected to too many hours of intimidation by now, I was steaming and my dad’s temper was starting to seep out of me. I can’t blame this on God, this could have been all my flesh.

His eyes flared up and he was so startled by that statement. He got up quickly and brought his secretary in the office. She was a tall and expressionless Cuban. She stood next to his desk and he continued, “Here we have a witness, now, I am NOT forcing you to sign this, you are watching this, I am NOT forcing him to sign anything. . . .”

I got what I wanted, I will not make it easy for him. I had no choice now. I had to sign this paper and get out of there as soon as possible. I sign it in the worst signature possible, (another dad tactic that was used when he was stopped by cops speeding). After signing it he said to me, “You can go now.”

I asked if I could use the phone to call a taxi and they said, “NO.” I protested, “I have no way to get to the hotel.” But they persisted in being as rude as possible. I said, “How can you treat a guest in your country like this, that is rude.” I was livid that they would not even let me use the phone.

I walked out fuming. This system of government is keeping people from hearing the gospel. I walked a few blocks before I found a bicycle taxi, this country makes me feel like I'm back in the 60s. He took me to a nearer town post where I could get a regular taxi to the hotel.

It took me several hours to start talking again, other than explaining to my team the details of the morning. Our team decided to just go visit with churches, no evangelism the next couple of days. It felt like a waste at times but we could not risk future trips.

I learned so much from this valley of shadow of death. But the theme throughout my experience is, “God is in control, He is your God, He is in charge, He will take care of you, stop looking at man for help. Look up to the heavens for your light, your salvation and your stronghold. The Lord saved me from the Communists in Cuba! WOO HOO! Thank you, thank you and thank you Jesus!

Proverbs 27:21

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.”

Communists confronted me in Cuba - Day 26

2010-03-17T08:16:00.009-06:00

Day 26 The Lord saved my from the Communists in 2000.
Readings 26, 56, 86, 116, 146 Proverbs 26
The faith explained in today’s reading was tested in my time in Cuba.
All four Psalms 26, 56, 86 and 116 are so similar, Lord save me from my enemies. The Psalmist feels the pressure of those attacking him, he takes refuge in God and sets his hope on God’s salvation. He contrasts the attacks of men with the love of God. Are you being attacked today?
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. [a]
Sometimes we see God saving us and we just move on. I love that the psalmist remembers God after the great trials are over. We should do the same: Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave [a] came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD :
"O LORD, save me!"
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

I have been delivered from some very dangerous and difficult circumstances. Thank you Lord for saving me. I remember my glorious time in Cuba, for three years I went to Cuba leading groups from Park Cities and Bent Tree Bible Church. I have so many memories that delight my soul, both ministry successes as well as gut-splitting laughs. It was my second trip where I was leading a group of Bent Tree where I was not laughing much. We were in Eastern Cuba in a town called, Holguin.

At 1 AM, we got a call. The other leader of the team, Darrin was my roommate. He answered the phone and said, “Oscar, they are asking for you”. I was half asleep but said, “Bueno” (hello in Spanish). The voice on the other side was gruff, serious and straight forward, “Are you Oscar Benavides?” . . “Yes I am”. . . “Are you the leader of the American group?” . . .”Yes I am”. . . “Are you from Mexico?” . . .”Yes I am”. . . “You are to present yourself at the Department of Interior at 9 AM”. . . “ . . . .”What for?” I asked. . . “I can’t tell you”. . . .”Who should I see?” . . .He said, “Ask for El Jefe”. Oh my. “el jefe” means, “the boss”. My heart was already racing, now it stopped. I was fully awake and just so confused. He wouldn’t give me any more information. Why were they wanting to talk to me? How did they know who I was, that I was Mexican? They must be spying on us. Why was he so cryptic? Was were they calling me at 1 AM? They were trying to intimidate me . . . and it worked. All night I tossed and turned and could not sleep. I was thinking of all kinds of possibilities, would they send me back to the US. Would they arrest me? Harm me?

This is a communist country and I was doing illegal evangelism. The worst part was that I couldn’t call home, they monitor phone calls. All I wanted was to call Jen and hear her voice but I had to just sit in my fears, worries and faith. At 7 am I finally got up, met the team, had no appetite for breakfast. My team wanted to go with me but I told them to stay in the hotel until I returned, the less questioned the better. Not only did I have the responsibility of our team but also of future teams coming to Cuba. I arrived at the ministry of interior and sat in the waiting room for a while.
Proverbs 26 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Proverbs 27, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what the day my bring forth.”
I had no clue the day before that I would be here, in the lion’s den, at the heart of the communist regime in Eastern Cuba. I was ushered into the “Jefe’s Office”. It wasn’t much. It had a desk with chairs in front and back of the desk. Nothing on the walls except one HUGE PORTRAIT of Fidel Castro.
My heart was getting a work out. My soul was in anguish. I was breathing in and out deeply trying to keep me from shaking. I have to be honest and say that this was one of the scariest moments in my life. I longed for America, I long for Dallas, I loved for my home and my wife’s arms. (PIC WITH SOME OF THE CUBA TEAM MEMBERS)

I have always told the Lord that my life was His, that I was willing to be martyred for the gospel but this was real. . . not just words. The Jefe walks into his office, looks at me and says . . . I will share the rest tomorrow! See you then when we read through the Psalms and Proverbs.

Does God Over-Promise and Under-Deliver? Day 25 of My Blog

2010-03-16T06:26:00.002-06:00

Day 25 of my spiritual journey through Lent.
Readings Psalm 25, 55, 85, 115, 145 Proverbs 25
Several of the psalms of the day have become popular praise songs (3rd Day, Chris Tomlin) These are great psalms, got to read them!
My Hope is in you Lord. “Hope” is a great word, our church plant in far East Dallas is called “New Hope”. It was a clever name as it took over the property of the decommissioned church “Hope”. David gives us this idea of “hoping in God”, my translation is “trusting our future to Him”.
1To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
What is your hope on today? Do you hope for a relationship to come your way? A better job? The lottery? Transfer your day dreaming on Him.
I love the ending of Psalm 85,
8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
Dispensationalists interpret these verses as messianic, as looking toward a future of Christ’s reign on earth. I hope not. I can see the people of God experiencing these kingdom principles here today, not perfectly but abundantly. We are to seek the peace of those around us, why not?
Psalm 115 has been made into another current praise song (Tomlin)
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.
14 May the LORD make you increase,
both you and your children.
Psalm 145 Does not fail to lift our souls to God. Don’t stop reading . . .keep going. This Psalm is so amazing – its an alphabetic acrostic psalm. In other words, each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, beginning with Aleph then Bet . . .etc.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Proverbs 25 has so much for us to consider, especially to watch what we say.
“Do not betray another man’s confidence”, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver”. Lord, I need wisdom, I want to learn to be more careful with my lips, tongue and discussions. I love the next verse,
“Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts he does not give” – kind of like over-promising and under-delivering. Been there, done that have the scars to show. But does God do this? It seems like all over Scripture we get tons of promises from God, but does He come through? I am convinced he does but I am not you. I have an idea, go through and make a note of all His promises to you that can be verified in life today. There are some conditions though. You can't live an "ungodly" life and expect blessed life. See what happens.

27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.
Dang it, why? Okay, Lord I will give up the sweets, the props I give myself and the lack of self-control. But . . . . no!
Lord, work in me such things, keep reminding me and move me daily to repentance. I need you today more than ever!

Day 24 - What is so great about being spiritual anyways?

2010-03-15T08:22:00.003-06:00

Day 24
Readings Psalms 24, 54, 84, 114, 144
Again this weekend I was out of town and fell behind on my Lent Journey. No worries, the journey is more important than schedule. Our transformation is the goal.
Holiness is an interesting word today. In many churches a pastor must bow when he reaches the alter “to show respect” to the Lord. At others an worshipper must dress up (look really nice) to “show God our best”. Some demand a knee bowed, others a sign of the cross and others don’t any many traditions to signify “respect” to God.
In Psalm 24 He makes a couple of things clear. He is Holy, pure and unstained. Who may come to His most intimate places? The person that has “clean hands” and a “pure heart”. God connects with us and forgives us because of Jesus, His sacrifice and payment for us. Yet, for the Jesus follower, there are places of great intimacy with God that require disciplined prayer, disciplined thoughts and sincere godlikeness. That comes from years of humility, spirit work and repentance.
In addition, Psalm 84 coincides with 24 well. What is it about being holy that is so great? Why should I work so hard and be so humble? What are the benefits of being so separate, different and selfless?
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Walking close to Jesus is not an easy task. He kept walking so close to sharp drop-offs, steep hills and the most dangerous places. Sometimes he walks in the dessert. Sometimes He goes to places I hate – Samaria. Sometimes He starts attacking the experts. Sometimes he just wants to hang with the poor, the sick and needy. Jesus doesn’t walk in the safe, comfortable and rich places much. What am I to do?
It is much sweeter to spend a day with you in the most dangerous, lonely and hungry places than a lifetime in ultimate riches, comfort and pleasure without you.

Day 23 - May you live in peace!

2010-03-12T06:37:00.002-06:00

Day 23
Readings of Psalm 23, 53, 83, 113, 143 Proverbs 23
Of course psalm 23 is a favorite but I will focus on some of the other reading of the day. Today I drive to Austin, speaking at the CEF conference. Lord give me your word to speak and not my own.

Psalm 113 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.
Psalm 143 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Proverbs 23
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. [b] "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad;
16 my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
18 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Lord, this is true, it is better to spend time with you than anywhere else or with anyone else. It is true that it is better to be in your presence in the worst earthly cave than to be in the biggest mansion without you.
I am so impressed with the new buildings, hotels, homes, etc. . .that I visit from time to time. Wouldn’t it be great to have real wood floors and not pergo? Wouldn’t it be great to have all that space and huge backyard? Wouldn’t it be great to have all that cool furniture, appliances, toys? No! It wouldn’t, not for me. The Lord gave me all I need, any more would not be good. Remember the pastors in Peru with dirt floors? Remember the pastors in Kenya with no car? Remember the many pastors in Cuba without electricity, food and freedom? Thank you Lord for teaching me to be content regardless of my circumstances. I recall my poorest times, when I lived in a Sunday School room in a church in drug infested East Dallas and slept on a mattress on the floor, had no car and had to walk or take a bus to get anywhere. That was one of the most painful and yet joyful times of my life. I recall when I lived in a mansion in North Dallas with millionaires, had all the conveniences and wants. That was one of the happiest and yet emptiest times of my life. Peace and joy come from inside not outside, true long lasting fulfillment comes from walking with God. Be content, take care of the poor and live in peace!

Day 22 Jesus is not a Republican!

2010-03-11T06:43:00.002-06:00

Day 22 of my Spiritual Journey through Lent!

Reading Psalm 22, 52, 82, 112, 142 and Proverbs 22

Its amazing to me how many passages God directs the righteous people to care about the poor and weak. Its over and over again that he calls out those that fear Him to take care for the poor. How many sermons has your pastor preached on helping the poor in the last year? Most of you have to say, "NONE". Why?

I have had more than 8 years of formal training in serious study of the bible. I was trained by some of the best Bible Exposition experts, all authors and with PhDs in their fields of bible . . . . including Dwight Pentecost, Mark Bailey, Tom Constable, Dan Wallace and Dr. Toussaint. I have listed to some of the best preachers and teachers, read their books. But somehow I missed it. I missed the all call to care for the poor in the Scriptures.

Read the passages below, I didn’t go out and do a word search on the “poor”, that would have brought up many more passages. These are just the passages of today.

Its amazing to me how much the American church has been dominated by politics, political issues and avoidance of biblical truth. The evangelical church in America has camped around two political issues (gays and abortion) but ignored many more calls out for justice and righteousness. Church leaders, don’t be deceived by any political party. I heard one of great business men in America who gives millions and is friend with several presidents, “Don’t trust those bastards” (referring to politicians in general).

Church wake up! Our trust can not be in a politician, a party or a political movement. The tea party will not save the church or the country. The democrats and republicans will corrupt our nation. The answer is not in politics. Our answer is in the church being obedient. First and foremost, we must stand up for the poor, weak and fatherless. We must fight for the feeding and taking care of those that don’t have any resources. Yes, even the undocumented workers that many conservative Christians despise. The poor don’t need to be despised by Christians, they need our help.

READ FOR YOURSELF BELOW!

Proverbs 22 Future generations will be told about the Lord.

52: 31 They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—

82:2 2 "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?

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

Psalm 112 1Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.

2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Proverbs 22

⁴ Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

⁹ A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

Lets get this message to our churches.

Why do we suck?

2010-03-10T06:50:00.002-06:00

Day 21 We suck without Him! *(See note at end about the word, "Suck" and my language)

Psalms 21, 51, 81, 111, 141 Proverbs 21

This is one of those days where everything I read in the bible applies to my current state or it really encourages me.

What keeps us from experiencing God more in our lives? What ushers in God’s work, Spirit and establishing of His kingdom on earth? One word – repentance. Repentance is the agreeing with God about our need, our sin and his righteousness. It is a brokenness of our pride, ego and ambitions. It is a submission to God and humble trust of Him. It is our soul saying, I can’t, I’m lost, I need Him more than anything else.

The worst thing is to need repentance and not know it, to walk around in prideful ignorance, to live our lives out without any pressing thought of the truth . . . the truth is, “We suck without Him”. Lord, I need you to form my heart, to break its pride and bring me to truth. I love Psalm 51 – its about total repentance. I love David’s honesty. When we sin, its really all about how we offend God. Our repentance starts with Him. We need His cleansing.

Psalm 81 – if you would only turn to me, I would give you everything you want. Isn’t this cool, all the things we seek are in Him. We avoid him because of our sin to try to get those things on our own. “TRUST HIM YOU DUMB SOUL.” – that is me talking to myself.

Psalm 111 – A great praise psalm, The Lord gives to those that fear him.

Psalm 141:2 May my prayer be like incense to you and my hands lifted up be like the sacrifice.

Proverbs 21 – “All a mans way seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

²¹ He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity ^[c] and honor.

This proverbs is so amazing. It again gives us great principles for success in life, its about love, justice and righteousness. I don’t want to suck in life, I want to live fully for Him and others. I need you now Lord, change me.

If you are offended by the word "suck", stop reading and don't read my blog. I can't help myself but to translate my life into honest, real and modern language. Some refuse to translate God's message into real language used by the common person. That is their choice and I have no judgement for them. For me, I believe the church has erred in being too Victorian verses being more real. We have feminized our language and lost the men of our culture. They don't get the all soft and fuzzy christian lingo. Paul didn't do that and neither did God through Scriptures. Paul uses some quite profane words and concepts to get his point across. Paul uses the Greek word in Philippians, "scubala" which many biblical experts would agree is the most profane use of "crap" or "sh__". In a passage about the legalists Paul says, "may they be emasculated all the way" . . .in other words, may their private parts be chopped off.

Those are not feminine concepts or words. Paul is raw, real and sometimes inappropriate to some crowds.

I am not suggestion by any means that Christians should use profanity. I don't use it and am uncomfortable when Christians do it, been around pastors who cuss like no one else, I have confronted them to their face. But what I am saying is that we need to translate God's concepts in a way that they not only understand but it must hit them in the heart. Therefore: "I SUCK" hits more than "I am not any good".

Day 20 Why Me God?

2010-03-09T07:32:00.003-06:00

Day 20 Psalms 20, 50, 80, 110, 140
“Let’s Be Honest”
To be totally honest Lord, I have not wanted to meet with you the past few days, I have done it out of obligation. I have been so tired and distracted. I have done my devotions because I said I would, not because I long for you. Thank you for staying with me, for forgiving me, for changing my heart. I really need to seek you for love, but my love wanes. Psalm 20
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Do I really trust you?
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 80:19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Where does that come from, the phrase, “make your face shine upon us”. I remember it from Moses’ blessing. . .but I wonder what that meant to them. It reminds me of the shikanah glory, it reminds me of Moses’ face when he came down from the mountain. It signifies blessing and favor to me.
Somehow, my days have been filled with blessing. Though my upbringing was rough, my life since I trusted in Jesus in High School has been marked by blessing. That blessing includes being set apart for His service, not that I have not been filled with self, but that overall my life has been determined for Him. I know that its not me, I know that I have been saved from so many heartaches, tribulations and temptations. But why me? It isn’t random but it isn’t something in me. I am not luck but I am not good. Why me? Purely by grace. How can an immigrant, last born, son of an alcoholic, son a drug smuggler be chosen? How can a wicked, selfish, self-centered, ambitious, ego-centric, big headed, loose lipped, envious, smart mouth be chosen? My ancestors could not even imagine the blessings I have received. My wife is tops, there are none like her, she is so sharp, so noble, so caring, such a hard worker. Jen is the most gorgeous green-eyed brunette I had dreamed of. My children are the most amazing gifts, they are healthy, loving, sweet, very smart and love me, just like their mother. On top of that, I have been blessed with friends, a calling that is perfect for me and material things too.

12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
and upholds the cause of the needy.
13 Surely the righteous will praise your name
and the upright will live before you.

Draw my heart back to you today!

Day 19 How deep does God know us?

2010-03-08T06:59:00.001-06:00

Day 19 Readings Psalm 19, 49, 79, 109, 139 Proverbs 19
7 The law of the LORD is perfect reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
15 But God will redeem my life [f] from the grave; he will surely take me to himself 16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;
17 for he will take nothing with him when he die, his splendor will not descend with him.
18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—and men praise you when you prosper- 19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. 20 A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perish.
Again the Psalmist reminds us of what is important, “purity”, “humility” and “fear of the Lord”. Riches should not be envied, a rich man will only live a short time and not take those riches with him. That is good stuff, I need to be reminded what true riches are all about. I was reminded of this yesterday as I watched a short part of Mr. Holland’s Opus. A man that had invested in thousands of young people for over 30 years and at the end, they gave testimony to the difference he made. His life was not wasted in the development of young people. May our life, our work and ambition be to be rich with God by investing in others.
Psalm 139 is very popular a favorite of many. I don’t have the ability to go through verse by verse so I recommend that all read it carefully.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to [b] me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
God knows us intimately . . . we are woven by Him from the day of conception. It delights me to know that I am known. I am loved. I am His.

Day 18 Does God really have a purpose for me?

2010-03-07T09:06:00.002-06:00

What a beautiful place this ranch is. The cardinals, finches are all out and praising your name. The weekend trip got me a little off schedule, but here we go to get back in it.

Day 18
Readings of Psalms 18, 48, 78, 108, 138
What a beautiful place this ranch is. The cardinals, finches are all out and praising your name. I hope that my soul would be so turned to you that my voice would praise you daily.
This is a long psalm, 50 verses.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
He is constantly portrayed by the psalmists as a deliverer whose character does not change, who made the heavens and get cares about the hairs on our head. He is patient, gentle and get powerful and strong. This psalm says that God was angry, I never want to be his target of anger.
Psalm 138 - 3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
I don’t remember ever hearing the word, “stouthearted” but I love it. Most men would love to have boldness and a stoutheart.
But my favorite verse of the day comes at the end of 138, “ 8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
Its great to know that God has a purpose for me and that He will fulfill it completely. There is no space for him to forget or set aside His plan. God will complete the work He started in you.
Proverbs 18 - 12 Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor. (NIV) 13 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. (The Message)
So much to think about. Lord, make me strong hearted for my family and ministry need it. I need it. I need you to be my strong tower. Move me to humility, move me to understand before seeking to be understood.

The key is to remember!

2010-03-05T07:37:00.002-06:00

Day 17 - Do we remember?

How easily we forget what God has done for us in the past. I find that it is the answer to our hopelessness, discouragement and even circumstances.

Psalm 77 is one that I preached in Seminary and other places, I love the contrast of despair with hope, and the difference is our memory. Remembering the things God has done for us in the past give us hope for what He will do in the future.
77:13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

The psalmist struggles to figure out why God is silent, why he is not answering, why things have turned.

In this struggle is where he practiced a discipline of truth: remember God's actions in the past. The way He has acted in the past determines how He will do it in the future (his character and love don't change).

Remember the time you were in a Psalm 23 moment, shadow of death but God saved you?

Remember a time in the past where you ran out of resources and He delivered you?

Remember when you were sick and He healed you?

Remember when He provided just what you needed?

Our God is a compassionate God, wait on Him, seek Him and you will be delivered again!

Is the Wii from the devil?

2010-03-04T07:34:00.001-06:00

Day 16 of my 40 Day Journey
Readings in Psalms 16, 46, 76, 106, 136, Proverbs 16
8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Good morning Lord, I can’t seem to focus on you the last 24 hrs, partially because of exhaustion. I’m come to realize that sleep and rest are so influential in all realationships, especially the one with you. My real sin is not going to be on time to get the rest I need to be ready to meet you in the morning. That Wii golf game is from the devil, ha, ha. I love competition too much, love beating Steven but I have to get to bed earlier. I want to have my heart set on you like David. I don’t want to be shaken by anything in this world, especially the evil golf game.
I love Psalm 46. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Okay Oscar, shut up dude. . . just stop and medidate of the most important truth here, “You are not god, the Lord is God.” This weekend I will finally get some quiet, Lord I hope to meet with you out in the beautiful ranch, please meet with me.
Psalm 76 – “You alone are to be feared.” So if we fear certain people, are we committing idolatry? When we try to please others out of fear, are we not bowing down to them? My opinion is that in some way, I have. I heart has beaten really fast out of fear of man. Move me more to a place of courageous living, move me to love people but only fear you Lord. Many church leaders have been stuck leading by fear of others rather than fearing Him and leading others.
Both Psalms 106 and 136 give a great history of God’s work and Israel’s rebellion, of His salvation of a stubborn people. I love this verse 136:23, “to the One who remembered us in our low estate, His love endures forever.”
Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
7 When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. 8 Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.
Lord, I feel pressure and divided with my time and attention. Help me succeed in pleasing you, being a good father and husband. Guide me to lead your people.

How can I be wise?

2010-03-03T07:52:00.000-06:00

DAY 15
Readings from Psalm 15, 45, 75, 105, 135 Proverbs 15
I love proverbs, its my opinion that every young person should read them every year.
15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.
I have so many examples of this principle, both times I did it right and times I did it wrong. Its amazing how this is counter-intuitive but is exactly what works.
4 “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life”. Wow, this is what I want yet my tongue brings many things other than healing. A few have told me that I lack “tack”, they are so stupid. Just joking. I am constantly battling in deciding, should I say something or just stay quiet. This is where wisdom comes, discerning the moment and outcome of my words.
16 “Better is life with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmiol”.
12 A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.
13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave. [b]
I have given a lot of young people advice, some hide their disdain well but some are open about their disappointment. Some just want affirmation for bad decisions they are about to make. A few really listen and take the advice and grow in wisdom. How many times did I do that to previous mentors? How many times did I despise advice? Since very little I had a rebellious arrogant heart. It was broken and broken again. Brokeness is the key to wisdom, its what allows us to listen. May I not despise the wise words of others anymore Lord. Help me listen.

Do I need a Spiritual Coach?

2010-03-02T07:10:00.004-06:00

Day 14

Readings Psalms 14, 44, 74, 104, 134 Proverbs 14, Readings from Thomas Merton, "A Contemplative Prayer"

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent

This reminds me of the song, “How Great is our God” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxPG_mRHDs. It has been sung in Bailey’s room so much, its one of her favorite songs at bedtime, “Daddy sing How great to me.” It melts me. Bailey has made me cry more than everything else in life together. I love being a daddy that teaches his kids about how great our God is. I love to raise my hands in the air with Bailey having her hands up too, praising God in church. She has been doing that since before she walked. May she and Micah be totally passionate and obedient lovers of Jesus. There would be no greater joy in my life.

I beg you Lord, please keep me alive so that I can keep teaching them who you are and grow together with them. I don’t need riches, I don’t need fame but I long to live a long life with my family serving you.

Proverbs 14 – “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their way”. I love that, success in life requires meditative evaluation. It requires the Sabbath, it requires alone time with God. “There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death.” This verse has been in my mind since college and is so true.

²¹ He who despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

How is my neighbor? There is something so special about caring for your neighbors. We really care for Michael, Al Zaphar, Barbara and Mikum’s family. Open the floodgates of heaven to them, protect them and bring us all into a great community. But it blesses God when we make all the needy our neighbors, when we see a need and fill it.

³¹ He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Again, God’s heart for the poor and needy is lifted in proverbs.

Bailey just woke up, sat on my lap, heard the song I mentioned above on my laptop and said, “I love praising Jesus”. Your Spirit oh God is in her, I see her growing, changing and becoming a loving servant for you.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Excerpts From Contemplative Prayer

Can

We now have many getting "life coaches", experts that can help us direct our life affairs to be successful. But do we need a spiritual coach?

“Most people have to learn how to meditate. But we should not expect to find magical methods, systems which will make all difficulties and obstacles dissolve into thin air. We should not however, judge the value of our meditation by “How we feel.” A hard and apparently fruitless meditation may in fact be much more valuable than one that easy, happy, enlightened and apparently a big success”

A spiritual director (coach, mentor) may not be necessary for the ordinary Christian life but it is a “moral necessity for anyone who is trying to deepen his or her life of prayer”.

The spiritual coach or director “is someone who is capable of guiding the beginner in the ways of prayer and detecting any sign of misguided zeal and wrong-headed effort. “

“Many people who have a few natural gifts and a little ingenuity tend to imagine that they can quite easily learn, by their own cleverness, to master the methods – one might say the “Tricks” – of the spiritual life.”

“The only trouble is that in the spiritual life, there are no tricks and no shortcuts.” There is so much in this devotional by Merton, deep spirituality is not easily attained in a short time, it takes a lot of humility to learn from those ahead of us. It takes honest obedience to their help. Maybe you should consider getting a spiritual coach, I’m praying for one too!

My Journey Day 13 Why do evil people prosper?

2010-03-01T00:08:00.001-06:00

Day 13 - Why do evil people prosper?

Readings Psalm 13, 43, 73, 103, 133

I found out that another friend is in the hospital and a biopsy is being taken this morning. Lord, please listen to the prayers for this godly good woman. Deliver her from this and bring her to complete healing.

Psalm 13 David is calling God out to answer his prayers, to deliver him from his enemies. He wonders how long ago did God forget him? “Will you forget me forever?” What is so amazing is that in his prolonged trial, David ends with praise, “But I will trust your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.” He has not gotten resolution and yet David says, “But”. In contrast to my circumstances I know without doubt I will trust, even though I don’t see any help, “God is good”. That is a mature faith, one that is not shaken or moved by circumstances. I want mature faith.

Psalm 43 is almost identical to 13. “Why must I go about mourning?” the answer to his suffering is stated as “Send forth your light and your truth to let them guide me . . then I will go to the alter of God, I will praise you.” David knows getting His light in the midst of trouble is the answer, praise of God in the midst of tribulation is salvation.

Psalm 73 is another favorite. It has such an honest and real description of Asaph’s struggle with envy of the wicked man. He says that God is good to the “pure in heart but as for me I almost slipped”. Asaph admits he is not pure and how he convinced that He had been pure in vain because of the success he saw of the wicked. As he seriously considered sin, he realized that it would hurt others and then came the answer, he entered the sanctuary of God and his perspective changed. I believe that spiritual worship with others is critical to the walk with God. It softens us and changes our perspective. Asaph has these great words of comfort,vs. 23-24 “Yet I am always with you,; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with our counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. . . vs. 28 “But as for me, it is good to be near God, I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

This journal is getting long, really long but these psalms today are amazing,

103:3 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

² Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

I could just quote the whole Psalm . . remember this one!

Proverbs 13 is another reminder for a son to remember his father’s words.

Topics covered include

1. Lazy will keep hungry, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied

2. Guard your lips or they can ruin you.

3. Righteousness guards the man of integrity and truth

4. Pride brings division but wisdom is found by those who take advice

5. Dishonest money dwindles away but he who saves makes it grow

6. He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects command is rewarded

7. A father that loves his son is careful to discipline.

So much to comment on. I hope I can translate these in simple words to my kids. Help me Lord make these proverbs part of my vocabulary so that I too can teach my children as Solomon did.

Lord, you listened to my prayer yesterday and delivered us. Thank you. May my heart be turned to you this week in repentance, humility and wisdom.

Day 12 My Soul is Anxious - Please help!

2010-02-28T07:04:00.003-06:00

Day 12 of My 40 Day Journey

Readings of Psalm 12, 42, 72, 102, 132 Proverbs 12

Dear Lord, I really need you now. Arise with me and comfort me, bring me peace and go before me. My soul is in anguish, my hope is dim and I am lost. How can we overcome division and strife in our lives? We want peace with those we love. It starts with you,
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Why does our thirst for God wane so much? By day 6 it was strong and brought me so joy but this weekend it has been too tired to seek. My soul wants rest and yet it is anxious. Lord, you are my trust. I will tell my heart to trust you, to remember how you have delivered me in the past.

42:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed within me?

That is exactly what I need today, “Put your hope in God, for I will praise him my Savior and my God.”

Lord, answer this prayer for me today, convince my heart to hope in you. These verses are repeated again in this psalm, it is the chorus to the song.

42:7 “Deep calls to deep”, Yes, I need your depth of love to call me there, I want to go deep with you Lord.

Psalm 72 is a royal psalm by King Solomon, a prayer of what he wants in his earthly kingdom of Israel. , some believe that it is a “messianic psalm” referring to the final kingdom of Christ where He rules with righteousness.
Regardless of when it happens, it is a great place to live where righteousness and justice are the norm.

¹¹ All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. ¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. ¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

Lord, we long for that place of peace, justice and prosperity. Our trust is not in politicians or religious leaders but our trust is in you. Bring righteousness to a corrupt world, government and even church. Bring righteousness to our home, to my parenting, to my marriage to my neighborhood.

Psalm 102:18 “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” Wow, I love this psalm. I want to focus on future generations too, may our life help other generations after us Lord.

Lord, I want Bailey and Micah to know you intimately, to seek you whole-heartily and to serve you unequivocally. Give them a thirst and hunger for you. (Pic on the left is Bailey at one week in our hands) May I never get in the way of your work in their lives, may I never frustrate them in a way that would hurt their walk with you. Give me grace to deal with them, give us wisdom to teach them and work in our family so that they have no other choice but to seek you.

Psalm 132 I love the psalmist heart for God, vs. 3 “ I will not enter my house or go to my bed – I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord.” Lord, may I not eat or drink daily until you have found a home in my heart.

Proverbs 12 – “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge.” This proverb contains so much nuggets of wisdom again. “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown.” AMEN

“He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgement”

“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice”

Here is a convicting one for me, “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Wow, this is a struggle, I used to be better at overlooking insulting words but recently, I have been willing to confront. Is that what this is about? Overcoming fear in confronting is good but being too sensitive, defensive is not. Lord help me be prudent, I repent of my impetuous behavior. Finally I love the last verse, “In the way of righteousness,

2010-02-27T08:53:00.002-06:00

Day 11 - A Journal of my 40 Day Spiritual Journey through LENT
Reading Psalm 11, 41, 71, 101, 131 Proverbs 11

Its Saturday morning Lord and I’m ready to hear from you. I was thinking about Micah’s first hair cut yesterday, Jen was in tears seeing how much he has changed, how our days are passing by. He is about to turn two and now looks like a little boy not a baby. Two years ago I had no clue we would have another baby, especially a boy. I can’t imagine my life without him now. He is a great joy to us, thank you so much for your undeserved blessings. Why are you so bent on blessing us? What is man that you should consider him?

11: 7 For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
upright men will see his face.
Amazed again at the two word combo: righteous and justice. What does this combo mean? It means that our Lord is very concerned that the weak get protected, the poor get what they need, the rich are restrained for taking advantage to get more. It means that the righteous are about the Lord’s business of seeing the orphans, widows, sick, poor and disadvantaged taken care of. See the following psalm, the same message:
Psalm 41:7 1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
and restore him from his bed of illness.
4 I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you."
It is clear that one of the rewards for those that look after the weak is heavenly protection, deliverance and blessing. Again, it doesn’t mean that the righteous don’t struggle with poverty ever, sickness or trouble.
Psalm 71:17-18 have been life verses, to pass on the faith to younger generations: 17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.
That is my dream, to keep doing this until I’m old. I can’t imagine anything more significant, than making sure the next generations continue to seek Him. My youth ministry in public schools is very different than what I used to do in church. . . but its so fulfilling. Turning parents hearts back to their teens is one of unique aspects of our ministry now. We pray for these 150 families, mostly unchurched Hispanic families. Lord, help us pass our faith, declare your righteousness even when we are old (I’m already gray, dang it).
Psalm 101 can not be ignored, WOW!
1 I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?
I will walk in my house
with blameless heart.
3 I will set before my eyes
no vile thing.
The deeds of faithless men I hate;
they will not cling to me.
Give me the joy of your spirit Lord to sing of you, your love and justice. Help me today to walk carefully, to watch my words, thoughts and actions. My I not hurt anyone but bless those that I meet. Give me grace let you shine, to seek your goals and desires today.

And we close with this psalm,
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

AMEN!
Tomorrow: Readings from Thomas Merton

Day 10 What does "Waiting" on the Lord really mean?

2010-02-26T08:33:00.004-06:00

Day 10 - Readings Psalm 10, 40 70, 100, 130 Proverbs 10

Good morning Lord, thank you for another day. Help me focus on your Word by your Spirit in me. Psalm 40 is another favorite, it has so much encouragement.

Psalm 40 -¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

David begins this song with praise for deliverance. Again, there are some very strong themes and process of life with God in the Psalms, 1. Major trial in life 2. Waiting on the Lord (vs 1) 3. God’s deliverance comes to us (vs 2) 4. A heart of praise sings out to God (vs 3) 5. Renewed dedication to the Lord (vs. 4-8)
I have to honest, “waiting on the Lord” is rarely taught. It is an act of trust, focusing on Him more than on our problems. It is not running to solve all of them but allowing Him to be involved in our daily issues. Many times in my life I wanted to act, solve or attack. My waiting on Him gave him the opportunity to be rescuer and gave me the opportunity to trust. It meant getting myself off the driver seat, reminding myself that “I am not God”. I have some big issues in my life right now that require waiting. I am not a fan of waiting so Lord, help me have grace and trust in You. I can’t solve them, I can’t make them happen. If I wait on you, it will be right. Please deliver me but I will praise you regardless. Lord help my friend with cancer, deliver him and his wife. Please be merciful as they wait. Deliver Tristen too, heal him completely. . . and the pastor’s little baby girl with heart problems . . please save them Lord. Are you in a place where you should wait on him right now?

^40:4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced ;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

⁷ Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

I love David’s heart and dedication to the Lord, he puts himself on the alter and says, “Lord I am yours”. I love the fact that David’s greatest love was God.

Psalm 70 is another one where David is in a very difficult trial and his response is to wait and seek God out to rescue him.

Psalm 100 is on the other side of deliverance, all about praise:

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Wow, these psalms all go together, so cool. Now look at the next one for today, Psalm 130 is just like the previous ones, trial and crying out to God, waiting on the Lord and deliverance.

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

² O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

³ If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?

⁴ But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Thank you Lord that I have been forgiven. Waiting on the Lord includes watching for his salvation, deliverance and provision. Oh Lord, you are a great God!

Proverbs 10 is a litany of nuggets of wisdom, great to teach to our children too . . . Vs. 2 “ill gotten treasures are of no value”; vs. 9, “the man of integrity walks securely, 17 “He who heeds discipline shows the way of life”, 19, “He who holds his tongue is wise” . . . just a few of the many in there. For me I love them all but I summarize them in one, “The fear of the Lord adds length to life but the years of the wicked will be cut short.” Lord, I want to love wisdom and life more, give me the desire to fear you above all else.

Augustine(354-430) is probably the most influential writer, theologian, philosopher of Christianity since the Apostle Paul. He was both extremely honest and one of the brightest minds.

He descirbes our mind as a divided house as we battle between our desires and our wills, so true. . . .he calls this divided house a “disease” because we actually have “two wills”. When we are divded and not sure what to do, its because our will is not “full”. In this devotion, Augustine confesses the struggle of his conversion, how he was so close to trusting God but his sin nature would not let him. One of the lies of the flesh is one that I hear on a regular basis from the unchristian, “I don’t want to give up . . . I can’t live without this _________“. Augustine did not want to give up his immoral wild life. He had build habits of fleshly pleasures that were not going away. Its impossible to understand this battle as you are experiencing it. . . but the Lord is merciful, and if you believe, he saves you and floods your mind and heart with peace. Augustine opened the Scriptures in the midst of his battle and read Romans 13:13, 14, “Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust an wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites.” Augustine was converted and became one of the greatest church leaders of all time.

Lord, in my battle with sin, flood my mind with truth and love so that I can believe and trust you more. Deliver from doubt, deliver me from pride, deliver me from fear. I will wait on you and trust you deliverer.

Tomorrow we will read from Thomas Merton on Prayer.

2010-02-25T07:26:00.002-06:00

Day 9

Readings Psalm 9, 39, 69, 99, 129 Proverbs 9

I will do a drive to Austin and back today (7 hrs), good time to pray and think about these verses.

⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Lord, you have shown yourself faithful over and over. Thank you for remembering me.

Psalm 9 ¹⁸ But the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

There is much in this psalm about the forgotten, afflicted and the justice they will get. I love the fact that our God is a God of Justice. He will make everything right. . . just wait on Him.

^{Psalm 69:3} My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴ "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

⁵ You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah

⁶ Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

⁷ "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

⁸ Save me from all my transgressions;

Do we need to hear this . . .yes. We are fragile beings, insecure, discouraged and sometimes hopeless. May your promises fill me with truth and may the trust I have for you grow.

^{Psalm 69: 30} I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.

³¹ This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

³² The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!

³³ The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.

Praise is a blessing to Him but very much to us. It changes our perspective and our hearts turn to Him.
The poor again are vindicated and justice will roll.

Lord, help me today to drive with you, come and listen to my prayers. Turn my mourning into dancing, my pain into peace and my insecurity to confidence in you. I need you desperately, hear my prayers.

Tomorrow: Augustine, Excerpts from “Confessions”

DAY 8 - Is Prosperity God's Plan for me?

2010-02-24T06:54:00.000-06:00

Day 8 Does God want me to prosper?
Today’s Readings: Psalm 8, 38, 68, 98, 128 Proverbs 8 Excerpts from Francis Fenelon.
Getting up this morning was not hard, Bailey walks in to our room at 5:45 am crying, saying, “I threw up.” She was so good, made it to the trashcan for half of it, the other half mostly on the rug and none on her bed. I am amazed at how amazing she is, I cleaned it all up and didn’t think about it twice. Somehow my love for her keeps me from thinking about the sickness and grossness of vomit as other things that normally would make me gross out. I am not a perfect father but think about our heavenly Father, He is perfect and His love has no end . . . He cleans our grossest sins and holds us at the same time.

But a huge question I have had is this, “Is it God’s will for Christians to prosper? In all areas including finances?” Plus “Is there a relationships between blessing of our homes and blessings on our community?” Read Psalm 128 below
1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 May the LORD bless you from Zion
all the days of your life;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,
6 and may you live to see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel.
The obvious answer by this written song is a big “Yes”. . . “but”. There is always a big “but” it seems. The person that “fears” and “walks” with the Lord will receive blessing. Both “fear” and “walk” are common words throughout Scripture to refer to “reverence” and “live with”. Proverbs 8:13 describes “fear of the Lord” this way, “to hate evil”. There is a clear relationship in that the blessing of a home blesses a community.
Lets look at Proverbs 8 for Solomon’s comments on “prosperity”. This is the personification of “wisdom”:
With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing wealth on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
Wealth and prosperity are themes of many televangelists and preachers, it’s a common theme in many churches too. Many reject this and in order to balance the scale, they preach a doctrine of suffering, endurance and trials. So much teaching is reactionary . . . whether it’s the sacraments, the charasmatic gifts or money. Out of fear of one extreme we go to the other. I believe the Bible speaks of both and neither extreme is completely correct. On the one hand, physical prosperity is a real topic in Scripture, we can’t just spiritualize those passages. It is clear that God does bless his followers with material blessings. It is clear that from both explicit verses to examples of saints that were blessed. On the other hand it’s not a rule of life. God chooses to bless some with material possessions and other with spiritual ones. We can’t manipulate God or use him to gain possessions. Sometimes God chooses to allow us to go through great pain, suffering and poverty. “Be rich in spirit” is a theme of the New Testament. Jesus and others in the Bible were poor and though they were faithful, did not experience great wealth, success or health. It seems like our faithfulness can bring those things but does not guarantee them. Does God want you to win the lottery? Probably not. Does He want you to be rich? Materially? Maybe but rich in life, spirituality, humility? YES!
God is Good but not because of the great parking lot space you found at Wal-Mart. I find it “silly” to hear people calling God good because of conveniences like this. God is good even if you get cancer or HIV. God is good even if you lose everything. God’s goodness does not depend on your material blessing or curses. Otherwise an African mother who has HIV, husband died, is in extreme poverty and whose child is dying of starvation could not say God is good. I’m not saying that we are not blessed by the conveniences but I am saying that Christians need to be careful to call God good regardless of the circumstances. He is just good, merciful and just.

“Don’t seek that which rust and moth can destroy”. We are told to seek wisdom, justice and love. . . material riches may follow or they might not. Spiritual riches will follow you all the way home! Lord, help me be satisfied with all the spiritual and material blessings knowing that today could be my last day. You are good!

Francois Fenelon (1651-1715) was a member of the court of Louis XIV. He was banned by the pope for “loving God too much and man too little”.
Excerpts from “Christian Perfection”
The “true children of God” sacrifice themselves, they suffer but they want to suffer and they prefer the suffering to every false joy. What God asks us is a will which is no longer divided between him and any creature” . . .Blessed are they who throw themselves with bowed head and closed eyes in to the “Father of mercies” and the God of all consolation. . . . the more one loves God, the more one is content. What folly to fear to be too entirely God’s. . . that is fear to be happy, fear to have too much courage in the crosses. . . so let us scorn earthly things to be wholly God’s. Our whole life was only given us to advance us by great strides toward our heavenly country. There is only one way to love God: to take not a single step without him, and to follow which a brave heart wherever he leads.” I like Francois passion for God and his amazing commitment to walk with him. In real life, we probably wouldn’t be close buddies though. I find that to enjoy God without impact the world is a problem that plagues our churches. We need to move from devotion to mission and obedience. I do like what Fenelon says in light of 1 Peter 4:1-6, “You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do” . . .living in sin. I pray Lord that you help me see this world and its pleasures in a dimmer light today, may I be led to a simple, sacrificing and content life. May you help me focus my energies not on acquisition of stuff and earthly security but on you. May this economic downturn wake your church up and move us all to a refined biblical view of riches, wealth and our future. Thank you God for being good!

Day 7

2010-02-22T23:54:00.001-06:00

Day 7 of my 40 Day Journey with God

Today's reading: Psalm 7, 37, 67, 97, 127 and Proverbs 7 along with Bernard of Clairvaux.
Psalm 37 has to be one of my favorite psalms, I love it! It is full of amazing truths that pull on your heart.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
This is good to memorize, it promises what God does for the person that trusts and delights in him, commits his life to him and is still. That person will enjoy safety, their dreams will be given by the Lord and will make sure your way is cleared for success in righteousness.
There is a constant themes that run through Psalms, two main ones are justice and righteousness. They describe the person that does right, not just a moral person but a person that makes sure the poor and needy get justice. Some psalms describe the righteous person not in terms of the modern day moral man with do’s and don’ts. . . but in terms of the heroes of a community that share their resources with the poor, fight for the poor and don’t allow for corruption that takes advantage of the poor. These heroes are the fabric that makes society work.
The next verse is a one that I need to work on, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;” I am not a wrathful person but anger does visit me too much. I repent Lord, please help me wait on you, trust you and not take things into my own hands.
Vs. 16 16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
This is hard to believe sometimes but its very true. A righteous person lives with peace, joy and simplicity. A wicked wealthy person lives with anger, worry and guilt.
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
This is what we all want Lord, help us therefore be delights to you.
Sometimes we can’t see God’s work but we must trust that He is working for us, “ 19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen. “
Psalm 107 is another favorite. . .this will be a long journal for today. . . so much to each, a buffet of encouragement.
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Proverbs 7 24 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave, [d]
leading down to the chambers of death.
Again, Solomon warns his sons to be wise and save their lives from the harlot who takes her victims to hell. These teaching on sexual purity are needed in our community, words that bring life and save those that listen from death. Lord, I pray for those that are about to fall into this trap, save them, for those that are in ministry, save them from sexual suicide, those that are in our churches, may they repent and turn to you. Keep us from these strongholds, hold us in your hand.

Bernard Clairvaux was French (1090-1153) and had some amazing writings, some of which influenced Luther and Calvin alike. Excerpts from “On the Love of God”. God should be loved because He is love and is entitled to our love. He loved us by giving himself for our sins. Loving God is not seeking our own in our relationship with Him.
The First Degree of Love: Love of self for self’s sake. But if we love ourselves becomes too lavish, it will overflow its natural boundaries through excessive love of pleasure. In order for us to love our neighbor we must see that God is the cause of our love.

The Second Degree of Love: Love God for self sake
This is where we love God and blessing occurs, we rejoice but our pride turns us to believe we are responsible for our own security. When we face storms, we then turn to God for help. We love him because we have learned that our lives are better that way.
The Third Degree of Love: Love of God’s for God’s sake
Through continued trials we may begin to soften because of His grace to love God for His sake and not ours. This only comes through a lot of prayer for our needs and we start realizing the sweet relationship is more important than our needs. We begin to say, “we praise God because He is good, not because He is good to me”. Its not about us anymore, we have transitioned to a purer love.
The Fourth Degree of Love: Love of self for God’s sake
These are rare experiences in one’s life. Bernard says that we lose ourselves for a moment utterly unconscious of ourselves and empty ourselves. In this moments of being one mind with God, our wills are in total accord with God and we pray, “your will be done” out of pure desire not obligation. This kind of love is very hard to maintain in our current bodies and when we come out of it, it hurts to live in this world.
We move from degree to degree by experience of time with God in prayer, sacrificing for him and reading of His word. Thank you for this amazing truth of Love, thank you for Bernard.
May I understand what my love is for you and be moved from lower degrees to higher loves for you Lord. Help me love you for you.

These days are long but so meaningful . . .tomorrow we move to day 8 and a devotion from Francois Fenelon.

Day 6 - Heal my bones

2010-02-22T07:12:00.000-06:00

Day 6 of my 40 day Journey with God

Psalm 6, 36, 66, 96, 126 And excerpt readings of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
I thank God that he gave me energy to get up even though Micah first woke me at 4:30 am. I finally went to bed at 5:30 and woke up at 6:15 for the day. Micah was not sleeping well and Jen tried to comfort him with some medicine and soothing. It was my turn and all I did was put my hand on his back and he quieted, this happened twice. In between I laid down on his floor, just waiting for him to wake up again. He had no clue I was right next to him. I thought, this is how our Father is with us, just waiting to put His hand on us to let us know He is there. Even when we don’t know He is there, He waits just a second away to bring make sure we are okay.
Psalm 6 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
5 No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave [b] ?
6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
This is a great Psalm for those that are sick or in emotional agony. It has been a wonderful reminder when I’ve been through the ringer.
Psalm 36: 5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
I am just blown away by how He has been so merciful to me. I have had a full life of blessing and don’t deserve any of it. He is faithful!
Psalm 126 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
Wow. There is a constant theme through Scripture that our grief will be turned into dancing!
Proverbs 6 – “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned . . . but a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself”
Again, fatherly Solomon advises his son to be faithful to His wife.

I am amazed at how God is so patient with us. . .but here is the key to a deep spiritual walk - "walk in the Spirit" as Paul tells us in Galatians. He says that if we do, we will not walk in the flesh. I'm just in day 6 of my journey but I have to honest, there is a huge difference in my outlook, ego, focus, thought life, joy. In church yesterday I was so engaged in worship not because I should or needed something from God, I was just excited to be praising Him with God's people. That hasn't happened in too long. My cynical cold heart has been softened by His Spirit and Word. My time with Him is having impact on my daily life, more than I ever think it will. I notice a desire to make everything right in my life, from my finances to my marriage to my fatherhood, my ministry, my neighbors . . .He is giving me desires that are not my own but only come from Him. He truly is faithful and answers our prayers, "seek first the Kingdom of God and righteousness and all these things will be added to you".

I went and played racquetball with Steven and John and I schooled this young pups, it was so much fun. Bernard of Clairvaux . . lets do it tomorrow!

Day 5 The Dark Night of the Soul

2010-02-21T09:11:00.000-06:00

This is day five of my 40 day journey with God through LENT. This is a long one but has so much to ponder, enjoy.

DAY 5 Psalms 5, 35, 65, 95, 125 Proverbs 5 – John of the Cross, Excerpts from “The Dark Night of the Soul”

Good morning Lord, thank you for waking me up again. I rise with the realization that I am thoroughly blessed, you are such a gracious God. Psalm 5 “In the morning O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation”. It was the habit of Jesus to get up before dawn and pray, may this habit be a reality in my life for my life depends on it.

Psalm 35:10 “You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them”. I am constantly amazed at how many references there are about the poor in the Scriptures. . . it seems like for the last 20 years, I never saw them, never preached about them, never cared. Every time you read scripture, look at notice how many times the “poor” are mentioned. Even King David, the one ruling the country, the government cared deeply for the poor . . . but we say, “its not the governments job to care for the poor”. I am no liberal but doesn’t our conservative view here go against Scripture? I guess the rich will always ignore the poor but not King David, he was the richest man in Israel and the one who made the laws, his concern for justice for the poor was much higher and deeper than our church leaders today. It seems like our pastors (me included) have ignored it as it is not a popular topic, our suburban members refuse to listen to this. Maybe we pastors have become like the Pharisees that ignored and scoffed at the words of Jesus about the poor. Oh brothers, lets repent and turn our churches back to caring and seeking justice for the poor, orphans and widows (true religion according to James).

Psalm 65 “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.” Wow, that really is amazing, David felt like we do. If we do careful inventory of our days, we fill them with sins. . . most of the time sins of thought but usually of action too. Lord, I so bless you for forgiving me more sins that I could ever imagine.

Psalm 95 – “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” The whole psalm is amazing, you have to read it, all about worship . . .it makes me soooo excited to go to church this morning and sing out to Him my praises, “for You are a great God.”

Proverbs 5 is an old favorite of mine. . . its about two main topics, watch your lips and speak only what is wise and two stay away from the adulteress. It’s a very detailed instructions to his sons on how and why to stay away from the “wayward” women. 1. “Her feet go down to death and her steps lead straight to the grave” 2. “Stay away lest you give your best strength to others and they feast on your wealth” 3. At the end of your life will have bitter regret because of the ruin she has brought you.

Therefore, “drink from your own cistern” . . . go to your own wife for your needs and not other women. . . “never share your well” with others. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. Oh Lord, I thank you for saving me from this, I thank you for the wife of my youth that is oh more amazing today than ever. I can’t imagine life without her, keep my feet in my own home, keep my mind in my own family and keep my heart faithful to my family and to you. “For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord”

“The Dark Night of the Soul” is one of my favorites works of our church fathers, John of the Cross has so much insight on the depths of spirituality, by the way, he was Spanish, probably hung out in the town of Benavides. He was arrested for seeking reform of the church. It was in prison that he wrote this devotional.

When God draws us from the beginning stage to a more advanced spiritual stage we will grow deeper in our spiritual life. It is in the deeper stage that we experience, “the dark night of the soul” (referred to as DNS from now on). It is here that God wants to purify us and move us to greater heights. In the beginning stage God nurtured us and gently moved us along as a new born babe with spiritual milk. It reminds me of my first year as a Christian, everything in the bible was exciting, prayer was so meaningful and I loved serving, I was fifteen at the time. But then God starts removing some of the “previous consolation” to move us to go deeper, to reveal our impurities. It’s the seven capital sins that are being cleansed from our devotion.

1. Secret Pride – as we grow in our faith pride quickly fills us, we become “too spiritual”, we prefer to teach than to be taught, we become like Pharisees. . . . we soften our sins when we try to be honest so as to appear less imperfect. We pray for God to take away our imperfections for peace sake, not necessarily to be right with God. But God doesn’t take the imperfections lest we become more prideful. The answer to this is humility. Dang it, he got me so much on this one. May I be humble enough to learn what I think I already know.

2. Spiritual Greed – our hearts get attached to the feelings we get then we are in a constant journey to get the feeling not to get to God. “I got nothing out of church today”. . .is a common phrase.

3. Spiritual Luxury – during prayer or spiritual exercises we get tempted with lust or other impure thoughts. This happens as the spiritual is taking over the reign of the flesh, the flesh reacts and fights against you. In the DNS it begins to subside.

4. Spiritual Wrath – we get bitter when God takes away the consolation. You hear people saying, “I got nothing out of the bible. . .or our of church”, and you feel their anger. We will try really hard to get the feelings back so we will be “SAINTS IN A DAY” and make all kinds of resolutions to change. The answer is patience and not demanding from God.

5. Spiritual Gluttony – some love the spiritual sweetness of devotion so much that they go overboard and almost kill themselves to get more of it. Again, this is not for God but for themselves.

6. Spiritual Envy and 7. Sloth – when we hate the attention others get from their spirituality and sloth is when we become weary of devotion and we abandon it.

The Dark Night is a tool of God to humble us and to seek Him for Him only, not for the feelings we get. If you are in a dark night right now, He has not abandoned you but loves you so much that He wants to be closer based on true relationship, He doesn’t want us to use him anymore. Thank God for John of the Cross.

I have much more to say but this has been long and I got to get ready for church. May your day be filled with His glory. May you seek Him and find Him in your time of need. Can’t wait for Day 6 and a devotional from Bernard of Clairvaux.

Day 4 Why do people hate devotion to God?

2010-02-20T07:39:00.000-06:00

In my Day 4 of my 40 day journey through Lent . . .

DAY 4 Psalm 4, 34, 64, 94, 124 Excerpts from 16th century Jesuit, Francis de Sales, “Introduction to the Devout Life”

Its Saturday morning and it took my alarm clock to wake me up to spend time with you Lord. This has been one of the hardest and most blessed weeks. Thank you for not forgetting me.

Psalm 34 is one of my favorites, it was there for me in 1989 when I hit one of the hardest times of my and is here for me now.

“this poor man called and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles”. This reminds me of the work we do at LINC NT. We are a ministry that is trying to do both community development and disciple-making. There are those that believe that we should do just community development and leave the spiritual stuff to the church. . . others believe we should just focus on church planting and let the social stuff to service organizations. I can’t do that . . . biblically we are called to help out the poor and also bring Jesus to them. I love the fact that this verse says that “the Lord heard him”. The poor man is ignored in this culture, left on his own. Some conservatives say, “leave him alone, I am not responsible for that man’s laziness or misfortune, if I help, it will bring me down too.” Some liberals say, “help him physically but don’t impose your values or religion on him . . . just give him what he wants.” I think both extremes are wrong and unbiblical. We ought to help immediately but we do it in a way that helps keep the man’s dignity. I will help him “own the pond” not just give him fish because his dignity is just as important. But he can’t “own the pond” and not know the greatest fisherman of all. Oh, I got off on a tangent . . . oops . . well its my blog . . . I’m just saying.

Vs 14 “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Psalm 94 “The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile. . . blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Vs. 22 But the Lord has become my fortress and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”

Proverbs 4 “above all else, guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

This Jesuit priest from the 16^th century has so much wisdom. . .he asks, Why we hate spiritual disciplines? it is bitter to the mouth and sweet to the soul. No one like dying and having true devotion based on love is very hard work and quick fruit might not be seen. But true devotion is sweet and will bring consolation.

Lord, I have so much to learn, to rely on you, to truly trust you. Teach me to trust you. I have so much to learn about devotion, help me listen to the wise man in proverbs in the saints that have gone before me.

I’m on my way to teach over fifty youth pastors this morning, give me your wisdom and help me speak words that bring them life and long-term fruit to your kingdom. I love you Lord, your love is better than life!

I love this journey . . . I love spending time with you.

Day Three - My Affection for God

2010-02-19T07:35:00.000-06:00

DAY 3

Psalm 3, 33, 63, 93, 123 Proverbs 3 . . .Jonathan Edwards

Lord, I love your word. I’m exhausted from the Parent University from last night and yet your word gives me life this morning.

Psalms 3 and 33 tell me, “From the Lord comes deliverance

Sing to him a new song, play skillfully and shout with joy

We wait in hope for the Lord, for we trust in his holy name, may your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” I love the sense that God wants us to sing “new songs”. I love singing songs I know but new songs I learn give me so much life. New songs bring an excitement and freshness to our walk with Christ. Some churches can’t get away from the songs of 1850 and I do appreciate old tunes but there is so much life that is missing if the new song is not sought.

Psalm 63 says my soul thirsts for you. “Because your love is better than life my lips I will glorify you, I will praise you as long as I live.Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings, my soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me” The concept of thirsting for God is present all over the Scripture, I know that our hearts were made with an unquenchable thirst for God. Psalms compares this thirst to that of a deer thirsting for water. Why do we not thirst for God? I believe part of the reason is that our hearts are too filled with other affections . . . we have to get to the place of needing Him, asking for this thirst and setting worldly affections aside to have time for Him. It has been a consistent prayer for me to ask for thirst and I ask for it again, Lord, give me a constant thirst for you that I won’t ignore.

Proverbs 3 is a great encouragement to also watch my heart.

Lord, there are two things I want for my family, that I be a man of love and faithfulness. Our world has perfected the art of lust and unfaithfulness. May I be under your protection, bind love and faithfulness around my neck.

The writer of proverbs also writes, “don’t be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” I really feel this verse, because I know that I tend to be too proud of my own wisdom, I have hurt people with my arrogance and hurt my relationship with God. I am convicted again and again, that I don’t have to prove myself to anyone with my knowledge, wisdom or strategy for ministry, I have to prove myself with humility, love and obedience to Him only. “Don’t resent His rebuke because the Lord disciplines those He loves as a father the son he delights in.” As a child, rebukes would anger me, almost hurt me because I was so insecure. I have been so blessed by His rebukes and his discipline. Lord, may I have the humility and wisdom to receive your teachings and lessons. Today’s culture hates rebukes, you are attacked back when you try to correct anyone. “Don’t withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. The wise inherit honor, but fools he holds up to shame.” I love the proverbs, they give me so much to think about, change and renew in my life.

Excerpt from Jonahtan Edwards, Religious “Affections”

God has given us the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. He writes that true religion must be exercised with great ferver and conviction not in a weak, dull and lifeless “wouldings”. “with all our heart and with all our soul” takes on a new meaning in the shema . . . our hearts must be fully engaged in our love for the Lord. This is rarely talked about in our churches but we must confront our disciples to watch their affections, especially in Dallas, a city with great affection for material possessions, unmatched affection for outward appearances and magnetic affection for sensuality and perversion. Lord save your church in Dallas from being tainted by these strongholds, may your church in Dallas be pure, poor in spirit and abundant in generosity.

“People are exceedingly busy, it is their affections that keep them busy . . . we must have affections for Him. “A person who has a knowledge of doctrine and theology only without religious affection has never engaged in true religion” . . .our hearts must be affected by His word. . . .holy thirst for God is also and expression of this affection. I have become an expert at being busy but a novice at devotion and quietness. I have to repent. Lord, forgive me, may my affections move from ambition for my own desires to ambition to know you, to walk with you and to serve you.

Lord help me love my family, while writing my journal, Bailey woke up and came down. She kept interrupting me and after I gave her cereal, she kept coming back wanting to sit on my lap. I kept telling her, Bailey, I’m working can you let me finish. After a while she said to me, “Daddy, all I need is a little love.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. I sat her on my lap, and she just curled up in my arms and keeps wanting to touch me, hold me and be close to me. She sat with me for quite a while. I’m so glad the Lord is never to busy for me. May I be more sensitive to Bailey’s need for my love and affection too. Lord help me balance my time with you, with my family and with my work. Forgive me for not loving others like I should. I love you Lord.

I look forward to tomorrow Lord, Day 4 with you.

Day Two - God is our safe place

2010-02-18T06:57:00.000-06:00

This is my personal journey through LENT of 2010. . . may it encourage you in your journey!

DAY 2 – God is our safe place!
This morning I had a hard time focusing, going to bed at 2 am and waking up at 6:25 means that I didn’t sleep much, but I believe that my time with you will be more effective than sleeping. By faith I rise to meet you, Lord help my lack of faith . . . I am weak and very tired.
Today’s Reading: Psalms 2, 32, 62, 92,122 . Proverbs 2 and excerpts from Dallas Willard's, “Spirit of The Disciplines”
I got up believing that you will make up lost sleep. But do you? Or do I pay for my lack of discipline, of not going to bed earlier? I will see how I last, tonight is our big Parent University where I will be speaking to over 80 parents of Polk Middle School. . . I will only make it if You Lord are my strength. Please go ahead of me, convince the parents to come, work on their hearts now, may their hearts burn for more of You as I speak on principles of parenting.
I am not sure if I got much out of Psalm 2 in my first reading but I have to be honest. . . but Psalm 32 is awesome. “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven . . . then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. . . . and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” WOW. Its sad how I normally confess my sins in such a surface way to you. . . but not this morning. I know that the deeper I confess and more honest I am the more heaven opens up to me. I know that my relationship with you can be even more real and wonderful if I lay it all before you. “ Psalm 62 is in the same vein, “pour out your heart to Him for our God is our refuge”. I translate that to mean, “God is our safe place”. . . I am told by Him to trust Him, to pour out my heart to him even more than I do to my best friend. Why? Why does He want me to do that? Because the more honest I am with Him, the more intimate we become. Intimacy is all about honesty and trust. Point of the day, If I truly trust Him, I will confess deeply and pour out my heart honestly.
Lord forgive my sins, you hear my honest confessions, that its not just the sin, it’s the lack of trust in you. I sin because its easier for my flesh to escape than to be crucified. I run from you because my flesh would rather enjoy a momentary pleasure or thought than face execution. Lord crucify me! Kill the old man. I don’t want to worship other gods anymore. Self worship is so empty. Kill my flesh and raise me again as a new man.
Lord help me today to walk in the Spirit not the flesh. Galatians 2. Help me rely on your strength when I want to escape, sin or stand in wickedness. Remind me that this life is not about me, remind me that living for you and others is much better.
“Spirit of the Disciplines” is a great book. I love what Willard says about discipleship, it’s the password into experiencing the Kingdom of God. You can’t experience it here on earth without it. . . yet most of our churches don’t require it. You can be a member in almost any church without being a disciple. . . we think its optional, like a great stereo in a new car. “Churches are filled with undiscipled disciples.” Most pastors know this but don’t know how to change this wave of disobedience in our churches. Kill membership classes and processes we have in place is my view. I did it too, I led the membership process for a while in my old church – how wrong I was. I let many come into membership without requiring the most important thing – being a follower of Jesus. Its too complicated, it requires real relationship with our members, honest and deep relationship . . but that is too many people in a large church. Its much easier to have a class and keep distance with the sheep. Willard says, “ we omit enrolling people as Christ’s students and we omit the step of taking our converts through training, that will bring them ever increasingly to do what Jesus directed . . ..”
“The disciple above all else desires to be like Him.” We should not put the label of discipleship flippantly but carefully after testing the new convert in time, watching them for a while becoming consistent followers of Jesus.
Lord, make me a disciple. . . I want to follow you!
Some of My Prayers
I pray for my friend with cancer, I ask you to heal him, heal him today, I know you can. . . I ask you to give the doctors great wisdom. . . that you give him peace and his wife peace. Please be merciful to them. I pray for my family Lord, be with my dad in the nursing home today, do not let diabetes take his other leg, may He find you in his loneliness, save him Lord. May my mother, brothers and sister be in your blessed plan. May my wife have great wisdom today as we parent two wonderful kids, thank you for adoption, thank you for the love that you have overwhelmed us with . . . we don’t deserve it. Help them be safe, healthy but most importantly godly, give them great thirst and hunger for you and your mission. May both be amazing Jesus followers. I pray for my staff, give us peace, unity and purpose. May all be encouraged and excited for today’s great ministry opportunity at Polk. Please bring about your kingdom at both this school and Field. Thank you for all these things . . . I look forward to Day 3 and our time together.

40 Days With Purpose

2010-02-17T07:39:00.000-06:00

Today is "Ash Wednesday" and the beginning of the Lenten season for Christians throughout the world. "Ashes" signify repentance and the beginning of renewal. In the Bible repentance is always the first step for God to work (Nehemiah, Jonah, John the Baptist), "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is close". For me, its a new day, a new time of renewal. I will blog about my 40 day journey and I pray that you too will come along.

At 6 AM the Lord woke me up again, this is becoming habit for Him . . . seems like He heard my prayers when I asked Him to wake me so that He and I can spend time together. I will be reading through the Psalms and Proverbs during the next 40 days plus reading through the Devotional Classics by Foster. I also am spending half of my time in prayer.

"Lord, I want the next 40 days to walk close to you. I will wake up at 6 am for the next 40 days and spend time with you: I will be praying for my family, the new church plant in CFB and my walk with you. I need you desperately, give me the strength and reminder to do this. I will also be working to think more of you and learn from you throughout my days. In my family life I will work to be the spiritual leader which includes bringing Jesus more into our family and getting us more involved in spiritual exercises. In my physical body I will work on not drinking any soft drinks for the next 40 days, I will exercise at least 3x per week but with the goal of doing it 5 days a week. Heal me for my foot is hurting and I need my feet and legs to get me to exercise.

This morning it was good to spend time with you, especially in prayer and the Word. I was so encouraged by Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1. I want to be the tree that is planted by waters, I want to see more fruit out of my life for you, more than I ever imagined, more than I can do on my own, more than I deserve. I also was moved by vs 2-4,

for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;

³ for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;

⁴ for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young-

That is what my life is all about, getting discipline myself and doing what is right but then giving it away to the young. Lord help me do this well.

I also was moved by the verse that says the wise seek knowledge. The wise don’t have it but seek it. Its not about arriving but about pushing forward for it. Oh Lord help me!"

Reading excerpts from C.S. Lewis this morning, "Mere Christianity". He wrote, "Laziness means more work in the long run." This is so true, may I not be lazy but diligent in all my work, Lord help me.
"...the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs". Some churches do this well but most don't, seems like we are much more concerned about our newest program, building, pastors, etc . . . "God became Man for no other purpose."
Luke 14:25-33, "So therefore, no one can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
May our family become all "little christs" . . . thank you Lord that Bailey is showing great ability to be Jesus at school at four years old, she displays great grace and love to all, that only comes through prayer and love. . . .may Micah also become like You Lord too . . . may our marriage and home become a sanctuary to your Spirit and all who come, thank you Lord for a great wife that is so welcoming to all, so righteous. . . . help me learn from them today!

I covet - I'm spoiled

2009-12-12T08:56:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning and did my routine, the strong coffee and sat to read the bible. Of course Bailey woke up as soon as the coffee was made and said, "Daddy, can you carry me downstairs?". I held held out my arms and she jumped forward into my arms and held me so strongly, put her whole weight. I loved it, her full trust and embrace.

I wish I treated my heavenly father like that. That kind of embrace and trust. I was reading Hebrews 11 and was very convicted. I battle coveting way too much. I am embarrassed to say that I sometimes want more and better, bigger and newer. I won't go into too many details here but I know that I sin constantly and I am not happy about how easily I forget. I forget what is really important, I forget that materials won't satisfy, I forget that the power money gives is deceitfully dangerous, I forget that I have way too much already, I forget how many others don't have even the basics. Coveting is really a lack of trust in God. Coveting is a rejecting of His provision.

It says, vs 6 "Without faith its impossible to please God, because anyone who who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him". I do want to be rewarded but unfortunately I struggle with faith. I struggle with believing.

Then I read this passage that blew me away, "By faith Abraham lived in tents . . for he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God". WOW. Abraham lived in tents on earth so that he could live in God's eternal mansion.

I certainly don't live in a tent, in fact I have been given an amazing beautiful and spacious home. I have no reason to covet bigger homes (in Dallas, there are so many). The truth is that if I let North Dallas determine my standard of equity or justice, I will be deceived in thinking I have less than _____. The truth is that I have more than 95% of the world. Stop coveting! Stop rejecting the good things God has given you! Be content! You have been blessed so much.

So jump, embrace your Father and thank Him!

Racism and Police in Dallas

2009-10-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

Did you see this article in the Dallas News?09:11 AM CDT on Saturday, October 24, 2009
By SCOTT GOLDSTEIN / The Dallas Morning News
sgoldstein@dallasnews.com

Dallas police wrongly ticketed at least 39 drivers for not speaking English over the last three years, Police Chief David Kunkle announced Friday while promising to investigate all officers involved in the cases for dereliction of duty.

Pending cases will be dismissed, and those who paid the $204 fine for the charge, which does not exist in the city, will be reimbursed, Kunkle said.

The sad part is that there are many in our city that would support this kind of discrimination. I have never been too involved in accusations and issues on race. Part of the reason it is that I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley where Hispanics comprise more than 85% of the population. When I moved to San Antonio, there was more diversity but Hispanics still comprised a large part of the population and always have. Since before the Alamo, San Antonio has had a large Hispanic presence there. Then I moved to Dallas in 1990.

Dallas has a history of racial division and Hispanics have stayed out of the White vs. Black struggle. But our city has seen a huge immigration of Hispanics to North Texas. An area that was vastly populated mostly by Anglos with a large minority of Blacks has changed drastically since the 90s. The demographics experts say there are now over 1.3 million Hispanics in North Texas. DISD is now over 60% Hispanic. The fast growth is making some people nervous.

I usually side with those that believe that racism is exaggerated and used by special interest groups to gain power in our culture. Part of my problem has been that I am an optimist and try to think the best of people unless they prove me otherwise. I'm Hispanic but I have lighter skin, am 6 foot 2 and only have a slight accent, not the typical immigrant look.

But my eyes are opening to an ugly reality that racism does not just strongly exists here in Dallas, it exists in our churches as well. I have made alot of new friends in the past year that are either black or Hispanic. For some of them, their experience has been very different than mine. Some of my black friends have continually been under served at restaurants, ignored or looked at strangely. (I know some of you are going to say, "They are just too sensitive". Maybe some are but as I get to hear more and more stories, the picture become clearer).

The issue at hand for me is the treatment of undocumented workers. Somehow their "Illegal" status justifies the treatment they receive. I have had family members that are undocumented and have been deported. I myself had to go through citizenship court and become an American Citizen. I am very proud of my America. I am proud of the fact that millions come to find opportunity and a new life. If it wasn't for America, would I have ever heard about the saving Jesus? Would I have found my wonderful "white" wife? Adopted "white" children?

I will be writing on this subject. I will be stating my beliefs on what the Bible says on treatment of foreigners. I will also debunk some myths. Human life is sacred, a gift from God. We treat all people with dignity, compassion and respect.

Here are some myths:

Myth: Immigrants don’t pay taxes.
Fact: All immigrants pay taxes. Even undocumented immigrants pay sales taxes and real estate taxes
(either directly as homeowners or indirectly through rent). The Social Security Administration
estimates that three-quarters of undocumented immigrants contribute payroll taxes, including
$6–7 billion in Social Security taxes that will never benefit them.

Myth: Immigrants are a drain on the economy.
Fact: Approximately 26 million immigrants currently residing in the United States arrived after the age of 18 and are in prime working age. They represent roughly $2.8 trillion to U.S. taxpayers, who receive the benefit of their labor without the cost of their education.

Prayer at 5 AM - You are kidding me.

2009-06-29T17:46:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite passages from the bible are the accounts of Jesus praying all night or before dawn. It tells us that it was his custom to do this. I love to preach about this to motivate Christians to pray . . . but honestly, its not something I do. Yes, I am a pastor. Yes, I believe in prayer and I do pray every day. Nevertheless its not my custom to get up before the crack of dawn to seek my heavenly father. Is it yours?

My limited study on revivals and biographies of great people of God reveal a similar thread. There was an amazing movement of prayer that precedes great movements of God.

In just 7 hrs (5 AM Central) the LINC staff will be meeting at New Hope and will be praying for God to move mightily in East Dallas. Our friend Ramiro is helping us launch a new mission. He is from Columbia. Early morning prayers have been the foundation for the revivals in South America like it is in Korea. Our staff is excited and honestly struggling with the thought of this Jesus type of action. I am too . . . thanks Ramiro.

At Home Depot I saw my Muslim neighbor from Pakistan, he is an amazing friend. We were standing in the garden area talking when suddenly he said to his wife, "we must go, its prayer time, the sun is about to set." I was shocked and asked him about it. He said, "we pray five times a day . . .it helps keep us from doing bad things'. His wife followed him and they went home in haste without a purchase. WOW.

May we Christians be as serious about prayer as my Muslim friend. May we be so in love with our Father, that prayer becomes more important than what we eat.

"Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of the father". "Pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

Do churches kill community?

2009-06-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

Just read a great article by John McNight called, "Why Servanthood is Bad" (originally published in The Other Side magazine in 1989).
His main premise is that many churches and many service organizations actually hurt community when they focus on people's deficiencies and insist on bringing in service systems rather than community and capacity. These organizations employ "professionals" to come into a community and solve problems. He says that what this actually does is it weakens neighborhood organizations. He calls them "community busters".

As pastors and leaders we must reject systems that ignore, devalue or marginalize the human assets of a community. True community transformation happens from the inside out not the other way around. McNight states that we must therefore "never do for others what they can do for themselves".

After being burned in Kenya, Peru, East Dallas, West Dallas and other places . . . some of these lessons that McNight espouses are sounding more and more true. Its a shame that in our exuberance and passion we could actually hurt communities. What if we had done a more careful study of how to transform communites instead of just pushing our evangelistic agenda? What if we had actually asked the people what they needed and how the problems could be solved? What if we had recruited them in the process of finding and implementing a solution. We would have had more local ownership, more long-term results and solutions.

Despite our youthful impetousness, God still worked in us and through us. Even when we make frail or powerful attempts the wrong way, the wrong time and the wrong places . . . .the Spirit moves. That doesn't excuse our ignorant ways but it does comfort us . . . it does bring peace to a heavy heart.

A friend told me once that we learn much more from our failures than from our successes. So true. I have failed time and time again . . . may I listen and be ready to change!

So leaders, pastors and missionaries . . . lets be a little more strategic in our campaigns . . .let be a little more humble and ready to listen rather than talk.

Lord, forgive us when we think we know more than others. . . Lord forgive us when we think we have the answer . . . Lord forgive us when we refuse to collaborate and rather go solo than work in community . . . Lord forgive us when we give too much credit to the experts, to our strategies and to the extravant. Forgive us when we judge the rich and the poor alike. . . when we sneer at ignorant and hypocrites. Forgive us when we laugh at traditionalist and trendy too.

As John Baillie wrote, "Let me never think eternal Father that I am here to stay. Let me still remember that I am a stranger and pilgrim on the earth. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. . . Do not let the happiness of this day become a snare to my too-worldy heart. . . .making peace more peaceful and joy more joyful and faith and hope more secure. AMEN.

Magic in Orlando

2009-04-14T11:57:00.001-05:00

I can't believe the Lord chose me to be part of such a movement of His Spirit in urban America. The Devos initiative has His hand to bless the people in the trenches that are ministering to the urban youth. You can't get any closer to the action of real life ministry.

What is your mission in life?

2009-02-25T10:13:00.000-06:00

I love this quote,

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." - Fredrick Buechner

Blogging again

2009-02-25T09:37:00.000-06:00

I'm back after taking months of a break from blogging. Why have I not blogged? Honestly, I'm not a true blogger, yet. I guess I don't think people want to read my thoughts on a subject, there are many good bloggers out there.

Exciting stuff:
DEVOS I had a great weekend in Pottsboro with my Devos Dallas team. It was our first workshop and it was just amazing. Nine urban youth workers being trained by the best people in the world. The Devos Urban Training material is very effective and inspiring. I am soooo excited to be linked up with this group. I learned alot about myself. In the DISC profile I am an "I" . .which stands for Inspirational. I also learned that I am a coach and need to work in being more directive with my people. I also was reminded that God created me with every detail of my personality and background for a very specific purpose.

So what did I really get out of it:
I need to make sure that I am doing what my mission in life is . . .not just a job.

I am reading two great books, "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala and "Unchristian" by Kinnaman. They are motivational for me and for my team. . . more on the books soon!

Welcome to our crazy world!

2008-09-18T01:24:00.000-05:00

Random Thoughts . . .

In the midst of a chaotic and "historic" election, millions without power or homes in Houston from Ike and the worst financial crises in decades do you ever wonder - WHO IS IN CHARGE?

Its obvious that we are NOT. I am glad God is still in control.

I have not blogged since May, sorry friends. . .or maybe you are not complaining. Another late night not being able to sleep. Micah kept me up until 12:30 am . . . my mind has not been able to stop. I'm glad God is still working.

I have been humbled recently. As I was confronted by some of my mistakes and omissions, I realize how I hurt others more now than in the past. The more responsibility, the more people that you lead the more you disappoint, hurt and offend. I'm glad God forgives me and heals others that I have hurt.

I can't imagine what these politicians go through when they run for office. There is so much hate for the other candidates from the media and general population. How do they handle it?

In times of chaos, grumbling, strife and division, keep loving others.
Lord, regardless of my mistakes, keep me humble and let me always love, even my enemies.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another". - Jesus

STAND AND DELIVER . . . A Day in an Urban High School

2008-05-20T23:42:00.000-05:00

"I don't smoke pot everyday anymore" .. . These were the words from a High School sophomore. I visited an DISD High School yesterday to speak to two classes of sophomores to motivate them to stay in school and make good choices. This student was moved by my story of my own use of drugs as a teenager. He and I connected and I hope somehow I made a difference in his life. I have been approved to be a volunteer in this High School and I intend to get involved because they really need help.

I was appalled at the condition of the school and the programs. DISD now only graduates 40% of its Hispanic freshman. This school I visited is overwhelmingly Hispanic, its also popular in news reports of the teen killer drug, "Cheese". . . a slang name for heroine. The students were friendly and many of them smiled at me but the emptiness and depressive state of the school was deafening. TAKS scores were out that day and the tension was high. This school has been on probation before and it looks like it might return to that status. As many as 50 seniors of 250 could end up failing the TAKS. For these seniors that are about to graduate it means failure. They won't get their diploma and for most they will give up. I went to meet the principal but he was not there, I hear he is rarely at the school . . . MIA. The counselors are not much better. Its a few teachers that are holding down the fort for the sake of the students. . . Who will stand?

Compare this 40 % statistics to the 90%+ of Plano High Schools. Why such a huge disparity? Obviously such issues are very complicated but the fact remains that we are allowing this to occur. It broke my heart to know that these students are destined to very limited lives. Worse is that they don't even have access to the gospel. Over 90% of immigrants from Latin America do not have a clear understanding of saving faith. Their kids are much worse. So who will go to these schools and be a light and salt. Who will divest themselves of their resources to help these students? Who will share the loving message of Jesus? Who will Deliver?

All it takes is ONE! There is one Christian young lady that is now an English teacher at this High School. I watched her firmly instruct her students and she would not let them push her around but at the same time every word, look and action was filled with encouragement and love. I was blown away how she could be so firm and so patient. The students can't leave her class without feeling like someone believes in them. This teacher is not Hispanic and is not from the neighborhood. She is a Plano High School graduate and could have found a teaching job in the comfort of the suburbs. Instead, she intentionally chose to work at DISD with the hope of landing in a school like this. I applaud this missionary and pray for more.

What can we do?
1. Pray
2. Speak out against these kind of injustices to our ruling officials, school officials. Racism is real in Dallas, speak against it.
3. Adopt a student or school and volunteer, its easy to get involved
4. Get your church to adopt a local school.
5. Leave your job and join the ranks of the front lines of missions

Great Quote from Stand and Deliver
"There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of those two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do"