God Always Has a 2nd Tow Truck

As I was driving to MC3 this morning, I noticed a most unusual sight: A police car, being towed by a tow truck, that was being towed by a tow truck.  As confusing as it sounds, it was even more confusing to witness.  I turned the corner, and then realized that this opportunity was too good to pass up, so I made a quick u-turn and snapped this photo:

As comical as this may look, it reminded me of two things:

1.  Those who help others will, at times, need help themselves.  The longer I work in ministry, the more I realize the value of tending my own spiritual health.  This happens with scheduled times of rest and by allowing others to speak words of encouragement, affirmation, and reproof into my life.  May I never be too proud to utter the phrase, "I'm in over my head!", "I need help!", or "I don't know what to do!"

2.  No matter how bad things may be, there is always a rescue.  When your life falls apart and you can't give anymore (police car) and your go-to-solution fails (1st tow truck), it is easy to forget that the God we serve is the same God who rescued the Israelites by splitting a SEA in half when they were surrounded by Pharaoh's army.   God always has a 2nd tow truck waiting in the wings.  God is always at work around us.

You have an enemy that wants you dead; but take heart, believer, for our God is greater!

And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while."  For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
~Mark 6:31

"Even to your old age and grey hairs, I am He; I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
~Isaiah 46:4

Wind Changes Everything

Wind can change a lot of things.  This past weekend high winds created whiteout conditions which resulted in many changed plans.  My family had to scrap our arrangements to attend a children's concert in St. Joe.  Our church cancelled weekend services.  Cars in the ditch, emergency teams and road crews in turmoil, travel bans across all five counties, and to top it off, my wife and I had to call off our Valentine's Day reservations and hunker down in our home.

All of this from a 45 mph wind.

After this weekend, you would be hard pressed to find someone in Michiana who would say "Nah, the wind doesn't affect my life."

Would we be as hard pressed to find members in the church who excitedly proclaim, "The Spirit of God has transformed my life and affects everything I do!"

In light of this, here is my prayer:

God, I want your Holy Spirit to move across GCC, to move through your church, in a mighty way.  I desire that your name be lifted high across Michiana; so that it is unmistakable, undeniable, the power of your glory.  I ask God, that you would change all of my plans to obediently follow the moving of your Spirit.  Let every part of my life be directed by the eternally strong breeze of your still, small voice.  Bring us to know your power.  We wait expectantly for the blizzard of our souls.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

~John 3:8

Volcanic Eruptions and Kidney Transplants

Our friends, Noah and Abby Nehls, were headed to Guatemala to complete their final stage of application with Students International in order to become missionaries to the people of Guatemala.  Noah is planning to use his experience with carpentry and construction, while Abby will use her skills as a nurse.

Everything changed the day they were scheduled to fly out of Chicago when a volcano erupted in Guatemala.

Flights cancelled, planes diverted, expectations suddenly in question.

Then the deep, soul-filled questions begin to arise:
"Was this the right thing to do?"
"Is God shutting this door on us?"
"What if He says no?"

I had the chance to talk with Noah as he was waiting in the Houston airport.  This is a summary of what I shared with him (Praise God for bringing this illustration to mind):

Imagine if I needed a kidney transplant and you were one of my close friends that offered me your kidney.  You went through the blood work, the pre operation tests, insurance claims, and even scheduled a day for surgery.  What if, in the end, I decided to accept someone else's kidney, rather than yours?  Would that diminish your self-sacrificing offer?  Absolutely not!  Rather, it would bring me to realize that you would selflessly offer anything of yours to help me.  If I knew that you were willing to give me a kidney, how assuredly I would count on you if I needed anything else. (what beats being given a kidney?!)

The same is true with God.

You have gone through the tests, counted the cost, and decided to give up all of your earthly possessions to follow God.  He has your heart and can now use you for anything.  If He sovereignly chooses to close the door on this mission field, it doesn't diminish your offer!  Rather, it brings Him great joy that you are willing to give up everything to advance the work of His kingdom on earth.

After many cancelled and tentative departures, Noah and Abby finally arrived in Guatemala.

Please continue to pray for clarity as God reveals His will for their lives.

You might also pray that, like the Nehls, God would develop a heart in you that He can use for any purpose that He desires.

And now Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 10:12

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Rarity Creates Value

The Amur Leopard is considered "critically endangered" by IUCN.  A 2007 census counted only 14-20 adults and 5-6 cubs.  I'm not certain my son will graduate high school before this creature disappears forever.

There are many rare books in the world, but most experts agree that the Gutenberg Bible is the rarest of them all.  A first edition printing from 1456 is worth $25-$35 million.

A single page from this rare Bible sells for an astonishing $25,000 each.

The signature of William Shakespeare, the famous playwright, has only been found on six items, namely, legal documents that the bard had to sign.  Shakespeare was considered illiterate, which makes these documents "priceless".

The value of each of these 6 documents is estimated somewhere around $3 million, totaling $18 million for all of his signed documents.






So here's the question:  What do you think is the most valuable and rare item in the universe?


In his book, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, John Piper says this:

"When we describe God as holy, we mean that He is one of a kind.

There is none like Him.

He is in a class by Himself.

God is holy in His absolute uniqueness.

All else is creation; He alone creates.

All else begins; He alone always was.

All else depends; He alone is self-sufficient.

And therefore, the holiness of God is synonymous with His infinite value.

Diamonds are valuable because they are rare and hard to make.

God is infinitely valuable because He is the rarest of all beings

and cannot be made at all, nor was He ever made."

God is the rarest being in the universe.

Are you treasuring God?  Is joy in Him your highest aim?  Does all else seem like trash compared to Him?  Let the pursuit of this incredible God be your anthem today.  He is the treasure in a field and the pearl of great price.

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
Matthew 13:44-46

Pastor's Conference :: Day Zero

As I stand in the foyer of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, I can't help but think of the great work God has done through the ministry and life of John Piper.  The question I ask myself is, "Why did God choose to use him in such a powerful way?"

As I speak with people about the effect Piper has had on the world, I hear a lot of reactions from people; almost as if their internal lawyer is drafting a defense against their own Christian apathy:

"Piper just got the luck of the draw.  If he were in my town, he would struggle too."
"He has people on his staff who are fully behind him.  I can't get consensus."
"He started from scratch, I'm working through years of tradition."
"Passion for Christ alone can't get us results; we need methodology as well."

These excuses don't hold any water.

The truth, it seems, is much simpler than some would have us believe.  I am tired of reading books about how to structure a church staff, how to program a youth ministry, or how to get people to fall in love with God.  Piper was able to accomplish all of these things by passionately pursuing God with everything he had.

This is the type of man I'd like to be.

Today...

Saturday, January 24

Today we had the food drop.  My 80 year old neighbor came.

Today I had a snowball fight with teenagers.

Today I filmed a commercial for the GSM Super Bowl Film Fest.

Today I met with a student I am mentoring, and encouraged him to get into the Bible.

Today I helped at tables for people coming off the bridge at GCC.

Today I held a lady in my arms while she wept from the breast cancer diagnosis she received two weeks ago.

Today, as I was driving home, I saw a wreck happen in front of me.  Everyone was fine, but it startled everybody.

Life is short.  God is good.  My prayer is that you would dig into His Word today.

Fear Affects Our Actions

If you developed a fear of God, how would it change your life?

For me, when I take a moment to remember the all powerful God that I serve, it changes everything I do.  It changes the words I speak; it changes my daily schedule; it even changes the way I spend money.

I have had a new perspective on missions trips and the purpose behind why I choose to help the poor. Previously, I would always go on missions trips because I'm commanded to go.  I had never considered the fear of God being the driving force behind my reason to go on mission trips.  That is, until I read the book of Nehemiah.

This clip discusses this concept in further detail.

Again... if you developed a fear of God, how would it change your life?

100 Years From Now...

"It will not make much difference, friend, a hundred years from now,

If you live in a stately mansion or on a river scow;

If the clothes you wear are tailor-made or pierced together somehow,

If you eat big steaks or beans and cake ... a hundred years from now.

It won't matter your bank account or the make of car you drive,

For the grave will claim all riches and fame and the things for which you strive.

There's a deadline that we all must meet and no one will be late,

It won't matter then all the places you've been, Each one will keep that date.

We will only have in eternity - what we gave away on earth,

When we go the grave, we can only save the things of eternal worth.

What matters, friend, the earthly gain for which some men always bow?

For your destiny will be sealed, you see ... a hundred years from now."

Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994)

Questions for reflection:
1.  What do you want others to say at your funeral?
2.  What do you want to be known for 100 years from now?
3.  Do you ever think about Heaven and what it will be like to meet God?
4.  When you die and meet God, what is one thing you wish you'll have done more?  What about less?
5.  What's the next step you feel you need to take?  Who will you tell?

Spark + Christ = Huge Flame

You were made for great things.  God is ready and willing to act in your life.  Are you ready?  Do you have "God-sized" vision and dreams?

Or let me ask it this way:

Is there anything in your life
that you would be unable to
accomplish without God's help?

Many times, I fall into the trap of trying to do everything on my own.  Big mistake.  Let God use your spark, your love for Him and His mission, to launch a great adventure in your life!

Happy trails.

Playing Marco Polo in a "Combat Zone"

When I was deployed to Iraq, I had to spend a few weeks in Kuwait; a small country along the Persian Gulf.  It has always perplexed me that Kuwait is still categorized as a “combat zone” even though it doesn’t have any combat.  Soldiers don’t wear body armor, don’t travel in armored vehicles, and sip cool beverages while lounging in olympic sized swimming pools.  While simultaneously, soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan are in the fight for their lives, working in hot, sand environments, and constantly remaining on edge from an imminent attack.  Despite this drastic difference, Kuwait continues to be classified under the same dangerous title that these true combat zones receive. 

So why is Kuwait categorized as a combat zone?  The answer may surprise you.  It's not because it currently has combat, but because it used to have combat. 

On to the point.  I increasingly sense that the church in America considers itself to be a hostile combat zone, when in reality it is just a former combat zone.

We tell ourselves that we’re in the fight, but then strut around with weapon in hand and not an enemy in sight. 

We tell each other that we are willing to give up everything for our faith, but even this selfless offer is a thin veneer of piety, for the threat of losing everything is not even a possibility.

We sit, relaxing in a cold pool playing Marco Polo, while our brothers and sisters stand alert on the front lines in 120 degree heat and not a cool drop in sight.

We consider ourselves a Soldier, while never fulfilling the mission we have been trained to accomplish.

A few thoughts from Blaise Pascal (1623-1662):

“Men only entered then into the Church after great labors and long desires; they find their way into it now without any trouble, without any care, and without labor.”

“It was necessary formerly to forsake the world in order to be received into the Church; whilst men enter now into the Church at the same time as into the world.”

“As men have been made Christians without having been instructed, they believe that they can remain Christians without seeking instruction…”

And so it hit me this New Year's, that even though I may think I am in the fight, I may actually be sitting comfortably in a former combat zone carrying around a weapon that's not loaded, leaving my body armor under my bunk, and not expecting to see the enemy at any moment.

It's time to get into the battle Christian.  It's time to put on the full armor of God and fight our enemy, who seeks to destroy us every day.  It's time to join our brothers and sisters on the front lines and unite under the banner of Christ: one team, one enemy, one mission.  

"Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

1 Peter 5:8