Reality Strikes

It is finally starting to hit me that in less than three weeks I will be halfway around the world.  I have said many times, “We’re going to Thailand in October,” but until now it seemed so far away.  Not to mention, I have been too busy to really focus and think about it.  Of course, now I’m scrambling to make sure I have everything I need…  I have never been overseas, so this will be a whole new experience.

I am praying that God will prepare me for the work that lies ahead.  I want to be physically, mentally, and, most of all, spiritually ready.  I am excited to see what God is going to do in and through us on this trip.

I’m sure there is more I should write.  In fact, my mind is so full, I can’t hardly see straight.  Hmmm… there must be a “clog” in my brain that is keeping anything from coming out.  I think I’ll go to bed now.  I have a lot to do tomorrow around the house, our oldest has two volleyball games and I am doing a wedding tomorrow night.

May God bless you!

Mountain Top Experience

I’ve had a hard time writing lately.  I start to write and then it just doesn’t sound right.  Here goes another attempt.  I wish I could just download what’s on my heart.  It all sounds good on the inside until I try to write it out…  Maybe I should just do little bits at a time.  I always end up writing mini-novels.  One thing I learned on this trip is that we climb mountains one step at a time.

I just got back from a trip with a friend to Colorado to ascend Mt. Elbert.  Let me tell you, the view from 14,433′ was spectacular!  Though, it was probably the most taxing thing I’ve ever done physically and mentally, it was also one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  I learned a lot about myself and a lot about God on that mountain.  Before I left home, I kept joking about “dying on the mountain”, meaning I wasn’t sure that I was in the physical shape to do it.  Well, I did die on the mountain in a way.  I came back a different person on the inside, having had spent time with God on the mountain.  I kept thinking of how it must have been for Moses on Mt. Sinai as he spent time with God for 40 days and nights.  No wonder the dude was glowing when he came back down.  I think I was almost there after just a few hours.  I desperately want to go back and do it again.  I have always found such peace in my heart when in the mountains.  There is just something about it that frees my heart, and the dreams begin to flow again.  My sense of adventure seems to heighten.  God uses the mountains to bring restoration and renewal to my soul.

Yesterday, I was watching one of the videos to prepare myself to lead Men’s Fraternity 3 – The Great Adventure.  Robert Lewis read a quote from John Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart that really spoke to me: “Adventure with all its requisite danger and wildness is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man.  The masculine heart needs a place where nothing is prefabricated, modular, nonfat, ziplocked, franchised, online, or microwaveable; where there are no deadlines, cell phones, or committee meetings; just simply where there is room for the soul, where finally the geography around us corresponds to the geography of our heart.  Deep in a man’s heart are some fundamental questions that simply cannot be answered at the kitchen table:  “Who am I?”  “What am I made of?”  “What am I destined for?”  It is fear that keeps a man at home, where things are neat and orderly and under his control, but the answers to his deepest questions are not to be found on television or at a ballgame, or in the refrigerator.  These answers require a courageous adventurer whose quest is nothing less than the best of life.”

I hope to share with you over the next days some things that God really taught me during my adventure up the mountain.  I think I’ve written enough for now.

May God bless you as you seek your own adventures!

Fear Not!

We are in the middle of another great VBS.  This year, we are doing Crocodile Dock.  The theme for last night came from Exodus 3:12.  When one of the leaders would say, “God is with us,” the kids were supposed to yell FEAR NOT!  I think we as adults can learn a lot from this, too.  If God is with us, we truly have nothing to fear.  Moses tried to come up with excuse after excuse and then finally tried to say, “Lord, send someone else.”  It is common for us to look at the mistakes of those in the Bible and be judgmental, but how often do we do the same thing?  We often don’t step out and try anything new or risky or uncomfortable because “what if….. you fill in the blank.”  If we are going to teach our kids that God is with us and we have nothing to fear, we better be ready to live it out ourselves.

Now, I’m not saying jump out and do something stupid…  I’m saying, we need to listen to God, and when He calls be ready to answer “Yes, Lord!”

God is teaching me a lot from the book of Exodus right now.  As time allows, I’ll try to share some of those things.

May God bless you as you trust in Him!

Happy “Sweet 16″ To My Sweetheart!

In about thirty minutes we will be putting our 8 year old on the van to go to camp.  Our other three kiddos are visiting relatives in Texas for the week.  What does that mean?  We’re totally “kidless” for the next 47 1/2 hours!!  So… we have decided to celebrate our anniversary a few days early… 37 days early to be exact.  Our anniversary is on July 31, which is always during Vacation Bible School.  Therefore, we are going to take full advantage of the opportunity to do it up right this year.  I will take tomorrow off and we’re going to spend the day together doing stuff that we used to do in the early years, such as throwing the Frisbee, going for a walk, possibly watching a movie from “back when”, lots of laughing, talking, going out to dinner, and I’m sure we’ll come up with more stuff.  I am going to refrain from wanting to “get stuff done” on this day off, and will totally focus my attention on my bride!  This evening, I will be helping a friend with a project.  While I’m doing that, my wife will have a chance to have some time to herself, and then she’ll have my undivided attention for the next 24 hours (or so).  We’re really looking forward to this time together!

I’ve decided that I’m going to list out 16 things that I love about my bride (not in any particular order and not an exhaustive list) :

1.  She loves Jesus and it shows.

2.  She is a loving wife.

3.  She loves and cares for our children so well.

4.  She is so self-less.

5.  She is beautiful inside and out.

6.  I love her laugh and her smile.

7.  She is compassionate.

8.  She is a good friend.

9.  She gives from her heart.

10.  She is intelligent AND has common sense.

11.  She is an awesome cook.

12.  She is thoughtful.

13.  She is a woman of prayer and great faith.

14.  She loves to have fun.

15.  She is confident and will try about anything… once.

16.  She is a good steward and is resourceful.

I could go on, but 16 is a good number for now.  I love this woman more today than I ever have, and 16 years ago I wouldn’t have thought that to be possible.  She is truly a gift from God, and along with salvation through Jesus, is a gift I don’t deserve but do cherish with all my heart.

Happy “Early” Anniversary, Sweeheart.  It truly is “Sweet 16.”  I love you.

May God continue to bless you as you bless others!

Goodbye Sweet Lady

In my totally unbiased opinion, one of the sweetest ladies who ever walked the face of this earth went to be with the Lord and her beloved Henry yesterday, and I can only imagine the celebration that went on and is still going on!  My dear Aunt Sudie was one of the most precious people God ever put on this earth.  My cousin said it well when he told his mom how beautiful it was that we only have good memories of her.  In fact, the family came together a few years ago for her 90th birthday and made a poster called, “The 90 Things We Love About Aunt Sudie,” and we found it hard to limit it to 90!

I really did try to think of something negative about her today, just to see if I could.  After all, she’s not Jesus!  There had to be something wrong with her.  She couldn’t have been perfect because none of us are.  Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that love covers a multitude of sins, and my Aunt Sudie loved like no other.  In that way, she was a lot like Jesus.  So, here’s my conclusion:  I’m sure there had to be something negative about her, but she loved us so much that I just can’t find it.  In fact, I couldn’t even think of any little annoying traits about her!

She had the sweetest laugh, the most contagious smile, and the best sense of humor of anyone I know.  She LOVED her family and it showed.  She cherished her time with her nieces and nephews (including greats and great greats), as they never had children of their own.  She helped raise my mom and her siblings after their mom passed away when they were all young.  She always welcomed us into her home and was always sad to see us go.  She called everyone, “Hon.”  In fact, I can still hear her say, “Well, Hon, bless your little heart,” when one of the children would be hurt or upset.  She also had a hard time hearing, so she would say, “Hon, come sit by me.”  She was a good listener, and was really interested in what we were saying.  On a side note… I can never eat Total cereal without cutting up a banana over the top and I can never eat this combo without thinking of her.  She would always have Total and bananas when we would come to visit.  I could go on and on as the memories are flooding in.

When we saw her for the last time several months ago, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.  She knew she was supposed to know us, but couldn’t quite put it all together.  Our kids sang a few songs for her and the rest of the residents of the home.  Aunt Sudie was anxious to get us to her room so she could have the kids all to herself and not have to share.  She loved on them and they on her.  It was beautiful.  We ended our time with her in prayer.  That’s a memory we’ll all cherish from now on.

I really do sense the need to add a little bit of humor that came out of that last time together.  While we were there, she (again her mind wasn’t completely with her, anymore) told one of my girls that her husband was now the king of heaven and his new wife was the queen.  She seemed very disgusted by this.  Well, yesterday, my wife told my sister this story and added that as of roughly 4:30 yesterday afternoon, the old queen had been dethroned because the new one had arrived!  Believe me, in her day, Aunt Sudie would have laughed at that one, too.

<Disclaimer – this does not reflect theology or doctrine – it is merely being repeated to be FUNNY. >

The death of those close to us is a great time for reflection, and this all really makes me think.  How will I be remembered?  Will I be remembered as a man who loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength?  Will I be remembered as a man of honor who loved his family deeply and let them know they are loved?  Will I be remembered as a man who always had time for others and showed Christ’s love, even when it was difficult?  Will I be remembered for the way I love rather than for my faults?  Will I find the best in everyone?  Well, I have had it modeled.  Now, that I may live it out!

Thanks for listening.  I express myself best in writing, and needed to do this.

By the way, I just learned that the word “goodbye” started out in 1565-75 as a contraction for “God be with ye.”

May God be with ye as ye learn to love deeply!

Spiritual Retreat

It is a beautiful day.  The rain has cleared and the sun is shining.  It was a perfect day for my spiritual retreat.  I rode my bike down the Jim Martinez Sunflower Trail.  I have a couple of favorite spots by the Arkansas River where I stop to spend time with God.  I had some great time of seeking God and listening.

Awhile back, during another spiritual retreat day, I asked God what His vision for my life was.  I believe that answer is becoming more and more clear as I have been spending time seeking Him and listening.  As I have been reading through the book of Nehemiah, I sense an urging to become a repairer of the breach that has taken place in families.  This includes leading men to be better spiritual leaders, husbands and fathers, helping people to grow spiritually and teaching them how to pursue God (after all, His Holy Spirit is our “in-house” Counselor!), helping strengthen marriages and families, and by standing in the gap for single parent families.  I’m not so arrogant as to think I’m perfect and can do all of this myself or in my own strength.  In fact, the whole thought of it kind of overwhelms me.  However, I am available for however God wants to use me.

I believe that all of the ministries that I’m responsible for can be aligned under this key vision of building the wall and repairing the breaches that are happening in families.  God is teaching me a lot about leadership, which will be crucial as I lead teams in making this happen.  He is also leading me toward getting more training in couseling.  My heart is wide open to His wisdom and leading.  Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

May God bless your family!

Nehemiah 5 – Servant Leadership

Matthew 20:25-28: “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Servant leadership is a very important concept for leaders to learn and exemplify.  In fact, it is essential if we want to be more and more like Jesus.  If we want to be the kind of leaders that please and glorify God, we must serve and take care of those we are leading.  In Chapter 5, Nehemiah is shown to be someone who does that well.

It seems that in those days, many were so poverty-stricken that they were having to mortgage their fields and vineyards, were having to borrow money just to pay the king’s taxes, and were even having to sell their children into slavery.  Nehemiah was very angry with what was happening.  To deal with this outcry, he called a large meeting right in the middle of the rebuilding project, which showed the magnitude of the problem and the importance of resolving it.  Nehemiah met the problem head on and didn’t dance around it.  He told the nobles and officials that what they were doing was wrong and to stop it immediately.  He had a plan for them to follow and expected them to do it.  They knew what they were doing was wrong because “they could find nothing to say.”  They pledged to give back what they had taken and to not demand anything else from the people.

These days, we hear a lot about “social justice.”  What we see here was social justice in action.  These people were in the middle of a famine and couldn’t make ends meet.  It wasn’t that they weren’t willing to work.  The government that was supposed to be there to serve was taking so much that the people couldn’t didn’t have enough to live on.

Toward the end of the chapter, we learn that Nehemiah was practicing what he was preaching.  He wasn’t even taking what was “entitled” to him as a governor.  He knew the burden was already heavy on the people, and he didn’t want to take more from them.  He wasn’t in leadership to become rich at the expense of the people.  Rather, he was there to make a difference.  He was there to help others, not pad his own pocketbook.  In fact, he was right there with the people doing the work.  Why?  Out of reverence for God.  He wanted to work as if working for the Lord and not for men.

Nehemiah was in leadership for the right reason – to serve others.  Many get into leadership because they love power and money.  They will eventually go down in flames because that’s not the type of leader that is blessed by God.  God blesses those who are unselfish and who put others first.

May God bless you as you seek to be the kind of leader who serves others for His glory and not your own.

My Shadow

I’ll try to start back with Nehemiah tomorrow.  My brain is too tired for anything profound tonight.  I just had to post about the day my son and I had together.  It was awesome.  I started my day a little later than normal, and didn’t start with Bible study and prayer as usual because I needed to get some meat on the smoker as early as possible so it would be ready for dinner.  So, by the time I sat down to have my time with God, he was up.  Before I knew it, he was coming out the back door with his Bible.  Unfortunately, he was still in his pajamas and barefooted.  I told him to go back in and get dressed and then come join me.  By the time he was dressed he had decided to go get his tractor out instead.  I was kicking myself for not allowing him to come on out.  I’m afraid I missed an opportunity.  Anyway, my heart was so filled with joy to see him coming out with his Bible.

I’ve been trying a new smoker out this weekend to see if I want to buy it.  So, I smoked some brisket for a friend and some beef ribs for us today.  Before I knew it, my son had brought up a little play stove from downstairs and was calling it his smoker and had on his garden gloves to copy my “smoking gloves.”

Basically, he did everything I did today.  In addition to the above, we went to Lowe’s, Ace, and Home Depot (that’s what I call a shopping trip), and I could hardly peel him away from the John Deere lawn tractors!  When we got home, we moved a dresser together.  He got on one end of a drawer and I got on the other.  It took awhile to move a drawer that way, but he thought he was big stuff.   After that, we mowed the yard, and then came in pretty much exhausted and covered in cottonwood pollen.  It looked like I had either sheared some sheep or run over a few hundred Bichon Frise’s in the yard when we were done, and that was with a grasscatcher!!

We topped off the day by eating beef ribs, baked beans, potato salad and then rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream.

My little shadow was trying to fall asleep at dinner, so I gave him a bath and sat in the recliner with him.  He was asleep in 5 minutes.    We had a great day.  It’s humbling how much he is trying to be like me.  It is a huge responsibility, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

May God bless you as  you set the example for those little ones around you!

Nehemiah 4 – The Original Braveheart??

It is another beautiful, windless morning in Kansas, and I’m getting spoiled.  Yesterday, I finally put together an outdoor gazebo that we’ve had in the box for 2 1/2 years.  Soon after we bought it, we moved and it has been in the original box in the garage since then.  Since we had a cookout last night, I was motivated to go ahead and put it up.  Originally, we were waiting for the deck to be totally completed, but we decided it would be better on the patio because of the wind protection.  So… now I have a great new place to sit outside and spend time with God without worrying about being carried off by the monster mosquitoes!  By the way (since you’ve heard of my project woes before…), the instructions for the gazebo recommended three adults to put it together.  I put it mostly together by myself, with my kids helping hand me tools and then my wife helping me put the final touches on it so it would be ready for the cookout.  I was pumped.

Okay, on to my favorite chapter of Nehemiah, so far: Chapter 4.  Every man needs to read this chapter.  Actually, I think every man needs to read this book of the Bible.  Have you ever seen the movie Braveheart?  Well, in this chapter, Nehemiah reminds me of William Wallace.  In my vivid imagination, I could just hear him yelling, FREEDOM!!!

It seems that the opposition had become more aware that these people mean business and were going to build this wall.  So, they decided to try to demoralize the builders by telling them that they were just feeble Jews trying to revive a pile of rubble and that their wall wouldn’t even stand up to a fox jumping on it.  In Hans and Franz terms, “You’re just a bunch of girly men playing with your little rocks.  One look at our muscles and your wall will fall down…” Sorry, bad humor.

So, what did Nehemiah do?  You should know the answer to this by now:  HE PRAYED.  In fact, he prayed a pretty salty prayer against the enemy, and then they continued working.  They connected the wall and built it to half it’s height.  That really ticked off the opposition, and they conspired to attack Jerusalem.  By the way, in my experience, this is how spiritual warfare works.  The devil tries to demoralize, and when that doesn’t work, he brings out the big guns.  That’s why we must abide in Christ, where the Holy Spirit will arm us with the “full armor of God” so we can stand against the devil’s schemes.  As leaders, we must be in prayer against the enemy.

Again, they prayed, and this time set up a guard.  The enemy stepped it up a notch and planned a sneak attack to kill them and stop the work.  However, some Jews living nearby went and told Nehemiah, and thus God frustrated their plan.  Nehemiah developed a plan of defense, and it no doubt, it was a plan centered around prayer and around God going ahead of them.  However, there were also weapons involved: swords, spears, and bows. Can’t you just sense the testosterone levels hitting the roof!?

Then, Nehemiah saw the fear of his people, and gave them a rally cry:  “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”  If that doesn’t bring out the warrior heart, then you are a GIRLY MAN!  Just the thought of it makes my heart race.  Men are created to be protectors, and Nehemiah knows this.  As Emerson Eggrichs says, “It is no small thing that a man is willing to die to protect his family.”  Men have been so demoralized in our society, and many have been rendered ineffective.  All we see on tv is the bumbling idiots.  We need to see more men like Nehemiah and William Wallace, men who were willing to fight for a noble cause.  We need men who will build the walls of protection around their families, and, at all cost, fight for them.  We need men who will see the breaches in the walls of other families around them, and help stand in the gap.  We need godly men of prayer and of honor to step up and defend families against the enemy who is besieging the walls as we speak.

Okay, back to the story…  So, even under the threat of attack, they kept working.  However, this time, they were working with their weapons close at hand.  The builders wore their swords girded at their sides as they built.  Nehemiah had a plan where a trumpeter would sound the alarm if there was an attack so all could rally to where the trumpet sounded.  The trumpeter would be right with Nehemiah, which meant Nehemiah was going to be right in the thick of the action.  However, he also said, “Our God will fight for us.”  He knew who the battle belonged to.

I love the last verse:  “So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.”  Nehemiah was not asking  his men to do more than he was willing to do himself.  As their leader, he wasn’t barking orders from afar; he was right there with them ready to die if necessary.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be this kind of spiritual leader.

May God go ahead of you and fight the battles for you as you abide in Him!

Nehemiah 3 – The Power of Teamwork

I am enjoying a beautiful morning on the  patio.  I love spending time with God outdoors.  It just does my heart good.  I’ve seen sparrows, orioles, robins, chickadees, a woodpecker, a bluejay, a cardinal, and lots of squirrels.  This is the time of year I enjoy having lots of trees.  When fall comes, though, that’s a different story.

Well, in Nehemiah 3, the construction on the wall begins.  I love it that it starts with the priests.  As the spiritual leaders, they are the ones who are poised to set the example.   They rebuilt the Sheep Gate, where the sheep are washed before being brought to the temple for sacrifice, and they consecrated it.  They also consecrated the walls.  It was the firstfruits of their labor and was dedicated to God.

Then, as we go down the line, we see differing levels of involvement.  Some wouldn’t work while others worked with zeal.  Many were working in an area where they had a vested interest (close to their home or area of work).  It seems like some took multiple assignments.  This was a very diverse group of people who came together for one purpose: to rebuild the wall.  Each may have had different motives for being involved, but it was apparent that no one could do it alone.

I have no doubt that Nehemiah had incredible leadership skills to bring all these people together under one common purpose and vision.  He didn’t try to be some kind of her0 and do the work himself.  He must have cast a compelling vision with a good plan that included clear expectations.  I believe we can take this principle and use it in the church or our places of business.  People will rally around a vision if it is worthy and they can see their part in it.  Everyone has different gifts and talents and they would like to be able to use them if they can see where they could make a difference.  A good leader can cast such a vision.

It is so amazing when people come together and work toward a common goal.  Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.”  When two are working together, it’s amazing how they can get more work done that if they had each worked separately doing the same thing.  When many come together, watch out.  The results will be phenomenal.  Believe me, this is an area where I need a lot of work.  For too long, I’ve had a hard time asking for help and have had the “I’ll just do it myself attitude.”  Like I’ve said, I’m learning a lot and look forward to applying it.

AND, as we will learn next time, men will fight for their cause if they believe in it and have a vested interest.  Stay tuned for tomorrow when Nehemiah shows his “William Wallace” side!

I’m sure I could write much more about the power of teamwork, but I have lots to do to help get ready for a cookout here at the house tonight.  I’m really looking forward to having the families from our Wings of Love ministry over tonight.  We may even have a campfire and roast some marshmallows. Hey, maybe I can teach my kids the value of teamwork by casting a vision and getting them to help us get ready for tonight…

May God bless you as you work together, doing the work He has called you to do!