My Storm V

My Storm - cont

I draw the woman and 2 boys to my side.
I look.
Many people are standing there.
They do not see the impending danger.
They do not see tradgedy ahead.
Do I reach out?
What about my Storm?
Someone else will surely come along.
I move on.
Press forward through the Storm.
I look to my right.
I do not see
The woman and the boys.
Have I lost sight of them too?
Confused.
Lost.
Scared.

God I need help.

My Storm IV

My Storm - cont

Think.
Strategize.
Analyze.
Organize.
I go to make my move against the Storm.
But how can I plan against something
Of which there is only Chaos built in.
It is audacity to think that I can
Predict the Unpredictable.
Rely on myself.
Not on Others.
I defy help.
On my own
There is not way out.

The Storm rages.

My Storm III

My Storm - cont

The winds are blowing.
I've become distracted.
My focus shifts from the Storm
To something else.
A woman and 2 little boys
Alone in the street.
I go to them.
Comfort.
Encourage.

They cannot be caught up in the Storm.

My Storm - II

My Storm - cont

Within the Eye of the Storm
I find myself.
Eerily calm. Almost peaceful.
But something is not right.
This is not the answer -
This cannot be my Hope.
I will not be fooled to think I have so quickly
Passed this test.
The winds pick up.

This is just the beginning.

My Storm - Part I

I have recently began a journey of who I am and who God intends for me to be. Each day I have been journaling my thoughts.



With this I have began a poem about my journey. At the end of each of my journal entries, I have written a part of the poem that reflects that days thoughts.



Over the next week or two I will be publishing another part of the poem each day. I hope that you enjoy it and that God speaks to you through it. My desire is that God will use as He deems the words that He has placed in my heart.

My Storm.

I walk down a darkended road.
It is day
but it is as dark as night.
I stumble. I fall.
I can't get myself up.
I can't gain a foothold as I
Stumble again and again.
Who can help me?
Who can save me?
Is there Hope for me?

Enter the Storm.

Potent Conspiracy

Been a while since my last blog. But been very busy - vacation, work, Brayden's soccer, work, church...did I mention work?

Anyway, I subscribe to LifeChurch.tv's blog (check out the link on my site) and today I received the following blog from them. It was written by Gina McClain who is on their OKC LifeKids Team.

What she said really speaks a lot what God has been placing on my heart lately - especially working within community churches to accomplish the same goal.

Enjoy!

Potent Conspiracy

Someone asked me a challenging question recently…and the challenge hit home.

I can walk into my son’s school and they can provide me a comprehensive plan that tells me what they will teach him during the four years he attends that school. I can do that with every school he attends from kindergarten to 12th grade. Yet my church cannot provide me the same thing. Why is that?

Hmmm. The question made me think. In fact, it took me down a path of questioning just how well I work with other ministry leaders on my team. I wondered, how intentional are we with creating a clear path for our attendees?

The public school system displays a level of intentionality that churches don’t. They have an educational plan for their students designed to carry them from kindergarten to graduation. In fact, a good school system encourages and fosters collaboration within teaching teams, among grades and between schools. It’s a conspiracy designed to produce well-educated adults.
So, what’s your conspiracy? Do you have a spiritual education plan for your attendee, designed to take them from a new believer to mature follower of Christ?

Now, I agree that you cannot manufacture spiritual maturity. Neither can you manufacture a good education. But you can certainly lay out a framework to follow that fosters the right environment and provides good direction for spiritual growth.

Most of us have activities, groups or classes intended to accomplish this… but how well are they working? How many of the ministries in your church are collaborating in order to take an attendee from one level of faith to the next? Do your ministry leaders conspire together? Or do they compete for resources?

Let’s say your ministries are working together well. Let’s say you’ve got a plan and you’re working that plan. And you’re actually seeing results. Is that the end of the road?
What if that was just the first step?

What if you got crazy and pulled in a few churches within your community? Let’s say (for kicks) that you conspire together…that your goal is the same. What if this group of churches put together a comprehensive plan that accomplished this goal:

To expose people in your community to the life-changing message of Christ, plug them into a church family, then set them on a path toward spiritual growth?

Why are churches so poor at collaborating? Why do we function as silos? Would our resources go further if we shared them? Would our reach go deeper if we extended it in unison?

How potent would the church be if we conspired together?

What If?

As the Democratic and Republican Conventions have now came to a close, I am drawn to look back and pose a “what if” question.

What if we elected our officials not knowing what party they were from?

What if we did not know what race or sex?

What if we didn’t see their face, hear their voice, or know their name?

What if we elected our officials clearly on their credentials, experience and stance on issues? How different would our government look? Would we finally have the right person in office to lead us where we need to go? I don’t know if I can answer that.

I do know one thing though – it would force us to think. There would no longer be a popularity contest or biased results. We would have to examine the facts and make solid educated decisions.

The candidates would be forced to focus on the issues and put the people first. They would have to have substance. Their leadership would have to have been proven and not just speculated.

It probably never will happen, but an election based on facts…what a noble concept.

Anyway, just a thought.

To Show and Share

I just recently subscribed to LifeChurch.tv’s Blog. This past week, Craig Groeschel, the Founding and Senior Pastor, has been talking about reasons for consistently sharing the salvation message. Each day he gives 10 reasons for sharing the Gospel. Today’s was 10 Things To Do When No One is Saved. As you read down the list you come across #’s 6 & 7 –

6. Pray for the opportunity to share the gospel during the week.
7. Pray for the opportunity to show the gospel during the week.

At a quick first glance, they almost seem the same. But looking again you notice that the only difference is by one word in each. One states “share” and the other states “show”. Though both statements concern a presentation of the Gospel, they require 2 different actions to complete. One is a verbal action in which you are deliberately presenting the gospel to someone specific.

The other should not be deliberate. To “show” the gospel, we should not have a specific person in mind to present it to. It should come naturally. It should be a part of our daily life. We should not have to force it. It should be something seen by everyone at anytime. Our lives need to reflect the teachings of Christ. And if we live the Gospel, it will show itself when we may not expect it. It is those opportunities that can speak much more than words alone.

So this week, who are you sharing the gospel with? And is your life a reflection of the gospel so that you can show it to others?

Crying at the Movies

Lately I've felt my eyes begin to water when watching some movies. Now I know what you are thinking. First, WHAT A WIMP!!! Second, "It must be those sappy 'chick flicks' that Cindy makes him watch".

Ok, no I am not a wimp and there's nothing wrong with watching an emotionally driven movie with your wife. But that isn't what has been stirring the emotions in me. Actually it has been action movies that are doing it. There is nothing that brings a tear to my eye more than a shoot 'em up flick. Well, not really, but honestly I have almost cried at these movies lately. Let me explain.

On Monday I went and finally saw the Dark Knight. Great movie. But there was one part that really got to me. It was when Harvey Dent is threatening to kill Jim Gordon's son. All I could do is sit there and think of what I would do if that was me and one of my boys. How would I handle it? What would be going through my mind? What would I be feeling? And then the question that sets my emotions going - "What if he didn't make it? What if I lost my sons?" Just the thought of losing my boys is almost more than I can bear.

Reflecting over my emotions, it makes me think. If I care that much about my 2 boys that just the thought of being without them overwhelms me, how much more does God care for us? Being a father, it takes me to an all new level when I think about John 3:16. I can imagine God looking down at Jesus before He hands Him over to death saying, “Son, it will be ok,” just as Jim Gordon did to his son while in the hands of Harvey Dent.

Would I be willing to hand my sons over? I don't know if I could. But God did. He loves us beyond all comprehension. He gave up His only son for those who reject Him just on the chance that we would return to Him. Those are odds that I hope I never have to face.

So I guess I’ll have to keep on tearing up at the movies as long as it reminds me of the greatest love of all.

What is it that regularly reminds you of that love?

"I wish I had that belief..."

Last night, August 7th, Steven Curtis Chapman (Christian Songwriter/Singer) and family were on Larry King Live. For those who don’t know, back in May tragedy struck the family when their youngest son, who is 17, accidently ran over his 5 year old sister Maria. The last few months have been a time of pain as they have been forced to come face to face with their faith and find out exactly how strong it is. Though I didn’t actually see it last night, I did however see some clips from the interview. Though Larry tried not to focus on the faith issue itself, the Chapman’s stood firm on their belief that it is only by God and their faith in Him that is going to see them through this. It is definitely a touching interview.

What was amazing though is Larry monologue after it concerning the interview which he recorded this morning, Aug 8th. He goes to say that the story is one of Faith reassured and restored and one that he will never forget. He says that their faith is not something they lean on. It is something amazing. But he makes a small comment that speaks volumes about him. When referring to their beliefs and faith, he says, “I wish I had that belief…” He sees the strength and validity of their faith, but feels that he personally can’t take that step. Does he feel too inferior or not adequate enough? Is it something from his past that holds him back? Maybe fear? I don’t know, but something is keeping him from stepping out in faith.

This mindset is so prevalent in our culture. So many see the validity in faith and necessity to believe, but they cannot make the connection personally. They stand at a distance and say “I wish I had that belief…” but can’t make that dedication.

So how can they we help them move into a relationship with God? By being in relationship with them. We need to be authentic about or struggles and challenges. We need them to be able to see up close that having faith isn’t out of reach. Let them know you may question…you may not always understand.

Faith isn’t about understanding. Ultimately it has nothing to do with us. It all has to do with God and acknowledging that He loves each and every one of us and wants to take care of us. We may not see His plan, but we need to remember like all good parents, our Father will take care of us.

Live a life of faith. Be open and honest about it – both the ups and downs. And those around you will soon not be wishing for that faith, but living it themselves.

See Links for the Chapman Interview.

The Interview -
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2008/08/08/lkl.chapman.tragedy.cnn

Larry’s After thoughts -
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2008/08/08/lkl.about.thurs.cnn

Birthday Cake & Cardboard Signs

Yesterday we finally celebrated my youngest son’s 1st birthday – I know 3 weeks late, but at least we did it. This morning I was looking over the pictures we had taken and I noticed something – my kid is extremely messy! Not only is he messy, but he didn’t care how messy he got. He was too busy being elbow deep in icing too care what others were thinking. As we laughed he looked at us with that look as if he didn’t understand why we were laughing. He was hard at work and that is all that mattered.

To have that kind of determination when it comes to things of God is something that many of us lack. It is very easy for us to eat the icing getting it everywhere when everyone is doing it. But true character comes when we are unashamedly doing the things we know are right even though they seem foolish to the world. The only way to make a change is by being bold in our beliefs and faith.

In Lima, Ohio, Jesse Lowe has gotten so fed up with the infestation of drugs in his town that he has decided to take a stand on a street corner known for drug activity. He goes there and stands with a cardboard sign directly in sight of the drug dealers. The sign has 3 simple words on it: “Drugs Bring Death”. But those 3 words are causing a revolution in Lima. People are coming behind him in rallies. Police are singing him praise saying, “The courage of one man is spreading to everyone. This is what the solution has to be.” Even lives of drug dealers are being changed.

Jesse knows what is right and knows that only bold measures will make a difference in a world of extreme lifestyles. Though he felt opposition, he never gave up on his mission.

What about you? Do you have what it takes to unashamedly dive into a situation and get messy because you know it is what needs to be done? Can you hold a sign in the face of opposition? Will you do what’s right?

Let's Get Started

Hey, thanks for stopping by. Sit back and breathe deep the truth God has for our lives. Stop by frequently to see what is new. And let me know your thoughts as we are all on this trip together.

Just want to give a quick word of encouragement as you start your day (or finish it depending on when you read this). When life seems to be coming at you in every direction, be sure to look to God. In Him alone you will find your strength.

Go and be renewed on this journey we call life.