Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-8  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be open to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be open.

NEVER I repeat NEVER take this scripture out of context.  God is not offering free genie wishes here.  It seems like we are so apt to tell God what we want and expect it to be given.  With that mindset, you will only be discouraged, defeated and done with God. 

Ask; have you ever stopped to think that God already knows your needs.  He already has in His hand what he wants you to have? All you have to do is ask for it.  "Dear LORD, I want to receive what you have for me." 

Seek;  This isn't a game of hide and seek.  Life can be distracting with all the hurts and hardships we face. In the  midst of our trials we tend to quit looking for God because we think He has left us.  The truth is, He is right there with us.  We have just allowed our struggles to blind us.  Seek Him daily, you will find him.

Knock;  God is not home sleeping.  And He certainly isn't hidden behind a closed door.  What He is saying is this; pursue a personal relationship with me.  Come join me, I will let you in.

Robbing Quality from the LORD

Stating the obvious; people desire relationships.  Do not most people want to be liked, acknowledged, recognized and even respected?  We seek relationships at home, at school, work, church, and even more so on social media.  We may even find ourselves justifying our value by the number of so called friends or followers we have.  We count our tweets, re-tweets, favored tweets, likes, re-shares, followers, friends, favored’s, and so on.  We are so focused on quantity and being quantified, that we have neglected quality. 

Society has come to this place where we have robbed relationships of quality.  Without quality, what you have is nothing more than superficial, non-dependable, unreliable, broken connections.   You may think you have gained the world in popularity by counting numbers, but in fact you have robbed your soul of one of its greatest desires.  We want to be connected to others.  Friends will unfriend, followers will quit following, re-tweets will be forgotten, favoreds will be filled away, pretty much all the quantity and quantifying will amount to nothing more than empty shallow meaningless numbers. 

Have you ever been in a crowd and yet still felt totally alone?  I have.  In robbing ourselves and cheating others of quality communication, we have created gatherings of two, three, and even mass multitudes of physical and digital congregations of lonely people.    

Although people will come and go in life, there is one who will never leave you or forsake you, He wants to be your friend forever and He will always favor you.  His name is Jesus.  He desires your friendship, following, favoring, re-tweets, re-shares and so much more.  He gave everything just so He could become a friend of yours.  He desires quality. 

Have you robbed yourself of the greatest relationship this world has ever known?  Have you chosen not to have Jesus Christ as your friend?  Even worse, are you a Christian who is robbing your savior of quality communication? Have you chosen to rob the one who gave it all so that you could follow Him?

This may be a stretch for some, but here it is.  In Matthew chapter 21 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling, He overturned all the tables and ran them all off.   He was angered because the temple was being dishonored for monetary gain.  Right after, Jesus said “My house will be called a house of prayer, and you have turned it into a den of robbers.”  In 1 Corinthians 6:19 we are told that our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit.  Now, if our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit and Jesus himself said in Mathew 21 that His temple is a house of prayer, then are we not robbing Jesus Christ of a quality relationship if we choose not to communicate with Him? 

I cannot help but believe that we are obviously called to a quality relationship with Jesus Christ.  In order to have quality we must communicate and interact intentionally, purposefully, and routinely.   If not, then you are forming nothing more than an empty religious gathering.  Although you may call yourself a Christian, attend church regularly and even share your religion, you will still feel lonely.  Quality, that is what makes it all real.  I challenge you to make your relationship with Christ all about quality each and every day. 

 

 

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ’s love!

Setting up Stones and Start Leading the Way:

Seated deep along the continental divide in Wyoming in the Medicine Bow National forest there are stone markers.  These stone markers were set by Poppy, my wife’s grandfather.  Poppy owned several acres of untamed wilderness land surrounded by the national forest.  In and around this land you could find ghost towns, old mines, artifacts, rivers, streams, fields of flowers, tall pines, complete solitude, peace, quiet and of course wildlife. 

Up above the land Poppy owed was one of the most beautiful rock and flower laced mountain ridges.  Leading up to that ridge you would find the stone markers that were set up to lead the way.  If you carefully followed these markers, they would lead you to a fresh mountain spring. From this spring bubbles out the sweetest, freshest, most refreshing mountain water I have ever tasted.  Strategically Located by the spring you will find evidence of Thomas Edison’s hunting camp.  Built into the side of a tree is his desk, close by is the horse corral, and between the two you find the stone camp fire. 

Honestly, I do not know for sure if this site really was Thomas Edison’s hunting camp.  I just know that was the story Poppy told us.  It may or may not be true.  I like to think it is, because it was known that Tomas Edison did camp and hunt in that area.  Either way, my point is this; every time we go up to Poppy’s land we always look forward to the hike following his stone markers leading up to one of the most beautiful and breath taking places on earth.  Without Poppy’s stone makers, you would for sure get lost and not find this hidden majestic location.

In the Book of Joshua, Joshua set up 12 stones on the other side of the Jordan River after they had crossed on dry land.  The purpose was to honor the LORD and to leave a lasting memorial for those who would come later.  The memorial was there to tell the story of the journey of how God rescued the Israelites from oppression and led them to the promise land. This is a story of miracles, God’s provisions, and deliverance from bondage.  This story would show the way for those who have not been there before.  A story filled with God markers leading the way to freedom and redemption. 

Is your life filled with rock solid markers?  Are you making a mark in history for your family, friends, neighbors, strangers, or anyone who may follow?  Are the defining moments of your God story set in stone so that others may find the way to the one true King?   If your testimony is hidden in the secret places of your heart, then who will ever be able to follow and find the way?  I challenge you to make some marks, obvious marks that stand out and last.  Set up those so-called stones markers by telling your story, making a lasting impact, and start leading the way.  To God be the glory in my life and the lives that follow.

 

Joshua 4:19-24 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ’s Love!

Never Been That Way Before

The devotion I am sharing today comes from the book of Joshua.  Specifically from the chapters describing the crossing through the Jordan River.  Keep in mind what the Jordan River represents and how it relates to your life as well.  The Jordan is what separated the Israelites from the Promised Land.  During the time of the crossing, the river was at flood stage.  Simply put, crossing the Jordan River was an impossible task. 

Right now and even in your foreseeable future do you see the impossible?  What is it that you believe is an impossible obstacle in your life that keeps you from moving forward in your faith and even your relationship with God?  For me I see a lot of things.  Financial struggle, medical bills, Huntington’s disease, doubts, fears, and random life circumstances.  For you maybe it is the same things or other things like addictions, anger, broken relationships, etc... Only you know for sure what your Jordan River is.

Just prior to crossing the impossible, Joshua instructed the Israelites to wait.  They were to wait for the Levites to go before them with the Ark of the Covenant and then follow.  Why?  Well because they had never been that way before.  They needed to be led so that that would not stray and go the wrong direction.  They were also instructed to stay back a ways from the ark.  Another way to put it; they needed to keep the ark before them and not pass it up or get ahead of it. 

Have you ever stopped to think and realize that none of us have ever been on the path that God has planned before us?  Sure others have gone before us in the faith and service.  But just like a finger print God has a path, a specific plan, for my life and yours.  It is just as special and unique as your own finger print.  Sure there is a common goal and that is to grow in our faith, make disciples and glorify God through service and worship.  However each one of us has a unique set of gifts and life circumstances. 

If the Israelites did not follow the LORD what would they have done when they reached the Jordan?  I’m sure they would have stopped for sure.  Would they have waited for the floods to recede, turned left, turned right or even turn completely away?  Either way, they would have missed out partially in experiencing God if not completely missing out. 

May I encourage you to face your Jordan River by keeping the LORD before you as you follow Him.  In my walk with Jesus Christ, He has parted many impossible rivers and has faithfully delivered me to the other side. 

I took the picture in 2001 during a flood on the White River in north Arkansas.

 

Joshua 3:3-4 giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ’s love!

God's Will for His People and His Church:

As I was seeking God’s will for His church, I did so with extreme sincerity. Over a period of several months, I found myself digging deeper and deeper into God’s word more than ever before. I also found my relationship with Christ maturing exponentially. By exponentially, I mean significantly deeper and with greater sincerity than ever before. The more the relationship grew, the stronger the desire, hunger and thirst I had for Christ became. All the while I was asking the BIG question; “What is God’s will for my life and for His church?” I think most want the answer to that question.


I quickly discovered, God was not about to give me a road map of His will for my life. Like everyone else, wanted a clear concise picture of how I was going to get from point A to point B. I believed if I had a map, so to speak, then I could easily obey God’s will. Sounds simple right? Wrong, spiritual obedience requires faith. Where is faith if life is spelled out by a road map? There is none. Faith is believing in what is not seen.


As I faithfully searched for the answers to my BIG questions, I found certain desires naturally surfacing. They way I worshipped became sincere and so much more than music. Worship was no longer about what pleased me, but how my life and song blessed God. I developed and increasing hunger to know and learn more about the Holy Bible and how it applied to my life. I no longer was satisfied with who and where I was. I wanted to grow and mature in my faith and character. Being around other Christians became more important and necessary to me. Missions work became more important to me and leading others to Christ became a daily passion.


Without becoming all theological, here is what God revealed to me through His word and through His Holy Spirit. Christianity is not about a specific plan or road map. God's will for our lives simply begins with this; repenting from our sinful self in order to follow Him. When Christ comes knocking on the door of your life, He reveals to you the gravity of your sin and the separation it creates between you and Him. If you are sincerely convicted by your sinful life, then you will desire change.


In order to open that so called door, you must repent. Not become perfect and sinless, but turn away from your sinful desires and nature. It is dying to a self directed life and surrendering to a Christ directed life. Paul said it best "I no long live, but Christ lives in me." In this way, your sinful self no longer directs your life, Christ does. Through this, you literally follow Him.


In repenting from sin by dying to self and following God's will by living in Christ; that is when those seemingly natural desires and passions emerged with in me. I am certain it is the work of the Holy Spirit within me. Gods will for our lives is not about a road map, it is about becoming what He has called us to be. As we become more like Christ, then we discover God's direction. At times He may give very precise instructions. Predominantly His will is that we trust Him in fulfilling the great commission in and through us no matter where you are in life. In our homes, at work, at school, during leisure, when ever and where ever God's greatest commission and will for our lives is making disciples (Matthew 28:19)


In short, God's will for our lives is to repent, follow Him, become a part of His body of believers and make disciples. In and through this process certain themes or practices emerge that are God's will for His people and for His Church. Here they are: Fellowship, worship, discipleship, evangelism, and missions.


Ironically, after God revealed to me His desire and will for me and for our youth group, I came across a book called “The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry. Written by Doug Fields.” I purchased the book and began to read it. Initially I expected to find what everyone else was doing. I expected to learn how to entertain teenagers most effectively and get them in through the church doors. To my surprise, God affirmed everything He had already placed upon my heart.


In The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry book, Doug outlines the purpose of the Church in these scriptures:


Matthew 28:19-20 therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.


Matthew 22:37 "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.


Matthew 22:39 Love your neighbor as yourself.


Evangelism, that is what making disciples is all about. We are to go out and reach people for Christ, leading them to salvation through repentance and entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ.


Fellowship, thats the product of baptism. when someone is baptized they are symbolizing the fact that they have given their life to Christ. When you give your life to Christ, you become a part of the family of Christ. As a family, we must fellowship in order to strengthen our relationships and build one another up. We are called to be a body, not divided individuals.


Discipleship, is teaching others how to obey the word of God. It is also learning how to obey the word of God.


Worship, is all about loving The Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. Worship permeates every aspect of our expression. It effects our song, speech, character, obedience, works, discipline, habits, ethics, morals, values....


Missions, is loving your neighbor as yourself. It is about doing things for others. Maybe it's your neighbor next door, or maybe it's your neighbor on the other side of the world. Missions is being the hands, feet, mouth and heart of Jesus in this world.


So what is God's will for my life and for His Church? It certainly is not a road map although there will be times when God will give very specific direction. God's will first and foremost is that we repent and follow Him. Jesus himself said "unless you repent, you to will perish." (Luke 13:3,5) Repeatedly Jesus Christ is quoted throughout the gospels saying "Follow me." In following Him, He certainly wills our lives and His church to be centered around five specific areas. Fellowship, worship, discipleship, evangelism, and missions. Think about how the life of Jesus Christ clearly defined, expressed and set the example for all these areas?

In my personal testimony I experienced, if your life is truly in Christ and you align your life around these areas, you will no longer find yourself searching for the answers to God's will, you will find your life guided in God's will. You no longer are consumed about tomorrow, next week, or next year because you know God will lead guide and direct you each and every moment of each and every day. What I have discovered is that knowing God's will is directly related to the degree of my obedience and dependence on Him.


May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ's love!

Encouragment is LIke Adrenalin and Endorphins for Your Faith:

Trying to live the life of a Christian can be discouraging. I know it often feels like an uphill battle. In spite of this, we have comfort in knowing that our savior Jesus Christ has proclaimed that the battle is already won. He understands discouragement and he has called us to encourage one another daily. Sadly, most of us fail at encouraging others making our battle appear to be uphill.

I always knew the Christian life could, would and will be discouraging. Being a youth pastor can feel even more discouraging at most times. Satan likes to get in your head and attempt to convince you that you are failing the great commission and your efforts are futile. He wants you to feel all alone. The people you hope would encourage you do not say a word. If they do, it is usually some form of criticism.

I was talking to my grandpa the other day on his 93 birthday! He went on to tell me how proud he was of me. I told him "Grandpa, I miss you and wish I had time to come see you." He said, "You keep doing what you are doing and if you make a difference in one person's life it is all worth it, besides our day will come when we will have plenty of time to see each other." He went on to tell me how proud he was of me with the work I have been doing for the LORD. Just like clockwork he always finishes by saying, "Who knows, you may become the next Billy Graham." That is encouragement my friends.

I am going to be honest, I need encouragement in my walk of faith and I need it in the ministry that God has called me. Encouragement is like the adrenalin I need to keep running and fighting when I feel tired and worn. It is like the endorphin that takes away the pain of discouragement. Encouragement spurs people on like nothing else. I am sure you have heard the saying "a pill a day keeps the doctor away." A little dose of encouragement a day keeps satan at bay.

Yesterday, I was in that place of discouragement. Repeatedly I just kept saying to satan, "get behind me, shut up, you do not have in mind the things of God." He would throw back at me "If you had in mind the things of God people would notice and say so." I just kept assuring him that I did have in mind the things of God and I was not backing down. After that, throughout the day I began to get encouraged. Randomly I started getting messages on facebook, twitter and google+ about how much my life has encouraged people. People I do not even know personally.

Those little words of encouragement built a raging fire within me. I know that if a fire is not kept stoked and even little bits of kindling are not added, then it will die down. Spiritually it is the same thing. We need to be stoked and kindled and one easy way is encouragement. May I challenge you to be an encourager? Encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ at home and abroad. Do not ever forget the ones god has blessed you with as pastors and leaders. Being a shepherd is a tough calling and probably the most discouraging of all.

Encouragement can and will build unquenchable fires. Be an encourager for Christ! And let us spur one another on. In doing so we will put satan behind us so that we can keep in focus and in mind the things of God.

 

 

the picture is of my son, my grandpa, and me!

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ's love!

She Was Pregnant and Said We Will Go To Church!

Before Carri and I married, we did stray away from the church. Part of it was school and part of it was lack of motivation. Carri was in RN school and I was in paramedic school. We were busy. Honestly, we were not living the best of lives either. I still did not have a healthy respect for God’s word or His church. My language was not the best, and neither was my perspective on who Christ really was. We had become what the Bible describes as luke warm. We were neither hot nor cold; we were just doing our thing. I was pretty much clueless.

Three months after Carri and I had been married we discovered we were going to have a baby. We were very excited! Bringing a child into this world has a way of changing the way you look at things and view life. You are no longer responsible for just yourself; you are now responsible for the innocent life of an unborn child. When that child enters this world, it is your responsibility to raise and nurture them. A parent’s greatest desire is to have a healthy baby that grows into a successful adult. Have you ever heard a parent express desire to have a sick baby, and hope that they will grow and become a failure in life? Of course not.

After the initial shock and excitement was over, Carri decided we needed to take a closer look at our spiritual life. At this point in my life I did not care much about spiritual stuff. Besides I got what I wanted, I was married to the girl of my dreams. Out of respect for my wife, I listened and did not argue. Here is what she said: “This child is God’s gift to us and we will raise this child as His. We will go to church.” No problem with me in that statement, going to church got me what I wanted. I wanted Carri, I went to church, and I got Carri. So yea, going to church and raising our child in church could not be a bad thing.

Now it was time to get serious and do what was right. We wanted to give our child the best chance she could have in life. Having God on your side was a good thing. So obviously in my mind going to church was a great way to do that, especially on Christmas and Easter. I was sure that is when He paid the most attention to who was actually in church. Well guess what? Carri meant every Sunday. She got out a phone book, twirled her finger around with her eyes closed and randomly chose a church. Her finger landed on “The Church of The Cross, in Coral Springs Florida”. This Church just happened to be 2 blocks from our home.

Within a few short weeks of attending church, an older couple introduced themselves to us. Larry and Susan were their names. They were such an amazing couple. When they introduced themselves to us Larry simply stated, “We just want to be here for you guys, if you ever need anything we want to help”. Larry and Susan took us in as their kids kind of. They would pray with us, offer us advice when we asked, and they even spent time with us. Frequently we went to their home for dinner and just a friendly visits.

I remember so clearly one day, Larry said to me, “Bill you are going to make a good deacon someday.” I had no idea what he meant, but I had this vision of me wearing a religious gown with royal colors holding a candle on a stick and chanting religious chants. I thought to myself, “OK, I think not. If Larry only knew who I really was”. I ‘m pretty sure I just smiled and said thanks Larry. What I did not know at that time is that God was about to use Larry to open my eyes to who He really was.

As I close this story, I want to leave you with some advice. Get in a Church where God’s true word is preached. There you will find encouragement, inspiration, God’s presence, and God’s people. I’m not just talking about any church; I’m talking about God’s church. You will recognize it by the affirmation you feel within your heart. You will know it is the right place, because you will know in your heart, “This is where I belong.” I knew it, the first time we attended the Church of the Cross. We were welcomed and accepted immediately without hesitation, and we felt God’s word speaking to our hearts as it was being preached. That feeling I got when I first met Carri, and that feeling I got the first time I went to a Christian church, well it was back and it was even more powerful than before. Do you want to offer the best for your family, then get God involved.

Raising our children in church was the best thing we ever did for them. Not only did we become grounded in our faith, so did our children as well. All four of our kids had drug problems, we drug everyone of them to church their entire lives. Even when they did not want to be there. Ask them and they will tell you they were glad we did it.

The picture is of a night time revival in Nicaragua during one of our many mission trips.

Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ love!

Bullying, and the Message it Sends

I was born with a kidney defect that prevented me from being able to control my bladder.  I honestly do not remember exactly what was wrong, but I know I had to have surgery to correct the problem.    Long story short, I had a bladder control problem and it did not go unnoticed.  It was not uncommon for me to wet my bed at night and even wet my pants at school.  Word got around pretty quick, for obvious reasons, that I was a bed wetter and a baby.  This title was the gateway to bullying. 

I remember the verbal teasing, the chasing, pushing, and even hitting that occurred on the playground and after school.  In elementary school, I distinctly remember a tire maze that was more of a trap for me.  After a few attempts to go in and play, I quickly learned it was not a safe place.  The tire maze, it was a trap for the timid and a safe haven for bullies.  The bullies, they could do and say whatever they wanted within the confines of the tire fortress.  Teachers could not see or hear what was going on within this labyrinth of tires.  Avoiding the tires was not the solution to my problem.  Hindsight, it made things worse.   Avoidance only proved I was a wimp and I was afraid making me a more desirable target.   

Not only was my bladder a problem, so was my self esteem.  I had little to no confidence and therefore I had no courage.  I was the kid who could strike out in t-ball.  When it came to neighborhood games and picking teams, I was always the last.  Well actually most of the time I heard things like, "We have enough", and "We do not need you".   On the rare occasion I did get to play, I usually heard things like, "You suck", "You stink", and "We do not want you on our team". 

Because of my problems and trials, I was extremely shy and timid.  I was however good at one thing, running.  I ran home every day from school.  I did not run for fun, I ran for my life.  If I did not run fast enough, I would be picked on, bullied and beat up.  That my friends made me very fast and gave me endurance like a bloody gazelle running from a pack of cheetahs.   

I could go on and on about my experiences of bullying.  However, that is not really what is important about this story.  What is important is the effects bullying had on me mentally, emotionally, and socially.  The message that I heard and believed was this:  "nobody likes you", "nobody wants you", "nobody cares for you", and" you will never amount to anything". 

The one regret I have, I never really ever told my parents or my older sister what I was going through.  The three people who loved me the most, I chose to hide these things from.

Bullying is a real problem and it is a bigger problem today than when I was a kid 30 plus years ago.  With the aid of technology, bullying has no boundaries.  You may ask; "why does God allow these things to happen."  I do not have the answer for every situation.  What I do know is this; God used my weakness and my hurts to make me who I am today.  For this reason, I am grateful.  

Me with a couple girls
that bullied me with body paint.
MFUGE - youth mission trip St. Louis

John 9:3 

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!