February 07, 2010
A Passionate Plea
Just got home from the Souper Bowl Party. It was a fantastic night and much love and thanks go to Juli, Marty, Kristi, Ken. Kara, Milt, and Ralph (is making more!) for planning the night beautifully. I’m actually going to do another post that gives the details and some pics but I had to share with you a poem that Michelle Anderson wrote. Her heart has been broken by the havoc Malaria causes in Africa and has been become an outspoken leader in our Netz for Africa campaign. She shared information about how we can buy a mosquito net and send it to Africa for $10 then she read a poem she wrote for the night. It was a holy moment as Michelle read through tears and nearly a hundred students and adults sat in stunned silence. I’m so thankful for what God is doing in Michelle’s heart. May He do it in mine as well!
A child’s tear streaked face
A disease we love to hate
Yes, I too was watching that video.
You might even give some change in hope
A little part inside you thrives, getting
Some Where, chaning lives.
But that was just a second, maybe two
The reviews are back and the star is you.
You’ll forget about this speech not too long…
Now hear me right, I do not mean to criticize.
I’m just here to help open your eyes.
A week goes by, yeah time sure flies.
You wake up late. It’s almost eight
Rush off to school, the one you hate.
Complaing cuz your stomach Growls.
You grumble cuz they hog t.v.
Never get to watch what you want to see.
All this time in Somewhere Else
People are Lucky if any food’s on the shelf.
Lives are Struggling, Ending, Pushing Forward.
Faith in Heaven
All they can look toward.
Hope the best for tomorrow
Rain or shine.
He’s got a wife, a mother, two daughters, a son.
Barely enough rice to just feed One.
On Top of That inside his Shack.
The beds seem to always be under attack.
He worries about them Night and Day
No nets to keep the tiny Killer away
Every night down on his knees
” Save my babies, Lord, please.”
He begs for One more day.
God don’t take his children away.
This man works harder than the day is long.
For what, to find his loved ones gone?
Because he can’t afford a doctor’s bill?
Not like they could provide even A pill
A shot
A vaccination
God there’s Crisis in the African Nation!
People too poor to fight a preventable disease.
Lord!
You said you loved the least of these?
I know we can’t help where we are born
But we need the mindset that Less is More
We all have struggles, I have No Doubt
but we havethe supplies to help Our Family out
Family?
You’re most likely thinking, “I don’t know people Over There”
Family?
How?
Now the Truth with You I’ll Share.
Same Air
Same Sun
Same Sky
Same Creator
How can we Ignore Our Brothers now
When we might See them Later?
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February 06, 2010
We are far too easily amused!
“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased!” - C.S. Lewis
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February 04, 2010
A Good Question from Francis
A youth pastor once asked Francis Chan, author of “Crazy Love” and “The Forgotten God” :“What would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? If everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? Or would it be weak and listless?”
What would be your answer? You convicted yet?
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February 01, 2010
For Better or For Worse…for 78 years!
Maxine and I have been married for 17 going on 18 years. Well, we only need 60 more years and we will be married as long as the Lampes of El Paso. That’s right, they’re about to celebrate their 78 wedding anniversary! 78 years of for better for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do they part.” They’ve been married longer than most people have been alive. They take their vows seriously and have some really good genes. Bill Flick has written a great little story on this couple. I love his line, “Ever noticed some of the best stories in life are those that really aren’t stories, just life?”
Congrats to Charles (100) and Lois (97) for 78 years of marriage on Feb 16 (they were married Feb 16, 1932). Thanks for being faithful in a world that could use a few more examples!
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January 28, 2010
The Space Shuttle fell out of the sky/and the whole world cried
On this date in 1986 twenty-four years ago, most of the world was watching the Space Shuttle launch. I was a senior in high school and I will never forget it. Being a high school student, I was not watching live but millions of elementary students were because of Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space. While the space shuttle launches seem routine today, back then each launch was viewed as a modern miracle.
I’ll never get the image out of my mind. The small white blip arching into the sky then something went terribly wrong. The second it happened everyone knew. We watched it again and again and each time it didn’t seem real.
We had just seen those astronauts walking to the tarmac in the early morning hours. How could they suddenly all be gone?
The country song “80 something” says, “The shuttle fell out of the sky/and the whole world cried.” It couldn’t be more true. I cried. My parents cried. The whole world cried.
We learned again that day that exploration is a risky business.
That night, President Reagan addressed the nation. The speech was written by David Gergen, who I recently heard speak. I think it is one of the best speeches that any president has ever given. He spoke to us as a fellow mourner and to the children as their friend.
“The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted, it belongs to the brave.”
Watched the video of the speech and say a prayer for the families of the astronauts.
(By the way, Milt says you should always have your hand over your heart whenever you hear Reagan’s voice)
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January 26, 2010
I have an iguana strapped to my leg or 44?
When we were going through customs in Mexico, I stopped and said very loudly, “I do not have an iguana strapped to my leg!” I actually said this multiple times and it became one of our catch phrase for the trip.
Well, this guy has totally outdone me!
Enjoy! Thanks Alan.
A German reptile collector has been jailed for 14 weeks and must pay a 5,000 New Zealand dollar ($3,540) fine for plundering New Zealand’s wild gecko and skink populations, a judge has ruled.
Hans Kurt Kubus, 58, is to be deported to Germany as soon as he is released from prison, Judge Colin Doherty ordered Tuesday.
Kubus was caught by wildlife officials at Christchurch International Airport on South Island in December, about to board an overseas flight with 44 geckos and skinks in a hand-sewn package concealed in his underwear.
He admitted trading in exploited species without a permit and hunting absolutely protected wildlife without authority, pleading guilty to two charges under the Wildlife Act and five under the Trade in Endangered Species Act.
Department of Conservation prosecutor Mike Bodie told Christchurch District Court that Kubus could have faced potential maximum penalties of 500,000 dollars and six months in prison.
Bodie told Doherty that the department sought a deterrent sentence for “the most serious case of its kind detected in New Zealand for a decade or more.”
The geckos may have been worth 2,000 euros ($2,800) each on the European market, he noted.
“Internationally, this type of trade is prevalent and is on the increase worldwide and can be lucrative,” he said.
Customs records showed that Kubus had also been to New Zealand in 2001, 2004, 2008, and 2009. In 2008, he had been with a Swiss reptile dealer.
Doherty said Kubus had come to New Zealand and set about poaching the animals in a premeditated way which would have had an impact on particular colonies.
There was a potential for Kubus to end up with far more animals than he could have housed in his own collection and the rest would have been sold.
“I don’t think you necessarily came here to steal to sell, but I am sure the fact that you might have had excess was figured into your thinking,” said the judge, describing the offending as “pretty close to the worst case.”
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January 26, 2010
Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference 2010 - EPIC!
Well, as you may have noticed, I haven’t blogged these past two weeks. We have been deep in the Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference season and I have now just come up for air.
We had an amazing weekend with the high school students on Jan 15-17. Our speaker was Duffy Robbins. He’s a professor of youth ministry at Eastern University and absolutely hilarious! We took 28 students and 5 leaders and saw God move. Our band was “Gentleman at Arms” and they did a great job leading us to the throne .
Duffy concentrated on the Psalms - the “songs of life.” His sessions were funny, full of Scripture, and hit our teenagers right where they are at. Over the next week, I’ll share some of his thoughts.
This past weekend, five of our adult leaders lead 15 junior high students to Cedar Lake. The band was the crazy K.C. and the Glowworms and the speaker was…well, me! I’ve spoken twice at Cedar Lake for summer camp but winter camp was a whole different level. I felt prayed for as I spoke and the Spirit did some amazing things. Saturday night, about 50 students came forward for salvation or rededication. Our leaders did a great job with our junior high students and they were very encouraging to me.
You can check out a lot of pics on my Face Book but here’s a few snapshots from both weekends.
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January 20, 2010
AWANA and CROSS Roads are Cancelled for tonight, Wed Jan 20th
Due to the ice, all night activities for PBC are canceled. This includes AWANA and Cross Roads. Spread the word. Stay home, safe, warm, and dry.
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January 20, 2010
Common Cold of the Soul
I’m not blogging much because I’m busy preparing for my speaking time at Cedar Lake this weekend. Would you please pray for me as I put together my sessions?
I was working on one of the sessions about “Getting out of the boat” and came across this poem that I thought would be challenging to you.
Read it slowly and think about it today:
“Common Cold of the Soul”
- by Greg Levoy
“To sinful patterns of behavior that never get confronted and changed,
Abilities and gifts that never get cultivated and deployed -
Until weeks become months
and months turn into years,
And one day you’re looking back on your life of
deep intimate gut-wrenchingly honest conversations you never had;
Great bold prayers you never prayed,
exhilarating risks you never took,
sacrificial gifts you never offered
lives you never touched,
and you’re sitting in a recliner with a shriveled soul,
and forgotten dreams,
and you realize that there was a world of desperate need,
And a great God calling you to be part of something bigger than yourself -
You see the person you could have become but did not;
You never followed your calling.
You never got out of the boat.”
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January 15, 2010
Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference 2010!
This afternoon, five adult leaders and I will be taking 28 high school students to Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference in Indiana. Please pray as we travel and as Duffy Robbins speaks and “Gentleman in Arms” leads us in praise and worship. Pray that God would move in the hearts of our students to follow God into the great adventure of faith.
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January 14, 2010
A Wiseman teaching on Wisdom!
Last night at Cross Roads (our junior high ministry), Lori Wiseman taught a wonderful lesson about “How to be a Wise Guy/Girl” from Solomon’s life. She did a great job! It was Biblically sound, funny, and she even used videos and pics. The students were very attentive and I’ve heard from several parents that they were listening! Way to go Lori!
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January 14, 2010
calM decisions (Part 4)
Over this past week, we’ve been looking at a frame work for making wise decisions.
When there is a decision to make, do you…
1. Consult the Bible to see what God has to say to you?
2. Ask wise people?
3. Take into account your past experiences?
The last of the CALM steps is…
4. Monitor what the Spirit is saying to you.
Paul wrote to the church at Rome: “May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you TRUST in Him, that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
If you are a Christian, then the Holy Spirit lives in you to convict, comfort, and guide you.
Remember what David wrote in Psalm 25?
“Show me Your ways O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior and my hope is in You all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)
I was sitting at my desk in my office one afternoon when I felt like God was telling me to go to the high school. I actually said out loud, “Hey I’m a little busy here.” Over the next hour, I felt it even stronger. Finally, I drove to the school and stood in front of rec center feeling stupid. I heard the final bell ring and students started to trickle out of the building. One of our students walked up to me and stared at me wide-eyed and asked me what I was doing there. I told her I felt God wanted me there. She said, “In my last class I was praying that you would be outside the rec center today because I really needed to talk to you.” The hair stood up on the back of my neck! She burst into tears and I was able to minister to her.
I don’t tell that story to brag but to point out I almost missed it. How many times have I ignored the Spirit’s promptings and missed incredible adventures?
in Psalm 46, David wrote: “Be still and know that I am God.” You’ve got to be quiet enough to hear what He might be trying to say to you. I remember talking to a guy one time and sharing some very important issues. He turned to me and “Did you say something? I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
I wonder if God ever feels that way with us.
Right before I was going to get married to Maxine, an ex girlfriend called me up and said for me to meet her at the park and that it was urgent. She sat on a picnic table and told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was making a big mistake and she was my wife, not Maxine. She was a Godly girl and for an instant I was thrown for a loop. but, not for long…
I had scoured the Scriptures, I had asked wise people, I I thought through all my past relationships. And I had spent a lot of time in prayer and felt very peaceful about Maxine. I said a silent prayer and the Spirit gave me just there right words to say to her. I finally looked at her and said, “If that was true, wouldn’t He have told both of us? In tears, she acknowledged that the Spirit would have made it clear to me too.
So, as you make decisions, are you listening to what the Spirit has to say to you?
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January 13, 2010
caLm decisions (Part 3)
Abraham Lincoln said that a fool is not someone who makes a mistake. A fool is someone who makes the same mistake twice.
When I’m talking to a student, or an adult, who has made a mistake, I try not to bash them on the head. I merely ask them, “What have you learned that will help you not make the same mistake again?”
We’ve been talking about how to make wise decisions and I’ve presented a framework that I learned from Bill Hybels years ago.
First, when faced with a decision, pray and CONSULT THE BIBLE.
Second, ASK WISE PEOPLE.
The third step is to take into account your LEARNING FROM PAST EXPERIENCES.
Remember, I defined wisdom as “knowledge+experience?”
The question becomes “What has your past experiences told you?
When you are making a decision, have you learned anything from your past?
Even tenagers already have some life experiences that will help you make decisions.
When I was in college, I dated a girl that taught me a thing or two about wise/unwise choices. I worked in a department store on one side of the mall and she worked in a department store at the opposite end. She was running late for work and ran into my area asking for my credit card. She had a run in her hose and needed to get some before her shift started. I handed her my credit thinking that she would buy some hose. It never occurred to me that she would do anything else.
A couple of weeks later, I got my credit card bill and, sure enough, there was a charge for hose - a $17 charge for a pari of hose!!! Not only that, there was also an $80 charge for a dress! I confronted her about and she said that she thought I would want her to have it. I told her I thought she was a loon! I looked into small claims court but it would have cost me more than I could have gotten back.
All this to say, I do not let people “borrow” my credit card. It’s something I learned the hard way, from experience.
In Gen 50- Jacob has died and his brothers are scared that Joseph will kill them for selling him into slavery all those years ago. Joseph, who was now in charge of all of Egypt says, “Hey guys, listen. I’ve learned over these past years that God is in control and has a plan. He was watching out after me the whole time. I’ve grown a lot since you last hung out with me. You meant this for evil, God used it for good.” All the things that he had been through, lead him to be a very understanding, forgiving person.
As you make decisions, what experiences have you had that could help you make wise decisions?
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January 11, 2010
CALM decisions
We’ve started a new series with the students called “How to be a Wise Guy/Girl” and last night I taught the high school students a framework for making wise decisions. Without some training, decision making is usually controlled by emotions. The problem with emotions many times is that they can they lead us down the wrong path.
I once had a friend who took the exact opposite approach. He practiced what he called “intuitive decision making.” He told me, “Leaders don’t think about decisions. They MAKE decisions!” He went on to explain that he simply made decisions without thinking about them, therefore taking the “emotions” out of it. I went home and told Maxine that and she cocked her head and said that she thought that was dangerous and stupid. How right she was.
After a series of terrible decisions, my friend was fired! So much for intuitive decision making.
A few years ago, I heard Bill Hybels teach on making “CALM decisions.” I shared that frame work with the students last night.
For the next four days, I will share with you how to making CALM decisions.
The first thing to do when faced with a decision is…
Consult the Bible.
I have had students, and adults tell me, that when they have a decision to make they let the Bible fall open and then randomly point to a scripture to see what God is saying. I actually did that last night and ended up with a verse about not cutting my hair and being destroyed by God’s wrath!
This is the year that many of you will read the Bible all the way through, some for the first time. (If you are interested, check the website for multiple different Bible reading plans) As you are engaged in daily, personal Bible reading, God will meet you there.
Does that mean God will give you the exact answers? Well, He could, but most of the time God provides you will with the next, right step to take.
David said in Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a light unto my feet and a lamp unto my path.” A lamp provides just enough light to take the next step. Many times that how God works in order to teach us how to trust Him.
Sometimes God’s Word is very clear.
- Wanting to date that non-Christian girl?
- Wanting to cheat on a test?
- Want to download music illegally?
- Want to have sex before marriage?
- Want to know whether you should forgive this person?
- Want to understand the music genius of Barry Manilow?
All these decisions are covered in God’s Word. (Well, all but one!)
When I worked at the out-patient clinic, I had a guy come into my office and tell me that God told him to kill someone but he didn’t know who it would be. I told him that the Bible was pretty clear on the killing thing. He looked right at me and said that he was the “avenger” and that the person he kills will deserve it. I excuse myself and told my secretary to call the police!
By the way, the most dangerous sentence in the English language is “I know what the Bible says…but…” Talk about making a bad decision.
Sometimes it’s not specific verses but principles that you need.
I remember talking to a guy about his choices about college. He was freaking out. I asked him what God’s been saying to him through his reading. He said that the Bible wasn’t going to tell him what college to go to. He was exactly right. But…God wanted to help him through the decision making process.
Psalm 25:4-5 says, “Show mw Your ways, O Lord, teach me You paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are my God, my Savior, and my hope is You all day long.”
God speaks through His Word. He can speak through people, circumstances, songs, and even our emotions but even that must be measured against his word.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16)
Hebrews 4:12: The Word of God is “living and active, sharper than any two edged sword.”
As you “look intently” into the Word every day (one of our goals for the year), God will speak to your heart concerning decisions you have to make.
So do you have a decision to make? Pray and ask God for wisdom through His Word.
This promise should make us all excited:
“If you anyone you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5.)
Tomorrow we will consider the wisdom of “Asking wise people.”
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January 04, 2010
Sacred Assembly 2010
Last night we gathered as a student ministry, junior high, high school, and leaders (70+), to focus our attention on the new year. After a time of praise and prayer, I taught a lesson from James 1:22-27. As we celebrated communion, I left our four goals for 2010 on the screen.
Here’s how I ended my talk:
The reason I had us meet in this little room is because I want you to look around. 12 normal teenagers changed the world because they were so passionate about Jesus they wouldn’t compromise their faith. What could we do as a group if we:
* Started to look intently into the Word of God. Reading, studying, obeying, and applying it daily. (James 1:22-25)
* Made an effort to use our words to encourage and not to make fun, gossip, or curse. (James 1:26)
* If we intentionally ministered to widows and orphans - love others (James 1:27a)
* If we took God’s call to holiness seriously and live such Godly lives that people started asking, “What is up with those crazy Jesus followers?!” (James 1:27b)
We ended by watching this video from Leeland and Brandon Heath called “Follow Me” filmed in Cambodia.
Jesus doesn’t call us to a religion but to a revolution of love. Will you follow Him this year?
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