The Funny Thing About Grass

Friends,

It's been a long time since I've posted here. Too long. Despite this fact, God is still on the throne, and continues to love us very much! I'm thankful that He's never too busy to care, and never mentally checks out.

I was waiting for the bus to commute to the office last week, and stared at a hillside adjacent the stop. It was an ordinary chunk of yard, but God opened my eyes to much more this day. Mixed in this lot were thin spots of dirt where foliage barely covered, and laced amongst the lush grass blades were varying weeds, heads of dandelions and clover. The yard wasn't necessary unkempt; it just looks like a normal front yard that you or I would stroll past without a second thought. It was here that God met me. 

"Do you see the weeds among the blades of grass?" I felt Him ask in my spirit. "Yes, Lord. I see them." I said. "These inperfect weeds are normal to you, but they don't belong there." God said even more: "weeds among the grass is common to you, because you live in an imperfect world. They weren't a part of my perfect plan for grass, any more than for sin was to enter into this world".

Of course, this wasn't audible to me. I'm sure God didn't actually speak in the literal sense. However, I felt it deep in my being. A resonating truth. Friends, if we simply accept the pain and trouble of this world as 'normal', it can encroach on any hope we might have for a brighter future; here on earth, or in eternity. Understand this: sin is not normal. It wasn't part of God's plan for our lives. Yet, God sent His son to die on a cross for us, to reunite us with God, abolish sin and make a way for us to live with Him one day. And no, I firmly believe there are no weeds in Heaven.

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Love you,

Good night

Truly a Daily Walk

Hi friends,

It's been forever and a day since I've posted- much too long, really. I've missed talking to you, and hope that you've missed hearing about the antics from around these parts, too. It feels wonderful to be back. There's so much life that's unfolding around us, and much to share! But, how do you catch up with old friends, when all you have is a cup of coffee and a few minutes?

We'll begin with the basics.

My wife and I each turn/turned 40 this year, and our four amazing kids are no longer 'babies'. Our youngest is currently headed into the 5th grade, and our eldest is a graduating Senior (gasp). Both middle children are transitioning into the 8th and 9th grades. Both are already challenging their father in terms of vertical stature; they seem to get bigger, while I simply grow older. Only the Lord knows where that precious time has gone, because it seems only yesterday that we were slogging home from Wal-Mart with 14 packages of diapers in tow.

My wife still works for the local church we attend, and by the grace of God I've remained employed by the Government throughout the recession. I'm also working hard to get a start-up company off the ground, on the evenings and weekends. If anything is constant, it's change.

Now that we've caught up a little bit, I'd like to share something amazing that happened this past Saturday night. As you know, over the years I've listened to (and plugged) the Daily Audio Bible podcast. It's personally been the easiest, and most effective method for consuming the word of God; making the stories and characters truly come alive in a way I've not experienced before. I've not been successful in tuning in each and every day, but more often than not, the voice of Brian Hardin has been playing through my ear-buds each morning since 2008. I can't express enough the importance of spending time in Bible on a regular basis. It truly does change you from the inside out; allowing you take the challenges of life each day, and apply a filter of biblical knowledge, learned from countless examples of triumph and tribulation. Once you marinate on scripture, your thought processes begin to change, and you can't help but fall in love with the epic love story of God and mankind. And, you'll find that Jesus Christ is insanely cool.
 
The DAB team arrived in Portland for a "family gathering" last night! You see, on a semi-regular basis, Brian, Jill and kids travel throughout the world, meeting people who subscribe to their podcast, and participate as part of the DAB community. They've been all over the place, and it was finally Oregon's turn this weekend! I was simply thrilled at the chance to meet Brian, and listen to his story in person. What unfolded was an evening of worship, sharing with other local believers, waving to Internet viewers from around the globe, and ending in an intimate communion with Brian and family. It was one of those "pure gold" moments, that I'll never forget.

Of the many things I took away from our encounter with the DAB, there were two key things; 1., Jesus is our portion. And 2., Regardless of past hurts, by the church, or other Christians, there's always a chance to step out of bitterness, and isolation, and back into loving community.

Lamentations 3:24, "I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

I've heard this before, and intellectually understood the message growing up, but I never really fathomed the heart posture behind it at that point in life. As a flawed man, father, and husband, I literally imposed my own attitudes and limitations on God's words. What I was really saying to myself after reading them was "Be thankful you have a part of God's favor, no matter how big or small, and stop whining." Now a little older and wiser, I've learned that simply isn't God's heart, and his love is far more personal and beautiful than we can imagine.

Jill explained that "portion" is very important. It's not just a random amount of something doled out to the masses. It's an important unit of measure. Her example of using proper portions of ingredients for baking and preparing meals, literally ensures the success or failure of the meal. The portions need to be "just right". That got me thinking. Although "portion" is the operating word, I'm certain "precision" could be used as well. And friends, when someone takes the time to precisely measure something, it means there's a whole lot of thought, and investment in the going concern. Whether baking cookies, or helping us with "just enough" favor to build our character, or blessings to keep us moving forward, but not so much as to train-wreck our lives, God will give us exactly what we need, because he loves us deeply.

Although we assembled in a local church, the DAB family gathering literally had nothing to do with the building itself. The DAB's DNA is centered on the unfettered word of God, and fellow believers can find solace in plugging in to the community, it's various missions, and most importantly through walking through the Bible each day. We are the body of Christ. We are the Church.


Good Night.

Please Help

The recent snow, followed by rising temperatures and an abundance of rain, have caused all of us in the Salem/Keizer area to experience inconveniences of varying scale. Some of us were barely affected; watching the weather and its effects from the comfort of our television sets. Others had to process alternate routes to their destinations while driving, as many a road was closed due to high water marks. Still other communities were fully evacuated in the face of flooding. Some unfortunate souls found themselves caught up in the midst of the waters, as their whole world washed away.

It's this latter group I'm focusing on tonight.

When you look at the picture above, chances are pretty good that you'll see a road, terminating into what appears to be a pond. This area, ironically named Wallace Marine Park, completely flooded a couple of days ago, and the waters are only just beginning to recede. What you may not think about, is that this park is home to several "urban campers"- homeless people who are just like you and me in every way, except for being "address challenged".

Droves of campers were literally pulled from chest high waters; some were hospotalized with hypothermia, while some suffered other forms of shock. Almost all of them lost what little clothing or worldly possessions they had. Thankfully, some of the folks from WSFC's City Vibe outreach were ready, willing and able to help in any way they could. Local churches, such as Soma, and others have offered up what precious resources they had, so that the flood victims could have a warm, dry place to rest (and perhaps even receive a meal and pair of warm socks). It's far from over, and they could use your help and resources. Please, get in touch with WSFC, Soma, or any other local church that's supporting these broken, hurt and hungry brothers and sisters in Christ.

We're supposed to "Love them until they ask why", right? Let me tell you, they're already asking 'Why'. "Why is this happening to me?" "Why did God allow this tragedy?" Let's love on them together, and reflect God's love for each one of them.



Good Night

Happy 2012!

Good Evening, and Happy New Year!

2012 will be a year of lasting change- the chance to live intentionally. To plan. To achieve, instead of simply thinking about it. Whatever your goals are for the new year, please consider making a relationship with God a real priority.

If you haven't committed to making the journey through the Bible, it's never too late to begin. You can begin with today- you don't have to worry about making up, or catching up. Just dive into the Bible in printed form, read it online, or listen to it each day, like I do.

God bless you,

Good Night

Let There Be Light

Genesis 1:3-4

Amplified Bible (AMP)

"And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it; and God separated the light from the darkness."

God is the ultimate creative genius. He literally thought about what our world would be; with all of the plants, animals, humans, mountains and plains, and every facet of every technological advance we enjoy today, long before there was a physical universe. When there was once a only void, God had an idea, and spoke that idea into action.

It all began with light. It's funny (and not coincidental) that the light bulb has become associated with one of humankind's greatest ideas. The invention itself was spawned by a creative human mind, and the illumination it yields mirrors God's initial radiant gift.

Being created in God's image, many of us also have great ideas. The issue is that most of us have no clue how to make the idea grow into the thing we've envisioned. We may have creative prowess, but lack the discipline to develop it. Fear may be holding us back, or any number of other obstacles may be keeping us from sharing our great idea with others, and bridging the gap between concept and reality.

I've decided to share an idea with you, that I've been noodling on for a couple of years now. It's a business that I'm in the very early stages of forming, therefore in these early days, I will have to speak in abstracts. However, the goal is to share the progress of this business with you as it unfolds; the good, bad and ugly. You'll get inside "fly on the wall" access to this "reality show" business process, and hopefully it will serve as inspiration for you to cultivate your own brilliant ideas, and take action!

Please join me over at http://itbeginswithanidea.blogspot.com as this process begins over the next couple of months.

Take care!

Goodbye, Friend

Instead of going to church this evening, my family gathered together at a local pizza parlor for a tasty supper and fellowship with a truly remarkable human being. This man was one of the very first people to warmly welcome us into the church family. He's fostered positive development of our children over the past few years, and has developed deep and meaningful relationships with my wife and me.

He also happens to be moving out of state in the morning.

It's extremely difficult to say goodbye. I mean, it's not as if the person who moves away is dead. God forbid! However, there is a palpable, tangible, grief that accompanies a major relational change, or physical departure. While things will undoubtedly never be the same again, we are extremely excited for, and in support of our friend. A new journey is unfolding, and his whole life is about to receive a well-deserved restoration. While we won't be with him to experience the metamorphosis firsthand, we pray for covering over his life, and wish him all the best.

Godspeed, EJ!

Good Night

500 Days Of Walking

Tonight marks the 500th consecutive journal entry for The Daily Christian Walk! It's time to kick back, and celebrate the achievement of realizing a worthy goal- something I've admitted to having trouble with in the past. Perhaps, some of these memories of failure can finally be replaced with success- we've made it! I'm so thankful for this process; it's been tremendously rewarding sharing many of life's experiences with you over the past year and a half. I pray that reading each evening's entry was a worthwhile investment of your time, as well. A lot can change in 500 days...

This week, we will begin the next phase of the online journal. I envision more of a free-form entry schedule for the foreseeable future. This new approach will allow for me to set some new goals to accomplish in the scope of my evenings, and relieves some of the pressure to post something each night, even when I'm completely spent. I believe that by yielding to the Holy Spirit, and posting only when prompted to do so, that resultant blog entries will be more meaningful, and of higher quality in the days, weeks and months ahead.

God Bless You,

Good Night