At this time of year, it seems we hear more about miracles than the rest of the year. Could it be that maybe we're just more aware of things that happen that are not able to be considered "coincidences?" I know I have been over the past two weeks ago.
On December 9, my dad had a farming accident. He got his right arm caught in a cotton stripper auger, which has a whole bunch of nasty, blade-like contraptions that spin really fast in order to remove the cotton from the stalk. As you can imagine, a human arm doesn't stand much chance when pitted against such a powerful machine.
Incredibly enough, dad didn't lose his arm, or even his fingers, for that matter. But, there was a whole lot of damage done. The farmhand who was working with him, Arturo, was able to shut the machine off almost immediately. This in itself is a miracle. But the story is just getting started. Now things get really unbelievable.
Dad doesn't have a farmhand. At least, not since my brother and I left home (and, let's be honest....we were more like slave labor!!!). Thursday, December 9 was the first day Arturo had worked for my dad. Again, this in itself is a pretty great miracle. But that's not all. Arturo's boss, Kent, is an EMT. He had noticed some things in dad over the previous week or so that concerned him, so he dropped by my parents' house on the night before dad's accident. He checked dad's vitals, then told him that he was finished pulling his cotton crop. He wanted dad to take Arturo and let him help finish pulling the cotton. Dad, of course, refused at first. Kent wouldn't take no for an answer, so Arturo went to work with my dad on that Thursday morning.
While they were trying to get dad's arm out of the auger, Arturo called Kent (who, if you recall, is an EMT). Dad and Arturo were in the middle of nowhere, where you cell service is spotty at best. But, Kent heard "Mr. Bill's hurt!" before the signal died. So, he called 911 and told the folks in Tahoka to send the Ambulance and to call the Flight For Life helicopter. All Kent knew was that dad was hurt...he didn't know how badly. He said they'd send the helicopter back if they didn't need it.
When dad finally freed his arm, Arturo drove him to an intersection. The ambulance arrived at the intersection about the same time they did. By the time they got him prepped for the helicopter, it was landing.
A farmhand my dad has never had, a good friend who's an EMT who had the wisdom to make the right phone calls, perfect timing all around. It seems to me that this many coincidences coincidentally coinciding at once is harder to buy than simply believing that there is an Almighty God who was looking out for my dad and had the right people in place at the right time.
Don't buy the lie of "coincidences." None of us could have imagined that dad would have this horrific accident. But I believe that God knew it was coming. I believe He could have stopped it. But, sometimes he allows us to go through awful things in order to remind us that He does know about us and care about us. Personally, I was at a point where my faith needed a boost. I wasn't having serious doubts, but I think I was getting "bored" in my faith.....needing to see something miraculous. God has used this situation to remind me that we are safe in his arms, even when unthinkable things happen.
Dad's still got a long way to go. He's facing multiple surgeries over the next year, and his right arm and hand will never be back to 100%. But we can live with that. And who knows: there might just be some more miracles in store.....
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Shepherds
I know, I know. It's been a very ridiculously long time since I've posted anything on here. So, first let me say that I'm sorry. I hope for this to be a place to write from time to time about stuff that I'm learning and things that God is revealing to me.
As we enter this Christmas season, I am reminded of the story of the shepherds. In Luke 2, we are told that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, when suddenly an angel appeared to them. I love this image, because the shepherds were not expecting anything extraordinary to happen this particular night. They are going about their regular business and, suddenly, they are interrupted by heaven. Isn't that how it happens so often in our lives? We are immersed in our daily lives, not expecting anything extraordinary, when God shows up.
You've probably heard that the shepherds were outcasts from society. That's actually probably not true (this is based on my study of the passage.....I don't possess this knowledge on my own!). If you look at the rest of Scripture, shepherds are generally given a positive review. King David was a shepherd when he was a boy. Pastors are referenced as shepherds. Jesus called himself "The Good Shepherd."
Rather, a shepherd was probably just a common fellow. I live in a farming community. Cotton farmers are about as common here as shepherds would have been outside Bethlehem when Jesus was born. I think there's a great lesson for us in this: God cares about regular folks. We don't have to be rich or really, really, ridiculously good looking in order for God to reveal Himself to us. Scriptures are chock full of stories where God speaks to someone really quite ordinary and, through them, does something extraordinary. If you read the Christmas narrative, the shepherds are the first people to hear about the coming of the Messiah.
It's also striking to look at their response. They go and meet the child, and then we read that they go and tell everyone they see about what has happened. The story is called The Greek term that's translated Good News in our English translations is evangelion. Kinda looks like the word evangelism, doesn't it? To evangelize is "to share the good news." And did you see the response to the shepherd's story? Everyone was amazed.
I happen to think that if we will share the story of Jesus (NOT religion, but just the story of Jesus), people will still be amazed. Think about it: God took the initiative to restore the relationship that WE fractured. It's an amazing story. Who do you know that needs to hear?
As we enter this Christmas season, I am reminded of the story of the shepherds. In Luke 2, we are told that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, when suddenly an angel appeared to them. I love this image, because the shepherds were not expecting anything extraordinary to happen this particular night. They are going about their regular business and, suddenly, they are interrupted by heaven. Isn't that how it happens so often in our lives? We are immersed in our daily lives, not expecting anything extraordinary, when God shows up.
You've probably heard that the shepherds were outcasts from society. That's actually probably not true (this is based on my study of the passage.....I don't possess this knowledge on my own!). If you look at the rest of Scripture, shepherds are generally given a positive review. King David was a shepherd when he was a boy. Pastors are referenced as shepherds. Jesus called himself "The Good Shepherd."
Rather, a shepherd was probably just a common fellow. I live in a farming community. Cotton farmers are about as common here as shepherds would have been outside Bethlehem when Jesus was born. I think there's a great lesson for us in this: God cares about regular folks. We don't have to be rich or really, really, ridiculously good looking in order for God to reveal Himself to us. Scriptures are chock full of stories where God speaks to someone really quite ordinary and, through them, does something extraordinary. If you read the Christmas narrative, the shepherds are the first people to hear about the coming of the Messiah.
It's also striking to look at their response. They go and meet the child, and then we read that they go and tell everyone they see about what has happened. The story is called The Greek term that's translated Good News in our English translations is evangelion. Kinda looks like the word evangelism, doesn't it? To evangelize is "to share the good news." And did you see the response to the shepherd's story? Everyone was amazed.
I happen to think that if we will share the story of Jesus (NOT religion, but just the story of Jesus), people will still be amazed. Think about it: God took the initiative to restore the relationship that WE fractured. It's an amazing story. Who do you know that needs to hear?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
"Life to the full"
Let me start off by apologizing to all you real bloggers out there. I'm ashamed that I haven't posted since June 8......5 months ago today. But, on to the blog:
I had the opportunity to preach in our main worship service this morning. These opportunities don't come along super often, so I really cherish the times I'm privileged enough to preach in our pastor's absence. This morning I chose John 10:10 for my text. This is a really simple verse, but one that has a wealth of application:
John 10:10 (NIV)
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The question I asked was this: "What does this full life, this 'abundant' life, look like?" There is far more to this answer than can be addressed in a twenty minute sermon or a single blog entry. However, I'm going to attempt to at least scratch the surface.
For so many people, the Christian life is nothing more than a list of "Thou shalt not's." I have a really hard time believing that Jesus Christ died to bring us a life made up of "Thou shalt not's." There's no way that this is what He meant when He said he wants to bring us "life to the full." Instead, when He was asked what the greatest command in all the Scripture was, Jesus replied to love God with everything that you are, and He went on to say that the second command is to love people. The two things are linked. C.S. Lewis once said that there is no act of loving God that does not have as its end result the love of neighbor (I think this is in Mere Christianity, but I could be wrong.).
Paul also said, in Galatians 5, that we are to life live in the Spirit. Thankfully, he goes on to describe the "Fruit of the Spirit" - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When I look at this list, I really have to be honest and say that I see very few Christians who actually live this way. I'm afraid that, al too often, I see Christians who are bitter and angry. Maybe if we actually believed that Jesus came to give us a life that is even greater than we can imagine, it would change the way we live.
But, what we've done is focus so much on eternity that we've neglected to remember that the life Jesus died to bring us starts NOW. Eternal life is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But, we can't focus so much on eternal life that we become useless in this life. Jesus wants to give you life to the full starting today - life that is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Notice that none of these are qualified. That means that we are called to have these attitudes even in the worst of circumstances.
If we would only start living like we actually believe this, I think we would absolutely see revival break out. This kind of living is contagious, and that's exactly what Jesus has called us to be.
I had the opportunity to preach in our main worship service this morning. These opportunities don't come along super often, so I really cherish the times I'm privileged enough to preach in our pastor's absence. This morning I chose John 10:10 for my text. This is a really simple verse, but one that has a wealth of application:
John 10:10 (NIV)
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The question I asked was this: "What does this full life, this 'abundant' life, look like?" There is far more to this answer than can be addressed in a twenty minute sermon or a single blog entry. However, I'm going to attempt to at least scratch the surface.
For so many people, the Christian life is nothing more than a list of "Thou shalt not's." I have a really hard time believing that Jesus Christ died to bring us a life made up of "Thou shalt not's." There's no way that this is what He meant when He said he wants to bring us "life to the full." Instead, when He was asked what the greatest command in all the Scripture was, Jesus replied to love God with everything that you are, and He went on to say that the second command is to love people. The two things are linked. C.S. Lewis once said that there is no act of loving God that does not have as its end result the love of neighbor (I think this is in Mere Christianity, but I could be wrong.).
Paul also said, in Galatians 5, that we are to life live in the Spirit. Thankfully, he goes on to describe the "Fruit of the Spirit" - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When I look at this list, I really have to be honest and say that I see very few Christians who actually live this way. I'm afraid that, al too often, I see Christians who are bitter and angry. Maybe if we actually believed that Jesus came to give us a life that is even greater than we can imagine, it would change the way we live.
But, what we've done is focus so much on eternity that we've neglected to remember that the life Jesus died to bring us starts NOW. Eternal life is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But, we can't focus so much on eternal life that we become useless in this life. Jesus wants to give you life to the full starting today - life that is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Notice that none of these are qualified. That means that we are called to have these attitudes even in the worst of circumstances.
If we would only start living like we actually believe this, I think we would absolutely see revival break out. This kind of living is contagious, and that's exactly what Jesus has called us to be.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Decreasing
This week, I find myself in the mountains of New Mexico for youth camp. More specifically, for a youth camp called Camp Doulos. Doulos is a Greek word which means servant, or slave. (That, by the way, is about the extent of my Greek knowledge......even after two years of it in college!) The idea of being a slave/servant is not a real popular one in today's culture. In fact, most people are very repulsed by the idea of being a slave or servant - after all, part of the American Dream is to be able to be your own master, right?
The theme Bible verse for the week is John 3:30, "He must increase, I must decrease." This quote comes from John the Baptist when some people are asking Him why Jesus is suddenly baptizing more people than John is. It's almost like they're saying, "Jesus is stealing your thunder. You need to do something!" John, of course, knew better. Earlier, he said that we was not even worthy to tie Jesus' sandals.
Who could blame John if he got a little jealous? After all, he had a pretty successful ministry going. Sure he was a little quirky - with all the eating locusts and what not - but he was an effectice communicator and people were repenting and turning to God left and right.
Then, when Jesus shows up, John fades into the background. "He must increase, I must decrease." People didn't understand that. We still don't. And yet, that's exactly what Christ has called us to do. Paul says it this way, "I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I think the truth is that Christ cannot increase in my life until I allow myself to decrease.....He will not force Himself in.
So, I'm working on decreasing. It's not easy; it's certainly not always fun. But, I know that Christ knows how to live my life better than I do. I must allow my own desires to die; that is the only way I can truly live.
The theme Bible verse for the week is John 3:30, "He must increase, I must decrease." This quote comes from John the Baptist when some people are asking Him why Jesus is suddenly baptizing more people than John is. It's almost like they're saying, "Jesus is stealing your thunder. You need to do something!" John, of course, knew better. Earlier, he said that we was not even worthy to tie Jesus' sandals.
Who could blame John if he got a little jealous? After all, he had a pretty successful ministry going. Sure he was a little quirky - with all the eating locusts and what not - but he was an effectice communicator and people were repenting and turning to God left and right.
Then, when Jesus shows up, John fades into the background. "He must increase, I must decrease." People didn't understand that. We still don't. And yet, that's exactly what Christ has called us to do. Paul says it this way, "I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I think the truth is that Christ cannot increase in my life until I allow myself to decrease.....He will not force Himself in.
So, I'm working on decreasing. It's not easy; it's certainly not always fun. But, I know that Christ knows how to live my life better than I do. I must allow my own desires to die; that is the only way I can truly live.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
So long, Spiral Frog
I got some disturbing news today. Spiral Frog, a free and legal music downloading site, croaked last week. Their trick was that they were totally ad-supported. To be honest, they really had a pretty impressive collection - from Johhny Cash to Jonny Lang, U2, George Strait, Shane & Shane, Robben Ford, Nickel Creek, Jon Foreman, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
But, alas, last week the site closed down for good with no warning whatsoever. Apparently, all the songs I've downloaded (and they are many) will work for two more months and will then cease to work forever (unless Spiral Frog should come back online, which is unlikely).
While I am pained, I am grateful to the pioneers behind this service. My musical eyes were opened to some things that I would probably not have listened to otherwise. For instance, after reading a Guitar Player Magazine article on Brad Paisley, and learning that one of his guitar heroes was Robben Ford, I found some of his stuff on Spiral Frog and fell in love.
So, I will enjoy my music for the next two months, and then begin re-collecting much of the albums I've enjoyed via Rhapsody, which is not free, but cost-effective. In the mean-time, I'll be praying that someone jumps on the free-music bandwagon and figures out another legal way to let us all enjoy great music again.
Fare thee well, my Froggy friend.
But, alas, last week the site closed down for good with no warning whatsoever. Apparently, all the songs I've downloaded (and they are many) will work for two more months and will then cease to work forever (unless Spiral Frog should come back online, which is unlikely).
While I am pained, I am grateful to the pioneers behind this service. My musical eyes were opened to some things that I would probably not have listened to otherwise. For instance, after reading a Guitar Player Magazine article on Brad Paisley, and learning that one of his guitar heroes was Robben Ford, I found some of his stuff on Spiral Frog and fell in love.
So, I will enjoy my music for the next two months, and then begin re-collecting much of the albums I've enjoyed via Rhapsody, which is not free, but cost-effective. In the mean-time, I'll be praying that someone jumps on the free-music bandwagon and figures out another legal way to let us all enjoy great music again.
Fare thee well, my Froggy friend.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A-Rod
Okay, by now this topic has probably been beaten to death by sports bloggers and others in the blogosphere who are much more qualified to attack it than I am; but that's not going to keep me from weighing in with my opinion, anyway.
To use the words of President Obama, it's disappointing. Regardless of whether you Alex Rodriguez or love to hate him, we love him or hate him for the same reason: he's such a freakin' monster on the baseball diamond. And we thought he did it naturally. He was the hope of legitimizing the Home Run record again. He was the one everyone pointed to as evidence that you didn't have to cheat to be great at Major League Baseball - the "Golden Boy," as my brother put it. Now, it's just disappointing.
Perhaps I'm most disappointed that all this happened while he was a member of the Texas Rangers....my team. I feel very betrayed - those three years while we marveled at his power, his defense, and rejoiced in an MVP coming from a last-place team. Looking back, everything has changed.
But the big question I have in all the steroids hoopla doesn't have to do with any player. My question is, why is no one holding the owners, GM's, and managers accountable for what is (hopefully, was) being done in their clubhouses. Granted, we cannot take blame away from the players - no one is shoving needles into their arms but themselves. But, it seems to me that some responsibility falls on the club execs to take the necessary measures to ensure that their clubhouse is clean. I know if I was an owner, GM, team president, manager, or even the clubhouse janitor, I would not want there to be any room for suspicion about what went on in my clubhouse on my watch.
Hopefully, Major League Baseball has taken the necessary steps to make sure that the steroid era is over. The worst part of all this is that we as baseball fans are going to scrutinize every single record that has been set over the past two decades, along with any that are set anytime in the near future.
Maybe ignorance really was bliss........
To use the words of President Obama, it's disappointing. Regardless of whether you Alex Rodriguez or love to hate him, we love him or hate him for the same reason: he's such a freakin' monster on the baseball diamond. And we thought he did it naturally. He was the hope of legitimizing the Home Run record again. He was the one everyone pointed to as evidence that you didn't have to cheat to be great at Major League Baseball - the "Golden Boy," as my brother put it. Now, it's just disappointing.
Perhaps I'm most disappointed that all this happened while he was a member of the Texas Rangers....my team. I feel very betrayed - those three years while we marveled at his power, his defense, and rejoiced in an MVP coming from a last-place team. Looking back, everything has changed.
But the big question I have in all the steroids hoopla doesn't have to do with any player. My question is, why is no one holding the owners, GM's, and managers accountable for what is (hopefully, was) being done in their clubhouses. Granted, we cannot take blame away from the players - no one is shoving needles into their arms but themselves. But, it seems to me that some responsibility falls on the club execs to take the necessary measures to ensure that their clubhouse is clean. I know if I was an owner, GM, team president, manager, or even the clubhouse janitor, I would not want there to be any room for suspicion about what went on in my clubhouse on my watch.
Hopefully, Major League Baseball has taken the necessary steps to make sure that the steroid era is over. The worst part of all this is that we as baseball fans are going to scrutinize every single record that has been set over the past two decades, along with any that are set anytime in the near future.
Maybe ignorance really was bliss........
Monday, February 9, 2009
Homosexuality and the Gospel
Homosexuality is a hot topic these days (almost as hot as the bailout.....see the post below this one for that discussion). Homosexuality has gone from being a taboo that was not discussed (the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy) just a few short years ago, to being considered socially acceptable by much of the population. Anyone who would dare say that homosexuality is somehow wrong or immoral is immediately labeled a bigot. In some areas, simply saying those words constitutes a hate crime - which begs the question, "what happened to 'free speech?'"
With this cultural shift occurring so quickly, it has left the Church (the universal Church - all believers, everywhere) scrambling with how to react. Churches have reacted with a wide range of responses. We have seen everything from some deciding homosexuality is acceptable to singling it out as "the Sin" - that it is somehow worse than any other sin.
Believe it or not, both of these extremes have come from the exact same bible passage - Romans 1:26-27:
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion
The first extreme in Christianity comes from Paul's word, "natural." Those who hold to this view say that it is "natural" for someone to be homosexual, therefore for them to practice heterosexuality would be "unnatural" and a sin. However, this is a misunderstanding of the way Paul uses the word, "natural." In the way he uses it, the term means basically, "the way God designed things." In order to see the way God designed things, we must go back to Genesis chapter 2 when God created male and female to be together. This is God's design. Homosexuality is the result of a fallen world - things are not the way they are supposed to be. The "natural" order of things is for one man to be joined to one woman for a lifetime.
The other extreme comes from the assumption that since Paul gives so much space to the topic of homosexuality in Romans 1 when compared to the other sins listed there, that homosexuality must somehow be worse than the rest. This is a misunderstanding of Sin. Sin is sin, plain and simple. White lies, murder, stealing, and homosexuality are all equal under that heading. For sure, some sins have greater consequences in life than others. However, all Sin has the same consequence - separation from God Almighty for eternity. All sin is evil, and all sin will lead us away from God. Homosexuality is a sin; it is not The Sin.
To those who would say that I need to wake up and come into the twenty-first century, I have this argument. I believe in the unchanging Truth of God's Word - His Word does not change like cultures do. As cultures adapt, our methods change; this is true. But our message does not change: God hates Sin. Sin separates us from God. But there is wonderfully good news: God sent His Son to take away Sin and to bring us back into fellowship with Him.
The Gospel is not bigotry. The Gospel is the wonderful message of how our God loves us so much that he took drastic measures to bring us back into relationship with Him. God hates Sin, but He loves the sinner with all of His being. We, as His people, are called to hate sin the way He hates it, but to love sinners the way He loves them. May He teach us to do that.
With this cultural shift occurring so quickly, it has left the Church (the universal Church - all believers, everywhere) scrambling with how to react. Churches have reacted with a wide range of responses. We have seen everything from some deciding homosexuality is acceptable to singling it out as "the Sin" - that it is somehow worse than any other sin.
Believe it or not, both of these extremes have come from the exact same bible passage - Romans 1:26-27:
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion
The first extreme in Christianity comes from Paul's word, "natural." Those who hold to this view say that it is "natural" for someone to be homosexual, therefore for them to practice heterosexuality would be "unnatural" and a sin. However, this is a misunderstanding of the way Paul uses the word, "natural." In the way he uses it, the term means basically, "the way God designed things." In order to see the way God designed things, we must go back to Genesis chapter 2 when God created male and female to be together. This is God's design. Homosexuality is the result of a fallen world - things are not the way they are supposed to be. The "natural" order of things is for one man to be joined to one woman for a lifetime.
The other extreme comes from the assumption that since Paul gives so much space to the topic of homosexuality in Romans 1 when compared to the other sins listed there, that homosexuality must somehow be worse than the rest. This is a misunderstanding of Sin. Sin is sin, plain and simple. White lies, murder, stealing, and homosexuality are all equal under that heading. For sure, some sins have greater consequences in life than others. However, all Sin has the same consequence - separation from God Almighty for eternity. All sin is evil, and all sin will lead us away from God. Homosexuality is a sin; it is not The Sin.
To those who would say that I need to wake up and come into the twenty-first century, I have this argument. I believe in the unchanging Truth of God's Word - His Word does not change like cultures do. As cultures adapt, our methods change; this is true. But our message does not change: God hates Sin. Sin separates us from God. But there is wonderfully good news: God sent His Son to take away Sin and to bring us back into fellowship with Him.
The Gospel is not bigotry. The Gospel is the wonderful message of how our God loves us so much that he took drastic measures to bring us back into relationship with Him. God hates Sin, but He loves the sinner with all of His being. We, as His people, are called to hate sin the way He hates it, but to love sinners the way He loves them. May He teach us to do that.
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