Celebrated Anniversary

 I celebrate an anniversary this week. A most blessed and treasured anniversary. An anniversary of a wedded heart. 

If you regularly read these blogs, you may be confused at this point. I wrote extensively back in June about celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary with Brenda. I am not writing about that. I have a confession to make. I have given my heart to another. 

I am not talking about marital infidelity. Brenda is aware of my wedded heart to another. She even supports it. I assure you I am not violating scripture. I am not dishonoring God either. 

You see, this week marks the two year anniversary of God leading and the flock of Spring Creek calling me to be their pastor. Brenda and I both have wedded our hearts to those precious people. We love them. While we may work hard, we have found extensive joy in the journey. The memories mount on top of old ones thirty years ago with new ones each passing week. We celebrate the progress of all God has done and continues to do. 

It is a beautiful thing when God weds the heart of a pastor to a congregation and the congregation weds their heart to a pastor and his family. Spring Creek is not a stepping stone to something bigger and better. It is home for us. A place we'd love to plant deep roots and even our bodies one day in the Spring Creek cemetery. 

I embrace each facet of the pastoral ministry at Spring Creek. The role of a shepherd to care for the flock. The enjoyment of fellowship with beloved brothers and sisters after Sunday evening services. The shared sweat of the brow with hard working servant minded men and women. The feeding of their souls with the nourishment of God's word. The counseling. The leading people to Christ. The planning. Being there in triumphant times. Suffering with the suffering. The BAPTISMS!

It has only been two years, but it feels like a lifetime of memories have been crammed into these past two years. I am as content as I have ever been in my life. I thank God for bringing Brenda and I back to Spring Creek. God brought us back home. May He allow our roots to grow deep in the Spring Creek soil of people's lives for a long time to come. 

Pressure

 We face pressure from many directions. There is the pressure to perform. There is another pressure to conform to certain social norms. There is the pressure to provide. There is the pressure to succeed and not fail. There is the pressure to obey Jesus and resist temptation to sin. There is the added pressures to learn new technology at an ever increasing pace. Also, there is the pressure to pray, serve, deny self, sacrifice, and worship. 

Is anyone else exhausted? Some of the most stressed out people in our society are teenagers. They receive pressure from parents, peers, teachers, coaches, pastors and student pastors. They try to measure up to expected standards. The pressure sometimes sends them over the edge mentally. They are often anxious. They masquerade portraying a persona of what everyone thinks they should be. They do not feel the freedom to exit the pressure and just be who God created them to be. 

Some pressure in life is good. Pressure from a saw can produce lumber. Pressure from a wrench can tighten a bolt. Pressure from pushing a mower can result in an manicured lawn. Pressure of weights can build bulging muscles for the weightlifter. 

The pressure from weight on the bar creates resistance which causes the muscles to strain. Under the strain, the muscle fibers break down to rebuild bigger with more strength. This kind of pressure produces stronger bones and muscles. This is good pressure. 

There is unhealthy pressure. We could also call it stress. When a person is overworked. When the demands of the job or physically and emotionally impossible to meet. When the work week lasts way too long and the weekend is way to fleeting. When nights of sleep do not replenish. 

There is the unhealthy pressure of toxic thinking. Thinking you can never measure up. The pressure of trying to hide your flaws and present a pretend version of yourself. This unhealthy thought cycle can lead to migraines, at least and mental breakdowns at worst, where a person can no longer cope. They crater under the pressure. Mentally and emotionally. 

In a positive sense, God uses pressure to build faith, to promote perseverance, to increase insights into His word, and to reveal His power. 

Just this week let me share some of the things I have heard from others about the pressure in their lives. Some are battling extreme health issues. Some are facing financial difficulties. Others struggle with marriages coming apart at the seams. There are those who feel under appreciated and not respected on their jobs. Some stare helplessly at aging parents slowly fading away. A few battle mental health issues. Then there are some who face crippling fears, relentless temptation and bondage to sin. 

There are few people in life who do not feel some type pressure. 

Let me share a lesson I learned a long time through weightlifting. The pain is momentary. When the muscles strain, the sweat oozes, the burn begins and the pain persists, I get through those exercises knowing it will end. Sometimes I count the repetitions in multiples of five because it appears easier to my mind. I think if I can just do the next five and then the next five. I push through knowing rest and relief will come. 

Your rest and relief is found in Jesus. Sometimes you have to stop all the activity and get away with Him for awhile. That was His habit as seen in [Mark 1:35]There is a little two bedroom cabin in deep east Texas where I frequent a couple times of year to get away. To pray. To read in order to refuel. To walk slowly with God listening for His counsel. To soak His presence in solitude. To slow down. 

When I can't make that trek, I sometimes choose to eat alone. To go for a long walk for exercise but also to exhale pressure. To step out of the trap of what I perceive to be other people's expectations. To refocus on what Jesus demands. To unload my cares on Him. 

There is another good pressure. The pressure of a potter molding clay. Applying the pressure to produce a vessel of the sculpture's imagination and desire. All the clay has to do is two things. Remain pliable and remain in the potter's hand. That is what we need to do. To remind ourselves to remain moldable and always stay in the ultimate Potter's hand. Let God's pressure have His perfect result. Remember He is not done working on you yet. 

Phil 1:6 Jer 18:1-6

Let Peace Be Your Guide

 Life is filled with so many decisions. For a follower of Jesus, we must also concern ourselves with the will of God. What He wants and intends for our lives. Discerning His will can seem daunting at times. 

There are no Bible verses that tell you whether a person should go to college, enter the military, or begin in a vocational trade. I have never read a verse telling a person to be a plumber, mechanic, carpenter, or to work in retail. We face important life decisions about whom we marry, where we work, where we live and where we worship. 

How does a person make these important decisions seeking to align their lives with the will of God? I offer some helpful hints to do just that. 

First, we must pray and seek the heart and mind of God. Some decisions put before us could be potential distractions planted by the enemy to lead us astray. We ask God for clarity and to reveal His will. This does not always come quickly. Sometimes God delays the revelation of His will so we will seek Him all the more intently. In such cases, a person should refrain from making such decisions. God, through His Spirit is perfectly able to communicate His plans if we slow down long enough to listen. So often we trust through prayer laying out our requests and never listening to His will. Make a habit of listening. 

Second, we must immerse ourselves in scripture. While the Bible may not always give us specifics about certain decisions, we can adhere to Bible principles. Two verses come to mind. 

Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. [Ps 37:4] My pastor often counseled me that when we are prayerfully seeking God and immersing ourselves in His word, God will lead us by the desires of our heart. Put another way, God will give us the desire to do what He wills. Let me illustrate. Brenda and I met in college and started dating. My love for her grew to the point I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Both of us sought the will of God about marriage. She never imagined she would marry a pastor. She just wanted to marry someone who would serve Jesus with her. God put the desire for us to wed into our hearts through a mutual desire to spend the rest of our lives together. I never read a verse that read, "Marry Brenda." I felt she was the right person for me, which has proven over and over again in thirty years of marriage. As I delighted in the Lord, He gave me the exact woman on this planet I wanted to spend the rest of life loving and treasuring. 

Another helpful verse is found in Proverbs. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. [Prov 3:5-6] We must trust that whatever God wills is best for us. That means getting to a place where our only will is to do His will. We must trust whatever way He leads. We do not place trust in our ability to mentally determine the best solution. We can be deceived by the enemy. If we wait on Him, seek His understanding, He will make the path of His choosing clear at some point. 

Lastly, when you have prayed, read scripture and waited on Him, let peace be your guide. That peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Let me share from my personal experience. 

Several years ago I began having dreams about a certain town. I traveled to that town and held a weekly Bible study. I had no idea what God had in mind. Most of the people who came to that Bible study all attended one church. In time, there pastor left. I started having dreams about that specific church. Dreams of preaching and ministering there. I had dozens of dreams. After many months, they contacted me to come preach for them and to interview for the pastor position. Excitedly Brenda and I prayed in the hotel the night before. I felt like the whole thing was just a matter of formality. 

Sunday morning came and I got up early to pray more. I could hardly wait to get to the service. When we arrived, we were met with coldness from one of the couples who had attended the Bible study previously. This couple served in leadership positions. It was obvious they did not support our being there. Later on a lady came up to introduce herself to Brenda and I before the service. She hugged Brenda and offered to hug me. I stuck my hand out for a hand shake instead of a hug. That offended her. Turns out her and her daddy were on the search committee. That came up as a question in the interview after the service. I could not believe it. A point of disagreement arose during the interview. At which, the chairman of the committee emphatically stated the way things would be. The way he talked to me settled it. I had not had peace the entire morning. 

I had no peace about that church. Sure enough they called to invite me to come in view of a call. Because of the lack of peace I had to turn them down. I could not make sense out of it at the time. 

I contrast that with walking into Spring Creek Baptist Church to preach in view of a call a few years later. I felt total peace and like we were coming home. For those who don't know, we served here in youth ministry when we first got married. I have always treasured this church. We have been endeared to this flock for decades. To get come back here was and still is a dream come true. God's peace guided us back here. 

I hope some of this will help as you discern God's will in your family. May He guide us by His peace. 

Raw Power

 I drove into Weatherford to walk this week. Along the path I heard a surprising noise. I also felt a strange sensation about the same time. The sound was a train horn. The strange sensation was the raw power of the train engines rumbling past paralleled to where I walked with the train cars in tow. 

I could feel the power, hear the power, and see the power. Soon the train passed, but I kept thinking about the raw power. Like I so often do, I related that incident to God. His raw power. 

We live in a day when the power of God may be hard to find in religious circles. Face the facts. Many religious institutions do not need God. We have learned through experience, tried and true methodologies, strategies, technological advances, and wall street marketing gimmicks how to do church. We know how to raise money, build cathedrals, do missions, conduct programs, hold Vacation Bible Schools, and revival meetings. God's help would be nice but we do not deem it necessary to success. We have learned to be successful. 

What we cannot do nearly so effectively is point to the raw power of God in our midst. We showcase preacher's talents but not show preaching with a demonstration of power and the Holy Spirit like Paul did. We can produce the best paid professional musicians to lead in worship, but we cannot equally offer sincere worship that blesses and pleases God. We can offer an endless parade of programs, but we cannot equally produce a parade of transformed people. 

The raw power of God is missing in the lives of individual believers also. People in the pew are easy prey to Satan and temptation. If not, then why do 80% of Southern Baptist Children who grew up in church leave the church when they go off to college? Furthermore in the SBC, there are about 16 million people on the roles, but around 10 million are AWOL every Sunday. Baptisms in the SBC have declined for several years in a row. Why are so many men and women bound in pornography? Why are so many living in immorality? Why are families falling apart? All of these point to the fact that the raw power of God is absent in individuals. 

The raw power of God is rare today. It is not because God has weakened. He is still powerful. All powerful. See [Jer 32:17]  He can do anything He wants. We act like we do not need Him. We can get people to make decisions for Christ my repeating a sinners prayer or raising their hands. We can get people wet in baptistries. Only Jesus can truly transform a life. Only Jesus can regenerate a person making new creations. Only Jesus can motivate people to worship, to serve, to sacrifice, and to witness. None of our manmade programs can produce the raw power of God. 

It is the raw power of God we need today. Our country is in a mess. Families are messes. For some reason God has linked His power with the cries of His people. Power and prayer are wedded. No prayer equals no power. No power is a by product of no prayer, or very little praying. 

We must have God's raw power to see people saved, delivered, strengthened, transformed, redeemed, renewed, revived, and powerfully enabled to make a difference. May God come in raw power again and this age see, hear, and feel the impact of raw power again as in days of old. [James 5:16] [Acts 2:47]

He Hesitated

 He had been warned. Warned in a dramatic and unmistakable way that could not be missed. He understood the implications fully if he did not heed the warning. Certain doom. Still he hesitated. Stubbornly he refused to comply with the warning to the point he had to be forcibly removed along with his family. 

To reject the warning meant impending doom. Never the mind he hesitated. By every right he should have suffered the consequences. Mercifully he and his family were removed by force. They were dragged from their dwelling. Saved from destruction. 

Have we ever hesitated? Hesitated to comply with a request and to conform to a command. This has certainly happened with a parent, a boss, an authority figure. What if the command comes from God Himself? What if the warning comes from God's messengers?

In Genesis 19:1-29 God sent two angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 18, Abraham interceded for those cities because his nephew Lot and Lot's family resided there. The two angels warned Lot of their destructive plan and told him to get his family out before it was too late. Lot hesitated. 

Had he become so heavily invested in that wicked place that he reluctantly thought about not leaving, even if it meant the doom of his family? Lot wore compromise like a cloak on a cold day. To the point his sons in law thought he was jesting when he tried to warn them to get out of the city. If they thought he was making a joke, that does not bode well fort Lot's character that they would not take him seriously. 

Are we also cloaked in compromise so that our gospel witness has no power. Do we hesitate to heed God's warnings about sin and compromises in our lives? We can justify such actions by looking around at the majority of the people. We can compare our performance with others and hesitate to comply with God's commands. 

The angels had to seize Lot and his family by the hand and forcibly remove them. Why were they spared when others were not warned? It is purely the mercy and grace of God. And answered prayers from Abraham. That faithful uncle interceded fervently for God to spare his nephew. 

It makes me wonder about all the people who interceded for us pleading with God to breakthrough our hesitancy to listen and respond to the gospel. I know of three people in my life. One was my great aunt Nannie Sue. She prayed fervently for me all my life. Even after I got saved she prayed for my ministry. I am so grateful for her faithful intercessions for my salvation when I was hesitant to respond. She prayed for me over two decades before she died. The second, was my great Uncle Buddy. He served as a Nazarene preacher. He loved me. I have never met a more loving man in my life. He also loved Jesus. He prayed for my salvation. He also prayed for my ministry. He had a profound influence on my life. The third person to intercede for me is my pastor's wife, Doris Roberts. I used to play near their home as a youngster. When I reached my teenage years, I used to visit young ladies who lived across the street from them. She once looked out the window seeing me and told her husband, "I am praying God save that young man." 

She probably never fathomed that God would use someone from their church to present the gospel to me the night I trusted Jesus as my Savior. I wonder if it ever crossed her mind that her husband would baptize me and I would join their church. I know she never entertained the thought that God would call me to preach the gospel that so gloriously led me to salvation. I am so thankful for Doris Roberts. 

As I look back, I hesitated in getting saved until I was 17 years old. Truth be told, I did not know what it meant to be saved. Not until Eli Bernard shared the gospel with me in that football stadium in October of 1983. Maybe I would not have hesitated if I had understood. I believe God saved me right when He intended to do so. 

Two years later I hesitated when He first called me to preach. I hesitated for months. I pulled a Jonah fleeing in the opposite direction. I did not feel qualified or gifted enough to do so. I still feel that way. He relentlessly called me to preach. He wore me down on July 4, 1985 at youth camp. I surrendered trusting to help me. He has helped me for decades as a pastor and preacher. Whatever good I may accomplish is ALL GOD WORKING THROUGH ME! I take no credit. He gets all the glory. 

There have been other times I've hesitated. Hesitated to repent. Hesitated to reconcile broken relationships. Hesitant to forgive those who wronged me. Hesitant to take steps of faith. Hesitant to sacrifice when called to do so. Hesitant to obey. I am sure I am not the only one. 

We should all desire to be moldable and pliable in God's hands. We should not resist the pressure, the sculpting, the warnings, the guidance and counsel He offers. May we learn to listen attentively. May we wisely obey without hesitation. May we have the insight to thank God for those who prayed for us. Those who pleaded with God to breakthrough our hesitancy in multiple areas. I can never thank and praise God enough for them. Much like Lot should have thanked his uncle Abraham. May we no longer live hesitantly to respond to the LORD. 

Manager of Mysteries

 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards/managers of the mysteries of God. [I Cor 4:1]

In an everchanging world, the office of pastor is changing also. The title pastor is no longer sufficient. Now we have Senior Pastors, Associate Pastors, Worship Pastors, Student Pastors, and Children Pastors. Some view themselves as CEOs in the church. They treat the church like a corporation with a chain of command and flow charts of authority. 

It is interesting that Paul did not see his calling that way. He used two very different descriptions. Servant and steward. 

Paul wanted people to regard him as a servant. The word servant means a bond slave. It can also mean to voluntarily live in subjection to a higher authority. In Paul's case, that higher authority was Jesus, as it should be for all followers of Jesus. 

Servants concern themselves with two things. Knowing the Master's will and obeying the Master's will so as to please Him. I have met preachers who had just the opposite mentality. They thought they should be served and given special privileges based on their position. That does not follow the example of Jesus who said He did not come to be served but to serve. Paul repeatedly called himself a bond slave or bond servant at the opening of his letters. 

Serving means attending to the needs of others. Serving means putting others before yourself. In my official capacity as a pastor I have; helped a church member fill in pot holes down a long dirt driveway, mowed yards, helped people move, done disaster relief after a hurricane, painted fencing, hauled hay, dug post holes, pulled carpet, done demolition work, and a host of other things that preachers in training do  train for in seminary. I have always thought a special bond forms when the flock sees the pastor serving along beside them. Brother pastors, we are servants. We exist to serve God first and others second. It will not always be easy. Some service is harder than others. May we not shrink back from the difficulty of the service. Jesus did not shrink back from serving us by bearing our sins on the difficult cross. 

Paul also identified himself as a steward or a manager. That is a person who oversees. Oversees what? The mysteries of God. The secret doctrines of God. 

The mysteries are not because they are not accessible to all. They are mysteries because to fully understand God's truth, you have to speak the language of the Holy Spirit. You have to be in tune with Him. You have to be open to his inspiration and revelation. You have to look deep within the verses to find the greater depth than just what you see on the surface. There is a goldmine of truth contained in the Bible. A wealth of truth. 

It is sad more preachers than you know get their sermons off the internet or from other preachers. They do not dig for themselves. They seldom experience the joy of getting so caught up in study you lose track of time. They may not experience God preaching the sermon to them privately before they deliver it to the rest of the congregation. It is thrilling when God unlocks a challenging passage and gives clear understanding. 

There is no end to sermon material because the word of God is inexhaustible as the subject of God is also. There is always more to learn and discover. Unfortunately some refuse to manage God's mysteries. They opt for the path of least resistance. They prefer to be errand boys echoing the sentiments of other preachers. It is much more invigorating to hear fresh words from God born in the prayer closet and study rather than copied from the internet. 

Preachers, is repentance in order? Have we forgotten our calling to serve God and to serve people? Do we do due diligence in study to manage the mysteries of God to share with others? May we be challenged by Paul's examples. Servants and managers of the mysteries of God are sorely needed in churches today. 

I Did It

 Trips to McGratton Park bring new relationships and interesting experiences. The skate park was busy last night. Familiar faces showed up as well as people we had never met before. Two of those new faces included two brothers. The older is a fifth grader and the younger a second grader. Their dad brought them. The younger rode a bike. The older rode a skateboard and wanted to do the same tricks he saw the older skaters doing. 

A third new face did something last night we have not seen before. He actually took time to help the young fifth grader learn a trick called the drop in. We have seen skaters helping their peers. Most the time they tolerate the younger ones but you can tell the older skaters get frustrated when the youngsters get in their way. Let me see if I can explain the trick taught be the older skater for you. You position the tail of the skateboard at the top on the edge of a ramp. You kick the tail down so that the top of the board is suspended in the air. While keeping one foot on the tail, you step on the front of the board and drop in on the ramp riding it to the bottom. 

We have watched many novice skaters trying to learn this trick. The same thing happens every time. When they put their lead foot on the front of the board, instead of learning forward they all lean backward. This results in falling off the board backward. It is scary to learn forward. To fully commit to drop in. Fear makes cowards us many people. 

That young fifth grader listened attentively to the older skater. He tried, but instead of leaning forward he leaned backward also. Undeterred he tried again repeatedly. The older skater gave additional assistance in between his skating. 

The fifth grader mounted his board at the top of the ramp. He kicked the front up and nervously stepped onto the front of the board. He leaned forward instead of backwards riding the board all the way to the bottom. His face lit up like a Christmas tree. He started shouting, "I did it. I finally did it." Our whole table applauded which brought that youngster great delight. He did what we have seen many older skaters not be able to perfect. 

I think there are several lessons to be learned from that scene for us followers of Jesus. First, we ought to be mentoring someone in the faith. There should be someone we  need to invest our lives and knowledge about the Lord. Do you have such a person? That is the model Jesus used. He poured His life into twelve men. If we look closer, we will discover He really invested in three more than the other nine. Those men grew into maturity and changed the world in Jesus' absence. 

We need to disciple people by investing in them heavily. That takes time. It can happen organically and intentionally. What do I mean? God will naturally put certain people around you to disciple and mentor. It will be an intentional act on your part to prioritize time with that individual. This is a command. In [Matt 28:19-20] we are commanded to go and make disciples. Mentoring is one way of doing that. 

The second lesson to be learned last night, is to overcome fear. [II Tim 1:7] But God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

So many people are ruled by fear. I could see the fear in that young skater trying to drop in. I learned something a long time ago. Fears are often made of tissue of paper. With the courage of Christ we can face our fears and breakthrough them. Satan uses fear to paralyze us from kingdom causes. We choose to be ruled by fear or trust Jesus to rule over our fears. 

Some of the greatest God encounters will happen on the other side of fear. Like David facing Goliath. Like Israel crossing over the Red Sea. Like Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on water. Like Paul preaching the gospel, even after being beaten and imprisoned. Like many of the disciples being brutally tortured and murdered for their bold proclamation that Jesus saves. You have to make a choice. Will you allow Satan to hold you hostage with fear or will you trust Christ for courage?

A third lesson that young skater taught, is to persevere even when you do not succeed at first. I have watched many skaters give up on learning the drop in after several spills. At one point, the young skater asked another older skater to help him. The older skater commented that he had not learned how to do it himself. 

That fifth grader tried over and over again. His perseverance inspired me. He refused to give up, even after repeated failures. Oh that we people of God could learn that lesson. We give up far too easily. 

Our little group has frequented McGratton Park since November. We have not seen one person saved. Some we have witnessed to have fallen into habitual drug use and destructive behaviors. We knew from the very beginning that we would not see instant success. In fact, I would say success is that we keep showing up, and the skaters we have befriended approach us for a bottle of water and a slice or two of pizza. The gospel is presented. Prayers are offered. Love is extended. Kindness is shown. We have not given up. We must not give up. Neither should you in whatever endeavor God called you to join Him in doing. 

Finally, we should learn to celebrate the small successes of life. I will remember that young boy's face and excitement once he finally performed the drop in. You would have thought he had just won the Olympics. He stood clenching his fists and raising his arms in the air. I can still hear him saying, "I did it. I finally did it."

When is the last time we celebrated anything? A good meal. An inspiring song. An especially moving worship service.  An accomplished goal. Overcoming a temptation. Life is filled with multiple moments that should be celebrated. To look at a tree. To gaze at the stars on a clear night. To really enjoy the people we get to share life with. To actually taste and savor the food rather than wolfing it down like a savage. 

This morning I celebrated Brenda. She rolled into my arms about 3:00 a.m. I held her close. There was nothing sexual in that moment. We just enjoyed each other. We did not speak a word. We didn't need to say anything. We communicated with the heart. The unspoken language of love. A moment to be celebrated. 

I celebrate God's word. There were multiple moments when I Corinthians penetrated my mind and soul this morning. I celebrate the gift of learning how to read. I celebrate the gift of having access to the Bible. 

I will long treasure the lessons I learned from that young skater. To ask for help and receive mentoring as well as to give mentoring. To overcome fear. To persevere. To celebrate the small victories. I hope some of this will help you on your journey as well.

Perspective

 I watched a tiny spider today crawling around. I paused to reflect on what that spider might think and experience from his perspective. Our surroundings were spacious, but from the spider's perspective it must have seemed as big as a galaxy. The spider was less than an eighth of an inch in diameter. I would not have even noticed it if I had not seen it crawling. 

I wondered how vast the surroundings must have seemed to him. I seriously wonder if that spider could have experienced all our locale in a lifetime. Just the surface he crawled on must have been sixty feet long. It felt like a large space to me, but I walked over all of it. That would have been impossible for the spider. The space was too vast and he was too small. 

I felt safe and secure. I wonder if the spider felt vulnerable. One simple slide of my shoe could have ended his life. If the spider could even see me, how did he respond. Did fear grip him? Did my size overwhelm him? What if he tried to explain me to family and friends who had never seen a human being?

My thoughts turned to God. The way I saw my surroundings today is the way God views the universe. The galaxies and solar systems. The stars He has numbered and named are too vast for me to count. According to Isaiah 66:1, He uses planet Earth as a footstool. He knows every square inch of this planet. Nothing is hidden from His sight. Even the tiny spiders. 

I try to explain and describe Him to those who have never met Him. It is difficult. He is present but unseen. He is all powerful and yet does not act as an angry tyrant. He is compassionate and yet judges righteously toward all those who do not know Him. He is wise and yet stoops to communicate with inferiors. He needs nothing nor anyone and yet chooses to relate to human beings. He is indescribable. Words fail me. He is more than I know. Infinitely more. 

From His perspective we must seem like a tiny spider. Insignificant. Vulnerable. Unworthy. Because of His great love we have significance as His children. With His protection, we are untouchable. Because of His grace and salvation we have worth through Him. We have been declared righteous through Jesus if He has saved us. 

To go one step further, our problems are not problems for God. Our mountains are molehills from God's perspective. Our trials may seem unending. They are but for a short time from His perspective. Unrepentant sinners are salvageable from His perspective. We can give up on them too quickly. He sees the beginning, middle and end of creation in real time. We can only see the present in part. Even then circumstances may not always be what they seem. 

Oh that we might see the world through His perspective. That would change our attitudes, our mindsets, and our faith. Let us pray Jehovah will reveal His perspective to us. To see things from His vantage point. To think like He thinks. We would all live so much more at peace if we saw the world and our lives from His perspective. 

The Hidden Harbor of the Heart

 What is the condition of your soul? Does your interior truth match your exterior behavior? What is really going on inside of you? In the hidden harbor of your heart and mind, are the seas calm or tumultuous? Are you becoming detached from the very Jesus you worship, love and serve?

Not your everyday questions. Nor questions that can be answered with the typical Sunday School answers of God, Jesus, and the Bible. These questions require some soul searching. Raw honesty. That often is not highly prized among the people of God. People give performances that would rival academy award winners. They hide the truth about their interior condition. 

What is really going on in the hidden harbor of your heart? Is your soul on fire, ignited with fresh passion, zeal, enthusiasm for knowing and serving God? Maybe your soul is cold, apathetic, indifferent, and unmotivated. 

A harbor is a place on the ocean where ships may find shelter from rough water. The hidden harbor of the heart is a place you may find relief from stresses of life. God should be such a harbor. Some seek harbor in destructive vices that offer no protection at all. Such vices wither the soul. Meaningful communion with God is substituted for lesser things. 

C.S. Lewis once wrote that we humans are content to make mud pies in the slums while God offers us a holiday at the beach. He went on to write that we are far too easily amused. Are our hearts filled with lesser things? Are the hidden harbors of our heart distracted with cares and pursuits that will never satisfy. 

In our hurried, frantic and frenzied pace of lives, there is little time to tend to the soul. In a world of blaring noises, the still soft voice of God is easily missed or ignored. When is the last time your were really still before God? When you took the time to know Him? This goes far beyond keeping up religious performances. It deals with the authentic condition of our interior souls. 

I am convinced many of us who follow Jesus know how to fake it. We paste plastic smiles. We go through the religious routines, serve in some capacity, all the while shunning the Savior access to the hidden harbor of our hearts. We put up a blockade for fear of being exposed as frauds. We feverishly labor to keep up the performance. We convince ourselves nobody would understand and nobody else goes through what we go through. 

Often the withered soul is accompanied with emotional detachment, the desire to escape, apathy, a cynical attitude and thoughts of failure. Does any of this define us. We may keep these things hidden, but we cannot hide them from God. He desires truth in the hidden places. 

"Surely You desire integrity (truth) in the hidden self and You teach me wisdom deep within." [Psalm 51:6] CSB

Let's stop with the performance. Let's ask Jesus to show us the integrity deep within the hidden harbor of our heart. We may not like what He surfaces. The patient may not like the incisions from the surgeon's scalpel, but we can benefit from his skilled hands. We may not enjoy when God pushes through our vain attempts to keep Him out. He desires, wills, intends and purposes to get to the truth deep inside us. Perhaps that terrifies you. You fear being found out for who you really are. 

The truth is liberating. It is exhausting to pretend externally what is not true internally. Jesus offers a better path. He renews. Recharges. Refreshes. Restores. Revives. He does those things as we slow down, get honest and let Him surgically repair the broken spiritual places. That may mean retracing where our souls withered initially. Identifying the cause of our broken condition. This will again require courage. Few in the church will advocate for it. They are too busy keeping up their on religious appearances. 

It is time for me to come clean. I am a fiercely driven and competitive person. I often compete with the dead. Let me explain. My love for reading biographies and autobiographies goes way back. When I read about George Mueller reading the Bible through a total of 200 times, I tried to go about catching Him. For many years I have annually read the Bible through at least once a year. Some years more. I set out this year with the goal to read through the Bible more times than I ever have before. I started out with a blistering pace. I knew to accomplish my goal I would have to read through the scriptures once every three months. I speed read through Genesis, Exodus, slowed way down through Leviticus and then picked up the pace again with Deuteronomy, Joshua and Judges. 

The hidden harbor of my heart could boast I read my Bible. The integrity deep within is that I got very little out of it. I was more focused on accomplishing my goal than sitting with the Savior to hear from Him. A truth the Holy Spirit convicted me of firmly. I slowed down. To a snail's crawl. I still have not finished even reading through my Bible one time this year. In my warped mind I feel like a failure. I do not see that I will ever match Mueller's feat. I still feel the unhealthy thoughts of pursuing that goal even though it does not profit me spiritually. At times, not attaining that goal bothers me more than true communion with my Creator. 

At times, I find myself staring at the walls in my office, in a daze, unable to concentrate in prayer, Bible reading, blog writing and study. Sometimes I will myself to do these things out of duty and not delight. There are days when I feel empty and spiritually depleted. Like I have nothing else to give. In such moments, a well meaning soul will make a comment that fuels the unhealthy fraud to do more even if I know I have little more to offer. I fear beings labeled as lazy and a failure. Those thoughts drive me night and day. I feel a tremendous sense of guilt that I am not able to do more. Frustrated that I fall short of lofty goals. More consumed with doing than being. It is unhealthy. 

My truth in the hidden harbor of my heart is that I am not well. I have not been well since the failed revival one year ago. My frustrations, confusion, disillusionment, and shattered dream have haunted me most everyday since then. I do not understand. I felt God called us to those revival meetings. I prepared. I poured all my soul into my personal preparations and leading the church to prepare for God's fresh visitation. The truth is I also carry a little bitterness. Bitterness because I know many people did not take their preparations for that revival seriously. Even some key people. They do not even know that I know they did not follow through in their personal preparations. I caught them. In the normal course of conversation they exposed the truth about their lack of preparation unknowingly. When I discovered this, I was bewildered. 

Most people enjoyed a a few revival meetings of a year ago. We enjoyed tremendous worship. God's word went forth. My youngest son met Jesus as his Savior. The did not understand we did not experience real revival. I have been in real revival more than once. I know the difference. We had some good meetings. We did not experience genuine revival. I felt compelled, no mandated by God, to hold such meetings and to write devotion material in preparation. I prayed more during that season than at any other time in my life. I stepped out on a limb of faith and believed God wholeheartedly. I feel like I failed. Or that I did not really hear God leading us to those meetings. When the meetings ended abruptly and I got Corona Virus, along with a dozen other people from our church, I retreated to the hidden harbor of my heart to understand. Dark storm clouded thoughts blew in obscuring hope and understanding. Those clouds have lingered to this day. 

That has been the truth in the hidden harbor of my heart for one solid year. Maybe too honest for most people to accept. The vessel of my mind, heart and faith suffer severely. Externally it may appear that I fine. Look beneath the water and you will see gaping holes where this vessel is taking on water. Where Satan has broadsided me with doubts and confusion. 

I am thankful for the mercy of God to bring all these things to my attention and to yours. I am taking steps to find healing and wholeness. I am intentionally slowing my pace to recover and find renewal. Bible reading and prayer are no longer duties. The delight is returning. I also trust one day I will understand what God did and is doing with the revival of Spring Creek. Those are the truths in the hidden harbor of my heart. May God use it to help others. 

God Is

 God is. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and the end. He is the Author and Perfecter of life. He is the Bread of Life. The Abundant Life. The Breath of Life. The Creator. The Chief Architect of the universe. The Chief Shepherd. Captain of the hosts of Heaven. He is Champion. Commander In Chief. Counselor. He is faithful. He is first and foremost. He is a fruit inspector. A Father to the fatherless. Great God. Gracious. He is holy. He is our helper. High and lifted up. He is our High Priest. Immanuel. Imminent. I Am. Jesus. Jehovah. Justifier. King. Kind. Our Kinsman Redeemer. The Lamb of God. Lord above all lords. He is love. He is The Light of the World. Messiah. Master. Maker of Heaven and Earth. Merciful. Most High. Name above all other names. Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnipresent. Prince of Peace. The Pride of Heaven. Powerful. Praiseworthy. Redeemer. Righteous. Ruler. He is Savior. Sure. Sovereign. Trustworthy. Triumphant. Truth. Ultimate. Victor. He is worthy. Wonderful. Way Maker. The Word made flesh. The Way. Yeshua. Yahweh. 

He is more than we know. More than we can ever fully discover and experience. He is worthy of our deepest devotion., our loudest praise and deepest affections. He is more. More than we can fathom, more than we possibly conceive. We should make the time to expend ourselves in exploring Him. There will always be more to learn, new revelations to uncover, and bountiful new lofty views of Him to take in. He is more than we know. 

The Wait Was Worth It

 Life is filled with a series of appointments. People have to be at certain places at certain times. They rush around trying to get to the appointed destination on time. How many times has that happened to you? Yet once you arrived, you were forced to wait. We hurry up to wait. 

Most people do not like waiting. We want instant everything. Coffee. Tea. Rice. Tax returns. Success. We do not like being delayed in our gratification. We are forced to wait. I am convinced that God builds waiting into our lives to teach us, grow us, and mature us. 

Waiting happens everywhere. Waiting at the doctor's office. Waiting at the bank. Waiting when buying a vehicle. Waiting at the check out line. Waiting on the telephone when put on hold. As I write this, I am in one of those situations. Forced to wait. It is a lesson in patience, which I admit I have not excelled in during the course of my life. By nature I am an impatient person. I do not enjoy waiting. I was informed my waiting will last two hours. UHHHHHHGGGG! Not in the drive through line. Not at the doctor's office. Not now. Not anywhere. 

There is nobody I have waited on more than God. Waited on His guidance. Waited on answered prayers. Waited on open doors. Waited on breakthroughs. Waited on inspiration for sermons. God has used all these circumstances to teach me patience. Along with patience I have learned lessons in perseverance. 

If we are not careful, we can live our lives impatiently with what I call destination disease. We want to hurry God in getting what we want. Hurry him to get grown. There are many valuable lessons to learn through childhood and adolescence. We want to hurry God to get out of school. The rigors of academia have a purpose in teaching us discipline. We want to hurry God to get married and many times those marriages do not work out because one or both parties were not ready and mature. People hurry to buy homes they cannot afford, to get to the top of the ladder at work, rather than working their way to the top. God has to develop character and give wisdom to match assignments at the top. People want to hurry and by pass that whole process. People want to hurry up and have everything others may have taken a life time to build and enjoy. 

I am banking on the fact that more than one of you reading this right now is waiting on God for something. Waiting on God to help, to answer, to heal, to guide, to provide, to open the door, to get to the top. My whole day is stuck in park waiting in my circumstances. There are lessons to be learn in the waiting like this blog. How ironic that I would write about waiting while being forced to wait. 

When I go on a trip, I am so focused on the end destination that I miss out on some of the hidden pleasures along the way. It is the same way when we have an end destination we want God to give us. We convince ourselves our lives would be happier, more fulfilled if we just got what we wanted. God knows better. He knows that there are valuable lessons to be learned while waiting. Joy can be found on the journey as well as getting to the end destination. 

One of the benefits of waiting, is you appreciate things more. I wanted a record player as a child. It consumed my thoughts. Wisely, my mother did not go out and just buy it for me. She made me work to earn it. I had to work for seven weekends before I had enough to buy it. Guess what? I appreciated that record player immensely more than I would if it had just been given to me. I can still picture it vividly in my mind. 

God had me wait on Brenda. I wanted to marry her while still in college, but God knew I was not ready to be her husband. We actually ended our relationship for a year. I grew closer to God during that heartbreak year than I had done previously. God forced me to wait, but the reward of her was worth it.  Thirty years later I treasure her more because I know how much prayer and patience went into forming our relationship. She is even more than I could have imagined as a wife. Beyond my dreams. I would marry her all over again in a second without any hesitation. 

I left Spring Creek Baptist Church as a youth minister in 1993. We served some wonderful churches after that and met people we still treasure in our hearts. When God brought us back to Spring Creek after a 30 year absence in 2019 I felt at home. Like I belonged. I waited a long time to get back to that church. I often dreamed about it, but doubted that it would ever really come to pass. Now that I have been there for two years, I do not take those people nor God's work among us for granted. The wait was worth the reward. Whether I am teaching a a couple of dozen or over a hundred, I truly treasure that flock and the blessing to get to serve among them. The wait has been worth it. A million times worth it. 

If we can experience that in all these temporal areas, what will it be like in eternity. One millisecond in Heaven will be worth all the waiting through trials, sorrows, and pain. 

Maybe you are waiting on God today. Maybe your long desired answer is a little further away. Maybe in this waiting period God is teaching and producing character in you. As you wait, learn to enjoy the journey. Learn to value the lessons learned along the way. When God answers and gives you what you have waited so long for, I am bet you will appreciate it more. You also just might discover that the wait was worth the reward.