The Money Diet

A Money Diet: 

In the USA billions of dollars are spent on fancy diets to help people lose weight. The South Beach Diet, The Grapefruit Diet, the Slim Fast Diet, the North Beach Diet, the Watermelon Diet, the Slim Slow Diet...etc, ad nauseum. 

I go to Ethiopia every year and it's funny how I have never heard the word "diet" once. No one is spending any money on diets and there's hardly anyone overweight. How do they do it without any of our wonder diets? 

It's simple...when you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. God made your body really complex but also really simple - 

Excercise more +Eat less = Weigh less (Physical Health)

Now a MONEY DIET is just the same as a BODY DIET: 

To get in better financial shape you must: 

Work (make) more + Consume less = Owe less ($$ Health)

Our nation is in economic trouble for one reason: We thought we could spend more than we made. We fell in love with CREDIT and thought we could get away with it. But DEBT will be the DEATH of our economy. We indulged in DEBT like hot fudge sundaes. 

John Wesley's wisdom for financial success is as sound today as it was 300 years ago: 

"Make all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can." 

I am praying for the people of our church to: 

1. Make more...new jobs, better jobs, more hours, raises, side jobs, creative new ways to make money. 

2. Save more...spend less, lower lifestyles, cancel cable, sell their clutter, find creative low cost pleasures instead of expensive entertainment, stop buying unnecessary stuff, walk more - drive less, start piggy banks again, put money in safe cds, etc. 

3. Give more...invest in God's kingdom to release God's blessing in their finances, help the hurting because God promises to bless those who bless others. 

I have a friend who was just told by the doctor. "Go on a DIET or you are going to DIE"

The same is true for our nation's economy: "Go on a DIET or you are going to DIE!" 

Consume less, borrow less, produce more, sell more or you are going to die. 

Larry, a prophet?

Respect prophecies!

Yesterday my friend taught me something. Steve Fitch brought the word in our church and taught on a neglected passage. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 "Do not treat prophecies with contempt".

The opposite of "contempt" is "respect". So we are to respect prophecies...but what is prophecy?

It is certainly not predominately the doom and gloom of the Old Testament. The New Testament definition is revealed in 1 Corinthians 14:3 "But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort."

Plus it goes on to let us know that all new testament believers CAN prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:31 "For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."

So what's that mean for me? When a brother or sister in Christ have a word of blessing, or encouragement, or strengthening, or comfort...I need to respect it, really receive it, and then live by the truth of it. If their words are in line with THE WORD then they may be speaking God's word to us and to pooh-pooh that, or discount that, or despise that... is to miss out on what God has for me.

PLUS I need to GIVE prophecies - Words of encouragement, instruction, promise, strength from God's heart, in line with God's Word, to God's people to meet their need of the moment.

Prophecy in the New Testament is much more "FORTH telling" than "Fore-Telling"...speaking forth the truth of God in a particular moment, to a unique situation, to a individual person.

May we all be "prophets" to strengthen one another...especially during these tough times!

My Recession Proof Security System

I was pondering security systems...We have one at the church. It detects when doors are open or when there is motion. It something is wrong, it sounds an alarm and dials the security team who show up with guns drawn. 

The idea of our security system is that it keeps us from being vandalized or stolen from. It keeps us safe and lets life go on as usual. 

What's my security system? Someone said to me something to this effect recently, "You are in a luxury industry. People can stop giving to the church and boom there goes your paycheck."

I don't see it that way. First, church is not a luxury, it's a necessity for anyone desiring to seek God, grow in the knowledge of His word, and be part of a family that helps you through the recession. 

Second, people can stop giving but they shouldn't. God's principles always work but they are especially needed during hard times. That's when those principles work most obviously. People who want to weather the recession most effectively and be blessed in the midst of it, continue to give with great faith. 

Third, what about me? My security system is the Holy Spirit. If I will listen carefully for His voice, he will alert me to when something is wrong...to when the devil is trying to steal or destroy something good in my life. God will show up in those times of trouble and show off his power and put the enemy to flight. 

My security is not in the economy, or in the offering plate, or in my bank account. My security system is staying tuned into the promises of the Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit! 

Is there Recession on my Forehead?

Is their recession on my forehead? 

Recession is in the air. It's a fact and it's tough. I don't need mean to diminish the very real pain and hardship of it. Long Beach, my hood, is approaching 12%  unemployment. Yikes! 

But as Christ-followers we face the recession with faith and even occasional laughter! Therefore, this post. 

I am trying to determine whether there is actually recession on my forehead. Recession means moving backward...as opposed to progression which means moving forward. 

My daughter is convinced that I am living in a season of recession. She says that my hairline has moved backwards by at least an inch. I am filled with fear that she might be right. 

IF it is true, it is being driven by factors beyond my control. Although my uncle used to tell me that if I drank coffee my hair would fall out. My uncle was wrong. After 20 years of Starbucks, I should be cue ball bald. 

I am not yet ready to try desperate measures like Rogain or "No Gain" as I like to call it. Baldness cures have been around since Cleopatra used ground horse teeth and deer marrow to help out her boyfriend, Julius Caesar. And though ‘Caesar’ in Latin actually means “abundant hair” there was no amount of deer marrow or rancid hippo fat, another popular hair remedy from antiquity, that was going to prevent Emperor Caesar from becoming another victim of the baldness cure industry. 

Similarly the real recession has no quick cures, no magic bullets, no quick money solutions. We can't stop the factors that are causing the big picture problem. But we can take actions and have attitudes that will help our personal situations. Lowering consumption, increasing savings, creating new revenue streams, simplifying life, enlarging our networks, improving our skills, are all helpful but they won't completely cure economic baldness. 

The recession on my forehead won't change who I am. You can take the hair off the man but you can't take the manliness off the man....unless the man confuses his masculinity with his mane. 

A man and his mane are not the same and a man's mane is not the main matter that makes a man masculine. 

So even if there is recession on my forehead...I am going to forge ahead into all that God has for me! So should you! 

The Former Athiest Who Got His Knees Back

I sat staring for a couple of moments. He was back. After a month of absence he was back. 

He was tenderly holding his wife's hands as she held them in her lap. 

With a sincerity, faith, and love that I have rarely seen equaled, he engaged in the act and art of prayer. 

There were six of sitting in non-descript church chairs pulled into a tight little circle. It was a full hour until the service would begin. It was only  8am but there he sat...changing the world with his expressions of faith to a Father he could not see. 

The pain he was in that morning had not been able to confine him to his bed. He had bravely made his way to the passenger seat and ridden happily to the church as his sweet wife cheerfully drove. 

This brother is brilliant. A great mind that was geared for rational equations of engineering feats. This mind had denied the very existence of God for years. There was no reason for him to believe in God and his reason told him there was no God. 

But love broke through. God pursued his heart through people and circumstances and reason. Finally love busted a crack in the hardened heart and stubborn mind. 

The marriage that had been shattered to the point that peices were scattered all over the floor of their lives, was gradually reassembled into a beautiful mosaic that people now stop and admire. 

The former anti-believer now rides his bicycle around the 30 mile permeter of our city each Saturday...praying earnestly for revival. 

The knees that propel him had been broken down but now they were recovering from a reconstructive surgery assisted by prayer....Healing so they could soon return to their high act of Saturday ministry and worship. 

So I sat there staring in awe of a great man and an even greater God. His own life and acts of faith were enough to decimate any doubts I was feeling. I got on my knees and looked up.  

Procession in Recession

Processions are what happen at graduations, weddings, and other noble events. It is a serious, significant, and happy move forward to a new place. I want a Procession in my Recession. 

Recessions are tough for sure. Especially on the folks that I pastor. The urban poor feel the brunt of this in disproportionate ways. With low end jobs they are often the first to be let go. With no savings to fall back on and limited resources available in their extended family, they are soon in the welfare line to grab what little they can. My comments today are not directed to them.

My comments are aimed at the rest of us who have more than we need but less than we want. 

Procession in Recession...I believe with God's help we can move forward in significant ways during economic downturns. Here are a few thoughts I have on moving ahead when your standard of living is falling behind: 

1. It forces an analysis of our spending patterns. Every dollar for a Christian is a sacred trust, one that we take too lightly too often. Squandering money on unnecessary things easily becomes a habit...a habit that is only broken when necessity forces a deeper concentration on every dollar.

2. It can bring a detachment from things to a deeper attachment to people. A 30 dollar trip to the movie can be replaced with a free trip someones house for a game of Scrabble. 

3. Replacing a habit of replacement with an act of rejuvenation. We have become the "throw away and buy a new one" generation. Very few things are repaired and kept. While it is true that things are manufactured that way these days to force continual spending- we can break the automatic reflex we have developed and seek to repair what we have. And we can seek to only buy things with greater longevity. 

4. A simplification of pleasures...we have become an unimaginative lot and to access other people's imaginations cost you money...think cable tv, movies, computer games, entertainment parks, dvd's, etc. Recession can help us rediscover our own imaginations and find joy in the simple. 

5. A rediscovery of what is free in the world...one public library has enough free entertainment to keep you busy for years...listening to pandora.com instead of subscribing to sirrius radio... samples at Costco...pedaling a bicycle...sunsets....free days at art museums...

6. A discovery of new skills. When forced to broaden one's marketability, you can discover or develop new skills that become a joy and a source of income throughout life. 

7. Deeper trust in God. When times are tough, we have the opportunity to meet God in deeper ways, to know Him more directly as provider, to be satisfied more often by HIM instead of by things. 

Barak, Rick, Larry

Names...it was all about names today. Big names.:Barak Obama, Joe Biden, Martin Luther King, Jr., Aretha Franklin, George W. Bush, Rick Warren, etc.

Deb and I watched the streaming live video on our computers while leaning back on our patio chairs under the bright California sun while those in D.C. were huddled together like sheep in a snowy field.

We were cheering the fact of an African American president being sworn in on a terrace built partially by slaves! I felt like congratulating every African American I met yesterday.

As we were listening, one commentator said, "Anyone who is anybody is here". I was a bit offended by the statement. I don't want to be "somebody", but I am NOT a "nobody", which means I am an "anybody" and I wasn't there.

My closest link to the event is about as distant as can be. Rick Warren was there and I once had lunch with Rick Warren...well there were six other people at the table so it wasn't like Ricky and Larry hanging and shooting the breeze...but still...does that make me "somebody"?

Rick gave the book I coauthored 5 stars...does that make me "somebody"?...of course he may have had some of his staff review it for him. Which means he still wouldn't know my name.

Rick did a great job today praying his inaugural prayer. I voted for Rick for president...but it was "write in" campaign that never got anywhere. :)

Anyway, I was impressed today by the fact that there is only one name that really lasts and Rick said it in 5 different languages---"JESUS". That's the only name you can invoke to enter heaven, to get right with God, to bless a President, to lead a country".

JESUS that's the NAME of the greatest person by FAR that was there, yesterday. Now HE IS a personal friend of mine. We hang out all the time. He thinks I am fantastic and I feel the same about him. And that does make me "somebody"!

Forgetting Myself Into Greatness

"Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity while one wise man forgets himself into immortality" - Martin Luther King Jr.

"If a man would gain his life, he must lose it." - Jesus Christ

The strive to "make a name" for myself is a hopeless, petty, and foolhardy ambition. It colors my "serving" in an ugly hue of "self".

I have "a name" and it's one that is cherished on the lips of Jesus. When I see him face to face, he will give me a new name.

Revelation 2:17 tells us "If we overcome...He will give us a white stone with a new name written on it."

Too often I try and "become" somebody important. The important thing is that I "overcome". I seek to see my name in "white lights" but Jesus is going to write it on a "white stone". Unlike the faddish coming and going of the names of the stars, this engraving will last forever.

Martin Luther King was not out to become someone great, but to overcome something great. He was not out to see his name rise, but to see others rise. He was not out to be a celebrity, but to be a servant.

Mother Teresa lived this style of servanthood also. She said, "Anyone can be great, because anyone can serve".

To give yourself away in service. To overcome on the mission God has placed you on, this is the real way to "MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF"!

URP about AARP

What an insult. The AARP (American Association Retired Persons) had the audacity to send me a membership card on the last day of 2008. I wanted to URP (evacuate).

Do they think I have grey hair, wrinkles, drive a 2001 Sebring Convertible, creak when I get out of bed, and am growing hair off my ears now? ....oops...guilty on all counts.

But come on...I am only 51 and longevity rates are rising alot faster than the stock market.
I will live to be 78 if I am average and since I have hit 50 without major health complications...83 should be no trouble for me.

If 83 is my number then I have 32 more years....they seriously want me to adjust my self-image enough to join their organization for the next 32 years??? And "retirement"...what gives with that word? They think people can afford to retire at 51 years of age?

With 401Ks sinking faster than the reputation of Illinois politics, there is not a chance of retirement. Besides I love what I do and have no desire to ever retire...get out of the way for the young bucks, yes...but not to get off the payroll and let them miss decades of the wisdom I got from all my mistakes.

So AARP back off for a couple of decades....although 15% off at Denny's is very tempting.

Merry Chemo Christmas

"Have yourself a merry chemo Christmas"...somehow that lyric doesn't jive right with the melody. Yet here I sit in the Fred Hutchison Cancer Center in Seattle as mom receives a 5 hour chemo treatment.

Mom is still alive this Christmas. Is it chemo or is it Christ? Doctors had thought the multiple myeloma cancer would have taken her by now. Instead they are saying she's going to be around awhile...that's the best gift I got this Christmas.

Should I thank the Doctors or the great Physician? Of course the answer is both. The book of James makes it clear that EVERY good gift comes from the Father above. The gift of MEDICINE and the gift of MIRACLES are ULTIMATELY from the same source. So while I thank the doctors, I praise our God.

As mom and I sat in the waiting room waiting for room in the "inn of chemo", I watched the hairless cancer soldiers as they bravely marched through. Some looked as if the fight had taken flight and they were merely walking zombies waiting for the end. They needed a bigger dose of Christmas pumped into their hearts.

Christmas is the only effective drug for our death sentence. Our eyes can stay full of life, even if our life is ebbing away. For those who know Christ, chemo is not their real hope. Christ is the one who gives life to those that Isaiah said live "under the shadow of death".

Christmas shatters the darkness with the light of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Even Chemo is transformed by Christmas truth.

Christmas Ashes

Yesterday I picked up Len. Nothing unusual about that, right?
A month ago that statement would be ordinary. Today it is strange and sad.

You see, the great leader and CEO of ProMark Financial Services has been reduced to a 14 inch by 8 inch box. A small pile of ashes is all that physically remains of one of the most extraordinary human beings I have known. Yesterday I brought Len to our house.

On the way home with Len, I had to stop and do some Christmas shopping. It was surreal to think here I was buying presents and Len was no longer present.

As I pondered the reality of this sorrow, I began to feel a heaviness invade my soul. Life is so fickle, so superficial, so capricious, so unpredictable, and then it's reduced to a few ashes.

Christmas songs were playing in BARNES & NOBLE...but "Here Comes Santa Claus" wasn't giving me much hope...but then right there in the liberal aisles of books on "How to Make a Million" and "How to Seduce a Woman" and "How to Become Your Own God"....the truth of Jesus began to pierce my melancholy meditations.

As the song "Joy to the World, The LORD has come" rang out it hit me Jesus was born in a BARN and He is NOBLE!

His regal nobility shatters the darkness of death, it reframes life from a few short years to an eternity of glory. His coming breaks the curse!! Ashes are not the end of us. They are only the evidence that we were once here, but have left for heaven forever.

As the song goes on to say:
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

My SORROWS will not GROW, for HE has broken the curse! Let the blessings flow!
This is the message of Christmas! Ashes are not the final word. Jesus Is!

My Misery, His Majesty

GOODBYE MY FRIEND, LEN!
Sometimes there is a part of me that would prefer to sit in the crow, instead of stand on the platform...that would rather be a griever instead of a comforter...that wished I could be the listener instead of the speaker...that could be poured into rather than pour out...that would rather simply be the weak one instead of be the rock.

But note the words "sometimes" and "part of me" which start the above sentence. I feel honored and fulfilled to lead, to speak, to reach out, to lift up, to be able to point people heavenward.

Yesterday was a mixture of MISERY and MAJESTY. My friend, Len's funeral was the hardest one that I have ever led. Len was a close friend, a partner in dreaming about kingdom building, still a young believer whose spiritual trajectory was just really launching upward, a man with a profound influence, brilliant intelligence and fearless generosity. Saying goodbye was MISERY.

Today I am simply exhausted fromr carrying the grief of so many people on top of my own grief. Questions, fears, doubts, sorrows flood my soul.

Last week I literally touched death 3 times in 5 days. 3 friends and church members died in one week. All had something wonderful to offer, something that will be profoundly missed in the days ahead. It has been MISERY.

"YET"..."YET" what a great word...the word "YET" does not negate what has gone before it, but rises above it to declare what is true.

Consider the Christmas song, "O Little Town of Bethlehem":
YET in they dark street shineth,
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears
of ALL the years
Are met in thee tonight!

It is TRUE...into the darkness of my MISERY a brilliant light dawns...the light of Jesus' love and truth and promises and comfort penetrate my misery and visit it with undefeatable MAJESTY!!
MY hopes and my fears are met in the CHRIST of CHRISTMAS!
MY MISERY is overwhelmed by HIS MAJESTY!

His MAJESTY is the reality that lifts my humanity into glory, into hope into certainty.
The apostle John wrote, "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our FAITH!"
The misery the world visits upon me, canNOT overcome or defeat me, IF I take my stand by FAITH in His MAJESTY!
So here I stand today by Faith!...Faith in the babe of Bethlehem who is now the KING of heaven!

Merry Christmas is a shallow holiday greeting, UNTIL we realize the reason we can be "MERRY' in the midst of MISERY is the MAJESTY of CHRISTmas!!

Len and Zoe

As I sit grieving I watch dawn begin to paint golden pink hues across the black sky. The darkness cannot restrain the light, death cannot keep life pinned to the mat.
Len and Zoe are unconquerable.

I touched death yesterday. Len, one of my closest friends, walked through the shadowed valley of death. After being removed from the respirator he inhaled three final times as if to say, “Father, Son, Holy Spirit”. I had only a few minutes earlier invoked the power of the Triune God over his fading life.

He did not struggle, thrash, or gasp for air to hold onto this life. With a profound peace, he stepped into life. Len and Zoe were beautiful.

In the courageous manner in which he chose to die, he gave ZOE to at least 6 other people. Len and Zoe were unstoppable.

Who is Zoe? Zoe is the Greek word in the New Testament for life. It carries 3 dimensions…physical life, spiritual life, eternal life.

I was not there the day Len was born and given PHYSICAL ZOE. But I was there the day he was given SPIRITUAL ZOE. In one of our final conversations, Len thanked me several times for helping bring him to Jesus. And I was there yesterday when he was given ETERNAL ZOE.

Len’s life is not finished, his life has been relocated. The heavenly moving van showed up and took him up. He is not dead, but more alive than ever. Len and Zoe are dancing.

One of Jesus' greatest invitations was to come meet ZOE. In John 10:10 Jesus said “I have come that you might have ZOE (LIFE) and ZOE (LIFE) to the full!”

This morning as day breaks on my broken heart, I rejoice in Len and Zoe.

John 6:47 "I'm telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life (ZOE). - Jesus

Fast Life, Slow Dance

My friend may die today. He is fighting for his life with advanced lung disease. After attending a Christmas Party at my publishers in Ventura, I may have to stop at UCLA and say the final good-bye to Len. He just turned 50.

While the below poem has circulated on the internet under the false pretense of being written by a young girl dying with cancer, nevertheless, it expresses simple wisdom that all of us should hear, especially at Christmas time. As I think about Len, I think about life and how to live it. Here's to slow dancing to the music of life.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

''Do you run through each day
On the fly?''

When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower

Hear the music
Before the song is over.

The ICU Blues

With three folks I love living in ICU land, it's been a bit difficult to "Deck the Halls with boughs of Holly".

One of them is one of my closest friends - we've vacationed together, skied together, experienced fabulous meals together, dreamed about the kingdom together, and watched our wives be best friends together. But now we are not together...he is fighting for every breath waiting for a lung transplant because of a rare mold disease of the lung. He is lying in an ICU bed for his 12 days of Christmas and I am throwing Christmas parties. We are not together.

I have the ICU blues...

But here's the deal...in times like these Christmas only shines brighter. Without Christ, suffering is empty, lonely, cruel, and meaningless. Because of Christ, I can look at my friend and know Christ is doing a work in him, touching lives through him, preparing him for his real life in heaven, rewarding him for every ounce of suffering, and all the time whispering his strong presence to his heart.

Christmas is not nativity scenes in malls next to the "buy one get one free" sign.
Christmas is Jesus, the babe all grown up, standing like a strong carpenter and regal King next to a bed in ICU stroking the brow of his best friend and saying, "It's going to be ok, I am Emmanuel".

The "Hallelujah" Chorus really is an antidote for the ICU blues!
And He shall reign forever and ever...!!

Thanking God for the FLEAS!

The barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were kept in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck were terribly overcrowded and flea-infested.

They had been able to miraculously smuggle a Bible into the camp, and in that Bible they had read that in all things there were to give thanks, and that God can use anything for good.

Corrie’s sister Betsy decided that this meant thanking God for the fleas.

This was too much for Corrie, who said she could do no such thing. Betsy insisted, so Corrie gave in and prayed to God, thanking Him even for the fleas.

Over the next several months a wonderful, but curious, thing happened. They found that the guards never entered their barracks. This meant that women were not assaulted. It also meant that they were able to do the unthinkable, which was to hold open Bible studies and prayer meetings in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp.

Through this, countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ.

Only at the end did they discover why the guards had left them alone and would not enter into their barracks.

It was because of the fleas.

God is often blamed for the very things that He should be praised for. Our short sighted, earth bound perspective distorts our vision and destroys our praise.

My commitment is to be a man of praise IN all things...as my African-American sister says, "If God brings me TO IT, He'll bring me THROUGH IT!"

Unexpected Thanksgiving

When my mother was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer two years ago, no one was thinking of Thanksgiving 2008. She was only supposed to live for a few months.

But MOM is down from Seattle and celebrating Thanksgiving with us and we are expecting to do the same thing in 2009! Can you imagine how thankful my mom is this Thanksgiving?

But DAD is giving thanks from HEAVEN this year. Everyone expected him to be here for a long time but this Thanksgiving he's gone having died suddenly in May.

My point in relating this personal piece of news is that you never know how many chances you will get to look UP and look AROUND and say, THANKS! Won't you take advantage of your chance to tell God, THANK YOU.

Every good gift comes from God above, the God of mercy, the God of love!

The Grateful DEAD OR LIVE?

I never understood the name of the band "The Grateful Dead"....When I am dead I am going to be grateful that I lived, and grateful to have died in Christ, and grateful that my earth stay is finished so I can get home to heaven.

But while I am ALIVE I want to be "The Grateful LIVING"...the man who lives with a profound awareness of how good God has been, is, and will be to me....the man who lives with an awe of how beautiful people are, how rich life is, how stunning magnificent creation is, how amazing a child's smile is, how sweet a juicy apple really tastes, how mysterious and grand sex inside of marriage is, how splendid the sound of a great band is, how miraculous the body I live in is, how blessed a sunrise makes me feel, how a flower rings with the laughter of God....I want to be the GRATEFUL LIVING.

"He who is content with little has a continual feast!"

This week is a great week to be grateful...I want to engage in ThanksLIVING today, this week, and this life!

Counting Sheep In the Night

After 3 months of going to bed and sleeping like a baby, I am back in the real life of pastoring. Many of my nights since my sabbatical have been filled with “counting sheep”.

Who left while I was gone?

Who’s marriage is struggling?

Who’s developed a disease?

Who’s lost a family member?

Who’s lost their job? Their house?

Who’s mom got Alzheimer’s?

Who’s son was arrested?

Who’s gotten mad at someone?

Who’s had an affair?

Who’s family member was shot?

Who’s upset with the church?

Who’s mad at me about our position on homosexuality?

Who’s left their ministry position?

Who’s stopped volunteering?

Who’s dropped down to attending once a month?

Who moved?

I could fill names into these questions, in many cases, I can give you multiple names.

I have been back 20 days and all of these questions and all of these faces plow through my mind in the middle of the night.

When 1200 people call our church their home and you have been gone for 3 months…there is lots of counting to do.

That doesn’t include the corporate questions…

What staff have been underperforming?

What staff have gotten less motivated or a bit misdirected?

How do we address the economic realities we are facing?

When are the offerings going to start rebounding?

How do I restructure the staff for optimal efficiency?

How do we get the Community Center finished and operational when the bills just doubled and the City is being a huge hurdle?

So while I sleep well for 5 or 6 hours, then I awaken to count sheep.

Pastoring is a high privilege…but it’s really a hard calling.

Counting sheep is supposed to put you asleep…mine keeps me from sleep.

51 Whoo Hoo!!

51 years young today!! Some random thoughts below:

My life mission is by the power of God and to His glory to LIVE fully, LOVE sacrificially, LEARN continually, LEAD wisely, and LAUGH frequently!

How about some "51" rhymes?
51 and having fun....51 and living for One...51 and only half done...51 and loving my hon...


"Change" is the word of the hour and it's good word if you are changing forward and not backward.
I look forward to the changes God has for me this year...if you are not changing you are dying!

One of my favorite quotes for a birthday,
"Life is not a journey to the grave
With the intention of
Arriving safely in a pretty
And well preserved body,
But rather to skid in broadside,
Thoroughly used up,
Totally worn out,
And loudly proclaiming,
WOW !!!! What a ride!"

My Life Verse: For I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me! Galatians 2:20

As I walked barefoot on the beach at sunrise singing, Agnus Dei (Alleluia) I was praising God for the incredible joy of living, loving, and dancing in the ocean surf! Asking Him give me 51 more years like these and then swoop me home to dance forever!

Do We Burn Witches?

My heart is broken in many ways over the election tomorrow. I will discuss only one.

Here is a quote from an influential homosexual about Proposition 8, "..."Christians used to burn witches, now they legislate against homosexuals. Everyone needs a hobby".

For 5,000 years in every country, in every religion, in every culture, in every generation, marriage has been defined as being between a male and female. This is the definition of marriage. Proposition 8 only affirms what is natural, historical, and Biblical.

I have been called a "hate-monger" because I believe this to be true. The truth is I love homosexuals and have dear friends who are gay.

I respect the rights of homosexuals, and homosexual couples. They have those rights in "civil unions". But marriage is a "God-Word" not a "constitutional word", not a political "word".
Marriage will always only be between a man and a woman, regardless of what laws people pass.

My "hobby" as a Bible-believing, Christ following person of conviction is not "hunting witches" but serving broken people with love...and we are all broken in some way. My gay friends feel that love.

But Californians (being fed the imaginative lies of a grossly liberal media) are getting a big dose of "Christians are witch hunters who hate gays".

How can we compete against such lies? We can't outshout them, we can't "out-clout" them, we can't "out-spend" them, we can't out-argue them (although our logic is sound and in my opinion higher), SO we MUST "OUT-LOVE" them to break through the lies.

I have had many homosexual friends come out of the lifestyle and praise God and thank me that their brokenness has been healed. They were loved into truth.

Maybe a few misguided Christians burnt witches...some will burn gays today...but if we always judge a group by the worst of its history or the most radical fringe of its label...we will always miss the truth.

Real Christians don't burn witches but we burn with love FOR witches.
I pray that love displaces lies in the days ahead.

Halloween: Talking Death

Halloween...remembering the dead. While I am aghast that Halloween has become a multi-billion dollar industry in the USA, while I am repulsed by most of the aspects of Halloween, I do think we can hitchhike on Halloween and get some mileage for the Kingdom of God out of it.

For example...D.L. Moody, the great evangelist, once said, "If I can get a person to seriously think about their soon coming death for even ten minutes, they are generally well on their way to embracing the gospel" (a loose quote but the essence is accurate).

Our death is certain and the time is uncertain, therefore, we better make certain that we are certain where we are headed when the curtain closes for us.
Stats in Long Beach, CA are that one out of one people...die!
If we can spring board from "Halloween" to "how are we" with death? it could serve us well...

Well, Deb and I back home after 3 months, after Canada, Florida, Honduras, Grand Cayman, Belize, Mexico, Seattle, Oregon, Maui, and Kauai...wow...and whew...more on that subject later.

Also, a full page ad comes out today in Ministry Today magazine for our book "15 Characteristics of Effective Pastors". It will go to over 330,000 addresses between print and e-version. Praying some pastors and leaders are motivated to read it.

2 Drumsticks

Drumsticks, Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Special Salads, Stuffing, Dressing, Homemade (for city folks that means not store-bought, restaurant-bought, not Costco-bought, not bakery bought) Pumpkin Pie! Sounds like Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in Canada is on the second Monday of October....so our Pastor, Stuart and his wife Teresa, and the 5 kids, had us over for Thanksgiving.

As the Sun set over the mountains in west and the full moon rose over the pine trees in the East...we feasted on the goodness of God, his bountiful supply, the laughter of friendship, the sharpening discussion of ministry and mission, and the beauty of nature.

This of course means I will get 2 Drumsticks....2 times to tell God "thanks" this year! And as you might have imagined, HE DESERVES IT!

While this has been in many ways one of the hardest years of my life (mom with cancer, sister fighting cancer, dad's sudden death, financial loss on a real estate deal, bouts with tremendous back pain) this has also been one of the most glorious.

My cup runs over and splashes on the table and runs down the floor and out the door and down the street...and all the way it sings and shouts - Hallelujah! Hosanna! None Like Jesus! No King Like Mine! Awesome God of Greatness!

As I was reading large quantities of the Word today, I came to one of my favorite verses:
Psalm 62:11,12 - "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving."

If God is STRONG (powerful enough to overcome anything I face in life or at death) and if God is LOVING (personally committed to expressing his kindness, goodness and care for me) then LIFE IS AWESOME and only going to get better!

What a mighty God we serve! I get Thanksgiving twice this year but really it's a 365 kind of Holiday (Holy Day) for me.

Give me 2 Drumsticks...and I will pound out a percussion of praise to my KING!
(P.S. Interesting side note...Deb fixed the turkey but because we could only find a smaller fresh turkey we bought 2...so there were actually 4 drumsticks...which worked out GREAT because they have 4 boys who each love the drumstick...no fighting over drumsticks! God provides!)

The Rich Man and the Church

Yesterday we had a long talk with one of the leading business and civic leaders in the Vernon\Silver Star area. We were talking real estate but of course the subject has a way of getting around to God and church.

Speaking of the church we attend when in Vernon (Vernon Alliance Church) the gentleman said, "Oh I have heard good things about that church...they help people." It was interesting to me that his comment was not, "they have great preaching" or "excellent music" or "a beautiful building". This non church going, wealthy man was impressed with one thing: "They help people!"

I believe the credibilty of our church in the community is directly tied to how much we "help people". The unchurched smell a rat when we talk about our love for the community but the primary thing we spend money on is making the "church club better for the members".

Spent the day running errands, reading, getting the houses ready for the carpet cleaner and buying 110 towels at Costco (for the people who rent our house here at Silver Star).

Had the second church hot spot to deal with since I have been gone. I got a message late last night and then had an anxiety dream about it during the night. So thankful for Pastor Vern and other Staff and leaders who love the church and do a good job of handling these matters.

Leaving for 3 months is a wonderful thing but also a scary thing because the devil is out to attack during my absence...."Lord, I trust you and the leadership at LLCF...turn back every attack of the evil one!" The devil will do anything to keep us from concentrating on "helping people!"

God and the Moose

On Monday...Spent the morning washing windows, doing painting prep, and helping Deb.

At 1pm we drove to Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park with our bikes on back. We jumped on our bikes and began a 10 mile ride that was stunning in beauty. Between the brilliant colors of autumn, the turquoise blue of the lake, the crispness of the clear mountain air...it was breathtaking.

About half way through the ride my bike crank broke and I had to walk my bike that last four miles.

After arriving back to the jeep we loaded bikes and headed up the mountain...and coming around a curve we saw a huge, majestic moose! 25 years of driving the road up to the ski area we have never really seen a moose...we had on 3 occasions seen glimpses of what we swore was a moose. But yesterday we saw the elusive moose and pulled over to get a picture...before the moose disappeared into the forest we got two pictures but later discovered the camera had been on macro so we don't really have the proof we need to silence the naysayers who don't believe us.

I don't know what God is like for you, but sometimes God is like that Moose for me...I get glimpses of His presence and I know that I know that He is out there, very near but still invisible. Occasionally I get "full on" sightings of God and I try to capture those moments so I can prove to people His reality...but alas, God refuses to be contained in some tangible box that I would want to trap Him in...so He lives on in my stories of His reality.

I will tell His story and pray that others get their own glimpses of His reality.

Church Hopping and SNOW!

Got up to go "church hopping"! Sunday morning and out to learn what it's like to be a visitor in 2 very different kind of churches. One of the great privileges of my sabbatical is the opportunity to visit other churches.

Drove to Kelowna to catch the first hour of church at NEW LIFE, an openly charismatic, loose kind of church about the size of LLCF. I sat on the back row because I knew I had to leave before it would get over...Note to self...pray for people on the back row...how do they "get into sitting all the way back there"? Worship was good...very authentic, quality decent, very "flowy" and definitely not "showy". Big flags of bright colors were waved by both men and women as they slowly danced in worship...children pranced around with their own little flags...people talked to one another...it had an informal but sincere feel to it...some people were way into it....others were praying for each other. It kind of dragged because it took 45 minutes to go through 5 or 6 songs and then communion was served with the same kind of serious but informal feel..."hey come up front and someone will serve you." Couldn't believe all the young families there.

Had to leave before the message but I would definitely go back and meet some of the folks.
It seems from the bulletin that they are trying to do a lot of missional things.

Went to Trinity Baptist a mega-church that follows a "church growth, seeker sensitive model". Had great parking attendants, but I went in the wrong door...once in the door it was easy to find the auditorium (not a sanctuary or worship center). Friendly and helpful usher. Stage lighting was cool. Good worship...led by a 20something guy and mostly young folks on the platform...(to me that's always a good sign). The leader tried to get some energy from the church...they were happy to politely sing but more than that was stretch. Very programmed church but well done.
The special music was excellent. Tim Schroeder, who has led that church for 23 years but recently stepped down to just be the teaching pastor, brought a message on passing on values to our children....well crafted, powerful use of scripture, beyond seeker-directed...did a great job and then just closed with a prayer.

I liked the excellence and the spirit of the leaders of the church...probably a little too corporate feel for me...but great hearts and being effective I'm sure.

Then I was reading about the "organic church" in "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch. This is for the most part advocating church on a mission, especially celebrating the "home church model".

When I got back up the mountain to the house...it started to SNOW! Gorgeous fluffy snow...it didn't stick but it snowed for the next 3 hours. Then I went power-walking and had a chance to minister to our next door neighbor who is fighting a debilitating physical neurological condition.
Her young heart (28 year old single gal) was opened up by the interest that Deb and I had shown to her.

Charismatic, Baptist, or home group...the big thing is...Are we helping hurting people with the authentic love of Christ and is His truth being accurately explained to get life to the lost?

These experiences are helping me see our church differently and making me so earnest that we do a great job of helping guests feel loved without feeling smothered.

Teach Me to Preach

On Saturday had a great day studying sermon preparation and delivery with Andy Stanley.
Learned a lot from Andy but was unconvinced to adopt all of his style...especially a "no notes, one point message." Andy acknowledges that each person needs to develop their own style but also aggressively confronts those poor preachers who hide behind the excuse that "that's just not my style". I agree.

My best clues for life transforming messages came from Jesus' style.
Many folks are shocked to find out Jesus never taught verse by verse through the OT. He was saturated in the Old Testament but he launched from what the Father was telling him to communicate in that situation. He used a lot of the Old Testament but it was digested and put in understandable language.

Here are my clues and cues on preaching as I see them in Jesus.
1. Be prayed up.
2. Listen to the Father.
3. Look at the needs of the people.
4. Launch from the foundation of the Word.
5. Tell Stories that relate the truth to people's lives. Paint word pictures.
6. Ask for decision and life change.
7. Balance the grace of God with the fear of God.
8. Be authentic and real.
9. Demonstrate the Word in your own life. Be the message.
10. Speak clearly but leave room for some mystery.
11. Fill your messages with hope.
12. Speak from compassion for the people.
13. Leave the results to God.

Took a long mountain bike ride with Deb...ate the last of the mountain raspberries along the path.
Went church and heard Stuart preach the Word...Psalm 5:1-3 and Romans 8:26,27.
A Message on Prayer called "Words, Sighs, and Cries" Interesting and a helpful and hopeful message. Stuart does a great job with bringing truth and keeping it real and approachable.

Watched a movie with Deb and went to bed.

Smelling Jesus

What did it smell like after the Flood? My guess is that it smelled like it does after a strong thunderstorm washes away all the grime in the air and leaves behind the fragrance of fresh....but then multiply that times 100.

As I studied Noah yesterday I was impressed by the newness after the flood...corruption had been washed away...the stench of sin and violence had been banished...hope and life was bursting out all over...with the rainbow arching overhead the fragrance of God was saturating the air.

Later in the day...we had a thunderstorm here and it washed the air clean. The fall colors were dazzling and the aroma of the forest was vibrant and rich. As we took a long walk through the forest we could not breath deeply enough. I am not sure of course but I think it smelled like Jesus.

In the evening we went with our Pastor (Stuart and Teresa) to a Steve Bell Worship\Concert. What a treat of the Holy Spirit...an amazing time of sitting in the presence of Jesus...as I sat there I thought...it smells like Jesus in here...

You know how people have a certain "fragrance" to them? I think Jesus smells like a forest after a thunderstorm. It's a powerful but tender smell, a fresh and hope-filled aroma, a rich, embracing, majestic, personal, and deeply satisfying fragrance.

I want to inhale HIS fragrance deeply so that it pours out of my pores and people smell Jesus through me!

Dancing Naked!

Naked...that picture is one that is scary or seductive or ugly or artistic.

Today Deb and I cleaned windows for much of the day...but then I spent time studying how to preach more effectively and also time in Word including Genesis 1-5.

I was riveted by the phrase that before the Fall, Adam and Eve were "naked and unashamed". But immediately after they choose sin, their eyes are opened and they realize they are naked and they proceed to design a suit of fig leaves to cover themselves.

We are certainly not dealing with pornography here, nor are we dealing with ugliness...but we are dealing with fear and insecurity and inferiority and transperancy and self-consciousness and comparison and the limiting power of a broken self-image.

The "imago dei", the image of God, that they had been created in, had been their conscious reality up to this point. They lived in the glorious liberty of TRUSTING only God's opinion, His communication is the ONLY thing that defined their self-image. They danced naked in the garden in a joyful whirl of freedom.

But once sin stained their self-image they began to hide themselves, cover themselves, stumble in their relationship with each other and with God.

Washing windows made me think of nakedness and openness. We live with shutters on our lives.

Some people have the shutters tightly shut, others have them slightly open, a few have them half open, only a handful of people have ripped down the shutters opening themselves fully to God and to others. I want to live with the shutters torn down...not in a "screw your opinion of me" but in the security of... "the only opinion that really counts is God's and He loves me so fully that I can dance naked in the beauty of who God made me".

What a freedom to live without having to impress people and live responsive only to God's direction...I am not there yet...but it's the direction of my journey.

In the evening we had a great time with our pastor and his wife and kids eating bbq'd shrimp, pasta and apple crate pie!

The Wisdom of Discipline

After spending the morning unpacking and getting the house organized again, I climbed to the summit and spent much of the afternoon with the Lord.

Journaling, praying, reading the Word, meditating, dreaming, all from one of my favorite spots in the world. Overlooking a hundred miles of mountains, trees, valleys, and lakes.

Psalm 1 described my desire to be a "tree planted by the river producing fruit"...that is the craving and cry of my heart for my life. Proverbs 1 links wisdom together with discipline. Where there is true wisdom, you will find a person of discipline. A disciplined lifestyle is what lead to real prosperity in all arenas of life. It is the merging of intellectual\spiritual truth (knowledge) and personal application to life (discipline) that results in true wisdom and the resulting prosperity. This combination is what keeps the tree planted by the river so that it drinks in the sun and the water and bears abundant fruit.

I must say that I was sickened by the destruction in lives that I observed during our cruise. A lack of discipline showed up as foolishness. Manifestations: obese people with their plate stacked with ten different desserts, gamblers in the casinos sitting for hours pulling the lever of losers, partiers staggering and sick from too much alcohol, people buying so much stuff they didn't need that they had to ship it home via FedEX from the ports of call.

So Lord, I pray...give me a life of discipline...I like the saying, Be tough on yourself or life will be tough on you. I am not talking about a grit your teeth, self-flaggelating, form of life. But the kind of discipline where you do what you really want to do, not what some temporary, deceptive emotion of the flesh calls you towards. Where you trade the happiness of an impulse purchase for the joy of money saved. Where you trade the pleasure of an extra 500 calories for the joy of a few special bites and pants that fit. Where you trade the comfort of laziness for the joy of accomplishment after having walked for 30 minutes.

So God grant me the life of wisdom and discipline.

Exhausting and Exhaling

There is an old gospel song that Andre Crouch made famous...It goes like this:

How can I say thanks for all the things you have done for me,

Things so undeserved, yet you give to prove your love for me.

The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude

All that I am or ever hope to be, I ow it all to thee!

To God be the Glory, for the things He has done!

The song expresses my sentiment.

God moved in a powerful way during my ministry time in Florida with pastors and leaders.

3 days of engagement by the truth and love and power of the Holy Spirit among us.

The messages were translated into 4 different languages and yet there was a supernatural unity among us. It was a battle and I had little sleep but we experienced breakthrough.

By Sunday afternoon, I was elated and exhausted.

Pastor Rex Bullock was a generous and gracious host.

Deb had flown in on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we boarded the Carnival Legend Cruise ship to sail to the Western Caribbean.

We had 4 ports of call, Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel.

Incredible swimming, snorkeling, exploring, and culture tasting.

The boat was amazing. Our room had a balcony and was just super.

It was the most relaxed I have ever seen Deb. We both felt like we were deeply EXHALING.

We will never forget this celebration of our 30th Wedding Anniversary.

We flew home and we sat between two HUGE Seattle Seahawk Pro Football Players.

Had a fun time with them.

Back in Seattle we helped MOM move into her new home and then drove back to Silver Star Canada to our house. It's a beautiful, warm early fall day here.

The 3 Minute Blog

This is my 3 minute blog because internet costs a dollar a minute on this Carnival Cruise Ship!

Deb and I are happily crusing the Western Caribbean...courtesy of the Free Methodist Churches in Florida generous financial gift and Light & Life's generosity in giving us time off. My blogging will be spotty if existent at all.

We are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and having a blast. Thanks for your prayers for the Pastor's conference in Florida...God was amazing to us.

Love you all. ...time's up....ahhhhhhh!

Full Moon

Monday I got up early, did some chores and preceded to work on messages for Florida.

Ran some errands and went to the Lake to read and ski and kept working on messages while on the boat.

Had a good talk with Steve...the owner of the campground on the lake...a wealthy First Nations (Native Canadian man)...he shared about his new age beliefs and I shared about my beliefs as a follower of Jesus. He tried to convince me that I was god and could therefore channel my energy for healing others. He tried to persuade me that we were the same. I shared that I had an objective basis for my faith...the Word of God and Son of God...and that I was a child of God but was not God and that I needed a Savior. I did not convince Steve but I think Steve felt listened to and loved.

Went for a bike ride when we got back to the mountain and watched an amazing MOONRISE...full moon rising over the Canadian rockies...wow! It drew me into worship in a powerful way. And to think the moon has not light of its own but is merely a reflection of the sun. I breathed my own prayer...Jesus make a full moon of your love. Too often I am sliver or quarter...but Spirit of Jesus shine fully through my life so I may draw others to worship you.

French Fries and Jesus

Sunday, I went to prayer for our church and asked God to meet our people at Light & Life in an uncommon way.

Next I went to work on my message for the Florida conference. I thought I would use previously prepared material but as I moved forward in prayer a whole new direction emerged. This was exciting but taxing and has taken many hours.

About 2pm we went to the lake...a 35 minute trip that brought us to a gorgeous afternoon of reading and waterskiing. Came back and took a long hike as the sun went down.

I finished reading YOU-Staying Young...a great book, highly recommended to anyone 30 and older. Had so many great ideas for how to do better temple maintenance.

Did Jesus eat french fries? Nachos? Ice Cream? Donuts? I don't know but I do know he took care of his "temple".

"Jesus deliver me from french fries! I love them but they hate me. They clog my arteries with gunk that shortens my life...I want 50 more years of life and life for all 50 years more (if you tarry)...so God give me "temple" wisdom and "spiritual discipline".

Awakening to Imago Dei

Yesterday, I began work in earnest on my teaching for this coming weekend in Florida. I was bummed that I would have to teach during my sabbatical but a long standing commitment could not be broken and it is a very important and large gathering of pastors and leaders in the SouthEast. But as I began working, writing and praying I became energized by what God was giving me to share.

I began praying deeply about the "IMAGO DEI" and the Spirit was deepening my spirit...opening my eyes to a new self-image that used the Imago Dei as its starting point, its defining point. 1 John 3:1-3 join with Genesis 1:26 to awaken my spirit to who I am in Christ.

I believe God has given me an important word. It is a lot of work and getting back in the groove is a little difficult. This is the longest period of time in 30 years that I have gone without preaching or teaching. Can you believe that?

After about 5 hours of work, Deb and I went down to the LAKE and enjoyed a gorgeous late summer\early fall day on the water. I skied one of the best runs I have had in years on breathless, glassy water.

Then we went to Vernon Alliance Church and worship was amazing...very powerful. Stuart taught us from John 17 on the prayer of Jesus...it was a good word calling us to unity in diversity, and to realize that Jesus prayer for us is being answered in different moments of our lives and that we should awaken to that.

I had never considered that...awakening to "oh this is a moment when I am being brought into unity with someone or with God" and it's refreshing and empowering..."oh yeah Jesus prayed for moments like these". In those moments I am awakened to the reality of "Imago Dei"...that I am his child, stamped with his image, a spiritual being having a brief earth stay before the fullness of reality and eternity dawn.

After church we ate at Earl's, drove up the mountain and dropped into bed.

MYSTERY & MAJESTY

Friday found me finishing the TNT - The New Testament! Reveled in Revelations as my mind and spirit filled with the spiritual realities that I will experience in the near future.

Revelations is one of those books filled with so much MYSTERY and so much MAJESTY. Sometimes I get so lost in trying to understand the MYSTERY that I miss the MAJESTY. The truth is that this is the book of the Bible that says you will receive a blessing just from reading it.

I believe it. It lifts your eyes up and forward and behind....UP to heaven, FORWARD to the future, and BEHIND the physical scenes to the spiritual REALITY.

My heart sings with those around his throne...Glory and Honor and Power and Praise to the LAMB! Holy, Holy, Holy. There is none like you oh Lord...the Lamb and the Lion, the sacrifice and the conqueror.

How often have I read the last 2 chapters to those who are dying and given them the hope and the comfort of what is ahead. Death is a MYSTERY but it leads to the MAJESTY of Heaven for those who follow the LAMB.

(The day also consisted of more reading, writing, bbq, long mountain hike, and some chores.)

TRUTH, LOVE, & NAPS

Yesterday, 1, 2, 3rd John and Jude spoke to me as I meditated on their wisdom. You can't help but read those letters and not be struck with the balance between truth and love.

The ultimate truth is love because God is love. The apex of our service for God is to lavishly love others in the same way that God has lavishly loved us. This love is not warm feelings or nice words, it is the gritty kind of love that gets under another person's burden and lightens the load.

It is love in tangible and visible ways that honor the ONE that is invisible. Our love for God is manifested most purely not when we sing our love songs to Him but when we sing His love songs to someone who is sick or stuck in sin.

Yet John is careful not to allow the paramount nature of love to be carelessly defined by our own imaginations of it. Not on your life! He calls us to an unequivocal commitment to doctrinal certainties which can never be diluted by appealing to our demonstrations of love. Love that is not structured by the love of the cross, the love of the person of Christ, the love of God's Word will usually degrade into some form of selfishness and ultimately it will fail the definition of saving love.

It is interesting that JUDE follows these love letters of John as it illustrates what happens when love without truth, and truth without love are allowed to fester and grow. Clouds without rain, love feasts without holiness, humility and sacrifice, these are the bitter end of divorcing love and truth.

Whoa...a little more theological than most posts....so anyway...took a LONG NAP on the boat...can you believe it? My last nap was in Kindergarten on one of those little mats. (not really) but they are few and far between and a sabbatical seemed like a great place for one. After 17 years of Sr. Pastoring it was time for a NAP.

NAPS are for KIDS silly Rabbit...but maybe not.

In my doctoral class with Richard Foster (amazing author and teacher) he said sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is take a NAP. I felt like that and woke up with TRUTH and LOVE filling my spirit. God was very near! So I went water-skiing and heard Him laugh....not at me but with LOVE over me!

Did tons more reading, spent time prepping for the SouthEast Atlantic Leadership Conference next weekend, talked with Lindsey and TJ on SKYPE VIDEO, watched a little "24", had some good talk time with Deb, and spent some time in prayer for the church.

"...then the rope broke"

After a morning of being in the Word, reading books, blogging, and lots of housecleaning to help Deb…we went to the lake to boat, read, swim, and ski.

At one point in the afternoon the water settled down until it was a flat as glass…a water-skier’s dream. So I jumped out of the boat with my ski, grabbed the rope and handle and positioned myself for a great run. Deb put our powerful tournament ski boat into gear and punched the gas. The rope grew taunt and I was thrilling as the boat pulled me to an upright postion and THEN THE ROPE BROKE. I fell backwards with a splash, the rope whiplashed and hit Deb (she wasn’t hurt) and the power and fun were instantaneously cancelled. Bummer…what could have been a glorious run fizzled into a flop in the water.

Upon examination we discovered two things…there was a knot in the rope and the rope had frayed right at the point of the knot. I had noticed the knot a couple of weeks ago but had rationalized it… “it won’t hurt anything”, “it’s too hard to get out”, “I can just let it go for now”, “I will get to it later”. But the rope began to come apart at the point of the knot and eventually it snapped and my denial, my excuses, my delays were all proved destructive.

As I later reflected on the incident the Holy Spirit quickened to my mind a passage I had read that morning in 1 John 1:10- “If we claim, we have not sinned, we make him out to be liar and his word has no place in our lives”.

Sin creates knots in my life, tangles that need to be straightened out, strongholds of the enemy that need to be fixed instead of ignored. Things seem fine for a while and I begin to think I can live with this…it’s not hurting anything…BUT a break is coming.

“Jesus, tell me the truth about me…identify the knots in my life…deliver me from denial and delay…let your Word have first place in every aspect of my life untangling the knots I tie through my doubt, desires, and disobedience.”

We DID fix the rope and had some delightful runs on a gorgeous late summer day on Lake Okanagan.

Later Pastor Stuart and Teresa came to the house and we served them dessert in honor of Teresa’s graduation from esthetician school that day! Stayed up late eating delicious cobbler and laughing at the misadventures of a wacky esthetician class.

"24"

1 and 2 Peter are letters from the fisherman who had a propensity for filling his mouth with his foot. But after years of following Jesus and serving the church in Jerusalem, his commendable zeal has been matched with his deep wisdom. The Holy Spirit writes powerfully through Peter of how to grow, how to be effective, and how to get ready for the wrap up of human history.

Most of all Peter tells us who we REALLY are...a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, destined for glory forever.

Also as I read Hebrews I was struck by the term "DAILY".
Jesus taught us to take up our cross "daily".
Jesus taught to to pray for "daily" bread.
In Thessalonians Paul pleads that our "daily" lives would demonstrate Christ so clearly that non-believers would be persuaded.
Hebrews says that our battle is so tough we need to encourage each other "daily".

Then in "The Success Principles" book that I am reading by Jack Canfield he stresses the importance of "daily" habits that end up creating a "life".

After a long mountain hike, Deb and I watched 3 episodes of "24" on dvd in the evening. If you have never seen the show each episode is one hour and the whole season is walking you through 24 consecutive hours of adventure and double crosses.

You could watch "The Road Runner" cartoon and see basically the same show with just a little less sophistication. Jack Bauer is "Wile E. Coyote" in The Road Runner Cartoon. You can drop a boulder on his head or throw him off a cliff and he survives and 30 minutes later is miraculously beating up another bad guy. Jack is the most resilient man I have ever seen.

Then I was reading a really heavy theology book "The Prophetic Imagination" by Walter Brueggemann. He writes of how "moderation is a delusion and only extremists are in touch with reality". You would have to read the book to keep you from misunderstanding his meaning in that statement BUT there is a radical call to live TODAY, this 24 Hours with an "extreme" love and faith that disrupts the status quo of injustice!

All this to say, 24 Hours is the division of time that God created us to operate from. With a "death" each night and a "resurrection" each morning.
My prayer is that I can live each "24" with the same passion, focus, and resilency as Jack Bauer.

Holy Haircut

My favorite thing about sabbatical so far has to be the opportunity to SOAK in the "Holy Bible Hot Tub". When do I get 3 uninterrupted hours just to read large portions of God's Word? Especially the freedom to read without any thought of "how can I use this help someone?".

Soaked in Hebrews and reveled again in the joy of knowing Christ is my "High Priest" and my "brother" who has been tempted in all the same ways that I am, thus calling him should be my automatic response to all temptation.

Spent time dealing with a magazine that is going to be advertising the book Kevin Mannoia and I wrote.

Went to Kelowna to help Deb run errands. While there got a haircut or as my dad used to say, "Got my ears lowered". This event turned out to be a teaching point for me.

Getting your haircut with a new "barber" or "stylist" is always an adventure. One other time I got a haircut in Canada and it was a disaster that took 4 weeks to recover from. I don't think I'm very vain but when you it looks like a bowl was used as the template for your style, it's kind of humilitating.

So with a prayer and a sigh, I entered the hallowed, hair-filled, hall of "New Hair Salon". The girls were playing poker but stopped long enough to look up and then drew straws to see who would have to cut the "old guy's" hair. Karly lost, so she took over with the confidence of a teen driver trying out a stick shift for the first time.

The next hour Karly's scissors were taking small snips of hair, but she ensured she kept her body between me and the mirror...I could hear and imagine the damage up top but I couldn't view it. My prayers were more fervent, every time she said "whoops!"

More seriously, I felt worse and worse not about my haircut but about Karly's life. Question after question was met with an answer that had "empty" written all over it. I kept thinking, "Karly you need a new stylist for your life!" My heart was honestly moved for her plight.

The Lord seemed to be speaking to me about the emptiness of the human heart and the nourishment of His Word (which I had enjoyed so richly in the morning). My life has a mission of bringing His LIFE to empty lives.

Finally Karly was finished and she said, "You want to take a look?". (Drum Roll...please) What do you know but Karly had done a great job! I still didn't look like Brad Pitt but I didn't look like Danny Divito either. My compliment and my tip were the highlight of her day.

Lord, I pray that people who are living dead end lives, can come to know your love that "re-styles" everything in life. Use me, Lord, I pray.

some of the story above was grossly exaggerated

Feasts and Muscles!

"George Eats Potatoes Cold"...an acrostic to remember, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. I feasted not on cold potatoes but on the "filet mignon", the "steak and lobster", of God's Word yesterday morning as I read those four books and went soaring into spiritual places of truth and hope and worship!

Then went to Vernon Alliance Church (VAC) and had a fulfilling time of worship. Pastor Stuart, (the star of the Head Damage Point Blog a few days ago) taught a delightful, unique, and helpful teaching on "The People's Prayer"...the "Lord's Prayer". Through one of his sermon illustrations he taught me a new prayer.

Stuart is the father of 4 boys ages 13 and under. At the dinner table they love to compare muscles between themselves. After a time they ask Stuart..."Show us your muscles, Dad, Show us your muscles!" And when Stuart unveils his "guns" they ooh and awe over the sheer power.

When we pray, "Your kingdom come" we are asking our Father, "Show us your muscles, Father", "Demonstrate your power so that our part of the world starts to look a little more like heaven, so that our lives are impacted by your presence, so the enemy begins to retreat in fear of you!"

"Father, Show us your muscles in Long Beach...change our church, our city by the power of your kingdom."

Then we spent a delightful afternoon on the lake--swimming and reading and waterskiing.

After driving the 15 miles back up the mountain, we took a long hike to drink from the mountain stream, pick raspberries, pick wildflowers.

It was a day of feasting on God's love through His Word, through Creation, through His Church, through Deb. I saw my Father's Muscles and did eat any cold potatoes.

Hard Work and Hot Water Tanks

Exploding hot water tanks, Batman! Yesterday was a long, long day of working on both houses with Dwight and Shelley, our friends and partners.

Undoubtedly the highlight was when Dwight and I were flushing one of the hot water tanks and the water pressure caused the valve (not the tank!) to explode sending calcium chunks and water all over us and the entire room. It was hysterical....and a pain to clean up.

I just finished reading 2 Thessalonians and Paul points out how hard they worked while at Thessalonica. He says, "we could have sat around just teaching and preaching and made you all pay for our room and board... that was our perogative. But we didn't...we worked hard." Then he says, "Warn those that are lazy, idle, non-working, mooches....don't even have lunch with them!"

Ministry is hard work and I feel blessed to take a sabbatical...thanks God for the incredible saints of Light & Life and for our FM conference which supports Deb and me by giving us this much needed break.

But even on this break, it's nice to put in some hard work, whether that's reading and studying for 10 hours, or it's cleaning, fixing, renovating for 14 hours...it feels good.

I realize I only enjoy leisure and pleasure if it's in balance with hard work. I am reminded that WORK was a creation of God and that in the Garden of Eden before the FALL...Adam and Eve worked and enjoyed it...BUT I bet their hot water tank didn't explode either!!

P.S. A big shout out to our incredible daughter, Lindsey! She turned 24 yesterday and what an awesome daughter, minister, servant of Christ, worshipper, sister in Christ she is...Sept 6 is the Memorial Day of a Miracle...her birth when God raised her from the dead (literally she was born dead) and spared Deb's life.

Laudramat Larry

Got up and read all of Galatians!

Galatians is a powerful argument for freedom...freedom from the condemnation of the law, freedom from salvation by works, freedom from the flesh. I can hear the apostle Paul shouting in joy as he writes...it is for FREEDOM that Christ has set you FREE!

When we get this amazing truth...nothing can hurt us deeply or permanently...nothing can scare us or overcome us...whatever the enemy tries against us is going to soon be utterly defeated...Christ has purchased my victory and paid my penalty and promised me an ongoing life of fullness with Him forever! I am FREE.

Spent the day working on the house with Dwight, Shelley, and Deb...and my illustrious career as a laundry boy entered a whole new dimension...9 washing machines at once...all by myself...I was running from machine to machine like a cat on a hot tin roof...I was the Mr.Clean of the laudramat. We were washing bedding for 14 different beds and I was the CHOSEN one to carry out the mission.

Jesus washed feet...the least I can do is wash duvet covers, sheets, and quilts. True confession that I can make safely since Deb never reads my blog...on the first 5 loads I mixed up the fabric softner with detergent...until the last minute of the wash cycle! When I discovered my mistake I was running like a mad man pouring detergent in the machines. People who I had been looking down my nose at a few minutes earlier for being the laundry low-lifes...were now laughing at my antics. I was humbled and began looking at the "laudramat lifers" with a new level of respect! I started asking for help and things went better.

I got to thinking Jesus has to take me through things like this. He uses the detergent of his conviction and the fabric softner of his grace to clean me up and soften my heart. It just feel like sometimes he leaves me on spin cycle a little too long!

We worked until 6pm and had a steak dinner and then worked until 10pm...putting up shelves in closets, cleaning etc.

Suffering, Bears, and Woodpeckers

Read through 2 Corinthians and was struck by the sacrifices Paul made for the gospel. The Holy Spirit was asking me, “what have I sacrificed for the kingdom?”… “in what ways have I suffered to advance the gospel?”

“Suffering” and “sacrifice” are not the “feel good” words that American Christians want to hear. Talk about “abundance”, “blessing”, “power”, “victory”, and everyone cheers and flocks. Talk about “rejection”, “persecution”, “hardship”, “endurance” and people leave. The kingdom involves both!

The most sacrifice\suffering that I can think of in my life has been in my mission work. Sleepless nights, danger, exhaustion, opposition, some hunger, being way out of my comfort zone…still it’s pretty weak suffering. I have given up food during fasting, I have given up sleep to seek you, I have bypassed high-paying positions, but all these are so miniscule that it’s hard to say I have ever suffered.

Lord, I am not looking for “suffering” but I am willing to “suffer”. I want to give so generously and live so radically that it causes me to sacrifice in ways that I “feel it”.

About noon I climbed Attridge to my devotional spot overlooking 100 miles of trees, mountains, lakes and sky. Had a sweet time with Jesus.

Went to the lake and had an awesome time waterskiing and boating with Deb. At the campground we were within 200 feet of a huge black bear that got on his hind legs to view us. We kept our distance lest we enter into unwanted "suffering".

Just after that we saw a red headed woodpecker. The old Indian (native American…no…native Canadian…hmm) at the campground told us that this was a rare sighting and was a sign that we are blessed. We already felt blessed...God has been good.

Came back up the mountain and watched McCain's speech...now there is a man who suffered for his country! Wow! He suffered in unbearable ways but he was thanking God for the blessing of that suffering. Suffering and Blessing...Bears and Woodpeckers come together in the same package.

Shelley and Dwight arrived so we can work on the houses for the next two days.