Rooted in His Love

Introducing Grace to Glory, Inc.

2010-06-08T10:20:00.003-04:00

I took a big plunge last week. I pulled the trigger on something I've been praying/dreaming/wrestling over for what seems like a long time. I've begun the process of establishing a new ministry presence in Ellijay that will give an identity to what we do. I'm calling it Grace to Glory, Inc. Let me take the opportunity to explain the significance of our logo, as It combines in a picture several of the scripture passages that have come to mean the most to us and will help to clarify the dream of Grace to Glory.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

Our dream is to see people...

1) Grow in their trust in the Lord, trusting first of all that His heart is always good towards us. Did you ever stop to think about the fact that when everything was as God intended, we as a human race had no concept of evil or the absence of God and good. And what was the one thing that God commanded us not to do? Don't eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Our Father is so good, so loving, so protective that He didn't even want us to know there could be an absence of good/evil. Whoa.

2) Develop roots that tap into Him as the only source of life. Worship is not singing songs. Worship is what we bow down to when we are looking to be filled, to feel alive. There is only one source that satisfies, and that is the everflowing, unfailing love of our Father, and the limitlelss grace extended through Jesus Christ.

3) Become disciples who know Christ, not only as Savior, but as Life. As each of us begin to embrace our own brokenness and inability to bear fruit that lasts when we rely on our own strength, and surrender to Christ's limitless ability to establish the Kingdom of God through us, our lives will always bear fruit even in our most difficult days.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. The will be called oaks of righeousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:1-3

I love knowing that this passage was the first scripture Jesus read when he began his public ministry, declaring that it was being fulfilled in the people's hearing. I love knowing that Jesus was declaring his mission to be one of healing and restoring: healing our hearts, the core of who we are, our identity, and restoring us to live a life that brings glory to His Father. I am most alive when I am engaged in joining Him in his mission.

May Grace to Glory see many people experience and embrace His radical grace!

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorisou riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

Freedom TO and then Freedom FROM

2010-04-14T12:29:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday morning, Michelle and I decided to stay home and have some time with our sons. It was a gorgeous morning, so we moved everyone out to one of our favorite places in the world, our screened-in back porch. The kids all groaned when they saw me bringing out the guitar. "Awww, Dad, c'mon. We're not singing!" I also brought out a stack of bibles for everyone and copies of chapter 48 of Larry Crabb's "66 Love Letters" in which he records his conversation with Father about each book of the bible, this one regarding Paul's letter to the Galatians. We read Galatians 5 together, then discussed Crabb's "journal entry." What he believed to have heard Father say to him about the letter rang very true with me.

He starts the conversation like this:

"God, one verse in Your next letter has frustrated me since I first heard it years ago in Sunday school. In Galatians 5:16, You tell me that if I 'live by the Spirit,' I won't gratify the desires of the sinful nature.' I've been fighting a win-lose battle with temptation ever since I tried not to look at Ricky Murphy's spelling test answers in fourth grade. I lost that battle and am losing lots of others, right up until now. If that verse hides the secret of how not to indulge sinful desires, I've not yet found it."

I wish I could relay the whole conversation. As one who has walked intimately and authentically with many brothers and sisters, apparently we all share these questions: "When are we going to experience the freedom Christ has paid for and given us? Why do I still find myself having days that seem dominated by the old flesh rather than reflective of my new Spirit?"

Father pointed Crabb to the words of Puritan pastor, John Owen who said,

"The Christian may be like a ship tossed in a storm. Nobody on board may be aware that the ship is making any headway at all. Yet it is sailing on at great speed. Great winds and storms help fruit-bearing trees. So also do corruptions and temptations help the fruitfulness of grace and holiness...corruptions and temptations develop the fruit of humility, self-abasement and mourning in a deeper search for the grace by which holiness grows strong. But only later will there be visible fruits of increased holiness."

Then Crabb heard Father speak these words to his heart:

"Gospel freedom means to neither indulge your whims nor keep My rules. Whim-indulgers and rule-keepers are slaves to the corruption within them that demands a kind of satisfaction My Son will not provide for you in this life. My Son has set you free to love, to believe I am good and that the good story I am telling is unfolding under His control. Faith in Me and hope for tomorrow frees you to love today. And loving with divine power releases a kind of joy into your soul that nothing else can bring."

And here is Crabb's response:

"God, I think I'm hearing You. Trying hard to follow all Your rules creates both pride and pressure that set the stage for addictively wanting the relief that addictions provide, an illusory but strangely satisfying relief that feels necessary and, therefore, justified. That's 'the great winds and storms' that Owen spoke of, the corruptions and temptations that are inevitable. You're not freeing me to keep on sinning so You can keep on forgiving, but you do want me to live in the freedom of knowing that You will keep on forgiving when I keep on sinning. I'm not free to do everything right - I can't. And I'm not free to do whatever makes me feel complete - that's wrong. But I am free to love. And exercising that freedom releases joy that provides power to resist the appeal of lesser but still strongly appealing satisfactions. Am I hearing You?"

(I keep thinking I will stop quoting and try to abbreviate things to sum it up, but IT'S JUST SO GOOD!) Here is Father's answer to Crabb:

"Yes! I'm delighted! My Spirit is the love that My Son and I have for each other and for the world. To live by My Spirit means to love others no matter how painfully you're hurting or how badly you fail. Focus more on loving others than resisting temptation. The fruits of holiness, the fruit of My Spirit, will become visible in increased power over compulsive sin and more freedom to love.

"Let the corruption within you become an occasion for humility and self-abasement that will release your desire to move toward others for their sakes. Make every effort not to sin less but to love more. Whatever sin continues not only will be forgiven but also will become an opportunity to celebrate the grace that supplies the power to love again, which in turn will supply the power to resist temptation as you realize that yielding to it gets in the way of what you most want to do, to love as I love. You are free not to do everything right and not do whatever pleases you in the moment. You are free to love."

I think the man's hearing from God. It's what Father's been trying to tell me for a while, I just know it. It feels like something crystallized for me there on the back porch with my family.

So here's that summary and what I'm taking away from this: Freedom from sin, our addictions and the flesh is not the point of Christ's mission and the work of the Spirit. It was never meant to be the focus. Christ has set us free to love as He loves "no matter how painfully (we) are hurting or how badly (we) fail." Increasing freedom from sin, our addictions and the flesh is a byproduct of the flow of love, and it's accompanying fulfillment, coming from the Spirit, through us, to others.

I'm feeling very free to love today. How sweet it is.

Oh, and by the way. We did sing a little Sunday with my son Jacob playing the guitar.

"Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that You're my God. You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me...."

KIDNAPPED! An Allegory

2010-03-26T10:33:00.005-04:00

This allegory was written by my friend Jim Hobson for Christ-Life Ministries' "Ultimate Journey." Its aim is to help us get a truer picture of our Heavenly Father, and I always follow it with the question, "Where are you in 'the room' when it's your Father's desire for you to be at home in His lap?"

KIDNAPPED!

When we decided to have children, I never imagined how much I would love them. They were the fruit of our love. I loved them not because of what they did, but because they were ours. I was much more than their father. I was their daddy. Like most little girls they were innocent, loving, and trusting.

One beautiful summer day when Emily was almost 5, I was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper when she asked if she could go outside and play. "Yes honey; just be careful and stay back from the street," I warned. I watched with a smile as she played hopscotch on the front sidewalk. The sun seemed to radiate through her little body as she tried to hop from place to place. Eventually, I turned back to my paper.

But while I was thus absorbed, a car pulled up. A man rolled down the window and asked Emily if she wanted a piece of candy. Startled, she shook her head and said, "No, I'm not supposed to take candy from strangers. My daddy said so." "Your daddy is right," said the man. "He'd be very proud of you for learning so well. Is your daddy home?" he asked. "Yes, he's inside." "I know your daddy and would like to see him. Do you think you could take me to him?" He said as he got out of the car. "Sure." The man then asked her again, "Would you like a piece of candy?"

Now she's thinking to herself, "I"m not suppose to take candy from strangers, but this man knows my daddy, so he must not be a stranger. Maybe it's alright." So with all the innocence and trust of a four-year old little girl, she reached up to take the candy.

Just then I looked up from my paper. I watched as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward the car. I threw the paper and made a mad dash for the front door. The man saw me as I came running through the door, and he hit the gas hard. The tires squealed as I ran after them as fast as I could. As I watched her little arm flailing through the rear window of the car, I ran harder than I had ever run before. After just two blocks they were pulling farther away, and it was clear I wasn't going to catch him on foot.

I ran to the first house I came to and crashed through the door without stopping to knock. As I frantically looked for the telephone, I screamed for someone to call 911. In a few short moments, the police were setting up roadblocks and scouring the area. A detective took me back home where once again I recounted what happened with as much detail as possible. The emotions were overwhelming as my wife and I cried out for our little girl.

I felt helpless as we waited for word. I insisted on going out to look for her, but the policeman convinced me that there were hundreds of police looking for her and that I needed to stay home by the phone in case the kidnapper called.

The police set up a trace on our phone line, and we waited for the kidnapper to call. At first, I didn't want to get a call. I didn't want to admit that she had been kidnapped. I wanted to see her come walking back through the front door like it was all a big mistake, or for someone to call and tell us they had found her safe and they were bringing her home. But as the hours passed and she didn't return, we started praying that the kidnappers would call. The hours passed slowly and painfully. We could do nothing but wait.

Hours turned into days. As days passed with no word, I fought back thoughts of never seeing her again, never being able to hold her in my arms and tell her how much I loved her. I thought of never being reconnected with that part of me that had been ripped away.

Weeks turned into months, and still no call. Everyone was trying to help. Neighbors and friends helped put her picture up all across the state. The FBI expanded the search across the country, but our daughter was nowhere to be found.

After a year and a half, Detective Brown knocked on our door. He had a different look on his face this time. He had been on the case from the beginning and knew better than anyone, the pain we'd been going through. I could tell it was hard for him as he explained how they had exhausted all their leads, and that short of a miracle he didn't know if they would ever find our daughter. He explained that we probably wouldn't see him as much now as he had been assigned to another case. He encouraged us not to hesitate in calling if anything came up or if we just needed to talk, but I knew that meant they had given up.

We couldn't give up, not while there was even the smallest chance we might be able to get our little girl back. We hired a private investigator. We poured all of our resources into trying to find her. Nothing mattered but getting her back. We would have paid any price to get her back. Each year we hired artists to create computer-generated pictures of what she might look like then.

I tried not to let myself stop thinking about how I would get her back, because each time I did, my mind would fill with those same haunting questions. Is she alive? Is she dead? What's happening to her? Your mind thinks the worst, but you're not even sure what the worst is.

Unfortunately, they were taking advantage of her and abusing her emotionally, physically, and sexually. Our worst nightmares were coming true.

The first nights after being taken away from us, our innocent, trusting little girl would say to her new providers through tears streaming down her cheeks, " I want to go back to my Mommy and Daddy," but they would respond to her with lies. "Your Father doesn't love you! Your father hired me to take you. He didn't want you. He doesn't want anything to do with you. You can't trust Him!"

After a while, she began to believe the lies. "After all,," she told herself , "If my daddy really loves me, why doesn't he come and get me? It just made things worse. She was in a hostile world now where all kinds of things were being done to her that she had no control over. She began to learn that if she was going to survive in this world, she was going to have to do certain things. Things that no one should have to do. She learned to accept what twisted security there was in conforming to the patterns of her new 'providers'.

Who could blame her? She was a little girl trying to survive in a crazy world. As she grew and became a young street-smart teenager, she mustered up the courage to escape. She dreamed of starting fresh on her own and not having to live that way anymore. But she soon found out that the streets are hard and cold. Each time hunger and fear set in, she resorted to the patterns of survival that were once forced upon her. She prostituted herself to get along in the perverted world that was all around her.

Sometimes she would let herself dream that her Daddy really did love her, that everything she was told was a lie, and that she could go home and be with him. But then the shame would hit her about all the things that had been done to her and all the things she had now chosen to do. She just knew that her Father could never love her the way she was now.

Meanwhile my mind was totally consumed with thoughts of getting my little girl back. And she didn't have a clue as to how I really felt.

She moved from city to city, but each time it was the same. There was nowhere safe, no one she could trust. She'd been a lot of places for being only 19. New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St Louis, and a hundred places in between. Now she was on 'The Redeye' to Chicago. When the bus rolled into the depot, she wiped the sleep from her eyes and thought, "Maybe this time. Maybe this will be the place."

It was still a little dark out as she looked out the window at the city lights while the sun came over the horizon. She watched a passenger train pull into town and drop off a load of businessmen commuting to the city. That triggered something in her. Without thinking and without direction, she instinctively reached into the dusty archives of her mind and pulled up an old videotape. The pictures rolled through her memory, she watched her daddy get on a train like that and wave goodbye on his way to work while mommy was holding her.

When she got off the bus, she walked to the train station, not really even knowing why. It was almost as if she were being pulled. At the station, she stood there, looking around. She saw a sign for Wheaton. That name looked familiar. Could that be where she was from? She had to find out. She boarded the train and headed for Wheaton.

She wasn't sure where to go when she arrived. She headed toward the park across the street and then just started walking around the neighborhood. It had been 15 years and there had been a lot of changes, but something felt familiar. She walked for several blocks just trying to let it sink in. Finally, she came to a corner that seemed familiar. She turned the corner into a quiet subdivision. As she walked into the subdivision, she thought to herself, "I must be crazy." But as she made a curve, she saw it - a big white house, with green shutters and a green door. She knew immediately that it was home.

As she stood there studying the house, she got scared. She sat down on the curb, her mind flooding with emotions. "Should I go up there: Maybe they don't live here anymore. Maybe they don't love me. Maybe the kidnappers told the truth when they said my parents hired them to take me a way. Maybe if I go to the door they'll call the kidnappers back. Can I really trust them? Do I dare trust them?"

She almost turned to walk away, but she had nowhere to go. Deep inside she was holding onto the hope that maybe her parents still lived there and that this might be the place of safety and love she'd been looking for. Every muscle in her body tightened as she rang the bell.

I was in my study when I heard the doorbell ring. I was shocked when I opened the door and found a 19 year-old woman dressed like a prostitute. I hesitantly said ""Hello," but she just stood there. I had no idea who she was. But as I looked into her hurting green eyes, past all of the make-up and the scanty, skin-tight clothes, I saw something. There was a connection. The connection of like to like. There she was! My little girl had come home.

I couldn't believe it! After years of searching, longing, praying, she was standing right in front of me. So what would you say to her if you were me?

'DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO TAKE CANDY FROM STRANGERS?"

Of course not. Was I mad at my little girl for taking candy from strangers? Did I blame her? No. I wasn't mad at her, I was mad at the one who took her away from me. The truth was that I was overwhelmed with emotion. I reached out to embrace her, but she was scared and stepped away. Of course she was scared. Any man that had ever come within ten feet of her came for only one reason. Now I'm coming at her and she is projecting all of the hurt, pain and mistrust she has experienced in life right onto me. Inside I am dying just to hold her like I did when she was little. But she won't let me. I don't want to push her too hard and scare her away, so I settle for asking her to come in.

We go into the living room and begin talking. It's awkward at first. We haven't spent any time together in years and she doesn't know me. I see the fear in her eyes so I tell her I am so excited to see her and that everything is going to be all right. She's extremely nervous, shaking like a leaf. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a package of cigarettes in an attempt to calm her nerves. But she can't find her matches. So what would you tell her if you were me?

"NO, NOT IN HERE! IF YOU HAVE TO SMOKE THAT, GO OUTSIDE. DON'T COME BACK HERE UNTIL YOU BREAK THAT NASTY HABIT."

No, absolutely not. I see the scared and nervous look on her face that without a word says she could bolt at any moment. I know that if she goes looking for matches I may never see her again. I run to the kitchen and get some matches. Do I want her to smoke? No. Do I care right now? No. I just want her to be here. I don't care that she's got some junk that she's bringing with her. We'll deal with that later. Who cares? Be here just as you are. Right here. Right now. In the safety of my house. Let me look at you. Let me talk to you. Let me take care of you.

I see the hurt on her face. I sense the lack of trust in everything she says and does. Inside I am dying because all these years, all I have wanted to do is to hold and love her. And now she is right here in the room with me and I can't do anything.

She's right in front of me but I can't show her how much I love her. Why? Because she doesn't trust me. Am I not trustworthy? Am I not the Father that loves her? Am I not the one who planned for her even before she was born. Am I not the one who conceived her? Am I not he one who loved, nurtured and cared for her until she was stolen away: I've spent years crying, longing, praying for her return. I poured my entire being and all my resources into the single objective of reuniting with her. And now, she's here, but I can't... she won't trust me.

I try to find a way to gain her trust. I continue to be patient and give her room because I know I can't force her to trust me. But I keep calling to her. Nurturing her. Wooing her. Loving her.

She keeps asking herself, "Can I trust him? Does he really love me?" But my trustworthiness and love have never been the real questions. The real questions for her are:

Will you continue to believe the lies of the one who stole you and project the junk of the world he took you into onto me? Or will you believe the truth about me and trust me to protect, nurture and love you once again?

How much of the love I long to pour out to you are you willing and able to receive?

Father Loves Best

2010-01-11T14:37:00.002-05:00

Since stepping away from my role as CrossPoint's pastor in September, I have entered a season I'm acknowledging as "The Weaning Pen." Like a calf being held in a pen away from the source it always looked to for provision, I'm experiencing an intensive time of realizing the things I have looked to besides Father to fill me and provide for me...emotionally, physically, and financially. I assure you it's no fun going through what it takes for some of these things to be brought to the surface, but I'm grateful because I see Father's heart for me in it. And I see what's on the other side...true Life.

If I was looking to my position as a pastor in this community to feel good about myself, it is gone. I sell truck accessories, something I know little about. I've never even owned a truck!

If I was looking to my ability to come through for people, it is gone. I have let people down.

If I was looking to the credibility I had in the community because of the ministry, that went away.

If I was looking to my ability to be seen by my family as a good provider, that's gone. I am dependent upon God working through others.

I've also realized, even more, the extent that I've idolized Michelle, depending on her approval and affection to feel fulfilled.

The other day, as I was driving to see a counselor/friend in Roswell, I said to God, "Father, I am so tired of struggling to find my place in Your story, wondering if I will ever be what you created me to be and do what you created me to do. I'm so tired of trying to 'arrive'."

What I heard Him say was this: "You'll not find what you're looking for until you want Me more than you want to find your place or to 'arrive.'"

I said, "Ok, Father. I hear that. But how do I want You more?" knowing that wasn't something I could just conjure up.

He said, "The only thing you can do is to lay down the desire that is being placed higher than your desire for Me."

I told Him that I was sorry, that I would lay that down, and it's something I know I'll have to do over and over again.

One of the things I realized clearly this morning was that I had become attached to my ministry. I had come to look at how the ministry was going as an indicator of whether or not I could feel happy with myself. And I had come attached to the people. People feeling good about me, how I was doing, and where I was leading them had become an idol. I stepped away because I had lost confidence in my ability to hear Father's voice over the voices of others. I fully realize now that the reason I couldn't hear His voice is because I was I had begun idolizing the voices of others over His. And I was more concerned with whether or not I was worthy of approval than I was with the needs of the people I was ministering to. It was the exact opposite of the message I had been preaching for years: "Our value is based on how Father sees us IN CHRIST, not on our performance." I regret the ways I didn't live out what I was preaching, but His not finished with me yet!

Michelle and I have been enjoying worshipping with Louie Giglio and Passion City Church in Atlanta from time to time. This morning, we watched a message we missed a few weeks back. It's a message that I want everyone I love to hear. It's a message I long to preach again, but more than that, one I want, and need, to walk in more fully. Father has brought about this season for me because He loves me. He wanted me to go deeper. He didn't want me to go on experiencing any less than all He made available to me through the cross of Christ. He wants to free me from all concerns about myself. The verdict is in. I am crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me! The verdict is in on you as well.

I hope you'll sit, alone or with those you love, and enjoy this message (http://www.passioncitychurch.com/watch/#20091025). It feels good to be thinking of you this morning and to be experiencing Father's heart, my new and true heart, for you His beloved children and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

May you know that you are loved and truly blessed today,
Tim

Christmas: A Glorious Invasion

2009-12-31T12:19:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, this planet we call home was characterized by love and peace and beauty. It was created by a loving Father as a home for his children and as a place to share and enjoy life with them. The relationship of the children with their Father was perfect, full of love and trust. With perfect love and trust, there was intimacy, communion.

There were no thoughts of life apart from one another, no suspicion, no fear of rejection. The children knew everything that they needed their Father would provide, and because of that they never knew a moment of anxiety. No energy was ever wasted on worry. There was food. There was warmth. There was adventure. And everywhere the children looked there was an expression of their Father's love. The children also knew nothing but love for themselves and each other. There was never a hint of self-consciousness or selfishness. They had no questions of whether or not they were good enough, or strong enough, or smart enough, whether or not they were lovable or acceptable. They were naked and felt no shame. They trusted their Father. They trusted one another. They even trusted themselves. The planet earth and the Garden of Eden where they lived was a little colony of heaven, an expansion of the Father's kingdom. His desires, His will, was experienced perfectly on earth as it was in Heaven.

The children had total freedom to do whatever they wanted and there was only one thing that they were commanded not to do. They were not to eat of the fruit in the middle of the garden or they would experience death and the opposite of everything their Father desired for them. The tree in the middle of the garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Father loved the children so much that he didn't even want them to know that there was such a thing as good and evil, much less to experience a reality where evil, the absence of good, existed.

However, the children were not alone in the garden. There was someone else there, one who had been created to serve their Father and carry out his desires, but who had rebelled against the good Father and become the Father's, and the children's, enemy. He lived in the garden in the form of a serpent, and he was very cunning and persuasive, a master of lies and manipulation. By planting a seed of doubt that the Father could be trusted, the enemy deceived the woman into doing something she had never done before: act outside the will of her Father. Foregoing her complete dependence on Him, she acted with independence, taking matters into her own hands to meet her needs, thus agreeing with enemy that the good Father could not be trusted. She then turned and gave the fruit to the man, who had been silent, passive through the whole exchange. They both ate of the fruit and immediately everything changed.

In a moment their eyes were open to their nakedness, and for the first time they became self-conscious, self-protective, self-absorbed, and the worst of all self-loathing. They felt shame. They did what they could to cover their nakedness and they hid. And they had no idea the ramifications of what they had done.

The Father had put them in charge of ruling over the earth and carrying out His desires. By giving into the enemy's deception, they had lost their authority to rule and had given the enemy rulership over the earth. A new kingdom had been established. A kingdom of darkness. A kingdom of selfishness. A kingdom of fear. A kingdom of death. And from that day on things got worse and worse for the Father's children and their offspring. No one gave any thought to the Father and his goodness or his faithful provision. It was every man for himself. The evil grew so pervasive that the Father grieved ever having children and vowed to wipe them from the earth. Yet the Father still desired to share His life with His children.

There was one family who still loved Him and trusted Him, who listened to Him and believed. He protected this family while he destroyed the rest of the earth's inhabitants, and charged them with repopulating the planet. He was determined that his children would know him again by name and would know that He loved them and He could be trusted. First there was a man who knew Him. Then a family. Then a nation.

But there was still a problem. Every child born on earth, every offspring of his original children, had a rebellious, distrusting nature. The enemy's darkness again covered the earth. Evil kings carried out the desires of the deceptive lord. The planet created to be a paradise, a colony of the good Father's home, continued to be characterized by hate, depression, war, impatience, harshness, unfaithfulness, and lust. The vast majority of the inhabitants of the earth lived in complete ignorance or blatant disregard of their Father's desires.

It was into this kingdom of darkness that the Father enacted an invasion, a planned coup that would take back his colony and re-establish His Kingdom on the planet He created. But the invasion took place in the most unexpected way. The Father certainly could have taken over with force, but His desire was still to be known...and to be loved. And He wanted His children to know how they were created to live: completely dependent on Him, knowing His overwhelming, unfailing love and faithful provision for their every need.

Driven by that desire, he sent his only son, a son whose earthly parents He instructed to name Yeshua, or Jesus as we have come to call him, which means "Salvation." Born to a virgin named Mary, the Father's pure son was free of the rebellious, sinful nature that plagued every other child on earth. The Son carried within Him the Father's Kingdom, and the Father's will was always carried out by the Son. Not once did the Son rebel against His Father. He was completely aware of His Father's love for Him and He knew his mission: to bring glory to His Father, to let all the Father's children know How good He is and how much He loved them, to reconcile the children with their Father, and to restore all things to the way Father intended.

Everywhere the Son went, His Father's will was expressed. The blind received their sight. The lame walked. The sick were made well. The dead were raised. But most miraculously, those who were ridden by shame, and guilt and self-hatred were loved and forgiven, and could again love their Father, love others and themselves.

Thirty-three years after the first Christmas morning, the Son Jesus willfully allowed himself to be killed by men who unknowingly were carrying out the will of the evil serpent. However, the enemy was also unaware of what the Father was accomplishing through His Son's death. As a perfect and unblemished sacrifice, the Son was taking onto himself all the sin and shame of the world, even becoming sin, and with His death He was destroying sin and it's hold on the Father's children. Never again would the Father's children have to hide because of their shame. All who would believe that the Son had come and would trust that His death was sufficient payment for their sins would be forgiven and reconciled to the Father and the life He desired for them. As a result of their expression of faith, the son would also give each child His very Spirit, and with it a new Heart and a new nature. This nature would be prone to love the Father and to desire to see His Kingdom expanded over the earth. And by the power of Christ's Spirit, each child of the Father was enabled to embody the Son, expressing Him and re-presenting Him over and over again to the world.

This morning, the Jesus who desires for everyone to know the love of His Father is living in me, and it is out of His desire and the love He has placed in my heart that I share this story with you. Merry Christmas. You are loved!

What I Believe (About You)

2009-11-17T16:53:00.006-05:00

Here's what I believe about you, and me, and every other human being.

You were created by a loving, Heavenly Father, who made you in His image. He created you to share and enjoy life with Him, to receive love and give it to Him and others, and to be a reflection of how good He is. You and every other human being who has walked the earth, besides Jesus Christ himself, was born not knowing God. It was your nature not to trust Him and to fend for yourself, to pursue life your way.

It didn't help that your parents, no matter how good they were, did not perfectly love you as your Heavenly Father loves you. They didn't perfectly reflect His grace, His patience, or His compassion. They didn't perfectly communicate how valuable you are or the delight that your Father has for you. And they failed to communicate who you are and what you were created to be. As a matter of fact they often sent a message that originated with the father of lies himself. And it hurt. I would say most of your life and your sin has been a response to what you came to believe about yourself and about God, a response to the messages you received or didn't receive from your parents or the people that you believed... should know.

Your sin separated you from God and from the joy of being in His presence without shame. But Jesus did a work for you and the rest of us. He became sin for you, taking your sin onto Himself, and He paid the debt you and every other human being owed to God.

You either were or still are in need of being reconciled to your Father. Jesus has made a way to reconnect your spirit with the Spirit of the Creator of the Universe. You just have to want it, to ask the Holy Spirit to do it, and to trust that what Jesus did on the cross was enough to make you blameless before God.

Jesus loves to restore. To be restored is to be put back together, to be made new again, to look the way you were created to look and to be who you were created to be.

All things were created by Him and through Him, so He knows who you were meant to be. You were created to have the same relationship with God that Jesus himself has always enjoyed. You were meant to enjoy a life of purpose, your greatest joy to bring your Father glory. You were meant to know His peace, trusting Father to meet every one of your needs. You were meant to know and live in and give away...love. Jesus will restore anyone, because He loves and believes in...everyone.

It's not over. I mean, once you're reconcile or saved. It's not over.

Even the reconciled, the redeemed, the saved need work. Jesus gives a new heart and new Spirit. He makes us into a whole new creation! But the mind, the mind, the mind. What will we do with our minds? You mind must be renewed. It has to be retrained. Our minds remember too much, and forget even more. Without being renewed, our minds think according to what we have always known, what we have always believed about ourselves. Abandoned. Rejected. Not good enough. Unlovable.

But Jesus changes everything, and offers a new reality. Never forsaken. Accepted. Complete. Lovable. Not to mention...holy. When we enter into the new covenant in Christ, we are just as set apart as He is. And we are able.

The mission of Jesus Christ was to die, to, in effect, plant himself as a seed, so that more little Christ's might spring up and grow into the fullness of...Christ. He promised a gift and He delivered. The Holy Spirit. The Guide. The Counselor. The Comforter. The Power! The power to do what? Even greater things than Jesus did while He walked the earth. As a group. As His body on the earth. It's the will of our loving Father that you are released from every lie that keeps you from having life and having it abundantly, and released to fully express CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of Glory!

What do YOU believe...about you?

This Morning's Prayer

2009-10-26T07:24:00.001-04:00

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water, that sends its roots out by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; it's leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

Lord, today I choose to trust you and place my confidence in you. I trust you to meet my needs for love and affection. I trust you to validate me, to tell me that I am good, lovable, strong and able because of your Goodness and Strength that lives in me. I trust you to meet the physical and emotional needs of my family. Through me or through others, you are the Source. I am confident that your heart towards me is good, Lord, that your grace is sufficient for me, that your blood has covered me and my sins, and that Your righteousness is mine, even on my worst day.

Sometimes I get discouraged, Lord, with what feels like a lack of progress in my battle against self-absorption and self-reliance, but I am confident that you have not only begun a good work in me when You gave me a new heart and a new Spirit, but that You will complete that good work.

My roots reach out into your stream of Unfailing Love today. My fears subside and my heart comes alive again with your Life pumping through my veins. I trust what you say, that my life will bear fruit today. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done! Amen!

Changes

2009-10-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a little over three weeks since I made one of the biggest changes in my life. After seventeen years of vocational ministry, and pastoring for the last nine, I stepped away from the weekly responsibility of teaching and organizing a Sunday gathering. I almost said that I stepped away from pastoring, but that wouldn't be true. My heart is still to shepherd, to lead people to the abundant life that is found in Christ. Actually, I find myself doing more counseling and ministry than ever these days. Only now it happens primarily in my little Truck Top and Accessory shop next to my new friend Max's garage and behind my old friend Eddie's Tire Center. That's right. I have never owned a truck, but I now cannot help but notice every truck I pass, not to mention how each one is accessorized. "Does it have a top? Steps? Bug shield? A couple of months ago I could not have pointed out a nerf bar, brush guard, bed cap or tonneau cover. I actually had a customer come in one day and say, "Yeah, I need a FlowMaster cutoff and and Y-Pipe put on." I called my distributor and said, "Hey, I've got this guy who's looking for a FlowMaster cutoff." The salesman on the other end of phone did a search and said, "I can't find a FlowMaster Cutoff. Could there be another name for it?" I turned to the customer and asked. He said, "No. I have a FlowMaster. I need it cut off and a y-pipe put on." "Ohhhhhh. Yeah, you might want to check with Max next door." Wow.

You're probably wondering how I found myself selling truck accessories. For a while, Michelle and I had been seeking to relieve the church of the burden of supporting our family financially. She has been working to build a business called HelloNorthGeorgia.com, an online directory/marketing tool for small businesses in North Georgia. Anything Michelle puts her mind to, she does well, and the business is off to a good start. Unfortunately it sometimes consumes her time and thoughts and distracts her from her greatest passions: God, family and His children. Not to mention the fact that she works 30 hours a week for no immediate financial benefit. It take a while for a business to produce income, we've found. That pursuit is not something she wants to do long term, so we had been praying about what I might do to provide for the family. Jason Raughton, a friend in Dalton that had been to all of my men's retreats over the past few years, had been in the truck accessory business with his dad for decades. He had been saying for over a year that he would be interested in helping someone set up a shop in Ellijay, since no one sold camper tops in our area. I communicated his offer to several people without incomes, but there were no takers. Finally, back in July, Michelle and I decided we would give it a shot. I hung a sign and began fixing up a bay on Main Street to serve as an accessory showroom.

Meanwhile, back at a the church, my heart had taken quite a pounding over the past couple of years. Back in 2007, I remember being very satisfied with what our church had become: a safe place for broken-hearted people to be restored to who God created them to be. We weren't super organized with lots of programs, but I felt what we had was real, fruitful and good. Sometime during that year, however, the waves of criticism began to roll and take their toll. I felt like I was being hit from ever angle, leaving me reeling with little confidence in the direction I was leading the church.

What I thought was an act of surrender was, in retrospect, an act of resignation. I welcomed five new elders onto our leadership team, creating a team of eight men that represented the spectrum of backgrounds, perspectives, and agendas. I declared 2008 to be the year of new beginnings, assuming that the product of this team would be what we were all hungry for. It turned out to be the year of banging our heads against a wall. I ended the year, stepping away for a couple of months for a time of rest and restoration.

I'm leaving out a lot of drama, but upon my return two of the elders announced they were leaving to start a new work. They were joined by our youth minister and our band. I was left leading what was, in effect, a large "small group" of 50 to 75 people gathering each week. I call it a large "small group" because I wanted us to experience more of a family gathering each Sunday than a worship service. We sang, and I still taught, but we made lots of room for sharing of testimonies and praying for one another. It wasn't uncommon for us to be together for three hours on a Sunday morning, a difficult experience for those with young children. So, even though the time felt very fruitful, and for many was the best experience of church body life they had ever encountered, I just felt myself sinking deeper and deeper into a survival mentality, doing the bare minimum each week just to get by.

I had thought moving us into a new building that we could rent and use 24/7 would open up our hearts and minds to the ministry opportunities we were longing to offer the community. However, still in the midst of renovating the building, I got painfully honest with the remaining elders. I told them I was still struggling with all the voices going on in my head and felt unable to discern that of my Father.

That conversation set things in motion, and within two weeks I found myself announcing my decision to step away from my role as pastor. On the Sunday that followed, the body, led by two tired elders, made the decision to disband.Two weeks later I stumbled into the four-day men's retreat I was leading, trusting that if I stood up, Father would show up. He did, and at the end of that event, I felt my heart coming alive again.

So here I am, waking up early each day, asking Father to tell me what's on His heart and to awaken mine. I'm stirred to focus on men in our area and the ones we have been ministering to through our Band of Brothers Weekends. I want to take people who we've been walking with further in what is now called "The Ultimate Journey" offered by Christ-Life Ministries in Des Moines. I want to take my teenage sons and their friends and teammates through an initiation into manhood journey. And, I want my wife to feel loved, prioritized and relieved of the pressure she feels to provide for our family.

I think this truck accessory business has the potential to provide for us financially as well as open up doors for ministry in the community. I've loved being out in the market place each day, surprising people with a taste of their Father's love. However, I don't have a lot of confidence that it will be a viable source of support until the Spring. As we watch the bills piling up, we find ourselves asking Father, "Do we put the house on the market? We know you will provide, but what would you have us to do?" As a result of that prayer, I am working on establishing a new ministry umbrella with a non-profit status for all that we do. Meanwhile, over the next six months, we will gratefully welcome support from all who have confidence that we are about our Father's business and that our family and ministry is a good Kingdom investment. We are also asking friends to join us as intercessors, knowing that as we advance there will be great opposition by the enemy. Give me a call (706-273-4025), email me (cartecaytrucktops@gmail.com), or write us (275 Stegall Road, Ellijay, GA 30536,) and we'll share more how you can partner with us. Blessings. - Tim

Sunk in Him

2009-06-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, when we only had two toddlers, I took my wife on what was the most extravagant of all our vacations. It was actually what I would call a make-up trip to Grand Cayman. I had been blessed to go to the island two years before when the owner of the camp we worked for took the staff there as a Christmas present/staff retreat. Michelle, who had been on staff there much longer than I, had just given birth to our son, Jacob, and could not go. She was great about it, but as you can imagine it was a source of a little humorous, yet real sense of injustice.

So, a couple of years later on this "make-up" trip, having rented out the kids to their grandparents to pay for it, we stayed in the same condo we had stayed in as a staff. We ate at some of the same restaurants I had been to before. And we used the same dive shop for a couple days of some of the best scuba diving in the world. Since neither of us was certified, we went through what they called a "resort course." The course consisted of no more than thirty minutes of instruction with a flip chart and a few minutes of testing the equipment in a pool, and then it was out to sea with a dive master who assured us he would be staying very close and would be taking us to depths of no more than 50 feet.

At one of our stops, we dove down to explore a sunken ship. The thrill of the adventure was tainted slightly when we learned that the vessel had been sunk on purpose, but it was still pretty cool. What struck me was how much the ship had become part of the seascape. It was covered in barnacles and inside were huge schools of small, shiny, silver fish. There had to be millions of them that called the boat 'home.' At one point, with growing over-confidence, I decided to go through a small hole in the ship to explore another room. When only my head had gone through, I felt a tug on my fin and turned to see the dive master wagging his finger at me and beckoning me to come back out into the open areas. He didn't want me to become a permanent part of the sea as well.

Before Jesus departed to join His Father in heaven, he left final words including what we have come to call, "The Great Commission:" "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) The word 'baptize' means to immerse or dip. That ship we explored had been intentionally baptized into the Caribbean. Once the ship became part of the sea, covered in barnacles and filled with sea life, it's baptism was complete.

I'm not really sure why the Greek word 'eis,' translated 'in' in the phrase, "in the name of" was translated...'in.' When you go to the Greek lexicons, the predominant translation of that word is 'into.' What's the difference? I think it's huge. When we think about Christ's instruction to baptize, using the word 'in' makes it sound like, "Here's what I want you to say as you do it." However, when you use the word 'into,' it points to the substance into which we are being immersed.

Jesus went to the cross and shed His blood so that we could be covered, forgiven, and reconciled to His Father and ours. He instructed those who had been his apprentices over the previous three years, who had been learning to do what He did, to go and make more apprentices. And he told them to baptize or immerse those new disciples into the name...the person...the identity...the ministry...the power...the life of the Trinity.

Just as that rusty old, barnacle covered ship was no longer what it once was, those of us who are baptized or immersed into God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are no longer the same. We are new creatures. We are saints. We are the righteousness of God. We have a new mission. A new purpose. A new...identity.

We are invited to be baptized. The act of publicly professing our faith in Christ through the act of baptism is wonderful, but only when it follows baptism spiritually. Like a sunken ship is filled with the sea into which it is immersed, we can be filled with the very Holy Spirit of God. Yes, we are invited to be immersed into the Life of God, a life of constant awareness of your Father's overwhelming and unfailing, faithful provision, and His mission to return all of creation to what He intended.

His life is everything our hearts are longing for.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:26-27

Great to see you, Jesus!

2009-05-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

Growing up , my perception of God was that He loved me, but that he was distant and that he hoped I wouldn't embarrass him. So, I kept my sins as private as possible and worked hard on managing them. Whether or not I felt like a "good Christian" was based on how I was doing with that effort, how faithful I was attending and participating in church activities, how I was doing with having a consistent "'quiet time" with God, and how much I was sharing my faith, which amounted to occasionally telling someone how they could become a Christian...like me. Over the years, several verses of Scripture haunted me. One is found in Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Reading that made me ask the question, "Do I really know Jesus? Am I really one with Him or am I just going through the motions of religious practices?

Another one is John 14:12, when Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Gosh Jesus, you raised people from the dead! How could that be? Then there are those verses at the very end of Mark's gospel where Jesus says, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." I certainly wasn't seeing all those signs and wonders following my life, and to be honest, I kept my distance from anyone who said they saw them following theirs!

One day something clicked, and I don't know exactly when or how it came about, but something became clear regarding what a disciple really is. Jesus took on apprentices and taught them to do what he did. He even sent them out on a test run before he went to the cross, giving them his authority. Remember what they said when they got back. "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!" Jesus had a process for making disciples. He lived with the people and said this: Watch me. Now you! And it wasn't just, "Here's how you tell other people how to get saved." That was part of it, but there was more. It was, "Here's how to establish my kingdom on earth. Here's how to return things to the way I intended them to be when I created the earth." Brokenhearted people were made whole. Captives were set free. Blind people could see again. Lame people walked. Dead people were raised. People burdened with shame were unburdened and walked with eyes full of life and love and passion! When Jesus talked about his upcoming death and resurrection in John 12:24, he said this: "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." Jesus died, was resurrected and sent his Holy Spirit in order to multiply himself and his presence over all the earth.

So at some point in my story over the last several years, I embraced as truth, that Jesus wanted to re-present himself through me and all Christians in a very literal way, and I decided to reject as false, the teaching that the Holy Spirit doesn't still work as He did in Acts. I began to ask Father to allow me to see and experience Christ embodied in a very powerful and literal way. Something has begun. In the past two weeks, I've seen Jesus, with my own eyes or the eyes of my brothers and sisters in Christ, deliver a young man from shame from sexual abuse he received as a boy and from the way he acted out because of that abuse. I've seen Jesus heal a man from a torn rotator cuff. I've seen him cast out foul spirits that were tormenting a woman. I've seen him set people free from bondage to pornography. I've seen Jesus express "words of knowledge," (things that would not be known if God hadn't revealed it) that showed people that their Father saw the pain and bitterness they had carried for so long, and then saw Him pray for them, touch them, and release them from it. Last week as I prayed about how Father wanted me to lead our gathering this past weekend, I had no peace when I went to prepare a message or pick out songs. All I sensed Him saying was, "Watch this." So I started out our gathering with these words, "I find myself in new, blessed and exciting territory today. I have no plans! No message. No songs picked out. Just some questions to you in whom Christ's Spirit dwells: What is it that is on your heart to say? What is it that is on your heart to do? What is it that you want and is on your heart to ask for? Then I sat the microphone down. We then had two hours of testimony, praying for one another, listening to God and speaking truth into one another's lives. We watched Jesus heal, encourage, hug, laugh, eat, even fish! Jesus is so good! He is alive! And He is here! And He lives through us!

Several weeks ago, we celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I just wanted to share with you that Jesus is more alive than I ever realized. He is able to minister to every need we have. His mission is to reconcile us to our loving Heavenly Father, to restore our broken hearts to our true identity as a children of God, to renew our minds with life-giving, freedom bringing truth, and then to release us to re-present Him to the world. And He is willing to express himself through us, no matter who we are and no matter what we have done. We are loved! We are forgiven! We are His!

Jesus, My Lord and 'Mastew'

2009-02-11T15:28:00.001-05:00

The more I read the word of God, the more this message becomes clear. Father is saying, "I know who I created you to be and I love you! You can trust Me! I want to share my Life with you and bless you!"

Over the past few days and weeks, I've been having not what I would call "Aha!" moments, but more like "Duh!" moments. I had another one this morning. I've long been drawn to the verse found in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that ends in "...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." I tested my 7-year old son, Jonathan, this morning, and asked him, "Jonathan, what does the word 'Lord' mean?" "Mastew," he said, still having a little trouble with his 'r's. "That's it, buddy!" I said.

So, before today, this phrase, "where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom," has been a reminder that, since the Spirit lives in me, my reality is, I'm FREE from the law that says I must sin, whether I walk in that freedom or not. And, in our corporate worship times, I've prayed, "Lord, let us experience the presence of your Spirit, so that we can be free in our worship." But this morning, the big "Duh!" moment came when I realized that where the Spirit of the Lord- my Master, the one I either choose to follow and obey or choose to go my own way and disobey - wherever my Lord and Master is, wherever he is going, wherever he is inviting me to go....there is Freedom. So the Spirit has set me free to follow Him into more and more and more Freedom. Do I want more Freedom? Oh yes!

Freedom is to experience release from anything that constrains me from being the person God created me to be, and release to do that which God created me to do...for His glory. I'm realizing freedom and surrender to Christ's Lordship are always connected. My Lord Jesus can always be trusted to lead me by the Spirit into Freedom, Abundant Life, and Kingdom Fruit. And the good news is FREEDOM IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE! "Yes, Lord. You are good!"

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever -increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Swamped No More

2009-01-10T04:42:00.000-05:00

Last night, my son Jonathan and I took my burgundy '92 Camry in to town to pick up a movie. "Nim's Island," by the way...but I didn't get to watch it with the family. I was too busy trying to get my old girl, we've affectionately named "Plumb Nelly," out of a swamp!

On my way home with Jonathan, I decided to take quick detour and check something out. We had scheduled an opportunity for men to gather around a campfire this morning, near the lake next to the school where our church meets. I wanted to make sure the gate was open that allows access to the lake. It was, but I decided to take it one step further and go check out what the parking situation would be if we encouraged the men to drive all the way down. "Daddy, why are we going down there," Jonathan asked, wanting to go home and watch his movie.

"Daddy wants to go see something...real quick. This will just take a minute."

In retrospect, I heard the little voice that said, "This isn't really a good idea," but I ignored it and drove on down the gravel road. It was dark already, and I didn't really take notice that the gravel runs out once you get down by the lake. I decided I'd better turn around and knew a place up ahead where there was some room. After another five seconds of driving, I noticed the huge rains we had experienced the past week had left some standing water on the road ahead of us. Since I'm such a wise and cautious man, I decided I'd better stop and back up. I mean, I AM IN A CAMRY! As soon as I applied the brakes, the tires locked up and the car slid quickly to the right, and into a swamp I really hadn't noticed before.

"Whoa, Jonathan. We're in trouble here," I stated very calmly, trying not to react to the fact we were taking on water fast.

"I'm scared, Daddy."

"We're alright," I said quickly unbuckling him. "We need to get out, though." The car was tipped over, close to a 45-degree angle with the front right tire submerged, and the back left tire about a foot-and-a-half off the ground. We got out and began what could have been THE WALK OF SHAME back up to the highway. I called my wife and said, "Hey, we're going to need to be picked up. I was checking out some things for the campfire in the morning and got my car stuck."

"And why did you feel you needed to do that tonight, after dark?"

"Cause men are coming in the morning...while it's still dark," I answered, feeling like I was in a scene from 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'

"Isn't Larry in charge?" bringing an obvious reference to my tendency, as a pastor, to be a little involved in everything.

"Honey," I said abruptly, wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible, "I shouldn't have gone down there."

Michelle was actually handling things very well, not saying, what I knew she was thinking. I had given her quite a few opportunities, over the years, to grow in the way she responds when I do something really stupid. It was the second opportunity just this week!

Back at home and standing with me in the closet as I changed my clothes into something more suitable for tromping in the mud, Michelle said, "It's okay, Tim. You're not defined by your mistakes."

"That's a good thing," I said with a chuckle, "cause otherwise I would feel like an idiot!"

So the next three hours were spent, hanging out with my brother, Larry Alonso, giving up on pulling the car out ourselves, having lots of laughs and hearing towing adventures from Max Frady of Clark's Towing Service ("We Don't Want an Arm and a Leg... We Just Want Your Tows." Max and I had spent some quality time together on several occasions over the past 13 years.)

I'm very thankful for a wife and friends who remind me that my identity is not based on my performance. I'm not an idiot. The reality is that I'm a good man, with lots of wisdom, who sometimes makes unwise and idiotic decisions. And I'm thankful that I have a Savior and a Father who remind me that my identity is not based on how well I'm doing at the moment in my battle against sin and my flesh. The reality is that I'm no longer known as a sinner, but as an image bearer of God, His son, and a saint who sometimes sins.

Man, is that good news!

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe...." (Ephesians 1:16-19)

Allow Me to Introduce My Son!

2008-12-15T17:19:00.000-05:00

Last week, I was reading Isaiah 42, a suggested passage as we approach Advent. It was in the neighborhood of 700 years before the birth of Christ that Isaiah recorded the words God gave him, yet they clearly point to the One God would send to save the world. As I read the passage several times over, an image began to come to mind. I began to picture our Heavenly Father proudly standing over His Son, speaking about Him as He introduced Him to the world. Read it like that, and see if it comes alive for you in a new way like it did for me. Maybe hear Him speak it with a whisper so as not to startle Jesus:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."

Then the direction of the conversation changes. Isaiah reminds who is speaking, then records God shifting from talking about His Son to speaking directly to Him:

"This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Again, allow yourself to hear Father speaking gently):

"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."

Next, filled with the Spirit, Isaiah breaks out in celebration worship! Now things get a little loud!

"Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands. The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies." (Isaiah 42:1-13)

As we celebrate the arrival of God's Son to the earth, may we too respond with worship, adoration, and gratitude, for having our eyes opened, for being set free, and for being brought out of the darkness into the light. The LORD has triumphed over our enemies! Sing to the LORD a new song!

Don't Despair

2008-12-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was praying next to my bed, noticed it was 10:45 close to the time I needed to head to an appointment, and I looked up at my book shelf of Bible study resources. I started to feel some anxiety about returning from my sabbatical to preach again. I love to preach, but the preparation feels overwhelming to me sometimes. I agonize in prayer over what to bring, then, after all these years, I still don't have any systematic process of preparing (I like to think I'm just too spiritual for that :) ) I said, "Father, I love to hear people teach well-researched, insightful messages. Is it in me to do that?" I felt like I heard Him say, "Yeah, Tim. I've put that in you."

Later in the day, I retrieved a voicemail from my brother in Christ, Mike Berger. He shared that he had been praying for me earlier in the day and that God had given him a word for me. He said God had been putting it on his heart over an over again all day until he finally called. Then he gave it to me verbatim: "Don't despair. I've given you the voice of angels that you may preach the word of God, with fire in your eyes, that they may know that I am God." He said that he didn't know if it would mean anything to me, but that's what he heard. After hearing the message, I thought, "That's cool." Then I listened to it again, and thought, "Wait a minute." I listened to it a third time and thought, "Whoa!" I thought back to the morning, what I was praying, and realized I really had been despairing. I called Mike to thank him for being obedient to deliver the message. He explained how he wasn't used to doing that and how much he agonized over whether or not to call. The enemy was telling him how stupid he was to think that he was hearing from God. I told him what I had been praying that morning and I asked him what time he had heard the word. He said, "I noticed the time. It was 10:45."

Whoa. That word has really ministered to me in the last couple of weeks when I've found myself feeling inadequate compared to other ministers I've been listening to.

How awesome is it to be loved by a Father who wants so much for us to know him and wants us to know that He really is speaking to us.

Your Spiritual Journey and Mine

2008-11-24T14:09:00.000-05:00

I believe one way or another, our spiritual journeys look very similar to that of the Israelites as recorded in Exodus.

In Egypt the Israelites were held captive and, although they were God's children, they lived as slaves for 430 years. We are all created as God's children, but are born slaves to our sinful nature.
God heard the cry of the Israelites. He sent Moses to rescue them and deliver them from slavery, taking them through the Red Sea and crushing their oppressors and enemies behind them. We cry out to God and by faith in Jesus Christ, we are rescued and delivered from slavery to sin. We are brought through the water in baptism and God destroys our enemy's authority to rule over us ever again.
The Israelites were led through the desert by their God and provider to the Promised Land, a place of rest and abundance. We are invited to experience the abundant life and rest found in and made available to us through Jesus Christ's life.
The Israelites saw the inhabitants of the promised land as giants and the challenges of occupation insurmountable. They saw their situation through the eyes of slaves rather than through the eyes of sons and daughters of the God who saved them. They longed for the life they had in Egypt even though they had been slaves. Although our reality is that we are saved and are co-heirs with Christ, we still do not fully walk into the Promised Land of life and abundance "in Christ." We still are left with a slave mentality and are often drawn back to the temporal, counterfeit substitutes for true life.
God took the Israelites back into the wilderness for 40 years where they had no choice but to trust Him as provider. The old, slave mentality was collectively destroyed as He took them through a process of renewing their minds. The next time the Israelites were invited to occupy the Promised Land, they did exactly what their Father told them to do, even when it made no sense to them. We must be taken through a process where our old slave mentality is put away, where we are weaned off of trusting anything but our Father to provide for us, and where we grow in learning how, like Jesus, to rest in doing only what we see our Father doing.

How I hunger for the promised rest of the Promised Land. I know it's available to me now, because I've gotten a taste of it. Oh, to eat at that table every meal of every day....

What I Love

2008-11-19T08:34:00.000-05:00

In September, I announced to my church that I was taking some time away to connect with my Father in a desire to orient myself to Him and to give Him some time to do a work in my heart. It has been an incredible journey as I spent October with my family, preparing for Band of Brothers Weekend, and attending a retreat myself focused on uncovering the desires God has placed in my heart. The journey has been one of peeling back layer after layer to get to the core of who I am and what my life is about. It seems God has orchestrated so many events and conversations to take me through this process.

Here are some conclusions I have come concerning what I love, what makes me come alive:

I love seeing people who have been hurt of disenfranchised with the church come to realize that their church experience is not a reflection on their Heavenly Father.

I love to see people realize that church is not something we do, it is who we are.

I love to see people discover that God still speaks and that "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" is the daily bread that gives us life.

I love to see people connect with one another on a heart level, beyond the surface, and experience the thrill of having a "friend that is closer than brother."

I love to see people come to the knowledge that their identity is not defined by what's been done to them, spoken over them, or by their sinful responses to the lies they have believed were true.

I love to see people exchange their lives with Jesus Christ and to realize that He is their new and true identity.

I love to see people set free from what enslaves them, and to realize that they are a growing, "planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

I love to see people step across denominational lines and for the body of Christ to realize what binds us together.

I love to see people people realize they can call God, "Father," and not only Father, but "Abba, Father," or Daddy.

I love to see people minister to Jesus by ministering to others, not out of duty or obligation, but out of an overflow of a ransomed, restored heart filled to the brim with Father's love.

I love seeing people praying for people on the spot, on the phone, in public places, and sometimes with their eyes open.

I love creating a safe place, a room of grace, where people can be real about their struggles, where they can realize that we are all in process and we are all in this together.

I love seeing people discover that Father is always up to something, that He is always ready to show off in any given situation, and that they are God-bringers into those situations.

I love seeing people realize that Jesus' "yoke is easy and His burden is light."

I love freely giving to others what Father has freely given to me.

I love joining brothers and leading the charge in the battle for the hearts of men.

I love having front row seats to watch Jesus transform lives.

May the process continue, as God reveals what He has put in me and what He wants to release into the world through me....

Do You Know What I See?

2008-11-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

Do you know what I see? What a powerful question that set's the stage for a life-altering answer!

I'm thinking this morning about a men's retreat I recently lead called Band of Brothers Weekend. It's a passion of mine to take men through such an experience because it was a retreat like ours that was a turning point in my life. On the drive home from that weekend, I was blessed and blown away as I read story after story of the healing and freedom Jesus brought to the hearts of the men. My favorite testimony included this line: "For the first time I was able to call God, 'Father.'" It's what Jesus lived, died and was resurrected for...to reconcile us to our Father so that we may live in and be transformed by His love.

One of the things that is unique about these retreats is we use lots of movie scenes, visual stories really, to illustrate the truths we present. On the first night, something new stood out in a scene from "Braveheart." Braveheart is the story of William Wallace, a mythic Christ-figure who gives his life to free Scotland from British oppression. The scene we show is the first open-field battle at Stirling. The Scottish Nobles are backed by a rag-tag army of commoners who are overwhelmed by the size of the British army and are ready to go home. These men are uninspired by the nobles' appeal to their self-preservation: "Do not flee! Wait until we've negotiated!" Then covered in war paint, Wallace rides in and addresses the army calling them "Sons of Scotland." He reminds them of their identity, their true strength. (Scotland was such a stubborn country the Roman Empire gave up on overtaking them and just built a wall around them.) He then identifies himself and conveys to them what he sees when he looks at them: "I am William Wallace, and I see a whole army of my countryman here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men and free men you are! What will you do with that freedom?"

Have you ever considered the power of words spoken by a person of high regard? As children, we just assume how our parents see us and the messages they convey are true about us. And then there are teachers and coaches, pastors and bosses, not to mention peers, boyfriends and girlfriends. I was just telling my wife Michelle the other day that I think our relationship is still affected by a message of rejection conveyed by a girl in high school that I had pined away for, for years...twenty-five years ago. We elevate some people's voices above others. And ultimately we all-too-often elevate the voice of a mere human over the voice of our Father and Creator.

Listen to what your true Father says about you and consider this question for each: "Does it ring true?"

You are created in my image. I planted you and redeemed you to be a display of my splendor ( Genesis 1:27/Isaiah 61:3).

Even while you are still steeped in sin, I love you enough to have made the ultimate sacrifice for you. (Romans 5:9)

I chose you even before you were born. (Ephesians 1:11)

You are my treasured possession! (Exodus 19:5)

If those phrases rang true, you are receiving them. If they don't, what you are doing, in effect, is telling yourself that's not true about you. You are rejecting those statement and, probably unknowingly, are calling God a liar. These statements are true, however, and they are just a sampling of what your Father and mine sees when he sees us. What kind of love would overflow from you onto others if you saw yourself as God sees you and loved yourself as God loves you?

May this be a reminder that you have a voice in someone's life especially those who hold you in high regard. It's your opportunity to see them with God's eyes and to convey what you see. Words that are true and consistent with Father's voice will bring life. Words of condemnation will bring death. May we receive the words of life and love from our Father into our hearts and then pass them on. May we look someone in the eye and ask, "Do you know what I see when I see you?", and then may we convey the very sentiments of God Himself.

What do I do?!!

2008-09-29T14:09:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine was sharing the pain and fear he is experiencing as a result of the slow economy. He is a single parent and told of how he tries to stay strong for his eight-year old son, but cries when he is alone almost daily. Losing his house is only a couple of months away. The vehicle has to go. And it broke his heart to tell his son that they could no longer afford the cable bill. He so wants to be a good dad and faithful provider for his son.

Hurricanes. Gas shortages. An economy on the brink of collapse. Fear of terroristic attacks. It is a very humbling time. We are a people who are being reminded that we need God. What are we to do in response to the crises we are facing personally and as a nation?

When Jesus was asked what He believed was the greatest commandment, He responded, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and will all your strength. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." He then said, "All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments." I believe he gave us the answer to every, "What do I do?" question. "What do I do with my life?" Love God and love others. "What do I do if I get cancer?" Love God and love others. "What do I if it looks like I'm going to lose everything?" Yes, love God and love others.

It raises the question, "Ok, how do I love God? What does that look like?" Think of how you love anyone. You delight in them. You give your heart over to them. You devote yourself to them and their desires become your priority. It is your joy to serve them and bless them, and you constantly want to let them know their worth in your eyes.

Communicating to God His worth to us is what we do when we worship. Worship is more than just singing songs to God. We are "worshiping" whenever we give our hearts and lives to something in hopes of a return of life. Sadly, we don't always worship God, the source of life. We erect idols in our hearts that we believe will bring us security, comfort, or pleasure. Anything we look to for life and for our needs to be met outside of God or that which God provides is an idol.

If we want to love God with all our hearts, we have to take an honest look at our lives and identify the idols we, even as Christians, are worshiping over God. The present crisis in our nation is exposing our idols in a powerful way.

The prophet Ezekiel brought the word of God to his children, the Israelites, when they had given themselves over to idols, and the result was to be the destruction of their nation, including the temple of God in Jerusalem. In chapter 14, he gives the reason why. God says to Ezekiel, "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols. Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!" (vs. 3-5)

God, who is always, always, always, motivated by love "answers" his children's idolatry in order to recapture their hearts. In verse 13, he speaks of his response to a nation's idolatry: "Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men - Noah, Daniel, and Job - were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.

It is a tragic reality that when a nation's unfaithfulness brings God's loving judgment, even the children of the most righteous in the land will not escape its effect. Would anyone argue that our country has sinned by being unfaithful? We've legalized the killing of unborn children. We're beginning to legally affirm same-sex marriages that only helps to keep God's children from experiencing the healing and restoration from the Fall that He longs to provide. Our greed is ranked among the highest in the world and we are the greatest producer of immoral entertainment. And it's quite obvious that we, as a nation, have a trusted plastic cards and the banks they represent, to give us the life we think we need rather than trusting God who is life. Ultimately though, the problem is not that the nation has been unfaithful. What is bringing God's judgment is that we, God's children, the Christians, have been unfaithful. We have stood silent, we have set up idols in our hearts over God, and we taken on lifestyles of sin. We have done what anyone will do when they do not know, experientially, the love of God demonstrated on the Cross of Christ, that fills every need.

Loving God with all our hearts requires we acknowledge the idols to which we have given our hearts, and that we renounce them and every detestable practice. "Repent" is a beautiful word as it admonishes us to reorient ourselves to God who always loves us, who is always for us, and who always is ready to give us true, abundant life. He is perfectly faithful and committed to providing for our needs, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. The present crises is not a time for panic. It is a time to be grateful to God for doing whatever is necessary to turn our hearts back to Him. He knows how good He is and He wants us to experience just how good He is. He wants to show us again what life is all about.

My friend told me how his son responded to the news about the cable bill. Smiling lovingly, he said, "Dad, don't worry about it. We don't need that TV. That just means we'll have more time to play together." Isn't that beautiful? The desire of his heart was to be a good dad and provide for his son. In losing the trappings of this world, he hears his son communicate what he really wants and needs from him: Time together. It's the kind of thing God knows will be experienced all over our nation as he reminds His people what life is all about. Yes, loving God and loving others.

God Loves a "Pest"

2008-09-23T03:14:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, some friends of ours gave my sons a trampoline for Christmas. They loved it, and they loved for their daddy to jump on it with them. I admit, I enjoyed it too, but it was exhausting, especially with my, then four-year old sonwho always wanted me to hold him while we jumped. One weekend, I had already been talked into a trampoline session by my two youngest sons, had spent all my energy and had flopped into a lawn chair to recuperate when my oldest son appeared.

"Dad, let's go jump on the trampoline."

"Sorry, son. Already did that and I'm all worn out. Sorry you missed it."

C'mon, Dad. Please!"

"Son, I'm sorry. You could have jumped with us, but you were inside watching tv."

"But I didn't know. Nobody told me."

"Son, I'm just too tired. You snooze, you lose."

"Dad, P-L-E-A-S-E!"

Somewhere in the midst of that conversation, it dawned on me: This is really important to him.

Because I love my son, I let him help me out of the lawn chair and returned to the trampoline, jumped with him, wrestled with him, and had a great time. Of course, because I love my son, if he had asked for something that I knew wasn't good for him, he could have asked an infinite number of times, and I wouldn't have budged. But, either way his persistent pestering would have communicated something to me about him and his heart.

When Jesus teaches on prayer, a consistent theme is persistence. In Luke 11, He tells a story about a friend who comes at midnight to ask for bread for another friend. "Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything." Sounds familiar. Then Jesus adds, "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs."

Then again in Luke 18, Jesus told his disciples a parable to "show them that they should always pray and not give up." He describes a godless judge who didn't care about people, but who was being approached with a plea for justice, over and over again, by a persistent widow. "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" (vs. 4,5)

Have you ever thought about how much faith it takes to "pester" God, or for a child to beg a parent to do something? If my son had no hope that I would grant his request to jump on the trampoline, he might ask once for the heck of it, but there's no way he would plead and plead if he didn't really believe his pleading would rouse me to move. We typically spend our energy on what we believe makes a difference.

What if God is willing to help, to heal, to give guidance, to restore, to bless, but is waiting to see if our hearts are fully engaged, and watching to see if what we are asking is really important to us. What if He's waiting to see if we really believe? No, waiting to see is what I did with my son. It took me "realizing" that jumping on the trampoline was important to my son to get me out of the reclined position. God already knows what's important to us . He knows we won't ask and ask and ask if we don't believe we'll receive. He knows we won't knock and knock and knock if we don't believe the door will be opened. He knows we won't seek and seek and seek if we have no hope of finding Him. We can sometimes fool the people in our lives, or even ourselves, with half-hearted efforts, but we can never fool God. Since He already knows, I guess our persistence in prayer give us an indicator of our faith, because if I really believe and something is truly important to me , I will persist. I will plead. I will pester.

The weird thing is, the more I plead, the more I believe.

Stinging Questions

2008-09-02T10:52:00.000-04:00

Last week I enjoyed the fruits of a revived hobby of mine. I had taken a season or two off from beekeeping after a not-so-glorious first attempt several years back. It wasn't a great year for honey since the summer's first heavy rain came just as the long-awaited sourwood blooms appeared. However, I was blessed with more honey than some, and I remembered the lessons I had learned the last time I robbed the hives. Some of you may remember my story about taking the honey and putting it in my garage, not realizing how good bees were at finding what they had worked so hard to produce. I'll never forget the sight of that swarm and having to walk right into the middle of it to get the bee suit I needed to start the whole process over again. I didn't make that mistake again, and there were new lessons to be learned this year. Thanks to Tony and Dana Southern who sold me the hives, I learned how to spot the queen, how check to see how she was laying, even how to raise a new queen and start a new colony. And, as the summer wore on, I learned what would be a no-brainer to most of us: you don't mess with the hives unless you're wearing your bee-suit, especially when you're young in the hobby and the bees can detect your nerves. It actually took a couple of times of getting stung during what I thought would be simple, non-disturbing procedures, before I vowed to alway work fully clothed with protection.

It might not take too many bee stings before making such a vow, but what would it take for us to vow to face each day's challenges of life fully clothed with the armor of God? Do we wake up each day with the awareness that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" as Paul explains in Ephesians 6? I mean, really? Is that our conscious reality? Do our lives reflect that we have taken Peter's warning seriously when he said, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour"? Satan's mind is not set on tempting us. He wants to kill us! To "steal, kill and destroy" is the way Jesus put it in John 10. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we may take our stand against the devil's schemes. I'm pretty sure if we were fully aware of what he is scheming to do we would be much more motivated to suit up.

Here's my take on the pieces of the armor Paul mentions. The "belt of truth" that holds the pieces together and on which the weapons hang is remembering the truth of our new identity in Christ. By faith in Christ's death and resurrection for us, we become, not slaves, but sons and daughters of God and blood-brothers with Jesus Christ. We are no longer just sinners saved by grace, but now are saints being formed in the image of Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin, but are free. We are co-heirs with Christ and we have access to all that He earned on our behalf. He is our life (at least He wants to be) and in him is the abundant life.

The "breastplate of righteousness" that we put on was earned by Jesus' perfect performance. Because of it, the enemy has no power to condemn us any more with those foul words, "Look at you! You're nothing but a ________! You might as well give up and give in to who you "really are" because you'll never be good enough!" By putting on the breastplate of Christ's righteousness, we protect our hearts from the attacks on our true identity in Christ that come from Satan and often through the one's in our lives that we love the most. He was and is "good enough" in our place. And, when we act in obedience and our lives are consistent with this righteousness, we don't give the devil "a foothold." If we realized how much power we give the enemy over us when we sin, we would be much more motivated to fight and not give in to temptation.

The "shoes of the gospel of peace" that we are encouraged to wear each day remind us of our new purpose and calling. A Christian's life is not his own any more, but he now shares Christ's mission of reconciling people with God through the good news of the peace Jesus made available to us. By focusing on what we are now about, we are not as vulnerable to the enemy's efforts to distract and derail us into making life about us and our own comfort again.

The "shield of faith" combats the original lies of Satan: You can't trust God and you're on your own to make sure your needs are met. If you think about it, every temptation to sin is just an attempt to entice us to look to something besides God to meet our needs and desires. In a time of great economic challenges, the world needs to see us putting our faith in God and not allowing Satan to rob us of our peace and our purpose of living to bring God glory.

The "helmet of Salvation" protects our minds and the control center of our bodies as we remember what Jesus has done and what it cost him. It took one sin to corrupt the entire human race and to require Jesus' death on the cross. Would we give in to Satan's lie that sin is no big deal, that it's inevitable, that "it's covered anyway so enjoy it" if we were aware of what our salvation cost Jesus or how our sin breaks the heart of God? We are saved, and the truth is we have His Spirit in us that is willing and able to resist every effort of the enemy to lead us into life-sucking, glory of God diminishing sin. And the helmet of salvation reminds us that WE ARE LOVED!

The "Sword of the Spirit, the word of God" is the weapon in hand that Paul tells us to wield against the enemy. Satan, the father of lies, flees whenever truth is swung at him. He knows his power is in his deception. He constantly throws out, "You're alone and on your own." "You're not lovable." "You'll never be good enough." Or, "You could be good enough if you would just try harder." "You need this or that to feel complete." The truth is we are not alone and never forsaken. God has proven how much he loves us, that "while we were still sinners Christ died for us." We will never be good enough, but Christ is good enough for us. And we are complete in Christ, and all we need is what He supplies! You and I need to know scripture so we can "remind" Satan of the the truth and that he has been defeated.

And last, Paul tells us to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." If you and I ever want to know that our prayers are powerful and effective, we will need to grasp what Paul is talking about when he says to "pray in the Spirit." (That phrase would be something great to study or even "google"!) When we agree with what the Spirit that lives in us is already praying, and allow our voices to speak it out, something powerful happens in the effort to bring the kingdom of God to earth. Satan's schemes will again be thwarted.

So may you and I live in reality as God's word describes, with an awareness of what we are facing as we go about each day. And may we vow to suit up each day so that we take our stand against the devil's schemes.

(Men, if you would like to grow in understanding the reality of the story you were born into, who you are in Christ, and how to fight against what the enemy is up to as he schemes against you, your wife and your children, you may want to read "Wild at Heart" and "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge and check out a retreat opportunity at the end of October at www.bandofbrothersweekend.org.)

Next Steps

2008-08-05T21:31:00.000-04:00

The prophet Elijah, James says, was "a man just like us." He's no superhero bible character, but simply a man whose life was yielded to God. "Elijah" means "the Lord is my God," and that summed up his life and mission. He is most famous for confronting the prophets of Baal and King Ahab, the king of Israel, but who did more to provoke the Lord to anger than did all the kings before him. He had led the people to worship Baal, who was believed to be the god of fertility and the lord of the rain clouds. Elijah declared a drought to remind Ahab of the true God.

What I see in 1 Kings 17 is that Elijah walked with God and was accustomed to taking "next steps" with God. I'd like to define a next step with God as a "revealed direction that makes perfect sense to God, but may not make sense to us. Such a step of obedience requires faith and results in God being experienced and glorified."

Elijah's first step was to declare the drought. Once he did that, the Lord directed him to take a "next step," to go hide in Kerith Ravine, and God told him that he had ordered the ravens to bring him food morning and evening and that he was to drink from the brook. The Lord had already taken care of his provision before He gave the order. Provision was in place and Elijah was simply to walk into it.

Later the brook dried up. If Elijah was a man just like us, he probably had a moment where he said, "Uh-oh. What am I going to do now?" But being a "the Lord is my God" guy, I assume he quickly re-oriented his thinking and moved into rest, wondering what the Lord would do next to guide him and provide for him.

Elijah's next step was given. The Lord instructed him to go to Zarephath in Sidon where He had commanded a widow to give him food. No, not "go to a wealthy landowner who is generous and is looking for a tax deduction," the kind of step that would make sense to us." Nope, go to a widow who was not even a fellow God follower. What Elijah found was not only a widow, but a widow who was broke, and who was preparing to die. Elijah invited her to take a step of faith as well, asking for her to make him some bread first. Their faith was rewarded as God never let the flour and oil run out until the drought was over. God was experienced and glorified.

In my walk with God, I want to get used to just taking "next steps" without having to know where the path will take us and how things are going to work out.

A couple of Sundays ago, I shared with our body how God has shown himself faithful to me and how I have grown in trusting him with next steps. I watched God give me a place to live for the three years of seminary after I took the next step of dedicating my life to His service. We saw the Lord lead us to Ellijay to work with students when we had never been youth ministers. And when God led us to help start CrossPoint, there was no visible financial support. We felt completely confident the Lord would provide. And he did! We experienced Him and God was glorified. For the two years before God provided with support from CrossPoint, He provided week by week, month by month.

Over the past five years of receiving a salary from our church, Michelle and I have had a desire to return to the days of ministering without receiving a paycheck from the church. And out of that desire, we have tried to come up with ways to make it work. I considered doing real estate on the side. Michelle did real estate for a couple of years. I thought of starting a business. But each time we felt like taking another full time job would compromise what we were called to do and what our church needed. However the desire didn't go away.

On Spring Break in March, Michelle and I got away for a night together. We were enjoying a morning relaxing and reading, and I sensed the Lord, saying, "Tim, it's time." I turned to Michelle and said out of the blue, "I think God is saying it's time to let CrossPoint know we want to stop taking a paycheck." She immediately said, "I think so too." We realized we both felt that God had been asking us to do this, and wanted us to simply step out and trust God and not to figure out how we could accomplish it ourselves. We immediately felt the rush of peace, excitement, and anticipation that comes from taking a step of faith and obedience.

We have some exposure to and relationships with people who have made similar steps in their journey of faith, and we have heard testimony of these people losing their material possessions in the process of entering into the abundant life of experiencing God. One day, after reading one such testimony, Michelle prayed, "Lord, PLEASE don't take my home. I love this house!" She realized that she was trusting God in many areas, but not with our home. The Lord asked her to rise early to talk to him about it. The next morning Father asked her to share what she was feeling. She told him how much she loved what happens in our home, that people feel welcomed, loved and cared for when they are here. What she heard Father say was, "Michelle, that's not about this house. That's about you and Me and what we do together. And we're going to be together wherever you are."

She surrendered her house.

That was huge. The joy I feel is incredible, knowing that Father has blessed me with a wife and partner in ministry that is willing to give up what is most precious to her materially. We know that this road is not going to be easy. There will be tests requiring more and more surrender each step of the way. What I truly believe, though, is that on the other side of this painful process is the abundant life we have always sensed was available but have yet to fully experience. Father is calling us out, and this step is the next one we've been asked to take.

Soooooo, here we go. Pray for us and watch with us how God brings himself glory!

Jesus, the Cowboy

2008-06-02T10:53:00.000-04:00

Did you know Jesus is a "cowboy?" At least he was today.

My home is wrapped by pastureland, owned by others, and this morning I walked out on the back porch to find my farmer neighbor walking in my back yard. It's unusual, but such an occurrence typically means a cow has escaped, and he's trying to round her up. Greeting my neighbor, I got the story. Sure enough, a two-day old calf had gotten out and was separated from its mother. He explained that when they get scared, calves will just lay down and remain deathly still, making them hard to find. I told him I'd get dressed and join him in the search.

After a brief walk through the wooded parts of my property, I remembered how Jesus had helped me find things that I had lost. (I have many such testimonies.) My typical prayer is, "Jesus, you know where (such and such) is. Please show me!" Once, I experienced my eyes immediately shift to an obscure location, finding in a moment what I'd been looking for, on my own, for hours.

So, as I walked, I talked. "Jesus, you know where this calf is. I'd love to find it and help my neighbor. Where is it?" I felt my attention shift to another neighbor's pasture, surrounded by the electric fence that my children love to toy with. The pasture is typically populated, but today there were no cows in sight. All I could see was 20 or so acres of tall, ready to cut hay, wet with dew. After ignoring the pull for a moment and walking a little more through the woods, I took a dead branch, laid it across the bottom wire and pushed down while I stepped across into the pasture.

Still aware I had invited Jesus into this situation, I began to walk, feeling my jeans and shoes quickly becoming drenched from the dew. Looking back at my tracks, it may not have been a beeline, but within two minutes I had walked directly to the little black calf, curled up and asleep among the tall grass.

I was a hero! I had saved the day, not to mention the thousand dollars that the calf will eventually bring my neighbor! Right? No, Jesus is the hero of this story. He had become a cowboy, using my body to restore the calf to its mother. It sure brought me a lot of joy being a part of it, though.

As His disciple I wanted to learn something. From my heart, came the question, "What are you wanting to teach me, Master?" In response to my earlier prayer, Jesus had not, in this situation, pointed to the spot in the field, saying, "The calf is here." No neon lights. No flashing arrows. There was just praying and walking, seeking and...finding. Jesus reminded me, again that He is concerned about the little things that I am concerned about, and that He is delighted to be invited into every situation. And He showed me that, having invited Him in, what felt like my thoughts ("I should walk this way...I should look here") were actually His directives. Without knowing where I was going, I arrived at my destination.

Joy. Life. Adventure. I love walking with God and expecting to hear His voice...every time I choose to do so.

"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." - Jesus, John 10:2-4

Can you hear me now?

2008-05-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

Last week, Michelle was talking to my seven-year old son, Jonathan, about hearing God's voice. Jonathan got really honest and said, "I just don't talk to Him that much."

"Well," Michelle said, "Why don't you just ask Him what He thinks about you?"

"Okay," Jonathan replied and got quiet for a few moments. "He said I was a good boy."

Michelle affirmed his listening saying, "That sounds like something God would say. He only speaks what's true and you are a good boy. I believe He really said that to you."

Jonathan smiled and went about his business. Within a minute, Jonathan said, "Hey! Satan just tried to tell me I was stupid!"

Wouldn't it be nice to be that quick to discern the source of the voices we hear throughout the day? How many times have you and I heard the same message when we've tried to actually have a conversation with God? "You're just stupid if you think you can hear God's voice. That's just you making it up."

The assumptions we make are very powerful and have great effect over our life experiences, especially in our relationship with God. If we assume God has said everything He's going to say and now we have it in black in white, chances are we will not tune in to the "still small voice" speaking to our hearts. If we assume the people of the bible are exceptions rather than examples of people who have walked with God, we will not expect God to speak to us like he did to them. But if we assume that Jesus can be trusted and take him at his word, we would begin to believe it is normal to recognize and hear the voice of our Good Shepherd.

"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

- Jesus, John 10:1-4

My relationship with Jesus, and hence my life, really began to change when I began to believe He speaks and that I can - hear, recognize, discern - His voice. It's like learning to skate, awkward at first, but eventually more natural with practice. I still feel like I'm "holding on to the rail" most of the time, but I'm determined to move into the freedom and joy of natural, effortless conversation.

Here are some things that have helped me so far:

- Giving myself permission to be myself and drop all the religious language.

- Using a pad of paper or journal to record the conversation...what I say, then what He says, back and forth.

- Trying not to edit or ask myself "What would Jesus say?" but rather just writing the first thing that comes to mind (Interestingly enough, many times I'll start hearing the answer to my question before I finish asking it or get it down on paper).

- And last, reading a scenario that helps me to go through a process of laying down the things that are cluttering my mind and weighing me down and to envision sitting next to Jesus.

The other day, I, with my pad of paper and pen in hand, was talking to Jesus about the death of a friend and member of our body who fought liver cancer for a year. I expressed to him how much pain our people were in and asked him what we were to do with all the questions and confusion over why he wasn't healed. What I believe I heard Him say, was a gentle, loving response of "Trust that I know the answers, and focus on what you do know."

It took me back to my heart. I do trust Him. And to focus on what I do know brings me great comfort. All that said, I was blessed by the conversation and felt filled with life because of it.

I'd like to include such a scenario that was included in the book "Once Upon a Prayer" by David Manuel. Copy it and print it out. Get by yourself with a pad of paper. Allow yourself to enter into the scenario and follow the instructions about preparing yourself to sit with Jesus. Then just write down your conversation. You may not need the scenario after a time or two, but the habit of using a pad or journal has done wonders for helping me focus with an expectation to hear.

Let me know how it goes!

ONCE UPON A PRAYER "CONVERSATION STARTER"

You're in Jerusalem, nineteen centuries ago. You've come for the high holy days, and this year it seems every Jew in Israel has had the same idea. Every bed, every corner has been taken.

You let your family talk you into coming. Not that I took much persuading; you heard the Galilean would be there - the Master everyone's talking about. Judea, Galilee, Samaria, even Gadar wherever He's been, there've been miracles. Healing miracles of mind, soul, and spirit, as well of the body.

You could use healing - in all four realms. So you came. And dared hope that somehow, despite the crowds around Him, you might find a private moment with Him. That's all it would take. You've heard about the woman healed by touching the hem of His garment, the blind man whose sight was restored, the servant and the little girl raised from the dead. And you know in your heart it's true - all of it. But it's hopeless. The moment they hear where He is, everyone runs there.

So this morning you wander the dusty, sun-baked streets, wishing you were home - under the shade tree, with a cup of cool water by your side.

You enter a square, where the only shade is over there, under that blue awning of that vendor's cart. He's selling something to drink - water, flavored with a little honey.

Parched, you go over. There's only one person ahead of you - a young man, sandy-haired, quick smile under a perpetual frown. With a water yoke he's brought two jars, which the old vendor is filling for him, ladling from a massive urn.

Finishing, the old man asks, "Will He - be teaching this evening?"

"He may be."

"Don't you know? You're one of the ones with Him."

The young man smiles. "We never know where we're going or when. We're learning it doesn't matter, as long as we're with Him."

"Living that way - isn't it hard?"

"It is!" exclaims the young man laughing. "And I'm the worst at it! I never think things are going to work out! And they always do!"

As the vendor adjusts the jars under the yoke, the young man pulls out a coin purse. The vendor holds up a hand. "It's a gift."

"It's too much! Let me pay." The older man just smiles and shakes his head.

The young man looks at him. "Come to the Temple steps tomorrow morning," he says softly. "Before dawn. I can't promise, but the last two mornings He's been there at first light." And shouldering the yoke, he departs.

The vendor turns to you, eyebrows raised. But you shake your head and hurry after the young man - compelled by a thirst no honey-water can quench.

"Excuse me," you say, when you've caught up with him. "You're, um, one of His followers?" He nods.

"Well---" For once words fail you.

The young man stops and lowers the jars to the ground, lifting off the yoke and looking at you. "You want to meet Him?" You nod.

"Alone?"

You nod emphatically. He gazes into your eyes. And smiles. "You know the old olive grove on top of the mountain across the valley?"

"I've heard of it. Above the garden, isn't it?"

"That's the one. There's a path up to it. from the big cracked boulder at the south end of the valley. Start up it at noon."

You nod, and he sizes you up. "It's steep in places. And long- it'll take longer than you think." No smile now. "Can you do it?"

"I walked here, didn't I?" you snap. "It took us three days!" Then, more hesitantly, you add, "I think I can."

The young man's smile returns. "Use the climb as preparation."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to come to Him empty. Your mind clear, your heart free."

"How do I do that?"

"As you climb, ask God to help you set aside your cares and concerns, your feelings and emotions."

Straightening under the yoke, he raises the jars off the ground. You sense he's going there now. You could go with him! But as if he know what you're thinking, he smiles and says, "Noon. Come alone."

At noon you start up the path. It is steep. And rocky - he hadn't mentioned that. You've had to stop twice to get stones out of your sandals.

After climbing for half an hour or so, you come to an open place and wearily sit down on an old, bent-over cedar. Your feet are sore. Your back aches. Your lungs are burning. And he was right about one thing; it is longer than you thought. A lot longer.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe you should go back down. Now. No need to tell anyone. A fool's errand, that's all it was. Go down now, before you're missed.

A gentle breeze bearing the scent of oregano and rosemary caresses your cheek. You smile. This is not such a bad day. Gazing down at the Kidron Valley far below, stretching away into the hazy distance, you're surprised at how far you've come.

You remember the water skin slung from your shoulder. Carefully you remove its stopper and drink deeply. Not too much - you don't know how far it is to the top.

Then, taking a deep breath, you exhale and get to your feet. You can do this. And suddenly you're glad to be on the mountain.

Only then do you notice the tree you've been sitting on. An icestorm must have bent it to that shape ages ago. It should have died - yet each spring it pushes out fresh green needles at the ends of its gnarled limbs.

Smiling, you resume your ascent. What was it that young man said about preparation? Ask God to help you set aside your cares and concerns.

Well, there are plenty of them! Will there be enough room for all of us tonight? Are we spending too much money? And what about everything I have to do when I get home?

One by one, you add each worry to an imaginary bag - and give it to Him. All right, God, you can have them - for now.

What was the other thing? Oh, yes, I'm supposed to do the same thing with my feelings and emotions.

I've got plenty of those! Just the ones on this trip would fill a bundle!

Reflecting on them - and others - you add them to a second bag. "God, I give them to you, too!"

You pause. Is there - anything else?

The old hurts. The unforgiveness.

You know what He's referring to.

I'm not sure I'm ready to give those to You. Not permanently. Not yet. But - maybe till I come down.

At last the path levels off. And there's the olive grove, just ahead. As you follow the path into its welcome shade, you smile. Your mind is clear, and your heart free.

In the grove, under the ancient olive trees, it's cooler. And it's still - not even insect sounds.

After all that sun, your eyes need a moment to adjust to the interplay of shifting shadows. When they do, you see that you are not alone. Over there, on the other side of the grove, next to what appears to be the ruins of an olive press, there's a man kneeling - a tall man, long hair, robed, head bowed.

The Galilean.

But now that you're here - and He's here - you feel funny about disturbing Him. He's praying.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe you should turn around now, and slip away....

Wait - He's raising His head. Looking at you. He smiles - and beckons you to come over.

Go ahead. Yet you hesitate.

He nods, still smiling. He means it.

You start towards Him.

He gets up now, and sits on a low stone ledge. And pats the wall next to Him. He wants you to join Him. So... you do.

You sit down beside Him, and look into His eyes. And the two of you start to talk.

Now - without thinking about it or pre-editing it, write down what He says, and what you say. Do it intuitively, from the heart, not the head. Whatever comes.

The Lord is my Standard; I shall not measure up...

2008-05-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

I don't look at Father God or Jesus as "my standard" anymore.

Recently, I was sharing with some friends my beliefs about what life in Christ and being His body is all about. I made the statement, "We do not give our lives to a standard or a list of rules. We give our lives to a living God."

What one of my friends heard me say was, "I don't live by a standard." When I corrected him saying, "No, I said, 'I don't give my life to a standard," he held up his Bible and passionately said, "Well, I do." I know what he's saying, and I know he is sincere in his desire to live according to the Word of God. I wish everyone did. However, there is a difference in the way he and I view God and scripture that, in my mind, affects everything.

Let me clarify what I mean when I say I don't give my life to a standard. I believe God is absolute truth and in Him is found life. I don't see him as a standard but as three persons, a Holy Trinity. I also believe the bible, when translated and interpreted correctly and perfectly is an accurate reflection of God and absolute truth. I believe the bible leads us to know, experience, and commune with God who gives us life. It is full of examples, not exceptions of people who walked with God. And I believe every word of it points to Christ, the word (logos) made flesh.

If I look at the bible as a standard or list of rules, rather than the 'logos' word of God that leads me to Him and through which He speaks to me, then my focus is going to be on a) the standard, and b) how I am measuring up to that standard (focus on me). That will work against the whole point of the bible as I see it, which is to lift our eyes to God. It will also affect how I treat other people.

If I give my life to a standard rather than to a living God, and believe with all my heart that it is the "right way" to live, then I will hold everyone else in my life up to that standard. My relationships will be affected by whether or not the people with whom I am interacting are living up to that standard. Michelle and the boys will live with the question, "Am I good enough? Am I doing everything that I should?" And the answer that I will give them will always, always, always be 'No.' That's because I'm looking at a standard no one on earth can live up to, rather than lifting my eyes and the eyes of those around me to the only one who met the standard, God's perfect holiness and righteousness. He is Jesus our Lord, our Saviour, our redeemer, our substitute and representative. It's all about him. I give my life to a person and my desire is to lead people into the life of God and fellowship with the Trinity made possible through Christ.

Going To Church Is Just Impossible!

2008-04-29T12:34:00.000-04:00

I love the church, but I don't go to church. I believe the church is the hope of the world, but I can't step foot in a church. I want everyone in the whole world to join the church, but I will never be a "church attender" or a "church goer." On the other hand, I've never "skipped church," nor will I ever "miss church." Confused yet? These are strange words from a pastor, of all people. Now try this one on for size: You don't go to church either. You never have and you never will. It's impossible...and I'll tell you why. Church is not something you go to, attend, miss or skip. Church is something you are.

A few weeks ago, during Spring Break, I took my family camping, and we left town at about 11:15 on Sunday morning. The next week I was back with the people of CrossPoint and I told them what I had done. Then I gave them a test to "see if they were paying attention." I said, "Ok. True or False? Last Sunday, your pastor skipped church and went camping." "True!" most yelled. "False!" a few proclaimed. I said, "False! How can I skip something that I am? That's like saying I skipped Harrison! The truth is," I added, "last week, the church went camping. Last week the church went to Disney World. Last week some of the church gathered to worship. And some of the church slept in!"

I am on a journey to see church differently than I did growing up. Rather than seeing it as a sacred building or an organization, I'm beginning to see the church as the body of Christ, a living, breathing, re-presentation of the love, mission, power, grace, ministry and person of Jesus. I understand He is not here in a one-person-bodily form any more. He ascended to be with our Father after promising something even better than him walking the earth: his Holy Spirit, multiplying him in every way, in and through as many people as would believe and receive.

I have not always recognized the importance of how we use the word 'church,' but words affect how we think. How we think affects how we live. If you and I think of church as something we go to or attend, I'm afraid we may fall prey to a clever scheme of the enemy. Satan knows that if we put more value on taking our place in the pew on Sunday mornings than living out the body-life of Christ on a daily basis, he will render us ineffective to change the world. Ever had this thought on a Sunday afternoon? "Man, that was long and boring today, but at least I can feel good about doing what I was supposed to do!" Yeah, me too. I'm concerned that we've been had.

Last year about this time, I stopped by a large church (excuse me, a church's gathering place) in a nearby city to invite the pastor and the men of his congregation to a men's retreat. I explained that the weekend would begin on Thursday evening and would end on Sunday at noon, that it would help men grow in hearing the voice of God and that we would be leading men into freedom from the lies they had come to believe about themselves that hold them captive. I voiced our desire to help men discover what God had specifically put in them to bring Him glory and that would allow them to experience being 'fully alive.' I conveyed we would be sharing how to recognize the schemes of the enemy and would teach men how to fight in spiritual warfare. I also told him that men, in past weekends, had left the retreat with a deeper intimacy with God that led to a greater love for their wives and children. The pastor put down his notepad and said, "I've got a real problem with an organization that would take men away from their church on Sunday."

I attempted to explain how it would benefit "his church" if men had an experience of waking up and coming alive with a passion for God, but it was as if he couldn't hear what I was saying. "It's just kind of pet peeve of mine," he said, "when people miss church to attend some Christian event. Now, I let the kids miss when they went to camp, but I didn't like it!"

When I left his office, I thanked the secretary, and walked away grieving. I confess feeling, angry, bewildered, and judgmental. But even as I write this, I have to check my pride and look at my own life. I've spent many years of ministry trying to get people to come to someTHING rather than inviting people or leading people to experience the daily life of God.

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Is he saying that is the only time he is present? Of course not. He is always with us. He's describing people coming together for the purpose of re-presenting him to the world in a given situation. He's describing how his "body," his "church," will experience him doing the kinds of things through them that we see him doing while he walked the earth. Wherever Jesus walked, he brought and expanded the kingdom of God, that is the realm where God's will is done. The sick were healed, demons were cast out, and most importantly, people experienced the transforming love of God, realizing the truth of how good and loving and grace-full God is. I think we've been duped into thinking going "to church" is the point. I'm becoming convinced that this deception has severely dampened the joy of living out Christ's life as his body and has limited how much the world experiences Christ through us.

What if we began to think of what we do on Sundays or Wednesdays , not as church, but as a gathering of the body, the church, to celebrate the goodness of God? What if we saw our "services" as times for the body to worship, to be encouraged, to be reminded of the reality of who we are as new creatures in Christ, and to be equipped for works of service as described in Ephesians 4:12? What would happen if we each had a few fellow Christ-presenters that loved one another so deeply, who would bear with one another through hurtful experiences, and who shared life so intimately that we never felt alone in anything we faced? I really believe that the lost would begin to see us living a life that they would give anything to experience, and that we would begin to experience a joy and abundant life that is beyond our wildest dreams.

Guns, Robbers, and Reminders

2008-04-22T21:23:00.000-04:00

On Mondays, I try to ease into the week with some extended time alone with God. It does my heart good to find a new place to hike or explore, although I don't make that happen enough. But yesterday, I remembered hearing about a waterfall that wasn't all that well known and not too hard to find. I couldn't find it. Not without some help anyway. So I called my friend, Jim, to remind me where it was.

I wasn't too far from it. However, while I stood beside my car talking to Jim, I saw a car make its way down the dirt road and pass me. I acknowledged the man and woman in the car with a nod and continued my conversation. After moving on down the road towards the landmark Jim had just given me, I was disappointed to see the couple had stopped there as well and had headed up towards the waterfall.

A little upset that my "time alone with God" was in jeopardy, I decided to walk on down the trail to see if the spot was big enough to share. I hadn't gone 50 feet when I heard gunshots, five of them, several seconds apart. I actually considered continuing on, assuming they were just target shooting, but thought better of it fairly quickly. I called Jim again as I approached my car and gave my my guess-what-just-happened report. While we were talking, I saw the woman coming out of the woods...alone. She had her hand in her pocket and stopped as soon as she saw my car. She had that "deer in the headlights" look.

Two went in. Gunshots. One came out. Hands in pockets. Suspicious look. Yeeeahh. I had seen enough. I memorized what was a handicap license plate and eased on down the road calling 911 as I drove. Ten minutes later a couple of sheriff's cars joined me and let me lead them back to the scene. The car was gone, so we walked towards the falls that I had yet to see. I was prepared to find a body, but all we found were the .22 shell casings and evidence that the man was not a good Boy Scout. (Any more details about that would be too much information.) The deputies said they would run the tag and wished me a safe day. After only a few minutes of exploring, I got a call from one of the deputies letting me know that they had run the tag and found that the car had indeed been stolen. And from a handicapped person. Now that's low.

The experience gave a nice boost to my adventure. I had done something helpful. Made some wise decisions. I was feeling pretty good about myself. I got to a nice spot to read and journal my conversation with Jesus. I told him I really wanted, like Paul, to experience the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the resurrection, and what I felt like I heard in my heart was, "Then make it your life's pursuit." I asked Him, "What do you see as my life's pursuit right now?" "You're still in search of affirmation." I knew he was right. I had even found it in the experience of the day.

I've long known that in Christ I can now get all my affirmation from Father, that the words "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased," spoken over Jesus are, thanks to Him, now spoken over me: I must admit that I am still not free from the desire to hear that I am coming through for my wife, my children, my church....

"Lord, how do I lay that down?"

"Consciously...and turn your attention to my life."

"I love your life," I said, reminiscing of times I've experienced Christ's heart and mind in a given situation, and seen the life-giving, freedom-bringing love and grace flow through me to another's heart.

Then as if continuing to answer my question, I felt him prompting me to read John 8:12. Jesus had expressed that he was the light of the world and that whoever followed him would never walk in darkness, but would have the light of life. But the Pharisees challenged him saying that since he was appearing as his own witness, his testimony was invalid. As I read that I noticed a void of human affirmation. Then Jesus answered them saying, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going."

There it is. That's the secret to experiencing freedom from the constant need to be affirmed and validated by fellow humans. I must know where I've come from and where I am going. Just as Jesus was born of the Spirit, as a new creature who's born again, so am I. And where I'm going is to live in the presence of my Father, reigning with Christ, forever. Am I going to mess up between now and then? No doubt. Am I going to miss a few opportunities to come through for my family and friends? Without question, more than a few. But Jesus reminded me that I know where I've come from and I know where I am going. My heart is for God and His is for me. I'm ok. I'm not a loser. That question is settled.

Lord, Jesus, remind me of that...tomorrow.

The Power of Remembering

2008-04-21T17:14:00.000-04:00

I had a new experience last night...my first Passover Seder. As a Gentile, I haven't turned down too many invitations to experience the special meal that commemorates God's delivery of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. However, in the last couple of years I've begun to see the value of following the Jewish calendar a little closer. Then a member of our body invited me to his home to celebrate Passover with his family. He explained that he had been in fellowship with several Messianic Jewish congregations when he lived in New York, and the Passover Seder dinner had become a common part of their families celebration.

Fred Romano's testimony is quite dramatic. As a drug-addicted hair stylist, Fred found himself cutting Billy Graham's hair. He had no idea who he was, but enjoyed the reaction of his co-workers when Rev. Graham left the salon. That night he checked out his work as he watched Graham's crusade on television. Hearing the gospel, he cried out to Jesus saying, "I don't know if you exist, but if you do, please come into my heart!"

Fred addressed our body Sunday morning, sharing his testimony and laying out how the Passover pointed to Christ. He told of how God sees the blood of Jesus when he looks at us, passing over us without judgment or condemnation for our sins. The congregation was invited back to experience the Seder meal in which each element is a reminder of certain aspects of the Israelites deliverance experience.

Although our version of the Seder meal pointed to Yeshua (Jesus' true Hebrew name) as the Passover Lamb and was slightly different than that celebrated by the Jews, two realities made the evening very special. First, knowing that Jews and Messianic Christians all over the world were walking through a similar experience yesterday connected us to a larger family. But the greater impact came from realizing that for over 3500 years people have been following this tradition in order to obediently remember the goodness of God and His power to deliver his people from bondage. Watching how my three sons followed along the Hagadah (the Seder readings), and were connecting the dots with stories they had learned, made me realize how valuable these holidays and festivals have been all these generations for passing along the truths God desires us to remember. He wants to be known by every generation, and He knows that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

A little more transformation and renewal happens whenever we bring back to mind the love and faithfulness of our God. I'm grateful for the chance to worship, to celebrate and learn with my family, and to be included in a God-ordained reminder of the way he continues to set slaves free.

Thanks, Fred.

Not Lost in Translation

2008-04-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

"parakalw de umas adelfoi dia tou onomatos tou kuriou hmwn ihsou cristou ina to auto leghte pantes kai mh h en umin scismata hte de kathrtismenoi en tw autw noi kai en th auth gnwmh" 1 Corinthians 1:10 (Greek New Testament -Textus Receptus)

"obsecro autem vos fratres per nomen Domini nostri Iesu Christi ut id ipsum dicatis omnes et non sint in vobis scismata sitis autem perfecti in eodem sensu et in eadem sententia" 1 Corinthians 1:10 (Jerome's Latin Vulgate)

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (King James Version)

"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (New King James Version)

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (New International Version)

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won't be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (New Living Translation)

"Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (New American Standard)

I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (Revised Standard Version)

Les suplico, hermanos, en el nombre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que todos vivan en armonía y que no haya divisiones entre ustedes, sino que se mantengan unidos en un mismo pensar y en un mismo propósito. 1 Corintios 1:10 (Nueva Version Internacional)

No matter how you translate it, the good news of Jesus Christ is that He has covered the debt for our sins and made us one with Father again by His sacrificial death on the cross. He has risen again, and we are raised with Him to walk in a new life, His life! He has ascended to the right hand of the Father, having taken back the authority Adam handed to Satan to rule the world, and we are seated there with Him! Now He wants to use the flesh of all who would surrender their bodies and lives to Him to exercise that authority, expanding the realm, the kingdom, where His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Is there something that you have let divide you from others in whom Jesus dwells that you would be willing to lay down for the sake of unity and strength in our shared mission?

Time is short and much is at stake.

We're in This Together

2008-04-19T11:55:00.000-04:00

There was a time in my life when I looked at addicts, not with compassion, but with pity and with judgment. Then I realized I was one....

We are all addicts. Maybe our drug of choice is socially acceptable. Maybe it brings death slower than some drug. Maybe it's just easier to hide. But truth be told, we are all in need of being set free.

Here is the truth about us. We are all born into a fallen world. We enter into life with all the potential of every uniquely created, image-bearer of God. We are dearly loved by our creator. He delights in us, wants to be one with us, and stands ready to give us life and everything we need. But how many of us hear that when we are growing up? We all, in one way or another, hear the message, "You are not good enough. Something is wrong with you." The message is delivered through parents, coaches, and friends, through words spoken, or words not spoken, like "I love you" or "I'm proud of you." The message comes through abuse or through neglect and abandonment. And regardless of how we hear it, we respond to that message in one of two ways: with despair (I will never be good enough, so I'll just spend my life trying to numb myself to the pain that comes with that hole in my heart), or with drive (I will prove to myself and everyone else that I am good enough!). Whatever gives relief to the pain or fills the emptiness even for a moment, becomes addictive.

Here's my personal list, just off the top of my head, of what I've looked to for comfort, relief, and escape over the years: Approval/people pleasing and new relationships with people who think I'm a "great guy;" Food even when I'm not hungry (especially sweets); Pornography, Productivity, Feeling useful/Feeling needed; Television; Exercise and being in shape (I'm officially completely free of that one!); and even Religion. Feeling "right" can be addictive.

And you? Is it gossip (having something interesting to offer)? Is it shopping? Is it the adrenaline rush that comes from some extreme sport or a new business venture? Is it "just a little more money?" Is it power? The question is not whether or not we are addicted. The question is not whether or not we too are brokenhearted and in need of healing and being set free. The question is what are we looking to, besides God, to fill us, comfort us, and relieve the pain of our broken hearts?

When Jesus first came on to the scene and began his public ministry, the first thing He did was open a scroll and read from Isaiah 61, declaring Himself as the fulfillment of this prophecy: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn and to provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. He will call them oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

We are all brokenhearted, and we have all turned to something besides the healing Christ offers to escape the pain. I would sum up the ministry of Jesus like this: Trust me, and I will be good enough for you. I will give you a new heart. I will give you my track record. I will give you my strength. And the words spoken over Me by my Father can now be spoken over you: "This my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." It's what we all want to hear. It's what we all need to hear. Our true Father loves us and is pleased with us...we're ok.

Jesus has made that possible and it is finished.

Whether we are addicted to meth, cocaine, alcohol, sex, gambling, tobacco or chocolate, we are all in this together. We need the freedom that Jesus offers. We need to have every lie we've come to believe about ourselves replaced with the truth of what our Creator says about us. To know that we are ok, because he says we are ok; because he has forgiven us for every way we have turned to something besides Him for life: because He made us okay by giving us His spirit to live in us.

"I See You!" - My Father's Delight

2008-04-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

It is the deepest ache of our hearts to know we are the beloved child, to know that we are seen and that our Father delights in us....

My dad has a great memory and has always repeated over and over again the things I said as little boy. If I was swinging I'm told I would often say, "Look Daddy. I'm going real up high!" And before I would leap into his arms out of a tree, from up the stairs, from the side of the pool, never doubting he would catch me, I'm told I would say, "Ready! I jump!"

I have my own memories of constantly wanting my dad to watch me do this or that. "Watch me pop a wheelie, Daddy!" "Watch me do a can-opener, Daddy! Tell me how big a splash I make!" "Watch how hard I can throw this baseball, Daddy!" The questions we're wanting answered when we do that is, "Do you see me? Do you delight in me? Am I special? Am I worthy of your attention?" And there's no greater blessing to a child than to hear a father say in a thousand ways, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I see you! I love you! I love to be with you!"

When you think about the face of your Heavenly Father looking at you, do you picture it lighting up the sight of you? Do you experience His pleasure, His delight in you? I know that can be hard to imagine, especially if you didn't experience that from your earthly father. We're also very aware of the parts of our live we imagine would be very displeasing to God, and we tend to focus on those things. And not an insignificant reality is that we have all inherited a nature that doesn't trust God and assumes His heart towards us is bad.

Have you ever noticed what was God's first item on His to-do list after creating us in His image? Before there were any instructions or commandments, we are told in Genesis 1, "And God blessed them...." Now what does that say about His heart towards us? His greatest desire for us is that we experience His blessing.

To desire to bless someone carries with it some assumptions. It communicates, "I see you. You stand out to me. You are special to me and have great worth in my eyes." It is also a covenant word that goes beyond a contractual agreement to exchange goods or services. It says, "I want you to have this blessing so much I am willing to die, to give my life, to make sure you experience it." Are you beginning to realize the warmth of God's heart towards you?

A blessing could be defined as a "good word spoken over or into a person's life that carries with it a deep desire and commitment to ensure it comes to pass." Listen to the blessing that God wanted his priests to speak over His people every day: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)

We have the desire for our daddy's face to light up when he sees us (shine upon us) and the desire for his attention and delight (for him to turn his face towards us) because our Heavenly Father created us to have that desire. He wants us to experience that from our earthly fathers, and wants us as fathers to extend that blessing to our children. But ultimately He wants us to experience, and be satisfied, to know His gaze is upon us and that He delights in us.

It has changed my life to realize the blessing spoken over Jesus at His baptism is now spoken over me: "This is my Son whom I love. In Him I am well pleased!" Having exchanged my life for His life, and my track record for His track record, I can know the Father's delight in me is no less than that experienced by Jesus himself. The result is the great peace He always wanted me to have. And He died in order to ensure I received it.

So Daddy, thanks for making it easier for me to realize I am my Father's beloved son by consistently assuring me that I am yours, and for laying your life down for me in a thousand different ways.

Fish Life

2008-04-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

I 've been blessed with the opportunity to visit the new Georgia Aquarium. It was an absolute worship experience; not so much what man had pulled off in the facility, which is phenomenal, but what God has done. Taking in the elephant fish, the leafy sea dragons, the garden eels, the anemones, the hammerhead sharks and the dancing beluga whales to only name a few, quite awestruck, I worshiped: “God, your creativity is endless!” And, as I stood beside (and under) a tank designed to give the effect of standing next to a coral reef, I looked up to see waves crashing above me, synchronized to hit at the music’s crescendo. I thought, “This is one amazing aquarium. What incredible attention to detail went into this!”

If I could pick the climax of the experience, it would have to be coming into what was like an amphitheater full of people looking through a wall of glass the size of an Imax screen, watching the sea life interact. There were 5 little black and orange fish swimming right in front of the mouth of a giant whale shark, almost as if they were taking the lead. I was informed they were actually riding the wave created by the shark. I watched a group of sting rays swimming together at the top, just below the water’s surface which appeared to glisten with sunlight. There were massive schools of fish that traveled in synchronized motion. I thought, “This is like sitting on the floor of the ocean!”

If you take on the perspective of a fish, I would imagine there are guppies and Japanese Fighting Fish swimming around in little box-sized aquariums all over the world thinking, “If I could only live in the Georgia Aquarium! Massive pumps circulate the water to keep it at the perfect temperature at all times. An amazing staff makes sure there is just the right amount of food for everybody. Lots of adoring fans stream past to gaze at your beauty, giving you all the attention you could ever want. And the tanks get cleaned every day! Ah, the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world. State of the art. Now that’s living!”

I wonder what it would take for a fish to realize the truth that the Georgia Aquarium with all its bells and whistles is still, in reality… a glorified fish bowl. It may look like the fish have got it made, but the truth of the matter is they are being held captive, swimming around in circles with no idea that they were actually created to be free, to live in and explore the endless depths of the ocean. They have what it takes to find their own food, and to multiply, to be a part of making the ocean even more beautiful than it already is.

For a fish to be delivered from such captivity would require it to hear the voice that whispers, “There…is…more,” stirring a desire deep within it to escape, to leave behind what it had always assumed was life. But even after that desire was awakened, it would quickly become apparent that to experience freedom would require it be rescued. He may somehow escape the confines of the tank, and begin to flop his way towards the ocean, but the effort would be pointless. The chasm is too great to cross.

The fish’s dilemma is descriptive of our reality. We are all born into captivity, and we are a part of culture that lends itself to setting our eyes on “bigger and better” in our search for life, in our quest for having “arrived.” Deceived, we willingly walk into bondage dressed up in “more.” Contaminated by sin, we cannot clean ourselves up enough to be allowed into the presence and life of God. To get free, we need a rescuer, one who would pick us up and walk us into new life.

If Jesus were a tropical fish, he may have looked like your basic grouper, but would have spoken strange words like, “I’ve swum to you so that you may have life, and have it abundantly. Turn away from this counterfeit existence, for the kingdom, the free ocean of your Creator is at hand. It’s available! Now!”

“How can I experience this life you describe?” an aquarium prisoner might ask.

“Release all of this stuff you thought brought life…and follow me,” he’d say.

Those with the prettiest fake coral reefs, and the best tasting fish food, or those who loved the attention of all the patrons would have the hardest time. But those who realized there was no satisfaction in all of that would say, “I’ll do anything you tell me to do.”

“OK,” this Grouper would say. “All you have to do is enter into me. You see, I was not born with the inability to breathe out of water, and I not only can swim in this aquarium, I can swim through the air. Some call it flying! Come into me I will take you out of the bondage of this aquarium. I will teach you the truth of who you are and all you were created to be. And together we will dive into the ocean you were made for. For you the chasm is insurmountable, but through me you will find it is right here! We will explore it together, for eternity! And I will show you how you can join me in my mission of healing other broken-hearted fish, and setting the aquarium captives free! Get ready for the ride of your life!”

As The Heart Stirs

2008-04-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was a really big day for me. Michelle and I made the hour and a half trip to catch John Eldredge on his Walking with God speaking tour. My life took a big turn in 2003 when I took my wife up on her encouragement to go out to Colorado and experience one of Eldredge's Wild at Heart Boot Camps. It was there that, for the first time, I told God how I saw myself and asked Him to tell me how he saw me. What I heard him speak to my heart has changed everything, that is every time I remember and choose to believe Him.

After two more trips out west, one of the greatest experiences of my life was seeing the dream to provide boot camp opportunities in the Southeast come to fruition. However, after two amazing Spring events in 2006 and 2007, I felt myself being taken out. The camp we'd been using had such a high minimum number required for exclusive use that, even with a great turnout of men representing many states, we incurred two $20,000 shortfalls. God miraculously provided both times, but the second year it required the camp to wait three months. After we finally delivered the check, I told Father, "I just don't want to go through that again." What I heard was an immediate but gentle, "So your saying you're not willing to experience a little discomfort on behalf of the hearts of men?" Wince. "Ok, Father. That doesn't sound like your heart, does it. That doesn't compare to what Jesus suffered on behalf of my heart. I'm yours. If you want to use me to lead more boot camps, stir that fire in me again. I'll do it."

It was amazing to see how, within just days of this conversation, several emails came in about the fruit of what God did at our gatherings. However, two of my closest brothers who led the camps with me, went different directions, one to the mission field in India, one to start a new house church, and it left me feeling a bit alone. I haven't felt much of a fire for jumping back into the battle. However, in recent days, God's been drawing together a new band of brothers that have a great passion for rescuing the hearts of men, and who desire to provide another boot camp experience.

So back to the significance of yesterday.... In the morning while at the gym, I ran into a man who shared with me how his family continues to be radically transformed by what God did last April, I saw two other men at the Eldredge gathering that gave testimony of lives changed during the camps, and then I met a new brother who just finished his first attempt at a WAH retreat and who recommended a good venue for us. (That's a big deal since the other camp we used is not chomping at the bit to see us face the challenge of filling their camp again anytime soon).

All that to say, there was a lot of stirring going on yesterday. I was reminded of how much I've learned from John and his band of brothers and I left with a recommitment to make myself available again to lead men to take their questions to God and listen for Him to speak His words of life and healing into their hearts.

I don't know that I've ever felt more alive than in joining Jesus in his mission, specifically as carried out through Wild at Heart related events, felt more kinship than that experienced with the allies, or seen any efforts more fruitful for the Kingdom than that which he is doing through this focus on Jesus Christ's rescue and restoration of our hearts.

I feel like Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun, when, out of fear of not coming through for his comrades, he wouldn't join his wingman and engage in the battle. It's been a season of saying, "It's no good. It's no good." But I'm beginning to remember who I am, what God has put in me and what makes me come alive. It is with great relief that I declare, this "Maverick" is re-engaging in the fight!