Monday, December 21, 2009

Journey or Destination?

"The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of the bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up. Moses said, 'What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?' God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' He said, 'Yes? I'm right here!' God said, 'Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground.' Then he said, 'I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.' Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God." Exodus 3.2-6 (MSG)

As a kid I always loved getting to where we were going. As a father, I now know why my dad never wanted to stop and see the snow in Kentucky when we were going further north, "And there will be snow in Columbus." I want to get there and get there quickly. I don't want to mess around with the details of the journey. I want to get there as soon as possible, with as few stops and detours as possible.

Ever felt this way? Hurry up and get there? I want to have arrived.

It makes me think about a guy named Moses who had a taken a lot of steps with God. I'm sure that when he was tending the sheep of his father-in-law on the back side of nowhere he was thinking, "How did I get here? Where did I go wrong?" He was raised in the palace of the Pharaoh. He was destined for greatness. He had a good heart toward his people, the Israelites. But something happened that caused him to end up in the middle of nowhere.

His journey didn't begin at the burning bush with God, but rather at his birth. But the burning bush is where we see that he finally acknowledges God on the journey. The steps that Moses took toward God were humble, tentative, fearful. He removed his sandals in the presence of God. He removed the hindrances and blockages between his feet and his Master. He showed reverence for the holiness of God.

Walking with God requires both a familiarity and a reverence. It requires humility and boldness - curiosity and fear.

What is the destination? Where are when we have finally arrived? Heaven. And the whole point of Heaven is God. So the journey is the destination. God is the point of this journey. The beautiful thing is that we have Him with us every day. I am reminded this season of His name, Emmanuel - God WITH us. We miss Him so many times. We get wrapped up in our plans and the final destination of arriving that we miss the whole point - walking with God.

Take some time today to just walk with God. Get outside, enjoy the cool air or the warm sunshine, and walk with God. Take some time and tell Him that you are sorry for allowing your priorities to get so messed up. Make time today to be with God. Remove the sandals from your feet and the hindrances from heart so that you can hear God talk with you.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Where are you?

Genesis 3.8 "When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. God called to the Man, 'Where are you?'"

We were created to walk with God in the cool of the day, at the end of the day. Walking with God. Can you imagine? What would it be like to walk with God at the end of your day, in the cool of the evening, talking about your day and your life. Let Him know of your struggles and triumphs. This is what Adam and Eve did every day. They ened each day with God.

There is something to learn from this. We were created to walk with God. God longs to be with us, just like He was with Adam and Eve. But many times things get in the way. I'm too busy. It's raining outside. I have too much on my mind. I can't feel God. What is the use, He isn't really there anyway. There is a good show on TV tonight. I just want to relax.

These don't remove the fact that we were created to walk with God. The journey with God is the destination. The relationship is the point of it all. Stepping with God is the point. Walking with God is what we were created for. God wants to hear about your day, every day. He has been waiting for you and I to tell Him all about it. He has been waiting to hear the good, the bad and the ugly of it all.

Take some time today to spend with God, telling Him all...ALL...about your day. God is asking us the same question as He did Adam, "Where are you?"

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Fear from a child's eyes

Joshua 1.5, 9 "In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you, I won't leave you...Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't be discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

"Daddy, I'm just scared because I've never had stitches before," Hannah says with tear rolling down her cheeks and fear filling her eyes. She is lying on a hospital bed at the Care Clinic. She is here because of a bike riding accident and her split chin.

As a dad, what do you do? Jen and I had our hearts being ripped out. How do you comfort her? How do you strengthen her? How do you reassure her?

Jen then asked me to step up by her head and just keep lookin in her eyes. The fear was overwhelming. It broke my heart. But this seemed to calm her. She went from histeria to calm, an almost eary calm. She just closed her eyes and relaxed. It was amazing.

What do you do when you are scared? Where do you turn when your life has taken a tumble? Where do you go when life is messed up and you are scared?

Through this experience God showed me some amazing things about Himself. When I'm going crazy and life is upside down, when fear has flooded my eyes and invaded my heart, I can look into my Father's eyes and find comfort and strength. I'll be able to face any uncertainity because of the courage that is transfered from the initmate presence of my Father. From His strong, reassuring gaze I can find hope that I am going to be okay - that everything will be alright.

Just so you know, Hannah received 3 stitches and is doing much better (this was only 4 days ago). She isn't ready for a bike ride any time soon, but we will try it this weekend again.

God, thank you for your strength and hope. Thank you for calming my heart and reassuring me that You have me when life is going crazy around me.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Ebenezer and a dead stick

Every Thanksgiving my wife does the same thing, and I love the tradition of it. She goes into the yard and get a dead stick and plants it into a pot. She puts this pot in the center of our table. Then spreads paper leaves, of all the fall colors, on the table. We are instructed to write the things we are thankful for and tie them to the tree. The tree, that once was dead looking, now is coming to life with the thanks and gratitude of our hearts. It is a beautiful reminder of the power of thanksgiving.

Ebenezer is not just a scrooge. In the Bible it was a monument - a memorial to remember what God had done at a certain location. It was to be a talking point for when your children ask what it means, you can tell them about the greatness of God.

Joshua 4.1-24 "In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, 'What are these stones doing here?' tell your children this: 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.' Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan's waters for you until you had crossed, just as God, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong God's rescuing hand is and so that you would hold God in solemn reverence always."

This Thanksgiving is a great time to remind myself of what God has done for me so that I will recognize Him as God, my God. He has blessed me with an amazing and loving wife. He has given me 2 of the greatest gifts in my girls. We have good health. We are together.

There is so much to be thankful for. Take, no make, the time to share what you are thankful with to the people that you are thankful for.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Own us, posses us.

"Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us." (Moses to God) Exodus 34.8-9

The statement, "Own us, possess us," is so easy to say when it is just words. But when you are desperate they flow from your heart - where they are cried out of need.

When we begin to see God as this Father who loves unconditionally, patient beyond belief, completely true - yet the perfect judge - we realize our need and lack of worthiness.

Then, and only then, will we be ready to pray this. When we realize that the beating in our chest is more than just our heart - when we notice taht the quickening comes when we recognize God and His calling in our lives - will this become more than just a statement. It will become a declaration - a yearning in our soul.

In the middle of the desert, or the back side of nowhere, God is still calling us. He has never left us - He has not abandoned His plan for us. He is using even the wilderness to shape us - to cause us to want Him more. Then to draw us closer to Himself.

Own me! Possess me! I want You in every part of my life. I want my life to be nothing compared to You.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

God Understands!?!

Exodus 2.24-25 God listened to their groanings. God remembered His covenant. God saw what was going on. God understood.

Understood? Understood! Understood?!?
He understood what? Their pain - their suffering - their tears? Their lack of undestanding why their God, who said they were His and taht He loved them, would allow such heartache and pain?

God understood exactly what it would take to get His people to pray - to cry out - to beg for God to intervene. God is a relational God - He is about reconciling us to Himself - that means restoring the relationship He had originally planned.

God misses the walks in the cool of the day. He misses hearing aobut the new discoveries. He longs to hear how the kids are - how the job is going - how life is treating you.

He wants you and I!

He understands that we don't, and won't, come to HIm when life is good. He knows taht we will give HIm lip service and make all kinds of promises when life is hard - only to fall back inot our normal ways once things turn around.

Yet, GOD UNDERSTANDS!!! He comes down to help us in our time of need - to set us free - to belss us beyond what we deserve, knowing full well that we will turn our backs on Him - that we will take control again when things calm down.

But, He still steps in and saves the day.

Prayer for Today:
God, I'm sorry for my anger. I'm sorry for my lack of trust in You. I'm sorry for acting like a spoiled brat and snatching the reigns of my life away from You at every turn. Please forgive me for my disobedience. Forgive me for not walking with You in the cool of the day - when life is good.
Open my heart to You! Thank You for hearing my cries and saving the day.