Posts
I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful
I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who You are
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful
I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful, you're beautiful
When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, I see Your face
I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Will We Be Sodom ?
I am moving away from my traditional devotionals today with a few questions on our nation and the church.
I was sitting in my room in a hostel in Peru. A pastor friend who was on the trip with me asked if I thought that God had taken His hand off of the United States. What an interesting question. His question stemmed from things like 9/11 and natural disasters, but mostly from the moral decline in the country. We talked into the night about it, and my thoughts turned to Sodom.
Everyone knows the story of Sodom. God destroyed it with fire and brimstone because its sin. The Bible says that the stench of sin has risen to heaven. The perverse nature of life there needed judgment. But what was the sin that made it so bad?
Ezekiel 16:49 tells us that the sin of Sodom was being arrogant, overfed and unconcerned. Sound familiar? It says they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things. Their depravity was the result of their sin, and their depravity a result of God turning them over as described in Romans 1.
Please don't misunderstand. I believe we live in the greatest nation on the planet. We do so much more than most countries, and God has blessed us greatly. But in Luke 12:48 it says that everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And arrogant, overfed and unconcerned. I feel that can not only describe our country, but sometimes the church as well.
Look at the moral decline in the country. In some areas, a slow fade. A gradual decline of compromise. In other areas, a swift change. Are these symptoms of a turning over? The same goes in the church. Who would have thought the divorce rate in the church would be over 25%.
I think the church needs more than ever to stand strong as righteous before God. As He spared Sodom for as little as ten people, so He will continue to spare our country if the church stays righteous. If my people, who are called by my name.........
Thomas Jefferson, while not exactly noted as a theologian, said, " I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever".
Arrogant, overfed and unconcerned.
What are some other thoughts out there? Do you think we are arrogant, overfed and unconcerned? If so, how do we change those? Do we see this in the church as well? Thanks for letting me change up things a little today.
I was sitting in my room in a hostel in Peru. A pastor friend who was on the trip with me asked if I thought that God had taken His hand off of the United States. What an interesting question. His question stemmed from things like 9/11 and natural disasters, but mostly from the moral decline in the country. We talked into the night about it, and my thoughts turned to Sodom.
Everyone knows the story of Sodom. God destroyed it with fire and brimstone because its sin. The Bible says that the stench of sin has risen to heaven. The perverse nature of life there needed judgment. But what was the sin that made it so bad?
Ezekiel 16:49 tells us that the sin of Sodom was being arrogant, overfed and unconcerned. Sound familiar? It says they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things. Their depravity was the result of their sin, and their depravity a result of God turning them over as described in Romans 1.
Please don't misunderstand. I believe we live in the greatest nation on the planet. We do so much more than most countries, and God has blessed us greatly. But in Luke 12:48 it says that everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And arrogant, overfed and unconcerned. I feel that can not only describe our country, but sometimes the church as well.
Look at the moral decline in the country. In some areas, a slow fade. A gradual decline of compromise. In other areas, a swift change. Are these symptoms of a turning over? The same goes in the church. Who would have thought the divorce rate in the church would be over 25%.
I think the church needs more than ever to stand strong as righteous before God. As He spared Sodom for as little as ten people, so He will continue to spare our country if the church stays righteous. If my people, who are called by my name.........
Thomas Jefferson, while not exactly noted as a theologian, said, " I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever".
Arrogant, overfed and unconcerned.
What are some other thoughts out there? Do you think we are arrogant, overfed and unconcerned? If so, how do we change those? Do we see this in the church as well? Thanks for letting me change up things a little today.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Arms and Knees
The author John Bevere shares that for the last 25-30 years we have been so wrapped up in who we are in Christ that we have neglected what we are to do in Christ. Are we as Christians too focused inward instead of also focusing outward? There should be a balance.
Do you know any Christians that are always at conferences and seminars wanting to learn, but would never be interested in witnessing to the poor and homeless, or going on a missions trip? It reminds me of an old Degarmo & Key song lyric from the 80s, "children around the world will starve while we sit in a seminar".
Conversely, do you know followers of Christ that are always going on trips, are all busy serving, that never have time for a daily quiet time, a real relationship with the Father. It almost as if they are unsure of the intimacy with the Lord.
Jesus gave the two greatest Commandments in Mark 12. The first in to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. It's up and down, a vertical relationship between us and the Lord. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a horizontal relationship between us and our neighbors. Jesus lumps these two together.
Paul gives another insight when he talks about God's discipline in Hebrews 12. In verse 12 he says, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. With our arms we do God's work for others, for our neighbors. With our knees we enter an intimate relationship with our King.
Vertical, horizontal. In balance.
Do you know any Christians that are always at conferences and seminars wanting to learn, but would never be interested in witnessing to the poor and homeless, or going on a missions trip? It reminds me of an old Degarmo & Key song lyric from the 80s, "children around the world will starve while we sit in a seminar".
Conversely, do you know followers of Christ that are always going on trips, are all busy serving, that never have time for a daily quiet time, a real relationship with the Father. It almost as if they are unsure of the intimacy with the Lord.
Jesus gave the two greatest Commandments in Mark 12. The first in to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. It's up and down, a vertical relationship between us and the Lord. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a horizontal relationship between us and our neighbors. Jesus lumps these two together.
Paul gives another insight when he talks about God's discipline in Hebrews 12. In verse 12 he says, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. With our arms we do God's work for others, for our neighbors. With our knees we enter an intimate relationship with our King.
Vertical, horizontal. In balance.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Empathy
I had some interesting talks recently about empathy. Walking in someone's shoes. Looking at past or present, seeing why they might act or react to the things they do. Feeling their pain. Sharing their burdens.
Empathy can be a blessing, a true gift. The Second Greatest Commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself". How better than to really look at where they come from, figuratively and literally.
It can also be tough. Carrying some one else's burdens can be hard, especially when we have our own. Pain and trials are fires to test, to mold, to mature. When you carry someone's burden, you experience all that by proxy. James says in chapter 1, verse 2(NIV), count trials as "pure joy". Not joy, or great joy, but pure joy.
When we do empathize, that means us too.
Empathy can be a blessing, a true gift. The Second Greatest Commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself". How better than to really look at where they come from, figuratively and literally.
It can also be tough. Carrying some one else's burdens can be hard, especially when we have our own. Pain and trials are fires to test, to mold, to mature. When you carry someone's burden, you experience all that by proxy. James says in chapter 1, verse 2(NIV), count trials as "pure joy". Not joy, or great joy, but pure joy.
When we do empathize, that means us too.
Monday, February 22, 2010
No Hope
I've spent 26 hours over the last four days in a hospital, with a family member who has a brain tumor. It is such a thick slice of personalities and society that travel through this place over the course of days. It is an amazing place to watch people.
It is a large city hospital, in a rough part of town. It is also a teaching hospital, full of innocent, wide eyed students wanting to heal the world. There are compassionate nurses, and all types of doctors. Some docs are friendly and helpful;others are arrogant and cold. Like anybody else.
The patients are from all walks of life. Many face death, or long recoveries. The faces of grieving family members stay with you. Healing can occur, physically, mentally and even spiritually. Lives are changed; life and death decisions are made. Some earthly, some eternal.
Another floor might be full of new life and rejoicing. Anticipation of diapers, class plays and diplomas.
And you know something? God knows each one. He loves each one.
But I can not imagine how people go through disease and death, trials and tribulations, without faith. Where is their hope? In themselves? How sad.
God never promised us an easy life. He promised to be there for us, to walk with us. To be our shelter.
To be our hope.
It is a large city hospital, in a rough part of town. It is also a teaching hospital, full of innocent, wide eyed students wanting to heal the world. There are compassionate nurses, and all types of doctors. Some docs are friendly and helpful;others are arrogant and cold. Like anybody else.
The patients are from all walks of life. Many face death, or long recoveries. The faces of grieving family members stay with you. Healing can occur, physically, mentally and even spiritually. Lives are changed; life and death decisions are made. Some earthly, some eternal.
Another floor might be full of new life and rejoicing. Anticipation of diapers, class plays and diplomas.
And you know something? God knows each one. He loves each one.
But I can not imagine how people go through disease and death, trials and tribulations, without faith. Where is their hope? In themselves? How sad.
God never promised us an easy life. He promised to be there for us, to walk with us. To be our shelter.
To be our hope.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday Song- I Will Rise- Chris Tomlin
There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
[x2]
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
[x2]
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
Friday, February 19, 2010
Walking in the Dark
My home is back a long lane, more than a half mile. The lane wanders through the woods and over a creek, round a bend by the woods and thicket, and up to the house. One of our favorite winter activities in to take a walk after dark down the lane, over the creek and through the woods.
Some nights the moon is out, and stars, and unbelievable lighting.The snow crunches under your feet, and the golden retriever darts through legs and trees, stopping to sniff and dig. Your cheeks are cold, and you can feel your breathe even when you can't see it.
As you enter the woods the trees rise on both sides, but the lighter sky is above and ahead. It's dark on both sides, lighten only by the snow on the ground. It makes the woods look like a valley. We try not to use a flashlight- some nights the moon wash guides us. You can only see shadows and shapes.
It's an interesting feeling. The adrenaline of not being able to know if there are animals nearby watching us, of the unknown. And the peace and calmness of the still night. It always reminds me of a verse-
Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil- for God is with me, His rod and staff will comfort me-
Peace in the midst of the unknown. A walk with God is like that.
Some nights the moon is out, and stars, and unbelievable lighting.The snow crunches under your feet, and the golden retriever darts through legs and trees, stopping to sniff and dig. Your cheeks are cold, and you can feel your breathe even when you can't see it.
As you enter the woods the trees rise on both sides, but the lighter sky is above and ahead. It's dark on both sides, lighten only by the snow on the ground. It makes the woods look like a valley. We try not to use a flashlight- some nights the moon wash guides us. You can only see shadows and shapes.
It's an interesting feeling. The adrenaline of not being able to know if there are animals nearby watching us, of the unknown. And the peace and calmness of the still night. It always reminds me of a verse-
Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil- for God is with me, His rod and staff will comfort me-
Peace in the midst of the unknown. A walk with God is like that.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A Map
David was called in Acts a man after God's own heart. Why was he called this? Because he followed God with all his heart. In Psalm 37 David gave us a road map of how we are to live a Godly life.
Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture(verse 3). Do we really trust God enough? Do we trust Him with everything? The land and safe pasture reflect the peace we get from actually trusting in Him.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart(verse 4). David spoke several times about our delight being in God. Being with Him, learning about Him, that's where our heart should be. We can delight in a relationship or a child, and a hobby or even career. But do we with God? Where is our delight?
Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this:He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn., the justice of your cause like the noonday sun(verse 5). Commit does not mean a single decision here. It means to be totally committed to Him. Not half way, but totally.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. In our society, our cell phone, remote control, and high speed internet world, we have forgotten how to be still, let alone wait. We need this, our spirit yearns for this, and God expects and wants this from us.
What we would give to be a man or woman after God's own heart?
Give these.
Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture(verse 3). Do we really trust God enough? Do we trust Him with everything? The land and safe pasture reflect the peace we get from actually trusting in Him.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart(verse 4). David spoke several times about our delight being in God. Being with Him, learning about Him, that's where our heart should be. We can delight in a relationship or a child, and a hobby or even career. But do we with God? Where is our delight?
Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this:He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn., the justice of your cause like the noonday sun(verse 5). Commit does not mean a single decision here. It means to be totally committed to Him. Not half way, but totally.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. In our society, our cell phone, remote control, and high speed internet world, we have forgotten how to be still, let alone wait. We need this, our spirit yearns for this, and God expects and wants this from us.
What we would give to be a man or woman after God's own heart?
Give these.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wherever
Dale is a former pastor, who had to retire because of some severe health issues. Because of those health issues, he now lives in an assisted living facility. Some in that situation might questions God's faithfulness. After all his years of ministry, how did he end of here?
Not Dale. He decided that it was where God wanted him. He decided he was there to minister, and he was going to allow God to use him. He was going to be light and salt whenever he was, and for now, it's this assisted living facility.
In the first three weeks of being there, he lead twelve people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. One was a funeral director who he witnessed to and lead to the Lord while driving to a funeral.
We get busy in different ministries and different activities. But despite the busyness, one thing remains.
Each one of us has a fundamental call on our life- to share our faith and lead others to serve the Lord. Whenever we are. In all situations.
Just like Dale.
Not Dale. He decided that it was where God wanted him. He decided he was there to minister, and he was going to allow God to use him. He was going to be light and salt whenever he was, and for now, it's this assisted living facility.
In the first three weeks of being there, he lead twelve people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. One was a funeral director who he witnessed to and lead to the Lord while driving to a funeral.
We get busy in different ministries and different activities. But despite the busyness, one thing remains.
Each one of us has a fundamental call on our life- to share our faith and lead others to serve the Lord. Whenever we are. In all situations.
Just like Dale.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Man After God's Heart
There is a pastor who lives in a shantytown outside of Lima, Peru. He lives in an area where the average wage is $5 per week. The locals live in small homes made of wood pallets and wood boards, with roofs of tin or tarp. These homes are attached in one long row. There are few cars to speak of, only small, three wheel taxis. Only the major roads are paved, and the rest are sand. This area gets less than 1/2 inch of rain each year, even though it is right on the ocean.
The pastor is a true man of God. He teaches school as well, so his days are full. He is always working, and always moving from place to place. His church puts on VBS for the local children, and they have just started a dining hall to feed 100 children once a week. He hopes to move that up to once a day.
He has a quiet, strong spirit, and a warm, infectious smile. He only raises his voice when he is scattering the stray dogs, and when he prays. It's not a loud, theatrical prayer, just one where he's talking to his best friend. He is gracious when he thanks God for all the many things they have received.
This is a giant of the faith. Not someone with a TV show, or an author of many books. But someone who lives and serves on the front line, everyday. If we had more of him in this world, we'd have more of Him in this world.
The pastor is a true man of God. He teaches school as well, so his days are full. He is always working, and always moving from place to place. His church puts on VBS for the local children, and they have just started a dining hall to feed 100 children once a week. He hopes to move that up to once a day.
He has a quiet, strong spirit, and a warm, infectious smile. He only raises his voice when he is scattering the stray dogs, and when he prays. It's not a loud, theatrical prayer, just one where he's talking to his best friend. He is gracious when he thanks God for all the many things they have received.
This is a giant of the faith. Not someone with a TV show, or an author of many books. But someone who lives and serves on the front line, everyday. If we had more of him in this world, we'd have more of Him in this world.
Monday, February 15, 2010
They Never Saw It Coming
What's going on? Pick up a paper, turn on the TV or surf the Net. Unspeakable murders never imagined seem commonplace today. The Christian worldview is not accepted, and is even vilified and banned, in our schools and universities. The liberal view seems to be winning the election in the US. Christians are killed for being Christians in many parts of the world(and many in the church seem to care less). Perverse lifestyles are being accepted as the norm. Abortion rates climb. There is a moral decline and even depravity that is permeating our society. Why is this happening? We seem surprised.
I have many Christians I talk with asking this. Why are we surprised? If you believe that we are living in the last days of this world, like I do, you should know that these things are inevitable. The Bible is very clear that in the last days things will get worse(read 2 Peter 3 and 1 Timothy 3). But we seem to be surprised by it. We are not looking as if at a fig tree. We are not recognizing birth pains. We need to realize we are in a war. Our enemy is going all out surge, and half our army doesn't even know we are in a war.
Do I think we can stop it? It doesn't matter what I think, the Bible says it will happen. I know we can win spiritual battles, and we need to continue to fight those battles until the Lord returns. We need to use our weapons, not the worlds. God is still sovereign. Know that this is happening, and know we must stand firm and persevere until He comes back.
We do have battles to win. The war is already won.
I have many Christians I talk with asking this. Why are we surprised? If you believe that we are living in the last days of this world, like I do, you should know that these things are inevitable. The Bible is very clear that in the last days things will get worse(read 2 Peter 3 and 1 Timothy 3). But we seem to be surprised by it. We are not looking as if at a fig tree. We are not recognizing birth pains. We need to realize we are in a war. Our enemy is going all out surge, and half our army doesn't even know we are in a war.
Do I think we can stop it? It doesn't matter what I think, the Bible says it will happen. I know we can win spiritual battles, and we need to continue to fight those battles until the Lord returns. We need to use our weapons, not the worlds. God is still sovereign. Know that this is happening, and know we must stand firm and persevere until He comes back.
We do have battles to win. The war is already won.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday Song- Come Save- Sarah Reeves
Come Save
Time is running out, come save
Death is creeping in, come save
We humble ourselves and seek Your face.
Pour out Your mercy like rain
Your sons and your daughters cry for You
The waves of the waters reach for You
All of creation rises up and screams out Your name
Oh Lord, come save
Addicted to our pride, come save
Consumed in self-delight, come save
Break us and free us from these chains.
We desperately need Your grace
Your sons and your daughters cry for You
The waves of the waters reach for You
All of creation rises up and screams out Your name
Oh Lord, come save
Come awaken us from our sleep
Come bring us to our knees
Come whisper truth in our ears
Come save
Your sons and your daughters cry for You
The waves of the waters reach for You
All of creation rises up and screams out Your name
Oh Lord, come save
Time is running out, come save
Death is creeping in, come save
We humble ourselves and seek Your face.
Pour out Your mercy like rain
Your sons and your daughters cry for You
The waves of the waters reach for You
All of creation rises up and screams out Your name
Oh Lord, come save
Addicted to our pride, come save
Consumed in self-delight, come save
Break us and free us from these chains.
We desperately need Your grace
Your sons and your daughters cry for You
The waves of the waters reach for You
All of creation rises up and screams out Your name
Oh Lord, come save
Come awaken us from our sleep
Come bring us to our knees
Come whisper truth in our ears
Come save
Your sons and your daughters cry for You
The waves of the waters reach for You
All of creation rises up and screams out Your name
Oh Lord, come save
Friday, February 12, 2010
Legacy again
A girl in our church sang the Nicole Nordeman song "Legacy" this week. It was accompanied by a PowerPoint of photos of people in the church who have left a real legacy, like Ms Nordeman's music video does.
Every one leaves a legacy when they're gone. Some are fleeting and shallow. Other leave a legacy of permanence.
I think of a man who gave up a very successful business and country estate. He decided to go back to school and then enter the ministry. God has used him as a mighty tool.
Sometimes a legacy can be as much about what you leave behind. Not bricks and mortar, like many people like to put their names on before they die.
There's the missionary who gave up a prestigious degree to work with kids and orphans in a desolate area. There's the couple who despite their own three kids, adopted three more out of abusive situations.
What kind of legacy are you leaving? Great career, nice 401k? Or something more permanent, in the lives and faiths of others.
Each day we build for either the temporal or eternal.
Every one leaves a legacy when they're gone. Some are fleeting and shallow. Other leave a legacy of permanence.
I think of a man who gave up a very successful business and country estate. He decided to go back to school and then enter the ministry. God has used him as a mighty tool.
Sometimes a legacy can be as much about what you leave behind. Not bricks and mortar, like many people like to put their names on before they die.
There's the missionary who gave up a prestigious degree to work with kids and orphans in a desolate area. There's the couple who despite their own three kids, adopted three more out of abusive situations.
What kind of legacy are you leaving? Great career, nice 401k? Or something more permanent, in the lives and faiths of others.
Each day we build for either the temporal or eternal.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Abba, Father
I was fortunate to have had a great dad. He was loving, yet strict. He helped me with my animals, from my dogs to taking my horses to shows. He looked the other way when I just happened to get "sick" the last day of the World Series so I could watch my team win(back when they played day games). He took me hunting, and was at every track meet and football game I ever had. He would praise me when I needed it, and swatted my butt when I needed it.
For my 16th birthday he gave me a quote that read-"You show who you are by what you do with what you have." I never forgot that.
Maybe you have great memories of your dad- maybe you don't. You might be married to a great father, or might be one yourself. We all know what a father should be. He should love you enough to protect you, and he'll tell you when you're wrong. He'll discipline you, and he'll try to give you your heart's desires. He's always there for you.
That's what God is, our Father. He disciplines those he loves. He wants to give us our heart's desires. He wants a closer relationship with us. He's always watching over us. We as fathers should emulate Him, and we should understand His relationship with Him as we see Him as our Father.
We are all products of our father and our Father. It's who we are- we have His name.
For my 16th birthday he gave me a quote that read-"You show who you are by what you do with what you have." I never forgot that.
Maybe you have great memories of your dad- maybe you don't. You might be married to a great father, or might be one yourself. We all know what a father should be. He should love you enough to protect you, and he'll tell you when you're wrong. He'll discipline you, and he'll try to give you your heart's desires. He's always there for you.
That's what God is, our Father. He disciplines those he loves. He wants to give us our heart's desires. He wants a closer relationship with us. He's always watching over us. We as fathers should emulate Him, and we should understand His relationship with Him as we see Him as our Father.
We are all products of our father and our Father. It's who we are- we have His name.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Herd Mentality
They also tend to wander. They lose focus and get distracted, and before you know it, they're gone. When they get lost, unlike many animals you hear of , they can't find they're way home without some help. You hear stories of dogs or cats or horses being lost or loose, yet finding home from miles away. Sheep don't have that natural homing instinct.
They also need protection. Sheep can't defend themselves against predators. The only exception is the occasional ram. He has been equipped the necessary tool for some defense.
Is it any wonder Jesus used the illustration of sheep and a shepherd for His followers? Don't people have the same characteristics?
Peer pressure is not just for high schoolers. In and out of the church, we tend to follow what everyone else is doing. Sometimes this is great, but many times to can be disastrous. We all need to read the same book, or do the same ministry. We can follow the wrong leader for the right reasons, or the right leader for the wrong reasons. Sometimes over a cliff. We need a Shepherd to guide us.
We are big on getting distracted. We have remotes, microwaves and ipods. Our society has contributed to a mass attention deficit disorder. We have distractions that pull us away. Some times they are important things like our kid's activities or family commitments. Some times it's trivial things like hobbies. We look up and wonder "Where's God?", not realizing it was us who wandered away. We need to rely on a Shepherd to keep us from getting lost
We are also defenseless by ourselves against attacks by our enemy. It helps when we are in a large group. But he can still pick off the weak or slow ones, like a wolf does. We need a Shepherd to protect us.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Feeble Arms and Weak Knees
No one likes to be disciplined. I didn’t as a child, and I’m sure you didn’t either. Sometimes it hurt, and sometimes it stopped me from what I wanted. But I knew my parents disciplined me because they wanted me to learn and grow.
That’s what Hebrews 12 says is the reason God disciplines us. It’s to share in His holiness . If we are trained by His discipline, it will produce righteousness and peace.We all need the righteousness, and we all crave the peace.
Verse 7 says that we should endure hardship as discipline from God. But we want out of hardships (and discipline) right away. We don't want to endure; that sounds too long.
One of my favorite scriptures is verse 12. That verse says that we should strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. This is very telling, and similar to the language that Isaiah used . There is not a lot of mystery here. We need to strengthen our arms because that is what we work with, what we serve others with. We need to strengthen our knees because that is what we use in our relationship with God. Be always praying. Again, it goes back to the two greatest commandments that Jesus gave us.
How do we strengthen these? Like you would your body, building them up by use and exercise. Carry some one else’s burden. Work those bicep muscles with service and love for your neighbor. Our knees should be calloused from use. Many Christians today do not spend enough time in prayer. Ten minutes? Fifteen minutes? Access and communication with our God and Creator should be a priority of our day.
Feeble arms and weak knees. Does this describe me?
Does it describe you?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Lock Your Wings
I read in some long ago book this illustration and have never forgotten it. Eagles, in flight over the Sinai Desert, will ride the hot thermal winds up over a large storm front. They can go as high as 10,000 feet. He doesn't fly that high by flapping his wings. He locks his wings at his shoulders, to ride the wind over the storm, coming down on the other side. He can stay aloft for hours. He will get so high that ice will start to form on his wings, melting as he descends.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "ruach" means spirit or wind, the breath of God. David used it in one of my favorite verses, Psalm 51:10-11, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..........take not your ruach from me". The New Testament Greek for Holy Spirit is "pneuma", wind, to lift up.
When Isaiah says in 40:31 "we should soar with wings as eagles", this is what he means. He used this illustration as he talked about the tired and weary relying on the strength of God. Not to flap and struggle against the storms of life...illness, family responsibilities, failed relationships or financial problems...but to lock our wings, and ride the breath of God. That doesn't mean we have don't have to deal with these things; we do. It's not about relying on God to take us over these things, but to give us a new perspective- a view from above the storm.
We need to get ice on our wings.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "ruach" means spirit or wind, the breath of God. David used it in one of my favorite verses, Psalm 51:10-11, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..........take not your ruach from me". The New Testament Greek for Holy Spirit is "pneuma", wind, to lift up.
When Isaiah says in 40:31 "we should soar with wings as eagles", this is what he means. He used this illustration as he talked about the tired and weary relying on the strength of God. Not to flap and struggle against the storms of life...illness, family responsibilities, failed relationships or financial problems...but to lock our wings, and ride the breath of God. That doesn't mean we have don't have to deal with these things; we do. It's not about relying on God to take us over these things, but to give us a new perspective- a view from above the storm.
We need to get ice on our wings.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Saturday Song- I Am - Mark Schultz
I Am by Mark Schultz
I am the maker of the Heavens
I am the bright and morning star
I am the breath of all Creation
Who always was
And is to come
I am the One who walked on water
I am the One who calmed the seas
I am the miracles and wonders
So come and see
And follow me
You will know
Chorus:
I am the fount of living water
The risen Son of man
The healer of the broken
And when you cry
I am your savior and redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The author and perfecter
Beginning and the end
I am
I am the spirit deep inside you
I am the word upon your heart
I am the One who even knew you
Before your birth
Before you were
Chorus:
Before the Earth (I am)
The universe (I am)
In every heart (I am)
Oh, where you are (I am)
The Lord of love (I am)
The King of Kings (I am)
The Holy lamb (I am)
Above all things
Chorus:
Yes, I am almighty God your father
The risen son of man
The healer of the broken
And when you cry
I am your savior and redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The author and perfecter
Beginning and the end
I am
I am the maker of the Heavens
I am the bright and morning star
I am the breath of all Creation
Who always was
And is to come
I am the One who walked on water
I am the One who calmed the seas
I am the miracles and wonders
So come and see
And follow me
You will know
Chorus:
I am the fount of living water
The risen Son of man
The healer of the broken
And when you cry
I am your savior and redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The author and perfecter
Beginning and the end
I am
I am the spirit deep inside you
I am the word upon your heart
I am the One who even knew you
Before your birth
Before you were
Chorus:
Before the Earth (I am)
The universe (I am)
In every heart (I am)
Oh, where you are (I am)
The Lord of love (I am)
The King of Kings (I am)
The Holy lamb (I am)
Above all things
Chorus:
Yes, I am almighty God your father
The risen son of man
The healer of the broken
And when you cry
I am your savior and redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The author and perfecter
Beginning and the end
I am
Friday, February 5, 2010
Face to Face
Imagine the eyes of a child.... with a look ofjoy, playing with a puppy or opening presents.Bright eyes, wide smile. Or those same eyes, pained or scared.
Imagine the eyes of a parent, or a spouse..... eyes twinkling with laughter, or sharing a knowing glance. Or those same eyes when hurt or disappointed.
Sometimes an expression and eyes can say so much, and cut to a person’s core.
Several years ago two men I knew passed away within weeks of each other. Both were Christians. One man had lived a hard life, full of struggles and pain, including burying one of his children. He was a common laborer by trade, and was a man of faith. His eyes could smile, but often they showed wear and pain through his strength. He passed away in his late 70s.
The other man was in the ministry, and though his life knew pain and loss, he led a blessed life. His eyes had cried, but more often they had twinkled. He loved the Lord , and lived to his mid 90s. After both had died I thought about them meeting Jesus for the first time in heaven, and being “face-to-face” with their Savior. What His eyes must have said. What His face must have reflected to each. Both loved God more than anything, and I’m sure His eyes reflected His pride in their faithfulness.
Sometimes we think of heaven as a distant place, and things are unclear. But we will stand “face-to-face” with Jesus. I wonder what we will see in His eyes when we stand in front of Him. Will we see pride in His eyes for our faithfulness? Or will we see a glimpse of how much more there could have been? As the things we did on this earth are put to fire, will we see disappointment over how we wasted our time, money and vision? Or His pleasure with the results?
Imagine the eyes of your Savior.....
Imagine the eyes of a parent, or a spouse..... eyes twinkling with laughter, or sharing a knowing glance. Or those same eyes when hurt or disappointed.
Sometimes an expression and eyes can say so much, and cut to a person’s core.
Several years ago two men I knew passed away within weeks of each other. Both were Christians. One man had lived a hard life, full of struggles and pain, including burying one of his children. He was a common laborer by trade, and was a man of faith. His eyes could smile, but often they showed wear and pain through his strength. He passed away in his late 70s.
The other man was in the ministry, and though his life knew pain and loss, he led a blessed life. His eyes had cried, but more often they had twinkled. He loved the Lord , and lived to his mid 90s. After both had died I thought about them meeting Jesus for the first time in heaven, and being “face-to-face” with their Savior. What His eyes must have said. What His face must have reflected to each. Both loved God more than anything, and I’m sure His eyes reflected His pride in their faithfulness.
Sometimes we think of heaven as a distant place, and things are unclear. But we will stand “face-to-face” with Jesus. I wonder what we will see in His eyes when we stand in front of Him. Will we see pride in His eyes for our faithfulness? Or will we see a glimpse of how much more there could have been? As the things we did on this earth are put to fire, will we see disappointment over how we wasted our time, money and vision? Or His pleasure with the results?
Imagine the eyes of your Savior.....
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Suffering Well
Taken from Yahoo News, by AP Writer Eric Gorski, about Matt Chandler. Matt is a dynamic young paster serving the Lord in the Dallas area. You can find his sermons on Youtube or on the Village Church website.
Suffering well: Faith tested by pastor's cancer
By ERIC GORSKI, AP National Writer Sun Jan 31, 2010
DALLAS – Matt Chandler doesn't feel anything when the radiation penetrates his brain. It could start to burn later in treatment. But it hasn't been bad, this time lying on the slab. Not yet, anyway.
Chandler's lanky 6-foot-5-inch frame rests on a table at Baylor University Medical Center. He wears the same kind of jeans he wears preaching to 6,000 people at The Village Church in suburban Flower Mound, where the 35-year-old pastor is a rising star of evangelical Christianity.
Another cancer patient Chandler has gotten to know spends his time in radiation imagining that he's playing a round of golf at his favorite course. Chandler on this first Monday in January is reflecting on Colossians 1:15-23, about the pre-eminence of Christ and making peace through the blood of his cross.
Chandler's hands are crossed over his chest. He wears a mask with white webbing that keeps his head still when metal fingers slide into place on the radiation machine, delivering the highest possible dose to what is considered to be fatal and incurable brain cancer.
This is Matt Chandler's new normal. Each weekday, he spends two hours in the car — driven from his suburban home to downtown Dallas — for eight minutes of radiation and Scripture.
At the hospital, Chandler sees other patients in gowns who get chemotherapy through catheters in their chests and is thankful he gets his in pills before going to sleep at home next to his wife.
Chandler is trying to suffer well. He would never ask for such a trial, but in some ways he welcomes this cancer. He says he feels grateful that God has counted him worthy to endure it. He has always preached that God will bring both joy and suffering but is only recently learning to experience the latter.
Since all this began on Thanksgiving morning, Chandler says he has asked "why me?" just once, in a moment of weakness.
He is praying that God will heal him. He wants to grow old, to walk his two daughters down the aisle and see his son become a better athlete than he ever was.
Whatever happens, he says, is God's will, and God has his reasons. For Chandler, that does not mean waiting for his fate. It means fighting for his life.
___
Thanksgiving morning, a normal morning at the Chandler home.
The coffee brews itself. Matt wakes up, pours himself a cup, black and strong like always, and sits on the couch. He feeds 6-month-old Norah from a bottle. Burps her. Puts her in her bouncy seat.
The next thing Chandler knows, he is lying in a hospital bed.
What Chandler does not remember is that he suffered a seizure and collapsed in front of the fireplace, rattling the pokers. He does not remember biting through his tongue.
He does not remember his wife, Lauren, shielding the kids as he shook on the floor. Or, later, ripping the IV out of his arm and punching a medic in the face.
During the ambulance ride, Lauren, 29, looks back from the passenger seat at her husband in restraints.
He is looking at her but through her.
She texts the women in her Bible study and asks them to pray.
At the hospital, Matt comes to.
"Honey, what happened?"
"You had a seizure."
He realizes that their two older children — Audrey, 7, and Reid, 4 — had seen it.
"Are the kids OK?"
Tears well up in his eyes.
"They're fine. They're fine."
He dozes off, wakes up and asks about the kids again. The same exchange repeats itself five times, always ending the same way, with Matt tearing up.
In short order, Chandler is wheeled back for a CT scan, followed by an MRI.
Not long afterward, the ER doctor walks in and sits next to him.
"You have a small mass on your frontal lobe. You need to see a specialist."
It was Thanksgiving. Chandler had not seen his kids for hours. He had collapsed in front of them. For whatever reason, those grim words from a doctor he'd never met did not cause his heart to drop. What Chandler thought was, "OK, we'll deal with that." Getting the news meant he could go home.
___
Chandler can be sober and silly, charming and tough. He'll call men "bro" and women "mama." He drives a 2001 Chevy Impala with 144,000 miles and a broken radio. He calls it the "Gimpala"
One of Chandler's sayings is, "It's OK to not be OK — just don't stay there." In other words, your doubts and questions are welcome at The Village Church, but eventually you need to pull it together.
He's also been known to begin sermons with the warning, "I'm going to yell at you from the Bible."
Chandler's long, meaty messages untangle large chunks of Scripture, a stark contrast to the "Eight Ways to Overcome Fear" sermons common to evangelical megachurches that took off in the 1980s. His approach appeals, he believes, to a generation looking for transcendence and power.
His theology teaches that all men are wicked, that human beings have offended a loving and sovereign God, and that God saves through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection — not because people do good deeds. In short, Chandler is a Calvinist, holding to a belief system growing more popular with young evangelicals.
"Matt goes right at Bible Belt Christianity and exposes the problems with it," says Collin Hansen, author of "Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists." "He says, 'Enough of this playing around and trying to be relevant and using cultural touch points. Let's talk God's words.'"
Chandler's background does not suggest someone suited to the role. He grew up a military kid, drifting from Olympia, Wash., to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Alameda, Calif., and Galveston, Texas.
Chandler was taught that Christianity meant not listening to secular music or seeing R-rated movies. He developed what he calls a small and "man-centered" view of God — that God will bless people who are good. That began to change when a high school football teammate started talking about the Gospel.
After graduating from a small Baptist college, Chandler became a fiery evangelist who led a popular college Bible study and traveled the Christian speaking circuit. He was hired from another church in 2002 at age 28 to lead what is now The Village Church, a Southern Baptist congregation that claimed 160 members at the time.
The church now meets in a newly renovated former Albertson's grocery store with a 1,430-seat auditorium; two satellite campuses are flourishing in Denton and Dallas. Chandler has a podcast following in the thousands and speaks at large conferences.
"What Matt does works because it resonates with the deep longing of the soul the average person can't even identify," said Anne Lincoln Holibaugh, the church's children's ministry director.
___
Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The Chandlers meet with Dr. David Barnett, chief of neurosurgery at Baylor University Medical Center.
The weekend had brought hope: A well-meaning church member who is a radiologist looked at Matt's MRI and concluded the mass was encapsulated, or contained to a specific area.
But Barnett delivers very different news. He saw what appeared to be a primary brain tumor — meaning a tumor that had formed in the brain — that was not contained. It had branches.
"Matt, I think you're dealing with something serious," Barnett says. "We need to do something about it quickly. Go home. Talk it over with your wife. Pray about it."
Chandler is facing brain surgery. He schedules it for that Friday, Dec. 4.
He is scared.
Questions start to haunt him. Am I going to wake up and be me? Am I going to wake up and remember Lauren?
The surgery begins around 2 p.m. A biopsy determines that it is, indeed, a primary brain tumor.
As far as Chandler knows, there is no history of cancer in his family. His tumor, like most others, was likely caused by a genetic abnormality, Barnett says. There's no way of knowing how long it's been there.
The surgeon is aggressive, pushing to remove as much of the mass as possible. It's in a relatively good place in the brain's "silent hemisphere," removed from areas that control most language skills.
The hospital has an intraoperative MRI, which allows surgeons to remove part of a tumor, stop, take a picture, look more closely, then go in and remove more. Barnett uses it twice during Chandler's surgery.
"You cannot be a timid neurosurgeon when you deal with these things," Barnett says later. "Your first shot is your best shot at treating this. I wanted to get as much of the tumor out as humanly possible, but I also wanted to be careful not to permanently injure him. It's a fine balance between the two."
Seven hours after entering surgery, Matt is wheeled to intensive care.
His head is swollen and wrapped in a bandage.
His irises are quivering.
Chandler wakes to Barnett's voice.
"Matt ... Matt ... Who am I?"
He knows the answer. Relief. His left side is numb. His facial expressions are frozen and his voice has no pitch, what doctors call a "flat affect."
This is all good, leading Barnett to believe he pushed hard but not too hard.
Each day after the surgery, Chandler gets better, stronger.
"The first four days were just ... not scary, but hard," Lauren says. "I'm wondering, 'How much of this will stay? How much of this will be normal? How much of this will be the new normal?'"
Tuesday after surgery. Barnett meets with Lauren and Brian Miller, chairman of the church's elder board. The final pathology results are not in, but Barnett shares what he knows — the tumor was malignant, fast-growing and mean.
Though he removed what he could see, such tumors send tiny fingers of cells beyond their borders — and eventually a branch will reach back and grow another brain tumor, Barnett says.
Barnett asks Lauren and Miller to keep the diagnosis to themselves for a week so Matt can concentrate fully on recovering from surgery.
On Dec. 15, Barnett shares the pathology results with the Chandlers. Tumors are designated by grade — with Grade 1 being the least aggressive and Grade 4 being the most.
Chandler's tumor is a Grade 3.
The average life expectancy in such cases, Barnett says, is approximately two to three years. The doctor says later, in an interview, he believes Chandler will live longer because of the aggressive surgery, treatment and Chandler's otherwise good health.
There's also a chance that "God smiles upon us" and the cancer goes into remission for years, says Barnett, a devout Christian.
Before the meeting ends, Matt prays that his children and others do not grow resentful.
"Lord, you gave this to me for a reason. Let me run with it and do the best I can with it."
Barnett says later that he's witnessed many tragedies and miracles. He has seen how people handle life-changing moments. He called Chandler's attitude one of the most amazing he's seen.
Chandler says learning he had brain cancer was "kind of like getting punched in the gut. You take the shot, you try not to vomit, then you get back to doing what you do, believing what you believe.
"We never felt — still have not felt — betrayed by the Lord or abandoned by the Lord. I can honestly say, we haven't asked the question, 'Why?' or wondered, 'Why me, why not somebody else?' We just haven't gotten to that place. I'm not saying we won't get there. I'm just saying it hasn't happened yet."
Later, Chandler clarified that. There was one moment when he looked at a Christmas card, saw a picture of a man who chronically cheated on his wife and thought, "Why not that guy?"
Chandler confessed to Lauren that his thoughts were wicked and wrong.
___
Monday, Jan. 4, a month after surgery. Morning breaks with 4-year-old Reid singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at full volume. Matt sits at his laptop in the dining room, nursing a cup of green tea.
He's preparing to drive to a homeopathic clinic for an infusion of Vitamin C to bolster the immune system, followed by the long drive to downtown Dallas for radiation. He's in the midst of a six-week program of radiation and chemotherapy, to be followed by a break and more treatment.
Chandler never thought such a trial would shake his faith. But until now, that was just hope in the abstract.
"This has not surprised God," Chandler says on the drive home. "He is not in a panic right now trying to figure out what to do with me or this disease. Those things have been warm blankets, man."
Chandler has, however, wrestled with the tension between belief in an all-powerful God and what he, as a mere mortal, can do about his situation. He believes he has responsibilities: to use his brain, to take advantage of technology, to walk in faith and hope, to pray for healing and then "see what God wants to do."
"Knowing that if God is outside time and I am inside time, that puts some severe limitations on my ability to crack all the codes," he says. "The more I've studied, the more I go, 'Yes, God is sovereign, and he does ask us to pray ... and he does change his mind.' How all that will work is in some aspects a mystery."
Since falling ill, Chandler has gotten letters from the governor and pastors in Sudan. He has tried to steer attention to others, including a 6-year-old Arizona girl with cancer.
At church, he has deflected sympathy with reassurances that this is a good thing, that he is not shrinking back. Chandler has preached the last two weekends and is planning trips to South Africa and England. He recently lost his hair to radiation but got a positive lab report last week and feels strong.
"The human experience commonly shared is suffering," said Mark Driscoll, pastor of Seattle's Mars Hill Church and a friend of Chandler's. "If he suffers well, that might be the most important sermon he's ever preached."
Chandler would rather this not have happened. But he is drinking life in — watching his son build sandcastles at the park, preaching each sermon as if eternity is at stake — and feeling a heightened sense of reality.
"It's carpe diem on steroids," he says.
At the dinner table on the sixth day of radiation, new normal looks like this: Reid in Spiderman pajamas. Peanut butter and jelly dipped in honey for the kids, turkey chili for the adults.
And peppermint ice cream.
It is a diaper changed, dishes done.
Matt Chandler takes his chemo pills and goes to bed, grateful for another day.
A Sower's Comments- Pray for Matt and his family, and pass this story on to anyone you know is suffering.
Suffering well: Faith tested by pastor's cancer
By ERIC GORSKI, AP National Writer Sun Jan 31, 2010
DALLAS – Matt Chandler doesn't feel anything when the radiation penetrates his brain. It could start to burn later in treatment. But it hasn't been bad, this time lying on the slab. Not yet, anyway.
Chandler's lanky 6-foot-5-inch frame rests on a table at Baylor University Medical Center. He wears the same kind of jeans he wears preaching to 6,000 people at The Village Church in suburban Flower Mound, where the 35-year-old pastor is a rising star of evangelical Christianity.
Another cancer patient Chandler has gotten to know spends his time in radiation imagining that he's playing a round of golf at his favorite course. Chandler on this first Monday in January is reflecting on Colossians 1:15-23, about the pre-eminence of Christ and making peace through the blood of his cross.
Chandler's hands are crossed over his chest. He wears a mask with white webbing that keeps his head still when metal fingers slide into place on the radiation machine, delivering the highest possible dose to what is considered to be fatal and incurable brain cancer.
This is Matt Chandler's new normal. Each weekday, he spends two hours in the car — driven from his suburban home to downtown Dallas — for eight minutes of radiation and Scripture.
At the hospital, Chandler sees other patients in gowns who get chemotherapy through catheters in their chests and is thankful he gets his in pills before going to sleep at home next to his wife.
Chandler is trying to suffer well. He would never ask for such a trial, but in some ways he welcomes this cancer. He says he feels grateful that God has counted him worthy to endure it. He has always preached that God will bring both joy and suffering but is only recently learning to experience the latter.
Since all this began on Thanksgiving morning, Chandler says he has asked "why me?" just once, in a moment of weakness.
He is praying that God will heal him. He wants to grow old, to walk his two daughters down the aisle and see his son become a better athlete than he ever was.
Whatever happens, he says, is God's will, and God has his reasons. For Chandler, that does not mean waiting for his fate. It means fighting for his life.
___
Thanksgiving morning, a normal morning at the Chandler home.
The coffee brews itself. Matt wakes up, pours himself a cup, black and strong like always, and sits on the couch. He feeds 6-month-old Norah from a bottle. Burps her. Puts her in her bouncy seat.
The next thing Chandler knows, he is lying in a hospital bed.
What Chandler does not remember is that he suffered a seizure and collapsed in front of the fireplace, rattling the pokers. He does not remember biting through his tongue.
He does not remember his wife, Lauren, shielding the kids as he shook on the floor. Or, later, ripping the IV out of his arm and punching a medic in the face.
During the ambulance ride, Lauren, 29, looks back from the passenger seat at her husband in restraints.
He is looking at her but through her.
She texts the women in her Bible study and asks them to pray.
At the hospital, Matt comes to.
"Honey, what happened?"
"You had a seizure."
He realizes that their two older children — Audrey, 7, and Reid, 4 — had seen it.
"Are the kids OK?"
Tears well up in his eyes.
"They're fine. They're fine."
He dozes off, wakes up and asks about the kids again. The same exchange repeats itself five times, always ending the same way, with Matt tearing up.
In short order, Chandler is wheeled back for a CT scan, followed by an MRI.
Not long afterward, the ER doctor walks in and sits next to him.
"You have a small mass on your frontal lobe. You need to see a specialist."
It was Thanksgiving. Chandler had not seen his kids for hours. He had collapsed in front of them. For whatever reason, those grim words from a doctor he'd never met did not cause his heart to drop. What Chandler thought was, "OK, we'll deal with that." Getting the news meant he could go home.
___
Chandler can be sober and silly, charming and tough. He'll call men "bro" and women "mama." He drives a 2001 Chevy Impala with 144,000 miles and a broken radio. He calls it the "Gimpala"
One of Chandler's sayings is, "It's OK to not be OK — just don't stay there." In other words, your doubts and questions are welcome at The Village Church, but eventually you need to pull it together.
He's also been known to begin sermons with the warning, "I'm going to yell at you from the Bible."
Chandler's long, meaty messages untangle large chunks of Scripture, a stark contrast to the "Eight Ways to Overcome Fear" sermons common to evangelical megachurches that took off in the 1980s. His approach appeals, he believes, to a generation looking for transcendence and power.
His theology teaches that all men are wicked, that human beings have offended a loving and sovereign God, and that God saves through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection — not because people do good deeds. In short, Chandler is a Calvinist, holding to a belief system growing more popular with young evangelicals.
"Matt goes right at Bible Belt Christianity and exposes the problems with it," says Collin Hansen, author of "Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists." "He says, 'Enough of this playing around and trying to be relevant and using cultural touch points. Let's talk God's words.'"
Chandler's background does not suggest someone suited to the role. He grew up a military kid, drifting from Olympia, Wash., to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Alameda, Calif., and Galveston, Texas.
Chandler was taught that Christianity meant not listening to secular music or seeing R-rated movies. He developed what he calls a small and "man-centered" view of God — that God will bless people who are good. That began to change when a high school football teammate started talking about the Gospel.
After graduating from a small Baptist college, Chandler became a fiery evangelist who led a popular college Bible study and traveled the Christian speaking circuit. He was hired from another church in 2002 at age 28 to lead what is now The Village Church, a Southern Baptist congregation that claimed 160 members at the time.
The church now meets in a newly renovated former Albertson's grocery store with a 1,430-seat auditorium; two satellite campuses are flourishing in Denton and Dallas. Chandler has a podcast following in the thousands and speaks at large conferences.
"What Matt does works because it resonates with the deep longing of the soul the average person can't even identify," said Anne Lincoln Holibaugh, the church's children's ministry director.
___
Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The Chandlers meet with Dr. David Barnett, chief of neurosurgery at Baylor University Medical Center.
The weekend had brought hope: A well-meaning church member who is a radiologist looked at Matt's MRI and concluded the mass was encapsulated, or contained to a specific area.
But Barnett delivers very different news. He saw what appeared to be a primary brain tumor — meaning a tumor that had formed in the brain — that was not contained. It had branches.
"Matt, I think you're dealing with something serious," Barnett says. "We need to do something about it quickly. Go home. Talk it over with your wife. Pray about it."
Chandler is facing brain surgery. He schedules it for that Friday, Dec. 4.
He is scared.
Questions start to haunt him. Am I going to wake up and be me? Am I going to wake up and remember Lauren?
The surgery begins around 2 p.m. A biopsy determines that it is, indeed, a primary brain tumor.
As far as Chandler knows, there is no history of cancer in his family. His tumor, like most others, was likely caused by a genetic abnormality, Barnett says. There's no way of knowing how long it's been there.
The surgeon is aggressive, pushing to remove as much of the mass as possible. It's in a relatively good place in the brain's "silent hemisphere," removed from areas that control most language skills.
The hospital has an intraoperative MRI, which allows surgeons to remove part of a tumor, stop, take a picture, look more closely, then go in and remove more. Barnett uses it twice during Chandler's surgery.
"You cannot be a timid neurosurgeon when you deal with these things," Barnett says later. "Your first shot is your best shot at treating this. I wanted to get as much of the tumor out as humanly possible, but I also wanted to be careful not to permanently injure him. It's a fine balance between the two."
Seven hours after entering surgery, Matt is wheeled to intensive care.
His head is swollen and wrapped in a bandage.
His irises are quivering.
Chandler wakes to Barnett's voice.
"Matt ... Matt ... Who am I?"
He knows the answer. Relief. His left side is numb. His facial expressions are frozen and his voice has no pitch, what doctors call a "flat affect."
This is all good, leading Barnett to believe he pushed hard but not too hard.
Each day after the surgery, Chandler gets better, stronger.
"The first four days were just ... not scary, but hard," Lauren says. "I'm wondering, 'How much of this will stay? How much of this will be normal? How much of this will be the new normal?'"
Tuesday after surgery. Barnett meets with Lauren and Brian Miller, chairman of the church's elder board. The final pathology results are not in, but Barnett shares what he knows — the tumor was malignant, fast-growing and mean.
Though he removed what he could see, such tumors send tiny fingers of cells beyond their borders — and eventually a branch will reach back and grow another brain tumor, Barnett says.
Barnett asks Lauren and Miller to keep the diagnosis to themselves for a week so Matt can concentrate fully on recovering from surgery.
On Dec. 15, Barnett shares the pathology results with the Chandlers. Tumors are designated by grade — with Grade 1 being the least aggressive and Grade 4 being the most.
Chandler's tumor is a Grade 3.
The average life expectancy in such cases, Barnett says, is approximately two to three years. The doctor says later, in an interview, he believes Chandler will live longer because of the aggressive surgery, treatment and Chandler's otherwise good health.
There's also a chance that "God smiles upon us" and the cancer goes into remission for years, says Barnett, a devout Christian.
Before the meeting ends, Matt prays that his children and others do not grow resentful.
"Lord, you gave this to me for a reason. Let me run with it and do the best I can with it."
Barnett says later that he's witnessed many tragedies and miracles. He has seen how people handle life-changing moments. He called Chandler's attitude one of the most amazing he's seen.
Chandler says learning he had brain cancer was "kind of like getting punched in the gut. You take the shot, you try not to vomit, then you get back to doing what you do, believing what you believe.
"We never felt — still have not felt — betrayed by the Lord or abandoned by the Lord. I can honestly say, we haven't asked the question, 'Why?' or wondered, 'Why me, why not somebody else?' We just haven't gotten to that place. I'm not saying we won't get there. I'm just saying it hasn't happened yet."
Later, Chandler clarified that. There was one moment when he looked at a Christmas card, saw a picture of a man who chronically cheated on his wife and thought, "Why not that guy?"
Chandler confessed to Lauren that his thoughts were wicked and wrong.
___
Monday, Jan. 4, a month after surgery. Morning breaks with 4-year-old Reid singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at full volume. Matt sits at his laptop in the dining room, nursing a cup of green tea.
He's preparing to drive to a homeopathic clinic for an infusion of Vitamin C to bolster the immune system, followed by the long drive to downtown Dallas for radiation. He's in the midst of a six-week program of radiation and chemotherapy, to be followed by a break and more treatment.
Chandler never thought such a trial would shake his faith. But until now, that was just hope in the abstract.
"This has not surprised God," Chandler says on the drive home. "He is not in a panic right now trying to figure out what to do with me or this disease. Those things have been warm blankets, man."
Chandler has, however, wrestled with the tension between belief in an all-powerful God and what he, as a mere mortal, can do about his situation. He believes he has responsibilities: to use his brain, to take advantage of technology, to walk in faith and hope, to pray for healing and then "see what God wants to do."
"Knowing that if God is outside time and I am inside time, that puts some severe limitations on my ability to crack all the codes," he says. "The more I've studied, the more I go, 'Yes, God is sovereign, and he does ask us to pray ... and he does change his mind.' How all that will work is in some aspects a mystery."
Since falling ill, Chandler has gotten letters from the governor and pastors in Sudan. He has tried to steer attention to others, including a 6-year-old Arizona girl with cancer.
At church, he has deflected sympathy with reassurances that this is a good thing, that he is not shrinking back. Chandler has preached the last two weekends and is planning trips to South Africa and England. He recently lost his hair to radiation but got a positive lab report last week and feels strong.
"The human experience commonly shared is suffering," said Mark Driscoll, pastor of Seattle's Mars Hill Church and a friend of Chandler's. "If he suffers well, that might be the most important sermon he's ever preached."
Chandler would rather this not have happened. But he is drinking life in — watching his son build sandcastles at the park, preaching each sermon as if eternity is at stake — and feeling a heightened sense of reality.
"It's carpe diem on steroids," he says.
At the dinner table on the sixth day of radiation, new normal looks like this: Reid in Spiderman pajamas. Peanut butter and jelly dipped in honey for the kids, turkey chili for the adults.
And peppermint ice cream.
It is a diaper changed, dishes done.
Matt Chandler takes his chemo pills and goes to bed, grateful for another day.
A Sower's Comments- Pray for Matt and his family, and pass this story on to anyone you know is suffering.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A Role Model for Fighting Giants
“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:24.
What better role model can you ask for than Caleb.He was a warrior for God. We first see Caleb as a young man of forty. He is chosen to be sent as one of the spies into the Promised Land. Returning, he goes against conventional wisdom, arguing to move into the promised land. He’s ready to fight the giants. We all know the story, Israel is disobedient and only Caleb and Joshua will get to enter the Promised Land. God promises Caleb the land on which he walked.
So what does Caleb do now? He perseveres. He wanders the wilderness watching his generation die off, watches the continued disobedience of Israel, shaking his head, knowing- hey, we should already be there! Many Christians today don’t know what persevere means- can we pray and prepare for something, for four days or 4 weeks or 4 months- let alone 40 years! But God made Caleb a promise, and Caleb persevered.
Forty five years go by. It’s time to enter the Holy Land. Caleb, now 85 years old, is still as strong as when he was 40. Why? He continued to train and prepare. He knew he would have to stay ready, to be prepared when the time came. God had made him a promise- and he was still, 45 years later, ready to fight the giants! Joshua grants him the hill country he walked as the Lord promised, and he drives out the descendants of Anak.
Do we step out on faith, sometimes speaking out and defying current trends, like Caleb ? Do we persevere for what God has promised? Do we stay trained and prepared, always ready to fight giants?
What better role model can you ask for than Caleb.He was a warrior for God. We first see Caleb as a young man of forty. He is chosen to be sent as one of the spies into the Promised Land. Returning, he goes against conventional wisdom, arguing to move into the promised land. He’s ready to fight the giants. We all know the story, Israel is disobedient and only Caleb and Joshua will get to enter the Promised Land. God promises Caleb the land on which he walked.
So what does Caleb do now? He perseveres. He wanders the wilderness watching his generation die off, watches the continued disobedience of Israel, shaking his head, knowing- hey, we should already be there! Many Christians today don’t know what persevere means- can we pray and prepare for something, for four days or 4 weeks or 4 months- let alone 40 years! But God made Caleb a promise, and Caleb persevered.
Forty five years go by. It’s time to enter the Holy Land. Caleb, now 85 years old, is still as strong as when he was 40. Why? He continued to train and prepare. He knew he would have to stay ready, to be prepared when the time came. God had made him a promise- and he was still, 45 years later, ready to fight the giants! Joshua grants him the hill country he walked as the Lord promised, and he drives out the descendants of Anak.
Do we step out on faith, sometimes speaking out and defying current trends, like Caleb ? Do we persevere for what God has promised? Do we stay trained and prepared, always ready to fight giants?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Behind The Eyes...Surgery
The last month has been something else. You start the new year with anticipation of a fresh start, and habits to change or begin. You ask the Lord for strength in certain areas, or to open new doors. You never think that you'd have to be dealing with something hard at the start of the year.
I had a retinal tear in my left eye develop on January 6th, and had laser surgery to repair it on the 7th. I had bleeding in the eye on the 8th, and saw my ophthalmologist on that day and again on Monday the 11th. Apparently part of the retina near the tear was lifting, and I saw a retinal specialist on Wednesday who scheduled a pneumatic retinoplexy surgery(inserting a gas bubble) for Thursday, with laser to follow again on Friday. That was done, and more laser on the following Monday. By Wednesday fluid behind the retina had caused a detachment, and surgery was done on Thursday the 21st. This involved incisions in the eye, draining the vitreous fluid, more laser treatment and a gas bubble that took up 90% of the eye. The bubble helps keep the retina in place. The bubble is now down to 70% , and eventually I will be able to see over. Then, in a few more weeks, it will be gone.
It's been a time of sitting quietly, patiently waiting on the Lord. It's frustrating not being able to drive, and being chauffeured around. Frustrating not to be able to lift things, or help someone you love move into a new apartment. I have no pain; I just can't lift things, be jarred (no jogging)and can't see (temporarily).
I thought about our eyes. About what we look at but don't really see. Matthew 6:22 say our eyes are the lamp of the body; if our eyes are good, the body will be good. John 4:35 says we are to open our eyes and look at the harvest. Many don't see that.
As well as seeing the physical, we are also to see the spiritual. Ephesians 1:18 says that our heart has eyes! And one of my favorites, 2Corinthians 4:18 says we are to fix our eyes on the unseen, not the seen.
Anyway, a fun way to start the year. I have had no pain, I just haven't been able to see out of my left eye. We know that in this human "jar of clay" we will face trials and afflictions, part of suffering. We also know that we are to suffer with our Lord, and be persecuted for our belief. Two types of suffering.
I was back to church Sunday after a three week absence. The Sunday School lesson was a video of Francis Chan talking about suffering ( which I had posted the first two parts here on January 18th and 19th). The music was about trials. The sermon was on suffering and God being our strength. On the way out I picked up a Mission Frontiers newsletter that said on the front, "Recapturing the Role of Suffering". Sunday afternoon I was emailed a link to a story on Matt Chandler, the pastor of the Village Church in Dallas. Matt is battling brain cancer. The story was entitled "Suffering Well". Two types of suffering, woven through the day.
Do we suffer well? We know we will suffer, because Jesus said we would.
That's what I asked myself. Do I suffer well? My suffering is not as drastic as many people face, other at this point not knowing how my vision will be. Others deal with so much more. Cancers, death of a loved one, loss of a limb.
And I've never faced beatings, or torture, or death because of my faith. At least not yet.
The word "joy" is used many times in the Bible. "Great joy", and "greater joy". Only once is the phrase "pure joy" used, and that is James 1 when he talks about trials and persecutions. It seems hard to imagine that we should welcome trials and suffering, but that's what the Word says.
Easier read than done, huh?
We just need to remember that we are called to walk where Jesus walked. We are persecuted with Him. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes emotional or spiritual. Sometimes we are persecuted because of Him. What an intimate attachment with our King.
No matter our trial. or persecution, there is always a light at the need of the tunnel. And perseverance to be learned. Wisdom to be gained.
We also need to remember that our trials, our suffering, our persecution,like the bubble in my eye, are only temporary.
I had a retinal tear in my left eye develop on January 6th, and had laser surgery to repair it on the 7th. I had bleeding in the eye on the 8th, and saw my ophthalmologist on that day and again on Monday the 11th. Apparently part of the retina near the tear was lifting, and I saw a retinal specialist on Wednesday who scheduled a pneumatic retinoplexy surgery(inserting a gas bubble) for Thursday, with laser to follow again on Friday. That was done, and more laser on the following Monday. By Wednesday fluid behind the retina had caused a detachment, and surgery was done on Thursday the 21st. This involved incisions in the eye, draining the vitreous fluid, more laser treatment and a gas bubble that took up 90% of the eye. The bubble helps keep the retina in place. The bubble is now down to 70% , and eventually I will be able to see over. Then, in a few more weeks, it will be gone.
It's been a time of sitting quietly, patiently waiting on the Lord. It's frustrating not being able to drive, and being chauffeured around. Frustrating not to be able to lift things, or help someone you love move into a new apartment. I have no pain; I just can't lift things, be jarred (no jogging)and can't see (temporarily).
I thought about our eyes. About what we look at but don't really see. Matthew 6:22 say our eyes are the lamp of the body; if our eyes are good, the body will be good. John 4:35 says we are to open our eyes and look at the harvest. Many don't see that.
As well as seeing the physical, we are also to see the spiritual. Ephesians 1:18 says that our heart has eyes! And one of my favorites, 2Corinthians 4:18 says we are to fix our eyes on the unseen, not the seen.
Anyway, a fun way to start the year. I have had no pain, I just haven't been able to see out of my left eye. We know that in this human "jar of clay" we will face trials and afflictions, part of suffering. We also know that we are to suffer with our Lord, and be persecuted for our belief. Two types of suffering.
I was back to church Sunday after a three week absence. The Sunday School lesson was a video of Francis Chan talking about suffering ( which I had posted the first two parts here on January 18th and 19th). The music was about trials. The sermon was on suffering and God being our strength. On the way out I picked up a Mission Frontiers newsletter that said on the front, "Recapturing the Role of Suffering". Sunday afternoon I was emailed a link to a story on Matt Chandler, the pastor of the Village Church in Dallas. Matt is battling brain cancer. The story was entitled "Suffering Well". Two types of suffering, woven through the day.
Do we suffer well? We know we will suffer, because Jesus said we would.
That's what I asked myself. Do I suffer well? My suffering is not as drastic as many people face, other at this point not knowing how my vision will be. Others deal with so much more. Cancers, death of a loved one, loss of a limb.
And I've never faced beatings, or torture, or death because of my faith. At least not yet.
The word "joy" is used many times in the Bible. "Great joy", and "greater joy". Only once is the phrase "pure joy" used, and that is James 1 when he talks about trials and persecutions. It seems hard to imagine that we should welcome trials and suffering, but that's what the Word says.
Easier read than done, huh?
We just need to remember that we are called to walk where Jesus walked. We are persecuted with Him. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes emotional or spiritual. Sometimes we are persecuted because of Him. What an intimate attachment with our King.
No matter our trial. or persecution, there is always a light at the need of the tunnel. And perseverance to be learned. Wisdom to be gained.
We also need to remember that our trials, our suffering, our persecution,like the bubble in my eye, are only temporary.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Storefront Ministry
I have a friend who is in the insurance business. He deliberately choose that profession because it allowed him the chance to speak with people at crucial moments in their life. They might be getting married, having children or buying a new home. They might contemplating retirement, or even death. His career allowed him to share God's love and glory at these important times. He says he has a "storefront ministry disguised as an insurance office".
That's the attitude we all should have. We should seek opportunities and avenues through which we can share and minister. We tend to wear blinders focused on our own life, and miss many opportunities for the Lord.
Colossians 4:5 says to be wise in the way we act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to be prepared in season and out of season.
Are we prepared? Do we look for opportunities, or just react when asked? We each should have our own ministry, disguised like my friend's or not.
That's the attitude we all should have. We should seek opportunities and avenues through which we can share and minister. We tend to wear blinders focused on our own life, and miss many opportunities for the Lord.
Colossians 4:5 says to be wise in the way we act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to be prepared in season and out of season.
Are we prepared? Do we look for opportunities, or just react when asked? We each should have our own ministry, disguised like my friend's or not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)