Hope and Change

I didn't listen to all of the speech given the other night but I have to say I was a little furious when Senator Omaba took the first part of Romans 5:5 and equated it with himself. I half expected lightening to ran down from the Denver sky.

Hope is not found is Obama... nor McCain or any other politician. Any claim to such would make you a false prophet and the anti-Christ. It was as shameful as when Bill Clinton in 92 took the passage of 1 Cor 2:9 and equated it to himself, "Eye has not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered in the Heart of any man what we will do for you." Lest we place all the blame on Dems for taking pieces of God's word and equating it with America or themselves, Reagan was just as guilty but claiming America would be a shining city on a hill when that's about believers in Christ and the need to let the light of our good deeds shine to a lost world.

Hope is found only in Jesus. Not in money. Not in fame. Not in politics. Not a person who promises everything whether they are a good communicator or not.

Let's finish the whole passage in context shall we?

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation

Change only happens in Christ Another catch phrase ballyhooed around. Change only happens as the true Messiah (and Hope for the World) transforms us. Change is happening now as His Spirit transforms us into ever-increasing glory. But ultimate change happens when He comes for us in glory. We will all be changed in a flash, in a twinkling of the eye at the last trumpet. Change happens when we see him face to face and this hope, real hope is what purifies us...

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

A Special Night with my Son

Last night, I read Luke the "Big Picture Bible". I really like it because it gives the 'big picture' of the bible that Jesus is the King and God is redeeming people from all over the earth who will worship Him.

In the past we might have just read a few chapters. But we actually read most of the 400+ pages last night skipping ahead at times to Jesus and then to the Passion week.

After we finished I shared the gospel with Luke. I asked if he knew the verse "For God so loved the world..." and that he could put his name in that verse. We talked about God having a plan for his life and the problem that we all have because of sin. I asked him if he knew what sin was and he did. (Of course he does because he had two time-outs during dinner earlier in the night). But I also explained how the problem is not just our actions but that we need a new heart. We talked about why Jesus died and how we could receive Him as our Savior.

I asked if if Jesus was outside his heart or inside and if he wanted to invite him in. First Luke said he did and then he said he was not sure. So I explained to him how he could once he was ready.

This was a big step because usually Luke starts acting silly when we talk about Spiritual things. He was really tracking and it was a special night just to get to share the gospel with him.

Please join Robin and I in prayer for Luke. Our desire is that he would coem to faith not so that life would be easier for us as parents but that he would know the depth of God's love for him... that he would follow Jesus and live out what He has in store for him.

Fantasy Draft for Teachers

After Two Plus Days

Well we are almost at the half-way point of the Global Briefing. Little change of plans with Robin and boys coming up. We have had rainy, cold weather here so they will come up tommorrow after church and stay Sun and Mon night. good call because there is also a Bluegrass festival here this weekend so our boys may not have slept with that a loud thunder.

Some highlights of the briefing thus far for me...
* Worship with Autumn Film
* Hearing from our bible teachers (and good friends/mentors to me) - Chip Scivicque and Jay Lorenzen
* Leading a seminar we titled "When the Soil is Hard". About 1/3 of all the STINTers attended this seminar that was offered twice yesterday. I shared a little but mostly led a panel of people who have served in hard places. it was a very encouraging time of focusing on being faithful and full of faith.
* Our regional time last night. Special, special time as all of our STINTers shard how God brought them to this point.
* The coaching appointments I have had thus far. Of the 6 guys going to Africa that I am coaching, I met with 2 today. It was a great time with both!
* Team time with the South Africa team tonight. I had to share with them the reality that may be split into two teams. We are still thinking they should stay together but we have been asked to seek God about this because of the reality that their team represents more than all the current campus staff in all of RSA at present. I was so proud of each of these 8 STINTers as though they all preferred to stay together and gave great reasons why.... to a person they said that they will still go no matter what and if the Lord wants them to split up they will. I was humbled by their willingness to lay everything before Christ and be willing to serve no matter what.

Christ Alone

Today we start the Global Briefing conference in Copper Mountain, CO. It is a briefing for 300+ STINTers (1 year missionaries) with Campus Crusade who will go all over the world. These 300+ are from all over the US. We also have a few interns who work to reach Int'l students on campuses in the US.

Our theme this week is "Christ Alone". We will impart a lot of information on how to work as a team, how to minister and thrive overseas, etc. through main sessions and seminars. But foremost we want these young people to experience Christ this week and to know that this year is not about them. It's not about their team or Campus Crusade's name. It's about Christ and Him alone.

Pray for me. I am actually leading this conference. I hate saying that because one I hope Christ is leading it and I have a team of folks who are leading. But it does make for a unique week of seeing the conference as a whole being on top of things. I also will be coaching the team from our region going to South Africa.

Robin and the boys are planning to come up late Friday afternoon and stay the weekend. Luke has his orientation for Kindergarten on Friday so they will come up after then.

Watching Olympics

Fun to watch the Olympics with Luke each night. Talking with him about Michael Phelps and what he is trying to achieve reminds me of when I was 8 and watching Mark Spitz.

Narcoleptic Thoughts

Over the weekend, we had a funny episode. On Saturday at dinner time, Jack went in a moment's time from whining to sacking out. I picked him up to take him to bed and he woke up whining/crying again and so I started to rock him and he instantly fell back asleep hard.

I don't think he has narcolepsy - just stayed up too late the night before as we had a block party in the neighborhood and then woke up early Saturday am to catch cartoons.

But it reminded me of a funny thing that happened recently. Robin and the boys picked me up at airport on the afternoon of 7/31 when i got back from South Africa. When we drove up to the little booth to pay for parking, the attendant was asleep. She had just accepted money from the person in front of us so it was rather startling. You'd think she'd just flown 20 hours like me or something. Robin had to reach outside the van and tap her on the shoulder and she jumped up and acted like she wasn't even sleeping.

I guess it was better than if her job was driving an airport shuttle bus. Imagine that. Maybe being a toll-taker is such an easy job that she thought she could do it in her sleep.

Of course if I was driving instead of Robin given that I had been driving on other side of road in RSA and that I could barely keep my eyes open this might have happened....

Ike 25 in the Message

God, you are my God. I celebrate you. I praise you.

You've done your share of miracle-wonders, well-thought-out plans, solid and sure.

Here you've reduced the city to rubble, the strong city to a pile of stones.

The enemy Big City is a non-city, never to be a city again.

Superpowers will see it and honor you, brutal oppressors bow in worshipful reverence.

They'll see that you take care of the poor, that you take care of poor people in trouble,

Provide a warm, dry place in bad weather, provide a cool place when it's hot.

Brutal oppressors are like a winter blizzard and vicious foreigners like high noon in the desert.

But you, shelter from the storm and shade from the sun, shut the mouths of the big-mouthed bullies.

Here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people of the world,

A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.

And here on this mountain, God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,

The shadow of doom darkening all nations.

Yes, he'll banish death forever.

And God will wipe the tears from every face.

He'll remove every sign of disgrace

From his people, wherever they are. Yes! God says so!

Also at that time, people will say, "Look at what's happened!

This is our God!

We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!

This God, the one we waited for!

Let's celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.

God's hand rests on this mountain!"

I look forward to this day!

What Does it Mean to be a Servant

Christ was a servant.

I am struck both those words. He came not to be served but to serve. (Matthew 20:26). He was one among them who served. (Luke 22:27). Though God, He took on the very nature of a servant. (Phil 2:7).




Christ came to serve. If this is true, then if I call himself a follower of Christ, I would be a servant. Jesus was one among them who served. If this true, then to be like Christ, I need to be among others serving. Jesus took on the very nature of a servant. If this is true (and my whole faith is based on it being so) then to know Christ, to understand Him, I must serve and have the same attitude He had.





John says it best in his 1st letter: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"





To serve. To give. To love.





After spending 12 days in Africa waking up every day with only one thought 'how can I serve'... working and living alongside 16 others with the same thought... not of ourselves... not our agenda... just serving... reacting to the need... responding to the Spirit... giving of ourselves to those in need.... I came to several conclusions. The foremost is that when I serve I understand Jesus. I come to really know Him. I gain a small taste of what He life was like on earth.. every day, every moment.





And... I like myself better. I feel fulfilled. When I serve with others, considering others more important than myself, there are no major conflicts. Our love for one another grows.





I am more in tune with Jesus when I live life not for myself but for Him and for those created in His imagine whom He loves and died for.





I need to serve. I was recreated to serve.