Back on track

I started this blog because I needed a place to preach. I needed a pulpit and an audience because God has given me a message to speak. I think I have drifted away from that purpose by trying to opine with the crowd. So, read it or don't. Agree with it or don't. The choice is yours. My choice is to follow the call.

And He said to all, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my a sake will save it." --Luke 9:23, 24

First of all, let me say that this is the call of JGen. To deny one's self and follow Christ daily. Continual, moment-by-moment denial and rejection of the world, and our desires to be accepted by it. This is discipleship at its purest and most earnest.

Jesus' disciples knew that to "come after Him" meant to join company with Him and His posse as they walked about ministering in Palestine. As was said this weekend, and by Benji for the past fifty or so years, true salvation isn't just believing, it's following.

We can't follow half-heartedly. It's an all or none deal. Jesus didn't take His cross part of the way. He didn't take on half of the world's sins. He didn't die for half of mankind. It was for all. Or for none at all.

How many times I have made a commitment to turn my life completely over to God, only to find myself unchanged a few short weeks later. It's because I only went half-way. I released a few things to Him; the obvious things that everyone knew about me. This makes for a good show of obedience and gets some hearty amens from the old-timers. But those things that I held onto were anchors.

I can't take up my cross if my hands are full of my desires and treasures. They must be laid down and left behind me. Jesus took His cross and carried it to the point of His death. If we wish to follow Him, we must be willing to do the same. It's a decision that will lead to rejection, isolation, suffering, and even death. But as is written Hebrews 12:2: "...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame."

Jesus suffered the shame of a public, naked execution, and the pain of torturous death for the future reward and joy that was promised. Most likely, our suffering will be much less than His. But our reward will be the same. I don't know about you, but that sounds like love to me.

Daily self-denial and contempt for the world is the path of Christ. It's the path to righteousness and to eternal joy.

What are the treasures in your hands? A home? A job? Wealth? A relationship?

You have a mansion in heaven. You have a purpose in Christ. You have eternal riches. And you have a love that cannot fade away.

Re-cap

It's hard to know where to begin talking about Disciple Now weekend. So much has happened in three days that it may take multiple posts to cover it all.

The students were awesome. My group of middle school boys were everything I thought they would be, from sweating and stinking to beating the crap out of each other with boxing gloves. Literally. We had two black eyes, three cut foreheads and a busted lip. And they loved it. They never once got mad at each other, they just kept on playing.

As you can see from the pictures on the right, nine boys have about the same power as a category 4 hurricane. And the same respect. Everything was fair game at Benji's house and, amazingly, there was no property loss.

I want to say thanks to all the leaders for doing a great job. I love and admire each of you and count it a blessing to serve with you. Knowing your hearts for our church and the student group is a source of strength and joy for me. You are truly the spirit of JGen.

I believe something wonderful happened this weekend. I prayed for D-Now for over two weeks that God would do something life-changing in someone's heart. That He would show Himself to someone and lead them closer to Him and His desires. I believe that miracle happened. I can't wait for the coming days as we hear testimonies about the ways God moved in people's hearts and lives.

For me, D-Now showed me alot. The most important of these being that God has me where He wants me. But He wants me to give more to it. He is doing marvelous things at SCBC and I praise Him for letting me be involved. But He also demands more from me. I need a more biblical way of living so that He can be seen.

Speaking of seeing God, at the New Year's service Benji challenged us to ponder what we wanted this year. I was immediately drawn to Job 42:5 which says,

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.

I believe I have seen God in 2008 in ways I never imagined. He has revealed Himself to me on a personal level and literally touched my heart. But I'm not satisfied. I want to focus this year on seeing Him more. "May the vision of You be the death of me" was a line in a worship song this weekend and it made me crumble. I've never felt so singled out. That has been my prayer for months and this weekend God let me know that we all will be seeing more of Him. Our Jacob curriculum spoke to me in Genesis 32:30:

For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.

Jacob had to deal with consequences of his actions and the actions of others. But he came to see God as his own. He came full circle with Esau. And he came to the death of himself for God's purposes and glory.

I confess here and now that I pray for my death. The death of my ways, my desires and my glory to Him so that I can be delivered. So that He can be glorified in His ways and His desires.

I pray for the heart that God touched this weekend. I pray for the one that made the tough decision to make changes for Him. I pray they know they are not alone. That God is calling all of us to do the same.

Disciple Now Kickoff...

...was a blast! We had about 45 there and ten or so more to come Friday. This is gonna be big.

We started off with cardboard testimonies and it was really cool to see all those kids sit still and be speechless. You could tell they were getting it but in true young person style, they were not sure if they wanted to acknowledge they were getting it.

Next we met our "families" for the weekend. Benji and I have the middle-school boys group. They really are great, despite the stereotypes. Although most of the stereotypes are true. The best part was coming up with a nickname for everybody. Here's a rundown because it's too funny to pass it by. First, the Breakfast Club:

Tanner Kerlin is "Bacon".
Austin Grindstaff is "Gravy".
Tyler Walker is "Sausage".
Josh Coleman is, appropriately, "Ham".
Anthony (Miller?) is "Cheerios".
Bennett Fowler is "Grease".
And my favorite, Dylan Blume is "Tenderloin".

Hunter Payne is "Head" because he has an enormous head for his size.
Landon Raby is "Sasquatch" because he wears about a size 23 1\2 shoe.
Benji is "Mullet" because I told the guys about his high school hair style.
He, in turn, named me "Stache" because of the Tom Selleck mustache I had from eighth grade through graduation. I was actually just trying to be like Doug McNeil (Vanessa, please pass that along :).

Finally, we performed our skit. It worked out extremely well and I think the kids began to see how temptations come subtly but effectively. I'm looking forward to prompting them to talk about the skit (skeet). Thanks to Hannah for doing the t-shirts and Virginia "Mean Train" Rule for being the bouncer at the door. I played "cruelty", fittingly, and Cody begged me to slap him which I obliged fervently. Heather did a great job being the idea person and I can't wait to perform Part Deux on Sunday.

As you can see, it's going to be a wild weekend. We're going to have insane amounts of fun. But honestly, the thing I'm looking forward to the most is just being around my family. That, to me, is fun. The joy that comes from hanging out with these youth, the college kids, Benji, Heather, Ryan and Juli, Rachel, Don and all the others involved is immeasurable. Virginia said it right, it is safe. It's strength also.

God is moving. He has something great in store for us. He has already done some marvelous things in the preparation for this weekend. Keep Disciple-Now in your prayers. Keep SCBC Students in them, too.

Sarah and Spanky --hurry up and get back in town. I missed you two tonight.

Day of Prayer

Today has been filled with prayer. I can't remember when I've felt so close to God. Thanks to Virginia for suggesting the day of fasting and to Don for suggesting the prayer meeting tonight.

I've never had much luck with fasting. I'm an eater. Big-time. I'm a three squares kinda guy, with a few extras thrown in. But today, God gave me a hand. I'm not kidding. On Sunday when fasting was called for, I thought to myself, "Yeah, okay. I'll play along. But by 10:00 a.m. I'll be willing to sell my third kidney for a Twinkie."

That's not what happened. From the time I woke up this morning, I haven't really even thought about eating. I've been thinking about God. I've been thinking about D-Now, the leaders, the students, Jacob, Jonah, and Jesus. I've been thinking about JGen and post D-Now. I've been thinking about the people I'm concerned about, the heavy hearts, the ones walking the tightrope, and the kids I hope will show up this weekend. There are some that I call "special needs" in a spiritual sense.

So thanks to God for showing Himself to me today in a different way.

As long as we're expressing our prayers:

Father, thank You for a wonderful day. Thank You for Your closeness and for helping me through something I usually fail at. Come near to us this weekend as we seek Your face. I pray the students' hearts will be opened to You. Many of them are hurting, many are searching, and some of them don't know how badly they need You. Show Yourself to them in a real and undeniable way. I pray that, even if they forget about Jonah or Jacob, they will come away with a desire to know You more, to seek after You, to surrender to You. I pray they will be willing to sacrifice in order to draw near to You.

Lord, work in the hearts of the leaders. Conform us, break us if you must, so that we can truly lead and not just teach. Help us to lead the kids by example in obedience and surrender to You. May they look at our lives and simply see You and Your love for them. Bring us together as one family with one purpose in mind --to bring glory to You. Amen.

So here we go. Cardboard testimonies, skits, games, lock-ins, and all. Disciple-Now is upon us and not a moment too soon. The anticipation is becoming unbearable.

And proof that God is real? I went all day without a Mountain Dew, or even a fudge round. Gimme an amen, Spenser.

I absolutely LOVE this!!

With so much going on at church right now, it's kinda hard to keep up. Disciple-Now is here and the excitement surrounding it is electric. The leaders are excited, the kids are excited, I think even Ryan is excited, and there's not even a ball game involved.

I love to see a buzz about God. I love to see commitment and passion for the things we're doing. I love it when people care that it's done right.

Let's face it, there are a hundred ways to do something and a hundred people will each have their own way. But the great thing about developing a family (more on that to come) is that those one hundred ways become one. Willingness and compromise are essential to unity. And that's what I love more than anything--to see people work it out.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." --Hebrews 10:24

A little stirring up isn't necessarily a bad thing, right? It means to provoke. I think sometimes we are provoked to be passionate, to care. In those situations there is opportunity for God to be glorified. Because no matter how it gets done or what it ends up looking like, it's all for Him. And the family is just a little bit tighter afterwards.

As always, I'm only about half-informed. But kudos just the same.

I am fired up!!!

If I get any more excited about Disciple-Now, I will probably have a heart attack. I believe we are poised for "it". The thing we have been praying for, working toward, and waiting on for years. D-Now feels like a launching pad.

I met with Benji for about an hour yesterday after work and for the first time in a long time, we didn't really talk shop. We just talked. Sarah's post earlier in the week about insecurities burdened me about some dusty, old cob-webs deep inside of me. So during our conversation, I voiced these to Benji and it just might be the most liberating thing I've done in years.

Back to D-Now. At Benji's last night, we planned for our upcoming weekend. I was almost getting emotional just listening to everyone's ideas and willingness to be involved. Sure we want to have fun, but we also want the younger kids to get it. We want them to grow in God and find their place. We want them to stand apart from the world in order to influence it. The college kids have a heart for the youth and I love them for it. And the college kids love to have a good time with their ministry, too. All the more reason to love 'em.

Those of you who follow my blog but don't go to Stock Creek have no clue how special these JGenners are. I'll take the opportunity right now to thank God for bringing me to Stock Creek, for calling me to lead and shepherd students, for placing other leaders there that are like-minded and easy to work with, and for Benji, who understands the importance of his position and uses God's wisdom to love these kids and lead them closer to Him. I especially thank God for the kids --from sixth grade to college. They are awesome people, faults included, who usually teach me more than I teach them.

So Disciple-Now will be awesome. No doubt about it. I can't wait to spend the night at Benji's with a group of middle-school boys. I'm not sure if that makes me insane or suicidal. Either way, bring 'em on.

I think something's wrong with me. No, really.

Am I the only one who cracks up every time I comment on someone's blog? It's the crazy word verification thing. I am in the habit of making up pronunciation for the silly words they make you type in.

Words like:
presouc
gnixle
trumpboa
crancgur
buglump
yterlie
wrangdurl
tordurfel, and
qwerbledy

Maybe it's just me. But if you don't do it yet, I bet you will now.

My personal contribution to mankind. You're welcome.

On the accountability front

Accountability being the talk of the day, I've been thinking alot about it and why it's so hard sometimes. Why, if love is the foundation of the commandments and of everything we believe, do we love up to a point? Why do we limit love?

Fear? Fear of isolation? Fear of losing all we really love? Probably so. We don't like to think about stepping away from the crowd. We don't want to stand for what is right because, too often, nobody else is standing with us. We don't love others enough to trust them and we are afraid they don't love us enough to understand or respect us, or to follow along.

Accountability has to be built on love. We have to love the family enough to want to hold them accountable for their actions. And we have to trust in their love for us enough to be open and honest with them.

This is something that is very dear to my heart. I've blogged about it before here , and here, too. God wants His people unified, acting together, and loving each other.

I can't wait for the day when love explodes around us. It's getting there. We still need a little tweeking. But all this going around now about being there for people and leaning on them when we need them is absolutely awesome. God is changing hearts and revealing Himself to people in truly glorious ways.

So the way to make accountability work, for real, is to do the thing we always talk about doing but never get around to -- we gotta surrender it all. We have to let God have our hearts so He can let us see others the way He sees them, as unique, special, and worth loving.

It's time, y'all. Time to unleash love on a community and a world that needs it above everything else. Any takers?

Sarah gave me permission...

to reply to her post from the perspective of a Christian male. I hope this helps.

The problem Christian women face with insecurity is due largely in part to Christian men. Just as the females have fallen prey to the world's idea of beauty, the guys have given in to what the world says we should be looking for. The girls are too often trying to be what they think the guys want them to be and the guys are looking for the wrong thing.

Christian guys aren't praying for Godly women, help-mates, prayer partners, or co-workers. They aren't asking God to bring them a reflection of His love.

They are trophy-hunting.

The old saying goes, "Life imitates art." That's more true today than ever before. What we see and hear all around us is that a gorgeous face and a smokin' body on your woman are symbolic of what a superior male you are. And that's the insecurity on the male's part.

A beautiful heart that is in love with God is seldom even considered anymore. God's mercy, compassion, and love lived out in the life of a woman with a firm moral code are frowned upon as weakness. They are thrown away in lieu of an image, popularity and immediate pleasures.

Godliness has been replaced by worldliness. Devotion to God has given way to selfish desires.

Young women see this. They hear it from the world, too. They look for a knight-in-shining-armor type instead of Savior-on-a-cross type. Spiritual leadership is no longer a requirement. Humility and servanthood are overlooked.

And we wonder why so many divorces? It's not too hard to figure out is it?

When we start to look at ourselves through God's eyes, maybe then we will respect ourselves enough to guard our hearts and look for God in others. I'm no relationship expert, I don't think such a thing exists. But I've made mistakes. I've been the mistake before. So I'd like to offer free advice.

Guys -- Make-up washes off. Look for a heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible says God is unchanging. Godliness is one quality that is irreplaceable. You don't want your kids raised by Paris Hilton.

Pretty people -- There are no knights-in-shining-armor. It's a lie. Armor rusts and knights are only good in a battle. They serve no purpose in peace time. You don't want your kids raised by a guy who always has a sword in his hand. Someone could get hurt, for Pete's sake! Too much peace-time and your knight might look for another damsel to rescue.

Love isn't a toy. It's a blessing. And like all blessings, it is given by God to be used for God. So look for the things that God can use.

I look at it this way. Too often I've heard, "let God write your love story." Well that's crap. I don't want a love story, I want a testimony. I don't want to spend my anniversaries thinking, "Thanks, God for my smokin', hottie wife."

I want to spend them saying, "Thank You, God for this Godly woman you brought to me and for the way she reflects You in our life. And thanks for giving me eyes that see how smokin' hot she is, inside and out."

Can I get a a-mayun?!?!?

God sure was busy last night

I couldn't wait to get up today and tell you guys about my awesome experience last night. Then Heather stole my thunder. Nevertheless, I'll share mine, too.

I haven't been sleeping lately. At all. Maybe two or three hours each night and that is frustrating and really makes life hard. Last night wasn't much different.

At around 11:30, I knew I wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon so I decided I would use the time to talk to God. So I started praying. I started with my frustrations over sleeplessness and then just kind of listened for Him to talk and bring things to mind. Without realizing it, I started pacing the room. I was walking in a little circle on the rug in my room in the dark. I told God about my fears and all the things I was worried about. I prayed about JGen and church, for Benji and his desires, and for all the people I love and want to see changed by God. Then, silence.

No God. Nowhere. That really bothered me. So I started screaming. I wanted to know where He was. I wanted to know why He wasn't listening. I wanted to know why He loved everyone but me. Still pacing.

"I haven't gone anywhere."

Whew! Relieved, I was.

"I told you I would always be there and I will. I'm quiet for an hour and you freak out. Either you trust Me or you don't."

For the next little while, we talked on and I prayed about the things I've been praying about for a long time. And I prayed about the things I don't know how to pray about. The things that I don't know how to feel about.

But He was there the whole time. Calming me down, comforting me, showing me His love. Just hanging out. And letting me know He was working. Letting me know that those prayers weren't just chatter, that they mean something to Him. He treasures them.

"What else do you do when you love someone?"

"I do things that make them happy. I trust them. I respect them and value their opinion. I put their needs before mine. I listen to them. I talk to them."

That's what God did last night for me. He reassured me. He spent time with me. He came as strength to my weakness.

When I woke up this morning, I looked at my rug. There is a path worn down in the carpet that looks like South-Doyle's track. I spent about three hours walking that floor with God last night. That may not be a record mile but it's a mile closer to God. It's steps toward knowing Him more and becoming more like Jesus.

The Three P's

We finished up our Sunday night study tonight on "Awakening." It's been a great study and really sets up where we are going next. I can't wait for the new study to start.

Tonight's topic was suffering. We talked alot about how Jesus suffered and how we can rejoice to share in the sufferings and persecutions that He faced. But Benji and I had an interesting conversation early tonight about when suffering and joy are linked.

Pain, pleasure and purpose--what about when they are all in the same place? What if the source of the suffering is also the source of joy? Jesus suffered for us, in our place. But it was also His purpose here to do so. He took great pleasure in redeeming us because of His limitless love for us. So His pleasure in becoming our mediator could not come without the pain associated with His persecution and death.

Sometimes it is so with us. The place of our pain is also where our pleasure lies. The two are inseparable. We sometimes have to face the fact that God has us in a place that we want to be but we fear at the same time.

But would we want it to be otherwise? I think not. Would we choose a normal, mediocre life on cruise control where all is quiet, there are no ripples in the water, no risks, no heartaches to drive us to our knees? Too many people all around us have chosen this existence. Life is meant to be simply survived and then we rest in glory. No pain but no impact.

Paul said, "...all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." That tells me that safe and protected isn't what the Lord had in mind. A difference-making, impactful life that is lived for Him is lived where there is risk of pain and fear of heartache. But that's where God is. That's where there is opportunity for blessings, miracles and greatest joy. That's where obedience may be found, and where the Holy Spirit dwells.

So to all of us who duck and dodge suffering, that's fine. If you want a normal life and a regret-filled deathbed. But I think I'll opt for a life lived to greet death with a smile. One glimpse of His face will erase the pain. Live like Jesus, "who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross."

"You're an idiot."

On Wednesday night, Benji and I had a conversation in the youth room closet. Ha, ha, go ahead and make your jokes; yes, we eventually did come out of the closet. Hang with me, I'm making a point here. Done laughing? Good. Moving on.

So the fact that we were in the back closet isn't really important but it is relevant because I was struck by the fact that church doesn't always happen in church. You see, what happened in the closet was I received a word from God, through Benji, that turned out to be the real Spirit-moving event of the night.

I went to church in a foul mood. I was cranky. Lack of sleep, lack of food, a rotten day at work, and just me being a butt in general. So I went to church not really wanting to be there in the first place. I knew the atmosphere would be light and jovial because of the New Year's party and I did not feel like being the least bit light or jovial. But I found Benji, in the closet, just to say "hello," and see how his day went.

Then he asked how my day was. Big mistake.

I unloaded on him. I don't typically pour it out like that to people but he opened the door. So I went on about how the day sucked, how I wanted to be anywhere but there around all those stupid, happy people having fun (you people, that I dearly love, by the way), and how on the drive there I asked God just to help me have a little fun. Not for any great spiritual awakening or revelation, just fun.

Well, as he always does, Benji laughed at me. I think his exact words were, "You're an idiot." Thanks, pal. That helps a bunch.

But then he went on to talk about the things that God is about to do, things we have previously agreed will be awesome. Disciple Now, JGen, and Romania are going to be special. Special as in earth-shattering, God-moving, and life-changing. He talked about his personal life and mentioned how Satan was working against him there in a familiar way and pointed out that I was facing the same thing.

So I started shaking off the funk and talked a little more and soon I was breathing easier. I went on to have one of the most fun evenings I've had in a long, long time. And I single-handedly won one of the quickest games of "Psycho" in modern history (my greatest contribution to Stock Creek in five years). Thank you very much. No autographs, please.

All I'm trying to say is this. Some days are tough. Our emotions are fickle and will betray us. Bad moods happen. But when we turn our focus on ourselves and think "woe is me," like I did, we run straight into Satan's arms. And right now is definitely not the time for that.

Satan is not pleased with the way things are going. He is starting to turn up the heat on us. Be stronger than I was. Don't let despair and anxiety take you down. Here is what I came away from that night with:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

And also:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:2,3

Umm...just a little hazy

I finally slept last night. Five whole hours. That's twice as much as I've been getting lately. But as I read my last post, that I wrote at 3:30 this morning (five hours is five hours, no matter what time it is), I noticed how tired I really was. So I thought I'd try to clarify the cross-eyed babble from earlier.

The point I was trying to make, and I'm always trying to make, is that God's love is the only thing that's going to save this world. And I don't mean the "Jesus loves me this I know" kind of love. I'm talking about living love. The kind that people can see and feel just by being around us Christians.

I think of Jonah, again. Jonah is probably wishing I would leave Him alone for once. But God wanted Jonah to proclaim His love and mercy to the Ninevites. But He first had to show that love and mercy to Jonah. Jonah had to learn it for himself.

That's us, y'all. That is where the surrender comes in. We try to teach lost people to surrender their heart to God. We tell them that He can solve all their problems and make them a new creation. But do our actions show it? Do they see us living out the Word like we are trying to get them to do? What I mean is, can they believe what we are telling them by looking at us? Let me put it this way: Would you buy a Pepsi from a Coke salesman?

We can't lead others to Christ buy selling them a false Gospel. The Bible talks about false witnesses and hypocrites. How often does that describe us?

I hope that clears up the mud a little.

Lookin' Ahead

I'm really hearing alot from God right now about surrendering to Him. I know this gets discussed all the time by all of us but how seriously do we take it? It's called surrender for a reason. It's a battle between Him and us. There are victors and vanquished in every battle and this is no different. One way or the other, we will be defeated.

So why not just give up? Why don't we just resign ourselves to the fact that He knows best and we can save ourselves a whole bunch of heartache by letting Him have His way?

I posted on JGen about the cost of getting all of God. It's giving Him all of us. That means living out His Word. That means living apart from the world so the world can see we are not like them, that we are looking ahead to something greater. Why do we think that's such a big deal? You know how frustrating it can be when you're trying to convince someone that you're right? Well how do you think God feels? All these wonderful things He wants to do through us and all these blessings He wants to give us and we won't even stop to consider that He might be right. Of course He's right!!!

Life's too short and the world is too messed up for us to be doing our own thing. Too many people are dying without Him, too many people aren't living like He wants them to, and too many people get too little love. He is the source of all love. Those people out there can't feel love without Him and we are content to sit back and horde His love for ourselves. No, no, no, no ,no! We are to take His love to them so they can experience it. We don't love them for Him, we are supposed to love them to Him.

I don't mean to be so emphatic about this but the longer we think we can love without His direction, the longer those people are without that love. That's really the great opposition to giving ourselves to Him, I think. We want to love our way, for our benefit. We think that loving and living His way will somehow short-change us. That's not how He works. Doing it His way is the way to that "abundant life" Jesus spoke about.

So that price? That cost? Yeah, it's high. It will hurt. But not as much as hanging on a cross.

Sir Isaac

Just so you know, this is the second cutest kid in the history of mankind.

I was the first.

Something about sheep

This kinda came to me at church. Heather let me read something she wrote and there was a line that said, "Dumb sheep."

For some reason I wrote this as it was coming to mind. Didn't really know where it was going when I started it. Just thought I'd share it here.

Please don't think I'm bashing any particular age group at church. When I speak of the "Old Ones" I'm referring to those who have been in the flock a long time. That has nothing to do with age.
--------------------------------------

Sheep are dumb. But just smart enough to be dangerous...to themselves.

Some sheep have followed the Shepherd for so long that they stop listening. The older members of the flock have learned the routine. They recognize the pastures, they know which turn to take at which valley, and the easiest path through the mountains.

They're on cruise control. The Shepherd exists for the young ones.

They're just smart enough to be dangerous...to the flock.

The old ones don't realize their influence on the young ones. The young ones look to the old for guidance.

So what happens when the Shepherd gives a new command?

The old ones stumble. They can't comprehend. The routine is broken and they wander, looking for a way to return to the tired, worn paths.

But the young ones? They see the confusion of the stubborn ones and they turn to the Shepherd for direction.

All commands are new to the young ones. They willingly obey the commands for they know the Shepherd is guiding them to greener pastures.

Christmas wish from me

I thought I'd share my Christmas wish with you but then I realized you probably don't care. Well, okay, not my first wish because that's personal. But my wish for everyone else, at least the two of you who probably read this.

I simply want more of God. In me, in you, in our church, in JGen, in youth, in leadership, in everybody. All it takes to make that happen is for all of us to become a little more aware, humble ourselves a little more, repent of that secret sin, stop our rebellion to God, and seek His face. I mean really seek it.

If we will put an end to our attitude that "everyone else needs to do what I've done and be like me," maybe we will see some glorious things. Moving on...

My heart goes out to those who celebrate Christmas without knowing why. Each year they take their days off work, buy presents, gather with family, go to office parties and all the other things that go along with Christmas-time. And they do it in the name of a Love they don't know. I'm talking about the people who don't know Jesus. I've always wondered how you celebrate the birth of someone you don't believe in.

You don't. You celebrate a day, not a birth. If only they knew the joy of experiencing that birth take place inside their own heart. If they could just see Christmas through redeemed eyes. I guess that's where we come in.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I hope this coming year sees more of God in us and around us. That's up to us, also.

Silent night???

I would think that in ancient Bethlehem there would be very few disturbances in the night. A small village with a population of shepherds, merchants, inn-keepers (at least one), maybe a small garrison of Roman troops, and some travelers in town for the census; namely a carpenter and his pregnant, virgin fiance. Not exactly a party crowd. And this night was just any other night, as far as they all were concerned.

It's late and dark, save for one very bright star, and the couple settles into their accomodations. A group of shepherds in a field outside of town rest against the hillside while their flock lazily grazes. It's clear and cool as the fire casts the only light to be seen. Far to the east, a small band of noblemen mount their caravan and begin the long journey that will take them to pay homage to a King.

I wonder what it's like when an angel suddenly appears? Would it just materialize? Would there be the sound of a crack!, like a house-elf apparating? Maybe it depends on the reason the angel has come. To proclaim God's judgment would most certainly be a dramatic event. To tell a young woman she will bear the Son of God would be a joyous but personal and intimate occasion. But what about to tell men that the Deliverer of all mankind has been sent at last? What would it have been like to be a shepherd witnessing the revelation of the limitless love of God being poured out to humanity in its fullness?

With the one, lone angel appeared a "multitude of the heavenly host." Multitude and host are both defined as "a great number." So there appeared a great number of the great number of angels. And they were praising God and singing.

I think the night was not so silent after all.

I think no song has ever been sung as loudly as "Glory to God in the Highest." I think no melody has ever evoked more emotion in the human heart. And yet, I still think the celebration here on earth was restricted. For our bodies of flesh can only bear so much.

In the timeline of the Immortal One, two thousand years is a tick. Maybe, in heaven, they are still proclaiming the mercy and grace of God as shown to us that night.

The Bible says the angels rejoice over one sinner brought to repentance. John heard many sounds and voices when he was given the revelation of Christ. He described hearing rushing waters and a sound like a trumpet blast. The Israelites, at Mount Sinai, couldn't bear to hear the voice of God. They were terrified and begged Moses to once again be their liaison. But God is so great and awesome that He can speak a whisper to a humble heart.

If I could have one wish granted this Christmas, I wish that I could be supernaturally transported back to that "silent" night. That one night in all of history that all of history was created for. I would like to peer out from behind a fig tree and see the heavenly host. I would like to hear that song.

Then I'd go by the Bethlehem NICU.

Dreams do come true

Just so you know, in July I'll be joining a team of youth and JGenners on a mission trip to Baba Novac and Satu Mare, Romania. Yeah, cool. I know. We also get a two-day leisure trip to Vienna, Austria. That's WAY COOL. History and geography nut that I am, I'm already giddy to the point of nausea.

This photo is of the city hall in Vienna. It seems their municipal planners think differently than ours here in K-town.

Anyway, please pray for our team but also pray for God's blessing. You see, this is an expensive trip. I'm poor. See the problem? I have had thousands of dollars worth of dental bills recently (yes, yes, my fault, I know) so I need God to come through. I hear He's rich and benevolent.

And pray for the young ones on this trip. I've been once so I know that even though we live in a "padded room" world, there are some scary things about traveling to a third-world, former communist country.

Thanks.

I thought some of you other bookworm dorks might find this interesting, too.

According to Christian tradition, and confirmed by Justin Martyr and Origen, this is the place of Jesus' birth. It is located in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (duh), which is the oldest standing church in the Holy Land. The church was built by Constantine's mother in the 4th century and was spared destruction by the Persians in 614 A.D. because of the depictions of the Magi on the walls. Note the star in the floor. That is believed to be the spot where the Messiah first touched the earth.