The Journey

Thank You Perry Noble!

One of the blogs that I read regularly is that of Perry Noble of Newspring Church. This dude is building a great church and I'm sure is extremely busy pastoring thousands but he takes the time to share some really good stuff online.

Here is a post from this week that I wish I had written. Good Stuff...

Leaders MUST be willing to make unpopular decisions at times…and when that happens you can bet on the fact that arrows are going to fly in your direction.  So…when the arrows fly…what are your options?

#1 - You Can Cry - the problem is–people can’t stand to hear other people cry!  Seriously…no one has ever been inspired to do anything great from the whining of another person.  Trust me…I’ve done my share of crying…and while it may bring some brief apathy and sympathy…it never accomplishes anything significant for the Kingdom!
#2 - You Can Die - I know people who have allowed the attacks of others to literally kill the joy inside of them.  If you are a leader then you are a fool if you actually think that everyone is always going to embrace you and/or your ideas.  Do not allow the voice of those who know you the least to shape you the most–to do so means certain death to the fire inside of your soul!
#3 - You Can Fry - I remember once several years ago having an incredibly difficult time with some things that others were saying about me…and it was stealing my joy.  I would read the blog site around 10 times a day and steaming over the comments…until…a mentor told me, “Perry, I call what you are doing ‘verbal pornography!’  Reading that site is not helping you…it is only damaging you!”  BAM!  I was allowing to voice of the enemy to focus all of my attention in the wrong place…thus ignoring my wife, my daughter and NewSpring Church.  Yes, we will get angry when attacked unjustly…but to dwell in and feed that anger does nothing but give the enemy a foothold into our lives.  (Ephesians 4:26-27)
#4 - You Can Lie - We can say things don’t hurt us and try to laugh it off…but reality is when we do that we are lying!  Attacks by the people in the cheap seats always sting…and so the best thing you can do is honestly admit to a group of people you trust how you honestly feel!  The sooner you admit the truth the more people will be able to help you walk through this.  (And trust me…God doesn’t intend for you to be on the battlefield alone!)
#5 - You Can Try - (BEST option!)  When knocked down we can get back up!  When attacked we can stay focused and keep doing what God has called us to do.  We are NOT called to quit–but rather KEEP trying!  If you are a leader then you cannot afford to waste time defending yourself and making sure the opinion polls are always in your favor.  We’ve GOT to be passionately obsessed with listening to God and then doing EXACTLY as He says…EVERY SINGLE DAY.  We can never allow the voice of the enemy take the calling that the MOST HIGH GOD put into our lives!  Like I said in the post, “Don’t Give Up,” what we do is SO worth it!  Keep trying your best to desperately run after Jesus and the vision HE gives…and don’t allow the snakes to scare you…Jesus CRUSHED the head of the serpent…and in HIM we can do the same!  WALK IN VICTORY!

Have a great week! 

"Must I Go, And Empty Handed?"

Charles Carroll Luther penned a beautiful hymn in 1877. I first heard the hymn while in high school and the words and tune have never left my heart. Luther had heard the story of a young man who was about to die. The young man had only been a Christian for a short while and was very sad because he had only served the Lord a short time. The young man said, "I am not afraid to die; Jesus saves me now. But must I go empty handed?". Luther then penned the words to this beautiful hymn.

The tune is also very beautiful. Charles Luther handed his lyrics to George C. Stebbins who did a wonderful job conveying the heart's cry of this lovely hymn. "Must I Go, And Empty Handed?"

“Must I go, and empty handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?

Refrain

“Must I go, and empty handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty handed go?

Not at death I shrink or falter,
For my Savior saves me now;
But to meet Him empty handed,
Thought of that now clouds my brow.

Refrain

O the years in sinning wasted,
Could I but recall them now,
I would give them to my Savior,
To His will I’d gladly bow.

Refrain

O ye saints, arouse, be earnest,
Up and work while yet ’tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,
Strive for souls while still you may.

Refrain

I worry that in our effort to save some of our traditions, we may very well meet the Savior with "not one soul with which to greet Him". Oh that God would give us wisdom to know what to preserve as necessary, and what to discard as distracting. The message of Jesus Christ and His salvation must never be second to anything. I will not be satisfied to one day meet the master having merely preserved what He gave me to work with. I want to be like the "good and faithful servant" who took what the Master gave him, invested wisely, and had a great return.

Something For The Future

We had a nice work crew out today to plant new trees that will be enjoyed for years to come!

Open Wide

I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10

What are you hungry for? What are you looking for in life at the moment? Do you know? Do you know what it would take to satisfy your hunger? God speaks to us in this passage and says that if we'll open our mouth, and open it wide, He will fill it. He'll satisfy the deepest longing of our soul.

• Open your mouth to worship (Psalm 81:1-3, James 3, Ephesians 4:29)
• Open your life to inspection (Psalm 139:23-24)
• Open your eyes to opportunity (John 4:35)
• Open your hands to give (Luke 6:38)
• Open your heart to Christ (Revelation 3:20)

God is ready to fill us if we are ready to open ourselves up to Him and be ready to receive all that He has for us.

Leftovers

I'm perfectly alright with eating leftovers. In fact, most of the meals that we fix are things that are usually better on the second day. Beans, stews, soups, etc. I even took some garlic sausages that I BBQ'd on Father's Day and sliced them up and cooked them into an awesome omelette the following evening. You can do some pretty amazing things with leftovers.

 I ran across a short devotional thought by Dr. John Piper that involved leftovers. I thought I'd share it here today...

After Jesus had fed both the 5,000 and the 4,000 with only a few loaves and fish, the disciples got in a boat without enough bread for themselves.

When they began to discuss their plight, Jesus said, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand?" (Mark 8:17). What didn't they understand?

They did not understand the meaning of the leftovers, namely, that Jesus will take care of them when they take care of others. Jesus said:

"When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

Understand what? The leftovers.

The leftovers were for the servers. In fact the first time there were twelve servers and twelve basketfuls left over (Mark 6:43). The second time there seven basketfuls left over—the number of abundant completeness.

What didn't they understand? That Jesus would take care of them. You can't outgive Jesus. When you spend your life for others, your needs will be met.

I love that! When we spend our lives for others, our needs will be met!

Taking God's Side

I have recently run across three different individuals that have fallen out of church after going through a divorce. All three spoke of feeling like people in their churches took sides in their divorces and made attending church a very uncomfortable thing. Tragic. Rather than listening to one side or the other, maybe the church should shed tears, offer up prayers, and take God's side. He has made His side very clear.

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?" He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."  Matthew 19:3-9

This year we did something different for Mother's Day and Father's Day. I asked people in the church to write letters, essays, or poems to honor their moms and dads. Here is a letter submitted by a precious little girl that really drives home why we should promote God's side.

To My One And Only Daddy; Benny
I wish you were here with me right now. I wonder where you are and if you'll ever come back. I ask these questions to myself, mommy, and God every day hoping that somebody will answer saying, he's coming home, don't worry. I miss you so much. I want you to come home. I miss the times we used to go on bike rides through Richardson Park. I miss our camping trips we used to go on and bring the paddle boat. I miss when we used to lay on the couch and watch movies together. I also miss us playing with Tuxedo and how we can't do those things because you aren't here. I really miss you daddy and I hope you will come home soon. You've been there for me when I was sick, you got up in the middle of the night and you held my hair back when I got sick and was throwing up, you would always tell me you're there for me and you promised me and mommy you would never leave again. I really hope you come home soon, I miss you daddy.
Love,
Your Step-Daughter, Your Little Girl, Your Squirrel,
Kathryn

Divorce is not something to take lightly. It's not just an "Oh well, we tried" situation. Marriage is for life and there is no room for selfishness in a marriage. The church should not be OK with a dad running away and leaving his "little girl" to write a letter like this. The church should not be choosing sides and making couples feel justified in breaking their vows. We should be encouraging couples to work through their difficulties and honor the commitments they have made.

She’s got her daddy’s eyes, her momma’s hair,
A small piece of both of them.
But she’s the only thing, the two now share,
Only reason they’re still friends.

She spends the weekends here, the weekdays there
But she’s never really home,
‘Cause when she’s with her mom, she’s missing dad
So her sadness never ends.

Help them see through this child’s eyes,
Help them see the way,
Help them love like Jesus loves,
Help them both to stay!

You know it’s not the life they dreamed about,
‘Fore He blessed them with this child.
But they chased those dreams, gave it all they had,
There’s no reason now to stay.

“It’s complicated”, Yeah, that’s what they say,
As they look into her eyes.
If they could see things, through her tear-stained eyes,
Maybe then, they’d find the way

Help them see through this child’s eyes,
Help them see the way,
Help them love like Jesus loves,
Help them both to stay!

She loves them both, no matter what they’ve done,
Her love’s greater than their sins.
She kneels beside her bed, and prays each night,
“Jesus, Help them both to see”

Help them see through this child’s eyes,
Help them see the way,
Help them love like Jesus loves,
Help them both to stay!

Guard your marriage! Encourage others to do the same! Offer prayer and love to those having difficulties without condoning selfish willful sin. Always choose God's side!

Well now, I guess you know what's on my heart...

Alyssa ~ Video For Graduation