Been a Long Time...

I know it's been a long time since I've updated the blog and that disappoints me. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time. But, no excuses, right? Sara and I are heading to Fredricksburg this weekend so she can run in a 10k race. She has been excited about it, so it should be a fun time.

I am really excited that the semester is coming to an end. Don't get me wrong, I love the learning but sometimes I long for the rest that comes from summer vacation. I'm taking one class--Revelation--in June so I am looking forward to some downtime and some extra curricular reading.

A lot has happened since I last posted. I will take a small moment to divulge some of those happenings. We went to Oklahoma for Easter weekend to spend some time with the Siner family. It was a great weekend and a blessing to be with family. I am so thankful that we celebrate together with a Risen Lord! We also got to celebrate a few birthdays as some of them fall within a month of each other. All together it was a great time of celebration. I wanted to post specifically for Easter but I guess it will have to wait for another time.

I also got a second job with the bookstore on campus. It is a great opportunity even though it adds to my workload so I am looking forward to having fun with it.

Lately, I've been thinking about a few things which I will hope to address in blog format pretty soon, at least if I have anything to say about it. Here they are:

1) I've reflected quite a lot this semester on what it means to participate in a "ministry in the midst." This reflection has been sparked by some intense involvement in the lives of those with chronic illness and I guess it helps that I suffer from something as well but I hope to reflect more in depth about what I consider that to mean.

2) A secondary issue, in regard to the above, is about the issue of identity. It is easy to confuse our identity with what the world calls us to be but I believe that we have a higher calling and a greater identity in Christ.

3) Finally, I got to listen to Luke Timothy Johnson and he mentioned something that sparked some thoughts which I hope to address later. "You can find Christians everywhere, but it is difficult to find church." The quote was in reference to the people of God living in community. Think about it and we can dialogue later.

Until we meet again...May the Lord bless and keep you!

A Hope Worth Living For

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.
--Romans 5:1-5

Life is a journey. No one ever claimed it would be easy. Pain and suffering pervade our very existence. Many times we feel as if we have no control when life is spiraling downward. You've probably been there. I've been there. It is a reality of this life...a reality of our existence on this earth. We all experience difficulties in different degrees, some more than others. There are times in life when we can't explain our circumstances. We don't have the answers for the "why's." We don't understand why one person, one family, one people suffers over another. I cannot tell you why one man dies of cancer at the age of 35 while another lives to the ripe old age of 85 able to enjoy the "fruits of his labor." Nor can I explain why one child is left abandoned in the street to grow up parent-less while another grows up in a happy home without a care in the world. Yet, there is hope!

Even though we don't understand the "why's" we can understand the "who." In the midst of the mess...God is still God! He cares for the fatherless and is close to the broken-hearted. He is God who is not afraid to reach down into the dirty state of our existence. He walks beside us along the journey in good times and bad. He is our Creator and Sustainer...in Him we place our Hope! And what is our hope...

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.
--Romans 5:6-11

We can't escape the reality that there are hurting people all around. What we can do is realize that we all participate in a ministry to hurting people--sometimes it is for others around us and other times it is for you and me. Our ministry is one of healing, one of rest for the weary, restoration for the broken...a message of hope for us all. Hurting people must be provided with hope to continue. Sometimes we must be able to redefine for them that hope which already exists...that is the hope we have in God through Jesus Christ.

Consider this quote from a book entitled, "Don't Waste Your Sorrows:"

"God never would send the darkness if he felt you could bear the light
But you would not cling to His guiding hand--if the way were always bright
And you would not care to walk by faith, could you always walk by sight!"

So, when darkness falls and things happen in this life that we cannot comprehend try not to worry about the "why" but take comfort and refuge in the "who"--the Great I AM, the one who has shown his love to us through his son Jesus. Receive his rest and rejoice in the restoration He brings!

That my friends...Is a HOPE worth living for!

In My Weakness...

He is STRONG!

I've been volunteering one day a week with the H.E.R.O. program which is a rehabilitation program involving the use of horses. I work with two young boys, one is 4 or 5 and the other is 7. Both boys experience some form of autism and my time with them has compelled me to reflect on the lives of the "weak." I can't help but wonder what life is like for those with mental disabilities such as autism. At first glance it would seem that kind of life would be miserable. It rules your life forcing you to adapt to its fluxuating whims. A chronic illness not only wears on the bearer of the illness but on the family surrounding that individual. I would assume if they had a choice they would choose to lead a "normal, healthy life." Yet, there is joy. Joy which springs forth from broken cisterns. You can see it in their eyes...and in their infectious smiles! Somehow it seems they know the truth that...

In their weakness...He is strong!

I know how they feel...I know life isn't always a celebration. Though I don't live with a mental or cognitive disability, I do live with a physical one. I know what its like to live most days in pain. Medical treatment can only help so much. Arthritis controls my life...at least to an extent, it impacts the way in which I live. Sure, there are times when I question why. There are points when weakness challenges my faith. There are days when I wish I had a choice in the matter. But, though the darkness may last for the night, joy comes in the morning!

In my weakness...I remember He is strong!

However, it is not just people like these boys or myself who experience lives of disability. No, the reality is that we all find ourselves to be broken vessels. We all are weak in many different ways. The beauty of the mystery is that His power is made perfect in our weakness! God takes the simple things of this world, that which is considered to be weak and with His strength works through them for His glory! What might be considered one man's "trash," in the hands of God becomes "treasure!" I may be a "broken cistern" but this cistern will spring forth with joy for in my weakness, I am strong when I am in the hand of my Creator! I will boast in Him alone!

Praise God whose power is made perfect in my weakness! May the "broken cisterns" of the world say so!

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." --I Corinthians 1:25-31


I came across a manuscript by Leonard Sweet along the same lines. It is worth the read if you would like to. Here is the link -- "Trash Cans or Treasure Chests" Enjoy!

A Time of Prayer

Today I leave you with a simple prayer of St. Patrick. May you be blessed...

I take for my sureties:
The power of God to guide me,
The might of God to uphold me,
The wisdom of God to teach me,
The eye of God to watch over me,
The ear of God to hear me,

The word of God to give me speech,
The hand of God to protect me,
The way of God to go before me,
The shield of God to shelter me. ..

Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me,

Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ at my right,
Christ at my left,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Everybody has an Opinion

I finally saw "The Passion" this weekend and for the most part I appreciated the film. I know that everybody under the sun has their own opinion on whether or not they liked the movie, some positive and some negative, so I guess it is not a surprise that I have mine. I don't think the movie was too violent in its presentation. Was it gory and vividly gruesome in parts? Yes. However, I believe the picutre painted by this depiction was appropriate. Sure, the movie has an agenda and is depicted through a certain set of lenses but isn't that expected? I guess one of my questions for those who disagree with the depiction is, "How do you picture and how would you visualize the last days of Christ?"

I appreciated the connection between the flashbacks to earlier moments in the life of Christ and the suffering of Christ. Maybe I'm ignorant to the reality of punishment and crucifixion in those days but I imagine it to be a vicious experience and thus found the depiction appropriate. Granted some of the more brutal aspects made me sick to my stomach but I didn't feel it was overdone. Scripture may not focus entirely on the brutality expressed in the film but the accounts do take time to point out aspects of Christ's suffering. There is no possible way that such an experience could have been pretty. For example, I can't imagine what causes a person to cast lots for a dead man's possessions. If you will allow it, imagine coming across someone who had been slaughtered to death on the side of the road but you look down and say, "oh, nice watch" and take it for yourself. The hate and anger must have been intense to cause people to hurl insults and spit upon any man while beating him over the head with club and fist and fashioning a crown of thorns for his head.

I appreciate the emphasis on a different aspect of the life of Christ. Of course I don't want to focus on his death and suffering over and apart from his life and resurrection. I think there is a tension between the two but I believe it doesn't hurt to reflect on the different aspects from time to time.

In the end, I believe the message of his life, the cross, and the empty tomb speaks louder than any of our finite and humble opinions or depictions of such events. And ultimately, whether or not people agree or disagree with the movie doesn't matter because the reality of God's love and Christ's passion for us all is evident in his life, death, and resurrection.

Father, thank you for the life of Jesus that we may experience a portrait of life with You! And, thank you for the cross and for Christ's sacrifice in which our sins are forever atoned for. May we each take up our cross and die daily. And God, thank you most of all for the empty tomb by which we may have life with You both now and forevermore!

May God be praised in all the earth!

The "Passion" to Confess

I still have not been able to go see "The Passion" but I am planning to set aside some time to do so this weekend. So far I have heard both positive and negative reviews of the film from friends, family, and the press so I am anxious to determine my own opinion. Maybe a purpose of the film is to help us experience a different aspect of the life of Jesus calling us to, in one way or another, fall to our knees and confess his name--I don't know. But, whatever the purpose(s) of the movie is and despite the negative reactions this particular depiction of Christ has received, at least one man was "led" to produce his own confession as evidenced in this USA Today article.

Well, even if not today or tomorrow or the next we know that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! May YOU be glorified in all the earth by those who confess your name!

Life of Worship

The following is a response to questions raised regarding my last post:

It seems IF our lives are full of praise of God THEN the time we come together for communal worship would overflow with praise and joy and worship. Yet at the same time I believe we can foster an atmosphere in corporate worship that encourages a "worship experience." How do we as leaders help people go from "unsatisfied customers" to living worshippers? How do we counteract our consumer society so that it's not "all about me?" And what does God desire...require...inspire?

It is difficult to lead people to move beyond a consumer-oriented religion because our society shouts consumerism from the rooftops. However, it is unfortunate that many continue to listen. I believe it is a mistake to convince ourselves that worship is for the individual, at least in terms of its greater purpose. There must be some deeper meaning, some greater purpose which calls us to participate in a life of worship as God intended.

Furthermore, this view of worship should not be contingent on whether the preacher spoke well and was entertaining or the songs evoked some “worshipful” emotional response or even whether my prayers are answered in ways I would expect or desire. Worship is more than an experience, a time period, or a form of personal satisfaction. It is not just something we do, but it is who we are. Worship is life!

The Creator longs for us to be what we were created to be: “living worshippers.” He desires that we “delight in Him” (Psalm 37:4) and not in the world around us. God’s glory is reflected in and through us when we give God glory by seeking pleasure in this life only in Him. God invites us to be satisfied in Him:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare” (Isaiah 55:1-2).

Life with God is so much more. Somehow, we must help people view worship beyond duty to desire! We must realize that relationship with God is more than obligation because of what he has done for us. It is an opportunity to participate in a life of worship with (and of) the one true God—our Creator, Savior, Redeemer and Sustainer.

As we recognize God for who He truly is, and who we are in Him, duty fades and desire reigns! Worship becomes our passion and no longer our obligation. Our sole desire is to worship and give glory to the God with whom we share relationship. The more we desire this life, the more we long to intimately know Him. As we live a life in worship to God, His passions and His desires become ours. Our hearts align with His and our worship manifests itself without walls.

If we must be consumers, at least this might be a better idea of ultimate customer satisfaction!

Confessions of a Journeying Sinner

I guess this is as good a place as any for (in all likelihood) one of many confessions to come...

Last week Sara and I were visiting another congregation and I guess you could say that I wasn't very pleased with the experience. The singing was a little off, the preacher may have had better days, and I perceived an overall feeling of disconnectedness. I didn't leave feeling uplifted or encouraged. Basically, I left an unsatisfied customer.

At the time I felt justified in my assessment...but...then came this Sunday.

Yesterday, I didn't even have time to build up the bomb shelter around my spirit before Mike Cope's heart-seeking missles began exploding at the doorstep to my heart. There wasn't a sermon for me to critique but instead (as he described) a gentle whisper reminding me of the appropriate mindset and attitude for participation in worship. As I listened I realized that this was a message I needed to hear. Once again I found myself consumed in the absorbing force of our "Consumer-Oriented" culture.

Our culture encourages the consumer mindset to "have it your way." You have the right to do what you want, be what you want, and go to whatever church makes you happy. And, as Mike so gracefully explained, this consumer-minded culture is sucking the very life out of our churches. That is exactly what I was guilty of. I was unhappy and frustrated because I left feeling unsatisfied.

There must be something greater involved when the body of Christ gathers together to worship. There must be a deeper meaning and purpose for our communal assemblies than me, myself, and I leaving satisfied because "worship" met my own needs. I am thankful that the journey does not revolve around my ability as a sinner to be right or wrong but around the fact that this sinner, because of what God has done through Christ, can live as a redeemed saint!

I pray we can all realize the importance of avoiding a consumer mindset in worship and strive to be the body of Christ as God intended! God, whether within our communal assemblies or within our daily lives help us to better understand that worship involves a much broader context.

May we all live..........For His Glory!

Wild, Wild West...Texas that is

It's been another interesting if not exciting weekend as can only be experienced in the dusty plains of West Texas. Friday night a few of us got together to play yet another riveting and humorous round of cards. Once again, my partner Andy and I came out on the losing end. We are getting pretty used to losing to our wives. What a humbling (and somewhat frustrating) experience! :-) At least my abs were still able to get a workout as we laughed together for a majority of the 3 hour losing cause. Laughter truly is the best medicine!

However, Friday was only the beginning of what West Texans call "fun." On Saturday we went with some friends to the Rattlesnake Round-up! Basically, it is a festival surrounding the capture of over 6,000 pounds of rattlesnakes. Certain (crazy) people round up these snakes because each year there is an excess of snakes to the extent that it could become dangerous to not do something about it. It is also necessary to collect venom from the snakes in order to develop the anti-venom in the event of snake bites. So I guess it could be considered both entertainment and educational!

There were different booths for snake exhibits of all kinds. You could watch them milk the venom, weigh and measure the snakes and even skin them. You could purchase stuffed snakes, the skin of snakes, snake tails, and if you so choose, eat fried snake. Sara and I tried very small pieces of rattlesnake and will never be the same because of it. :-) Actually, it was very tough, didn't have much flavor, was full of tiny bones, and unfortunately, as cliche as it sounds, can only be compared to something like chicken. Overall, it was a once in a lifetime experience of "West-Texas Culture." In other words, I now can say I have at least experienced it once and most likely only once. Although I am very appreciative of and thankful for the (crazy) people who round up so many dangerous rattlesnakes. I guess somebody has to do it...I'm just glad it's not me!

I know it might sound unusual but believe it or not this is just another day in the lives of those who choose to live in the dusty plains of West Texas.

As a side note...Congratulations to the Lipscomb girls basketball team (my alma-mater) for winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament and making it to the "Big-Dance" their first year in the Div. I Atlantic Sun. Good luck against Vanderbilt!

Grace and Peace until we meet again...

Fun in the Sun

What a beautiful couple of days we've had in San Antonio! It's Spring Break this week and we thought we would take a couple days to get away. It's been fun to venture out around town and up and down the RiverWalk. We've tried a couple of Mexican food places (because there are so many to choose from) but I think we'll try something different tonight. I've reached my limit on enchiladas and chips and salsa. One of the restaurants we went to today (Mi Tierra) is open 24 hours. I can't imagine who might be craving chile con queso at 3 or 4 in the morning...apparently some people do though.

I think I'm about ready to make the journey back home though. This vacation thing is enough to wear you out! We've still got a few fun things ahead of us so I can't fizz out yet. Think energy...be energy! Well, I think I hear a nap calling my name. Until we meet again...