December 31, 2016

“Blind Faith”

Proverbs 3:1 -6

 ^1-2 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;
    take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time,
    a long life lived full and well.

^3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
    in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

^5-6 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!

             As we come to the end of yet another year, I happen to reflect on what this year brings. There were good days and bad, sorrow and joy, struggle and strength yet if I were to define 2016 I guess I would have to define it as “Blind Faith.”

You see it is easy as humans to want to know what our future will look like so we can brace for the potholes ahead, but that is not a reality. Maybe you lost a job, a loved one or just feel like things aren’t getting any better with a relationship or your teenage child. Maybe you are the one who welcomed a new baby or received a bonus or raise in your job. The reality is we are called to keep our eyes on Christ in all things. We are called to experience both the good and the bad in life because maybe the good is a blessing as your bad may be protection. We are called to God for direction in our blind faith.

So as I reflect on these things I am reminded of a couple things. The first being my job loss and the second being the faith of Peter.

Let me hit the second first. Let me paint the picture for you. The day was a pretty long day for the Disciples and Jesus. Early in the day they got word that Jesus’ cousin John (the Baptist) was killed by Herod as he was beheaded. As they go about Jesus decides to speak to some people and as word gets out the Disciples have to do crowd control as the crowd grew and people came from everywhere to hear Him speak and heal the sick. As the day wore on people became hungry but decided to not leave as a desire to meet with Jesus. Due to their hunger Jesus never turned them away but instead turned five pieces of bread and two fish into a satisfying meal for 5,000 plus people and even had twelve large baskets of leftovers out of some minor ordinary staples.

Now keep in mind this all happened after Jesus and the Disciples decided to find a quite place to be to think about John and what news they received and to try to get some rest. As morning turned to night Jesus told the Disciples to take the boat and go ahead of him. As they were sailing a storm rolled in as they got half way across. In the middle of the storm they became distracted by a figure coming across the water. They wiped their eyes, not knowing what they saw and being afraid wanted to be reactionary, but before they did, they heard a voice that said “Stop, don’t be afraid! It’s me Jesus.” In their disbelief Peter pipes up and says, “If it is really you, let me walk out to you on the water.” Jesus obliged him and Peter proceeded. About half way to Jesus, Peter became distracted. Maybe it was the storm or the waves or maybe it could have been his ego or pride by what he was doing. Either way we know that Peter started to be consumed by his circumstances and the storms around him as he took his eyes off of Jesus.

So as I reflect on this story and think about this past year and my employment status I cannot help but think about one thing; what are my eyes focused on? Am I focused on my current employment status, the longing to hear the voice of my kids again, the joys and experience of the past year or on the goodness God has in store knowing that His word says the He will bless me according to how I give and invest into others and His plans and it will be measured back abundantly and overflowing.

So as we enter this New Year I say, do so with anticipation keeping your focus on God and knowing that His promises will be given to you in a measure that you cannot contain. When you feel that the storm is bearing down on you and you are starting to sink, lift your hands up and call out to Jesus. Remember God doesn’t respond in the grandiose rather by a still small voice. So when the waves crash against you, seek out the still small voice and listen. When the blessings come look for ways to bless others.

This coming year has implications of and fingerprints of God’s very best for you. Prepare and ready yourself for what is good, true, honest and just and all of these things will be added to you, but when the dark times comes know this, the Son will be shining in the morning.

CAL

A Basket Full of Faith

"A Basket Full of Faith"

Hebrews 11:1-
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."

You may have been told "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket." This may be sound investment advice, but what happens if you do exactly that and get blindsided only to loose the very important thing near and dear to you?

This morning, as I was teaching the kids at church I was reminded of this very question. The story we talked about was when Moses was born and the events around that. Here is the story line;

As Pharaoh was in charged he was concerned about how his slave community (the Jews) were growing out of control. As a result of his desire of power he was consumed by fear. As a result he decided to put out a decree to kill all baby boys under the age of three who were of the Jewish community. The rational was that doing so would stop a generation from possibly overpowering the royal family.

Moses's mother was pregnant with him and didn't know what to do. For his protection she decided to make a a basket of reeds and place him in the Nile for hiding. Remember this is a river that has crocodiles if not detected by Pharaoh. One way or another it looked as if death was eminent but the question was when. Then one day Pharaoh's daughter was bathing and heard a noise. She had things looked into and found the baby and called him Moses. Moses's sister, who was standing watch over her little brother was asked to find someone to care for baby Moses and was adopted by the princess. In great irony Moses was given back to his mother to raise him until he was about four or five before he was taken away by the ruler.

Remember that this was not the end of the story as God had bigger plans. He destined to make Moses a leader and deliverer. Moses didn't know that plan nor did his mother.

As I was listening I could not help but think about my kids. Could I relate to Moses's mother? As I thought about that question I could not believe how much I had in common.

Before the past seven years if you spoke to me about my kids, just like any parent, I would have told you that God had great plans for them. What I didn't understand at the time was how great a plan God has for my plans. Through a divorce the dreams I had for them were jeopardized. I put them and my dreams for them in a basket hoping that they would be safe only for those in power to decree them back to me for a short time only to take them away permanently, so they think. I have watched from a distance as my kids have gotten great educations, a nice place to live and be fairly well off as I was left with a bag of confusion, fear and need to have faith in God's bigger plans.

Although my kids's stories are not fully written I can trust that the basket I put them in for what I thought was their safety (their mother) and those in control (the courts) have taken them away, there is one thing I know for sure....His plans are so much higher than mine. I know that just like Moses my kids too will be seeking an understanding of their purpose and come back to their roots to bring restoration and salvation to a circumstance that has looked grim and dismal at best.

Whether you have a wayward child, death in the family or lost everything we had, we can rest assure of this one thing, God will never leave us or forsake us. He will turn our dreams of safe to aspirations of faith. It is in faith that we may not see God move, but we can hold onto His promise of making good into the best. We may not know what the final outcome may be but we can hold onto the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us. We can understand that although we put things we hold so dear into a basket to be hidden from harm, and find that they are taken away, we can see that God will restore that which is gone for His glory and your healing.

CAL

Leaving a LEGACY

Psalm 127:3-5 New International Version (NIV)

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

There are many things I love and cherish in life and I would have to say the top thing would be family. Being an alienated alienated parent there have been many things I have learned in this crazy journey.

Just about 3 weeks ago one of the most important people in my life went through a major open heart surgery; my dad. There have been many times over the past few years I thought I would loose him waking up in the middle of the night from terrible dreams or seeing his health fail, but I will say he is doing well and finally out of the hospital. He is one of the most amazing men I personally know with a wealth of knowledge and strength.

The other day I asked him a question. The question I asked was "If you had the opportunity to hand down to the next generation, before you died, what advice would you give about LEGACY?"

Legacy is far more than just passing down wisdom, talent and expertise to the next generation and it is certainly not about handing down the family business for the success of the family name. Although those things are good and noble items LEGACY is comprised of the 6 letters it spells out.

Life: What we have learned in our time on this earth

Eternity: What has God shown us about the past, present and future

God: How have we seen God and the piece we lived out in His bigger picture.

Achievement: How has what we done made and impact on others

Christian faith:

Did you run the race to win and see God's goodness in the process?

You: What other areas of wisdom would you share to define who you are?

I have been thinking about each one of these areas Life, Eternity, God, Achievements, Christian faith and You on many different levels and came to the realization that LEGACY is all about family and community. It is all about seizing the opportunity to impact the world in a way that when you leave it your children will see the epic firework of your life He has set off and desire to emulate what you have done.

I may not be the perfect Father, but I do know I am the exact father for my kids. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about them and pray for them and even long for them to be a part of my life, yet I have learned that as long as my eyes are focused on God and that I trust Him in all things that the LEGACY I leave that they will see, pick up the baton and continue the race God has scribed on their hearts and impact others along the way. As I have reviewed a couple things they gave me early on in this alienation process I hold fast to one important thing that I know is not absent of them....."I love you and miss you Daddy."

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

CAL

The Art of Forgiveness

The Art of Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “

Earlier this week a friend asked me the very basis of what today's sermon at church just happened to be: 'How do I forgive someone who has violated and victimized me?'

This is such a powerful topic as all of us struggle with it at some point in life. Maybe you struggle forgiving one who borrowed money but has not paid you back or maybe the infraction is far worse like unfaithfulness in a marriage, abuse or taking the life of a loved one, we all struggle with forgiveness but how do we get to the point of forgiving someone who we feel doesn't deserve it by the actions they have made? To understand this we must understand what forgiveness truly is.

What is forgiveness I think is what should be asked. I love this definition of forgiveness:

"Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well."

Forgiveness is a life long process that is a choice. It is not something that we can just do and move on rather it is an intentional act that we must choose each day. There are some days it is easy yet other days we may get consumed by the injustice at hand. When the lack of forgiveness consumes our very thoughts it becomes a distraction that becomes our central focus where we loose a semblance of those things which are good, true and just. It becomes a distraction where we struggle to function in a proper way; in the greater plan God calls us to live. The lack of forgiveness also locks us in chains where the closest friends we end up having are victimization on the right and depression on the left, but breaking those chains frees us from victimization and depression where we can live life to the full.

Jesus continued in Matthew 18 with an example of what unforgiveness can do to someone:

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Early on in my divorce I struggled with forgiveness. I was more concentrated on 'why' my ex did what she did and tried to make sense of what may make no sense rather than giving the issue to God and trust Him to deal with that which I didn't understand. In doing so I found that forgiveness was something not in my vocabulary or at least at the level God calls us to do and made me very frustrated. I had to stand back and understand the very basis of forgiveness: my trust in God.

It lead to one simple question 'Do I trust God in all things?' At my church we do a benediction were it is simply put 'we are called to live an upward, inward outward life.' It was not until I understood to full scope was I able to understand the full scope of forgiveness. Early on I felt that it was maybe a bit corny only to understand that this is so tied to forgiveness I could not believe I found a necessary key that I was starting to put together yet didn't fully grasp.

Let me explain a little more in depth what an upward, inward, outward life means.  We are called to be

-Upward: we are in tune with our relationship with God. Without a proper relationship with God it is impossible to forgive. When our relationship is in tune with God we have the ability to trust His goodness, His plan for our lives and the love He has for us. As a parent your love for your children is unconditional. We love them regardless of their choices and actions yet as a child we feel we are entitled to as we do or make excuses for wrong or hold onto our grudges as we have been violated but as a parent we cover our kids with grace and compassion so we can teach them how to live a right life and be that example of forgiveness of grace to others. So if we as parents desire our children to learn the lesson of grace and forgiveness just imagine how much more God desires for us to learn that by forgiving us.

Inward: It is not until we learn what God has done for us can we understand the inward transformation. There are many times we may understand God's grace and forgiveness yet are unable to forgive others simply because we cannot forgive ourselves. We each carry around a bag of broken pieces but don't realize that God can take those colored shards of glass and make an epic stained glass window that will reflect His light through in order to show you beauty through your brokenness. Carrying around our brokenness can be the number one stumbling block where forgiveness for others cannot happen and can be the root of bitterness towards another.

Outward: After we understand God's forgiveness and be able to forgive ourselves and go through the healing process needed for our brokenness can we forgive and love others. Through the understand of brokenness, healing and forgiveness we are given a gift that frees others from the bondage and chains of unforgiveness.

We are called to Love God fully, Love ourselves correctly then Love others compassionately (upward, inward, outward).

One thing I have been reminded over the past many years is something that happened more than 13 years ago. It was the birth of my youngest son. Seeing he would be my last child I wanted to name him as a testament of God's grace. Even 13 years later I marvel at what God put on my heart then and how true my boy is today with God's promise. I know some would think I was silly for naming my son to have the initials "JC," but I felt that was important. His name means "God heard my prayer and has become my salvation." When we learn God's forgiveness it is then that we can understand He has also become our deliverer breaking those chains that have tied us to bitterness and victimization.

What is holding you down where you are struggling with unforgiveness? Can you forgive that person today and tomorrow and the next day to see what God can do in and through you?

CAL

Learning to Be Content-

Philippians 4:12-14

"Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles."

So today the lesson plan for my Second Graders was on contentment.

It is so easy to either be disappointed by what we don't have or jealous of what someone else has and we don't. I find it ironic that this came on Mother's Day when some may be grieving as a result of not being with their kids or estranged in some fashion.

The lesson plan talked about how God gives us a box not for identity rather that those things we contain may be poured out to illustrate God's grace and the bigger plan He has for us. As a result I took a box, which my youngest son used to use as the house for his stuffed dog, and filled it with those things we may use as our identity and false security of contentment.

In the box I included items that people run to in order to find their identity with meaning. I included vitamins (health), camera (memories), a tape measure (our job), a iPad (knowledge) and a picture of my kids (family), but there is a bigger picture and it doesn't mean that these things are bad only that the are not our identity. We have been talking for weeks about being a Hope Dealer leading to the tee shirt. In being a Hope Dealer we can be poured out to give something of value to others (candy).

Where is your identity found? Is it in those things in your box or is it found in the hope we find in Christ? When we turn our focus on God we are able to be poured out to give to others and in return those things in our box find deeper meaning as our eyes are fixed on Christ.

Find your identity in Christ and all these things will be added to you!

CAL