Thursday, December 31

“You are not nearly as happy as I mean you to be…”


A direct response to an attack....an act of faith, a gift.  Today was about a road trip to the Creation Science museum in Kentucky, listening to CS Lewis "the Last Battle" with the family. 

The book was about an ape who tried to coerce the other animals through pretending to speak for Aslan (a symbol of Jesus)....and how through faith those who were able to look at Aslan with love after a long and hard battle were brought into a new land to live with Him.  


 At the museum, we saw all sorts of dinosaurs, the flood, the planetarium, explanations for sorrow and suffering.  It ended with a wonderful movie about how the answers come from the one who died for us; not just to cover us with His blood as a sacrificial lamb, but also to redeem us. At every turn I saw the same verse that we read yesterday with the boys about heaven:

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Rev. 21:3-4

The last line that ended the “The last battle”, and the summarized the museum trip is this: “You are not nearly as happy as I mean you to be…” Aslan said to a broken one.

Thanks to my brothers who bring me this hope, over and over again.   Scott, Mark, Tony, Bill, Thunder Joe, Ryan, Ed, Garry and others...

Sunday, December 27

Complete Unity: How do we get out of the boat?




Complete Unity?


The Kingdom of Heaven=Joy and Peace in the Holy Spirit... It cannot come when I am not one with the Holy Spirit.
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:22-2
Tonight I went to the Metropolis location of Life church. A small snow blizzard and a Colts game led to a pretty small turnout. But Tony and Scott spoke with the same energy they would bring to an audience of several hundred.

Scott told the story about Peter, the water, getting out of the boat. At first Peter trusted, responded, but then lost his focus as he began to look at the waves around him. Fear is believing the worst possible outcome, instead of God's plan. Jesus caught Peter as he was going down: When we are drowning we are much more willing to submit to God. Here are a few questions Scott suggested that might get us out of the boat:

1) Where am I going? (Am I operating in my Gifts?)
2) What should I be doing (not WWJD, but responding to that personal dialogue with our Papa) . Are you doing the one thing that only YOU can do
3) Who are you relative to who you were a year ago?

He will not let us drown, but he wants us to trust (not imagine what could go wrong). btw, I went to Church instead of the Colts game, the first game I missed in two seasons. Tonight, their 23 game winning streak came to an end as they put in the 3rd string Quarterback. I didn't miss watching a contest, I played in one.

Wednesday, December 9

They will all be taught of God. Whoever....

Do you believe that God our father teaches you?....not just through people, sermons and books, but that he speaks to YOU.....and countless others, directly? I actually like the idea that he is not parochial, tribal, limited to a culture or a race or a small group, and his vision is so much more.

Have you cried with Him, laughed with Him, seen with Him in the process? I think He likes that too. :) He wants that and offers that to us all, lavishly.

God uses John Piper again (4 minutes....WOW)
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—" John 6:44-45


* “Whoever believes in him will have eternal life” (John 3:15).
* “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
* “Whoever believes in him is not condemned” (John 3:18).
* “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).
* “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” (John 5:24).
* “Whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
* “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
* “Whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47).
* “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever” (John 6:58).
* “Whoever believes in me, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38).
* “Whoever believes in me will not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).