Starfish: 2008 Mega Kids Camp

The Soccer Team that Curtis and I coached: Natashia, Nathan, Devon, Hunter, Mikyle, Noah.

 

LifeChurch put on a sports camp for the Boys and Girls School down on Minnesota street.  It was clearly a "different" setting than comfortable middle class surroundings most of us knew.  Yet in some ways, it was the same.  A small boy, hit by the ball, not knowing how to be comforted.  A young girl, hurt in a soccer move, falls to pieces, yet becomes endeared to her coaches as most children did during the brief 5 day event.  That's what happened to Bill and I and others we realized that God was making a way for us to stand up and serve Him, even though we all felt so ill-prepared.   

We learned To Go the Distance you need…

Change (Monday)

Endurance (Tuesday)

Rest (Wednesday)

Teamwork (Thursday)

Finish Strong (Friday)

Reading Ps 23 on the last night with one of the parents was especially precious. Love is rare, but even more rare for these children.  No child should go unloved or feel unsafe.  Seeing children who have every reason to give up, yet reach out to love others is amazing. Days later as they met us at LifeChurch and the Ugandan Orphans Choir, even the crusty and hardened children reached for the hug they had been so longing for that morning, and they got what they deserved.      

Bill O., Jessica, Tony Portell, Curtis, Julie, Johnathan, Joshua, Amanda, Rachel, Steve A.,  Matt and Mellisa, Chris H., April C., Andy M., Scott H.,  and so many others came night after night to encourage the children and each other.   This is what we talked about.

I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me
the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will award to me on that day”
The Apostle Paul
2 Timothy 4:7, 8

Eric, the leader of the Ugandan Orphan's choir told the story about Starfish many of have heard...

Each morning as the tide receded, a young boy would walk along the
beach picking up starfish from the drying sand. Abandoned by the
water, the starfish were sure to die in the growing heat. So the boy
would toss each starfish he came upon back into the cool and calming
waves.

A passerby shook his head at the boy’s slow pursuit and grunted,
"Don’t bother, child. There are thousands of those starfish. They go
on for miles. You cannot possibly make a difference throwing them
back into the ocean."

But the boy picked up another starfish, looked at it thoughtfully
and remarked as he tossed it back into the sea, "It made a
difference to that one."

This time, it was personal.

Never let Go: Our Guardian

This clip from the Guardian shows the pure compassionate heart of God, who will never let go. He did so once and for all, sacrificing His life to save us. He cares deeply about me, as he did in the times of Jonah, to save those who are without hope. He loves perfectly, and our love is made perfect and complete when we are compassionate towards others (see the Veggie Tales version, really!)

This is not who I am, but who I want to be. A partner, with him, helping others like me. It's the only way to bring glory to Him, to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice Romans 12:1.

(Note, I reloaded the video, original link broke)

Interview With God: Are you afraid?

DJ reminded me again a few weeks ago about the "Interview with God".  So the other morning I read it, and was pierced by the line... "it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and it takes many years to heal them".  God's answer to me is His Spirit, the Comforter...my Advocate (and yours).   

Yesterday at work I had an instant message conversation with my purchasing agent, while we had a telephone conversation with a vendor.  It was the closest experience I can recall to talking with God...because as we talked with the vendor on the phone, the purchasing agent and I would send direction and encouragement to each other using text messages simultaneously about where the conversation should go.  He helped me, but sought my input, and encouraged me to carry parts of the conversation without forcing anything.  It was wonderful being not just a servant, or even a client, but a partner.

Doesn't God want that too, as a Father?  Preventing us from going too far, but encouraging us to go father in the ordinary situations of life....all within the boundaries of choice and love (not law). My boss told me yesterday, if you feel you are about 70% "right" or more, you should go for it. If you make a mistake, I will back you up and we will learn from it.  God knows my weaknesses.

Are you afraid of mistakes you've made, others made or might make?  Does that keep you from hearing God?

 

 

I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked
“If you have the time” I said.
God smiled
“My time is eternity”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?...”
God answered...
“That they get bored with childhood.
They rush to grow up and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money
and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future,
they forget the present,
such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”
That they live as if they will never die,
and die as if they had never lived.”
God’s hand took mine and we were silent for awhile

And then I asked...“As a parent”
what are some of life's lessons”
you want your children to learn?”
God replied with a smile
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them.
What they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds
to open profound wounds in persons we love,
and it takes many years to heal them.”

“To learn to forgive by
practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that there are persons who love them dearly,
but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people
can look at the same thing
and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not always enough that they
be forgiven by others. But that they must
forgive themselves.”

“And to learn that I am here always.”

Scott, May God's grace be upon you, again

My good friend Scott is launching a mission trip to Costa Rica again today. 

Earlier today it didn't even occur to me why I was drawn to this song he put on the DVD of our last trip.  I honestly couldn't stop listening for about two hours yesterday.  In particular, it was the idea that God doesn't need us, BUT he wants us. 

There is much more to this song...but when I got home, and got the reminder about Scott's trip, it made me smile, because like Bill and I were talking about at dinner, God has a marvelous way of bringing all these puzzle pieces together, and its way beyond our ability to even appreciate it. The fun part is being reminded He is there, and we are part of His plan.

Scott, We pray for your team to be draw into a deeper walk, to join with the Spirit in God's Work, and to bring strength and support to Dan and Cindy and the people of Costa Rica, by the power of Christ in you, the hope of glory!

 

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

 

In me

(Casting Crowns )

....'Cause when I'm weak,
You make me strong
When I'm blind
you shine Your light on me
'Cause I'll never get by
living on my own ability

How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me

So I'll stand on Your Truth,
and I'll fight with Your Strength
Until You bring the victory,
by the power of Christ in me

Amen, Amen, Amen

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Community: The release of our the Spirit in our heart

I found some hope earlier this week in the thought that only a few find it (Matt 7:13)....not as a barrier, but as a way of community. God's heart about community seemed worth a few more notes from "Waking the Dead", by John Eldredge. Most of the notes from the book are not ways to achieve salvation, but to fully experience the freedom and purpose to which we are called.

How would you live differently?

How would you live differently if you believed your heart was the treasure of the kingdom? ...Something stronger than fate has chosen you. Evil will hunt you. And so a fellowship must protect you. ...Together we train for battle. Together we plan our path. What makes this community so powerful ? You help me remember my story, my role and where I am. I don't have to carry the burden of remembering alone. "All the believers were one in heart..." (Acts 4:32)

Sitting for a sermon will never expose me, that's why most folks prefer it, but a community will. Do we keep our meetings short, our conversations superficial...a comfortable, anonymous distance? Our we an army that keeps meeting for "briefings", but never breaks into platoons and goes to war?

The "four streams" that lead to the full release of the Spirit (Rom 7:4-6).

1. Discipleship: Walking with God, both in wisdom and revelation
2. Counseling: Asking God, asking friends of God
3. Healing: Restoration, being forgiven, forgiving others...forgiving ourselves,
4. Warfare: Setting captives free

"Be kind, for everyone you know is facing a great battle." (Philo of Alexandria)

WOW, the missing keys in most relationships and community:

• First you know the heart is good.
• Second, we know we are at war.

Finally, community is NOT a substitute for God.

Only He can validate me, appreciate me, fill the aching void in my heart. We go first to God, alone so that we have something to bring back to the community.

Few Find It

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-15

For years this verse hung like a cloud over me, because between the lines people had read it to say "It is difficult to find" or "you must work harder than all the rest", "God's kingdom was only ever meant for a few". It was used by more than one group to justify its own small size and exclude others from "true Christianity".

This morning, the cloud broke as I was reading this:

We have stopped short of being an organization; we're an organism instead, a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary. A group is the right size, I would guess, when each member can pray for every other member, individually and by name.

Brother Andrew, God's smuggler

This is not a rant against big institutions, its just a recognition that those settings by themselves cannot be the place of personal interaction that brother Andrew describes. John Eldredge (Waking the dead) uses this quote to explain how crucial it is to have a small fellowship to walk with you and fight with you and bandage your wounds so that you can live fully the life you were ransomed for by Jesus.

This idea that our relationship with God is bound in a community of believers is one I think most of us recognize in our heart, and lack in our relationships. Thankfully, it is NOT because our Father only wanted it, or expected it, for a few. It can be part of the reason I feel more (or less) connected to the love of God and his purpose for my life. Thanks Bill, Garry, Laura, Kevin, Scott, Tony, DJ, Steve and a few others.

Much, much more to this than I can write now.