a worship release that is truly a worship experience

A friend of mine just released a great collection of worship music. Make no mistake, do not pass this over as just another release from another worship leader…the songs are amazing. You can pick these songs apart and get lost in them. They are not just some catchy phrases but songs that are from the heart that aim to touch and change your life. There is not a song on here that will not encourage you to drop everything and re-focus on the One that saved us and desires to have a relationship with us.

But it’s not only about a relationship, the songs speak of the call to justice and action. If our relationship with God does not call us to action then something is wrong. We don’t get to sit on the sidelines and hang out, we must jump in, sacrifice and make a difference.

My favorite song is “Let Your Kingdom Come.” The first verse, for me, says it all when thinking of the call to action.

“Give us a love for peace, Move us to brokenness
Our generosity, release from poverty
Your Kingdom here and now, To the least of these
Distribute what we have, That all may taste and see“

(lyrics from Let Your Kingdom Come, by Aaron Ivey, Matt Carter, ©2009 Iveymusic)

To find out more about Aaron, the band and the ministries they support – visit http://aaronivey.com.

Quotes from the Homeless

Had some good opportunities this week to minister to the homeless. When involved in this ministry, or any other, there are those moments when you have to just crack up at the things you hear.

We were at a stop light and were passing out some “care packs” to a homeless guy. Usually when we do this no one has ever turned us down…until this week. We passed a package of soap, shampoo and lotion to a gentleman at a stop light. He did not want the soap. His response was, “I’ll take the water and other stuff but not the soap. You never know about those soaps. I have sensitive skin and that soap might make my skin itch.”

At Church Under the Bridge, Patsy was talking to a guy who just got out of prison and was back on the streets. He was sharing that he was back on drugs and wanted prayer. He was struggling and was disappointed in himself. Patsy asked him how long he was off drugs. He grinned and responded, “I have been clean for 4 years, but that was because I was in prison.”

We really enjoy spending time with the homeless. Their stories and sense of humor are such a joy and a bright spot in our day.

American Idol

Okay, I will admit it…I am an American Idol fan. There…it’s out. Now on to my comments for this season.

I just finished watching the show for this week and I cannot believe the judges WASTED the only save on Matt. Oh my gosh, what an absolute disappointment. So lame. He should have been gone awhile back along with Anoop (top 13 save was a bad decision as well), but for some reason they are still around. The judges needed to keep the one and only save to use later if America makes a mistake and votes off one of the true talents (like what happened with Daughtry). That would have been a worthwhile use of the save.

I really had no intention of watching this season, then I caught 3 performances – Allison, Danny and Adam. WOW, these 3 are truly talented. In fact, the rest are fluff. Simon and crew need to fast forward to the top 3 – Allison, Danny and Adam – and let the rest go now. Save the pain on our part and theirs for the next few weeks. No need to go through it.

Also, I really like the adition of Kara to the mix. More honesty with substance. Simon and Kara bring balance to the show. Randy is decent and has moments of truth but I get tired of the “dog, dog-pound and yeeeyahhh.” We all know Paula is a nut job and is just weird. So, maybe we will get lucky and Paula will go away.

Anyway, guess we will have to suffer through the next few weeks with average singers and wait to get to the real competition with the 3 that deserve it. Until then, I will watch and stick with it and hope that America really does recognize talent. Maybe we will get another good American Idol winner this year unlike the disappoints with Rueben and Taylor.

Jesus saves, literally

I finished reading Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. This book tackles many of the questions that non-Christians and Christians have about Christianity. As I was reading the book, I was struck again by the fact that many churches and so-called Christian denominations have tried to find ways around the truth and water it down. I have seen this happen and left a church in the past because of it.

It is such a sad testament when believers try to figure out a way around the simplicity of the Gospel to make it more palatable. When, for the sake of being intellectual, church leaders try to explain away biblical truths as fictional or folklore and state that the Bible should not be taken literally. If that was not dangerous enough, churches try to rank sins and excuse people from accountability. “Be careful not to offend the tithing base” is an excuse I have heard before. Sin is not discussed from the pulpit for fear of making someone feel uncomfortable. Too many churches have become a bubble of fun and lack of convictions instead of a ministry training ground that is on fire for the true God.

In the book, Vintage Jesus, the authors made a great statement regarding the church muddying the waters about hell and judgment. The argument is how could a loving God punish someone and send them to hell. Hell must be a fictional place. The author’s response is so simple yet powerful.

“God is literally holy, we are literally sinful, Jesus literally died to forgive our sin, and if we fail to receive His forgiveness, we will literally stand before Him for judgment and be sentenced to a literal hell as an act of literal justice” (Vintage Jesus, pg. 222).

Pretty plain and simple. No need to water that down or explain it away. If we spent as much time living the truth of the Gospel as we do trying to explain it away, we would be living closer to what God desires and this world would be on fire for Him. Yet, in a effort to not offend and fit into mainstream thought, we have sold out some our beliefs and compromised the truth. This hurts the heart of our Savior, our God.

We see evidence of this over and over in Scripture where God is hurt because of man’s sin and rejection of Him. There is judgment for that action and it is not about God being cruel or unjust. It is about us making a conscious choice to step outside of the covenant He made with us when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. Our choice, our consequence. Not any more complicated than that.

A great example of this is found in the Book of Jeremiah. I encourage you to read it sometime. It is about the people of God turning their back on Him, even when they knew better. They had generations of examples of the covenant with God being followed and being ignored. They had generations of examples of blessings and judgments…yet they chose to turn away. It’s a great read that is full of object lessons. Don’t be thrown off that it is the Old Testament – the truths are very applicable for right now, today, literally.

Don’t make this complicated. I know I complicate it sometimes and try to explain or excuse sins away. It’s our nature. When I start down that path, catch myself and think about it, I find it is usually because I can’t handle the truth of my sinfulness. BUT thank goodness for the Gospel!! I don’t have to do this on my own. Jesus came, died, rose again, forgave my sins, I am His child, I am holy because of Him, I am forgiven, I am free from sin. Literally.

meet George

This is a story from last July…thought we had lost this. People frequently ask us, “why the homeless?” This is one of the stories that answers that question. On a Sunday in July, Patsy met George and she writes…

“George’s hands were shaking and he was wobbly — I could see that he and his drugs had spent a rough night together. I went over and found two of the stickiest, gooiest sweets left (I’ve learned that drug users crave this type of food).  Since he couldn’t hold the plate, I walked with him until we found a place for him to sit.  That was when George looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, “I just can’t do this anymore, I just can’t”.  Then he broke down, sobbing.

As I sat down with him, he began telling me his story … George’s mother was a heroin addict and died from an overdose as he watched.  He was fourteen years old.  Until that time, George thought he was going to be a preacher when he grew up.  But here he is now, sitting in front of me, 33 years old and he’s already spent five years in prison and five years in rehab and is now on the streets — without hope.

George has a twelve year old daughter who lives two blocks away from the bridge and he can’t see her.  Not because the girl’s mother won’t let him, but because he doesn’t want his daughter to see him “this way” — a 33 year old man with a filthy, lined face and rotted teeth, rail thin, with hands that won’t stop shaking.  He was still a beautiful man – with his red hair, bright blue eyes and freckles.  A man who wanted to be a preacher.  A man with hepatitis who knows he only has a year or so to live if he stays on the streets.  A man who wants to see his daughter – but only when he’s whole again.  A man who does not want this life anymore.  A man who doesn’t know how to get out of this mess.

I wiped his tears and hugged him over and over as he told his story.  His pain was so visible it was difficult to simply listen and know there was nothing else I could do to help –EXCEPT PRAY!  I told him I would pray for him, I would ask my family to pray for him, I’d ask my friends to pray for him, I’d ask their friends to pray for him.  AND THAT IS WHEN GEORGE SMILED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!  And what a smile it was – he couldn’t believe that someone would take time to think of him, much less say prayers for him.  After he finally believed I would actually follow up on this, he stated, “this is not what God wants me to be, this is not His purpose for me.  I know that, I just don’t know how to get better.”  I explained about God’s love for him, the power of prayer to change lives, and God’s healing and miracles.  George was still crying, but his smile stayed as I talked about God’s love for him and His power to change his heart and life.

George and I talked about God’s purpose for him and that his healing would be a witness to others, how his story of recovery could change lives and be a testimony to God’s power in our lives.  As I gave George one last hug and wiped his tears one more time, I assured him that he would be prayed for by many,many people…and that I would be looking for him next time.

As I walked back to the serving area, the food I had worried about being late had arrived, was being served and all was running smoothly.  God always provides, doesn’t HE?

I ask that you pray for George and all the homeless and others who are “invisible” and unloved – those who are so lonely that they search for just the touch of a hand and a smile from those of us who daily take those small things for granted.”

Since Patsy met George and wrote this story, we’ve been under the bridge several times and have not seen him. We don’t know where he is and others are not sure either. But each time we go under the bridge we meet and spend time with many others like George. There is never a shortage…and that is so sad.

The next time you pass a homeless person…don’t look away. Look into their eyes. There is a person there, just like you and me. A person with hopes, dreams, hurts, fears and pain…a person with a story…a person just like you and me.

one of those weeks

Ever have one of those weeks? It started out Monday morning with me feeling sick and I knew it was not going to be good. I got worse as the day went on. Now, let me state this for the record – I am not a good patient. I don’t do sick well and am quite stubborn about taking it easy. Tuesday came and I was worse so I went to the doctor. Sure enough, I have the flu. Got my meds, my orders to rest and to not mess around with this. Came home and got more orders from Patsy as well. I was going to give in.

Tuesday night, I took my meds, drank nyquil and crashed. That night it rained and froze. Wednesday morning our puppy, Claude, awoke at his usual 5am needing to go to the bathroom. In my groggy state, I got up, got him, got my coat and went out the back door. I noticed the shiny sheet of ice on the deck but figured I had good balance and it was no big deal. We made it across the deck to the landing and to the stairs. I started to have second thoughts but figured I’d be OK. I assured Claude we’d be cool and proceeded to take the first step.

the stairs

Well, we never made it past the first step. My foot slipped and Claude and I went for a ride. I landed on my butt, solid hit, and we rode 5 steps down and across the landing before I caught my foot in the railing to stop us. Claude was freaking out. I was surprised that he did not relieve himself on me. Anyway, as we slid across the landing we hit a potted plant on a stand. I watched the pot fall. It was in slow motion. It hit the the landing and shot off like a rocket and slid down the rest of the stairs. Needless to say, I was in much better shape than the pot as it landed at the bottom of the stairs. It shattered into many pieces.

the broken pot

As the pot rode down the stairs, it left a trail of dirt that is still there as of writing this – remember, I am taking it easy. After the pot stopped, Claude had calmed down and I realized nothing was broken on me, we got up and continued down the stairs. Actually, the dirt trail was the safest spot to walk on. As Claude did his business and accomplished the initial mission, I was looking back up at the house waiting to see a light come on in the bedroom. I figured with all that noise of me and the pot falling down that many stairs and breaking someone (my wife) would have awakened…but nooooo. My wife slept through it all. Never heard a sound. When I came back to bed, after the adventure, and told her what happened she said “oh no, are you OK?’ i responded yes and she fell back asleep. The sympathy, care and concern shown was overwhelming me.

We laughed about it all day yesterday and I picked on her. My wife reminded me that before bedtime on tuesday she and I discussed the ice issue and I told her that I would take the dogs out because with her MS, she has balance issues and I did not want her to risk it. she told me that I’d be no better off but I assured her I would be fine. Funny how husbands forget those details and wives bring them up after the damage is done.

Anyway, I have a HUGE bruise on the backside where I landed with a very distinct mark of the edge of the stair. As Chris Collins said today, it’s ironic that I am suppossed to sit and rest but when I sit it hurts. Funny isn’t it. Life is great…makes you laugh. What else can you do. Get the flu, fall down the stairs…anything else…the week’s not over yet.

newest members of our family

Besides Patsy, Breanne (our daughter in San Antonio) and I…we now have 4 additional members of our family.

A few years back after Shannon, our other daughter, passed away, Patsy really wanted to do something in her memory. We talked about quite a few ideas and did not settle on one and were struggling with what to do. We wanted to do something that would be lasting and make an impact. We were at a youth specialties conference and went through an AIDS in Africa awareness interactive booth sponsored by Compassion International. After walking out of that booth it hit us…that was it! We searched through the stacks of available children and found a young girl in Ghana with Shannon’s same birthdate (month/date). Tears filled our eyes…it was an exciting moment for us!! Her name is Anita (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YMpJ2rrA5wNgU7rNAbRY_w?feat=directlink). I remember the day when we received our first letter from her..it was an amazing thing to be a part of this little girl’s life and know that we could make a difference and honor Shannon as well.

A few months later Patsy asked me about my birthday, we talked and decided to sponsor another child. His name is Paschar (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rhvxN7fP06alkzJeXpE8DQ?feat=directlink), has my birthdate and lives in Tanzania. Our family was growing.

Over the past few years we have struggled with Christmas. The season keeps getting more and more commercial and this year it really hit us hard. We were sitting in church as our pastor was focusing on the true meaning of Christmas (O Holy Night Part 1 and O Holy Night Part 2). He shared something that I really have never thought about – the birth announcement was first shared with the shepherds. In biblical times, shepherds were the lowest in society except for lepers. That really struck me. Our pastor went on to talk about where our focus is over the holidays.

This sparked a much needed conversation between my wife and I. We really did not need anything this year and did not want to go through the motions just to do it. So we decided to add to our family and sponsor 2 more children – one for Patsy’s birthdate and one for Breanne’s birthdate. The newest members of our family are Faith in Kenya (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lJimCrkYG6EUqer5m1il6A?feat=directlink) and Judeline in Haiti (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZGXcF9CrCpiw5p-Tew3DUw?feat=directlink). Faith has Breanne’s birthdate and Judeline has Patsy’s birthdate. What a blessing this has been. Exchanging letters with the kids and their families is fun and touching. Each time we get a new photo we are like proud parents.

Sponsoring a child is an awesome experience. It is such a blessing! I encourage those reading this that do not currently sponsor a child to do so. It will change your life and truly broaden your perspective beyond the borders we live in.

Signing off with James 1:27 – “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Our Supported Kids

remind my soul that it’s not here

I was driving home the other day listening to the Shelly Moore Band. “Scratch” was the first song that came on, I was sitting at a stop light and started to weep as I listened to the lyrics. My heart was so moved, I felt this wave of emotion pour over me. The song talks about the things we chase here on earth to satisfy us and asks, “what should be my delight?” My “growing up a Christian since I was 6″ answer was “God”, but did I really mean it. There I was, alone in the car, no one else around, just me and God. My answer had to change.

There are times when i do find my delight in God and in His word as described in Psalm 1:1-3, but there are many times I seek things here to satisfy me. Everywhere I turn – someone or something is telling me that I need more and more to reward myself. I put these things in front of the rewards of serving Christ and I come to end of a day or week, reflect back and feel empty, like something is missing. In the quietness of those times it always comes back to the same thing – I have spent more time seeking fulfillment in earthly rewards and less time resting in the rewards that come from God.

So what should be my delight? My delight should be in the Lord and what He provides. I can’t define the answer. I need to rest in knowing that I am doing what God has directed me to do. God will provide the satisfaction in Him and watching His work be accomplished. The song’s chorus is encouraging and refocuses me – “Father help me wait for my full reward, remind my soul that it’s not here.”

It’s tough in this day to be Kingdom focused, but it’s not impossible. It is a heart and mind shift. I say both because of  Matthew 6:21 – “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” And then scripture encourages us/admonishes us to have the mind of Christ. We see this all throughout scripture (especially in Romans, 1 Corinthians and Philippians).  As I mentioned, easy to say but tough to do…but the key is discipline. We need to discipline our minds to be focused on the things of Christ. We need to make choices. These choices are unpopular by today’s standards and will go against the grain of our human nature, but the reward is far greater than anything we can be given down here.

Where is your delight? What brings you joy? What brings you peace?

What piece of you are you willing to give up to experience the peace of God?