Tonight I am heading to camp. Not as a camper but as a speaker!!! I remember those “guys” from my youth. The mystery speakers that show up at night and share a sometimes boring, sometime interesting camp talk. The problem is that I know that I actually did learn stuff from these guys and so tonight I am extremely nervous as to what to say to a bunch of 8-14 year old children!
My topic is one faith (Ephesians 4) and since the topic is so broad, I am not sure whether to talk about mustard seeds, martyrs, righteousness or forgiveness. Should I demonstrate a trust fall, or blind fold one of them and have them listen as I walk them through a maze. Should I talk about the assurance of things hoped for? Should I do an exegesis of Romans! What do you think? I would love some ideas!
It’s so difficult because its so complete and big and complex, but at the same time it is so simple and straightforward:
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! Romans 5:7-9
This weekend I was out for a nice morning run on very familiar road. As I approached my turn around point I heard the barking of two approaches dogs. The sound of the bark let me know these were no purse dogs. There were Marmadukes. Dogs that would push me over and stomp me just saying hello. Dogs that love to “play” with things that run by. But even though I heard their growls and barks and their approaching paws, I didn’t flinch, nor even turn to look at them. I didn’t because I knew there was a fence between us. A fence of protection. A fence that made me bold and secure.
Immediately, I thought about how we can live life in fear of anything that moves or barks, or we can realize that we have a fence of protection around us.
4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure. Ps 23:4
We have a shelter when we abide with him.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]
2 I will say [b] of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday. Ps 91: 1-6
What a great way to start out a week, realizing that when you walk with the Lord you can walk without fear, and you can be bold! You can just keep running when you hear the dogs on your heels. Be Bold and Fearless today, and put you trust in the promise that will not fall.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-19
This weekend, Amy, Alex and I went out to test drive some VW vans! No, although it apparently it is Alex’s dream vehicle, it was not the classic hippie vans. It was the newer Chryslerish model – the Routan. Let’s say a new vehicle seems to be in the cards soon, but at this time we were just looking. Anyway, the van was great and all, but there was something that I found particular peculiar and interesting. It may be this way with all European cars, and since all of my vehicles have come out of Detroit or Spring Hill, I was drawn to this one aspect – the fuel gauge.
It did not have an E for Empty and an F for Full, but instead had a 0(zero) for empty and a 1(one) for full. Like I said, other cars may have been doing it this way for years, but for me it was a first, or at least the first time it hit me. It reminded me of two things. First the good old geek joke that there are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those you understand binary and those who don’t. ( for those of you in the second category, 10 is 2 in binary. Like this 00 = 0, 01= 1, 10 = 2, 11 = 3, yeah ok whatever).
Secondly it reminded me once again of this idea of being lukewarm, as there was a ½ in the middle. But really, I want to be a 0 or a 1. Off or on?. And really I want to be obsessed, I want to be on, I want to be 1. And maybe that’s why I noticed it so much, as the zero and one concept made it so black and white, so binary. It was not empty and full, it was on or off. It was just another stark reminder of how we should be living our lives.
Take a look at this video, and think about Romans 12:1-2
1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)
God wants you to place your life ALL before him, and let him fill you up. If you are on for him, he will make you full. Lets live a binary life in the on position!
Wednesday night I was afforded the privilege of being able to see Huey Lewis and the News in concert. It was a pretty good show. It was good to hear songs that I had not listened to for a long time, and to remember those great days in the eighties!
Anyway, its just an obvious leap that I have to take it – The Power of Love! And that takes me to Romans 8, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Check it:
31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Romans 8:38-39, The Message)
So on this Friday, ‘when all you want is a couple days off’, but you have to keep on ‘working for a living’, remember the ‘Power of Love’ in your life and the impact you can have on those around you!
I am still pumped. Yes, it didn’t happen for the Mountaineers, and that, well, that really stinks. But there is another reason to be even more stoked today then a basketball game – even if the outcome had been different. I am stoked, even overjoyed because –
He’s Alive He’s Alive! Christ is Risen from the Dead!
6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:6-8 NIV
1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:1-14 (New International Version)
Thats Real! That’s life changing and that pumps me up!
In January 2008, I began to send out a daily email to several of my friends to provide daily motivation and encouragement. As life has changed, I have decided in November 2009 to publish these musings to the web. So here at this blog, you can find thoughts on life with a little bit of inspiration. Its a way to transform your spiritual mind, and 'buffet your spiritual body' each day. Just a little mental work out to hopefully help you develop, transform and grow.
Your comments are always welcome!
