What can happen…

…in a year.  Haha…where to even begin.  God has taken our quaint little world and flipped it upside down.  If you told me a year ago today that our family would go from civilian to military, I would tell you, you’re crazy ridiculous.  I stand (actually sitting at the moment) here today to tell you of what God has done in our lives.  You want to have the time with your family seem like the most precious thing in the world?  You want to catch a glimpse of just how loved you are and how much you love your wife?  GO TO BASIC.  Haha…seriously.   I enjoyed family time, and time with my wife before, but now it’s guarded like a doberman in a junkyard.  God is so good. 

Our adventure has been wild, crazy, insane, sucked at times, and just plain didn’t make sense.  But that’s ok because we don’t have to understand it.  We know that God is in control, that we are HIS people, and that He has called us to a life that less than 1% of all Americans can live.  The family life of the military.  There is a huge mission field amongst our soldiers.  Those who have answered the call to take up arms and defend the defenseless, bring liberation to those oppressed. 

Pray for them.  Pray for us as we head into the great unknown.  God is good.  He is great…..and at times, insane.  Ha…but what good would it be if our God was docile, boring and mundane?   (Well for one thing, the world would all be like the state of Kansas.  hahaha)

The Message of a blind man

John 9:30-38: “The man answered, ‘Now that is remarkable!  You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does His will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’  To this they replied, ‘You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!’  And they threw him out.  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’  ’Who is He, sir?’ the man asked.  ’Tell me so that I may believe in Him.’  Jesus said, ‘You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.’  Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped Him.”

A few things are intriguing in this story; 1.  The blind man claims to know nothing but what happened.  He doesn’t claim to know all things, he doesn’t claim to even be the most educated, or educated at all.  The only thing he knows is what just happened to him.  2.  He is thrown out because of his encounter with Christ.  When a person has an encounter with Christ, he/she is never the same again.  3.  Jesus hears about his predicament and searches for him.  How cool is that?  Jesus, the Messiah, Lord of all, seeking this man out who shared his story, and was thrown out.  I can only imagine the feelings/emotions, thoughts of this man when Christ revealed to him who He is.

John 8:1-11

This is one of my favorite experiences recorded of Jesus for a couple of reasons.

1. Jesus doodles.  Seriously, I know scholars and deep thinkers (not like me) have analyzed and tried to guesstimate what He was writing/drawing, but think about it.  He was doodling.  He didn’t even give the “religious elite” the time of day.  And when He did finally pay them some attention (really just to tell He knew what they were doing and that He’s God) He put them in their place.  Then continued to doodle!

2. I can only imagine what she must have felt when everyone had walked away, and it was just her and Jesus.  Probably for the first time she had felt, experienced, been consumed by true love.  The love of Jesus Christ.  Despite her reputation, despite what she had been caught doing (not to mention the guy was nowhere to be found), despite what it could have done to His reputation, He looked her in the eyes, full of Grace, and told her to “Go and sin no more.”  He didn’t condone how she had been living, but He did not condemn her as the others did.  He showed her love and told her the truth.  The second half of the chorus of Phil Wickham’s song, Cannons,  goes like this; “…I’m so unworthy, but still You love me, forever my heart will sing of how great You are.” To me, I can only imagine this is how she felt, what she was thinking at that moment when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the God of the Universe, looked into her eyes and showed His love for her.

To God be the Glory!

My Savior

“Deep inside I feel it rage

the battle from before time

a war between good and evil

a struggle for the heart

I close my eyes and slowly fade

The intensity is too much

My strength is lost, my weakness pushing through

I fall to my knees, I’m at the end of me

Then all is quiet.

and I see Your glory

Your Holy Light

You reach out Your hand

Scarred from the war You’ve fought

the battle You won for my heart

You pull me to my feet

And with Your words,

You tell me to stand.

Not on my own strength

but in You and Your power

Like a rushing wind, like the mighty waterfall

You invade.

My walls crumble

My heart is set free

My soul is renewed

I lift my tired eyes and see You

I see You, my Lord and my God.

My Savior.”

Acts 2:22-36 The True Gospel

“Men of Israel, listen to this:  Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.  But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.  David said about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’  Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.  But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.  Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.  God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.  Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.  For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’  Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:  God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

v.37-38 (the aftermath)

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’  Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“…and I was overwhelmed.”

When is the last time you were able to describe an encounter with the Divine, using those words?  Specifically overwhelmed? 

When was the last time you were overwhelmed by God?  By the mere thought of Him?  Sadly, it’s been awhile since I could say this.  Unfortunately I believe it is the condition of many in churches across America today.  For some, it has never happened. 

An early definition/use of the term overwhelm, meant to turn upside down; to overthrow (dictionary.com).  Most likely in use for boats, but what about our lives?  When Jesus walked this earth, He definitely turned lives upside down.  People were overwhelmed by the presence of God.  They couldn’t move, they couldn’t think, they couldn’t speak.  They were so overjoyed, humbled, in awe of God.  I keep thinking of the story about John the Baptist (still in his mama’s belly mind you) when he leaped/jumped/kicked (was overwhelmed) at Mary’s voice because he knew who was with her.  The Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  (Hmm…that’s weird.  I thought science said that a fetus can’t think, acknowledge, or really do anything until they are born, yet one recognizes the Son of God?!) 

So ask yourself, “when was the last time you were overwhelmed by God?”

New Blog

check it out, it’s going to be a collection of adoption stories (hopefully)!

http://thelifethatalmostwasnt.wordpress.com