When our kids were small and we went to visit our parents, which one or the other has always lived quite a ways from us, we would start at night with the kids all tucked in and drive until we got there. It wasn't until much later that I realized I had missed the 'journey' with them, because I was so focused on the destination. As Believers, I think we do the same thing. Well God reminded me of this during a conversation the other day about life; that the living is in the journey & it's the journey that makes the living.
As I thought about what makes the journey come alive, I remembered when I used to ride motorcycles. I loved riding, even though I haven't for some time. On a motorcycle you feel so alive! You notice everything, you stay alert to what's going on around you, your energy level goes up, there's a thrill in your heart! A large part of that is because when riding, there's a risk factor involved. At almost any moment you can 'lose it', and losing it is usually NOT a good thing. It's the taking of the risk, that adds to the thrill of the ride.
Same is true in this spiritual journey of life. It's the risks we take that add to the thrill of the journey. What risk have you taken lately for Christ and His kingdom? If you're just warming the pew, trust an old bike rider, you're not really living the journey! Blessings!
PJ
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Illusionist
A good friend sent me an email about the best illusion he had ever seen, and I have to admit it was a good. If interested, the post was terrificillusion.wmv. As I watched it, I got thinking about another friend of mine that I had just spent the morning with talking about 'stuff' going on his life. His work load keeps growing, and he goes home every night wondering what 'emergency' will happen tomorrow, and whether or not he'll have the energy to face it. He also is the 'man in charge' of one our fastest growing ministries at the church, and he's feeling quite overwhelmed with all of that. Then yesterday, he was faced with a decision concerning a movie selection to watch, and even though he felt a 'check' in his spirit, he didn't respond as he knew he should, and it may end up costing him relationally. I share all that because the really terrific illusionist isn't the guy in the video, it's the enemy of our souls.
Each of us, whether we are aware of it or not(and most of us are not), are under attack by a extremely deceptive manipulator. In my friends life, he using busyness and a 'prideful attitude' that 'no one but he can get the job done right', to overwhelm him and cause him to feel like he's failing and he can't go on, that he's all alone in his struggle to succeed. The result in my friends case is his personal time with God has gotten less and less of a priority, no real quality time, and the end result was making a decision he would of normally never had made. Now he has to add 'damage control' to his already bulging schedule.
What we did this morning was take a collective breath, and look at everything from God's perspective. Do some reflecting on what has been going on, and then prayed together in an effort of surrender and in order to refocus his life on God's plans for it, and not the enemies deceptions of it. I also realized, just how much we all need to pray everyday for the protection of those that serve our churches in areas of ministry. The enemy loves to come after them, because if he can deceive them and defeat them, he can scatter that part of the 'flock', (Jesus' favorite descriptive term for the church). And by doing that, he can take the pastor off their 'game', and if he can do that, he can maybe scatter the whole church.
So fellow believers in Christ, open your spiritual eyes to see the real illusionist in your midst, and then pray. And pray specifically for those leading ministries in your church, whose lives are already jammed pack, and so 'ripe' for deception. God bless each of you, as we stand together as one against our unseen foe.
PJ
Each of us, whether we are aware of it or not(and most of us are not), are under attack by a extremely deceptive manipulator. In my friends life, he using busyness and a 'prideful attitude' that 'no one but he can get the job done right', to overwhelm him and cause him to feel like he's failing and he can't go on, that he's all alone in his struggle to succeed. The result in my friends case is his personal time with God has gotten less and less of a priority, no real quality time, and the end result was making a decision he would of normally never had made. Now he has to add 'damage control' to his already bulging schedule.
What we did this morning was take a collective breath, and look at everything from God's perspective. Do some reflecting on what has been going on, and then prayed together in an effort of surrender and in order to refocus his life on God's plans for it, and not the enemies deceptions of it. I also realized, just how much we all need to pray everyday for the protection of those that serve our churches in areas of ministry. The enemy loves to come after them, because if he can deceive them and defeat them, he can scatter that part of the 'flock', (Jesus' favorite descriptive term for the church). And by doing that, he can take the pastor off their 'game', and if he can do that, he can maybe scatter the whole church.
So fellow believers in Christ, open your spiritual eyes to see the real illusionist in your midst, and then pray. And pray specifically for those leading ministries in your church, whose lives are already jammed pack, and so 'ripe' for deception. God bless each of you, as we stand together as one against our unseen foe.
PJ
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
What Grabs Your Heart?
On my desk top is the following reminder, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." So what is it that makes you come alive? For me, it's preaching and/or anytime I'm with someone in a biblical discussion and I get to watch the light of truth come on within them, or it comes on within me. At those times I believe I am most alive. But what about you? What makes you come alive, an inquiring pastor wants to know?
PJ
PJ
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Bark! Bark! Bark!
I recently spent the night at my nephews house. I got in late and exhausted, we talked for awhile, and I then asked what time they left in the morning for work; which was earlier than I cared to start my day, so we said our goodbyes and turned in. I never heard them leave, but I was awakened within a few minutes of their stated departure time by their yellow Labrador named Fuji, as she apparently was standing at the front door barking her displeasure about being left behind. I figured she would stop, but she didn't; she just kept barking. As I turned over in my final attempt to go back to sleep, I cleared my throat, and suddenly she stopped barking. I could hear her thinking, "What was that?" "That was a human sound, I'm not alone after all." "Where did that come from?". I heard begin to search, and true to her heritage, she soon located me in the back bedroom of the basement. There, at my bedroom door, Fuji now stood whimpering, begging to be let in. I had to laugh and go and let her in, which resulted in fusillade of licks and thumps by her club of a tail.
I love learning from dogs about spiritual matters, so it wasn't long before God started showing me this lesson from Fuji. She found herself all alone, left behind and she didn't like it. I wondered if she would of barked all day. It was like she was saying, "What about me? Don't forget me, don't leave me behind!" And once she realized she wasn't alone, she came looking. And when she found me, she showed her appreciation as only a dog can do. In fact she didn't leave my side the rest of the morning until I left.
What do we do when we sense the absence of God's presence in our lives? Do we cry out continually, "Don't forget about me, don't leave me behind?" And then once we realize we're no longer alone, do we search Him out and beg to be in His Presence? And then when we do come before Him, how do we respond? Is it with constant affection and a staying close to His side, walking in His shadow and following in His steps? Maybe there's a lesson we all can learn from Fuji, and apply the next time we feel like we're missing out spiritually.
PJ
I love learning from dogs about spiritual matters, so it wasn't long before God started showing me this lesson from Fuji. She found herself all alone, left behind and she didn't like it. I wondered if she would of barked all day. It was like she was saying, "What about me? Don't forget me, don't leave me behind!" And once she realized she wasn't alone, she came looking. And when she found me, she showed her appreciation as only a dog can do. In fact she didn't leave my side the rest of the morning until I left.
What do we do when we sense the absence of God's presence in our lives? Do we cry out continually, "Don't forget about me, don't leave me behind?" And then once we realize we're no longer alone, do we search Him out and beg to be in His Presence? And then when we do come before Him, how do we respond? Is it with constant affection and a staying close to His side, walking in His shadow and following in His steps? Maybe there's a lesson we all can learn from Fuji, and apply the next time we feel like we're missing out spiritually.
PJ
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