The Simple Truth

Thoughts on a Land Far Away

As one reflects on life there are certain moments which can be deemed as "life-changing". I recently had such a life changing experience as I journeyed half-way around the world to India.  My prayer prior to the trip was simple, "Lord, show me how we can more effectively minister in this part of the world." God has/is answering this prayer. In the months to come I hope to share specifics with you about how PBC can continue to play a part in that part of the world. For now, I thought I would share some of my BIG take aways from the trip...

• Jet lag STINKS! for the first four days of the trip I was running on about 2-3 hours of sleep per night and going hard all day long. I was just starting to get acclimated when it was time to return home. By God's grace I was able to persevere and continue to function without too much fog in my head.
• It was a sincere pleasure getting to know the F. family. They are a tremendous blessing and their hospitality is unmatched.  During this trip acquaintances became friends.
• It was a blessing to be part of the Go Sports basketball clinic. 70 kids learning to play the game I love.
• You have not lived (or nearly died) until you have been in Indian traffic, at rush hour, on the back of a motorcycle.
• Our visit to the women's shelter was both heart breaking and heart warming. To see them do so much with so little was amazing. The girls (and I do mean girls) are amazing and I pray God would continue to work in their lives.
• We had opportunity to visit some incredibly remote portions of this country. We were in villages where they had never even heard of the USA.  The poverty is extreme and the work conditions horrendous.  God bless the men and women who are working with these people to help them improve their quality of life.
• I'm so thankful to the S. family for taking the time to show us around northern India. What a blessing to be able to minister along side them and to be blessed by their faithfulness to the Lord in the midst of difficult circumstances.
• Our context drives our worldview. I knew this truth before the trip but it was cemented in my mind through this experience. Upon visiting a boarding school located in rural India our Q&A with the students centered around crops, soil, and animals. They asked questions based upon their context. They couldn't have cared less about the glitz and glam of the US. They wanted to know about the farms.
• The Indian food was delicious! I especially liked eating with my fingers.  Chai, Chai, Chai!!!!
• The worst part of the trip (besides jet lag) - was a young Indian guy trying to snuggle with me on the plane ride home. I promptly gave him an elbow in the name of Jesus.
• A special thanks to all who prayed for us and supported us during this trip. I especially want to thank everyone who ministered to my family while I was away.

Lessons from Irene

Last Saturday/Sunday New Jersey endured a major Hurricane - IRENE! It was quite an experience
filled with many observations and lessons (some practical, some spiritual).  Here are a few...

• People truly freak out when they hear bad weather is coming. Stores where stripped bare of food, water, and batteries.  Obviously, it's great to be prepared but generally people need to SETTLE DOWN. I guess its the fearfulness in mankind's heart that causes this panic.
• I enjoy modern conveniences (A/C, running hot water, lights, showers, etc.) but I wonder if I've become a bit spoiled when it comes to the creature comforts the Western world offers.
• I am in dire need of a sump pump. We had water in our basement (2nd time in the 2+ years we've lived here). Once things settle down from the storm I'll have someone out to give me a quote.
• Crisis draws people closer together. I've had a number of people comment to me about how they were able to connect with previously unknown neighbors as a result of this storm.  We tend to do all we can to avoid suffering or any type of inconvenience but in these trials we find a fellowship that had alluded us heretofore.  This is what the Bible calls the "fellowship of suffering".
• Many hands really do make light work.  Kerrie and I were up at 4:30am sucking up water with the dry-vac and carting buckets of water upstairs to pour down the kitchen sink.  It was exhausting. Once our kids woke up (I woke them up) and started to help, the whole process was a lot less daunting.
• We often pass by little blessings in life.  Here's one I just rec'd...Thousands of people in our area lost power during and after the storm. In our neighborhood (over 400 homes) one side of the neighborhood is still without power while the other half didn't have so much as a blip of the lights. My backyard neighbors (literally 50 feet from my house) are without power while we are not. I count myself very fortunate and am extremely thankful that we did not lose power.  No power = no wet/dry vac = flooded basement.  I don't know why my power stayed on and others didn't. I'm certainly not more worthy of power than they are but for whatever reason, God has given me this blessing...
• Because God has blessed me with electricity I see it as my responsibility to minister to those without. We've baked cookies for our powerless neighbors, offered the use of electricity, hot showers, and outlets for the charging of cell phones.  We are blessed so that we can be a blessing.
• Here is my number 1 take away from Irene - Early last week my family and I happened to be on the Outerbanks of NC on vacation. We watched the track of the storm with great intensity. On Thursday the area where we were vacationing issued a mandatory evacuation and so we packed up all our "stuff" and headed back to NJ at 3am on Friday morning.  Needless to say this was a real pain in the neck as our family vacation was cut short.  However, had we not been made to leave NC and return home we would not have been here to pump off the water as it rose in our basement.  We would have returned home to a flooded basement and many ruined possessions.  God used a truly minor inconvenience to move us to the point where he could help us avoid a much larger problem. Bottom line - our perspective on life is so limited. Trust that your heavenly Father has your best interest at heart.

Thanks Irene for all the little life lessons you've taught me over the past couple of days. I'm better for it!

Random Friday Thoughts

It's a Friday afternoon in August and I have number of random thoughts bouncing around in my head.  Read at your own risk...

• Why are we more tired when we return from vacation than before we go?
• I'm looking for a fresh supply of worship tunes. Who are you guys listening to?
• Do 13 year old boys PMS?
• I'm still totally jacked about what God is doing in the folks at PBC to raise money for Snehashrya.
• Blown away every time I pray the new PBC prayer of commitment - Where ever you want us to go, whatever you want us to do, however you want us to live; we give our lives to You to spend in making your gospel and your glory known to the ends of the earth.
• Had a blast at the GBC / DPBC high school camp this year. God did some really cool things! So awesome to reconnect with dear friends.
• Man it was hot in MO this year - surface of the sun hot.
• The financial state of the federal gov't is SCARY. I appreciate that there is no easy answer but come on fellas how about putting some sound economic practices in place before the house of cards comes tumbling down.
• Some people take themselves way too seriously!
• Every human being that has every graced this planet is a walking worship machine.
• My 25th high school reunion is this weekend. Wish I could be there to see everyone. I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time. Can't wait to see pictures of Facebook.
• I want to write more. What format would be the most useful to the most people? I don't want to add to the noise of written Christian materials.
• So glad the NFL resolved its labor issues. Excited to see what the Chiefs will do this year - continue to build upon last year or come back to reality. I say 9-7 with a really tough schedule.
• I count myself to be abundantly blessed. God is so good to me!

Things I Learned on the Men's Camping Retreat

This past weekend me and a few of the fellas went on an overnight camping retreat with the intention of getting alone with God and working on our walk with Him.  It was a productive time with some good devotional time in God's word. I really enjoyed spending some time with the fellas and getting to know them better. I also enjoyed listening to the devotions given by a couple of the guys - I always love hearing what God is doing in people's hearts.  In addition to all I learned from God's word last weekend, He taught me a few other life lessons through this experience.  Here are a few...

• You can never be too prepared.  Thankfully there we certain members of our group that planned for every possible contingency - and saved us. There were others in the group that were wishing they had a time machine so they could go back and pack the things they had forgotten.
• The fellowship of suffering draws us closer to one another.  Hiking with a group of guys in the driving rain, setting up camp soaked to the bone, trying to starting a fire with damp wood, and sleeping in a tent with wet sleeping bag, built a camaraderie among the group. Sure we could have stayed in a five star hotel and been a lot more comfortable but we would not have come out the other side as close as we are now. Although I must admit I was voting for the five star hotel at 2am on Saturday morning.
• I can endure almost anything if I know the end is near. Despite being wet, cold, tired, with no legitimate sleep I knew I could make it thru because we were only going to be there for one night. When the end is in sight we can endure. How do we get through the trials of life? We know that one day all the pain will be over and we will be with Jesus forever. That's why Paul was able to call all trials "light afflictions".
• You can start a fire with damp/wet wood. Elijah did and so did we. I've never seen a group of people work so hard to keep a fire going.  It looked hopeless but they persevered and as a result the tone of the whole evening was changed. Before they got the fire started the majority of the group was ready to call it a night. Even when things look hopeless - persevere.
• Freeze Dried Food does not agree with my digestive system - sorry if that's too much information. Some of these lessons are more spiritual than others.
• Vince Lombardi was right when he said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." There were times on the hike out of the camp site that I was really tired. I'm in decent shape but walking 3 miles with a 50 pound pack, up and down steep grades, in the heat, on no sleep was tough. There were genuinely times on some of the steep uphill grades that I was praying to God for strength to make it through. We need to draw our strength from a greater power source. Don't ask for a lighter burden, or easier path; ask for strength to walk the course He's given you.
• When you don't think you can take one more step, you can! This goes with the previous item. When you feel like you can't go on just keep putting on foot in front of the other.  I love what Winston Churchill once said, "when you find yourself passing thru the valley of the shadow of death, keep walking."
• Encouragement is crucial. During tough times we need others to come along side us and encourage us.  Knowing you are not alone and that someone is there to help you gives you a tremendous boost. 
• Finally, Whenever I say that I am going camping it is guaranteed to rain.  If you are experiencing a drought, pitch me a tent, and within hours the heavens will open up and you'll be singing in the rain.

R&R

It was so nice to have a few days off last weekend! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do but it is nice to have a break now and again.  In fact, I believe it is absolutely essential to our long term health and well being.  My tendancy is to keep grinding and think things can't continue without my presence.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  When we try and plow forward without making space for rest and relaxation we are actually hurting ourselves and our cause/company/career, etc.  Here is a great formula which has served me well over the years...

• Divert Daily - take a little time each day to remove yourself from the grind and get refocused.
• Withdraw Weekly - take a day off each week and do something that revives you.
• Abandon Annually - each year make sure you are taking extended time to unplug from the matrix and recharge your batteries.

Thanks to everyone who filled in for me and made the services at PBC carry on without a hitch.  You guys are the best and I love you all very much.

 

OBX

 A few days ago I returned from a little vacation with the family.  It was our first time to vacation in the OBX - that's the way cool people refer to the Outerbanks in North Carolina.  We had a wonderful time - very relaxing.  Lots of beach, books, and bed (as in naps) - just what the doctored ordered.

The first morning I was in OBX I took a walk on the beach.  As usual I was in awe of the ocean! The sound of the crashing waves is mesmerizing.  The power of water crashing into the shore is unbelievable.  The vastness of the ocean itself is incomprehensible.  After returning to the house where we were staying I opened my Bible to do my daily reading and the very first passage I read was Psalm 93:4 - I immediately began to praise God for his unparalleled might. God's creation is mighty but nothing compares to the might of the Creator God.  I pray that I can remember this great truth whether I'm at the beach or 1500 miles from the nearest shoreline. 

Unplugging from the Matrix

 Tomorrow after church I'll be unplugging from the Matrix for a week and heading to OBX with the family. I'm looking forward to a vacation that involves a lot of sitting on the beach, swimming in the ocean, reading fiction books, eating good food, and sleeping way too much.  Catch you on the flip side!

Two Weeks Worth of Thoughts

Hey everyone!  I'm baaaaaack!  I was away for about 12 days speaking at a high school camp in MO and visiting with family but now I'm back and better than ever. I thought I'd take a few moments and share some of my thoughts from the past couple of weeks...

• My dad is recovering from his heart surgery. Each day you could see him getting a little better.  He's been cleared to drive and is now starting physical therapy. 
• It was awesome to see my mom and dad's church (Grace Baptist Church) truly minister to them while we were in town. They brought food every day we were there.
• It's impossible to eat right when you are on vacation.
• Always love seeing old friends again.
• Title of a sermon I heard while in MO - "When Lefty Stuck it to Fatty!" (Judges 3).  Sermon was so-so, but the title made me laugh out loud.
• Saw the movie, "Inception" while on vaca.  Very good! I recommend it. Has a real Matrix vibe to it.
• I always thought MO and NJ had about the same amount of humidity.  Not so!  MO is way more humid than NJ.  Even Kerrie thought it was hot and humid (those of you who know her, know that's says a lot). Every time I walked outside from A/C with my glasses on I got instant fogging of the spectacles.
• This was my twelfth year of doing this particular high school camp - man, time flies.
• We had an awesome high school camp this year.  God really blessed the entire week.  So cool to see so many young adults fired up about their relationship with God. It was so cool to see them unashamedly stand up in front of the entire group and talk about their walk with God.
• Spent the entire week of camp reading and rereading Revelation 3:14-21.  I'm sure you'll hear more about this in the weeks/months to come.  Two huge thoughts that emerged: two big battles faced by the church today - Apathy and Materialism.
• Got sick at camp (something was going around).  Still struggling to get over a head/chest cold. I hate summer time colds.
• Went to a St. Louis Cardinals game in the new stadium.  Even though we had Bob Uecker seats, it was a very cool experience. Stadium is awesome.  Abby is now a huge Pujols fan! 
• Bottom line - it was a great time, but it's good to be home.

Monday Morning Reflections

What a weekend!  I'm sitting here are Monday morning reflecting over the events of the past few days.  Here are a few of the highlights...

• Made two down and back trips to Baltimore in the space of 48 hours - it's actually not a bad drive and traffic was minimal.  
• Got to see my niece, Nichole, and her volleyball team compete in a National volleyball tournament (in Baltimore).  I was so impressed - I thought they did a great job.  I've never seen so many 6 foot plus girls in my life.
• Our Good Friday service blew me away.  I really loved the uniqueness of this experience.  A special thanks to Lara who worked so hard organizing and decorating each of the stations.
• The most haunting aspect of our Good Friday service had to be the sound of nails being hammered in to a cross while the rest of the chapel was totally silent.
• Can't believe Butler is in the national championship game - I like they're team but I have to cheer for Duke (they're my team).
• The weather over the past several days has been incredible! I can't believe I'm going to have to mow my grass today - it seems too early.
• What an incredible spirit we had at the Easter service yesterday.  To hear all those voices lifting up praises to our risen Savior was amazing.  It was so awesome to see so many new faces at PBC yesterday.
• I never grow tired of telling the story of my risen Savior.  
• Enjoyed a lovely dinner with the family and a few friends. Thanks Kerrie for a lovely meal.
• Capped off the day by watching "Blindside" with the family (we'll three of us watched - Kerrie slept on the couch) - what a great movie. 

Good to be Home

Just returned last night from speaking at Dardeene Prairie Bible Church's annual conference.  I had an absolute blast and got ministered to in a huge way.  Here are some highlights...

• The people of DPBC are awesome. It was good to see old friends and meet new ones.
• Loved catching up with my dear friends Dan and Pete.  I always love spending time with these guys.  The minister to me and challenge me all at the same time.
• I am humbled by how I was ministered to by the people of DPBC.  They are so gracious!
• Got to see mom and dad for a few days - what a blessing.
• At a lot of food over the course of the last five days - wow!  Not the least of which was the two pounds of pasta from Maggiano's - no I didn't finish it, in case you're wondering!
• The services at the conference we great.  I always get more than I give!
• Travel mercies were in full force.  Actually arrived into Newark early and wasn't hindered at all by President Obama's trip into St. Louis.
• Desperately missed the family and the people of PBC - it's good to be home!