In the past two blog posts created on this site, I have noted the fact that everything had been taken away. My wife and I are both out of work, we have endured numerous hardships regarding our extended families, things are just hard. My pull quote from the first of these was "I will trust you, Lord, because I have nothing left."
I WAS WRONG.
I had something left.
Spike TV used to air a show called MXC (Most eXtreme Challenge), a transplant from Japan with phony American interpretation. It was basically a Japanese game show much like ABC's Wipeout!. One of the challenges the contestants would have to deal with would be climbing a hill when humongous boulders would come down at them. As I look up the hill, I have seen one of those huge boulders come hurling at me.
It appears I may lose my funding to attend my last semester of school. I received this news late Thursday, and there will be no one to talk to regarding the matter until after the new year, three days before the final semester starts.
I trust God. I really do. I do not understand His plans. In the heat of the battle, I know I am not meant to understand the plan. I also know that trusting is hard when it seems EVERYTHING is working against you.God has immensely blessed me and my family. We have seen blessing upon blessing in our current position. Yet this boulder hurling at me has caused me to look back down where I came from, instead of looking up for my help. My situation has blocked the view of my hope.
Here is the current verse I am leaning on, Ephesians 6:13: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." I have found a little alcove to hide away from the boulder for now. All I can do is stand.
It is a helpless feeling. If you want to know what you can do for me or my family, please pray. Pray for us to have strength, wisdom, discernment, and direction. Pray that I can stand, armor on, ready for this battle.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Part 2: Looking Up at the Mountain
I promised at the end of the last blog that there was a part two. There is a continuation of the story from the point where my family declares I will trust you, Lord, BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING LEFT. Psalm 121 starts off "I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth" (v. 1-2, ESV). Get ready, folks, this is the "BUT GOD" moment if the story.
Two days after my wife lost her job, we received three envelopes in the mail. One had an address label, one a return address, one- nothing. Each of these had cash in them. We received more the next day. Every day but one in this time, we have been receiving gifts in the mail- blessings from people that we have never met and do not know. We have been careful to mention this, because I did not want to put a limit on the blessing that God is pouring out on us, and because I was just too touched by it to go about it. We recently had committed ourselves to tithing and giving to our church. We know- we were supposed to be doing this the whole time- but had gone away from it as our debt load had become so high. We have decided we are tithing, and will continue to do so. " Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!" (Mal. 3:10, NLT) The blessing we have received, we will also pass on to others.
This is a bit disjointed, I know, but it is so hard to put into words. As Pastor Steven Furtick put it, "Sometimes God interprets our prayers in strange ways...
You prayed for God to be enough. You were put in a bleak circumstance where He had to be.
You prayed for increased faith. You found yourself in a situation that required it" (Stevenfurtick.com, Blog for Dec. 16, 2010).
We have been extremely blessed by the situation. To the members of our extended family that mentioned our need, thank you. To the people, anonymous and unknown, that have answered the call to help meed our need, thank you. To the friends that have reached out, thank you.
Mostly, to the God that is able to exceedingly abundantly do more than we could ask or think, THANK YOU. We are not out of the valley, but the view up the mountain looks incredibly sweet.
Two days after my wife lost her job, we received three envelopes in the mail. One had an address label, one a return address, one- nothing. Each of these had cash in them. We received more the next day. Every day but one in this time, we have been receiving gifts in the mail- blessings from people that we have never met and do not know. We have been careful to mention this, because I did not want to put a limit on the blessing that God is pouring out on us, and because I was just too touched by it to go about it. We recently had committed ourselves to tithing and giving to our church. We know- we were supposed to be doing this the whole time- but had gone away from it as our debt load had become so high. We have decided we are tithing, and will continue to do so. " Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!" (Mal. 3:10, NLT) The blessing we have received, we will also pass on to others.
This is a bit disjointed, I know, but it is so hard to put into words. As Pastor Steven Furtick put it, "Sometimes God interprets our prayers in strange ways...
You prayed for God to be enough. You were put in a bleak circumstance where He had to be.
You prayed for increased faith. You found yourself in a situation that required it" (Stevenfurtick.com, Blog for Dec. 16, 2010).
We have been extremely blessed by the situation. To the members of our extended family that mentioned our need, thank you. To the people, anonymous and unknown, that have answered the call to help meed our need, thank you. To the friends that have reached out, thank you.
Mostly, to the God that is able to exceedingly abundantly do more than we could ask or think, THANK YOU. We are not out of the valley, but the view up the mountain looks incredibly sweet.
Friday, December 10, 2010
A Brief Hello From the Valley
How things have changed around here since blog post #49.
My mother-in-law has been in the hospital with what is believed to be bacterial meningitis. As I write this she is on her way to a rehab facility.
My wife is now out of work. If you're keeping score, I've been out of work since April. This makes for a bad situation.
Two verses have been drifting around in my head in this past week. In the order they have been drifting, they are:
"He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45b). The other one is: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
So God has been telling me that what is happening to us could happen to anyone, and that He must think a lot of us to give us this test. My opinion is that He thinks more of me than I do.
What has happened is tough. He is calling us into a place of complete trust. I apparently didn't get that in April. I get that now. I trust you , Lord, because I HAVE NOTHING ELSE.
There is more to the story, folks. And I will share that with you in my next post, which will come in the next couple of days. God is already showing Himself faithful, and he is using complete strangers to do it. The excitement is starting to build...get ready.
My mother-in-law has been in the hospital with what is believed to be bacterial meningitis. As I write this she is on her way to a rehab facility.
My wife is now out of work. If you're keeping score, I've been out of work since April. This makes for a bad situation.
Two verses have been drifting around in my head in this past week. In the order they have been drifting, they are:
"He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45b). The other one is: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
So God has been telling me that what is happening to us could happen to anyone, and that He must think a lot of us to give us this test. My opinion is that He thinks more of me than I do.
What has happened is tough. He is calling us into a place of complete trust. I apparently didn't get that in April. I get that now. I trust you , Lord, because I HAVE NOTHING ELSE.
There is more to the story, folks. And I will share that with you in my next post, which will come in the next couple of days. God is already showing Himself faithful, and he is using complete strangers to do it. The excitement is starting to build...get ready.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
A short list: My election recap
I haven't been political in some time, but the fact that I stayed up until 2 a.m. on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning allowed me to make some random observations. I present these in short list form. So sit back and enjoy!
1- California rejected a proposition allowing for legalization of marijuana. In a related story, a man named Dubie was not elected as governor of Vermont.
2- In spite of the fact that voters in California rejected legal pot, they still reelected Barbara Boxer to the Senate.
3. Maybe it's just me, but methinks something is rotten in the land of Vegas, to quote Macbeth. I think it was Macbeth.
4. This is actually taken from a tweet I saw that was brilliant in its sarcasm: That racist, sexist tea party was so terrible to get Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, and others elected.
5. All the angry white people on Tuesday night appeared to make up the panel on MSNBC.
6. North Carolina's legislative body, the General Assembly, is Republican controlled for the first time since the late 1800s.
7. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D- NC) was seen earlier this year harassing a college student on video. For the next few weeks, he will be harassing election officials in classic Al Gore fashion.
8. During the Healthcare debate, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) said the Republican healthcare plan was to die quickly. Tuesday his career died quickly.
9. Speaking of angry people, the AP article hitting papers Thursday called voters "fickle." As the media continues to not get it, they will continue to demean the voters.
10. The President in Wednesday gave the impression of a person that has been humbled. Today he leaves on a trip that will cost taxpayers $2 BILLION. Glad that lasted long.
11. Nancy Pelosi has an 8% approval rating. Apparently those 8% all have Twitter accounts. I could not believe what I read.
That is all I have for now. The intent was to get you to think and make you chuckle.Next time, I promise to be back to the inspiration.
1- California rejected a proposition allowing for legalization of marijuana. In a related story, a man named Dubie was not elected as governor of Vermont.
2- In spite of the fact that voters in California rejected legal pot, they still reelected Barbara Boxer to the Senate.
3. Maybe it's just me, but methinks something is rotten in the land of Vegas, to quote Macbeth. I think it was Macbeth.
4. This is actually taken from a tweet I saw that was brilliant in its sarcasm: That racist, sexist tea party was so terrible to get Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, and others elected.
5. All the angry white people on Tuesday night appeared to make up the panel on MSNBC.
6. North Carolina's legislative body, the General Assembly, is Republican controlled for the first time since the late 1800s.
7. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D- NC) was seen earlier this year harassing a college student on video. For the next few weeks, he will be harassing election officials in classic Al Gore fashion.
8. During the Healthcare debate, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) said the Republican healthcare plan was to die quickly. Tuesday his career died quickly.
9. Speaking of angry people, the AP article hitting papers Thursday called voters "fickle." As the media continues to not get it, they will continue to demean the voters.
10. The President in Wednesday gave the impression of a person that has been humbled. Today he leaves on a trip that will cost taxpayers $2 BILLION. Glad that lasted long.
11. Nancy Pelosi has an 8% approval rating. Apparently those 8% all have Twitter accounts. I could not believe what I read.
That is all I have for now. The intent was to get you to think and make you chuckle.Next time, I promise to be back to the inspiration.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Who Boo Boo Hoo Hub Bub (HUH?)
I am becoming more bold in the territory in which I tread these days. I have a great respect for many of my Christian brothers and sisters that do not participate in Halloween. Personally I do not celebrate it, though I do participate in it. There is a great amount of evil activity that happens on that day, and a large amount of evil that penetrates the TV, the radio, and other places. It becomes difficult for a parent to shelter a child from such images. It helps that without much prodding from his parents these days, our son hides his eyes, or puts his face down, or runs into the other room when commercials come on for those things.
Now that that's out of the way, I have changed my perspective about how to approach Halloween. My verse reference is this: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." (Matt. 5:13-15, NJKV)
I know, I will be countered with the verse that says abstain from the appearance of evil, and what fellowship does the believer have with the nonbeliever, so on, so forth. Hear me, though. This is the one day a year more than any other that Christians use the power of darkness as an excuse to hide their light under a bushel and keep to themselves.
Yes, in many places it makes sense to provide a safe place for kids to come out and enjoy the day. Yes, there are perverts and freaks out there that would like to take advantage of the day. Yes, the for the evil of the world this is one of the top days for their practice. But greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4) I read a couple of blogs yesterday that influenced me in this. Use this day as a day of outreach. Provide a safe place at your house for people to come. Invite them to your church. Spread the love of Christ in a direct (or indirect) way.
Use this day as just another day to show the world that Satan is defeated! The very day is meant to be the prelude to All Saints' Day. Realize in a way that Halloween is symbolic of the Enemy's "last hurrah." In the end, the Lamb has overcome. Think of this day as the enemy's last gasp. Use the day to show the love of God, and let the kiddies have a Hershey bar or two. Make sure they pick up some for me, as well.
Now that that's out of the way, I have changed my perspective about how to approach Halloween. My verse reference is this: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." (Matt. 5:13-15, NJKV)
I know, I will be countered with the verse that says abstain from the appearance of evil, and what fellowship does the believer have with the nonbeliever, so on, so forth. Hear me, though. This is the one day a year more than any other that Christians use the power of darkness as an excuse to hide their light under a bushel and keep to themselves.
Yes, in many places it makes sense to provide a safe place for kids to come out and enjoy the day. Yes, there are perverts and freaks out there that would like to take advantage of the day. Yes, the for the evil of the world this is one of the top days for their practice. But greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4) I read a couple of blogs yesterday that influenced me in this. Use this day as a day of outreach. Provide a safe place at your house for people to come. Invite them to your church. Spread the love of Christ in a direct (or indirect) way.
Use this day as just another day to show the world that Satan is defeated! The very day is meant to be the prelude to All Saints' Day. Realize in a way that Halloween is symbolic of the Enemy's "last hurrah." In the end, the Lamb has overcome. Think of this day as the enemy's last gasp. Use the day to show the love of God, and let the kiddies have a Hershey bar or two. Make sure they pick up some for me, as well.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Step on My Toes. Please. I Need the Pain.
Six months of unemployment have not made me a sadist. Having children did that.
I kid, I kid.
This blog has honestly been tough to put together. The difficulty has been figuring out which illustrations I want to put in it. But the basis is this:
Today I had a job interview, only the fourth since my departure from the last place. This may be difficult to comprehend, but the job interview was fabulous. It left me with a good feeling. The strange thing about that is, I will not get the job.
"Yeah. You've stayed at home too long. You have lost your mind."
Stay with me here. The interview was at a luxury car dealership. The interviewer, Brian, was wonderful. He was straightforward with me, and we had an interview full of candor and straight talk. What he told me as a complete stranger many friends would not tell me. My wife would tell me, and has many times. She's good for me like that. She is the sandpaper of my life. In that manner, Brian was an excellent face for his company. He was not trying to sell his business just to get warm bodies in the payroll. He has a vision for the place he works, given to him by his superiors. It is a successful business model, passed down from a very respected name.
Basically, as a stranger, he was able to dispense some truth into my life that he could see as an independent observer. I do not think I would have seen this as a younger person. I don't even believe I would have seen this a year ago. I see it now, and I am thankful for it. I have also been getting this at church in the past six months. Challenging words from the Bible, God's Word being poured into my heart, it is what I have needed for my life.
I guess I have been a victim of the Southern culture, where we don't really say the hard things to someone, we just sugar that person up, then say it behind their back, along with a "Bless their heart" that somehow makes it all okay. It's okay to tell somebody something that will be hard for them to hear. That is how the Gospel gets spread. That is how lives get changed. This is how improvements are made. This is how a person grows mentally and intellectually. A person cannot grow without a little pain. Steel is not forged until it reaches the highest temperatures and is pounded into shape.
The best illustration I can think of is the GEICO ad starring R. Lee Ermey. "Does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist?" The truth is, no he doesn't. Maybe the jackwod that needed a little self-confidence needed a little more drill sergeant treatment from him. It would help him to man up a little, and deliver him from "Namby-Pamby" land.
Thanks to my wife, Pastor Steven Furtick, and to Brian from Hendrick Motors in Hickory. Thank you for telling me the things I need to hear, and not just tickling my ears. If this made any sense to you, please comment and let me know.
I kid, I kid.
This blog has honestly been tough to put together. The difficulty has been figuring out which illustrations I want to put in it. But the basis is this:
Today I had a job interview, only the fourth since my departure from the last place. This may be difficult to comprehend, but the job interview was fabulous. It left me with a good feeling. The strange thing about that is, I will not get the job.
"Yeah. You've stayed at home too long. You have lost your mind."
Stay with me here. The interview was at a luxury car dealership. The interviewer, Brian, was wonderful. He was straightforward with me, and we had an interview full of candor and straight talk. What he told me as a complete stranger many friends would not tell me. My wife would tell me, and has many times. She's good for me like that. She is the sandpaper of my life. In that manner, Brian was an excellent face for his company. He was not trying to sell his business just to get warm bodies in the payroll. He has a vision for the place he works, given to him by his superiors. It is a successful business model, passed down from a very respected name.
Basically, as a stranger, he was able to dispense some truth into my life that he could see as an independent observer. I do not think I would have seen this as a younger person. I don't even believe I would have seen this a year ago. I see it now, and I am thankful for it. I have also been getting this at church in the past six months. Challenging words from the Bible, God's Word being poured into my heart, it is what I have needed for my life.
I guess I have been a victim of the Southern culture, where we don't really say the hard things to someone, we just sugar that person up, then say it behind their back, along with a "Bless their heart" that somehow makes it all okay. It's okay to tell somebody something that will be hard for them to hear. That is how the Gospel gets spread. That is how lives get changed. This is how improvements are made. This is how a person grows mentally and intellectually. A person cannot grow without a little pain. Steel is not forged until it reaches the highest temperatures and is pounded into shape.
The best illustration I can think of is the GEICO ad starring R. Lee Ermey. "Does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist?" The truth is, no he doesn't. Maybe the jackwod that needed a little self-confidence needed a little more drill sergeant treatment from him. It would help him to man up a little, and deliver him from "Namby-Pamby" land.
Thanks to my wife, Pastor Steven Furtick, and to Brian from Hendrick Motors in Hickory. Thank you for telling me the things I need to hear, and not just tickling my ears. If this made any sense to you, please comment and let me know.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Forced Inspiration (and a tangent)
That's kind of a bleak title.
What does that mean?
It means that I really have nothing else to do at school right now in between classes, so I thought "Why not blog?"
in other words, this could kinda get diluted, so if you want to go to the next blog or to facebook, go right ahead.
Forced inspiration can be really rough. It could cause a preacher to not put his best foot forward for God, trying to make a point when all he is really doing is sticking his foot on his mouth. It could cause a songwriter to put together a really bad song just to meet a deadline, yet the song goes forward. Forced inspiration can make a really bad novel.
Change the connotation. Sometimes forced inspiration can be good. A person in the pit of depression or grief may not want comfort or guidance at that particular time. A board at school today had this message: "Sometimes we miss the silver lining because we were searching for gold." Follow me here:
While dealing with the recent passing of my friend (see last blog), I would look at his wife's facebook profile. She posted a status update that was saddening. To be honest, 'Til death do they part was not supposed to come this early, right? Then I saw numerous comments from people, giving the usual lines. They are trying to help, I know that. But I think these were just "instinct lines." We are programmed to say these things instantaneously in an attempt to comfort someone. Something bad happens? "There must be a reason," or "All things work together for good." Yes, both are true, but SHUT UP!
Think of Job. When his calamity happened, what his friends did for him at the beginning (before they accused him of everything under the sun) was the best thing anyone can do. They sat with him. And they said nothing. Silence can be golden to the hurting and depressed. Save your words for later, when they are trying to pick themselves back up.
This is when forced inspiration can be good. A smile from a stranger. A smile from a child. Just a simple word, like "I love you. I'm here for you. I prayed for you today." (I phrased it like that because most folks say I'm praying for you and never think about you the rest of the day.)
Philippians 4:8 says: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." If you're depressed, think of your blessings given by God. If you've lost someone, yes, think of them. At the same time, if they belong to Christ, think of where they are. Remember the past with joy. I know it hurts. My goodness, it hurts. Depression is not a fun thing. Grief is miserable. Forced inspiration can be tough, but it can also give us what we need while here on Earth.
What does that mean?
It means that I really have nothing else to do at school right now in between classes, so I thought "Why not blog?"
in other words, this could kinda get diluted, so if you want to go to the next blog or to facebook, go right ahead.
Forced inspiration can be really rough. It could cause a preacher to not put his best foot forward for God, trying to make a point when all he is really doing is sticking his foot on his mouth. It could cause a songwriter to put together a really bad song just to meet a deadline, yet the song goes forward. Forced inspiration can make a really bad novel.
Change the connotation. Sometimes forced inspiration can be good. A person in the pit of depression or grief may not want comfort or guidance at that particular time. A board at school today had this message: "Sometimes we miss the silver lining because we were searching for gold." Follow me here:
While dealing with the recent passing of my friend (see last blog), I would look at his wife's facebook profile. She posted a status update that was saddening. To be honest, 'Til death do they part was not supposed to come this early, right? Then I saw numerous comments from people, giving the usual lines. They are trying to help, I know that. But I think these were just "instinct lines." We are programmed to say these things instantaneously in an attempt to comfort someone. Something bad happens? "There must be a reason," or "All things work together for good." Yes, both are true, but SHUT UP!
Think of Job. When his calamity happened, what his friends did for him at the beginning (before they accused him of everything under the sun) was the best thing anyone can do. They sat with him. And they said nothing. Silence can be golden to the hurting and depressed. Save your words for later, when they are trying to pick themselves back up.
This is when forced inspiration can be good. A smile from a stranger. A smile from a child. Just a simple word, like "I love you. I'm here for you. I prayed for you today." (I phrased it like that because most folks say I'm praying for you and never think about you the rest of the day.)
Philippians 4:8 says: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." If you're depressed, think of your blessings given by God. If you've lost someone, yes, think of them. At the same time, if they belong to Christ, think of where they are. Remember the past with joy. I know it hurts. My goodness, it hurts. Depression is not a fun thing. Grief is miserable. Forced inspiration can be tough, but it can also give us what we need while here on Earth.
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