Can’t stop the rain

I am like the rain, says the Lord God. I created it, it stands as a symbol of my glory.

Just as the rain is part of my creation so is my glory part of my character.

You can no more hold back the rain than you can withhold my glory.

Just as my children cry our for rain to fall upon their dry ground they cry for my Glory to fall upon their dry hearts

And when I pour out my rain it gives life to the soil and roots go deep into the earth.

And when I pour out my Glory it gives life to their spirit and roots go deep into my word.

But beloved, you have forsaken you roots.

Unseen, you equated them with unimportant.

You made your branches to tower high and spread your leaves wide;

A beautiful structure, barren of fruit.

Then you cried out for rain to water your dry ground.

And you cried out for Glory to fall upon your dry hearts.

And I sent my rain, and I sent my Glory says the Father.

And it came like a flood.

The soil could not soak up my rain, too hard was the ground.

The heart could not accept my glory, too hard had it become.

There were no roots to draw water to the surface.

And the soil and the heart became hardened.

And so the earth repelled my rain and your hearts resisted my glory.

And when you cried for rain I poured it out, and I sent you my rain but it came as a flood.

Your beautiful facades were swept away and you perished swiftly and cursed me for your destruction.

Plant your roots deep into my word.

For the greatest in my Kingdom is the least, and the least will be exalted above all the others.

And blessed are those who are not offended at me.

For you can no more hold back the rain from falling to the earth than you can withhold my Glory from being poured out.

Beloved you can’t stop the rain, but you can plant your roots deep and receive life from it.

Or you can abandon my plans and be swept away…

Kansas winter/California summer

It always catches me slightly off guard when I am reminded of the power of simple words. Simple words that were my own, to myself, in a journal from time and times ago. It strikes me because something that seemed significant enough at its occurrence to never leave my mind did, in fact, leave my mind. That is why I strive to be diligent at recording the sometimes mundane events of my daily life as well as their exceptions in a journal.

I remember at age 6 being required by my mom write at least 8 lines in my journal every day, who turned out to be right as usual when she told me I would appreciate it once I was older. Consequently, I found that old journal. In between the majority of quoting scripture (which I found to be a good use of space while at the same time counting for the required eight lines) I discovered that the only subject I talked about more was Abbie. It what was probably the most honest (by honest I meant not copied from the old testament) statement, I declared her my best friend and I rambled occasionally about what we had done, where we went, what we played, etc.

Fast forward sixteen years and that same Abbie is my beautiful wife and I still devote many lines of journal real estate to my life with her and the joy it brings me. Yet without those words being written down years ago I would have lost in time how much fun we had together as kids playing tag. As I go through life I find more and more that as I seek to dwell on that Faithfulness of God I sometimes forget all that he has done. It is quite easy to peer into Exodus and criticize the Israelites for acting shallow and short sighted when they repeatedly stumbled as wanderers in the wilderness. Not so much when it’s my own life and happening in very-much-not-a-wilderness-city.

A few weeks ago I filled up my current journal and began a new one. Before shelving it with the others I glanced through its pages and was rewarded with a flood of memories all proclaiming the Faithfulness of my Heavenly Father. How could I forget so many seemingly important events? As life happens we have a tendency to forget that which is not screaming for attention, and in turn lose the beauty that is remembrance of divine intervention no matter how small. One entry caught me as I flipped the pages of my life through 2010. It was dated April 2010, and I wrote about how much I loved summers in southern California. I had just finished a surfing session off the Carlsbad Jetty, my favorite spot. The ocean breeze was cool, the air was warm, and we hit up In’N'Out Burger on the 76 before heading home.

Transition to my life right now. I am writing this in the aftermath of a blizzard that hit most of the midwest yesterday with Kansas City receiving a generous 12 inches. All that and then the temperature plummeted to below zero. That journal entry makes me think about God’s Faithfulness. That or complain about my dislike for winter and wish for the good old days that aren’t really that old. I loved California. I loved surfing. Riding my motorcycle everywhere. Cruising on the 101. Date nights at our sushi spot. All that is gone for now, because that wasn’t where God wanted us for this season. It reminds me of his faithfulness because he has been. Every step of the way, every time my faith faltered, every time I wondered if I made the right decision he was there. And I recorded it. And I was reminded of it. Even that was an act of God’s faithfulness. He showed me in my own words how much I had forgotten of his mercy while I was stuck in a Kansas winter missing a California Summer. My mind is drawn to the words of King David in moment like this…

I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.  -Psa 119:75

My life has changed dramatically from just a short year ago. It was not my plan but that of my Heavenly Father. David reminds me in this verse that despite my own plan being dissolved it was in agreement with God’s faithfulness. In my own shortsightedness I tend to equate faithfulness with getting what I want. How misled I was, yet despite myself I was gently corrected in love! God has blessed me abundantly and given me grace in this new season to walk the road he set before me. In retrospect I would change nothing.

I am willing to give up California summers for Kansas winters if it means I can serve this man Jesus..

The Heart of an Abolitionist

What circumstances does are required for a heart to fully commit itself to a cause worthy of a lifetime of sacrifice? How much tragedy can it bear witness too before intervention is taken on behalf of the afflicted? When is the breaking point of tolerance over an issue reached in such a situation?

These are all questions I have been asking myself as I process the events of my trip to Thailand and Cambodia. These and so many more. It no longer feels sufficient enough to fast and pray for the ending of child prostitution. It no longer calms my conscience to send a monthly portion in support of those laboring daily toward the freedom of innocent children. I feel the need to commit myself to greater acts of sacrifice on behalf of the victims that are trafficked every day in the shadows of our society, not out of duty but out of a conviction stirred within me.

In conjunction with such a desire to serve comes yet another longing within my spirit, something that does not desire to be harnessed or tamed. It is greater it magnitude than a mere emotion and stronger in focus that just a thought, the very principle of it has riveted my soul since introduction. It is a righteous fury, wholly unrestrained and burning within me to a degree of intensity I have never before encountered. A desire to see the captives set free. A desire to see justice brought forth. A desire to see those evil things practiced by evil men in secret places brought before the holiness of our God, and to see his judgment carried out swiftly. Just as the prophet Isaiah cried out for Israel to turn from their wickedness and repent before punishment was poured out upon her in Isa. 1:16-31, so do I feel the need to cry out for repentance among our generation so in love with their own wickedness.

As I began to seek out answers to the questions encountered in my soul I felt one impress upon my spirit so deeply it has yet to be moved: I need God to give me the Heart of an Abolitionist. I want do more that just look down upon slavery with a socially accepted distance . I want to see it ended. Such an impossible task could only be overcome with God’s power and love, but as impossible as it seems to my own weak faith I still will ask God for it. In asking it will strengthen and grow my faith. I don’t want to merely disregard slavery, specifically the sex slavery which is rampant yet remains largely unknown among our generation, as something I would never take part in. I want to see it for the wicked and vile thing that is; oppression and exploitation of those who are too weak and innocent to defend themselves. I want others to see it for what it is, I want those who are profiting from it to be called out into the open and those who secretly practice and support it be held accountable for their actions.

So I will continue to fast and pray, to hasten the day until the Lord returns and Judges righteously. I will dedicate time to serving within my own community those who have been affected or caught in sex slavery. And I will open my mouth and share what God has placed upon my heart. In time, I ask that God will give me the Heart of an Abolitionist. I challenge you to ask your Heavenly father this very question: Is this an issue you want me to take to heart? Do you desire to give me the Heart of an Abolitionist?

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken. How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers. Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My foes. “I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy. “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning;  After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.” Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness. But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, And those who forsake the LORD will come to an end. Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen. For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away Or as a garden that has no water. The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark.  Thus they shall both burn together And there will be none to quench them.”

-Isa. 1:16-31

From Thailand with justice

I recently had an opportunity to travel to Southeast Asia for a few weeks on a missions trip to Thailand and Cambodia. I went on the trip as part of a team with Destiny Rescue, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children out of child prostitution. The entire issue of human trafficking, specifically international sex trade involving children, has become an increasing burden on my heart over past year. After traveling to see the situation with my own eyes I feel my heart has been marked with a desire for justice that cannot be undone. There is an inherent problem with gaining knowledge: you can’t just go back to your life before and pretend like everything was as it used to be. Once knowledge is gained there are two courses of action. People spend the entire remainder of their lives trying to forget what they know is true or they choose to act on it with conviction. Skills can fade with disuse, facts can be lost over time, and memories can dim with age. In contrast, Knowledge can never be unlearned. Knowledge can start as just an idea in the mind, but if takes root in the heart it will last the test of time.

Such is the case for me. I have seen the injustice of child prostitution with my own eyes, I have met children who were traded as property and then rescued out of oppression, and I have felt my heart stirred to see future generations protected from this modern slave trade. I don’t know how that works out to something practical in my life at the moment but I do know one thing: To do nothing now would be in my eyes the same as supporting child prostitution. I understand each has their own calling and I feel I have found mine. As I take time to pray about the next steps and find out not just what I can do for this situation, but more importantly what God desires for me to do, I will continue to do the one thing I know: To write.

Knowledge is useless if it is not shared, and I did not travel halfway across the world to keep what I saw hidden within the confines of my own mind. I invite you to join  me through the next couple of weeks as I share some of the things that captured my attention during my trip. I challenge you to ask yourself if there is any part that you can play in helping the children that have become victims of this slave trade. Maybe you too will have your heart stirred with a hunger for justice. Maybe you will take up a call to arms on their behalf..

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.    -Prov 31:8,9

Embracing the desert..

I’ve heard the road goes ever on and on. A true statement unless your journey leads to a place where there are no roads. What if you someday find yourself in the midst of a land truly void of any predetermined routes; no paths to follow save the one you make along the way? The desert can be such a place. The first mention it stirs up images of sand stretching across vast expanses and a sudden urge to down a tall glass of water. To any person who has spent some time in the desert though it’s much more than just a combination of sand and heat.  It is a reality of harsh extremes. A place that sometimes seems as if it were specifically designed for stripping things down to the bare bones of what they once were. Even stone, naturally more resilient to many other forces, is shaped and worn by the desert elements. Such is also the case with my pride.

Like stone I find my pride resistant. Resistant to many lessons that would have been learned easier had it submitted at the first test God enabled. Yet in the desert place it finally begins to yield. I have learned to give in to the desert place, to the testing, to the discomfort. To let my Heavenly Father accomplish his work in me. As I emerge from the desert place I find my pride broken and merely a shell of what it once was. And still again I enter the desert place. More lessons have yet to be learned. Jacob learned some lessons in the desert. The entire nation of Israel learned some too. John the Baptist lived in the desert place. even Jesus spent time in the desert. The desert is a common theme in almost every book of the bible! God knows the human heart best, it is his creation. So I accept the season that takes me through the desert. It is not enough now to merely endure the trials but as Paul did I want to find JOY in them! Our God is a jealous God, jealous with jealousy! His love is as strong as death and as demanding as the grave..

So this time it’s different. This time I have a new battle to face. To find Joy in letting go. Not just to lay down my pride but to embrace the very act of it. To remove it as a hindrance in loving my King rightly. This is not a lesson that can be learned in a moment. It takes time. Time in the desert. A long time in the desert. Enough time to understand that the desert in not just a place of testing and trying but a place of beauty. Terrifying beauty, the kind of beauty that was designed to expose the obstacles in my own heart that would hinder love. And when my pride is finally broken to pieces, then I will worship God. Worship him with the capacity of a heart truly and fully belonging to it’s maker.

Father I chose to embrace this desert place. Remove from my heart anything that hinders love and in it’s place give me relationship with you.

 

The road goes ever on and on, Desert roads have long been gone.

Father God, hear my prayer! Lead me on while I dwell there.

And when my time there is done, Take me out leaning on your Son.

For your desert took my pride away, so at your feet my life I lay.

Justice in Satisfaction: The Modern Mindset

Demand Satisfaction. This phrase historically served as reason to instigate a duel between two parties for the purpose of settling an offense, real or imagined, usually to the death. It was outlawed prior to the civil war due to it’s violent nature but the legacy of the duel lives on it in its modern counterpart, “Let’s settle this out back, man to man..” One thing the participants did understand was this: They knew what they wanted and they titled it appropriately, a factor the modern Church has desperately missed. When someone felt they were wronged on grounds other than morality they did not demand justice, they demanded satisfaction. They knew there was no real issue of justice in deciding who wronged who if the dispute did not involve a moral wrong, so they demanded satisfaction instead and attempted to kill one another the right to be right. Forgiveness would be a sign of weakness so they demanded satisfaction for proving their actions were right.

Fast forward to present day and look at the Church in America. We demand justice, right? Or do we demand satisfaction in the name of justice? I am not talking about legality, I am talking about justice for the social issues on the frontlines of humanity: human trafficking, abortion, and adoption are a few examples. Everyday people who claim to be Christians walk around shaking fingers at this issue and that, calling for justice to be done. They are the same people who look down on the homeless man sitting at the corner outside the liquor store and thank God they are not in his shoes. When they find they were overcharged $5 at the local supercenter justice is demanded. “Its not right!” They claim. ”We want justice! We were overcharged!” They say. Do they want justice, really? Or do they want satisfaction? Satisfaction would give them their 5 dollars back. Justice might take that amount plus some and give it back to the bum on the corner. Who cares if the man deserved it or not? By that reasoning do they still deserve grace? And this scenairo has endless situations that are played out every day.

Consider this: The business man and father of 3 living the American Dream. He watches the evening news in the comfort of his recliner and scowls at the headline story; A child molestor caught that morning with one of his abducted victims. Of course he disapproves of that man, in fact he might even vocalize his convictions at work the next day, claiming that justice should be done on behalf of the victim. And it should be. Yet if you were to look on web history of his laptop you would find frequent visits to pornographic sites. Sexual immorality is a sin, regardless if you act on it or maintain it merely as fantasy. Were he to genuinely desire justice it might bring down judgment upon himself unless he repented. Yet he understands this dilemma, and so he desires sasifaction in place of justice. He wants to see the other criminal punished because according to his own personal moral code he is innocent while the other is guilty. And he will continue to walk in a sin that is socially accecpted as normal behavior because is his mind he did no wrong.

Not to God.

God does not demand satisfaction, nor does he give it.  God demands justice and He has a place called hell to prove it. God judges by a standard which he provided to us in written form, his Holy Bible.  It clearly defines right and wrong and the consequences of sin as well as the rewards of obedience.

My question is this:  Why when I look at the Church today are there so few Christians laboring in prayer over these issues of social justice? We are more informed about them than ever with constant media coverage and social network feeds, yet we have so little action to show for it. We are commanded to pray for justice in the bible, so why such negligence? The Church has lost it voice on social issues in this modern age. We have taken the pragmatic approach to current dilemmas instead of a biblical one, and the result sounds like a repeat of last weeks headline news.

I think the answer lies in two parts. The first is that the majority of Christians in America don’t read their bibles anymore, plain and simple. In this age of podcast sermons and million different devotionals we have failed to make the bible the center of our discipline in Christ. If we don’t understand the heart of God as he revealed it to us in his word then how will we know where to stand on any given issue, let alone speak about it with conviction?

The other reason is this: deep down, in the secret places of their hearts, the Church knows that they have discounted themselves from standing in a place of conviction. Many have a cherished sin, a dark secret that they keep hidden, nurtured in the depths of their heart. They know that by crying out for justice they would ultimately be calling for judgment on themselves! So instead of repenting they hold on to their sin and meekly cheer for justice while desiring satisfaction.

Justice is not a something that deserves a halfhearted commitment.

We don’t want justice in satisfaction. We want Justice in Jesus.

God I ask you to raise up a spirit of conviction among your church, raise up a hunger to seek purity and a commitment to know your heart and the issues that are important to you.

I ask for a mighty voice, no I ask you for a roar to erupt from this land. One that champions the cause of justice and raises up the call of liberty for the oppressed, just as your Son did and commanded us to do as his disciples.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of you deeds from my sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.    -ISA 1:16,17

My life, In Pieces

Some things just stay with you. Things you had a child that still hold meaning regardless of aging, things that can never completely disappear from memory or possession. For me one such thing would be Legos. Those little mulit-colored plastic blocks scattered in piles across the floors of america that are synonymous with both creativity and taking up real estate in the middle of the living room. As a kid no toy held more possibilities that Legos. There were two categories of gifts I could receive: Legos, and everything else. A quick shake of the box would betray it’s contents without fail. Hours were spent along with my brother building every possible thing imaginable. As I grew older my interest in toys decreased as my awareness of things requiring fuel or ammunition increased. The big bucket of Legos I had sitting in my room never ended up in storage though. It remained there even through high school until I enlisted in the military and went off to boot camp. I still received a lego set for Christmas from my brother every year, once even in the middle of a tour overseas. Regardless of the season of life I was in Legos seemed to still have enough meaning to me to remain at least slightly greater than a memory. Getting married didn’t change the existence of those little blocks: My wife got me a Lego set as a gift on our first Christmas together. She too recognized they still had importance to me despite many other hobbies. Today I still grab a Lego set or two, long forgotten in the clearance section of a mega store. The other day though God was speaking something to me and I realized another reason why Legos are important to me even now as an adult. They remind me of my life. Not just those fun memories as a kid but right now, here, in the present. Why? Legos are made to be built up. They become a creation that is used in play or admired in design. Then they are broken down by their creator into their individual elements, ready once again to be remade into something new. This is how my life is. I see my Heavenly Father building me up for a task, strengthening me up to serve him best in the season he has placed me. Once that season is over, what becomes of me is broken down again into my individual elements. That is those specific characteristics that he has created in my spirit to make up who I am. Anything that has been added that is not of him is removed, anything that is stronger that is was before is moved to better support the rest of the aspects of my life he is working on. I will be built up again, used for a purpose, and then returned to my original characteristics. I find such Joy in knowing I can be used by my Father, knowing that I am his creation made new in Christ and used to glorify his name. It is this way that I see the hand of God over my life, in this way I know it is him building me up and humbling me. This is why I still like legos. This is my life, In pieces.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  -Rom 12:1-2