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What happens when God fights for you?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah. When Joshua heard that they had been found, he issued this command: “Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks, and place guards at the entrance to keep the kings inside.” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Joshua records a brief but brutal ending to a war between Israel and the Amorites. King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem had sent messengers to several other local kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon, inviting them to join him in defeating Gibeon, a large fortified city and new ally with Israel. Joshua writes, “So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon.” Adoni-zedek believed this to be a strategically easy victory.

For many of the battles Israel would face, their enemies began to realize they were going up against Israel’s God – Jehovah, the one true God, The men of Gibeon sent messengers to Joshua asking for Israel’s help. This massive battle is famous because of two miracles. One, God chased the Amorites off with a hailstorm – which killed more men than the battle itself. But this is also the famous story of the sun standing still for a day, because Joshua asked God for more time to finish off the enemy.

The Amorites were exceedingly wicked. God told Moses to completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Why? God told Moses, it will “prevent them from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the LORD your God.” Just do a search on the immoral things the Amorites practiced while worshiping fake gods. God’s warnings to the Amorites did not persuade them to repent. Eventually God’s judgement was to thoroughly remove them from the earth.

It was clear to the five kings in cahoots with each other that they were losing, so they fled to the hills and all five of them hid in a cave at Makkedah. As they were seen running from the battle, the Israelite men reported it to Joshua. After the Amorite armies had been defeated, Joshua returned to the cave and had the five kings brought out. He had the five kings laid out on the ground and told his own commanders to put their foot on each of the Amorite king’s necks. As they did this, Joshua told them to never be afraid, but instead be strong and courageous – a life tagline for him. Then Joshua killed each of the five kings by impaling them on sharpened poles, where they hung until evening. As the sun was going down, Joshua gave instructions for the bodies of the kings to be taken down from the poles and thrown into the cave where they had been hiding, Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭27‬. Five Amorite kings died a horrible death – befitting the horrible life and leadership over the people they were suppose to serve. Joshua was indeed a warrior leader over Israel and God honored him by giving him many battle wins over their enemies.

Prayer

​Dad,
Wow, wars were brutal then and still brutal today. We live with sin that is so ubiquitous, so invasive, that it rises to the level of mass murder of our enemies. War is hell! I find it interesting that there are times that you judge nations or groups of people yourself, directly punishing them with floods, famines or even storms. Yet, other times you used people, leaders, rulers or kings to make war against a people group, effectively judging them through annihilation. I would much rather have you fighting on my behalf than doing it on my own! Thank you for a future where there will be no more wars. I look forward to that day.

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Aren’t we all a little truth-anemic?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are you sitting or standing still right now?

Depending on where you live you are actually moving at an incredible number of miles per hour! 1,038 mph for those who live near the equator. I am spinning in Los Angeles at 860 mph right now! Why aren’t we all nauseously experiencing vertigo? I’m told it’s because wherever you are, everything around you is spinning at exactly the same speed. Like driving fast in a car, but it doesn’t feel like you are moving until you look outside or come to an abrupt stop!

The Apostle Paul tells us that the message of the cross, that the perfect son of God, was falsely charged and put to death. Jesus was completely innocent and was judged as guilty then executed. Even in our limited understanding of justice we know that is wrong! With Jesus, justice was not served. We relish shows and podcasts about such parodies. When it comes to Jesus – justice was not served, but mercy was.

We value innocence so highly that we believe it should be protected, even avenged. For Jesus, there was no such thing. Humans put Jesus on the cross, and God not only “allowed” it, He planned it! I can’t say that Jesus looked forward to being mocked, misrepresented, mutilated and murdered, but He did look forward to the results – true freedom for all creation. We normally hate it when bad guys get away with murder. That makes Good Friday a conundrum, a paradoxical reality. It’s was a sham, a travesty, and injustice at its best! But for those who know, those who believe in the message of the cross, it was the most significant act of love we will ever experience.

Why would the cross and its message of mercy be so foolish to anyone? Especially for those running towards the cliff of their own curiosity and cunningness? Well, it turns out we want something more than justice. We bristle at a mockery of innocence but we boil over something far more precious to us – SELF DETERMINATION! The cross is foolish because it cuts against the grain of our self inflated ego that pretends that we are our own god. And, that we control our own destiny! If we want to follow fake gods, so be it – it is our choice. If we want to make our own gods and worship them, pretending they hear us, heal us and save us – that’s our decision.

The cross is foolish because, if this capital punishment was used to murder God himself just to satisfy the Holy demands of perfection, then we would have to admit the truth.

We are not God!

We cannot fix ourselves, let alone save us from our own self-determined decisions. Or to close our mind and harden our heart to our creator. You can call on orbs or UAP’s all you want, but they cannot, will not, save or satisfy the ache in our soul. We would choose to die, facing eternity without certainty, rather than bend our knee before God upon our final breath. Yep, that’s us!

Hubris humanity all the way to the end.

The truth is, we are all hurling towards eternity at the amazing speed of life. There are plenty of people that do not think about their spiritual soul at all, and rarely, if ever, think about eternity. Believing in annihilation upon death is a little bit like believing that we are standing still on a gigantic ball that’s really spinning hundreds of miles an hour. We’re short on truth and full of ourselves with foolishness. But we that are being saved know and believe that the message of the cross is factually the power of God to save us not to destroy us.

Prayer

​Dad,
I really do NOT like playing the fool! Although I know I’ve dip my toes in the fool-pool way too many times. When it comes to the message of the cross, I not only get it – I am completely banking on it! I know that life is far more than this brief, puff of wispy smoke on planet earth. However, even from grief to great experiences, I am thankful for every minute I’ve spent here because it is so extraordinarily unique. Maybe we are the only fallen planet as C.S. Lewis suggests? I am grateful for every powerful moment that the cross of Christ afforded me to live as your adopted son. I am also thankful to call you Abba!

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The curse of truth.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful, I would still dread all the pain, for I know you will not find me innocent, O God. Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying? Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye, you would plunge me into a muddy ditch, and my own filthy clothing would hate me.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

WARNING: NEGATIVE RANT AHEAD

Truth is truth, and it is harsh to face. No wonder most want to wiggle out of it by creating their own versions, seemingly escaping the burden of realty.

Here in Job 9, Job is responding to a long conversation with his friend, Bildad. Bildad’s “advise” is simple. Job’s kids messed up, that’s why they’re dead! “Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved” Job‬ ‭8‬:‭4‬. Clean, cause and effect, right? Job explores this idea and comes to his own conclusion – maybe this whole human existence thing is rigged! “Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?” Job‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬.

Ah, there’s the real issue. Job’s reasoning is sound, none of us are innocent. All of us deserve judgement. The hardest truth we will ever face is this; even in my “good” moments, my honorable, self-sacrificing, pure motivation moments, I am still riddled with sin and guilt. Isn’t that wonderful news?

Yes, it seems contrarian to believe, but God’s justice, His ways, are always true and right – so we will NEVER obtain innocence on our own. Granted, we can do good things and even make right,
and wholesome decisions – but it does not, will not, make us righteous without sin. We can never escape the guilt that naturally follows.

In these moments, Job gives us the global dilemma of humans beings who want to be good. Why try? Why suffer? Why shower, if God will just plunge me back into the mud from which I was created? Why fight my disordered desires? Why fight the enemy of soul, whose end game is my obliteration? Is God against me? Is this existence a setup, and everyone is doomed? Job is spot on. This life, this existence is an experience of self-sabotage. How often do we take an honest inventory of our soul? We could stack good deeds on top of each other until it reached skyscraper heights and it would still fall short of perfection, of holiness. We live and breathe in a transactional world, but our sin can never be covered nor the debt erased by our actions. As a the old hymn says, “I owed a debt I could not pay.”

My point: Job knew enough about God AND enough about himself that he understood that he did not deserve what he had previously managed (his children) – one cannot own another’s soul. And in his loss, he also discovered it was never his to begin with. One of his friends, Zophar, asked great questions, “Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?” Job‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬. But Zophar is still off, he still believes Job should repent for his sins, just in case. Job asked God a really hard question. One we so desperately want the answer to; “Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Job‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬. BTW, God does not tell him, nor us.

The truth is we don’t know much about anything! Science is so arrogant to believe they have answers to all realms of existence, both physical and spiritual. And, except for our own decisions and behaviors, we DO NOT control anything. We certainly do not control others! We can’t make someone good. We can’t make someone live right. Even though we currently live in the redemption of Christ, who has paid the ultimate price for our sin, we will not see the final outcome of perfection or righteousness until the end of all things.

Prayer

​Dad,
Wow! I really like Job and I am so glad you included his story in Your living Word for us to learn and begin to understand the depths of our brokenness and the grandeur of Your grace. Thank for the gritty truth of both who we are and who You are.

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Prayers from experience.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem. May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings.” Psalms‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David, the most beloved king of Israel went through years of struggle and introspective self doubt on his path to succeeding Israel’s first king, Saul. Remember, David was anointed, by Samuel, to become the future king while he was still at teenager. It is helpful to watch House of David on Amazon Prime. Although it takes some liberties in telling the story, the series shows us the moments and captures the tension of believing God, but waiting for the fulfillment of a promise.

David becomes a pro at suffering. When David writes, “may the Lord answer your cry,” he’s writing from experience. David did cry. David had been in deep anguish. David had to live through the moments of doubt, while running, hiding and fearing the mad king Saul’s vengeful fury! David reminds us of a generational and logistical promise – from Jacob with his own struggles of faith to Jerusalem and the glory of God’s supernatural visitation on the place and people of God. David reminds us as a patriarch, a father and a friend – God will answer. God sees us, hears us and will help us! History reminds us, men and women of faith remind us and God’s own word reminds us – God is for us not against us. Call out to Him. Pray with all the intensity of emotion possible – God will show mercy and keep you.

Prayer

​Dad,
I remember both learning from the Psalms, and from David’s prayers, how to pray. I remember the raw emotions and being filled with doubt, anger or frustration. I remember feeling trapped or stuck, not knowing what to do. And in those moments, I found your presence! Oftentimes the answers were not immediate, but I could release my fears and lean into trusting that you were in control. As I look back, I share David’s confidence both in relief and in telling others how trustworthy you are. Thank you for your mercy to cover me and for those who cry out to you!

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Hidden in plain sight.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.” Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭30‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark tells us Jesus used stories, parables, object lessons and illustrations. And, Mark also tells us why Jesus taught this way – maybe it was the only way we might understand. We think we thrive on facts and stats, but history has proven a great story lasts for centuries! Facts get fuzzy, but stories are deeply woven into our nature, our very psyche. Whether we are training or teaching, a good anecdote drives the sticky point home.

Jesus used over 40 parables, a baker’s dozen of them were about the Kingdom of God. Each story shared another facet of truth about God’s economy.

5 agricultural examples.
4 concerning money.
2 involving feasts.
1 fishing story.
1 even about cooking!

Here in these verses, Jesus talks about a seed. The smallest of seeds. You know God is not intimidated by small! Small seeds, small beginnings, even small people (sorry Zacchaeus). Jesus uses the familiar mustard seed, common to Galilean farmers. The mustard seed may start out small, but when the soil conditions are optimal, it grows into a massive bush as large as a tree. Jesus used the Greek word, “lachanon,” which is a garden plant. We believed Jesus said, “tree,” but none of the translations even used that word.

The simple application, the hidden in plain sight truth –

Don’t dismiss or despise small things that the culture may deem useless or irrelevant.

God’s ways, His Word, may seem small to us, but when planted in good soil will prosper and be sustainable for ourselves and others. If that tiny little seed is not snatched by birds (distractions) or choked by weeds (other desires), or lands in rocks (hardened hearts) it will grow and produce 10,000+ seeds! What God does in our lives, as small as it may seem, will grow if we tend to our faith. What we do for others, small or even hidden, when nurtured and received with love will grow to produce thousands of reciprocal results! It’s a Kingdom principle, it’s how God’s economy works.

Prayer

​Dad,
This parable, this smallest to greatest object lesson is absolutely true. However, as a young man, it was difficult. It was hard because I lacked discipline and it took time and patience that was in short supply in my life. As I got older, I was like the kid that dug up the seed to try to find out why it wasn’t growing. Time was different as a teen! I had to learn to trust you and even harder, to obey you. Yes, when I look back I see the miracles of you changing me. But leaning into long periods of time with little seen results was tough. I had to, and still have to, trust and obey! Thank for being a mustard bush builder in lives like my own.

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The Fifth Trumpet.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months they had the power to torment people. Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Like a scene out of the series, Stranger Things, John sees a battle in the future. In the 70’s it was very popular to teach on the end times or the apocalypse. Films like A Thief in the Night and books like The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay were all the rage. The church air was thick with sermons about the rapture, the 2nd coming of Christ. It was so real that many people made poor decisions, thinking Christ’s return was imminent. Plans were rushed to get married. Education plans were scrapped, plans were made to stop putting money into retirement. There was no sense of a future beyond a few years because we were convinced the church would be snatched away and these verses in Revelation would become a reality.

My own pastor, future father-in-law would preach through the books of Daniel and Revelation bringing a sci-fi like reality to our existence. It was wild! It was explained to me that John, or even Daniel for that matter, were ancient men who had no words to describe futuristic visions of modern day wars with highly sophisticated war machines. I clearly remember my pastor saying, “how would you describe a helicopter in ancient times?” And sure enough, out of these verses, I could see how John might have been describing a Black Hawk or an Apache helicopter, with decals of lion’s teeth on the front. I tried to imagine what kind of creatures John saw but it just made sense that he was seeing military machinery!

That was 45 years ago and preachers are still trying to define what the word, “soon” means. Because Jesus said he’d be coming soon. “Soon” for the early church meant within their lifetime. “Soon” still describes it this way. Many have believed it would be within their lifetime! Fact: we don’t know when Jesus will come and when these trumpets will sound. There are those that believe these scenes have already happened and tried to explain it within our own historical framework. Wouldn’t we know it if some angel opened the pits of hell, the abyss, the underworld? Wouldn’t it be obvious if an angelic destroyer led these battle locusts in torturing humans for five months without allowing them to die? I do believe there will be a brutal end to this world as we know it. And, I do believe Jesus is returning because he said he would. But when? I have no idea. These things described in the book of Revelation will take place. Personally, I do not want to be around for those moments. Yet, unbelievably and unfortunately, even with all this hideous chaos taking place, human hearts will still resist God and refuse to believe. But, I still agree with what John writes in 22:20, “Come Lord Jesus.”

Prayer

​Dad,
We ache, we wait, we watch. We watch for the signs and the seasons as you have told us to. But the seasons and cycles of global and human disasters seem to be endless. Watching 45 years pass as I learned more about the end times, I prefer to use wisdom and continue to “occupy” like Luke wrote. I hope you find me occupying until you come. I don’t wish to escape these culturally crazy times, I wish to engage and be a witness to bring people to your grace and forgiveness. Help us, Oh Lord, as we occupy and do your will!

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God’s favorites.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied. And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are those in our society that are in need and should receive special attention and care. These folks existed in ancient days and they still struggle today. They are widows and orphans. Because God’s heart always leans to the least among us, he expects that we will do the same.

In the U.S. from 2022, there were approximately 11.48 million widowed women and 3.7 million widowed men in the United States, the average age is 59! The word “widow” is sited 80 times from the Old and New Testament. Today’s “orphan” would be our children lingering in foster care. In 2022, approximately 368,530 children were in foster care in the United States. Which is down from 400,000 just 10 years ago.

Here in Kings, with the story of the needy widow, Elisha responds to her desperation by walking her and her sons through a miracle rather than just giving her money. In fact, through this miracle, God allowed this widow to become an entrepreneur, with a sustainable income for her future. That’s a compounded interest miracle!

Kings tells us that this widow’s husband was a part of Elisha’s School of the Prophets, and the widow reminds him that her husband feared the Lord! Since Elisha figured out that this widow was willing to speak up and ask, he knew he could put this skillset, this gift to work! He first asks what she has. She responds with, “I’ve only got one flask of oil.” Olive oil, in ancient days was used for just about everything, far more than it is today. If you had a grove of olive trees, you had a sustainable income for life, because oil was a highly needed commodity.

Next, Elisha puts her to work ASKING. “Go and borrow as many empty jars as you can.” Big jars, little jars, used jars and new ones – who knows what her friends and neighbors let her “borrow” knowing they were helping her out.

Elisha then tells her, “go into your house with your sons.” My wife, Robin, points out the highlight of the miracle about to take place is the fact that her sons were able to experience God’s power and provision right alongside their mother. She begins to pour from her only oil jar. She fills up one jar, then another, and another. The tension rises when the mother discovers they are out of jars, “Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.” (4‬:‭6‬) All the jars were now filled!

She tells Elisha what happened, expecting that he would want to know or maybe even receive part of the miraculous oil himself. Elisha tells her to sell the oil to pay the debt and keep the rest to live on! She receives a miracle and an inheritance check from God!

Caring for widows or children of foster care doesn’t mean we just hand over a bunch of money. God could have made it rain coins from the sky if Elisha asked him to. Working with both widows and children formerly in foster care means helping them understand their own gifts and talents and teach them to become self sufficient is incredibly important. Both still need believers to pray and seek God for miracles on their behalf. But helping them see their worth and value after death, abandonment or abuse is critical for their mental and spiritual well being! It’s money leveraged to teach and get them moving in the right direction. Many of the widows that I have known were properly cared for through planning before their husband’s death. Serving both widows and children of foster care requires building trust – love must be earned before it’s honored! Being involved in their lives becomes a great way to redirect and inspire them to keep going, and discovering what God will do through their lives even after a difficult season of loss. It is a joy, privilege and honor to serve the folks that God considers most valuable because of loss. When we serve widows and children of foster care, we are blessing some of God’s favorites!

Prayer

​Dad,
I enjoy seeing what you love and learning to love it as well. And I know you love widows and orphans. You see their great needs and hear their cries for help. Thank you for enlisting us to share in the joy of praying for, blessing and caring for those you deeply love.

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Valuing our next-gen.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke closes out the temptation of Jesus in chapter 3, writing, “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came” (4‬:‭13‬). Satan later, visited again, returning in force through the chief priests and temple guards in the Gethsemane moments – “But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns” Luke 22:53.

Jesus returned to Galilee filled with Holy Spirit power! And word got out. But then he went home, his roots, where he was raised. There it was a completely different challenge. Jesus had risen to be recognized as a Rabbi, so he went to his local synagogue (https://bit.ly/nazarethsynagogue), and led the people in the reading from the scriptures. For Jesus, going home was critical, but risky. He wanted to let his family and friends know what was coming, but they could not get past the fact that he was a son of their own carpenter, Joseph. The neighbors could only remember Jesus as a youth. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”‭‬ ‭(4‬:‭22‬).

Mathew tells us that Jesus addressed this, Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matthew‬ 13‬:‭57‬-‭58‬). And in Mark “And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭6‬).

Interestingly enough, these same passages are quoted by young, next-gen leaders who perceive that Church folks that knew them as a child or as youth, are not capable of letting them grow up and mature into adults, very much gifted by God, to lead Jesus’ Church. They often have to leave to find “belief” in their abilities. Is it true that we can’t value or find honor in those that grow up among us? Does this not add a sense of “unbelief” when the church continues to treat its own up and coming adults as children? Do we not want them to stay and use their talents and gifts among us? Do we not think that God can use our own to teach us and lead us? The Apostle Paul had to tell young twenty-something Timothy not let anyone “despise or disregard” his youth (Timothy 4:12). Why? Because the church folk were seeing him as too young! Timothy ended up pastoring the church in Ephesus for 60 years! And becoming the Bishop over several churches in the region.

In my own life, just a couple of years after coming to faith at fifteen, I was already teaching Junior High and High School classes on Sundays and served as an interim youth pastor as well. I knew I was young and still had a lot to learn. My wife, Robin, ended up becoming the children’s pastor at 20 years old! At 22 years old, Robin and I accepted a ministry position in Bakersfield, CA. Except, Robin was the one hired to direct the preschool at the church, I just went along for the ride. I was the unpaid, unofficial youth pastor, and the official sprinkler-repairer and janitor for our small church. The former Pastor had an affair with the church secretary and had left. Our friend was asked to come in to pastor the small, now brokenhearted people. The previous pastor’s wife, now abandoned, still attended the church! We were only there for 18 months when we were offered a position at a larger church in the Los Angeles area.

All through our 20’s we were pastoring children (Robin) and youth (Glenn), it was called “Christian Education” back then. Robin and I both knew we were still young, even though we were parents of three children. We didn’t mind folks thinking of us as young. Even so, we were kept out of more serious conversations and decisions concerning our own church, because those were for the real adults, the elders. In my late 30’s I initiated and started an elder’s team, but some of the church folks felt I was too young to lead it because of course, the word “elder” to them, meant old! The Bible definition for elder has nothing to do with age. Maturity yes, age – no.

All through my late 30’s I wondered when I would get my chance at being a lead pastor, it wasn’t going to happen. I went on to become a Vice President of a nonprofit that focused on children of foster care. I was out of the leadership of a local church for 17 years. Then in my late 50’s I was elected to return to the church in Los Angeles as their lead pastor. I tell our church, I am their CSO, Chief Servant Officer. My heart’s desire is to both pastor those who are our super-seniors as well as our next-gen. My hope is to find, support and release our young leaders into the big decisions now, as well as for our future.

Prayer

​Dad,
Clearly your Church is filled with all ages, from infants to senior adults. For married couples, single parents, singles, and widows. And for every group, every generation, there is a need for called, gifted pastors to love and lead the gathering of believers. It is Your Church, whose Chief Shepherd is Jesus. Help us Oh God, to look for your guidance and wisdom and be obedient to Your will. All of us should be following the voice of the Holy Spirit! Amen.

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Does God hear me?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me. Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more.” Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, in writing many of the Psalms, never held back what he thinks, and how he feels about his life, his sin and his relationship with God. This Psalm gets super introspective, almost metaphysical, sounding much like the words of his son, Solomon, writing Ecclesiastes. Stuff like, ”We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it” (39‬:‭6‬).

David wrote this when he was younger, going through extremely difficult times while running for his life, even though God had promised that he would be the future king. In those early years he grew close to God while hiding in caves and living by faith alone. While he was processing thoughts about his own life, he gets pensive and moody.

Yet, in this Psalm, David concludes by begging God to listen and see his pain. This Psalm helps us as well. Does God hear us, does He see our pain, our tears? The answer is YES! God does hear and see us. As you read through the Psalms, it becomes clear that David discovered this many times over. Even though this Psalm was inserted towards the end of David’s life, the experiences happened at very low times early in his life. And, thankfully, God does not “leave him alone,” He continues to show up in David’s life just as God shows up in our life. I am thankful that God hears and listens to our cries. He sees us and is working on our behalf.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so thankful for David’s honest expressions and that you let us see those experiences in Psalms. The raw, authentic words David writes is helpful when I go through difficult times as well. I am grateful that you hear me and see me, drawing close when I am afraid and bringing peace and comfort when my mind whirls and my heart wavers.

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Promise Breakers

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant! For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’” Then I replied, “Amen, Lord! May it be so.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭11‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Growing up in an alcoholic, addicted home, my adopted father was consistent in two things: After every binge, he was always sorry and he promised to never do it again. He was sorry, but he was rarely able to keep his promises. Coming from a promise breaker’s home meant constant disappointment.

All the prophets brought warnings, pleadings and truth. The covenant: Blessed if kept, cursed if broke. And, the people would not, could not, keep their promises. The drive and cravings to wander away were just too strong – “they stubbornly followed their own evil desires” 11‬:‭8‬. Eve & Adam’s desires to override God’s command to not eat, are the key to understanding what drives us to sin. These desires appear to meet a basic need – we hunger for things. These desires look amazing, so obviously it will make us look amazing as well. And these desires make it feel like it will boost us above others.

Breaking the promise to keep the covenant would basically mean chasing after fake gods to fulfill these desires within us. The hunger to satisfy ourselves, to fit in with what others are into or give us the edge to rise above – to know more and be more. Whether it’s following a fake god or becoming your own god, both are a destiny of destruction.

God’s covenant is the path to the good life, the true life! God’s judgements on His own people is the discipline and correction to try to get folks to wake up, shake off the loser-loves that lead us away from God, and come home! God promised milk and honey, but His judgement was willing to feed them plagues and war to remind them of what they are giving up to go their own way. Interesting that God tells them, “I brought your kin out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt.” In other words, God brought them out of a hellish existence to give them the taste of heaven. Sadly, like dogs returning to our own vomit, we are continually being called back to our disordered desires.

Doing what is right, living right and keeping our promises to follow God is hard! Grace and mercy cover us because of the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus, makes it possible to live in forgiveness and God’s acceptance. Yet, living in the freedom of grace doesn’t mean we don’t experience consequences of our sin. Our desires to get our own way and step-out on our relationship with God, still have dangerous results. Our hearts can still be swayed or cooled, causing us to walk away from God’s presence. We are still capable of flirtatious affairs with fake gods, with voices that tell us we are our own god and control our own destiny! We still need help to be promise keepers with God.

Prayer

​Dad,
It took awhile to understand that ancient people worshipping and sacrificing to idols was much more than bowing to poles, statues and carvings. There are real beliefs attached to those human crafted creations. We still have idols, most are no longer hand-crafted, but they still cost something and are still worshipped. Maybe it’s an ideology, aliens or even technology, but it’s giving these things a place that only you deserve! We will worship something – even if that’s ourself. I owe you my life, you saved it, redeemed it and transformed it. You are God and I must resist any and all desires that draw me away from you. Thank you for Your grace!