Security a la John

As human beings, I think we all crave a certain measure of security. We want to hope:

• Our jobs are safe;
• We will live in a safe neighborhood;
• Our country is safe from internal and external enemies;
• We will live a long life or peace and safety
• Our retirement plan is secure.

Then 9-11-01 and the economic meltdown of 2008 come along, and shatter much of that. Security is replaced by worry. We worry about terrorism, crime, our politicians, our economy, you name it. In my current profession (and future one at HCJB Global), security is something vitally important as companies and ministries seek to protect their networks and vital data systems from dangers lurking in the wild. These dangers are real, yet true security remains illusory, and ultimately unattainable. Does that unnerve you at all?

Yet those of us who name the name of Christ as their savior should not see things this way spiritually. We do not live in a spiritual vacuum:

Psalm 46:1-1,10: God is our strong refuge; He is truly our helper in times of trouble. For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes, and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea... He says, “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!

My pastor reminded us recently that worry is never our friend. What a great, simple truth about which to remind ourselves! Worry is the antithesis of true faith and a tool of the enemy. It almost says, "No one knows the future; I'm in control of my own destiny." Nothing could be further from the truth.
1 Thess 5:24: The one who calls you is faithful, and he will continue to be faithful.

We have very real security in every respect as we consider a sovereign Lord utterly in control every minute aspect of His creation. He is faithful to daily sustain us, and is a perfect heavenly Father.

Lamentations 3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Remind you of a great hymn of the faith? What an awesome reminder as we approach the next day!

Solheim Dome

The kids golf. John, David, and Anina are currently participating in one of our gym group electives, which is golf. It meets weekly at Green Garden Golf Dome. Elizabeth has also participated in the past. I have been reviewing the pictures that I've been taking the last 7-8 weeks (one of my responsibilities in the co-operative gym group is the annual yearbook production). To see some of the photo album, click on the picture.

What I've noticed is that again and again, our golf pros go back to grip, swing, stance, and pre-shot routine, all before the shot is executed. These are the proper disciplines to execute a great shot. These are likened by many to the Christian walk. At the local Christian bookstore, I've seen books devoted to the golf theme, so I know I am not original.

However, one thought sticks out to me today: keep your eye on the ball. Many miss hits can be attributed to the fact that golfers may lift their head to see where the ball is going before it is hit. And keeping your eye on the ball is a basic must in any sport a ball is used.

Keep your eye on the ball. God is the one in which we must give our undivided attention. He must be our focus. We can't live as Jesus would have us live if we take our eyes off of Him. One of the most exciting things in my life has been to keep looking to Jesus, to see what's really happening, to see where I'm headed, and this realization has given me a solid reason for much hope. If we take our eyes off Jesus chances are we will miss hit, we will travel down a path inconsistent with God's plan for us.

But, I know I've had my share of miss hits. Sometimes, in my walk with Him, I come up short and it takes a couple of more shots to get where God wants me, sometimes I end up in the rough so I struggle to recover, sometimes I end up in a hazard and have to take a penalty for what I've done. But, regardless of the miss hit, the game isn't over.

John golfs, but when I am asked if I golf, I usually reply, "Yes I do - I mini-golf". That is supposed to be humorous. In actuality, with golf, I realize that I am not even in the game since I cannot make that drive needed to start the first hole. But in my walk with the Lord, I know I am in the game, trying to be properly prepared, keeping my eye on the ball.

 

Bearing One Another's Burdens

I've been thinking more about what I heard on Sunday. A thought has been on my mind; this isn't a quote, but basically the idea was that to live in harmony with other believers, we share in their lives--not superficially but in a deeper, possibly sacrificial way. In reading other verses and looking on the web, I came across something John MacArthur said. This is copied from a transcript of his sermon on John 15:12-16:

"Jesus said in verse 12, 'Love one another, as I loved you.' Now, you can't love to the point of redeeming the whole world, but you can love with a sacrificial kind of love that gives. God isn't expecting you to love with a dimension of love equal to Christ's. He is expecting your love to have a sacrificial nature like Christ did. His disciples are not merely to be devoted and helpful to each other. They are to love like Jesus loved, who gave of Himself. Don't look at your brother in Christ as someone who's only an acquaintance; rather see him like Jesus would--primarily in terms of his soul's eternal needs. That requires the kind of love that is involved in comforting, instructing, and bearing one another's burdens. Sometimes, we substitute a superficial relationship for one that is deep. We need to intimately care about the needs of another."

HCJB Global reaching the unreached

This is such exciting news. Got this link from a friend at church and while we knew about these numbers, internally, it is nice to hear about it--at least on the web. Please continue to pray with us!
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Missions/Default.aspx?id=419814

Faithfulness to a thousand generations

I was pondering Deuteronomy 7:9, having added it to our blog. I was grateful for the faith of my parents, who stubbornly resisted God until they were both quite elderly. The fruit in their lives was evident (although with the timing, I thought it was cutting it a bit close).

Then, I turned my thoughts to some young adults that I know, who are energetic, but humbly serving the Lord. I am encouraged by their energy, their humility, their desire to serve the one true God. When I thought of very young people that I know--in our church, in our family, children of friends--I am grateful for the ways they encourage others, for their naturally peaceful ways of accepting things they are taught, for their new faith, for their naturally loving ways.

I praise God for the generations He has brought in our lives.

Amazing Acrobats

John and I were given nice tickets from our eldest daughter to attend a showing of the National Acrobats of China. They had come to Edman Chapel, at our alma mater, where Elizabeth is now pursuing her undergrad degree. John had never really seen the Chinese acrobats before. I was truly surprised he had not. I remember seeing them on television as a child and was amazed. He saw them for the first time and then was also amazed.

We were wowed by their skill, their athleticism, and, yes, even their showmanship. We were drawn into the drama of each act and enjoyed how each was choreographed! Feats defying the imagination were performed and seemingly no one was even hurt! We came home discussing what we had seen and then I wondered if any had ever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who had God brought in their lives - to cross their paths and to proclaim the good news? Had any hands come to minister to any of them? Had they heard the voice of Jesus through radio or through a neighbor or friend? Then, I prayed for them and the nation of China. My thoughts turned to God and I prayed that our support would be raised soon.