Monday morning meanderings. Vol.25

South Jordan, Utah

I am sitting in Traci and Brandon’s living room with four little boys and their parents, with the TV on, kids screaming, people eating fresh cinnamon twists and Brad checking his blood sugar.  Sloan is not feeling well and the other three are playing with the dog.  Who knows how this Monday morning meanderings will turn out.

Item one.  Today is the 13th anniversary of our son Paul’s death.  Life for us has changed so much since that New Years Eve Day 13 years ago; we no longer live in the area, we have two new “children” and 4 grandsons and we are spending the day in Utah.  In fact almost nothing is the same, 13 years later, except we are all together, as we always are on this day.  This day is really no different than any other day, Paul is missed every day, but there is something about this day that brings a greater sense of loss and remembering than any other day.  I try to think of Paul as a 29 year old man, with a wife and children but I still end up with pictures in my head of a 16 year old boy with a twinkle in his eye and a “happy go lucky attitude.”

Item two. This is the time of year for lists so here are 3 from Sports Illustrated.  HERE

Item three. I recently read an excerpt from a book by Carol Kent called A New Kind of Normal (Thomas Nelson, 2007).  She includes eight choices we can think about as we ponder what 2008 might be.

When despair tries to take me under … I choose life

When I wonder what God could possibly be thinking … I choose trust

When I desperately want relief from unrelenting reality … I choose perseverance

When I feel oppressed by my disappointment and sorrow … I choose gratitude

When I want to keep my feelings to myself … I choose vulnerability

When nothing goes according to my plan … I choose relinquishment

When I want to point the finger … I choose forgiveness

When I want to give up … I choose purposeful action.

Item four. I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness as 2007 comes to an end.  For two years now, I have been trying to put some things behind me and as this year comes to an end I have been having some good success.  There is something about New Years Eve that seems a natural time to put things behind you, to move on.  In some ways it’s easier to say, harder to do.  Over a couple of years time, so much baggage gets accumulated. too many memories, too many episodes.

I guess that is why forgiveness is the hardest part of life.

I am hopeful that in 2008 we can all learn more about forgiveness. I am hoping I can. I hope some people can finally let me go, you know who you are. I hope a few can forgive me for things I’ve done, and for things they think I’ve done. I hope I can move on in life.

Welcome to 2008. There are bridges to build. A few to mend, and even a few to burn. I hope this year I will also come to peace with where I am in life, and finally begin again to dream about what the future might be. I am thankful I have a future. I forgive you. Please forgive me.

There has been a lot of forgiveness in 2007, and it feels good.  Who might you need to forgive?

Happy New Year! 

Boxing Day, eh?

South Jordan, Utah

When I was in Junior High, we lived in northern Alberta, Canada.  This time of year it was about 20 below, snow and about 6 hours of daylight or less.  Being here in Utah where it is cold and snowing has reminded me of those days.  Dry snow crunching under foot and more coming down all the time.  Going outside with Jake the dog is not as fun here as in Arizona!

Today, the day after Christmas is Boxing Day in Canada and most of other areas of the world settled by the British, with the exception being the USA.  The name comes from the 19th century custom of giving boxes of food or money to servants or service people on the day after Christmas. 

These days it is pretty much like it is here in this country, where everyone descends on the stores to return or exchange gifts and spend Christmas money.  There are two days I refuse to go to the store-the day after Thanksgiving and Boxing Day.   There is nothing I need bad enough to endure the crowds on those days.  I do need to go to Home Depot or Lowes and the bank today.  Maybe the crowds there will not be so big.

The Seattle Times has an excellent suggestion today, for we who don’t celebrate Boxing Day.  They are suggesting that we take a box of something by an area food bank.  This time of year these community services really get emptied out.  Almost every community has one so why start a tradition and drop a box of something by your community food bank?

I was planning on putting these Christmas Prayers on the site yesterday but the post went a different direction so here they are now.  I think it would be ok to pray them on Boxing Day.

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Happy Boxing Day, eh?

Gifts.

South Jordan, Utah

It snowed quite a bit during the night but we had no trouble making it to Traci and Brandon’s house for breakfast and the first of two Christmas gift openings we will have this year.  Brad and his family will not be here until Thursday so we will have another gift opening then.

Watching our three grandsons open gifts was fun.  Eyob our newest grandson, direct from Ethiopia, had his first Christmas ever and that first Christmas was in America and with his brand new family.  While it has not been easy, he doesn’t sleep well at night, he has had ear infections, intestinal parasites and other struggles, he is a wonderful little boy and such a great gift to our family.  He was too young to appreciate what was going on but one day he will know.

The other two boys, Sloan and Sean eagerly went after the gifts, got over stimulated by the whole thing and had a hard time appreciating how special each gift was.  Too much, too fast but as the week goes on and they can explore each new treasure they will enjoy it more and more. 

Christmas is a time for gifts.  Sure we spend too much, give more gifts than we need to and probably miss a lot of what gift giving is. But over time as the children grow they begin to understand more and gift giving becomes a treat rather than an expectation.

As I think about the Gift that initiates all this gift giving our reception of the Gift and our understanding of the importance of it is not all that different from the little boys this morning.  When I first heard that God loved the world so much He gave His Son as a Gift, I did not appreciate it like I do today.  As a young boy I knew enough to accept the free gift,  but I didn’t know the implications of my acceptance of it.  Over time, as I have explored the gift’s value, understood what it means to receive it, I enjoy it more and esteem it more.

Sloan and Sean got a couple of gifts this morning that might be better in a couple of years when they can appreciate what the toy can do.  They could receive it, accept it, but they really can’t enjoy it.  My relationship with the greatest of all Gifts, a Savior is much deeper and much more intimate today because I understand the cost, realize more of what my life would be without it and more than anything, I am old enough now to see with perspective just how extraordinary this Gift is.

Christmas gifts serve an eternal purpose.  They teach us year by year the importance of and appreciation for what our parents and others do to give us these wonderful things, but more importantly they reflect the greatest Gift the world has ever known.

Of course, most of us spend to much, go way past any reasonable point of what is needed at the Christmas gift giving time, but the truth is our Father spent too much, went way past any reasonable point to give us the Gift of life and the privilege of enjoying that Gift for all of eternity.  I am not suggesting that we continue to over spend at Christmas but I am suggesting that the illustration not be wasted. 

As we open the extravagant array of gifts under our tree this year let it remind us that our Father is the most extravagant Gift giver there has ever been and He gives that way every day of the year.  Accept the Gift and pass it on to every one you meet. This Gift never gets old, never loses it’s value and it is the only gift I know of that has eternal implications.

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh” (Matthew 2:10-11)

As you enjoy your new treasures today and in the days to come remember the most extraordinary Gift they point too.  Merry Christmas to you all and may you know the blessing of the Father during this very special season.

Star.

Provo, Utah

We spent several hours yesterday visiting the Grand Canyon.  Neither one of us had ever been there before, though we had each seen the Canyon from an airplane flying from Phoenix to Seattle.  It is an awe-inspiring sight, more than worth the extra 150 miles we had to drive.  We bought a new camera, for our Christmas gift to each other, so we had a lot of fun experimenting with our new little camera.  Maybe some pictures later in the week.

As we were driving out of the park, across the Hopi reservation, under the light of a totally full moon, we noticed something we had never seen before. Directly under the moon was a very bright star that was the only visible star in the sky.  Big full moon with a little star right under it-get the picture?  Has anyone ever seen this before?  Certainly you astronomer types will know what it was.  We watched it as we drove along, for at least a couple of hours, before other stars popped out and filled the sky.  (for an explanation of this phenomenon, see Sumijoti’s comments on the side bar.)

The first thing I thought of when I saw this star was the star that is part of the Christmas story as we know it today.  Of course, the so called Bethlehem star probably was not in view until some time after the birth of Jesus, but it’s appearing and the events that flowed from that star have fascinated both believer and non-believer for centuries.  (if you have time, this website has more on that star than you would ever want to know.  Find it here.

So what is the point of the star?

First, if this star reflects what is written Numbers 24:17-19, then it is a star of justice and has far reaching implications for all the non-Jewish people of our world for it speaks of salvation for all, Jew and Gentile alike and was not just for the Magi, who were first drawn to the Savior, by the star.

I see him, but not in the present time.
I perceive him, but far in the distant future.
A star will rise from Jacob;
a scepter will emerge from Israel.
It will crush the foreheads of Moab’s people,
cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

Edom will be taken over,
and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered,
while Israel continues on in triumph.

A ruler will rise in Jacob
who will destroy the survivors of Ir. (Numbers 24:17-19)

If this text is the prophetic word that lies behind this ”Christmas star” appearance, then it must be seen as an astronomical prediction of doom for those who are enemies of God. The baby born King of the Jews will reign over the whole earth and His rule brings with it judgement.

Second, this star is a “guiding” star, a star that leads the Magi from the East to Bethlehem, city of David, to Jesus the promised Messiah and Savior of His people and the Gentiles. Though it’s message may be one of judgement for some, the star is also a message of hope.  Whenever we have opportunity to talk about this star we should use it as an opening to speak about the hope that is in Jesus as Savior and Messiah.

The Christmas Story, as seen through this star, is more than just a way to get the Magi from the far east to the mid east.  This star is a prediction that one day all injustice will end and it is an invitation to all to follow Jesus as King.

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light.

Not sure what that star was we saw last night in the Arizona desert, but it did lead me to worship the same King the Bethlehem star led the Magi to worship, the same star that is an invitation to all of us to come and worship, worship Christ the Newborn King.

Merry Christmas to all of you from Linda and me.

Our child-of-God selves…

Fountain Hills, Arizona

After so many winters in the Northwest, it is hard here in the Valley of the Sun, to get our minds around the reality that it is December 22, the first day of winter.  How blessed we are to enjoy so much sunshine these last several months in Oklahoma and now Arizona.  Tomorrow morning we leave for Utah where it is cold, but the sun is still shining. 

Do any of you read the Scriptures from the Message?  This morning I read these words from John 1:11-13:  He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him.  But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves… (John 1: 11- 13)

Part of the Christmas story, the story of the coming of the Savior, has to be the recovery of who we really are, who we were created to be.  The Message says it so well: He made us to be (our) true selves, (our) child-of-God selves.  So many of us spend our entire lives trying to figure out who we are and what our destiny is and Jesus came with this simple Word; we find our child-of-God-selves by believing His claims about Himself and doing what He did.

The enjoyment and fulfillment of life and the opportunity to walk into our God appointed destiny is not found in more education, success, money, relationships, accruing more stuff or any other cultural definition of fulfillment.  Destiny comes from knowing who we are as children of a Father who loved us before we were ever conceived.

Destiny is in all of us, placed their by our Father.  Discovery of that destiny is found in becoming our child-of-God selves and by walking out what it means to believe the Gospel-the Good News.

These words from Isaiah 61, a prophetic Word about Jesus, give us a clue as to what our destiny is: The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace… (vv..1-2 The Message)

The world we live in is full of human beings scarred and broken by abuse, neglect, fear, brokenness, hatred, loneliness, sickness, anxiety, loss, insanity, addiction and other maladies of the mind, body and soul. 

Even those who outwardly exhibit no symptoms are often unaware of their destiny and so muddle along hoping that around the corner there will come meaning and purpose to their life.  As I heard said a few months ago-”Ain’t nothing wrong, but something ain’t right”.

The message of the Christmas season is through reasoned agreement (belief) with who Jesus was, what He did and what He said, we can become our child-of-God selves, find our destiny. 

This surely is the good news of the gospel and the wonder of the message we celebrate at this season. The Father’s children are not all perfect children who have been brought up in perfect homes, with perfect lives. We are more like foster children who have been abused and abandoned by our own families and cultures.  Failures, misfits and wannabe’s, broken, lonely, sick and lost.

We are all scarred and disfigured in some way by our upbringing or by our interactions with the world around us, yet our Father reaches out in deep compassion and love to draw us into an environment in which we can become our child-of-God selves and enter into the joy of Abba’s wonderful kingdom.

Whatever else you may think this season is about, it has to be about destiny, otherwise the Good News is only for some time in the future.  Destiny is not future it is now and it is found in the discovery of our true selves, our child-of-God selves. 

Neighbors.

Fountain Hills, Arizona

I am writing this Christmas Sunday post, Saturday night, late.  We are leaving early in the morning, driving north to Utah, to be with our children and grandchildren, for Christmas.  We hope to spend some time at the Grand Canyon tomorrow and perhaps see some of the other sights along the way.  We could drive it in one long day but we are taking at least two.  The weather is always interesting this time of the year so we want to have time for the unforseen. 

I find myself getting into the Gospel of John in fresh ways, this Christmas season, as I read it in the paraphrased Scriptures called the Message.  Here is John 1:14:  The Word (Jesus) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.  I like that moved into the neighborhood phrase a lot.  I have been sitting here thinking about what it would be like for Jesus to move into this RV park where we have our 5th wheel parked.  What space would He be in?  What kind of RV would He be living in?  Would I even recognize Him?  Most of the people here are older then me, would He be too?

I was wondering if I knew He had moved into the park somewhere, but I didn’t know where, would I treat everyone better just to be sure I was nice to Him?  As I write this there is a motor home parking behind us somewhere and I am thinking I should go out and help him get hooked up, since it is dark and cold and late.  Besides what if it was Jesus, moving in?

Truth is, God is present in every person we come in contact with, whether they believe like us, look like us or act like us.  The early church believers felt privileged to live in a world where they were the minority because they believed that it was through interactions with those outside the faith that they learned more about the Father.

I am thinking Jesus may already have moved in to our neighborhoods.  Maybe we will find Him in the lonely senior adult who has no family this Christmas.  Is He here in the frazzled single parent trying to balance child care, work, and the unending chore of keeping a home while making Christmas special for their children?  Could He be present in the homeless person who sits with his cardboard sign hoping we will look at him when we are at his intersection?  I suspect He is with us in the angry teen age boy with his pants around his knees and his skateboard under his arm. 

If Jesus is with us at all during this season, that was intended to celebrate His birth, then I am thinking we will find Him in the “least of these…,”  long before we find Him in the pageantry of our church services this Christmas Sunday.

There are only a couple of days until many of us will be sitting with our family and/or friends opening gifts, singing carols and eating festive food.  Can we spare a little time to look and listen for the presence of the Savior in our neighborhoods and respond in ways that welcome Him?

Think I will go see who it is that has moved into my little RV neighborhood.  Maybe he could use a little help-you never know.

Fortunate Son.

Fountain Hills, Arizona

This morning we have thunder, lightning and rain in the Valley of the Sun.  But as I write this the sun is beginning to shine and I suspect soon we will be enjoying sunshine again.  We are blessed.

The advent season is all about the birth of a son.  Of course this son is no ordinary male baby and the Father of this Son goes to great lengths to make sure we all understand who this Son really is. 

Remember what the angel said to Mary:  “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33).

The Scriptures repeatedly refer to this Baby as a Son but use various descriptors to define not only His character but His destiny. 

For example, this Baby is the Son of… Abraham, David, God, the Most High, Mary, Joseph, the righteous ones, through Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, He is the Son of the Priestly leaders, the Son of an exiled generation, among others.  All of these names are historical figures, promises and experiences that flow from the Father into Mary and Joseph and into the nation Israel and finally into all who believe that “God loved the world so much He sent His One and Only Son…”  Here in this Advent word-Son, is the embodiment and fulfillment of everything the Father has promised to His “every tribe, every nation,” Family.

At Traci and Brandon’s house there is a new son whose name is taken from the OT figure-Job (Traci has a new post on her blog with some new pics of the boys. Find them here)  Eyob is not a natural son as their other two sons, Sloan and Sean are, instead Eyob Mark is a supernatural son.  He is a son in a similar way that Jesus is a son of his earthly father, Joseph.  Eyob and Jesus are both adopted sons, adopted through different, but supernatural means. 

Joseph went on to have other sons in the natural way and I would be certain that he loved them all.  But this son Yeshua, this adopted son is the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” and in doing so invites us to become His brothers and “co-heirs” of His birthright.  We too are sons (and daughters) of the Most High.

Eyob is no “ordinary” son (there really are no “ordinary” sons) and Yeshua-Jesus is no ordinary son but they are both sons, sons of a loving Father and sons with privilege and honor.  The difference?  The angel told Joseph “She will give birth to a son and you will give him the name Yeshua (YHWH saves) because He will save His people from their sins.”

But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.  God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children (sons).  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child (son).  And since you are His child (son), everything He has belongs to you.  (Galatians 4:4,7)

John Fogerty wrote a song, popular in the late ’60′s, with these lyrics: It ain’t me, it ain’t me. I ain’t no fortunate son. (full lyrics here) 

Because of the Son whose birthday we celebrate in 5 days–I am a fortunate son.

Keys

Fountain Hills, Arizona

The day assigned to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lamb that takes away the sins of the whole world, the Good Shepherd, and the most extraordinary title-God Incarnate, is just a few days away. So I thought it would be fun to write some things for a few days that have a Christmas twist. Last year at this time I wasn’t blogging so this will be my first time to write Christmas focused posts.

Almost 30 years ago now, we were living in the Seattle area, where I was working in the real estate business.  I had dropped out of graduate school to start this business along with a seminary friend, hoping to make enough money so that we could go to school without having to work.  After several months Linda and I knew we were supposed to be back in school and so we left Washington to return to Portland where the seminary was located.  The business owned our house and our car and of course the office where we worked and what I remember most about that time was when I got in the U-Haul to drive to Portland, I had no keys.  0.  No house key, no car key, no office key. Never before, or since have I had a key ring with no keys.  It was a symbol for me of where we were in life.

About two years ago, right about now, I was sitting in a meeting with some men who used to be my biggest supporters and friends who were now sitting in judgement of me.  It was not a fun meeting and the outcome of it was to set the course for a whole lot of really tough days which are just now beginning to fade.  During the meeting the chairman looked over at me and said totally out of the blue and out of the context of the discussion; “before you leave we need to get your keys”.  For whatever reason, out of all the things that went on in that gathering, what I remember is him asking me to turn in my key.  I had that key for more than 16 years and to me it was a symbol of the authority, privilege, responsibility, value, importance, I placed on what I had done since I completed my graduate school education.  That key was a big deal and when it was gone it was as if all of life was gone.

There is an advent point to all of this and it is found in Isaiah 22:22. I will give him the key to the house of David-the highest position in the royal court.  He will open doors, and no one will be able to shut them; he will close doors and no one will be able to open them.

Keys represent authority.  The one who has the keys has authority.  The story in Isaiah 22 is about a man named Shebna who was King Hezekiah’s chief-of-staff.  He held the keys to the palace.  He misused his authority by having his tomb carved where kings were buried and made himself rich at his master’s expense.  The servant wanted to be king, and so he was stripped of his office, and Eliakim was called to replace him.  Shebna had to turn in his keys.  It’s a strong warning to any who hold authority, to not use it for personal profit.

God used this little bit of palace power politics to prophesy something greater:  “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”  Those same words are applied to Jesus in the book of Revelation chapter 3 verse 7.  Jesus is the one “who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, who shuts and no one opens.”

Sin locks prison doors on us.  It makes our lives into a prison of fear.  Because of sin we are locked up into ourselves, locked away from others.  We are in bondage to sin and we cannot free ourselves.  No matter how much we struggle against the chains and rattle the bars, we are unable to break out of the prison that sin has put us in.

But when Jesus came as a baby it was to enter our prison cell, set us free and then take our place on death row.  Even as a little baby He was on death row.  His mission on this earth was to take the death sentence that was rightly ours.  In His death He stormed the gates of death and hell and gave us life.  He put His key into the lock of our prison cell and freed us from the Law of sin and death, broke the chains of bondage and fear and set us free to live as free children with no more fear or bondage.

Jesus is the key of David that is prophesied in Isaiah 22.  He is the One who opens and closes what no one else can and then what is beyond wonder He gives to us, His Family, keys to bind and loose others in His name.  The key of David, the key of authority is now in the hands of those of us who are His children and we have the honor of turning the key that frees others from their sin.  The authority to bind and loose (Matthew 16) is not done on our own authority but the authority comes because the One giving the keys to the Kingdom has and is the Key of David-Jesus.

The advent season is a season of promise.  A promise that in the name of Jesus, the Key of David, the natural keys to a false kingdom are replaced with keys to a Kingdom with all authority in heaven and on earth.  The keys to the natural world are important but they are nothing in comparison to the keys to the Kingdom that King Jesus came to give us.

There are days I still miss that key I lost two years ago, but the Keys I hold in my hand today are much more than a sufficient replacement. 

Monday morning meanderings. Vol.24

Fountain Hills, Arizona

Spent the last two days driving from Sayre to Arizona so I am a day late on the Monday morning meanderings, again. 

Item one. We left Sayre after church and drove a little west of Albuquerque and spent the night in a casino parking lot. It was really cold but the heater got the trailer up to sleeping temperature fairly quickly and we had a good night of sleep.  We made good time pulling the big 5th wheel and arrived in this little city east of Phoenix and north of Mesa.  We will be here just a few days and then will leave the trailer here and travel to Utah for Christmas.  All 10 of us will be in Traci and Brandon’s house and it will be great fun to see all four of the little boys together for the first time.  Throw in Jake the dog and it could really be a rodeo!  Traci and Brandon just had their basement finished so there will be plenty of room.  As Brad says, “good times”.

Item two.  We had a simple “graduation” service on Sunday at Trinity celebrating the accomplishments of our Convergence students.  We had some nice completion certificates printed up for each class finished and handed them out during the services.  We were really proud of the 23 students who finished at least one class.  Most of them finished all four.  For some it was a huge accomplishment because, in at least a couple of cases they had not read a book or finished high school.  These are not just students, they work full time jobs and are husbands, wives, moms, dads, grandparents and all are actively involved in ministry.  We have 8 classes scheduled for the winter months.  No one knew what to expect related to participation in the school but it has clearly exceeded any expectations I brought to it.  We are working on plans to have a 3 month residential school this fall.  Please pray with us as you are reminded.

Item three. As I have mentioned before Trinity Fellowship is not just a church in Sayre, Oklahoma but an association of ministries and churches in several states.  There are two young couples out here in Arizona who have a relationship with Pastor Andy and some of the other folks at Trinity who are leading fledgling groups in the mountains northeast of Phoenix.  Little places like Tonto Basin and Young and Payson a little bigger city but all without any Kingdom work, that we know of.  Linda and I were sent here by Trinity to spend time with these couples to listen, teach, learn, encourage and strategize ways to do Kingdom ministry.  Whatever else we do while we are here we are excited to have an opportunity to invest what we have been given into and with these young couples.  Yes we are here to enjoy the sun and the warmth of the desert but I can’t think of anything better we could do with some of our time than to pour into these young men and women and to learn from them.  When I think of the relationships the Father has given us over these last two years I am humbled by His capacity to not only forgive and restore but to bless us with these great opportunities to build into these young leaders in Western Oklahoma and Arizona.  Who, but the sovereign Father, could write this script?

Item four.  For an update on our newest grandson Eyob Mark and his assimilation into Traci and Brandon’s family please go to her blog here for the latest.  I am so proud of our children.  Reality seldom meets our expectations and Traci has been dreaming and planning for bringing home an adopted baby since she was a little girl and with all those years of expectations, reality was a hard pill to swallow but swallow she has and the Father is blessing their choice to press on through some really hard days.  What blesses me is to know that this young couple is part of a large and growing larger group of younger people who are choosing to do hard things for Kingdom reasons and resisting the choice to live just for themselves.

Item five.  Here is a feel good story from Sports Illustrated about injured football player Kevin Everett.  See it here.

Item six. For those of you who hope your church never changes and want to keep doing church the way you like it, whether or not the coming generation likes it, you need to read this brief posting from a pastor who gets what church really has to be about.  Most of the links I put in this blog are never followed, but if you did you might learn some things and maybe even hear the Father’s heart from a place you never would have found by yourself.  So, if you are now feeling sufficiently guilty, follow this link, it is right here.

Item seven. If I were a betting man I would put my money on a Huckabee/Obama presidential race this fall.  I am moving more to Huck for my choice but am still listening and reading.  Ran across this fair piece on Mr. Obama that seems worth a read.  Find it here.

Well we are off to find a post office and mail some Christmas blessings and check out the valley of the Sun.  Have a wonderful week and hopefully I will be posting a little more this week, so drop by.

Senseless.

Senseless death makes no sense to me.  The senseless death of the young even less. 

For 13 years now I have been pulled into every sudden death of a child or young adult I hear about, because it will be 13 years ago this New Years Eve day that our 16 year old son, Paul Scott died while out having fun with his brother Brad.  It still doesn’t make any sense to me.  A young, healthy teenage boy leaves to enjoy the sunshine and never comes home.

So when I heard the news last Sunday of the deaths of two Youth With A Mission staff from YWAM-Denver and the death of two young sisters at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, all I could do was cry for the senselessness of it all.  The death of the one who caused this senseless loss of life is still a senseless loss of life.

Five sets of parents, siblings, other family members, friends and countless others like us, left to wonder how something like this could happen.  Please don’t tell me it was “God’s will” or “their time to go” or that “God needed them more”.  God is our Father, our Papa and no Father would choose this kind of suffering for His children.

No, this tragedy and the multiple other senseless deaths every day must be laid at the feet of the enemy, who Jesus says comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  No doubt he accomplished his unrelenting goal in Colorado this last weekend.

8 months ago our family friends Bill and Leslee lost their son Willie. Just last Monday, the day after the deaths in Colorado, they would have been celebrating Willie’s birthday.  His senseless death haunts his siblings and his parents in ways they can’t even say.  They know what these Colorado families are experiencing and though they are some months into the grieving process, I am certain it makes no more sense today then it did last April 14th.

Willie’s death occurred during the time of the Virginia Tech shootings that senselessly claimed the lives of 33 young men and women.  Because I didn’t know what else to do at the time I wrote a piece for this blog which tried to speak to this senseless loss of life.  Perhaps it would speak to some of you today.  If you want to read it you can find it here.

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live again.  They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish.  Do you believe this Martha?  (John 10:25)

Yes Jesus, I believe it, but it is still senseless to me.