What is this love?

I've been reading a children's Story Bible to my boys lately. And the way it describes God's feeling for his children is almost too good to be true. At the end of the juicy Garden scene or the "Snake Story" as my boys call it... we read of the reason for hope.

You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children - with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

If you've ever been dumped,
If you've ever been cut off,
If you've ever been given up on,
If you've ever been written off,
If you've ever been forgotten,
If you've ever been ignored,
If you've ever been shunned....

... just know that if you are a child of God... there is one whose love is pursuing you.

Keep Rowing....

This past Sunday... we went to our church away from home.. APEX. When we are in Dayton visiting Christine folks (on the left)... we love going to Apex. As you can see by my shorts, flip-flops and coffee-in-hand... I feel right at home.

But look who we ran into... the George's. One month ago Denny (on the far right) and I were both on staff at the same church in Columbus. And now... exactly one month later... we are both no longer on staff and both are looking for new employment. The crazy thing is... we did not plan to meet up at Apex yesterday... we just both independently ended up there. It was great to see familiar faces in a strange land! We are not meant to journey alone.

The message was from Nehemiah 5 and was on the heart of a leader. The pastor challenged us all to have a leaders heart. And there are two things that will challenge your heart.

You find out how good a leader you are by how you handle failure... but you find out how great a leader you are by how you handle success.

Nehemiah... had great success... but he did not let it get in the way of a sacrificial... merciful... worshipful... determined... heart.

At the end of the service I wept. I sensed the reality of the presence of God that challenged me to keep going... and encouraged me to not give up.

Keep Rowing!!

peaceful

VT is not forgotten

I regret not posting earlier on the tragedy down at Va Tech. For some the news has come and gone. For others the pain is still fresh. I was stunned and saddened and appalled at the darkness that could lie within a human soul. And I really had no idea what to say. Sometimes I just need to be silent.

But after some reflection I thought I'd post on how do we respond Christianly when such tragedy strikes? In a variety of ways I suppose. One is simply to be present with one another. It is not so much what we say or do for those who mourn, but to be in the presence of a loved one. I even remember hearing some of the students say they could not go home during the break... because they needed to be together.

This is the very thing that God offers to us... his presence. Even his name "I am" or "I will be" is not so much a quality as it is his dynamic presence. The creator is a dynamic presence in the lives of those whom believe and trust in him.

Another Christian response is that we sing. It may sound simple or silly or even condescending, yet it is profoundly true. In times of tragedy or deep pain we turn to our poets and musicians to remind us that things were good... that things are OK.. and that things will get better.

In light of this the Passion movement, led by Louie Giglio, which is the Christian voice to college students is offering a free EP in the month of May called Hope for the Hokies. You can download it here.

Can you prove God?

Well former childhood star Kirk Cameron and ministry partner Ray Comfort plan to give it the old college try... on national TV. Not that the Bible tries to prove God (it assumes Him). Not that Jesus tried to prove God (he showed Him). But ever since the scientific method changed the rules of "knowledge" we've played that game. I received the following details about this nationally televised debate in a newsblast. Maybe the Nightline episode can be a topic for the watercooler next Thursday. Happy viewing.
rk
>>News Blast<<
Actor KiCameron and best-selling author Ray Comfort will square off with two atheists in New York on Saturday, May 5. ABC originally planned to stream the 90-minute debate LIVE on their website, but decided to reschedule the broadcast to capture a larger audience. They will broadcast the entire debate on ABC.com on Wednesday, May 9 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The debate will be moderated by Martin Bashir, and on May 9 a shortened version of the debate will be aired on Nightline also on Wednesday 9th.

Comfort -- who claims he can prove the existence of God, scientifically, without mentioning faith or the Bible -- stated, "The network originally offered me only four minutes to present my case. After speaking with Kirk and conferring with the atheists, they settled on 13 minutes. I'm ecstatic. I can prove the existence of God in that amount of time.

"We are very grateful to ABC for taking this courageous step," Comfort continued. "As far as we know, nothing like this has ever been done before. ABC's website is already the 7th most visited news site, with 19 million visitors every month. But with more than 177 million people in the U.S. who call themselves Christians, we are sure that it will draw an even larger viewing audience. Is there actually evidence for God? That's the most important question any of us will ever consider."

Cameron added, "We are excited that the network has decided to do this, because we have something very relevant to present. Most people think that belief in God is simply a matter of blind faith, and that His existence can't be proven. We will not only prove that God exists, but as an ex-atheist I'll show that the issue keeping so many people from believing in God -- Darwinian evolution -- is completely unscientific. It's a fairy-tale for grownups.

A Prayer for Today

Today is a really important day for a friend of our family. He is having brain surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Jordan is a husband, a father of two and recently was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corp. Shortly after his commissioning it was discovered that he has a brain tumor and needs immediate surgery to remove the mass and biopsy. Today is the day. Jordan and his wife love the Lord and are steadfastly holding onto him during the process. Would you pray for them today.

I have often wondered how I should pray in these situations. I think it is important to pray scripture and so here is how I have prayed for Jordan and Tammy.

1. That they would give their anxieties to God. "...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)."

These situations are stressful and can be taxing physically, emotionally, relationally and socially. God invites us not to internalize or hold onto our fears but to dump them on him.

2. That God would give them peace. "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7)."

God's response when we turn our burdens over to him is to give us peace, comfort and a sense that he is in control.

3. That God would do good in this situation. "Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! (Psalm 125:4)

In Psalm 125 we see that God surrounds his people like the mountains that surround Jerusalem with protection. And we learn from Israel that is right to ask God for his goodness to spill over onto his people. I don't exactly know what that goodness looks like, but it should result in a joy in the Lord (see yesterday's post). I pray that Jordan will be able to live a healthy and long life with his family and to share for a long time of the goodness of God that he experienced today.

Lord, We believe in you. We trust you. We ask for you to let your goodness be seen today so that more might find their joy in you! Amen