Health Care? Who Cares? Should we Care?

I must confess that at times I get caught up in the health care dislike that is pervading the nation. It goes against all of the political ideologies that I hold dear. That being said, this comprises about 10% of my makeup. Government, according to the Bible, is put in place by God. This may be a hard pill for some to swallow, but let's put some historical perspective to this. In the early days of Christianity, the church was most certainly opposed to the political system under which they lived. This system's corruption was evidenced by Christians being used as torches in the emporers' gardens and used as fodder for mass entertainment that puts our Hollywood to shame as far as its perversity and bloodlust. I cannot be certain that all of the early church was not abuzz with the latest election results, or the latest legislation that was not aligned with their politics, but It is safe to assume that they were far more concerned with showing Christ through their lifestyles. The early church handled these persecutions and setbacks through love for their neighbours. When they rescued babies from trash piles where they had been discarded, or when they offered solace to the slave who had endured a lashing in deference to his master, they were living, not talking. Let us not assume that our time is any more evil than any other, let us know that we are as lost as any and every generation that has ever existed, and need Christ the same as any other people who have walked the earth. When you are without life, you cannot be any more dead than any other. Things may seem sad and desperate politically at this time, but, without Christ, things are deadly and desperate for all times.

Poe-esque poetry "trapped"

I then through love's parlour stumble
Grasp at keys, now clanging-fumble,
Drop them on the dusty floor.
Hands now through the dust are sifting,
Broken remnants, gathered lifting,
None a key will fit that door.
Cobwebs clinging like a tether,
Rusty handles aged by weather,
Sealed so tight as sealed for ever..

A coffin now, this room I'm in
Through keyholes peer, remembering when,
Doors seem opened,
slammed shut again.

The Best Rescue Ever

When I was much younger (and perhaps a little foolhardy), my brother and I planned a hunting trip on Kodiak Island. Being young and foolish, we brought very little food, and almost no water. We did stop by Mcdonalds to grab a bag of cheeseburgers which would sustain us for our short trip. We were dropped off on a beautiful mountain lake and excitedly began our hunt. We had one deer down when the weather hit us hard. One of out tents cartwheeled down the mountain, and we had had to hunker down inside the other tent, which was almost blown flat by the wind. In the back of our minds, we knew that no airplane could pick us up in this weather. This continued for 3 days. On the 4th day, we awoke to the sound of air traffic overhead. Every 20 or 30 minutes we would hear a plane cruise by. We were at our wits end, and were very anxiously awaiting our ride home. After about 2 hours of waiting, a small speck in the distance began increasing in size. Closer and closer it came as we scrambled to get our gear together. We were overjoyed, we had been rescued at last. How much joy do we feel when we think about God rescuing us from circumstances that were fare more dire than what I experienced that weekend? Do we raise our hands and shout for joy because we have been delivered? Do we overflow so much with gratitude and love that we proclaim it to our neighbors? Do we even think about it on a daily basis? Do we long to worship Him? Do we long to be with other believers? Do we exhibit any of the fruits of the Spirit? Has he rescued us from a world that we are clawing and scratching to return to, or are we becoming set apart for Him? Is our life such that those around us who are of the world will see that we are rescued, and that they also have access to The Great Rescuer. Lord, help me to appreciate more the work that you did on the cross. Help it to permeate my thought process, and help me to develop the strength to be in the world but not of the world.

How not to be miserable?

Misery is such an easy emotion to be disdainful of. We all know that misery is not a good thing, and that happy people are so much better off. During church today, I was challenged about how the Christian should experience joy. As I reflected upon this throughout the remainder of the day, I reached several important conclusions. In my past, I was really good at finding misery. I might have even pretty good at finding happiness. I was really bad at finding joy. In fact, I am still not that good at finding joy. I, like many beleivers, am often focused on avoiding things that can cause us spiritual misery. While it is good to avoid those things that make us miserable, it often can become our focus. God is certainly pleased when we discontinue things that separate us from Him, but how much more pleased will He be when we have dispatched those demons and begun to focus on building toward His all encompassing joy. This is done through loving his people. This is not always easy, as a very large percentage of His people might be defective. This makes it hard for us who are critical by nature . I have a major weakness in finding joy, as I often look at the compliance checklist of things to do and not to do. When we are truly seeking Christ's joy, we will not need a litmus test to see what is right and what is wrong. We will know because we have His True Joy. How not to be miserable may be the wrong question. How about this- How do we experience God's joy? God is not a God who operates in the negative. Lord, help me to find joy in You and in fellowship with your people.

Thankful for what is not

As I reflected on Thanksgiving, my mind immediately went to the things that i am thankful for. Family, health, job, insurance and time to relax this holiday. As the children went to bed and things began to quiet down, my thoughts turned a little darker, and moments of depression began to creep in. My parents and brother and sister are far away, the kids are often taxing, any down time just feels like a time to try to survive until the next battle and any number of other daily stressors crept back into my thoughts. As is sometime the case, this spiral downward carried me towards recalling some of the darkest days of my life. When family meant very little to me. When my days were spent trying to meet the insistence of addiction. When I feel I was not even close to the person that God intended me to be. I pictured all of the times that I truly made choices that were worthy of physical death. In this dark moment, God handed me a revelation that that is all part of a person that I am not anymore. I can read the pages of that book, but I am no longer a major character in those "Chapters of the Lost" That is not who I am!! That is not what I want!! That is not what God wants for me!! So, on this Thanksgiving I find myself thankful for all of the things God has given me, but find myself infinitely more grateful for all that He has taken away. God, let me remember all that you have saved me from, and may it propel me towards what you have saved me to.

Sinners in the Hands of a Greiving God

Many years ago a renowned evangelist, Jonathan Edwards preached one of the single most famous sermons ever preached. It was titled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" God does get angry. There are many examples of his anger throughout the Bible. My vision of God for many years was that God is the Great Smiter of evil. This often compelled me to move towards Him much as a cowering dog on a leash moves toward its handler, not out of affection, but out of fear of a quick strike from a fist or a boot. Is this the way we live our Christian lives at times? Our fingernails claw at the earth as God tugs us toward Him, filling us with fear that our health, family, and all things we hold dear are possible targets of his anger. This is a debilitating state of being for a Believer, and often leads to man-made rules superimposing themselves over God's laws. It becomes a game of religous have's and have nots. Very few would argue that we should live this way, but many end up in a relationship with God that closely resembles this.



What is God Then?



God is Love. Many Christians reading this were just completely turned off by that statement. It is a statement that has often been hijacked by the world, but that should not lessen its impact for us. God is not a God who draws us near, snaps a collar on our neck and tells us that he will punish us if we tug on the leash. God is not suprised when we we run away. He actually has a plan in place for when this happens. His preemptive plan is to show us how much he loves us, and how awesome true fellowship with him is. God shows us the wonder of his grace and gives us ample warning as to the pitfalls that exist when we meander, or sometimes bolt away from Him. However, He does not sit at home polishing His boots, thinking about how he is going to teach us a lesson when we return. God begins mourning and grieving the loss of fellowship the moment we turn our back on him. This may be a simplification of the concept, but here is the way I think of it. God mourns our state of being when we are lost. He is also out canvassing the neighborhood, putting up LOST signs with our picture on them and offering the REWARD of reconciliation with Him, and rest in his open arms.



How then shall we live?



The question pops into my head- "what's to keep me from running away again if I am not afraid of kicks and punches?" Why do we run away from the loving, guiding hand of the Master and look for scraps when He has a feast prepared for us? God reveals to us the bounty of His nature and the richness of His blessings. In His infinite wisdom He knows that fear undermines all other motives, and to have and share a perfect fellowship with us He inspires us with the promise of a renewed realtionship. A relationship with the most Holy Master is the draw that brings us back into the fold.

Do not cower out of fear when you come back to the Lord. Be overcome by contrition and humility and be overjoyed that he waits for you. He waits for you with tears of sadness in His eyes, but with a look of joy on His face. He calls you back with love, not with condemnation.

Moving On

God moves in ways of mystery. If you would have asked me one week ago if my family would have any intention of moving back to Alaska, I would have given you a resounding "NO" and would have spoken for my wife with an even louder "NO". Due to a variety of circumstances, we are feeling very led to head back home to Alaska. I do not think that we would feel this way if we had not had so many trials which turned into opportunities for God to bless us during this year. We have had to rely on our faith, and rely on each other, as we have been very isolated here in Phoenix. It is taking on the feeling of a joyful homecoming, the thought of heading back to Alaska. God still has to point me in the right direction as far as employment, but I have had to rely on Him in much more stressful times, when much more was on the line, so I know he is there for us now. Although God moves in mysterious ways, there is no mystery surrounding how we are to move. Surrender, submit, and press on toward the prize. This is what my family will do as we return home.