A simple bike ride gave me a NEW PERSPECTIVE...

I went for a 20 mile bike ride the other day on a beautiful scenic trail not too far from my house. I have ridden this exact trail numerous times over the past 2 years, however this ride was unlike any other ride I had ever taken.

 I was listening to a Tim Keller sermon podcast (as I do pretty much every time I ride). But, on this day Tim (yeah, Tim and I are are on a first name basis) was teaching on the Theology of Ecology: that is the study of God with respect to the environment. He began to talk about Psalm 19 and how "The heavens (which from the perspective of the writer would have included sky or even earth) declare the glory of God...Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

He concluded with the notion that the sky (earth, nature) has a voice. Not only does nature have a voice but it is speaking to us everyday, all day. When you goggle at the sun, feel the trickles of rain fall on your arm, when you hear the wind blowing through the trees, when you gaze at a waterfall, even when you look at your pet fish, remember she (nature) is speaking words to you. She is obediently saying, "Hey you...look and see the glory of God."

Not only should we recognize the voice of nature, but we should honor nature. Nature is being obedient to God in a way that we are unable to be. In fact, Romans 8:19-21 tells us that "creation eagerly awaits (on her tippy toes) the revealing of the sons of God." In other words, nature is waiting in love for us to catch up with them, with respect to obedience to God.

As I get dressed for my 20 mile ride this morning, I dress ardently to listen to the trees as they shout out the "Glory of God..." I dress ardently to see the cardinal as it flies in complete obedience to God.

Are you listening? Are you watching?

Additional References:
Psalm 24:1-2
Psalm 97:1-6
Colossians 1:16
Romans 1:18-20

Well Done...

Well, I am happy to announce that after four hard years... along with thousands of hours of studying... tens of thousands of pages read... hundreds of books absorbed... thousands of verses exegetically examined... biblical coherency in Hebrew and Greek and after sitting through thousands of hours of lectures, seminars and instruction, I can confidently say that I have graduated from seminary.

Im sure you can imagine (juggling the many roles I have as Husband, Father, Pastor, Friend and Student) that the past four years have been the most difficult in my life. There were days I wanted to give up on school, give up on God's calling and go back to corporate america where I saw personal success and financial gain. However, each time my wife (Alice) was always there to talk me off the ledge (so to speak). Not only was my wife there but my family, friends and most of all God's word.

Jeremiah 29:11 has been a passage that I have quoted over the last four years to myself probably more than any other. Jeremiah, was given these words directly from the heart of God to the people of Israel. "I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. To give you a future and a hope."

My greatest hope over the last four years was not in simply graduating from seminary... or becoming the pastor of a healthy, thriving, Christ centered church one day. My greatest hope was not even in getting a chance to spend more time with my loving, beautiful family with no reservations (even though that might be a close second). My greatest hope is and was in HEAVEN. The day that I get to see Jesus face to face in the flesh and hear him say, "Well, done my good and faithful servant."

I pray that is your  greatest hope too...“For the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven, of which you heard before in the Word of the Truth of the Gospel.” Colossians 1:5.

Intergenerational Relationships

I've learned over the last few years that I have a tendency to glean more, when I focus my attention on a certain book of the bible over a years time, rather than choosing random pericopes in the bible to read in a days time, or even attempting to read the entire bible every year.

I have decided to spend 2014 in 1- 2 Timothy. One of the first things that jumped out at me in my reading was how Paul (the author of this letter) refers to Timothy (the recipient of this letter) as, "my true child in the faith." (1 Timothy 1:2)

Between an older Paul and a younger Timothy, we find a beautiful intergenerational relationship, which are so often vitally helpful to both individuals. Many times in peer to peer (or same age) relationships both parties have similar goals, struggles and aspirations.

These types of friendships are definitely important. However, in intergenerational relationships, many times both parities are able to complement each other well, due to the fact that they are in different stages of life. (A similar relationship is found with Peter and John)

This morning I am asking myself a few questions that I challenge you to ask of yourself...

1. Who (is) are the "Paul's" in my life? (Older relationships besides my parents and grandparents. Normally either double your age or at least 20 years your senior)

2. Who (is) are the "Timothy's" in my life? (Younger relationships besides my children, nieces and nephews. Normally half your age or at least 20 years younger)

3. How intentional have I been in pursuing an intimate, consistent relationship with these people?

4. How can I grow in this area in 2014?

Other passages to ponder...
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
Joshua 4:4-8, 21-22
Joel 1:3
Rm 8:14-17, 12:4-6
Eph 1:22 
1 Cor 12
Titus 2:3-5

...on Phil Robertson and the "church"

My thoughts concerning the recent "colloquy" in lieu of the Phil Robertson interview in GQ Magazine:

As the "church" we are called to be as Paul so eloquently states in 1 Timothy 3:15, "a pillar and buttress of the truth." 

Both of these nouns  (στῦλος and ἑδραίωμα in the Greek) represent a immovable structure that supports or gives stability to something...that "something" according to Paul is the "truth."

If we are the church, we must gracefully, humbly and with hospitality, give support and stability to God's Truth, so that the world around us does not falsely build its foundational structures on non-truths and subsequently fall.

Additional verses to ponder...
Psalm 43:3
Psalm 86:11
Psalm 119:60
Matthew 22:16
John 17:17
1 John 3:18

Be thankful...

I spent some time this morning reading Romans chapter one, where Paul discusses God's pleasurable salvific power given to the righteous and God's wrath or extreme anger towards the unrighteous.

He defines the"righteous" as those who live by faith, and the "unrighteous" as those who do not live by faith. In fact, he goes further to say (in verse 21) that the unrighteous do not "honor Him as God or give THANKS to Him, but they become futile (unable to produce good) in their thinking..."

Join me this morning as the "righteous" of God, in honoring and giving thanks to God for his "visible attributes that have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world."(Romans 1:20)

So be thankful this morning...

GOD is LOVE...

This is a rock! We all know this is a rock because we know what a rock is. But, what if we had never seen or heard of a rock before (along with everyone else in the world). Imagine your teacher or employer places this object on your desk and say that your job for the next week is to show this "object" to everyone you come in contact with?

This would be a difficult task, because everyone would ask you the same questions, "What is it?" and you would be forced to say, "I don't know!" And then the follow up question would be, "Well, where did it come from?" And again, you would be forced to say, "I don't know!" The final question would probably be, "Well, why in the world are you attempting to show me something that you know nothing about?"

I think it is fair to say, that in order for us to accurately "SHOW" something, we must "KNOW" what it is. Many of you wonder why it is so difficult for us to SHOW love to those around us.Could it be that you do not "KNOW" Love?

 "In order to SHOW LOVE you must KNOW LOVE: GOD IS LOVE."

JOHN 4:7-12 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

What I learned from the homeless...

I had the priviledge of spending a week in Austin, TX with a team of about 20 teenagers on a life changing mission trip. Those of you who know about Austin, know that Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird!" And If you have ever been to Austin,TX you know that Austin is just that...WEIRD! From the people you see, to the buildings downtown, to the art on buildings...even the music in Austin is weird.

I LOVE Austin, we did some amazing things while we were there. We saw 1.5 million female bats come from under a bridge at dusk to travel north for food. We went to visit the state capitol, we participated in a ghost tour, we even ate ice cream at the famous Amy's Ice Cream parlor. But, our main goal was to help with the homelessness issue in Austin! According to the most recent studies, on a given night there are about 2,300 Austinians living on the streets of Austin. We got a chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the homeless and hungry community of Austin.

During my devotion time, I came across a passage in the bible where Jesus was approached by a scribe in Capernaum. The Scribe began to say how he would follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus replies to him with some powerful words. He says, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests. But the son of man has nowhere to lay his head!"(Matthew 8:20)

I began to ask myself, "Why would Jesus say this?" Whether it was in the home of one of his followers or on a rock under a tree, Jesus certainly had a place to lay his head.

I think Jesus wants the scribe to understand (you and I also), that though Jesus had a place to lay his head, it was only temporary. Jesus realized that even though he lived on earth, his eternal home was in Heaven, therefore he lived that way.

In Austin, we passed by homeless people everytime we stepped out of our dorms. Something I noticed was that the streets looks different every night. I would see one homeless person sleeping on one corner one night and the next night he was no where to be found. Not necessarily because he was no longer homeless, but because he saw his home as temporary. Could it be that homeless people are closer to Jesus than we are in this sense?

Here are a few questions to ponder with me...

Do you live as though your home (on earth) is temporary?

Do you look forward to your heavenly home or are you overly content with your earthly home?

Philippians 3:20 "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."