...and how shall they hear???

I watched this video this morning (from Asia Harvest) and I wanted to share it. So, first thing, click on the link and watch the 4 minute video. Please!!


Now, this video made me think of Romans 10:14-17. This is the passage talks about who will call on God if they have not believed, who will believe if they have not heard, and who will hear without someone preaching. Then the last verse reiterates that "faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ."

I find it so hard to remember sometimes how blessed we are to have an English translation of the Bible. I mean, to read the Bible in my own language. I didn't have to learn Greek and Hebrew to read the original texts. (Are the TONS of benefits if I do? Absolutely! However, the advantages to getting the overall gospel message in my own language can NOT be underestimated.)

So, two challenges!

1. Do you use that Bible of yours as close to daily as you can? Do you have a desire to use the treasure that you have? If you were into Art and you had a Van Gogh in your house, you'd look at it every day until you had the details memorized. Many other examples fit too, but the point is that if something is precious to us we usually spend time with that thing. (Sometimes we box it up, thinking it is too precious to risk injury to it....but then no one gets to enjoy it!)

2. Do you or does your church support any translation work? Translation is VERY time consuming and it demands a lot from the person doing it. Not only the education they had to get to be there, but also the wisdom needed to know how best to interpret Scripture to then translate it into the target language. If you can't personally become a translator, then (I think) you owe it to the people of the world to help support the work of translation!

To God be the glory!!

Job: What kind of man was he?

I read Job 1 tonight and two things stuck out to me that hadn't before.

The first was the last of the four character traits given to us. Blameless, upright, fears the Lord, and....

"Turned away from the evil" is the ESV. The NIV has "Shunned evil." Either way, this is not a passive action. This not someone who just casually ignores certain words that people use or something like that. No, this is a man who actively chose to direct himself away from evil. We know from later on that he "made a covenant" with his eyes. He was actively doing the things needed to be who is ought to be before God.

The second this I noticed was in verse 20. Satan has already gone before God and God has allowed him to many things to Job because God does not believe that Job will curse God when God allows his things to be taken away. So the preceding verses are a chronicle of men coming and telling Job that something of value has been destroyed and that "he and he alone" survived to tell him about it. However, it is not until verse 20 that he reacts. Now, admittedly, this was happening very quickly. However, it wasn't the sheep that got him tearing his clothes, shaving his head, and worshiping God. No, it was the death of his children. Maybe I'm a dad and I'm reading into it, but "stuff" wasn't nearly as important to him as his children were.

What a great example. Someone who actively turned away from evil and who cherished his children more than his many riches! May we all live like that.


To God be the glory.

The Psalms: Psalm 8 - part 2

The flip side to last time is that the rest of the chapter goes on talk about how God has elevated man(kind) above his creations.

things God did to/for mankind:

...made a little lower than the angels (depending on your version).

...crowned him with glory and honor.

...gave him dominion over the works of God's hands.

...then the chapter goes on to list some specifics that God has placed under mankind.


My thought when I read this is "how amazing that God chose mankind for this instead of....say....gorillas or Elephants" and then "wow...man has not really been a good steward of this gift throughout history" and, lastly, "am I being a good steward today?"

Yeah, I know. crazy thoughts, but if you've read many of blogs then you aren't surprised. I keep going back to "global warming" and hunting, etc., etc. Those hot topics that tend to polarize people. Me personally? I think there needs to be balance. I believe the Bible is truth and shows us that we are indeed over these created things, but "with great power comes great responsibility" and we have a responsibility not to abuse God's creations!

It's funny. When Pam and I were dating and we would discuss some issue about our beliefs or dating or whatever, Pam would often come back to "balance" as her key word. :o) It has definitely grown on me over the years!!!

To God be the glory!!

The Psalms: Psalm 8 - Who am I? That you would be mindful of me?

I just want to put two verses from this chapter below...

Verse 1: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens."

Verse 3: "When I look at heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"


How humbling a reminder this is. God set Himself above the heavens (and rightfully so). Then we are reminded of space and all that is out there that God made and set in place. If you haven't recently, go out to Hubble Telescope website and look at some of the images of the universe around us (like this one)! It's amazing!!

...yet God is mindful of man and mankind. Why would He do that? The humbling answer is that He loves us. In fact, Matthew 6:25-34 talks about this. We usually use this passage as a reminder that we don't need to worry about things....because that's what the passage is talking about! :o)

However, another fantastic application is the reality that we don't need to worry because God loves us and will take care of our needs! Wow!


To God be the glory!

Is a father who leaves different than a father who doesn't engage?

Ok. Just to put some parameters on this, I'm not going to touch on the differences. Why? Because we can see those...and honestly, I haven't experienced both of these to really be an expert on differences.

Similarities, however, is another conversation...and so is our responsibility as husbands and fathers!

So, a little context. There is a song in the movie "Treasure Planet" (which, by the way, is a good....weird, but good movie) called "I'm Still Here."

Quick context: dad left when the boy was young and he's going through a very rebellious stage. He isn't grounded and doesn't have a male role model to help him figure life out. There's more, obviously, that's the quick version.

There are a couple of lines in the song I'm going to pull out.

"How can you learn what's never shown?"

"...and I want to tell you who I am. Can you help me be a man?"

The chorus gives us another glimpse when it says talks about wanting to feel like I belong.

Alright, I have no experience with a father who walked out on his family. I didn't grow up with one and I have never been one. So I'm very short on that. I have good friends who have dealt with that, but it somehow ends up a taboo conversation and I never talk to them about it. So, I don't have much to say about this. Those of you who do, feel free to comment and tell me if the similarities are the same or not.

What I'm seeing is that a father who is physically present, but not engaging (When I use "engage" going forward, it is assumed that I mean engagement that is meaningful and positive) has similar negative effects on children that a non-present dad would have.

How can you learn what's never shown? Can you help me be a man? Guys!!! Are you raising your kids with life skills? Are you teaching your boys what it means to be a man? Yes, that can and is done by example. I don't have sons myself, but I show my daughters what to expect in a man every day as I interact with their mother. I teach them what is and is not OK behavior as I model it to them. Great. But that isn't everything is it? No.

Where is the time of connection. The time to do daddy-daughter dates? To play sports with my son in the yard? To read to my daughter? To spend time with them so that when life happens I am ready both in time and space and in my relationships to engage with life.

When my daughter asks me about death. When she talks about playing with boys. When my daughter has to learn the hard way that there are bad people in this world. When she finds out that not everyone is a good person with her best interests in mind. When it's time to talk about boys who don't love her, but will say that they do. When a son thinks he "loves" a girl but doesn't actually know what that word means. When a son or daughter is losing respect for his or her mother. The mother who is a single mother and the mother who has a disengaged husband are dealing with similar issues.

Now, knowing about the grass being greener on the other side, I want to be careful here. However, I think that it is easier to underestimate the damage done by a present but disengaged father because we don't as quickly see the problem. I mean, these dads can be pastors and deacons. They can be on the school board. They can be the sole provider (monetarily) for their family which clearly means they are engaged at home, right? (WRONG!)

So, dads, you do your family a grave injustice when you are present but you don't engage with them. When you don't sit on the floor and let your 1 year old play around you and smile with you. To know that you are there whether you are needed in that moment or not. When you don't play with your children and show them that you love them. When you don't build the relationships that they are going to need to help them through the hard, confusing years of adolescence. Your family, our families, deserve more than your physical presence.

The movie has a happy ending. The boy ends up mentored to someone who, not meaning to, ends up having the boy's best interests at heart. But our kids may not be that lucky. However, here is the real point. THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE!! Let's be the men, fathers, and husbands that God has called us to be and there for our children in all the moments of life. Be there when we don't feel like it and when we don't feel needed or wanted because then when we DO feel like it and we ARE needed and wanted, the groundwork is already laid for that to happen.

To God be the glory. 

Who am I?

There's a song out there. It's called, "Who am I?" I know the Casting Crowns version, but I'm pretty sure it was around before they sang it...not sure though.

Anyway, after an emotional evening, I got in my car to drive home from church and it was just starting. The words struck me double today and I wanted to share a few parts of it.


Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star would choose to light the way, for my ever wandering heart? (Nate: God cares about me! He cares when I"m hurting and he cares in spite of my constantly wandering heart!)

Who am I, that the eyes that see me sin would look on me with love and watch me rise again? Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me? (Nate: God love me and helps me rise again after I sin. The God who calmed the seas wants to calm me? Imagine that? The emotional craziness that I (and some of you) go through and the God of the universe wants to give me peace!)

Chorus: Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done. Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are! (Nate: It is a good thing it is not about me in any way. It is truly all about God.)

I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still, you hear me when I'm calling. Lord, you catch me when I'm falling. And You've told me who I am: I am Yours!

If that doesn't move you emotionally...then I can't help you! :o)    This echos what David has been writing in the Psalms that we've looked at so far. A God who cares about us, loves us, protects us, and can be our shelter. The song speaks volumes for the truth of who we are. Who we are in and of ourselves AND who we are (or can be) in Jesus Christ. There is, in fact, nothing else in this world that I would rather be than His! Can you say "Amen" or "Let it be so!" to that?


To God be the glory!!

The Psalms: Psalm 7 - part 2

Last time we looked at the last verse of Psalm 7. Today we are going to look at the first two.

There are two key thoughts in these verses and I think they are very interesting.

1. The reality of our protection.
2. The reality of our persecutors.

First: So, who or what protects us? Do my job protect me? I mean, it pays the bills, right? How about my hobbies. Those who don't know me, I love board games. I watch youtube videos of reviews, I watch vids or other people playing them, I buy them, I teach them to people and I just enjoy the process or learning and spending time with people. Can I hide inside that hobby for protection? How about people? I love my wife and my daughters. Can I "take refuge" in them?

Technically, the obvious answer is "yes." (Didn't see that coming did you! :o)     So, we can take refuge in those things. In fact, we often do. But they not only don't deserve that kind of pressure, but we sell ourselves short because we are using an inferior refuge in our time of need when we do this.

In fact, we dialogue this with our 8 year old at times. We talk about the fact that God is using the job that I have to provide for our needs. The key is that the job doesn't provide for our needs. God does. He just uses the job. The job could be gone tomorrow and I would continue to trust God to provide for my needs because He's the one whose been doing it all along.

Second; There is something about those "pursuers." Now, we know that David had physical pursuers who were often trying to kill him. However, we have pursuers (so did David) of a spiritual nature. While we believe, Biblically, that once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, our soul is secure in His (and the Father's) hands. However, David uses the imagery here of his pursuers trying to rend him "like a lion" and "tear (his) soul." Holy cow. How graphic and dramatic can you be. I mean, really, isn't that a little much???

Let's be honest. We are (most of us anyway) often lax about the spiritual warfare around us. We often don't take sin seriously because our culture has lured us into a position of believing that "it's OK to XYZ." So, our soul is "damaged" if you will. We are at least out of tune with what God wants for our lives.

David is recognizing that his refuge is in God and God alone because if it weren't, he would be in grave peril because those who don't care about him spiritually would try to tear him apart. Are we aware of that same need for protection? Do we take refuge in God like we should??


To God be the glory!!

The Psalms: Psalm 7 - part 1 - do we give God the thanks that is due Him...

Psalm 7:17 is the last verse of the chapter. Yes, I'll go back and look at the rest with you all, but not here. No, here is where we talk about a verse that just popped out at me today.

"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High."

Wow. If you are not feeling challenged.....then I can't help you! :o)

Seriously. I will give to the Lord the thanks that is due His righteousness?? Have we....have I ever given God the thanks that was truly due Him? Do I even understand what that means? I mean, can we even comprehend how much we owe to God? In general, much less, as the verse states, in regards to His righteousness.

I'm feeling a loss of words that could convey what I'm even trying to say here. It's just amazing to think of David saying that he is going to actually give God the thanks due Him. Man. I want to at least be striving in my life to know what that even entails and then to thank God for it all!!

Singing praises to His name should come easy if we have stopped to contemplate what is due to God and then thanked Him for it. Praises should be an easy outpouring of this!!

Now, stop reading my post and thank God for what is due Him and then praise His name! :o)


To God be the glory!

The Psalms: Psalm 6

Psalm 6 is a very interesting Psalm.

The first verse actually reminds me of parenting. That is, this cry of David is probably what my children could be crying to me too. That I won't discipline them in anger or wrath. Now we know that God's wrath is righteous, so this is even more meaningful because David is asking God not to deal with him how he truly deserves to be dealt with. God should deal with him in His wrath and anger because of David's sin (in general, not necessarily specifically.) So, do we remember God's mercy and also show mercy to our kids? Not because they don't deserve for us to be frustrated sometimes, but because they do deserve it at times...and yet we are an example of Christ in our lives. (That, and, let's be honest...our wrath and anger is usually not righteous either!)

Most of the rest of the chapter is David begging God. Begging God to hear him. Pointing out much he is crying to God to hear him. Begging God to save him since David can't praise God after he's dead...

the last 3 verses, though. David does this miraculous thing....again! He turns to those who would do evil against him and he basks in the fact that he knows that God has heard his prayers and his cries. He isn't guessing or even kind-of sure. Nope, he is so confident he is willing to rub it in the face of those who hate him! What a confidence in God.

Maybe this is a glimpse into why David was considered a "man after God's own heart." I mean, he is desperate, scared, fearful, etc. All the things we feel. Yet, he can immediately turn and point out how God has heard him and will XYZ for him. We've seen this over and over....and we are only in chapter 6.

I don't know about you, that 's a challenge to me to trust God's Word and believe (in practice) that it is truth!

To God be the glory!!