The Teal Notebook

It is far too complex and the wounds have not healed from all the storms of life that have been blowing around me, but I am left with questions.  I am also left with wounds that only the Lord can help me heal.  The wounds are only collateral damage.  But, I still need a time of quietness so I can heal.  Eventually I will find the Glory of God in the scars left behind.  For scars are the witness and reminder that God heals our wounds.  It is the scars on my Redeemer’s hands and feet that remind me of how much God loves me.  Those scars should be mine, but they are carried by my Savior.  I still need that time of quietness so I can hear and respond with obedience to my God.

The cold order of events.

1. New Teaching Pastor begins ministry.

2. My help was requested in a minor leadership role.

3. Teaching Pastor resigns.

4. Other Pastor requests my continued help in a minor leadership role.

5. Personal difficulties and family concerns led me to resign from my minor leadership role.

6. Those same concerns led me to begin a journey of discovery.  Where do I fit into the Kingdom of God?  Where does my King want me to be?

7.  What lessons do I take from this?

I have a one-inch teal notebook (well I have been told it is teal, I don’t really know what color it is) with my notes from my two month tour of minor leadership.  What do I do with those notes.

a) Burn them.

b) File them away to be forgotten.

c) Carefully examine them.

Well, I should carefully examine them and see what lesson I can take from them, and apply them for all future leadership in my life.  The best place to start applying these leadership lessons would be in my own home.  Even scripture teaches us this. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (English Standard Version)

Believe

Do You Believe in Miracles?

Jesus Christ is Lord. Why can I say this with so much confidence and assurance. Without regard for past events or future hopes, one this day, I can say with confidence Jesus is Lord. I can say it because, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I was not alive when Jesus walked the dusty paths of Galilee and Judea, in the distant past doing miracles. Nor can I say, that I will see the glorious return of my Lord in the future. But Today, on this day, in the present. I see. Not with my eyes. My eyes are decaying anyway. As the years tread on they grow dimmer and dimmer. And even at their best, I see the world not only out of focus, but without the full spectrum of light. For I am color blind, unable to see the green’s or red’s as others do. But the condition of my eyesight does not matter. For I am not an eyewitness to the events I am going to describe, but only see them through the window of others words.

What is this modern story that renews my faith in Christ. The miracle of supernatural healing. It was Saturday April 18th and after dinner time, when I heard the news that a friend of mine had collapsed while doing some home improvements. He was not alone, another friend of mine performed CPR on the near lifeless body; while family rushed to call for help. The medical system kicked into high gear and with their expert training began to work to save his life. Yet with all the modern inventions and techiniques of medicine, some conditions are still without remedy. Machines can help the weak and dying breath and pump hearts, but without oxgen tissues die. The question only time would reveal was how much damage was done to the body and mind with dimished oxygen to its tissues. Only time would reveal the aftermath. Days or weeks perhaps even a couple months would need to pass before anyone could know the health of my friend. That is what medical science expects. That is what the world expects. That is what nature tells us.

So friends and family take a pause in our busy lifes, myself included, and drop to our knees and plead for a miracle. Ask and you shall receive. I approach the throne of grace and mercy, the tears in my eyes cloud the view of the King as I plead for the Creator of Life to say the word and heal my friend. Not my will but Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. My tear filled eyes never saw any of the scenes unfold or the hospital rooms, but my Lord looked down from His throne of Majesty and saw it all. Other friends have described the scenes using words like grey, ash, and cold to describe my friend laying on his bed asleep maybe going into the long sleep surrounded by myriads of machines with their beeps and tones. But no sound from the patient. These are words of death. The hope of life hanging on a fragile thread.

But now a week later, I again recieve words from others and even from my friend, that he was healed. There seems to be little or no damage to his body or mind. He is not out of danger or risk from further problems, but as of this present day. He seems to be restored. Again, I say that I see the miracle of my Lord’s healing, having never laid my eyes upon those scenes. The miracle does more than restore the health of a friend. It renews my faith and the faith of others in our God. The world scratches their heads in collective unbelief. They may attribute it to quick response of CPR or expert care in the world’s finest hospitals. But deep down words like luck or miracle are needed to describe it. All Glory be to God.

I believe in miracles and in the power of Jesus to heal not only the body, but the soul, and revive the spirit in all. Do you? He has healed me. and Others.

It was a little more than a year ago, that my wife was having terrible health troubles. Not nearly as dramatic as the one described above, but still severe. In the end, she had her gall bladder removed and has recovered well; but my prayers for her in those days were just as powerful. They also renewed and grew my faith in God just as the answered prayers today do.

So to friend and stranger, Do you need a miracle from God? Are you at the end of all with a circumstance or difficulty in your life? Jesus can heal the body, soul, and spirit. Ask Him. He is the Lord of miracles. Believe in Him. Your heart will lead with the words you need for your plea.

**(( I would only add the following…(1) Good things can happen to evil people, as well as (2) Bad things can happen to Good people. But in it all God is in control, maybe not the direct cause, because the reality of most evil and bad that happens in this world comes from the consequences of sin, either from the fall of Adam (original sin) or later sin by Adam’s children which includes us ))**

My Everquest

I still debate as to whether or not to post this web log, but I took the time to write it, so here it is

For many years when I was younger, not that much younger, I used to spend many late nights logging into a fantasy world that only exists as electronic static within machines. Those not familiar with the game, it is based on a typical fantasy world full of characters of different mythical races like dwarfs and elves, ancient weapons and magic, all wandering through a wilderness of the unknown like the worlds that can be read in fiction books among my favorite: The Lord of the Rings. Players create characters that interact with other players and the world of Everquest. Through the course of playing the game I settled into two main characters. The characters I chose in the game reflect some of my hopes and dreams in the real world, and also some of my fears.

The first character I kept and played was a Human Paladin. This is a knight in shining armor, a defender of good; Champion of light and order against the forces of evil that bring darkness and chaos to the world. The Paladin is a warrior with limited healing magic. Neither as strong as a full warrior or given the ability to heal as well as pure magic users. There are many styles of playing a paladin within the game, my style was to wield a two-handed sword and never retreat, rarely holding a shield, my character was the shield for others. When playing with other players, I would serve as the player locked in combat with the enemies we faced as others would cast their magics or attack with stealth or at a distance against our common foe. When the battle went against us, my character would usually be the first die. The character was the shield to protect the others from the ferocious attacks of the monsters of our quest.

Translation to real life. In my perfect vision of who I would like to be, I would be a champion defending others from the monsters of the real world. Enemies that would harm others. Acting as a guardian or shield for the weaker or more helpless.  Fighting against the chaos and darkness of evil.

As the years passed and my character grew in strength and power it became harder to gain experience in fighting the creatures of this fantasy world. The only creatures that would advance my character became too large or gigantic to handle on my own. I could no longer fight them alone. Most of the time when I played I wanted to fight alone or only in small groups. But at higher levels, I had to always be in large groups, or I would meet a quick death. The diversity of the strengths of different types of characters in battle gave an advantage over the foes, we faced. Some characters could heal wounds, others cast powerful and damaging fireballs, or even attack our foe from the side or behind, while the paladin would stand directly in the path of the foe locked in mortal combat.

Translation to real life. Community is better than loneliness when facing the dangerous enemies that appear in life. There is more strength in a cord weaved and banded together with three or more cords than with a single stranded cord.

My characters last name was StoneBlade. The strength and steadfastness of a stone. Not a rock that is rough and raw, but a stone that is chiseled and shaped for a purpose. The sharp instrument of battle, a blade. Both words represent admirable character traits by themselves but combined to magnify each others strengths. Attributes I would like to see in my real life.

The second main character I would play was a Human Ranger. In the ancient world of fantasy, the sniper or long range warrior armed with the deadly weapon of distance the bow and arrow. His strength came from quickly killing a foe with a well aimed arrow or after shooting disappearing into the cover of the world. In a group always hanging back to inflict the death shot from a distance never completely committing to a battle in locking swords with an enemy, or acting as support in welding two small swords and attack a foe from the side, while the armored knights would take the furry and wrath of the monster. This was not because of fear though, it was because of armor. Rangers do not have the heavy metal armor of a knight only a flimsy shirt and leggings of tightly weaved chains. The light armor allowed for freedom of movement and quickness, but lack the ability to protect from dangerous blows. Rangers are lonely characters and spend most of their quest in solitude, only temporarily joining with others when it suits their objectives.

These two main characters were an expression of my personal struggle with being part of a community and working as a team mate, or in going it alone only joining with others out of my convenience. Some days I crave the solitude of my journey and trying to pit myself against a harsh world. Other days I admit that it is only in community that survival in this harsh world is really the only option.

And now that I am Christian, the bonds that hold the community together best is God–The Father, The Son, and Holy Spirit. A three braided cord of Holiness, Majesty, Love, Justice, Peace, Mercy, and Grace.

So the name of this web log comes from my solo attempt to share with the world myself, the name of my Ranger: Ancientarrow.

It was later when reading through the Bible that I found the references to God as being the Ancient of Days, and arrows being a symbol of children for a father. But the names fits. I am an adopted son of the Ancient of Days, a single arrow within His quiver of weapons to shoot at His enemies. God carefully aimed my life into the vast flow time and space and landed me here in Logan, Utah in 2009. Why am I here? It is to be His instrument or weapon in the war against rebellion and sin. Victory is guaranteed. The enemy is not an equal to God, but a fallen created being. The foe is powerful, but braided together (knitted) with the Lord, my victory is secure in the strength of the Almighty.

My Response to Furlough

In the down turn of the economy and in the face of drastic budget short falls and cuts, the Utah State Legislature has cut the budget for Utah State University.  I am employed annually in a cooperative agreement between Utah State University and the Utah National Guard.  The Utah National Guard contribute the money for my salary, but I am an employee of Utah State University.

The following week of March 9, 2009 to March 13, 2009 during the spring break of Utah State University all university employees are going to be on furlough or temporarily laid off to help with this budget short fall.  I am included in the furlough.  The University President ask for the employees to set up their work email accounts to send out an automated message explaining the facts.

I am going to, but probably not with the message he would like.  It is not disrespectful, but from my world view, not his.  My world view is based from the Bible and is God-centered.   My message reads:

The President of Utah State University has asked that since all Utah State University Employees are on furlough for the week of March 9, 2009 to March 13, 2009 that we refrain from any work, So I will not respond to any email until I return on March 16, 2009.  It is his decision to temporarily lay all employees off for that week in response to budget cuts made by the Utah State Legislature.  However, for me personally I take my counsel from the Bible and obey my Lord-Jesus in this matter.

“Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:22-24

Leadership??

It has been nearly 60 days since I last wrote anything.  My last words were an interruption of my review of my elements of faith.  The interruption was to briefly comment about the Presidential race.  I have been debating within my own mind what to use my web log (blog) for.

1. Should I continue to compare and contrast my new found faith in Biblical Christianity to my old faith of Mormonism?
2. Expound and concentrate on writing all my notes for teaching a bible Sunday school class, to teach the world through this blog the bible?
3. Just whatever?

Well I decided on number 3.  The first idea has been done.  It is very difficult to compare two faiths that both use a similar religious vocabulary but with very different definitions.  And I am now over ten years removed from my past beliefs that were taught to me as a child and teenager.  The second idea did not fly either.  I soon realized that my gift of teaching is to be used to build the up church (not the world).  In short, the Holy Spirit is not directing me to write my personal bible commentary to be unofficially published to the world.  That left only number 3, which brings me to today’s topic: Leadership??

There are several points of leadership within my life that have been the focus of much of my energy.

1. My nomination to become an elder for my local church body.
2. The continuing search for a teaching pastor at my local church body.
3. How best to lead my family.
4. Who to elect as President and other representatives.
5. My supervisors and bosses at work.

Elder Nomination

One of the reasons I was exploring my elements of faith was to see if What I believed matched with the congregation I have been attending.  There is no difference in my personal beliefs and that of the congregation I attend on the major issues of Christianity.  I do not know the positions on minor issues so I can not say if they differ from my own.  To be brief, one can do a quick internet search of baptist statement of faith or christian statement of faith.  And from that statement of faith, my personal beliefs can be found in the carefully chosen words of those statements.  In summary, I am an evangelical (Biblical) Christian in my beliefs.

When evaluating myself to continue in the nomination, I considered that given my personality of ordering priorities within my life that I was at place where I could not serve as an elder.  The main point being that for me the priorities should be God, Family, Self, other stuff.  That being said, I would consider my responsibilities as an elder as the highest priority because it would be my service to God which comes first.  Next would be my family,and last myself and then other stuff.  This of course, as God, as been teaching me is not the correct way to see it.  I need to see that my responsibility although it may sound selfish is to: (1) continue in letting God transform me into that new creation which is the image (likeness) of Christ–self. (2) respond to that transformation in becoming the Husband and Father that God wants to make me–Family. (3) respond to that transforming work in becoming the ambassador of Christ to the world whether it be in helping to shepherd a local body or whatever.

It has taken me nearly a month of struggle to reach that conclusion, which I would have never made that small step without the nomination.  But I have still decided against moving forward with the nomination.  I have been trying to use that energy and time to build up my relationships with my wife and children.  There as been more closeness and understanding, but still needs more work.  One side note: It is most interesting to note, that the people I spoke with before I made the decision seemed to mostly be counseling me to wait on becoming and elder.  And most of the people I have spoken with after I made the decision seem to have wanted me to continue down the path and become an elder.  Well maybe next time the nominating process comes around the transforming work that God is doing with me will have me in that place where God can use me according to His perfect will.

Pastor Search

Our local church body is going on 20 Months without a teaching pastor.  But the seeking process has moved to another stage.  The stage of inviting an actually candidate to come and meet the entire congregation.  I have reviewed all the materials available to me about the candidate and his family and am anticipating personally meeting them.  One gift that God has given me with my change in faith from the religion driven Mormon faith to my new relational faith with God is discernment–recognition of truth over fantasy, deception, and lies.  I have been praying that God would clearly speak to me if this candidate is the right fit for our congregation (I have little doubt about his God-gifted ability to serve as a pastor, but is he the right pastor for us?) Only God knows, and I am relying on Him in the end.  I don’t know if that is the correct way to judge what God is saying by using personal experience, but it seems to me that if what I have studied about the man and the “vibe” that he gives off are compatible then It is authentic.  The “vibe” may feel good but the rest of the story might not fit, or the other way around.  That to me would be evidence against him.  There has to be a component of personal experience, but it must be hedged in by the boundaries established from God’s words–of which I consider the Bible to be the authoritative source.

Family

This is the most rewarding and the most difficult leadership (shepherding) I do.  No matter how well the previous day may have gone.  Today is a new day.  I find myself once again falling into my old trappings of either being too authoritative or too passive.  I can never seem to find the right balance between the two.  Right now I am definitely leaning way over to the passive and am getting to the end of that pendulum swing and have started back the other way.  My hope is that when the pendulum stops swinging back and forth, that I am in the balance of being the Authoritative Father my children need but also having an affection (love) that is easily seem by my children.  Only by God’s grace and His continuing transformation of me will that be possible.  I can easily speak about my relationship toward my children.  The relationship I have with my lovely wife, is hard to talk about; it is great and wonderful, but really is one that I keep close to my heart and don’t want to share with the world.

President?

Having spent much more time than I should have listening and watching the various candidates spout their philosophies of government, I have yet to reach a conclusion other than–I am definitely not going to vote for Obama to be president.  The only thing that I have in common with him, is that we are both Human beings and that is about it.  As for other candidates, I was considering rebelling and voting for the Constitution party like I did in 2006, but have not completely decided upon it.  Primarily because McCain has thrown me for a loop by selecting Governor Palin as his running mate.  I don’t know enough about her to make a judgment yet.  And the truth maybe to hard to find–either she is a great champion for reforming corrupt systems or she is the greatest hypocrite of all time.  It just depends on who you listen to.  It is more likely that she falls somewhere in the middle, the real question is which way does she lean.  My personal reaction to her speech is to believe that she is more a champion for reform (assume the best in people, unless give clear and convincing evidence otherwise).  But I am reminded that she is not running for President and McCain is.  Could I support his maverick ways?  That is the real question.  The issues surrounding Governor Palin are secondary.  I have yet to answer it.

Work

I am still adjusting to my new position.  Some days, I think everything is going great and I am getting a lot of work finished and the projects I am working on are making great advancements toward completion.  Then other days, I have no clue where to begin.  So the learning continues.  Mostly, I think everything is going well (not perfect), but well.

Conclusion

These are just a few of my random thoughts (partially organized into a single topic) to give anyone that finds this a little more insight into my life.  I do struggle with the most fundamental question of leadership that anyone faces, that original decision-Who am I going to let be in charge of my life…Me or God.  The fallen angel of ages past and even my fallen nature have chosen to be in command, but that new life God has given me knows that God is the Sovereign of the Universe and He is in command (whether I admit it or not) and I need to let Him reign and rule over my life.  God that can do a much better job of leading my life, than I could ever do–I need to seek His will and submit to it, and from time to time, I need to stop myself [wrong thinking again, let God's strength flow through me to stop me] from being a backseat driver or reaching for the reigns that guide my life [again wrong thinking, admit I am powerless to stop myself and let God do it] That is a difficult thing to do [completely surrender to my need for Him in everything]–one that I still struggle with.

A Pause in my elements of faith–Presidential update

I am taking a short pause in writing my essays of about my elements of faith for a Presidential update.  My America has come a long way in six months of campaigns.  Rather than what seemed to be a New York race of Hillary versus Rudy.  And the small surge from Mitt, It now looks like Obama and McCain are the two leading contenders.

I have no confidence in electing Obama to be President.  I do not know that much about him, and what I do know is troubling.  There is no position he takes that I agree with.  So I will be voting McCain;  If the country is going to be making a turn toward the left, I would not like it turn much further than McCain;  Change is not always better.  Sometimes it can make things worse.  Cautious examination is in order, before recklessly abandoning the past.  Somethings in government may need to be changed, but the kind of change that Obama is going to make, in my opinion, is going to over correct problems and lead to different ones that are even larger than ones he is trying to fix.  Well, that is enough about earthly politics and concerns.  Even if Obama is elected; God is the Sovereign of the Universe.

Now back to my essays about my elements of faith, Next…Who is Jesus?

Storms of Life

Part One. Winds of Change.
I have told bits and pieces about the struggle I have had with trying to find a new job. This is the first part of the complete story (a testimony of God’s continuing love for me). I tell it to encourage others that are experiencing the storms of life: difficulties with a relationship, loss of job, illness or disease in the family, and the many other kinds troubles that come.

In Logan during the last week our city was ranked with having the dirtiest air in the nation. Sometimes, our lives also get stale or polluted. Many times the only way for God to clean out all that pollution and grit is for a massive hurricane force storm to blow through our life. The winds of change always blow, but there is a true anchor that everyone can hold fast to–Jesus. He is the anchor that sustained me through this massive storm in my life.

From the gospel of Matthew 8:23-27

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

From James 1:2-8

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

From the gospel of John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

The last five months have really been a storm for me. As I have spent them searching for a new job to replace my current one. As I have mentioned in the past it will expire in four months. When I first learned that my job was going to end and there was little chance of future funding, I figured that my stay in Logan was coming to an end. The seven years spent here were valuable from a career point of view. I earned my Bachelors degree and have worked for nearly four years. Maybe it was time to move on. That is not the end of my initial thoughts, though. I had also recently learned that Lifeway publishing was beginning a new seven year series of teaching through the entire bible. I prayed and asked God to give me those seven years, so I could teach the entire Bible through one time before leaving Logan.

After several weeks of pleading to the Lord; In my spirit I knew that the Lord wanted me to stay in Logan and continuing teaching the Bible, and maybe even do more in building up the kingdom of God in Utah. But with the news of my job loss, I did not know how it was going to be possible (Luke 1:37). Then I thought the Lord answered my prayer with an ad, my wife showed me from the local paper working as the new GIS specialist for the city of North Logan. I had no idea what God had in mind, but I need some help fixing up my resume so I asked my supervisor to help me with it. He graciously came to my rescue at the beginning of the month of November.

From my point of view, I got my fixed resume back from my supervisor and sent it off to North Logan City. Nothing happened from my perspective. Two months went by and I had dismissed my chance of getting hired for that job. I forgot about it and in the first week of January I planned to restart really pushing the job market and perhaps bring my gift of teaching to another town, city, or state. I did not know.

Behind the scenes God was acting. After my supervisor had helped me revise my resume, one of his old students came to him and asked him if he knew of anyone looking for a job. The position would be working under him for the Utah National Guard and renewing the nearly 30 year tie that the Guard has had with Utah State University. He was looking for someone with knowledge of GIS and that wanted to work in Logan. My supervisor gave him my resume. Right before Christmas, I had a strange conversation with my supervisor, He asked me how much longer I would need to finish my current projects. I answered him, about three or four weeks. Again from my point of view this was even more troubling. An even greater worry came that I might even be laid off before July.

It was only afterward, that I learned the reason he asked. He knew about this job opening and wanted to know how much longer I would need to finish the work I was doing. (see my posting about Intercession)

So on the first day of work in 2008, My supervisor came to me with the great news that there was a possible job for me at Utah State University. But more details would be coming soon. Soon meaning four weeks later. The same day that I had this conversation with my supervisor, I received a phone call from North Logan City to interview for their GIS position next Tuesday morning.

The strong first winds of this storm had passed for now, but I was only in the eye of this hurricane; much more was to come…

upcoming soon part two. A bump in the Road.

Intercession

God has so many ways to speak to us.  In my search for a new job God has spoken to me again.  It was not a thundering sound from heaven, a visit from a heavenly messenger, or even me being caught up to hear the words.  The message was simple: God so loved the world, He sent his one and only Son, and whoever will believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.  The translation of the message from my circumstance is the many intercessions that God has made, continues to make, and will make for me.

More details coming soon…

What do teeth, carnivals and rain have to do with Easter?

After a full Easter weekend, this question may seem crazy, and will require an answer. The short story, Good Friday-oral surgery for four year old daughter, Saturday-Easter carnival including egg hunt, and Sunday-early morning sunrise service. Trying to combine the three activities in one weekend priceless and not recommended, but rewarding as all three were needed. Another questions may also need an answer, Is being busy a good way to celebrate holidays?

Now for anyone that has a few more minutes read the Long version.

Good Friday.
It was recommended over a year ago that we have some dental work done for our four year old daughter, Danielle, and we finally made arraignments for her to have her teeth fixed and planned to have it done later this month, but there was an opening on Good Friday-I think I know why now, but It sounded great. The sooner the work was done the better. So we went and had the surgery done. Now her teeth have been filled and capped and she has a great smile. Most importantly, her teeth no longer hurt. A small note of God’s wonderful provision in the face of behemoth insurance companies. The insurance would only pay for a certain type of cap and the more expensive yet better suited one would have cost considerably more. I wanted to have the better of the two, but the cost made the option prohibitive-I decided and told the nurse to just have the ones that were covered by insurance put in. Yet I offered a quiet pray to God, and trusted in God to have the dental work be completed to help my daughter. An hour later the dentist came and told us about the surgery and the work he did-When doing the surgery he decided to put in the more expensive ones that were better suited for our daughter and was not going to charge us the difference. God is Amazing and He is in the details. He is in the small things. This small thing made it a good Friday for us.

Saturday.
A three hour Easter carnival and egg hunt for the kids was great fun for them. It was a wonderful community event for us to attend as a family-very tiring for parents, though. One of the local Christian churches-An Assembly of God church-hosted the event and invited the extreme team to come and share the gospel in a powerful way. My wife has some pictures on her web log, Pieceful Creations. In true form those pictures speak a thousands words. So I will let them tell the story. The extreme team used amazing feats of strength to point the crowd to Jesus. I was glad to hear them use the word, “Jesus” more than most Sunday sermons-no offense to our interim pastor. The experience left both the inner glow of Christ in my heart, but also the outward evidence of the other sun-a sun burn.

Sunday.
I awoke around 4:00 AM to the sound of a heavy rain and was worried about the sunrise service that our community was going to have in four hours. In Logan, Utah, a group of Christian congregations host an outdoor, early morning sunrise Easter service. The key words are open air pavilion carved out of the side of a mountain and early as in before the sun peaks over the mountains early. Just to make sure that the rain was real and not part of some unusual dream, I got up and looked out the window-It was raining. I offered a quick prayer and hope that the rain would stop and the sky would clear for the morning service. Next time, I will try to remember the words “warming sunshine” instead of clear sky. A clear sky can still be a cold one…Anyway, the rain continued and I snuggled back into bed. I awoke again around 6:00 AM and it was still raining, I got out of bed and went to the living room window to confirm that it was indeed still raining-It was. I was determined that I was going to go no matter the weather, but I was not going to take my kids or pregnant wife out to catch a cold. So I prayed again. This time more fervently, like when singing one of the up tempo praise songs, the ones were you want to clap your hands and tap your foot. I waited* and the rain slowed and then came to a stop. To confirm that the rain had indeed stopped, I grabbed the kitchen garbage that needed to be taken out anyway and went out to see. I walked to the dumpster tossed the trash in and went back inside. No rain. For me, trust and faith in God require a visual inspection for belief to actually start to cement inside my mind. This was great!

Well great, is relative. Now I had to wake family for a 8:00 AM service. On a normal Sunday we leave the house around 9:15 to arrive at church. There must be something very important about that last hour of sleep. It was not an easy task to get everyone up nor was it easy to explain to three sleepy children, including a four year old, that we would have breakfast after we went to the mountain church, but before we went to regular church. Next time, I will not even make any attempts. I love my wife, but she is not a morning person-She would be the first to admit it. Yet, we all managed to get up and out the door** and with blankets wrapped in plastic bags we arrived on time to a clearing-but cold sky and had a great time of worship and celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the sun broke through the cloudy skies. We later went to a breakfast hosted by our congregation and attended our regular Easter sermon.

As tiring and as difficult as it all was-I probably would not have traded any of those experiences in for the easy way. Now that you have the explanation of the first question, what about being busy. Being busy is an attitude more than the number of actions. Being busy is not a great way to celebrate any holidays or holy days. But, Enjoying friendship and activities is a great way to celebrate every holiday and holy day and I highly recommended it.

* The words “I waited and the rain slowed…” means about 35-40 minutes before anything changed.
**The words “we all managed to get up and out the door…” is a friendly way to explain the frantic hassle of going to any type of family church related activity. Anyone that has a child understands this phrase.

The Super Bowl of Global Warming

I have a habit between 10 A.M. and 1 P.M. on most Fridays. I listen to a voice from the right perspective of world events, Rush. While listening this morning and hearing two unrelated stories, I made an unusual connection that really contrasts the difference between the liberal humanist and the conservative Christian view points. I have yet to resolve or have an understanding of my devout Christian friends that have a more progressive view of the world.

First, the humanist perspective on two stories. Polar bears are being forced to swim a greater distance to play on the icebergs because Americans are driving their cars to much. The poor bears have to use more energy and time to swim between the shrinking ice sheets and floating icebergs. The perspective being we need to help them. Unrelated, the chastisement of super bowl couch potatoes that will just lazily sit back and watch the game and eat snacks. They are advised to get up and exercise more during the game. They need to be more active in their viewing. In summary, we need to help the deprived polar bears be less active and more comfortable, and get the gluten off the coach and be more active for his own good.

Second, my conservative perspective on those stories. Good news the polar bears are going to be more fit and healthy because they need to swim a little more. It will improve and keep them fit and help them to adapt to the ever changing world around them. And again unrelated, great news there is going to be great cause to cheer and celebrate an American pass time getting together with family and friends and enjoy each others company sharing wonderful food. Feasting on both the good company of friends and family, and also great food. For one day ignoring the routine and doing something different and special to break up our sometimes scripted lives. In summary, Nature is changing to help improve the health of polar bears, and celebration helps to relieve the daily stress of routine by overworked Americans.

Just a humorous look at the same two stories from opposing view points, from my perspective one of doom and gloom and misplaced call for action; and the other of relaxing and enjoying life a little more with friends and great food. Both evidence that everyone and everything needs to adapt to an every changing world around us.

By the way, I would like to predict the Bears triumph over the Colts with a score of 34-30. I hope the high calorie dip and salty tortilla chips are ready by game time…