Month: May 2009

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Vanillaroma

I’m sitting in my truck waiting for the DMV to open so I can take my cycle endorsement test. I got here way too early and now I’m bored. But in my boredom I noticed something hanging from my turn-signal…a yellow pine tree vanilla air freshner.

I wonder how long it’s been there? And I wonder if it is still effectively doing it’s job?

It makes me ask the question of my own life: how effective am I at giving off the aroma of Christ? Am I just hanging around having long lost my freshness for evangelism and passionate worship?

Or, worse yet, have I gone the other way in absorbing the world’s fragrance and didn’t even notice it until now?

Questions.

How effective are you at bringing the aroma of Jesus to your world? What are you doing to stay fresh in the Lord?

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The Lord is…

King David’s Song of Praise in 2 Samuel 22 is huge. Following the deliverance from the hands of all his enemies he pens an amazing worship tune.  He declares a number of key attributes of the Lord that I always want to be in my heart and mind.  From verses 2 and 3 alone I discover 8 massive traits of God.

The Lord is…

1.  My Rock

2.  My Fortress

3.  My Deliverer

4.  My Shield

5.  My Strength

6.  My Stronghold

7.  My Refuge

8. My Savior

These 8 aspects of the fortitude of the Lord are bedrock to who I am and where I go when I’m hurting or in need. God is all that and so much more for me.  Thank you Lord.

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The Gospel According to Star Trek

…to boldy go where no one has gone before…”

Those are the words I heard last night around midnight at the Lancaster Cinemas during the premiere of the new Star Trek flick. 

Am I a “Trekkie?” Nah. Do I have pointy ears? Hope not. But I have grown up with James T. Kirk, Scottie, Spock and Bones and have come to love an entertaining episode or movie from the Starfleet of the USSEnterprise. Now, I’m talking about ‘ol school Star Trek…not that Next Generation junk. 

When I heard those famed words last night I was a bit moved. Not because they came from the mouth of the aging Leonard Nimoy, but because those words have always inspired me for ministry in the Kingdom of God. The final frontier is not some newly discovered galaxy or space-time continuum for me. The final frontier represents all the people that have yet to say YES to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There are many that have still not had their eternity secured. There are those that have no understanding of what Jesus did for them. There are many on our planet that still haven’t heard the truth of the Gospel. That’s why I keep doing what I’m doing. That’s why I want to plant churches and satellite campuses. That’s why I’m willing and ready to add more services to my already busy weekends. That’s why I want to disciple fully functioning God-followers that are a blessing within their sphere of influence. That’s why I keep going and going and going…boldy reaching and touching with the life and love of Jesus.

I want to always move forward with courage and conviction, always changing and always growing. There are new frontiers to be discovered and more to reach for the Lord. I can never be satisfied with where I have been. Grateful? Yes. Satisfied? Nope. Like the Apostle Paul, I want to “strain towards what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). 

Are you boldly going? Are you looking for new frontiers of Kingdom ministry? I encourage you nurture a heart and vision for what opportunities are all around you – there is much to do for the Kingdom of God. Whether the stories of your voyages are ever told or not, be faithful to go where no one has gone before…in Jesus’ name!

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The Mystery of God’s Will

God’s will is such a mystery. Who can ever fully understand it? Who can truly wrap their arms (or minds) around the greatness of His will or see completely everything that is contained within His heart? In our humanness, we certainly can not. God is sovereign and we are not. God is all-knowing and we are not. God has perspective that is limitless whereas we have boundaries and limited scope.

Ephesians 1:10 in the Bible confirms this: “With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment – to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under Christ.”

Wait a moment…this passage seems to indicate that even though God’s will is a mystery it is something we can know. God’s will is defined by His character and nothing that happens will erode the character of God nor contradict His heart. God’s will is directly attached to his heart and His heart is most clearly seen in His Son Jesus. 

If you are trying to discover the will of God for your life, business, marriage or relationships then seek Jesus. Ask Him. Talk to Jesus today. He wants to reveal the heart and will of His Father to those He loves – and that is YOU.