Free Fall III...Shouts of Enthusiasm

When I was about 12 years old, I can remember my brother and I climbing the stairs of a look-out tower in Eureka Springs.  This was by no means a marvel of the modern engineering world...more like a big tree house.  But for two brothers who are gravely afraid of heights, you'd have thought we were climbing the sears tower with no harness.  A whopping 20 feet off the ground in this rickety stair case that seemed to sway 15 foot each way with the most gentle breeze, my 16 year old brother and myself are on bended knee...glued to the floor of this tower.  At the rate of about 30 seconds per stair, we carefully descended back to earth until we were safe and sound on solid ground.  With a deep breath and a sigh, we were free to give shouts of enthusiasm.

With two children and all that goes with raising a family, Shelli proceeded to give up the job which God has used to support our family and ministry for nearly five years.  Believing that God had spoken, we had no other option...literally, at that point we had no other options!  If we had mistaken something lesser like feelings or emotions for the greater call of God, it would show itself for what it was...at our expense.

So the free fall began...

Options began to line up for how we might support our finances and family.  With all my know how and  creativity, we began to imagine how I as "head of household" might be able to pull this off.  I came up with a great option that combined all current aspects of life together into a plan that worked financially (on paper) only to realize that as God provided the means for my wife to be at home with the kiddos, I had committed myself to work endless hours away from them.  This is where Phil 4:6-7, Prov 2:8, and Eph 3:20 were repeatedly read and prayed back to God on an hourly basis (by Shelli and myself) so that "I" didn't take down our family with human wisdom and reasoning (1 Corinthians 3:19, Prov 16:9).

I understand now why most videos of cliff jumpers is a silent film until the parachute opens or they are safely on ground...fear shuts mouths.  I am thrilled to say that the fear of gravity did not win but that God is BIGGER than my uncertainty.  One week after Shelli's career change, I received a random call from Sharon Baptist Church in Benton.  After much prayer and a thorough interview process, I  am thrilled to say that I will be the next student pastor for this wonderful church family.  God has not only granted my wife the desires of her heart to be with our children, but has done the same for me by allowing me to give my life to disciple students and young families in Christ.

Allow me to give shouts of enthusiasm for my God!  He is the Solid Rock we desire in times we feel like we are falling.  Before I leave you, allow me to remind us of a couple things God's Word tells us...

God is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than what we could dream!  Ephesians 3:20.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he WILL give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

Free Fall...A Fear of Gravity

Heights is not the reason that I don't base jump or sky dive...gravity is.  "Gravity is an attractive force between two objects."  We've all heard that the bigger they are the harder they fall...that's not exactly right, it's not size that affects gravity but weight.  I don't jump off cliffs because I weigh enough that it would kill me to fall!   


So in life and God calling my family to make a radical change that involves jumping without a back up chute, it would be no big deal if not for the WEIGHT of the calling.  This is our family, finances, and existence we are giving up and if we FALL we FAIL.  
     
After gazing over the cliff for a few days, knowing we had to move, Shelli and I believed God had spoken and took the leap.  With no security and no plan, our family once again experiences the sensation of free falling because of a leap of faith.  I've come to the conclusion that if we desire to experience the exhilarating thrill of landing, we must overcome the fearful sensation of the free fall.  As one who knows the thrill of standing on Solid Rock, I refuse to let a fear of gravity keep me out of the game.


We've all seen those action movie scenes where sky divers are frantically working at their chutes or grabbing for the guy next to them...typically messing up everyone else's chance for survival as well.  This is me!  When I jump for God, I jump BIG!  But then I become so anxious on in the 28 second free fall, that I grasp for everything around me.  Maybe I didn't know it would take so long to find solid ground or felt like I was falling to fast?  Whatever the case...here are some verses that kept me from taking down my family and friends while Shelli resigned from her job and my career's future was unknown to say the least.


Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


Ephesians 3:20, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory...throughout all generations.


Proverbs 2:8, ...for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.


Men...we MUST lead our families into these leaps of faith based only on Scripture.  If you can't support it Biblically, you can't lead Biblically.


Families...the free fall sensation cannot be experienced alone.  Both of you WILL need the strength and wisdom of the other at any given time...it's nearly impossible to regain composure mid air once you're upside down, turned around, and falling fast without help.


To be continued...

Free Fall

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go9uekKOcKM

28 seconds of free fall!  You notice that no one gave a shout of enthusiasm until the chute was completely open and the feel of the fall was over.  There is something about jumping off the edge and giving up all control...but it's not worthy of celebration until you've been safely brought back to ground.  For a while you are silenced by fear...but this is followed by shouts of enthusiasm.

I've purposely not posted a blog in the past couple of months because my family and myself have be in the midst of the free fall...it is only now that God has planted our feet on ground and we will rejoice with shouts of enthusiasm.  Allow me to shout for my God!

It was about two months ago, when Shelli was on maternity leave (after having Brandt) and about to head back to work, that she received a call that would require our family to take the first step off the cliff.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the past five years of our life and ministry, God has used the stability of Shelli's career to allow me to pursue an education as well as serve in ministry roles that haven't always gone very far when paying the bills.  In fact, it was an act of God that provided her job through a miraculous answered prayer (different story, different day).  But now, one week prior to returning to work, Shelli received a call from her employer asking if she would make a decision to work more hours or resign to allow for a person who could work more.  As was the scene in the video, where the camera looks over the edge and you got dizzy just thinking about it...that was us.

My wife knew already in her heart that God had not called her to be the career woman, but that her greater role at this stage in life was to focus on our family.  The problem lied in the fact that my income was minimal and there was no sight of that changing in the near future.  Basically, the cliff was high and our chute was small.

To be continued...

from God to me.

Occasionally there are seasons of life that completely show how small my faith just is...this is that season.  After searching God's will for the answer to my question I still found myself anxious and without the peace that Paul promises me in Jesus (Phil 4:6-7).  So here's the message from God, to me.

You know how you spend a summer day working outside and for some reason you neglected to bring a water cooler?  Yeah, that's how I felt the other day when I was going through a great search for God's will in my life and didn't bother to read His Word all day.  Dying of thirst, I finally dove into my Bible at 8:30 that evening and I was lapping up the words like my dog in the water bowl after a long summer walk.  This sounds great and all but for those of you who have children, you know that babies never let you be productive for long without interrupting.  It was just getting good when my two month old, Brandt, broke into song (crying).  Despite my usually calm and patient manner (sarcasm intended here), I grew frustrated that my son wouldn't allow me the peace and quiet to do the very thing I should have done hours ago.  In the midst of frustration I boldly asked Brandt, "Life's not that hard!  Can't you just be content and sit still for a minute?!"

Like an overwhelming thirst quenching flood, God gave me the word I so desperately needed.  "Life's not that hard...be content and sit still for a minute while I do what I've got to do."

Small...but by no means least.

Arkansas population ranks #33 out of 56 states. (Where the hay did 56 come from?)

Arkansas…though you are small some notable people came from you.

-         Johnny Cash

-         Bill Clinton

-         Paul “Bear” Bryant

Cash, Clinton, and Bear!…Arkansas, you may be small but are by no means least!

But you, Bethlehem…though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.  Micah 5:2 (approx. 700BC)

But you, Bethlehem…are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.  Matthew 2:6

The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem put them on the map so to say...small in size but great in significance.

-         How many reasons do we use to justify our insignificant view of our life?

-         I’m this or I’m that, I’m only so and so…It's not like I'm so and so, I'm just me.  :(

Try seeing yourself through this today instead…

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory  Ephesians 1:3, 13

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church (all believers!) to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.  3:10-11

     Jesus’ residence in your life changes an insignificant existence into significant…for today, through faith, in you lives King Jesus, the Babe of Christmas.

Lessons from Mary

Did you ever notice how excited the angel was when telling Mary that life as she knew it was over?  (Luke 1:28)

GREETINGS, YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED!  THE LORD IS WITH YOU!

And He’s about to flip your world upside down!

This maybe a different side of the story that you’ve never considered…

-         but it seems as if the angel is either insensitive to Mary’s feelings

-         or knows something that far outweighs the loss Mary will experience

Either way, Mary’s world is shaken and emotions had to run wild…she probably went to Ehow.com to find out "how to hold back the tears."

 "We've all been in a situation where we suddenly feel compelled to cry. Your breathing intensifies, your heart sinks and water is welling your eyes. But no matter the reason why you want to cry, sometimes it's just not an opportune time. Here are some tips on how to hold back tears."

1.      Pinch yourself on your inner thigh.  By pinching yourself, you are moving the focus of your body's pain to another location.  Just don't pinch so hard that you leave a bruise!

2.      Hold your breath. If you concentrate on your breathing, you can literally stop those tears from flowing.

3.      Bite your lower lip. Like pinching, this re-focuses your body's attention.

4.      Let out a ferocious yell.  One way to release those negative emotions is to give a good scream. Excuse yourself from the situation and let it out in private. You'll feel much better.

5.      Start laughing. By forcing yourself to release that sorrow in another form, you'll hold back the tears. However, note that this might not always be the most appropriate action.

Mary was obviously dissatisfied with Ehow.com and instead placed all her emotions into worshiping God in song…

And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord…”  (Luke 1:46)

In life’s most overwhelming moments, the greatest good we can do to minimize our trouble is to glorify our Lord.

Biblical Salvation

The majority of American's consider themselves Christian...

Many professing Christians think God awards "I'm pretty good" with heaven.

The more I engage people in the Biblical Salvation conversation, the more I realize that many professing Christians are unsaved and have no concept of what Jesus has done.

For those of you who are saved from sin by the blood of Christ...it's time to share the gospel of the Bible with the world.

Here's how...

• Everyone is separated from the Creator of this world because we've chose our way of of life instead of the life God planned, being "pretty good" has never and will never cut it in the eyes of God.  (Romans 3:10, Isaiah 59:2)
• EVERYONE IS GUILTY. (Romans 3:23)
• God never gave up on us!  Jesus took my guilt upon His cross to bring healing to my relationship with God.  (Romans 5:8)
• Jesus died because unlike we want to think, sin is no small problem but it cost us everything.  The payment for sin is death...physical, spiritual, and eternal death in hell...the gift of Jesus is fullness of life now and forever in Heaven. (Romans 6:23)
• Salvation from Jesus is a gift...to accept it all we must do is confess my sinfulness, believe that the Son of God is the One who died and rose again defeats the sin problem in my life, and ask Jesus to be the new leader of my life!  (Romans 10:9-10)
• There is no limit on forgiveness.  No matter what your past looks like, your future can include salvation through the forgiveness of Jesus.  EVERYONE can be saved!  (Romans 10:13)

I spent way too many years refusing to take the gospel of Jesus into the streets, making myself feel better by thinking everyone around here already knows...fact is, they don't.  We've got to quit assuming our neighbor already knows, quit waiting on someone else to share it, and start giving everyone the simple opportunity that everyone deserves...to say yes or no to Biblical salvation.