RUMINATIONS OF A REVEREND

I posted an update in my other blog Full Circle about how God is working in our lives regarding adoption. You can check it out if you like. For this blog, I decided to paste a short fictional story in connection with the passage I'll be preaching out of this Sunday. I hope you enjoy it. “What happened?” screamed Nathanael’s wife. Nathanael was kneeling in front of the stone wash basin scrubbing his hands furiously. Blood tinted the water and rag he was scrubbing with, yet his hands and tattered cloak remained stained. “It was an accident, Miriam.” Nathanael’s voice cracked and shook. His tone and expression begged for mercy and understanding. “I was just chopping some wood, and the axe head––it flew off. . .” Tears streamed down Nathanael’s face cutting their course through the dust and dirt on his cheeks. He turned his head and focused again on the seemingly hopeless task of scouring the stain from his hands and the sorrow from his heart. Miriam rushed to his side and kne

I love my dog. Really. OK, maybe I don't love her, but I like her. Well, maybe that's even stretching it. Let's say I tolerate her and leave it at that. I try to excuse some of her behaviors by the fact that she has a small brain. I even tell her that sometimes and she doesn't seem to mind. She greets me with a wagging tail when I come home, stays out of the kitchen when we eat, and has even learned a few tricks. What amazes me the most is how she desperately wants to be with us (her pack). If we pack up to go somewhere she panics fearing she'll be left behind. If we do leave her at home she can't wait until we return (at least that's how she reacts when we do come back). She just doesn't want to be away from us. Okay so now here's the convicting part. How do I respond to my Savior? Am I eagerly awaiting His return? Do I desperately want to spend time with Him? Do I obey His word? Sadly, there are many times I probably don't act as loyal to Chris

Vacations can be a blessing and a curse for me. I love the opportunity to get away, spend time with my family, and break out from the day to day routine. Yet, therein lies the curse. Part of my routine involves a quiet time of prayer and reading God’s word, and when I’m on vacation that time is “hit and miss” (and frankly more miss than hit). So, I tragically ditch my devotions on vacation. That happened just recently on a short get away to my in-laws property. We enjoyed some family time and I got in a little ice fishing as well (and actually caught some). Unfortunately, I didn’t have my quiet time those two mornings. Now I could give excuses like, “The cabin was too crowded,” or “I didn’t want to be antisocial,” etc. But the fact is that I could have had my quiet time if I chose to. But I didn’t. So what’s the big deal, right? I missed a couple of days. God still loves me; I’m still His child. Why worry about it? Well, when we got in the van to leave Tuesday morning, the

Some of you may have witnessed the historic moment as Shen and Zhao skated to Olympic gold Monday night in Vancouver . They accomplished what no other Chinese figure skating pair had ever accomplished, and they did it under the tutelage of Yao Bin. Yao experienced disgrace as a figure skater back in 1980. The Chinese were infants in the sport at that time and his first pair performance resulted in laughter from the crowd and a last place finish. After that humiliating episode, he determined to transform Chinese pairs figure skating into the best in the world. Last night he fulfilled his dream. Unfortunately, that accomplishment included a high cost. NBC aired a video bio on Yao ’s journey during the figure skating competition. The video vignette mentioned that Yao ’s commitment to transforming Chinese figure skating kept him away from home for years at a time. Yao admitted that he didn’t even recognize his son when he saw him, because he had been gone so long. Yet, he persisted in su

Silly Putty! That's right, it was silly putty. If silly putty had not been invented I don't know where I would be today. Silly putty changed my life. O.K. maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but silly putty did have an impact on me. I cleverly utilized silly putty as a decoy that allowed me to slip my fingers around Christy's for the first time and hold her hand. "Silly" isn't it (pun absolutely intended)? You probably remember the first time you held a girl or boyfriend's hand. A rush of exhilaration coursed through your body. You probably didn't say much, because you were worried if the other person noticed your palm was sweaty. So you just sat there in that phalangelical embrace (I know the phrase won't catch on, but I just had to use it. And in case your wondering, it has nothing to do with angels or evangelicals). Early in dating, every moment with that person thrills you. Everything is new and fresh. You can't wait to spend time with

Alright, I'll do it. I'll give you one of my embarrassing moments as a minister. I can do that now, because my readership of this blog is quite low. So here it is. At my first church I was preparing to begin the adult Sunday School which met up in the sanctuary. It was a small Sanctuary and we would gather together as a class on one side. I stood up and sorted my notes for the class looking out to make sure everyone was ready. Everyone was seated and we were just about ready to start, when one of the older ladies leaned over and whispered to her husband. However, her whisper carried in the small sanctuary and I at least heard it. Whether others did, I don't know. She said to her husband, "Tell pastor his zipper's down." (NOTE to young minister's starting out in the ministry, always check your zipper before going up front to preach, teach, or do a ceremony. Double or triple check if necessary. And if your still paranoid, discretely check while standing behi

Why does God call us to tasks that seem impossible in our current situation? My wife asked a similar question this morning. Like many American families, we have a tight budget and don’t have a lot of wiggle room. The LORD has always provided for our needs and has often blessed us with some extras. We have a very generous congregation that God has also used to bless us in numerous ways including financially. Yet, we still need to keep a pretty tight budget to meet our expenses. Then when those unexpected car repairs, medical expenses, or other needs arise, we find ourselves a little behind budget for that month. Yet, despite our situation, we strongly believe God has called us to adopt internationally. But why does he call us when our current financial situation prohibits us from fulfilling that call? It’s interesting to notice throughout scripture how often God calls people to a mission that in their current situation seems impossible. Think about God’s call to Moses. God cal

“I am your birth mother.” I received an e-mail with those words after about a year of attempting to locate and contact my birth mother. I had been adopted as an infant and never knew my birth parents. I grew up in a wonderful home with loving adoptive parents, but I must admit that my body trembled a little when I read those words. You don’t contact your birth mother in a nonchalant way. Emotions surged within me as I read the e-mail. I had found and successfully contacted the woman who gave me life! I wonder if the Samaritan woman at the well had a similar, or even greater, surge of emotions when Jesus revealed who He was. Remember the context. Jesus, a Jew, engaged this Samaritan woman in conversation, which Jewish men were not supposed to do. After some dialogue and a prophetic revelation about the woman by Jesus, the woman said, “ I know that Messiah is coming, when that One comes, He will declare all things to us . (NASB)” Then Jesus rocked her world. “I AM, the one speaking to yo

"The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman, February 11, in a way that will leave them stunned," declared the Ayatolla Khamenei on Monday to a gathering of Iranian Air Force personnel. What will that "punch" be? That's the question everyone is asking. I wouldn't be surprised if Iran conducted an underground nuclear weapons explosion on that day. Their aggressive enrichment activity seems to indicate they're looking for more than just clean energy. Whatever the punch turns out to be, I find the phrase in which he prefaces his threat intriguing. He cites God's grace as the empowering agent to carry out this act that will "punch the arrogance." Scripture does say that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, but I have seen little of what I would call humility out of Iran. And I admit that America doesn't demonstrate a great deal of humility either. B

“And the LORD said…” It sounds so clear and matter of fact in the Old Testament, but what if you felt that phrase ended with your name? What if the LORD’s voice challenged you to do something specific? That’s where I believe I find myself. I feel the LORD has challenged me and my family to provide a family for an international orphan through adoption. You might say we’ve been challenged to take Hebron, a fortified city defended by giants. Those of you who have been listening to my sermons know where I’m coming from. For the rest of you, you can read the story of Caleb in Joshua 14 or listen to my sermon online ( http://www.riversideefc.com/ -listen to the sermon “Courageous Faith”). Caleb believed in a God who could overcome any obstacle, even a well-fortified city inhabited by giants. He refused to allow obstacles thwart him from God’s calling. Adoption lies close to my heart, because I was adopted. For years, I have desired to bless a child with a family even as I had been blessed. T