Dogged John

Christmas Carol

2009-11-16T07:30:00.001-08:00

In late September I went into Winco and saw half an aisle dedicated to Christmas decorations. Aside from being irritated by the ugliness of the commercialization of Christ's birth, I was shocked by the reality that it was starting 3 months before the day would actually be celebrated.

So when I heard that 95.7 started playing Christmas tunes a few weeks back, I decided I wouldn't listen to them until after Thanksgiving. The other day, however, I was reading a short book and the author made the comment that we should "abandon anything that isn't of God." I believe it is the Spirit's role to explain to you what isn't of God in your own life. I could make a list for you, but God may be dealing with you differently than me. Our best bet is to square our lives and thoughts with Scripture and see if we're increasing in the fruit of the Spirit. Anyway, in that moment of reading, the Spirit convicted my heart about the time I've been spending in the car listening to inane talk radio and mindless sports shows recently.

Now, I could just turn off the noise and be silent in prayer or talk to the Lord audibly in the car, but honestly that is hard for me. Instead, I tried to think about a radio station that could move my thoughts to the Lord, and the Christmas station came to mind.

Plenty of the songs are fluffy (though even those songs can lead us to the qualities of Christ -- peace, joy, hope). After a few of these, "The Little Drummer Boy" came on. Great Words. Near the end of the song, the "King" (one of the wise men) says of the newborn child, "He will bring us goodness and light."

As I heard that reminder the other day, it made me long for the day when the Child-turned-King will return to judge the earth perfectly. On that day (HIS DAY), He will bring us goodness and light in its fullness. It is our role, as agents of His Kingdom to provide glimpses of that coming fullness in the way we talk, think, act, and relate to the people in our school, work, home, on the road, in the grocery store, etc.

This morning I was again out driving early and flipped on 95.7. What was on?

He will bring us Goodness and Light. Come soon Lord Jesus.

Encouraging Surprise

2009-11-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the many people who replied to yesterday's post with such encouraging words. I hadn't really expected much response, and was very both surprised and grateful for your comments.

Forgive me if I don't reply personally to your notes, but please know that I was blessed by your kindness.

Blogging is good for me to reflect, and hopefully it will bless you too. I'll pray that the Lord uses it for the encouragement of His body.

Blessings on each of you,

John

Just an Update

2009-11-14T19:35:00.001-08:00

After having not blogged for several months, I've been thinking for a few weeks about posting some again. I don't know who might read this, but it struck me that there may still be a few who wonder exactly what has happened in the past year. Even if not, I've found it is good for my own soul to write what is happening in my life as a discipline of reflection. So here goes:

The last many people knew, I was really enjoying substitute teaching in the KSD and RSD. That ended with the school year in June. During the summer I washed windows and had the privilege of tutoring a young man from Kamiakin. In addition to this, I began a program that will result in me receiving a fully-accredited teaching certificate from CWU (probably in early February 2010). I began this school year as a student teacher and just completed my 6th week of teaching 8th grade math all by myself (called a solo). People have asked me if I am enjoying it and the answer is yes -- I enjoy the students. Much of this last year (February through September) I had the opportunity to preach on a weekly basis at a small church in Pasco. I stopped that as I began my student teaching, and I find that I really miss preaching. I am still trying to sort out how my desire to do this, my thoughts on the need to have significant relationships outside the church, and how to earn a living for my family coexist.

In this past year I have felt so many emotions. Highs of joy, anticipation, peace, hope, and confidence have been mixed with lows of fear, sorrow, confusion, hurt and doubt. I find it a bit ironic that as people have told me that I am inspiring to them, many times I feel like I am walking in circles. I'd love to say that this past year has been one of constant growth in my relationship with Jesus, but that's just not true. More accurate is that, in my better moments, I am grateful for the mercies of God which are new every morning.

I still believe God's word to me is Wait. That very clear word was spoken to me over two years ago, and I don't think God has changed that yet. If I come to mind, please pray that I'll wait faithfully, hopefully and contentedly.

2009-03-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

I really am planning to finish my purpose/mission statement thoughts in the upcoming posts, but tonight there was something that came up naturally that I felt was worth relating to you.

Will has just started playing little league baseball, and it is fairly involved. When we first registered we were told that there would be two Saturdays of "try-outs" which would be attended by the coaches of the leagues (think 4 divisions -- A ball, AA, AAA, and majors). When I played as a 9 year old I just got stuck on the Blue Blazers team with a bunch of guys from my neighborhood. Knowing this arrangement about Will's league, however, we prayed that the Lord would place Will on the team that He wanted him on to further the mission of the Kingdom. When we found out his team, we thanked God for moving us to that spot.

Tonight, as we were saying goodnight, I asked Will to pray for the guys on his team and he prayed (earnestly as much as I could tell) that they would KNOW God and not just know about church or things like that. Needless to say I was very heartened.

After the prayer he excitedly shared that another boy on his team told the coach that he'd have to leave early from practice for a church event. And then he asked a huge question that thrilled me, "Dad, do you have to go to church to be a Christian?" I told him that I thought a mark of a Christ-follower was wanting to be with other Christ-followers, but that going to a place on Sunday morning was not the pinnacle of Jesus' plan when He talked about entering His Kingdom. This started a good discussion and Will shared his thoughts on what church could be like (very interesting).

As he shared his comments, I had a flood of my own thoughts and feelings centered around the idea that too often we want to know if we're making an impact immediately. We create measurements and evaluations designed to tell us quickly if things are going as they "should." Under these expectations, one could easily look at my life and qualify it as a failure at this stage since I am not leading/shepherding as many people as I used to, bearing as much emotional/spiritual weight as I have in the past, or even exercising as much responsibility as I've had up to this point in my life. Of course, I've heard it said that Jesus' life was an unqualified failure by many of the metrics that we use today to measure the health and success of our spiritual endeavors.

And with that in mind, what if one of God's biggest purposes for my life is not to have me accomplish anything of measurable significance, but rather to launch my son(s) well to be leaders in the Church of future that will likely be a pretty dark spot. Can I be content with that road, or do I have to be recognized and admired for my personal achievements and accomplishments in the present? This is a great question for me, and one that I am sure I will continue to wrestle with in the days ahead.

Back from the Retreat

2009-03-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've been offline the past few days because I was with my family at Camp Dudley during the weekend. We were at Bethel's Alpha Retreat and my role was to speak at a Saturday session. "How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit" was my topic and I shared, among other things, the thoughts I offered in my last post.

I'm still processing the weekend, but I can tell you that one of my biggest joys in the whole time was the fact that I felt very little (if any at all) need to quantify how God "moved" on the weekend. Instead, I believe my role was to teach truth and trust that God is big enough to accomplish the things He wants -- regardless of whether I saw the "fruit" I expected/hoped/wanted to see. And really, if you look at the Kingdom parables that Jesus teaches, the Kingdom's evidence (fruit) is almost imperceptible in its movement.

And the reality is that over the past few months I've been realizing that the plan I expect to see unfold is rarely the one that God is weaving together. Instead, my call remains the same: be faithful in what is asked and trust Him with the results. Quantifying God's movement is a dangerous game because we reduce Him to our level of understanding and expectation. I pray He is pleased with my attempts at faithfulness and ask Him to continually fill me with His Spirit.

So aren't you broke yet?

2009-03-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I will continue with my thoughts on my life purpose statement, but I wanted to give a quick update on a topic that people seem to often (albeit hesitantly) bring up.

The two sources of income God has given me currently are substitute teaching (in the Richland School District) and speaking to different Christian groups. This week I did not work at subbing either Monday or yesterday. My attitude at this point is that it is a tremendous gift to be able to study on these "unpaid" days. Speaking opportunities have abounded (this is the generosity of God since I've not sought them). I am teaching at Bethel's Alpha retreat this weekend as well as preaching three times, and speaking at a fundraising banquet in the next month. In this, I often recall to mind Deuteronomy 8:18,

"But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today."

A few weeks ago I subbed 4 of 5 days and then I was "out of work" on Wednesday of that week. I must confess that it was a very hard day. I felt directionless and was very worried about our financial picture. In hindsight it seems silly to worry that one single day would sink us financially, but the truth is that the issue was bigger than the one day of no pay. The issue is trust in God's provision. Do I really believe that God, in this spot (where I am SURE He has led us), will really take care of us? I've had to wrestle with that, and it has truthfully been very challenging and humbling at times. Even though God has been so kind, I've struggled. But let me relay a story about God's kindness that has helped me in the past few months when it gets hard. Perhaps it will bless you too if you find yourself in a needy situation.

Last August when I first announced that I would be leaving Bethel staff, I had a man approach me right after the service. He was holding a $20 bill in his hand and explained that the day before he was cutting down tree limbs and clearing the debris from his yard. While hauling branches away, he noticed this money caught in the leaves and wondered why the Lord was giving him $20. Had this been me, I might have gone out to dinner or thought the gift was intended for me. This man, however, went on to say that when I shared about leaving Bethel that he felt the Lord tell him, "Give the money to John and tell him that I will provide all he needs."

We now have that $20 bill stuck on the mirror in our room as a constant reminder that with God, money really does grow on trees.

The Filling of the Spirit

2009-03-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

I resolve to be a mission-minded person, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, whose transforming life demonstrates the good news of the Kingdom of God in the midst of the darkness.

To be empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, we must consider a small, but powerful verse in Ephesians. "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit..." (5:18).

That phrase, "be filled" is fascinating in its nuance. In Greek (like English), verbs have tense (past, present, future, etc.), number (singular or plural), type (command, statement of action, etc.), and all verbs are either active (subject does the action) or passive (subject receives the action). You have to understand this because the nuance of "be filled" relies on the following four truths:

1. It is present or continuous. Understand that a good translation for this phrase could literally read, "be being filled." This means filling isn't a one-time happening. In fact, it likely isn't a monthly, weekly or even daily filling. I've heard that D.L. Moody once said, "I get filled with the Holy Spirit, but I leak [due to sinfulness]." We must seek the filling throughout the day -- continually.

2. It is plural. This means that Paul is writing to everyone. Not simply the really spiritual among the church at Ephesus. This is not only a word for the leadership or the elders of the church. This is a plural verb form meaning, "Everybody (young, old, new believer, long-lived saint, etc.) -- be filled."

3. It is a command. This is a biblical command in the same way that the Ten Commandments were commands. Somehow, however, we've made it so that this command to "be filled" doesn't have quite the urgency of "Do not commit murder." Same emphasis. Same God commanding it. This isn't an optional activity for a Christian.

4. Here's where it gets crazy exciting -- "Be filled" is passive. Again, a passive verb means that the subject (an understood "You" in this case -- "You" be filled) does NOT do the action (filling). In plain words, you do not fill yourself. But wait -- this is a command verb form! How can God command us to "be filled" if we lack the ability to fill ourselves? This is the very thrilling part: God knows that we CANNOT fill ourselves, but He has graciously made provision for our filling through the simple matter of asking for it. In other words, God (the Filler) is ready to fill us to fullness when we simply stop and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

You do not have to earn tokens, brownie points, or act really godly in order to receive filling. You cannot be filled through your own goodness. Interestingly, when Simon the Sorcerer sought to buy the Holy Spirit's power in Acts he was sharply rebuked (Acts 8:18-24). We cannot buy or earn the Spirit. We can only ask for the filling of the Spirit. Without this filling, we lack power to live credible, Kingdom lifestyles. Are you asking for a filling of the Spirit today?

"You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2b)

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:13)

Mission-Minded pt. 2

2009-03-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Another thing that has struck me again recently is the importance of prayer in the life of the mission.

Greg Frizzell, author of Developing a Powerful Prayer Life, suggests that all believers should be fervently praying for the Lord to cultivate in them the fruit of the Spirit. This morning I was walking through each one and asking for the Lord to develop in me an attitude of love (helping me to seek the highest good for my wife and sons), of joy (not just optimism or happiness, but deep-seated, lasting joy), and peace (restfulness and confidence in Christ regardless of the fact that I did not have a paying job today). As a quick aside, I have 5 copies of another Frizzell book that are free for anyone reading this if you'll respond to me and agree to read them or find another good home. The book is about repentance and is titled, "Iceberg Dead Ahead!"

Reinforcing this emphasis on prayer, today I received an update from a friend who serves as a missionary in Germany. Part of his letter included the comment that European missionaries have been visiting India to see how God is rapidly multiplying the church there. They realized the following:

"Indian believers are experiencing an unprecedented movement of God's Spirit, fostered by their commitment to prayer. Many Indian 'missionaries' spend 40 hours a week prayer-walking and God is answering."

How this puts me to shame! I am sure that I speak for many of us that prayer is rarely our first inclination to accomplish the mission. Instead we feel we need to spend much time on preparation, planning, strategy and execution of these plans. I am not saying we should do either/or as God isn't about to bless our laziness, but I believe to accomplish His mission we must become greater people of prayer. Before I seek to "do" the mission, I must spend significant time in prayer for the Lord to go before me on the mission.

Israel's greatest victories were when the Lord fought on behalf of His people and "went before them" to clear out their enemies. May we ask Him to do that with the forces of darkness that stand in opposition to Him.

Mission-Minded

2009-03-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

I resolve to be a mission-minded person, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, whose transforming life demonstrates the good news of the Kingdom of God in the midst of the darkness.

Yesterday I explained my choice of the word "resolve," and today I want to highlight the object of my resolve: to be a mission-minded person. The mission's aim is defined in Matthew 28:19-20 when Jesus says,

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus charges His followers in this mission to make disciples through teaching obedience to His commands. This process, in turn, fulfills the goal of the mission which is to increase the scope of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom isn't a geographical place or a location, but rather it exists in the hearts of people when they act in accordance with His will and commands. God is most glorified when His Kingdom expands by holding greater sway over the hearts of people. Thus, whenever we surrender more control to Him or use our abilities and efforts to encourage others to do the same, we are on the mission. We are mission-minded people who are expanding the Kingdom of God and participating in the central mission in all of history (glorifying God).

Allow me to be eminently practical for a moment. Being a mission-minded person starts with surrendering yourself to the will of Christ. Is there an attitude or action in you right now that the Lord has been asking for you to address and change? If so, your first missional step is to do business with God in that area.

Only then are we able to use our lives to point those around us to Christ. More on that tomorrow, Lord willing.

Preaching Tomorrow

2009-03-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

So I am excited to have the opportunity in Pasco to share with a congregration! This is the third time that I'll speak at the church, and tomorrow I am planning to share the first of a two-part message regarding my resolution (that I think is applicable for all believers).

It reads like this:

I resolve to be a mission-minded person, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, whose transforming life demonstrates the good news of the Kingdom of God in the midst of the darkness.

For the next few days I'll share snatches of what I think this means and why I think that we all need to be running in this direction. I shared many of these thoughts with the Bethel High School students about a year and a half or so ago.

The first point is that we must be resolved. Think unswerving pursuit of something. I liken this to a bloodhound that catches the scent of an intended target and then doggedly pursues the scent until he arrives! Nothing is going to deter him or cause him to turn to the right or the left. Not that I think I've arrived (or may ever in this life), so each day I want to avoid distractions that will sidetrack me from living missionally (more about missional tomorrow). What distractions have I seen in my own life recently? Too much "zoning" on the computer, listening to inane talk radio in the car that really doesn't feed me spiritually, and using my words in a harsh or discouraging manner. These are habits that I am asking the Lord to change in me so that I can doggedly pursue both Him and the mission He has given me on this earth. I am resolved to do this.

For more great reading on this topic, check out Jonathan Edwards' resolutions (70 of them total -- I'm doing well with one). You may not agree with all of them, but they will make you think and perhaps even evaluate your current spiritual condition! You can read them here.

2009-03-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted for nearly 2 months, I don't know if anyone will even read this. However, there have been a few prompts in my life lately that have led me to think I should re-enter the blogging mode.

First, for any interested, let me catch you up to speed with the past two months vocationally:

I have been substitute teaching at Enterprise Middle School all but three days since late January. This means that God has been incredibly faithful to provide finances for our family and given me a real purpose in the days. While there, I have subbed for Art, PE, Math, Science, Language Arts, Home and Family (Home Ec.), Mythology, and Technology -- all grades (6-8). I believe at last count I have subbed for 21 different teachers! I know most names of students in the 6th grade well (where I've taught most often) and often hear some student call out, "Hey Mr. Stone!

I have so many stories from these days that I have recorded in a journal, and perhaps someday they will see the light of day on this blog...

For today, I want to offer an intriguing thought from my personal reading in Daniel. I've always read about Daniel not accepting the King's food and drink and thought that those tasty vittles must have been hard to pass up (it was food fit for a King, you know). However, as I read yesterday, it struck me that the hardest part of not eating and drinking (had I been in that situation) would be giving up the strokes or affirmations that were inherently granted to one so favored to eat the King's food! What strong praise the Babylonians were offering to Daniel -- we think you're so good looking/talented/ smart/impressive, that we want you to eat the King's food! I know how important that would have made me feel.

And then it hit me that I still long to be thought important by those around me. I want people to sit up and take notice that I am wonderful and valuable. And that, while perhaps not being sin inherently, leads quickly to a death spot of longing for fulfillment from man -- not God. That has made me think, and I am asking the Lord for the gift of repentance in this area. It's likely worth considering in whatever spot you find yourself today.

Sand Dollars prove God loves 6 year olds

2009-01-24T21:58:00.001-08:00

We arrived home safely from Cannon Beach today (the weather was snowy, but roads were mostly wet -- not icy). All the way home, however, I knew I wanted to write about what took place last night just before dinner.

Spurred by Jessica's haul of nearly a dozen in-tact sand dollars the day before, our family decided to strike out for Haystack Rock at the lowest tide of the day to look for more of these treasures. We all hunted diligently as we walked, but found very few complete sand dollars. Clay and Will had run ahead of the rest of us and apparently had found two great ones. Reminded of the graciousness of a woman to us a few days before (who had given us a whole sand dollar when we had found none), Will gave one of the two sand dollars he and Clay had found to another person who had none. This warmed my heart to see Will's generosity.

Then I found out Clay was crying because Will had given away the sand dollar HE had found (for the record, I don't believe Will intentionally did this to hurt Clay). Moved by what I assume was the Spirit, I asked Clay if he had forgiven Will (he had) and we prayed and told the Lord that while we wanted to be content with not finding any more, Clay would like to find another whole sand dollar himself.

We started walking back and I was hoping against hope that Clay would be able to find a sand dollar. Hoping and praying during the walk home, it was thrilling to me that Clay found 7 or 8 wholly in-tact sand dollars on the return trip (Joe who was with us also found 1 or 2). What a tremendous blessing to talk with Clay about how the Lord is kind to us and in this case showed Clay and me His power and love through sand dollars. Tomorrow I'll try to post a pic of Clay holding them!

Back to Blogging

2009-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

It is crazy that it has been 3 weeks since I last updated this blog. I hope to write more in the coming days. The past week has been spent in Cannon Beach, OR teaching at Ecola Bible School and it has been a tremendous blessing in several ways:

1. Our whole family is housed in a great little beach cottage and we have many opportunities for family bonding (basketball in the gym, hiking, beach combing, carpet balling, reading books together). I love my family. These family vacation days are never guaranteed, so it is all the more of a blessing when they happen.

2. The weather has been AMAZING here at the beach. No rain, few clouds, and fairly mild temperatures. The high yesterday was only 50, but that was the coldest day so far. I am convinced that there is a big plot among beach residents to fabricate stories of bad coastal weather to keep the year-round population here very small.

3. The students and interns here at Ecola have been eager to learn and very gracious to me and my family this week. I've had several really encouraging conversations with people and just finished one prior to this writing. I love hearing the stories of people.

4. I LOVE teaching. I am built to communicate truth and it blesses and humbles me to have this opportunity this week. I don't know what the future holds, but I am grateful for the present. God's word is so rich and I'm eager to share more about that today.

James 1 says that every good and perfect gift is from above -- originating from the Father of Lights in Whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. I testify that the blessings above are from Him and today I recognize that and celebrate His kindness to me. I live a blessed life.

Chalk another up to God and not John

2008-12-29T21:20:00.001-08:00

So last night we pulled into Albequerque without a reservation at a hotel (our priceline bids failed and we had the travel coupons you can get at truck stops). We were hoping for a good deal at a good place for little money. I realize the adage that "you get what you pay for," but frankly I have so often seen that disproved that I am more surprised when it pans out.

Consider me surprised by our hotel stay last night. It was cheap. In just about every way. The redeeming characteristic might have been that the hotel is located on the Historic Route 66, and was favorably reviewed on the travel sites we visited.

The neighborhood was fairly sketchy and there were many "quirks" associated with the hotel. The first indicator was the complete glass enclosure that the desk clerk was behind while we completed the transaction. The room had several funny parts, and the pool provided a comical incident.

Will was moving around the wall when he suddenly cried out in pain. Being the ever-merciful father I told him to quit exaggerating. He told me that there were jets that shot water out into the pool, but he had come up against a nozzle that sucked water into it and the skin on his back was pulled into it. Sure enough I put my hand over the nozzle and it was pretty strong. I cautioned the other boys to stay away from it, and everything was fine until I got too close. Will was not exaggerating the pain.

So we left Albequerque, but not before pricelining (and failing) to get hotel rooms in Flagstaff or Williams, AZ (near the Grand Canyon). We figured we'd drive on and walk in like we've done so many times. However, when we arrived in Flagstaff there was snow all over and I was getting a little concerned about ice on the side roads. We decided to hop back on the Interstate and get a hotel in Williams where we could stay in a hotel just off the highway (little side-street driving on ice).

25 minutes later we arrive in Williams and go to the hotel that we have the cheap coupon for. There is NO VACANCY (I've never actually seen a hotel completely full). They suggested another hotel in town (NO VACANCY). We went to at least one or two others that both were also completely full. At this point I'm getting really irritated and thinking I've dragged my family all the way out here and we're going to pay through the nose to get a room (if there is even one to be had in this town).

This is when we stopped to pray and ask God to help us find a place to stay for the night. The next place we went into -- rooms available and at a very discount rate! Turns out the room is very nice, the location is really good, and our family realizes we were very blessed by God to give us this place to stay tonight. Chalk up another one that God provided when I was completely unable to come up with anything. He is really kind.

Another opportunity

2008-12-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

Jessica and I have had so many great stories of things that God has provided for us when we needed them. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of resources to pay for things, but we learned from Randy Alcorn's, "The Treasure Principle" that great test of needing something is asking the Lord to provide it for you. If He does, then you have a great story about God's faithfulness. If not, then you can question whether you need it.

"But wait!" you might wonder. Isn't that kind of weird to have the money to buy something and then ask God to give it to you when He has already provided the money? Not at all -- you now have more money to give to Kingdom purposes! Invite Jessica and I over for hot chocolate sometime and we'll regale you with stories about things we've received from God's hand -- tables, furniture, portable dvd player, carS, clothing, and so much more.

So when Jessica and I were together at church last Sunday and a woman came up and introduced us to her husband as the woman (Jessica) who taught her about praying for God to provide things BEFORE going out and purchasing them, and Jessica's husband (no real title) it didn't really surprise me.

I can recall the Spirit talking to me and pointing out the irony of her statement because I knew that I had just made a fairly (for us) major purchase of a new digital camera (without much prayer).

We used to have a very serviceable camera that was handled by someone under the age of 18 in our family and accidentally dropped at Whit's End soda shoppe. Thanks to some handiness by a Denver friend, the camera was fixed and up and running again good as new. It made it through most of our time in Memphis, but recently started acting up again (especially while in DC). We felt that since we're hoping to go to the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest and see friends while driving home, we should have a camera.

So, being the head of my prayerful wife, I immediately did what came naturally to me.

I researched. I scoured the ads for the best deals and checked online specials and coupon codes as well as local camera store options. Then, after much looking and miles of driving, I (having hardly prayed) purchased a camera (including one free all-in-one printer that was part of a great deal). However, when I got it home, I was shocked to learn that my meticulous research had failed to alert me to the GLARING problem that the camera was a different memory format than the cards we currently have (nobody ever introduces us as "Jessica -- the lady who prays about purchases before making them, and her equally amazing husband John -- the fantastic researcher").

Realizing my error, I did the obvious. I went to another store and bought a second camera. So I now have two cameras in my midst and Jessica isn't sure we should have either. I put on my best face and try to explain that #2 really is great. The only problem is that cameras and our family don't always take to one another (we've had several meet untimely demises). I realized that if we bought a camera from a local Memphis store we might have a harder time with the warranty if something happened.

With that in mind, I went to a local store that we also have in Tri-Cities and purchased a third camera (identical to #2). The good news about that purchase is that the Discover Card Fraud Network proved their worthiness when they called our home in Richland to check on several "out of character" purchases at electronic stores. That was heartening.

Along with the camera, I purchased the extended service agreement (often I skip these, but with our history with cameras...). I then took the first two cameras back and we came to feel that our new camera (a slick little Nikon) was a good deal. Perhaps not given by the Lord, but a good find, nonetheless.

Until today when it was dropped and now has a cute little screen that says, "Lens error" when you try to turn it 0n.

So I started looking at the paperwork for our warranty and I realized that we may have to send it off to Nikon for them to look at it before they might send us a new one. If so, that means we have no camera to take on our trip home.

Which means I get a second chance! Pretty cool. I'll try to remember to let you know how it turns out.

Christmas Thoughts

2008-12-25T18:08:00.001-08:00

One of the highlights for me was sitting down with our boys early this morning and asking them to draw a picture of the present they wanted to give Jesus through their actions/attitudes. Joe drew a picture containing himself and his brother being cheerful. Clay drew a picture of himself praying saying he wanted to follow Jesus, and Will wrote the word kind and drew pictures of the family inside the bubbled letters.

I drew a picture of myself stopping to patiently pray rather than yell at my sons when they were arguing or whining.

It was a really good reminder for us this morning and while the truth for little boys is that they are thinking about presents (I was too at their age), we were able to refer back to our "presents for Jesus" throughout the day.

A verse that kept popping into my mind today (it was quoted by someone at our gathering) was, "Every good and perfect gift comes from above -- from the Father of Lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17). On a day when thoughts of gifts received are likely in your mind, may you remember the Source of all good gifts.

Unexpected Delight

2008-12-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to a Christmas Eve service at a church here in Memphis and there was a moment that just really blessed me. At one point in about the middle of the service, there was a portion titled "Kids Carols," and the MC of the evening invited all elementary aged kids to come forward and sing the songs which were printed in the bulletin (Away in a Manger and Go Tell it on the Mountain). Will immediately was game to go up and we were all gung ho to have him join in the other kids who were singing.

He jumped out of his seat, walked down to the front of the building, and stood there a bit awkwardly waiting to be placed in this impromptu choir. As we watched this, it suddenly dawned on us that perhaps this wasn't an impromptu event, but a group of kids who had been practicing for these songs. So there was Will, up front, and aware that he might not be in the right place. I honestly was brainstorming ways that I could inconspicuously walk past several hundred people and relieve him of his situation. My creativity was stymied on this one.

"What will happen?" I wondered. Will he melt down from embarrassment (my likely response at that age)? Will he be angry at us for encouraging him to go? Will he stand there woodenly and distract from the choir? What will this situation bring? I kept surveying the doors of the room in case I needed to attempt a save of my son's dignity.

So what happened? I got to watch Will enthusiastically sing the two songs and was blessed at the unexpected delight that he understood what was happening and sang well anyway. I believe this speaks of some good character formation and strength that is inside of him. I was delighted to see this.

After the service, we talked a bit and I told him how proud I was of him. He kind of laughed and that was the end of it. I asked his permission to blog about it, and he gave it. Tomorrow I'll see if he'd like to read this. I'm very proud of all three of my sons, but was unexpectedly delighted by my oldest tonight. What a great early Christmas gift! Thank you Will, and thank you God for what You're doing in him.

Waiting...6 weeks later

2008-12-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

In early November I raised the question of what does it mean to wait on the Lord and decided to study this somewhat. The other day I received an email asking what I had discovered at this point. It was good for me to put into words what I've been learning and thinking about the past 6 weeks. Here are the two thoughts I wrote in that email:

1. While waiting, I cannot ignore the counsel around me, but those voices are NOT the determining factor of what God has for me. This is a tightrope to walk, because all of my life I have been taught to listen to the counsel of the wise and that is right (it is all over Proverbs). However, in listening so intently for that counsel, I have often neglected to listen for God Himself. The wise are indeed that, and hear from God, but their input is a component of the decision -- not the deciding factor. When a person I respect says something for me, I cannot assume that is God talking. In the past I think I've circumvented waiting by assuming that something someone tells me is the definitive word from God rather than seeking a confirmation from Him personally (through personal peace, the Word, unity with my wife, etc.)

2. Though I'm not far enough into it to say definitively, initially I thought the end of my waiting would come strongly and obviously (e.g. a job offer, a really clear leading). I hoped that the waiting would conclude at a point in time and then I would be able to move on. At this point, I don't think that God typically works that way. Jesus often talks about the Kingdom starting small and imperceptibly -- I think God delights to move that way (I think it takes more faith on our part to keep walking consistently). I would love to have a powerful ending to my story by human standards (great job, personal satisfaction, pleasant situation), but I am expecting at this point that the ending of this story will be much more like a blooming rose than a bee sting. One day I will look back and realize the power of God throughout rather than see it in one fell swoop. I don't think this constitutes any lack of faith on my part -- on the contrary, faith unrewarded in this life is proved all the more significant (see Heb. 11).

The Near Future Plan

2008-12-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in a week and some of that has been a slight malaise that I've felt in the past several days. It's good to try to get my brain thinking right now. If you're trying to keep track of what we're doing, we have made a decision that for the near future God has grabbed our hearts and rooted us in the Tri-Cities. During our time away we have had time to rest and reflect. Our hearts (independently) have been drawn back to the NW.

I realize that this could change, but I think all of our family is eager to return home. What we'll do while there is still up in the air, but I am finding myself eager to see how the Lord will provide for us during this time. I have found myself eager to return to substitute teaching in the public schools and recently I've been contacted with some speaking opportunities. Perhaps the combination will be how the Lord supplies our need.

At this point I still very much feel called to "wait" to watch for the unfolding of the road that the Lord has for me, and that has excitement as well as endurance attached to it. Tomorrow I'll share about an experience I had on Wednesday that was both disappointing and stirring regarding this.

For tonight, I'm thrilled that Jessica and I both feel that the Tri-Cities are the place the Lord is laying on our hearts right now. One of my prayers for us is that we would be united in spirit -- whatever decision we made. God has been very good to us, indeed.

Evidence...

2008-12-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the American History Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the National Gallery of Art. To top it all off we returned to the Natural History Museum where we watched the IMAX movie, "Deep Sea 3D."

It was a really fascinating overview of the relationships between various fish species in the ocean, and the 3-D gave the added thrill of watching the boys reach out to touch the movie every few minutes.

There were so many amazing parts of the ocean that I was previously ignorant about, but one of the final vignettes discussed the spawning of coral (which is a living entity). The movie claimed (and I feel it is verified by respectable data, as you can see text and a video here) that the 8th day after the full moon in August, coral reefs simultaneously release millions of spawn into the sea to germinate and begin new coral reefs. Further, the timing of this event happens yearly with uncanny precision.

The narrators discuss this phenomenon and raise the very real question of how could this unthinking, uncommunicative coral possibly know when to initiate this process. Their answer? Truly this is simply one of nature's ministries.

Yet, how can you possibly watch something like this and not see evidence of a Designer's hand in the process? I was so in awe of the way God has designed this part of creation to show forth His creativity, life-giving nature, and provision. It reminded me that God has not left Himself without a testimony of His presence! If only we have the eyes to see the evidence He has left for us....

Proverb of the Day:

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord (21:30).

Contrasting Styles

2008-12-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture that Jessica shot of the Stone guys just after we rode to the top of the Washington Monument. As our first full day in DC, we had quite a time! Jessica can fill you in on the details at our stonesintransit blog, but I'd like to highlight something that really struck me during the day.

Just as we were walking up to the Monument, we heard all kinds of sirens and saw at least 5 police motorcycles with lights on slowly coming toward us. With excitement, we quickly realized this was some kind of motorcade! Our suspicions were further confirmed as several (5-7 perhaps) black Cadillac Escalades with tinted windows followed the motorcycles and more police in back. Since it was just off Pennsylvania Avenue, we wondered if it was the President himself (we were told it was not because an ambulance is always part of a Presidential motorcade).

Truth be told, I felt it was quite impressive and may have been a bit awestruck at the sight. how cool to watch such an important person moving around DC (whoever they were)!

Yet with all of the impressiveness of that moment, it struck me later as I reflected on that moment that as we get ready to celebrate the entrance of the King Of The Universe, He chose to come with no fanfare or "Wow!" effect. Unnoticed by nearly everyone (except the lower portions of Jewish society and some foreigners), the Savior Of The World made His debut with no shofars or camelcades. He just came. He offered Himself and lived 30 years with no expectation that He was the Son of God from what we can tell. Even when His healings attracted attention, He was quick to downplay their effect.

How easily we love a leader who awes us or impresses us with power and display. Yet Jesus would have none of that. His basis for rule was love and not power. Imagine the implications for us on that one. How many times do I (did I today) rule my sons with stern proclamations of power rather than take time to lovingly correct them (do the words "knock it off" or "STOP IT!" ring a bell with anyone else)?

I need to consider this and ask the Lord to help me be like Him in this. Not awed by power, but compelled by love.

Proverb of the Day:

"Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent (17:28)."

Faith and Pain

2008-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've not posted for a time -- I've been a bit under the weather. To remind you of where we've been, Hebrews 11:6 says:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone that comes to Him must believe that He exists and that is rewards those who diligently seek Him."

Two words that strike me from that verse are faith (which pleases God) and diligence (which He rewards). I believe that they are closely tied as we are most diligent seeking Him when we act in faith.

When is this diligent faith most clearly applied? Isn't it in times of difficulty or hardship? When our lives look bleak and yet we doggedly say that there is hope. When pain shrouds us and we hopefully (even if we don't feel it) remember that a Day of Relief is coming. To be quite personal, when we joblessness and lack of direction seem to choke out the future, I call out to God and assert that I know He has led me this far and I will continue to wait on Him until I hear His voice clearly -- even if the waiting makes me very uncomfortable. I love Wormwood's comment on this in the Screwtape Letters:

"Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do the Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys (47)."

The Proverb of the Day:

"In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge" (14:26).

Just plain fun

2008-12-04T14:29:00.001-08:00

I have been working on a follow up post to yesterday, but I really wanted to brag about my sons. Yesterday, I took them to a woman's house and we raked leaves like crazy! Will worked especially hard both raking and bagging and attitudes were good all around. It was a wonderful opportunity to serve together and I'm hoping we will have more chances to work together in the next 3 weeks.

I'm including pictures for fun -- notice I am working hard at compacting leaf bags.

The Proverb of the Day:

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid (12:1)

Blessings -- from whose view?

2008-12-03T03:43:00.000-08:00

As a follow up to my post on ungodliness...

God gives good gifts. I am convinced of that. Yet, I wonder sometimes if I have a warped sense of the blessings of God in my life? When I am happy, pleased, secure and content then I often comment that I am blessed by God. When my financial picture is rosy, when I have pleasant relationships with those around me, and all of my cars are working well I feel I am blessed by God. But what if God's greatest blessing to me is not found in what I just mentioned, but discovered during times of difficulty? In fact, what if the times of difficulty ARE the blessings themselves? Here are a few thoughts on why ease and comfort may NOT be the blessing of God that we often take them to be:

1. Comfort blunts our longing for the next life (we are to consider ourselves aliens and strangers in this world, but it is hard -- even pointless -- to see that when we are comfortably set up here).

2. Ease of life distracts us from pursuing God wholeheartedly (goodness knows that I know this reality. Currently I find that my jobless position has stirred me to seek God in greater ways than I usually did when I had a stable life. Perhaps this is just a "me" problem, but I would venture to guess it is a universal reality).

3. Prosperity dulls the need for a life of faith (Why do I need to trust God desperately when I can take care of it myself? I have enough money, influence, or resources to accomplish this on my own. I may not even need to call out to God on this one -- I can handle it).

For most of us, we have so much material "blessing" around us that we are insulated from the difficulties of life (read pain and suffering) that God wants to use AS a blessing in our lives (to remind us of our dependence upon Him). A friend told me that Dave Bechtel just preached on suffering and I am going to try to track that down. I am becoming more and more convinced that difficulty is the way that we most clearly see God.

What if the material prosperity we enjoy is not a blessing of God to us? What if it is rather His allowance to give us over to what WE have desired? I'm not saying we should seek pain in some masochistic manner (it will find us quickly enough if we allow it), but if you find yourself in any of the three categories above, I'd gently encourage you to intentionally jettison some of your comfort, ease, or even material resources.

Consider Hebrews 11:6 -- "And without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." Tomorrow I hope to post about the relationship between faith and pain.

By the way, since I'm reading Proverbs, I figured I'd start a Proverb Thought of the Day section:

"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly (14:29)"

Pretty self-explanatory.

CMOM

2008-12-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Stands for the Children's Museum of Memphis and this is where I took the boys this afternoon. This is a museum that we can go to for free because we bought a membership to Richland's local CREHST museum and it has reciprocity for the CMOM! You see a picture of the Will and Clay dressed in paramedic vests and Joe doing his best to imitate a person in need of a stretcher.

As I watched them play together today, at one point there were all in one spot and I was overwhelmed with love for them. Afternoons like this were what I dreamed could happen during this time. I realize that much of my life needs to be spent working and providing for my family, but this is a season when I get to be with them.

I found myself praying for them that they will hunger and thirst for righteousness and that they will be mighty for the Kingdom of Jesus. As you follow us in this next month (and beyond), I would really appreciate your prayers for our sons that they will know Jesus well, and desire to obey Him.

Lately we've been reviewing Proverbs 6:16-19 (especially the second half of v. 19), and I close with this tonight for you to consider in your own life -- it has been convicting to me.

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Living an ungodly life

2008-11-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

A provoking thought was presented to me today through the sermon I heard. You can hear the whole sermon here (just give them a couple of days to post the 11/30 podcast).

The most poignant part for me personally was when the pastor referenced a book by Paul David Tripp (author of a book for parents of teens called Age of Opportunity) called A Quest for More. He cited a chapter entitled "Groanings" in which Tripp paints a picture of a woman who seems to have a wonderful life. She is married to a wonderful husband who has a great job and they have healthy children. They live in a fixed-up farm house that was their dream home. She has wonderful friends who support her and in general just seems to have an idyllic life. She even has a relationship with God and attends a great church regularly.

Tripp goes on to call her ungodly and cites her case in an attempt to "[compel] believers to see beyond the worldly deception of personal achievement, success, materialism, in order to break free from this ungodly fulfillment that is too easily satisfied with a mediocre walk with Christ." Ungodliness is not merely a failure to check the right boxes of holy living, and it is NOT simply a matter of right behavior. Ungodliness creeps in whenever we are satisfied by ANYTHING other than God Himself.

This woman is finding her fulfillment in the wonderful blessings that she has received rather than her relationship with Christ. This is the insidious danger of how we Americans often view the "blessings" we've received. Sadly, it is often these very things which inhibit our view of radical (meaning root -- not extraordinary) fulfillment in God rather than the stuff of this life. I am not advocating masochism or living a life devoid of accepting and embracing these blessings, but I believe most of us in my sphere (including myself) love our blessings more than we love our God. I know I often fall into that trap.

God calls us to a life of faith and trust not in the stuff (physical and immaterial) we have, but in our connection with Him alone. What does this look like? I hope to explore it more tomorrow.

Advent Conspiracy

2008-11-28T05:11:00.000-08:00

This morning, as has been the custom for the past few years, I went out early in search of deals on this "Black Friday." Unlike previous years, however, my single purchase was confined to three pairs of shoes for my sons. We knew we could get a good deal on them, and figured it was worth it to save that money at this point in our lives.

I have to confess that my heart was definitely grabbed by all the "great deals" out there. Laptops for next to nothing (or so it seemed), toys, electronics, and $$ off if you use paypal at this web site. I find that I am still very tied to the stuff of this world as I've felt twinges today of lament for the deals that I didn't get in on. I realize that is sad, but I'm guessing some people can relate.

We're still trying to sort out our thinking on what to give for Christmas and how much to spend. Something that has definitely influenced my thinking this year is the Advent Conspiracy. Before you do too much shopping, I'd encourage you to visit their site and watch the video at the top right of the home page. Like I said, we haven't figured it all out yet, but we're definitely looking at Christmas purchases differently this year.

The Hope of Glory

2008-11-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'd like to start by saying, "Happy Thanksgiving!" to anyone reading this. I hope today is a wonderful day of giving thanks for you. I realize that holidays can be pretty painful for many people for various reasons, and I am asking the Lord to give you joy in the midst of this today.

Last night at our Thanksgiving church service, we prayed a corporate prayer from the Book of Common Prayer that I really appreciated. Here is one excerpt:

We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

However you are feeling today, relish the last reality of that prayer -- as believers in Jesus Christ, we have an immeasurable hope of glory. He has graciously desired to share His glory with us and "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). That glory will one day be fully realized, but even today you share in that glory with Him! May we recall that to mind and thank Him for that regardless of how we feel today.

Happy Day of Giving Thanks to the God who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 1:3).

Answered Prayer

2008-11-25T04:30:00.000-08:00

So much has taken place since the last time I posted! Even so, I want to share something that just happened yesterday. I have been praying for two things while here in Memphis. First, I really wanted to play basketball -- this is a great outlet for me and helps me to exercise. The other day I played two on two and it was good, but yesterday I found a group that regularly plays at the lunch hour (we played four on four half court)! I gave them my email address and they said they would put me on the email distribution list. I really see that as God's hand giving me that opportunity. Most of the guys work for ServiceMaster, and I'm eager to get to know them better.

The second thing I've been praying for is opportunities to speak to people and share through preaching/teaching. I've told the Lord that I don't care how many people it is -- I just really want to share as He determines to give me the opportunity. Before I came, I emailed the pastor of my in-laws church and offered myself to preach if there was need. He wrote a very gracious reply saying there was not really an open time. I was a little disappointed, but all the more determined to ask God to figure it out in His timing (not mine).

Yesterday morning I went my father-in-law to a men's prayer meeting and there were about 10 of us there. I gathered that the flow was usually to eat a breakfast, have someone share, and then prayer at the end. At the end of the morning we were talking and the lead guy asked me if I would be willing to share next week! I didn't have to hesitate because I've been asking the Lord for that (not trying to arrange times for me to speak). He told me that I could pretty much share any week that I wanted while we were here. How exciting is that!

Finally, I was checking my spam folder last night and I received an email that began like this:

Hi John! I hope all is well and that you are having a good fall season. [Our Director] asked me to e-mail you on his behalf to see if you might be interested in speaking at our Alumni Reunion in January. It would be the weekend before you teach at Ecola, so it would involve you coming down a couple of days early - Friday Jan. 16th.

Unsought and unexpected, this is just another sign of the kindness of the Lord toward me and He answers prayer!

Project #1

2008-11-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was a great day on a lot of fronts. Probably the most exciting part of my day was that I embarked on my first project of the trip. My in-laws had some rotten trim at the base of one of the walls of their home. My goal was to replace the rotten trim with new good boards. I started by tearing off the existing trim and realized the rot had gone through to the siding underneath. That meant that we tore off the siding as well and exposed the exterior studs and insulation.

I then made Lowe’s & Home Depot runs for fix-it stuff. Fortunately I only had to make one trip to HD and two to Lowe’s (that has got to be a record for me for the fewest trips for one project). At any rate, I’m nearly done with the job and it is really satisfying to work with my hands.

I didn’t take any pictures before starting the job, but Jessica shot a few of me “in action” (not inaction). The plastic sheeting in the picture was a vapor barrier I put on to cover the insulation behind the siding. The temperature isn’t forecast to rise over 50 degrees until Sunday, so we won’t caulk and paint until then.

Today’s project involves tearing down a fence, cleaning out a flowerbed, and generally getting an area ready for a new fence! Did I mention it feels really good to use my hands? I’m excited even writing about this.

Daily Bread

2008-11-20T03:41:00.000-08:00

Early this morning Joe padded into our room and announced to me that he was scared. I walked him back to his bed, prayed for him, and returned to my room to fall back asleep. After lying there for a while and feeling very little tiredness, however, I realized that perhaps the Lord was asking me to get up and spend time with Him. He is so kind to woo me to spend time with Him.

I spent time reading in Proverbs and while it was good reading, I kept having thoughts race through my mind of wondering how in the world the finances of life will be dealt with. Am I crazy? What is my next step going to be? Should I just go figure out some full-time job? What field? Do we stay in Tri-Cities? What about our sons? Anxiety and suspense were flooding in.

After telling the Lord my concerns and sharing my heart with Him, I picked up C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters (which I've decided to re-read). In the very part I read this morning (chaper VI), Screwtape writes this to Wormwood (keep in mind that the Enemy is God):

There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy. He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.

Your patient will, of course, have picked up the notion that he must submit with patience to the Enemy’s will. What the Enemy means by this is primarily that he should accept with patience the tribulation which has actually been dealt out to him – the present anxiety and suspense. It is about this that he is to say “Thy will be done.” And for the daily task of bearing this that the daily bread will be provided. It is your business to see that the patient never thinks of the present fear as his appointed cross but only of the things he is afraid of.

How timely this word is for me! I believe this dovetails with Luke 9:23 which says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." In an instant, the suspense and anxiety that was spinning my head and choking my heart transformed from fear-producing, paralyzing tools of the enemy into the object of my joy. These are the means by which I have the privilege of taking up my cross this day in order to follow Jesus!

I am sure I am not the only one wrestling with anxiety or suspense about life. Or perhaps you're struggling with some other tribulation. Whatever it is, we can joyfully call on the Giver of Daily Bread to provide us the faith and strength to bear this cross today. What a gloriously reassuring thought.

Meeting Neighbors

2008-11-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

I have been pretty woeful at getting to know my neighbors for the past few years. This is something I've often talked about, but never really done anything significant to change it -- truthfully it has seemed somewhat intimidating and overwhelming (how do you know a whole neighborhood?).

Yesterday, I was wandering around the inside and outside of the house looking for my family. I couldn't find them anywhere and wondered if they had gone out for a walk together. I decided to take a walk and try to find them. As I ambled down the street I thought about how wonderful it was just to have time to slowly walk. Aloud I just thanked God for this season of rest and wondered if this is what Christ felt like as he moved from place to place walking. I also prayed that the Lord would draw the hearts of these people to Himself.

Very exciting to me was when I happened to encounter two of the local neighbors and had short chats with them. This wasn't anything earth-shattering, but as I headed back to the house, I realized that this neighborhood walking is what put me in the place where I could meet people. Furthermore, I can do this same thing at home. Just walking around my neighborhood and praying. This is a habit I hope to form while here in Memphis.

By the way, I finally found the family -- they were in the playhouse in the back yard doing schoolwork!

Waiting

2008-11-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took some time to study the meaning of the phrase "wait on the Lord." As I studied that, however, I decided to expand my search to simply understand the word "wait." Interestingly, many of its uses in the OT refer to people who were "lying in wait" to do harm. Obviously, I don't think God is asking me to harm someone through my waiting, but the priniciple that struck me is that waiting is not simply hanging around watching time elapse.

No, instead waiting seems to be a concept of expectantly watching for the right moment to spring into action. Moreover, prior to "lying in wait," there are likely plans that need to be laid and preparations to be made.

As I thought about the stories of people in the Bible who waited, the Lord brought to mind the story of Saul who failed to wait for Samuel the priest to offer a sacrifice. God had clearly forbidden kings to offer the sacrifice -- it was the priest's job (this actually has some great foreshadowing for the way in which Christ divinely assumes both roles as King AND Priest -- ruling and offering Himself as a sacrifice). You can read about Saul in 1 Samuel 13.

Sadly, Saul chooses not to wait as commanded. At least three factors seem to influence Saul's decision to stop waiting:

1. The time he expected to have to wait (7 days) had passed.
2. People around him were scattering.
3. Philistines were gathering in battle array in front of him.

He had waited "too long"(impatience). People all around were communicating a lack of confidence in him (rejection). Enemies were lining up to assail him (fear). I have no doubt that these same threats (impatience, rejection, and fear) are in store for all who seek to wait for God's timing. My takeaway is to find scripture that addresses each of these three threats and commit them to memory. If you have any good ones I'd love to hear from you on them!

Costly or Carefree?

2008-11-17T12:04:00.001-08:00

I really appreciated the sermon at church yesterday as the pastor was discussing the concept of suffering. As a side note, he pointed out that people in America often look at Christians and dismiss them completely because claiming allegiance with Christ has not really cost the proclaimer anything of substance. Instead, Christianity is merely an added-on title to a life that really doesn't look much different than that of a person who doesn't claim to follow Christ.

I've felt this myself. How often do we (I included) marry Christianity with the American Dream of being free to pursue my dream of happiness, security, and prosperity? I realize much more articulate people are writing about this (see John Piper's writing for one example), but I wanted to weigh in myself.

Where does the message of Christ cost us financially? Where does the message of Christ cost us security? Where does the message of Christ cost us relationally? With our reputations? In our career path? I'm certainly not setting myself up as an example of living costly Christianity, but I am trying to honestly ask these questions as I move along this journey.

Interestingly, just this morning, I opened the local paper and saw a great example of a guy who has embraced the cost. Take a moment to read Bob Sauter's story and ponder what the Lord might be asking of you. I'm praying for insight for me.

I'd love to hear your answer...

2008-11-16T19:13:00.001-08:00

to a question posed to me this morning after the church worship service we attended. Jessica and I saw a gentleman we knew and greeted him after the service ended. In the course of conversation he asked me, "What are you doing these days." I gave him my current standard answer that, "I'm waiting on the Lord." He then looked squarely at me and asked, "What are you doing to be intentional about waiting on God?" I thought that was one of the best questions I've had put to me lately. I have a few thoughts, but do you have any suggestions for me in this? I'm sure that will be a topic for a future post.

The past two Sundays I have found myself really moved during the worship services we've attended. Singing with the congregation today was especially meaningful as several songs helped me to express what my heart feels right now. One was "Everlasting God," and I opened up my bible and just meditated on Isaiah 40:31 (check it out here). The second was an old song that really needs to be sung more. It is called "We will Dance" by David Ruis (here's the song -- though this doesn't do it justice). I love the image of the "glorious bride and the Great Son of Man!" I know that Day is coming and at the rate life flies by, not very long from now.

Faithfully living below our means

2008-11-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

I was thinking a bit more about the finances issue and knew there was one more thing on my heart to share. It burns in my heart to call us as believers in Jesus to live below our means. I won't pretend to lay out some formula that we all need to abide by, but I really hope anyone who is reading this is prayerfully considering how they can better allocate their money resources for the Kingdom. This likely means buying and consuming less, borrowing from and lending to others more (sounds like Acts 2 to me), and denying our "wants." Beyond that, I'll let the Holy Spirit guide you -- please simply consider this!

Do you remember when Jesus and His disciples were in the temple and they were watching people come in and give their money? Many people gave large (likely impressive) sums of money and yet the highlight for Christ was the widow who gave her two mites. Don't overlook why! "They gave out of their surplus, but she gave all she had to live on. She gave out of her poverty."

This has been challenging to me because when I stopped receiving a paycheck, I wanted to stop giving. My natural inclination was to hunker down and try to conserve and save. Yet, here is my chance (more than any other time in my life perhaps) to give like that widow gave. I can cheerfully continue giving because although it will cause my money to "run out," I am convinced that if I get to the point where I have no more then I am that much more dependent on God.

He has never failed me so far, and to the contrary, has been amazingly generous in meeting not only my needs, but many of my wants. Is God calling you to give more? Giving away our money is perhaps the biggest way for Americans to demonstrate a true faith in God because money is often the object of our faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that He is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Oh, that we will be people of faith in God's power, goodness and sufficiency.

Gospel of Grace -- Theology of Enough

2008-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last night after the boys went to bed and while Jessica was updating our other blog, I was reflecting on the trip that we're taking. Initially, I was completely against taking a trip because:

1. I couldn't earn money while on this trip.
2. I couldn't look for a job while on this trip.
3. I knew we'd spend MORE of our savings on this trip than we would if we just stayed home.

Yet, as I thought and prayed more about this possibility, I realized that taking this trip is a way for me to tangibly demonstrate something I've felt and talked about concerning money for several years now. It does not own me -- it is a tool for me to use to advance the Kingdom.

In our culture we really don't talk much about personal finances, and I encourage you to take a moment and think about why we find it so hard to talk about our personal finances with one another. I wonder if it is because finances are so closely tied to our identities in America. I have a hunch that to talk about how much I make (or don't make) is a deeply personal statement about who I am in the minds of most Americans. What do you think? If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear them.

My goal is not to violate that taboo, but I think many people (especially in American evangelicalism) have missed the boat on handling finances with a Kingdom perspective. I really resonate with Shane Claiborne's comment that we need to have a gospel of abundance -- Jesus really blesses us tremendously (spiritually obviously, but also relationally and materially). Yet to balance this gospel of abundance with a theology of enough (my material blessings are not simply intended to raise my standard of living).

I'm not sure any book has impacted my thinking on finances more than Randy Alcorn's, The Treasure Principle. I highly recommend you check out his web site and especially consider reading that book (http://www.epm.org/books/the-treasure-principle.htm)

What is the bottom line on this? There are actually a few things I'd like to share, but the one that is most germane is that I feel that spending money on this trip is a way for me to use the tool of money to impact the lives of my family. As I love them and prioritize them, they see the truth of God's love through me I believe.

Last night Clay, out of the blue, said, "Dad -- do you remember when mom took that picture of us today?" I look at the picture above and think, "Yes, this is investment in the Kingdom."

Hotel pools

2008-11-12T17:20:00.001-08:00

are some of the coolest things in the world when you're a young boy -- or at least my sons seem to think so. So here I am sitting here in the hotel room after playing a great game of Marco Polo with the boys in the hotel pool. We played the version where I was it and once I tagged one boy he was frozen. He could be unfrozen by his brothers and so it was kind of like the never-ending game of Marco Polo. Even so, I really enjoyed spending time with the guys in this way. We laughed a lot and had much fun.

This is part of the joy I have right now in following Jesus -- loving my sons and enjoying time with them. Speaking of which, I'm signing off to do a bit more of that.

Mismatched People

2008-11-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning our family attended Open Door Fellowship Church. Over 1o years ago Jessica and I first found out about this ministry in Denver. They are a wholistic ministry that really seems to wed the spiritual needs of people with their physical needs. As a plan, the church has purchased several houses adjacent to their church building and they have turned them into homes for people in need. One house is for girls living on the street who are trying to get off. Another is for unwed mothers who need support. It really is a phenomenal ministry. If you want to know more, check out www.odmdenver.org

After the experience of worshiping Jesus with this group of people (which was VERY different from our typical Sunday morning), I asked my family to share their impressions of the experience. Will said something very insightful. He said, "People were mismatched." Sensing what he might be saying, but not totally sure, I asked him to elaborate. He said, "Well, people were dressed really differently. Some were really dressed up (suits) and others were people who dressed in pretty raggy clothes." I asked him for any other insights about how people were mismatched and he said skin color, age, and demeanor. I thought that this is likely a great picture of the Kingdom of God.

I am sure that ODF has plenty of issues as a church (they have people in it after all), but I can't help but love the fact that the mismatched group of people reflected the Kingdom to me on Sunday morning.

The true test of loving one another

2008-11-08T22:07:00.001-08:00

We covered nearly 400 miles in the car today and I have decided that perhaps this trip has no other purpose than for God to reveal to me how easily irritated I am. Tonight as I put the boys to bed, I asked them to share about how our attitudes were today. Our latest mantra goes something like this,

Me: "Jesus says that the person who loves Him will..."

Boys: "Keep His commandments."

Me: "And Jesus says, this is my commandment that you..."

Boys: "Love one another."

So I was originally planning to ask the boys to talk about how well they had loved each other (pushing, pinching, stealing, and yelling were all regular parts of our day). I think I figured this piece of pedagogical brilliancy (read rhetorical question) would serve to help them reflect on how poorly they had achieved this command of Jesus throughout the day.

Yet when I went to ask this, it came out something like, "So how do you think Dad did at loving the family today?" Their answers were embarrassing and sad to me. Here is a sampling:

Clay: "You yelled at me (for being loud -- for Pete's sake the kid is 6)."

Will: "You got really mad -- well, not really mad...just kind of...annoyed with us when we did certain bad stuff."

Joe: "You put drops in my eyes."

Granted that last one is actually loving as we seek to eradicate Joe's eye infection, but the first two are pretty pathetic. Before I start challenging any of my family to examine their loving actions toward someone, I heard the message today that I have a long way to go on this one. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I am hoping that the Lord gives me a loving heart so that I can more reflect Jesus to my family and the people around me. We ended tonight with the boys asking Jesus to help dad love more -- their prayers seemed heartfelt and I really want this.

Just don't plan on any long car rides with me for a while until I grow in this area.

So, what's your plan John?

2008-11-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

Many times this question has been asked by gracious people who love me and want to keep me in their prayers. I have felt at times, however, an embarrassment that I really have no solid plan that I can tell to people. In my own mind I've battled feelings that I am foolish, idealistic, or plain stupid for embarking on this road without a plan for knowing where the road is taking me. Especially, people remind me, when I have a family to provide for.

In moments like these, I remind myself of Genesis 12 in order to recall that there is precedent for God calling someone to GO without actually telling them where in the world they were going. Check it out for yourself...God tells Abraham to leave everything familiar to go to a land that "I WILL show you" (emphasis mine). Also, note that when Jesus called His disciples to follow He didn't give them a destination -- only an invitation to become something much more than what they were currently (Fishers of Men). Oh, how I want to become so much more than what I am currently!

A few encouraging outcomes of this time:

1. In my better moments I have a sense of exhilaration that literally God can do ANYTHING with me and my family and send us ANYWHERE He wants right now (this is an adventurous feeling).

2. My prayer life is very conversational with God right now because my life regularly feels so unstable.

3. I am God's adopted son. As corrupt as I am, He still chose to adopt me into His family. That really encourages me.

The Kingdom in Action

2008-10-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

I felt simply awful last night and have felt tired most of today, so I neglected to write my thoughts after yesterday at Enterprise MS. By the way, there is nothing quite like a good bout of the flu to remind me how much I take health for granted. But I digress.

In my last period I showed a video about Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce people. The movie starts with a scene of two Nez Perce men (a young man and his aged father). A settler comes upon them and accuses them of stealing his horses. There is a short interchange as they deny it and he extends his hand as if to say, "Sorry to trouble you." Yet, as he shakes the hand of the older man, he raises his rifle, shoots him in the stomach, and kills him.

Later in the movie that young brave kills the man who killed his father (along with other settlers), and even later the friends of the killed settlers take revenge on the Nez Perce people.

Now, the truth is that the Native American/Anglo-settler conflict is complex and muddy in many ways, but as I watched the movie, I kept thinking about how this was a great picture for the futility of revenge. It made me frustrated to think about how the cycle of revenge kept perpetuating itself and dragging more people down with it!

I realized that this was the message I wanted to highlight -- revenge, though sweet going down, is always bitter in the end. This is truly a kingdom principle. Leave room for God to revenge. Don't take it upon yourself. Who has hurt me recently that I want to take revenge on? Am I currently trying to get back at anybody? Good questions for me to ponder.

Elementary PE

2008-10-27T15:33:00.001-07:00

I was really hoping to get called today by Enterprise Middle School since I had such a good experience there on Friday. However, the call never came and I really wanted to work today. As I looked at the 5-6 job opportunities, the one that grabbed me most was PE at Jefferson Elementary. I like games. I like kids. Sounded like a winner.

And it was. I had classes of 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th graders. We played with the very large parachute and it was fun to get kids excited. I had one boy who was removed from the class for behavior issues (it's hard to manage the behavior issue and keep the class moving well). I also had a girl with a bloody mouth at one point (she lost a loose tooth during the class).

However, overall it was just a great day. How good is the Lord to me? I thought several times that I wanted to bring the Kingdom of Jesus to Jefferson today. I think my call is to go above and beyond what subs would normally be expected to do. When I got done with my PE I went to the office and asked if I could do anything else. They sent me to the library and I shelved books. When my day was done at 2:20, the office woman asked if I could take over for an ill teacher. That was good.

When I left the secretary said she hoped they could have me sub again and that was encouraging. I really hope people see the life of Christ as servant in me. I figure that shows the Kingdom better than just about anything else.

Trusting in God

2008-10-26T21:50:00.001-07:00

What a great day today was. For the past 2 months I have really not taught in any preaching/teaching setting. About two weeks ago a local pastor contacted me and asked if I might be able to preach in his stead while he was away this weekend. As I prayed about it and asked the Lord if He wanted me to teach anything in particular I recalled a message I taught at Bethel in April about the Greatness of God. I sensed the Lord saying, "Tell them how great I Am." That sounded much like the Lord and I really enjoy doing that, so I agreed to preach today.

Before preaching, I attended Bethel's West Pasco campus. I found that the singing time was very stirring to my heart and particularly the song, "I Am Not Skilled to Understand." The part where I sang, "My God He was, my God He is, my God He's always gonna be" was a strong statement from me to the Lord about how I trust in His faithfulness to me in this time. I have seen His faithfulness so many times in the past, see it even now in many ways, and I declare that I know He will be faithful (regardless of how I feel in the future).

So, after that service I drove to the other church and had a chance to meet with that body of believers. I enjoyed meeting them and hearing a bit of their story. After having not taught in 2 months, it was such a joy to have the privilege of speaking the Word to them. Before I spoke, however, we sang some songs. The one just before the scripture reading? "I Am Not Skilled To Understand." Again, it was so good to affirm to the Lord that He has been, is, and will be Faithful. I declare that of Him.

I spoke out of Numbers 20:8-12 as a jump off spot and basically just tried to lift up God and connect His New Testament salvation with the events of the OT. The main themes were:

God CAN be trusted
God REALLY is good
God has my best interest in mind
The God of the NT and OT are the same God

To close the service, the worship leader had picked the hymn (last Tuesday) -- "Like a River Glorious" whose words say, "Those who trust Him fully, find Him fully true. Trusting in Jehovah, hearts are fully blest. Finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest." I felt this was a wonderful capstone of the day for my own heart that God is fully trustworthy in this time (again, regardless of whether my circumstances feel like it or not). I felt highly energized after speaking and am so grateful for God's kindness to me during this time.

John as a Substitute Teacher

2008-10-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today I substitute taught at Enterprise Middle School for 8th grade Language Arts and 7th grade World History. No, I don't have an education degree. Yes, you can sub without one -- it is called an emergency substitute certificate and I am grateful to Kathy Billow for alerting me to this possibility. The funds it supplies combined with the flexibility are really a wonderful combination. I'm still technically on "vacation" from Bethel, but that ends on 10/31 so this is a God-send. It was a little nerve racking at first, but the day went pretty well I believe. I am hoping to sub again on Monday. Tonight I will be at a wedding rehearsal for a wedding that I am officiating, and the couple has a great story about God's goodness and their great obedience. I'm looking forward to that.