R & R

I spent the day hanging with my boys. We slept in, I cooked breakfast and we watched a cartoon together. I read from the Book of Jonah, and we prayed together. Lots of fun! We drove in to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and ate lunch at New Orleans Cafeteria. We had BBQ sandwiches, and a malt. We swam in the seminary's salt water pool. I loved spending time with my boys, they are truly wonderful young boys. They are different, yet similar in many ways.

Tonight Corban has his final regular season t-ball game, which I help coach. After the game we will have team and individual pictures. I needed this day to recuperate. It's important for us to set aside time to have fun in life especially with our children while they are young. I'm learning to cherish the daily moments of life and not focus on the "big thing" God has called me to do. Thank God for special moments with loved ones.

A Crucified Life

I had a dream a couple of nights ago. I was standing next to Jesus, and a cross. He told me to pick up the cross, which I did. I began to carry the cross. I carried the cross to a certain point on a road. Jesus asked me to stop. In the dream he handed me two nails and a hammer. He told me to take the nails and drive one nail in each of my hands. The he said to me "crucify yourself." In the dream I remember thinking this can't be happening to me there is no way I can actually do this. Jesus encourage me by saying he would be there to help me. I did not want to die. I did not want to hurt myself, but I obeyed. I took the first nail and placed the nail in my left hand. I literally felt the point of the nail. As soon as the nail touched my hand, I was struck with paralyzing fear. The fear was the fear of pain. I realized I was about to inflict bodliy harm to my person. The thought of inflicting pain on myself was overwhelming. I began to cry. I started weeping, and with a single blow I drove the nail into my left hand. The pain shot throughout my body. I agonized in pain. The pain literally took my by breath away. Somehow I was able to take the second nail and I drove the nail into my right hand. Jesus then asked me to get up and go a little farther on the road with him. As I walked the pain intensified, blood ran down my arms, tears streamed down my face and I felt like I was dying. My arms were stretched out wide from one tip of the cross beam to the other. The entire cross lay directly on my back. I felt the weight of the cross. It was as if Jesus was allowing me to feel some of the suffering he endured when he carried his cross for the sins of mankind. Jesus and I arrived at another point on the journey. He handed me another nail and a hammer. He told me to drive the nail into my feet. I shouted to Jesus I can't do this. The pain is to much for me to bear. I'm going to die, I can't drive this nail into my feet. I can't suffer anymore. Suddenly Jesus said to me "you don't have to drive the nail into your feet." He continued and said "you don't have to drive the nail because me feet have already been pierced for you." I awoke the next morning, but did not recall the dream until later in the day. I realized that as a Christian we are called by God to "deny our self, take up our cross and follow" Jesus on a daily basis. One of the messages I took from the dream was how God has called us to identify and actually "crucify" ourselves. We have to put to death our old nature, the part of us that is not regenerated. This part of our being never receives salvation. It seemed that Jesus was saying that I am a partner in his death. There is a sense of my involvement in his crucifixion. It was my sin, and it was your sin that nailed Jesus to the cross. It was the sins of the world that Jesus took upon himself. Jesus wants a crucified life from his followers. God truly shouts to us through pain. He shouts the words "I love you." God's perspective on suffering is diametrically opposed to the way we think. We see suffering and pain as a bad experience. God looks and sees suffering and pain as a tool that He uses to perfect the image of His Son in the life of a Believer. Is God allowing pain and suffering in your life? What is God saying to you today about the pain in your life? If you listen you just might hear Him say those amazing words "I love you."

Sometimes God Speaks Through Pain

Recently I have been walking, sometimes literally crawling, through a difficult time in my life. I have a herniated disc in my lower back, which has been a very painful experience. For the last 3 weeks I've had numbness and acute pain in my left leg too. After x-rays, MRI's, anti-inflammatory medication, ice, heat and chiropractic adjustments, I'm finally starting to get some relief.



I've been preaching a new series at church entitled, "When Love Comes to Town." The main premise of the series is the Greatest Commandment Jesus spoke about, which is to love God with every part of our being and to love our neighbor as ourself. Have you ever heard of the expression God speaks to us in His silence, but He shouts to us in our pain. Well that is exactly what happened to me. God "shouted" to me in my pain through His Word. He said "as the Father has loved the son, so have I loved you." WOW! Have you ever stopped to think about God's love for you? Sometimes God allows events to come into our lives to show His glory. As I sat in my office Saturday night making the final preparations for Sunday, God "shouted!" He loves you and I in our pain, in our frailties, in our insecurities, in our fears, in our doubts, and in times when we don't feel worthy of being loved. God loves us even when we are in open sin. He loves us enough to not let us stay the way we were. Let God love you too, His heart yearns for you to invite Him into the pain of your life.

Attitude Adjustment

This is my first blog entry! I pushed back the blogging "forces" for as long as I could, so I have finally yielded and have officially become a blogger. At first I saw blogging as just one more piece of communication that I would have to manage. My attitude was wrong. I needed to have my thinking adjusted to see the wonderful possibilities and benefits of blogging. One obstacle that I had to overcome was the idea that blogging is a form of narcissism. I thought who in their right mind would want to read about my daily life? Then I realized that this is a great tool to express myself and connect with people on a different level. We all need to have our attitudes adjusted at times, whether it is about our perspective on technology, family, virtues, faith or current world events. Thank God he is in the business of transformation. I'm looking forward to working blogging into my disciplines.