What We Learned - Part 3

Last year my wife was reading an article about the economy and what experts called "recession proof careers." She told me that both mental health and clergy where on the list. After my wife's company went bankrupt and she called me, choking back tears, to say that she no longer had a job, we now know that nothing is recession proof and that so called "experts" writing articles may have given themselves their title.

But even more than a lesson on sketchy journalism, my wife and I were reminded of a truth that has endured for thousands of years. There is only one place to find geniune, fail-safe security. As Psalm 144 describes, "The Lord is my loving ally, and my fortress, my tower of safety and rescuer. He is my shield and I take refuge in him." We knew this truth before my wife lost her job and was in a car accident. But it is in the midst of these life changing experiences that God's Word becomes very real.

Up until April 16, we had our life and future mapped out. We had our necessities and more taken care of. If we wanted to go out to eat, we jumped in the car and drove to the food court in the mall (we've always been pretty froogle). Honestly, we didn't have to worry if a check would clear. Yes, we were blessed, but honestly, had probably taken it for granted. More accurately, we unintentionally had assumed the sole responsibility of keeping our family and livelihood secure.

After losing her job, my wife remarked to me that "now we know where we really find our security." This comment was a stark contrast from our thinking a year before when the experts told us our careers made us safe. And as I was reflecting back on our experiences today, I thought that it was only fitting that earlier in April we selected the name for our unborn daughter - Haven. One day, we will share with our little girl about how God reminded us - while she was in the womb - that our safety, security and refuge is really found in Him.

What We Learned - Part 2

After my wife returned from her trip to San Diego a few weeks ago and unpacked, we had some time to chat for a while at home. She told me all about her vaction with her sister, and I let her know all the guy stuff that Jackson and I had fun doing while she was away. Once Jackson was tucked in, I explained to my wife that I wanted us to spend more time together in prayer and devotions. We decided to make 10pm a regular prayer time.

We took turns each night of the week praying for our family, her job, the church and friends. Also, we looked at scripture together and discussed what God was saying to us. It was refreshing and relaxing. Our devotions were challenging and encouraging. And it was exactly what we needed. This was a habit that we had been instilling in our son but had been largely missing as a couple. We knew that getting back to this regular time together was overdue.

What we didn't know was that Candace was going to lose her job at the end of the week and the following week would be in a head on collision while driving home. As I look back, our moments in prayer and scripture were preparation for the coming storm. God was strengthening us and readying our hearts. All too often we run to drop to our knees in order to pray and seek God when life gets out of hand. There is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes we need to run to God and have a wake up call. However, I'm thankful that when our life was tipped upside down, we were already on our knees and prepared to trust in Him.

What We've Learned - Part 1

On Saturday, April 10, my son and I were getting ready for a guys night out at the Qwest Center. With my wife in San Diego, I had tickets to the Gravity Slashers motorcross event. Just before we jumped in the car though I received a disturbing phone call. My Mother-in-law notified me that the local paper was reporting that my wife's company had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a life changing two weeks for us.

My heart sunk with the news. It was unexpected, and I had no way of calming my fears for my wife and our livelihood. I didn't want to call my wife on the last day of her vacation and report that her job was in jeopardy. Instead, I put on a smile and tried my best to enjoy the motorcyles flying through the air.

Upon my wife's return, I let her know the story that was in the paper and the obvious concerns. She called her supervisor and discovered that there was a plan in place to reorganize the company and that her job was safe. Over the next few hours, my wife spent time talking to her family and calming their fears. A few family members had spent the last night losing sleep (like me) and praying.

After talking with them, my wife thought they were worried for nothing. But as we now know, they were praying for a purpose. My wife's job wasn't as safe as she was being told. Our life was about to change and God had people praying ahead of time.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 reminds us, "I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen." God certainly has a plan, but that plan unfolds when we and others seek him in prayer.

One thing we've learned from this experience is that even though we didn't know what was ahead, God did and had people praying for His plan. Thanks to those who prayed in advance!

How much more?

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting two families in out church at the hospital after the birth of two babies. The births happened a day apart and the mothers were sisters, which made these days extra special for them.
As a Pastor, I enjoy visitation and being an encouragement to people. Visitation for a new birth is a little different though. When I walk into that hospital room, there is joy and plenty of encouragement and smiles. Nine months of anticipation and diligent planning has just ended with a life changing moment. I'm just there to congratulate and bless the wonderful new addition.
Now that my wife and I are expecting our second child, the planning and anticipation begins for us. We are dialoguing about names, planning for maternity leave and much more. I recently reflected on the planning and preparation for a new baby along with the planning that God has for us. In the book of Jeremiah, we find that God has great plans for us. "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
That scripture in and of itself is encouraging. But I have also considered the words that Christ used many times to express the great love and power of our Heavenly Father. Jesus loved to use the phrase, "How much more?" For instance, "how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?"
When I think about this phrase in relation to the planning that occurs for expecting moms and dads, I wonder, "how much more is God planning for this child?" This thought is very encouraging and brings a great deal of peace to my heart. So the planning continues, on earth and in heaven.

I'm gonna score!

This Fall my son started competitive soccer in the Under 5 division of Omaha Football Club. I am the Assistant Coach of his team, "The Huskies." It's a great group of boys who are starting to learn and love the game of Soccer. Each week we have a 45 minute training session and a 45 minute 3 vs. 3 game. There are four goals (one on each side of the small field) and no goalies. The ball is continuously put back into play from one corner of the field in order to maximize touches for the players. It's different at first, but the kids catch on and it gives them a lot of experience and fun.
Last week's game was our fourth one and it was against the Punishers. The name of the team was deceiving because they only had three players and two of them had little interest in soccer that day. In fact, one of our players switched jerseys and played for the other team so we didn't have to wait for the coach to convince all 3 to be on the field at the same time. All of my boys wanted to play, but because it was especially muggy that afternoon, all of them were eager to rest and drink Gatorade too. So substitutions were a bit more frequent than what you would see in the World Cup. I guess at 4 & 5 years we have to temper our expectations a bit.
By this game, all of the Huskies had scored at least one goal except for one player; little Braden. Braden is the youngest and smallest player on the team. He tries hard but gets pushed off the ball easy and frustration sets in fast. But last week's game was different. Braden was getting opportunities to dribble and shoot. Finally, after putting one in the net for the Punishers, Braden scored a goal for the Huskies. It was a great moment for Braden and his Mom who feverishly cheers him on during the games.
Towards the end of the game Braden's Dad showed up. And since his Dad hadn't made it to any of the games yet, his Mom made sure to announce this to Braden. I made sure to sub in Braden for the final 5 minutes of play hoping he would get a chance to show off for his Dad. Sure enough, in the last minute of the game, Braden got a hold of the ball at midfield and broke away toward the goal. As he approached the goal, anticipation was building for a perfect scene as Braden's Dad was sitting just a few feet away - prepared to celebrate the moment the ball touched the back of the net. As Braden's Mom yelled, "Shoot Braden! Score!" Braden put his foot behind the ball and struck it well. A little too well though as the ball soared just over the net.
Unlike professional soccer fans who mock players that shank a shot over the goal, all the parents encouraged Braden with a chorus of "good try!" Soon after, the game was over and following the post game handshake with the Punishers (who we punished), the boys scurried to the sideline for Caprisun and fruit snacks - two more things you won't find in professional soccer. I watched as Braden got a hug from his Dad and walked off the field jubilantly with him. I realized the momentary disappointment had passed for Braden and was appropriately overshadowed by the mere presence and support of his Dad.
Reflecting on this later, I realized this was an image worth remembering. So many times in my spiritual journey, I have missed the goal by a mile and then proceeded to alienate myself from God in shame. But over time and because of the promises of grace and forgiveness through Christ, I found that God is still cheering me on. As long as I continue to do my best to love Him and love others, I don't need to dwell on the disappointments. I don't have to hide my head in shame. I can confidently run to the sideline, grab my juice box and smile up at my Heavenly Father. And the best part is that He's already smiling back down at me.

188 mph and still didn't escape

A few weeks back, a motorcyclist in Iowa made a critical decision in his life. While traveling 89 mph in a 55 zone, the cyclist was spotted by an Iowa Patrolman. Instead of pulling over, the man had a not so bright idea. "I'll outrun them." He proceeded to accelerate his Suzuki Hayabusa to the eye-popping speed of 188mph as he swerved between cars, rode the shoulder and used thin dotted line between lanes on I29 to navigate traffic, and in the process, leave the squad cars behind. He thought he could escape. There was one little problem; the plane tracking him above.

The other day I was thinking about how exhilarating and frightening this ride must have been. I'm sure the rush of adrenaline this man experienced was beyond what we could imagine. But I wonder if he ever paused for a second to think how close to death he was? One foreign object on the shoulder, like a semi's tire tread, could send the bike and him out of control. An unexpected lane change from a car - one that was expecting a bike traveling at over 150mph - would spell disaster. Still the rider traveled all the way to Omaha where he thought he had found the perfect hiding spot. Again, he had not outran the plane.

After his arrest, the cyclist acknowledged that had he know that he would have been caught, he would have never tried to escape. Interesting hindsight, yet not very surprising. I doubt many criminals, after being caught, are thrilled with their decision to try and run and have no regrets even though they were unsuccessful.

This motorcyclist reminded me, oddly enough, of myself. Not because I like to ride motorcycles at speeds of 100mph (I've never even ridden a motorcycle). No, the reason this story reminded me of myself is because at one time in my life I tried to outrun God, which I found out is even crazier than trying to outrun an airplane. Following high school, I spent the first 4 years of my life trying to escape God's love for me. I wanted to go my own way and do my own thing. It took a while to realize that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resist or escape God's plan for my life. I knew the truth about His love for me, and once I slowed down and accepted it, I regretted trying to run in the first place (although God has used those 4 years in many great ways).

Some might say, "you're a Pastor, that's different." But it's not. God's love is amazing and enduring for one person as it is to the next. He plays no favorites. He's just looking for the people who are willing to slow down and let Him into their lives. It takes humility, openness and us loving God back. Once that starts, you realize that running wasn't that fun after all.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090806/NEWS01/708069818/0/FRONTPAGE

What did she just say?

I arrived at a local hospital yesterday for lunch with someone, and because it is a busy hospital, finding a parking spot was going to be challenging. I waited for car to leave for a while, but as I was waiting, I saw a front row spot open up so I sped over a couple rows and snatched it up.

As I prepared to exit the vehicle with my Arby's feast in hand, I looked in my side mirror as another car that was circling for a spot drove by. I don't know why I glanced at this moment, but in doing so, I witnessed the other driver's reaction to me getting the spot she had been searching for. Since I am an above average lip reader, I was immediately able to pick up on the word she used to describe me. Obviously I can't repeat this word, but it's safe to say that it's not one that any of us would use around our mother. And, since we were in a hospital parking lot, it should be noted that the word is not used by gynecologists during examinations.

Oddly enough, after uttering this word and driving to the next row, this woman found a spot. I was a few hundred feet ahead of her but wondered if I should slow down and ask her if she really thought that was an accurate description of a person who got the parking spot she wanted and whom she did not know at all. But since I had hot Arby's roast beefs in my hand (of which a friend was waiting on) and I didn't want to risk being beat up by a woman twice my age, I decided to move on to my lunch.

But the incident stayed with me. And did so for a couple of reasons. I was reminded that the words in James 3 - "Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." The tongue is indeed a powerful tool that sometimes becomes a hurtful weapon if we're not careful. This woman didn't see that I read her lips and I doubt she was frustrated enough to say that word to my face. It could be that her day was going poorly or that the stress of her hospital visit got the best of her. I hope that it was just a moment of weakness - we all have them.

This parking lot encounter also reminded me to say "what if" before I get frustrated and lash out at other people in the privacy of my car or elsewhere. It's easy to do. But if I consider the feelings of that person and their reaction to my words if they heard it, then the times I am tempted to be loose with my words - no matter how justified I think I am in calling someone stupid or whatever - I will reconsider and keep my mouth shut. Or better yet, use my words to uplift, encourage or compliment someone. I know, easier said than done. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. It's either that or I start parking really far away in spots that no one wants, which is a more improbable solution.