Missing Your Wife's Wedding Because You're Dead

Nabal hated everything.  Nothing was good enough.  He wanted more money, stuff, power, and friends.  He was selfish, bitter, and very angry.  He was also an extremely good businessman, who was amazing at what he did, and everyone loved him to his face.

Then he died.

I wonder if he was so bitter because his mom named him Nabal?

Nabal was a guy in a small story in 1 Samuel 25.  He plays opposite of David, and is really just a footnote in the whole story.  He definitely isn't the main character, David is.  Nabal's wife Abigail plays a much larger part that Nabal himself does.  But he is fascinating just the same.  The Bible describes him as very, very rich.  He is the wealthiest guy in the whole area.  His wife is beautiful and smart.  He owns lots of land, and tons of stuff.  He's got it all.

Only, his name means "fool", and he lives up to his name.  David sends some men to ask him for help.  David and his crew of soldiers have been unofficially guarding Nabal's shepherds and sheep for him for a while, and David asks for some help in the way of food.  Nabal has it, and could have been an amazing part of God's story in David's life.  Unfortunately, Nabal has lived a life where he can't see past himself and his own wants, and he tells David to get lost.

So, David decides to kill him and all of his men.  He's on his way to do it, when Nabal's wife Abigail comes out to meet him with the food David asked for.  She averts her husband's destruction, and goes back home.  Nabal is having a huge party, and is drunk.  The next day, when she tells him what she did, he gets so mad that he "becomes likes stone".  He is so mad, he has a stroke.  Nabal dies a few days later.

Abigail marries David.

Nabal lies in the dirt, cold.

Wow.  That's a tough story.  How often do we make the small decisions Nabal made, to be selfish, to worry about ourselves, our own stuff, what we want, and ignore what God is doing in front of us?  How many times has your or my selfishness caused us to miss an opportunity to be a part of God's bigger story?  Nabal could have been a hero to David.  Instead, he died.

What decisions will you or I make today to step into God's plans and let go of what we want instead?  It's definitely better than the alternative.

Maybe Your Boxes Are Keeping Him Out, Not In

The Bible always amazes me, because it tells on itself.  I've talked about this before, but I'm still caught off guard by it.  Today, I read the book of Ruth.  If you aren't familiar with it, go read it instead of reading this.  It's only four chapters, and won't take long.

The story is a story of faithfulness, grace, hope, and redemption.  Ruth is the star of the story.  The kicker is, she is not a Hebrew.  She is a gentile.  It's not God's people who do what is right in the story, but someone who doesn't know God very well.  She even calls God "your God" when she talks to her mother in law, who is from Israel.  So, we have a story of a girl who is faithful to a God she barely knows.

The whole story happens during the time of the judges, when there was no king, and Israel was running around like a drunk, evil college fraternity house.  It was anarchy, and so very, very not God focused during that time.

So, do you see this then?  Ruth, not a Hebrew, does what is right, during a time when God's chosen people who knew better, are not doing what is right.  God doesn't even have a voice in the story.  He is mentioned, but doesn't play a direct role.

So, what do we learn about God?  He doesn't fit in our boxes, He doesn't play by our rules, and He doesn't act in the way we think He should.  This begs the question, then, when was the last time God surprised you with something He calls you to, or something He does, that doesn't fit the stereotype you have for Him?  If He isn't surprising you, could it be that you are not actually listening?  Could our boxes we keep God in, actually be keeping Him out of our lives?

It's worth asking.

God is NOT Your Ex-Boyfriend

I'm reading in Numbers and have hit chapter 13 where God sends the 12 spies into the Promised Land to check it out.  They come back with good news (It's amazing and God has kept His promise.  There is food and land and a ton more!) and bad news (The people living there right now are giants and they will destroy us.)

Except Joshua and Caleb.  They came back with just good news.  The people didn't scare them.

While this story has been taught a million times, and we get the idea that we are supposed to keep our eyes on God and trust Him to fight our battles for us, my question is why didn't all of them?

They had God leading them with a cloud by day and a fire by night.  He spoke to them.  They had seen him work miracles.  He had destroyed Pharaoh's army, and it was the biggest world power there was.  Why didn't they believe God?

I  wonder if it had to do with how they viewed God.  I don't think their God was "too small".  I've often heard that and even taught it.  But how in the world could they have a "small" God after all they had experienced?  I think it was more that they viewed God as their provider, but not much else.  He fed them and took care of some of their needs.  But that was what their relationship was all about.  He was like Pharaoh, a wealthy slave driver.  They were still in slave mentality.  They hadn't grasped the fact that God loved them, they may have just thought He owned them.  They were still trying to survive, and He was calling them to freedom.  They couldn't grasp it.  Their past and their deep seated fears kept them from trusting that God wanted them to love them.  So they didn't really trust Him.

How often do we do that?  How often do we let what people have done to us, or what we have done to others, cloud how we view God?  We doubt He can love us, because no one else has.  We doubt He can protect us, because no one else really wants to.  We doubt He will stay with us, because everyone else leaves.  I mean, it makes sense on one level.  It's our experience.  We live off what we have seen and felt.

But it doesn't make sense on the other level.  He proves Himself every day.  He provides for us, He cares for us, and He works miracles around us everyday.  We have to choose to see them. 

He is good, and He is trustworthy.  Yeah, I know, no one else is.

But they aren't Him.

And He is not them.

God was Banksy before Banksy was Banksy

Today, as I read through Numbers 3,4 I had to stop and think.  It's all about how God sets aside certain parts of the Levite tribe to be his servants in the temple.  It's a lot of numbers (hence the name of the book), and assignments for who is supposed to carry the poles to the tent, and who is supposed to cover what piece of furniture, and how much cloth they are supposed to use. 

So, I had to stop and ask, "God, what's in this that I need to see?"

He's so funny.  When you ask Him that kind of stuff, He'll answer it.  He's so funny.

Anyway....

Here's what I saw.  God tells Moses to set aside the tribe of Levi to serve Him.  They would be a kind of sacrifice from the nation to God.  Instead of God asking everyone for their first born son to come and serve Him, He would just have the tribe of Levi stand in for them and be a sacrifice for the whole nation. In fact, the Bible says they count how many Levites there were.  There were 22,000 even.  Then they count how many first born sons there were.  Want to guess?  22,273.  So God lets the nation pay a cash payment for the other 273. 

He asks for the Levites as this unique kind of national offering.  He doesn't want to kill them.  He wants them to be a living sacrifice. 

Hmmm....

So God appoints people to be a living stand in for the rest of the group, as this sacrificial group serves Him, the rest of His people are declared okay and equal, and everything is good.

Do you see it too, or is it just me?

The Levites, being set aside as a substitute for every first born son, is a lead up to God giving up His Son to be a substitute for the people.  It's the story of Jesus, thousands of years earlier.  Levites = picture of Jesus.

God is painting the picture way before anyone is even looking for it.

I love that!  I love how He works over thousands of years, even though we think in terms of minutes.  He paints huge murals across history telling His story, and leaves them there for us to look for.  One big treasure hunt.  That's awesome.  That's how creative He is.  That's how awesome our God is.  That's how much our dad loves us.

He's so funny that way....

A 4000 Year Old Reason Why I Love Youth Ministry

There is this verse in Exodus 33 that really sums up why I love doing youth ministry.  The chapter is talking about how Moses had set up a tent outside of camp and called it the "Tent of Meeting".  Anyone could go there at any time and pray.  It was a little retreat for anyone who needed it.  But when Moses went there, God showed up in a very special way.  Here's the verse I love:

"11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent."

Moses knows God and is known by God.  Remember, Moses was a wealthy trust fund baby who killed a man.  He was a coward who hid when there was trouble.  He was a wimp who argued with God when God directly told Him what to do.  He was hot tempered and volatile.  But He loved God, and God loved him.  So God would meet with him like one friend hangs out with another.

But catch that phrase at the end.  His young aide Joshua did not leave the tent.  This dude from his youth group lived out at the tent of meeting.  Why?  Because he wanted to be where God was.  Even though God only showed up from time to time, it was enough.  He didn't want to miss a minute.  So even when Moses left, he stayed.  


I love that about students.  They will do or give whatever it takes when they decide something is worth living for.  They are passionate, sacrificial, and dedicated when they set their mind to something.  I love this bit about Joshua.  It makes me love and respect him so much.  And it gives me hope.  What God was doing in him, He is doing in students today.  I see it.  God continues to work like this in our kids.  And it's just as exciting now as it was then.  


I love youth ministry.

Don't Drink the Cow Dust!

Have you ever convinced yourself that God wasn't going to help you, and so you had to go and do things yourself?  Have you ever been in a spot where you've tried to trust Him, seen Him do some cool things, but then it seemed like He just disappeared?

Yeah, me too.  It's tough in those times for sure.  In Exodus 30-32 the story takes a turn like that.  God calls Moses up on the mountain to receive the rules for how Israel will live.  He's up there a long time.  And the story has this real funny double scene flow to it.

Here's what I mean.  In Exodus 30 you've got Moses and God hanging out.  That alone is crazy enough, but it's there.  God is telling Moses, in great detail, how to set everything up.  What hits me out of this story is that God's plans include A LOT of gold and silver.  These folks are walking through the desert, and have been slaves for 400 years.  Where in the world will they get that much gold and silver?  It's crazy.  Until you remember that when they left Egypt, God worked it out so that the Egyptians gave them a fortune in gold in silver.  Do you catch that?  God had a plan for how the Hebrews could be close to Him and worship Him.  It involved all of this amazing artwork and symbolism.  The Hebrews would go from a slave tribe to an organized nation with a powerful and beautiful religion, proving to other nations that they were legit.  With God laying out such an elaborate system for them full of wealth and beauty, He was providing for them religiously, politically, and in their own national sense of self worth.  He had it all worked out.

BUT, they didn't yet know it.  Chapter 32 tells us while Moses was gone, they got impatient.  This is the other scene in the story.  Scene One: Moses and God meeting, with God laying out this elaborate, beautiful plan that will forever change Israel and make them a powerhouse nation.  Scent Two: All the people getting tired of waiting, and lamely attempting to create their own religion.  How does theirs flow?  Moses brother Aaron makes an idol out of earrings.  It's gonna be small.  And God tells Moses that the people "made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf."  Notice the wording in there?  In the "shape" of a calf.  It's not even a good idol.  It's junk.  So they begin partying and celebrating, which soon turns into a mess.


The whole story ends with over 3000 people dying, and the rest of the people drinking water with the ground up gold in it from the calf as punishment.


What a mess.  All because they decided they didn't want to wait.  They couldn't wait.  So they wouldn't wait.  They ran ahead without God, settled for a shadow of what was promised to them, and ended up sick at their stomachs because of it.


Yep, I've been there too.  


So today, what do you need to wait on?  What is God working on that you've convinced yourself He's forgotten?  He hasn't.  He has plans, beautiful and unreal plans, and He is carrying them out.  He isn't the question in the process.  You and I are.


Will we wait?  Or will we settle for something that lamely looks like a baby cow?

I Love You with All My Guts!

In Exodus 28, there is a cool set of verses.  God is telling Moses to set his brother Aaron up as the first priest for the nation of Israel.  God is describing for Moses what Aaron's priestly uniform is to look like.  In the middle of a bunch of descriptions about gold, and tunics, and other stuff, it says:

29 “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord.30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord. 

At first, it's kind of a Hallmark card, "Aw, isn't that sweet" kind of deal.  But wait.  At this time in history, you didn't love someone with all your heart, you loved them with all your guts.  That's where it hurt when you were in love, so they described love as coming from the guts, not the heart.

So why have Aaron put the names of the people of Israel over his heart if it wasn't a symbol of God's love for them?  I'm not sure.  It might be that the heart was a symbol of life.  Aaron represents God.  The tribes names represent all of the people who follow God.  Maybe it's a beautiful symbol of God continually giving life to those who love Him.

Either way, it's amazing that God goes out of His way to be sure we know our names are on God's heart all the time.  

I don't need to understand any more than that, and I'm good.

Missed It By That Much...

In Exodus 7-12, we read the story of the plagues God sends on Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let the people go free.  It's an interesting story, and a couple of points hit me as I was reading it today.

One, Moses tells Aaron what to do.  So, when they throw the staff on the ground and it becomes a snake, it's Aaron throwing the staff and performing the miracle.  For some reason, I always thought it was Moses who did the miracles.  Then I remembered that Moses was relegated to a half-role because of his lack of faith.  Man, what a bummer.  If he had obeyed, it would have been him doing the miracles in front of the most powerful man on earth.  He still got to be there, and he spoke for God, which is amazing.  But, since he didn't believe early on, he missed out.

Secondly, during the first few plagues, the magicians of Pharaoh copy the miracles.  I've seen this before, but I got thinking about it.  How did they do it?  I always have thought "Satan made it happen."  But who gives Satan the ability to perform supernatural acts?  God does.  So God has Aaron perform a supernatural act, then has the "enemy" perform the same act.  That's nuts!  Why in the world would God mess up His own show like that?  Because the whole thing is His show. 

So often we expect God to act on our side, and whatever happens "against us" isn't God.  But in the Bible, that's not always the case.  Moses and Aaron were players in God's act, but they weren't the stars.  Neither was Pharaoh or the magicians.  God was the star.  It's His story.

Are we okay with that when it happens in our own lives?  When we suffer or are humiliated?  When God doesn't do stuff our way?  Are we still willing to trust Him to run the show?  Moses and Aaron could've quit right there.  God was embarrassing them.  But they don't.  They keep going.

I want to be able to keep going even when the plan doesn't make sense.  What about you?

You Can't Always Get What You Want... But You Get What You Need...

Today we hit Job 38 and 39.  God answers.  The whole book has had Job and the other guys discussing / arguing about why this has happened to Job.  Job doesn't get it, the others claim its a lack of faith or due to sin.  They get nowhere.  Then God answers.

But God's answer isn't the answer we might want.  He doesn't explain to them that Satan was getting it stuck in his face with this whole scenario.  He simply asks them why they think they are wise enough to question Him?  He gives a long, and beautiful list, of what He has done, and what He does.  It's amazing to read.  If you've never read it, take some time today to work through these chapters and think about all that God describes, and ask yourself why He describes the things He does.  He could have picked anything.  Why these?

He moves from creating the earth, to the universe high above, to the oceans deep below.  He goes from the process of birth to death.  He talks about how He created each of the animals.  And in it all, you hear His love for each and every thing in the list.  That's what I was hit with; how much God loves to create, and how much He loves His creation. 

He answers.  And it's not what everyone wanted to hear.  But if you stop and listen, it's much better than what they asked.  It's not the answer to "why did You do this?"  It's the answer to "who are You and can I trust You?"  The answer to THOSE questions is a loud, resounding "YES!"

And that's enough.

That's His answer.

Why?!

Reading through Job 10-14 today, and it is so interesting.  You've got Job, who is suffering because God wants to prove Satan wrong.  But Job does not know that.  So, he questions God.  He doesn't doubt God, or accuse God of anything wrong.  But he passionately, desperately questions God.  WHY are you doing this?  What have I done that you would do this?

His friends keep telling him if he will turn to God and seek help, it will all end.  It's his faith that is the problem.  But Job won't hear it.  He tells them it is always easy to judge other people's trials and faith when things are going well for you.  That is so true.  I am so often guilty of it, especially people I respect and hold too high.  I think they are better than me, so when they struggle, I begin to get mad and tear them down.  But I never consider what might actually be happening in their life at the time.

Sometimes hard things happen to us simply because God wants to use them for something, and He doesn't tell us what that something is.  We can ask, we can wonder, we can be unsure.  But we still need to have faith in Him.  The situation may make no sense, and God may not answer our questions, but we need to trust Him.  He is worth that risk.

What are you facing right now that doesn't make sense?  Can you still trust God in the middle of it?  Or is there someone struggling nearby that is disappointing you?  Will you give room for God to work in their life, without feeling the need to convict them for the pain they face?  It's tough, but it's worth it.

He Is Simply Not Afraid. That's Pretty Cool.

It's a new year, and I've been challenged through the actions of a friend of mine in my small group to read through the Bible in a year.  I haven't done it in a while, and I feel like it's about time.  So, I went to YouVersion and poked around.  I love their stuff.  They have chronological schedule that you read through the Bible in the order that we think it happened.  (The Bible is not in chronological order, if you didn't know).  So, I've been cruising through Genesis the first couple of days, and went Adam through Noah to the Tower of Babel.  Now I've hit Job.  Again, it's been awhile since I've spent time in Job.  It's good stuff (like any part of the Bible isn't, but anyway).

I've been reading the first few chapters of Job the last couple of days, and am fascinated by a couple of things.  It's God who points Job out to Satan.  Why?  I mean, He knows it will tick Satan off.  Is that they point?  "Hey Lucifer, you used to be a big time angel for me, but you blew it.  While you are out cruising around the earth aimlessly, have you noticed Job?  He's faithful and he loves me.  He's pretty impressive."  It's cool that God loves Job and is proud of him, but He pokes at Satan with Job.  Of course Satan's gonna get ticked.  God is setting Job up for failure and pain.  What do we expect the Prince of Darkness to do after getting his face shoved in it?

Then a very simple thing settled in with me.  God isn't afraid of Satan.  At all.  Not the least little bit.  I KNOW this in my knowledge, but the experience of it hadn't really settled in before.  He can poke Satan all He wants, because Satan is a 0% threat to Him.  None.  Nada.

I respect Satan's power to make life tough.  I know on my own, Satan is way more powerful than I am.  But he is a nothing in God's arena.  God can take Him down with just the word, or the thought.  And judging from how Satan responds, he knows that too.  God is not afraid of Satan.

And God promises to live in me.  Protect me.  Be my strength and hope.  And He is not afraid. 

So neither am I.

Gotta Give Him Props

I gotta give God credit. My birthday was awesome, and it is because of His generosity. He allowed some good snow to fall (12 inches is ALOT for Shelbyville. we are a snow vortex for some reason. It never hits here.) So, school was out. The church office was closed. I got to stay home with Jill and the girls, play games, play in the snow, run the four wheeler around in the powder, run my snow blower, and eat two birthday meals. It was AWESOME!

Here's why I really appreciate it. I was having a bit of trouble with number 38. Don't know why, but I was. Nothing major, just not looking forward to it. But God threw me a party that made it one of my best birthdays in years. Jill worked SO hard, even though she's been under the weather this week. The girls made beautiful cards for me. It was amazing.

So, I am a blessed man. When I definitely shouldn't be. Thanks God. You are really great!

It's the Tom and Chestnut Show

Last night, I was talking to our 7th and 8th graders (who rock, by the way!). We were in the middle of the lesson, and this example popped in my head. Thought I'd share it with all three of you who read this thing.

We have two cats now that we have moved to the country. Tom, and Chestnut. Both boys, brothers even. About 6 months old. So they play all the time. The other night, I was in the barn working on something, and they were running all over the place, being nuts. We have this little trampoline for the girls to jump on, one of the jogger kinds from Target. Tom was on top of the trampoline, Chestnut was under it. Chestnut knew that Tom was somewhere around, but for the little kitty life of him he couldn't figure out where exactly his brother was. Which, of course, was two inches directly overhead. So, Chestnut comes sneaking out from under the trampoline slowly, crawling with his tail sticking straight up in attack mode. Tom, patiently, waits and watches. Just a Chestnut clears the edge of the trampoline, Tom attacks. He launches himself into the air with all four paws out like wings on an airplane, using his brother as the landing strip. He lands on Chestnut just like one of the old westerns where the cowboy jumps on his horse, and the two of them are off across the floor. Tom is whooping and yelling things like "Yee Haa!" and "Get up, cowpoke!" Chestnut is just scared silly and running for his life. Finally, Chestnut runs out of steam and they both fall over and wrestle to the death.

Of course, I'm laughing my head off the whole time. It's literally one of the funniest things I've seen in person for a long time. At least since Mike Farnsley ran through the fountains at Kings Island, but that's a whole other story.

Here's what I realized. If I can laugh like that at two cats just being themselves; two cats that I had nothing to do with creating or bringing into being; then how much must God laugh with us? I mean, I just feed the little guys, pet them, and make sure they are safe from the big black cat that prowls our fields. God actually creates each of us everyday. He has to laugh and chuckle at us just being who He makes us to be.

That's comforting. I want my Dad to laugh with me. Actually, laugh at me is more accurate. Not in that second grade mean kind of way. In that "those darn cats" kind of way. He loves me, and actually adores me. It's really strange to write that out, but it's true. Not because I'm a pastor, a dad, or anything else. He loves and cherishes me because that's who He is.

I love that.

What a Beautiful Mess...

Phew!

Yeah, phew!

• Let's see... Middle School retreat at Springhill Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
• Got home at 3 pm
• Started setup for Senior High worship night at 4 pm
• Played in worship band and directed event.
• Got home at 10 pm.
• Ran to Taylor on Monday and taught my first class, but almost showed up late.
• Annie came home from school early sick on Monday.
• Stayed home with Annie on Tuesday.
• Ran a huge game night for middle school on Tuesday night with two hours prep.
• Stayed home on Wednesday.
• Ran to staff meeting and back during the day on Wednesday.
• Now it's Thursday and I'm tired and overwhelmed.

What do I learn from this stuff?

• I still stink at delegation.
• I try to carry too much on my own shoulders.
• I'm not planning ahead as well as I should.
• I overestimate my abilities on a regular basis.

Change is in the air, once again. I must keep learning to get better at this stuff. It's just frustrating, because you'd think I'd be better at it by now.

Here is what God did in the middle of my mess.

• Two boys accepted Christ for the first time over the weekend.
• Several girls made significant decisions.
• The worship night was powerful and enjoyable.
• I got to spend time with Annie and love on her some.
• The game night was a raging success due to my leaders.
• I appreciate my wife, family, and friends so very, very much.

Just gotta keep learning and moving forward. Be faithful; cause God likes to make beautiful things out of our messes. He never gets tired or gives up.

Thank goodness.

Tie Him Up Before He Says His Name Again!

John 18:12-14 is such a small section of the story, and yet it contains some interesting points to it. Jesus at this point has knocked the men down just by saying the name of God, He has healed the ear of the man who had it knocked off, and has said He will not fight with a sword. Yet notice that the first thing the soldiers do is tie Jesus up. All they know is force. They didn't have to do this. He was willing to go with them, yet they tied Him up. He had just healed one of their own, and they see Him as a threat.

Then He is taken to Caiaphas, the high priest. This is a man who spent years studying the Bible to understand God. He had lived a life beyond reproach, worked hard to know and follow God. Yet when God spoke to Him face to face, Caiaphas saw Him as a threat. He wanted Jesus killed.

I do the same thing. I get a dream or a plan going, and Jesus doesn't want anything to do with it. Whatever I have planned for my life, Jesus declares it to be destructive, anti-God, and wants to freely come and heal it. But I resist, and want to tie God up and do away with Him, at least temporarily. I'll bring Him back out later and set Him free once I've done whatever it is that I am hell bent on doing. I am the biggest fool of the three between me, Caiaphas, and the soldiers.

You see, I know Jesus. He is the savior, the healer. He has proven a thousand times to me that His way is best and that He wants my very best for me. He is not selfish, mean, or petty. Yet I want to tie Him up and do away with Him at times. When I'm weak, tired, and selfish. When I'm afraid, worried, and unsure. Then I want to be god with the smallest "g" possible.

Lord, I really am sorry. Help me to be the one who surrenders at all times, not just when it's convenient. Help me to follow, and not try to use you when it works best for me. You are God, I am not. Period. And I like it that way.