At some point I am sure I will write the incredible story (in detail) of the wedding that took place on Sunday between our son, Jonathan, and his bride, Maria. I know every parent thinks that his or her child's wedding is the best, but I must say, the three weddings that I have officiated at for my three sons have been the most meaningful and joyous celebrations I have ever experienced at a wedding (and I've officiated at quite a few - over 100 for sure). Suffice it to say that the big surprise ending of the wedding was the story of what happened to Jonathan and Maria following the weeks after her surgery last August. It was my privilege to reveal that this fine young couple chose to get married last October in a private ceremony officiated by Maria's father and me so that they would not have to live together or do anything with their lives together that would compromise their values or their witness. However, that neither took away from nor diminished the wedding day. In many ways I believe it added to it - to make their witness complete. August 27th of 2006 became a marvelous triumph which redeemed the disastrous events of August 27th 2005. Instead of being a day of remembering what didn't happen and surgeries and all the rest, it now becomes a day of remembering what did take place and what has happened.
I believe that God has both the power and the desire to redeem the days for us. It took me many years before I could pass by a September 8th or a Valentines Day and not remember the death of my father or the funeral of my mother. But now, as time has passed, God has helped to heal the loss and redeem the days. What tragedy fills your calendar? What painful event remains a part of your internal clock so that, no matter what happens, you still remember it? Why not allow God to redeem the day? Plan some other celebration on that day or around that time that helps make the day a day or rejoicing instead of a day of sadness. Healing comes from God in many forms. Redemption is but one of them. Let God redeem your days.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
Pain and Healing
I am so proud of my wife. She is an amazing woman with a heart as big as the outdoors. She has not only been 120% supportive of all the changes we are making in our lives so that I can go back to school, but she has also committed to taking on a full-time job so I can be a full-time student. How fortunate am I to have such support!
The only problem with this plan has been, well, two-fold. First, she doesn't have a job and all the prospects seem to be paying at a level that will not allow us to follow through on our "plan". Second, she has been in a great deal of pain. The doctors have given a number of theories from arthritis in her hips (the latest guess) to back problems to residual effects of her foot surgery two years ago (my theory). Whatever the diagnosis the pain has been so very real and she has sat down with tears in her eyes any number of times over the course of the last 2-3 weeks that we have been packing and preparing to move. How do I help her? What should I do to comfort this amazing partner who walks with such pain?
As we were packing Joanie received word that she was in the running for the teaching job at a Christian School in Gardena. Neither of us were sure that this was the answer to our prayers. We didn't know the salary or the commute distance. We didn't know if this was the right situation or the right place. And the pain kept coming. Could she be on her feet all day and teach if she was in such pain?
Two Sundays ago we went to church in Pasadena. During the service Joanie decided to just thank God for the job - not knowing whether she would get this one or not. Not knowing whether this was the job that God was leading her to receive. Then last Sunday, after taking the job, Joanie went to church and testified about how she had thanked God for a job last week and could now praise God because he had given her a job this week! And then an amazing thing happened. From Sunday onward she has been without pain in her hips and legs. From the time she testified about the job, she has been pain free.
Now, the cynics among us will say the pain was psychosomatic. Some will decry it was all in her head or that the medication the doctor gave her has finally kicked in or that it is just a coincidence. But Joanie would reply that she prayed for God to lead her to a job for many months. And when he did, she asked for the pain to be taken away so she could do the job that God led her to do. And now, she is walking normal and getting around without pain. To me, that sounds like God doing his work in his time with his power. I am naive enough to still believe that God heals. I am still practical enough to know that pain is one way that God uses to get our attention. In both cases, God is speaking. And Joanie, a wonderful and supportive soul who believes with all her heart, soul and mind has felt the touch of His hand and the healing that comes from on high. And I am rejoicing.
The only problem with this plan has been, well, two-fold. First, she doesn't have a job and all the prospects seem to be paying at a level that will not allow us to follow through on our "plan". Second, she has been in a great deal of pain. The doctors have given a number of theories from arthritis in her hips (the latest guess) to back problems to residual effects of her foot surgery two years ago (my theory). Whatever the diagnosis the pain has been so very real and she has sat down with tears in her eyes any number of times over the course of the last 2-3 weeks that we have been packing and preparing to move. How do I help her? What should I do to comfort this amazing partner who walks with such pain?
As we were packing Joanie received word that she was in the running for the teaching job at a Christian School in Gardena. Neither of us were sure that this was the answer to our prayers. We didn't know the salary or the commute distance. We didn't know if this was the right situation or the right place. And the pain kept coming. Could she be on her feet all day and teach if she was in such pain?
Two Sundays ago we went to church in Pasadena. During the service Joanie decided to just thank God for the job - not knowing whether she would get this one or not. Not knowing whether this was the job that God was leading her to receive. Then last Sunday, after taking the job, Joanie went to church and testified about how she had thanked God for a job last week and could now praise God because he had given her a job this week! And then an amazing thing happened. From Sunday onward she has been without pain in her hips and legs. From the time she testified about the job, she has been pain free.
Now, the cynics among us will say the pain was psychosomatic. Some will decry it was all in her head or that the medication the doctor gave her has finally kicked in or that it is just a coincidence. But Joanie would reply that she prayed for God to lead her to a job for many months. And when he did, she asked for the pain to be taken away so she could do the job that God led her to do. And now, she is walking normal and getting around without pain. To me, that sounds like God doing his work in his time with his power. I am naive enough to still believe that God heals. I am still practical enough to know that pain is one way that God uses to get our attention. In both cases, God is speaking. And Joanie, a wonderful and supportive soul who believes with all her heart, soul and mind has felt the touch of His hand and the healing that comes from on high. And I am rejoicing.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Final Pieces in the Puzzle
Have you ever noticed that when you put together a jigsaw puzzle there comes a point at which you can see the end and the pieces seem to start falling together quickly and with greater ease? It's like putting in the final few words of the crossword puzzle when you have half or more of the letters already in place. Life can be a little like that. At least, that's what seems to be happening to us. Let me explain.
Last week my wife and I moved to Pasadena, California. From Thursday to Saturday we packed boxes, unhooked cables, loaded the moving truck (four times - two to take things to storage and twice to take things to Pasadena). As we got to the final things in the house to pack, the work started to go faster and faster. While those several days were long and arduous, they seemed to move more quickly the closer we got to leaving Fresno behind and having Pasadena in the foreground.
After arriving at our new apartment, several friends (God bless all of them who helped us pack, load, and unload!) came to help us unpack the boxes it took us weeks to pack. We started with a huge pile of boxes in the living room (our thought was to place them all there and take them to each room for unpacking or storing). By the end of one day, the pyramid of boxes had disappeared into rooms, drawers, closets, and the spare room. Suddenly, we had a living room with furniture and a television and lamps and a place to sit and relax. As the day wore on, we found that the boxes seem to disappear with greater speed than they did at the beginning.
Today, as I visited with my son and his fiance (they are getting married next weekend) I received a call from my lovely wife telling me that she has found a job. This was the last piece of the puzzle for us in this more than year long process of preparing to follow God's leading to the place God wanted us to be. Joanie has found a job as a music teacher at a Christian School in the L.A. area. She was "discovered" by sending out a resume. They found it very impressive and ended up interviewing only her. She has the job. It will pay well enough for us to live on for the next year (or more, if she likes it). It is near the ocean (hmmm, maybe we will move closer to the school she teaches in and let me commute to the seminary - oh, no, that would involve moving, again!). It is an answer to prayer. It has full medical benefits for her and adding me on will not cost too much (I have to have medical insurance in order to be a student at the seminary). Just as all the other avenues seemed to be shutting down and we weren't sure where the funds would come from to allow us to live, God provided a way. And, just like the jigsaw puzzle, the pieces have come together with amazing speed and quickness.
If you are in one of those times in life where none of the puzzle pieces seem to be fitting together, you may want to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. After all, when they do start falling, the domino affect will cause things to speed up and you might just miss the joy of seeing how God works.
Last week my wife and I moved to Pasadena, California. From Thursday to Saturday we packed boxes, unhooked cables, loaded the moving truck (four times - two to take things to storage and twice to take things to Pasadena). As we got to the final things in the house to pack, the work started to go faster and faster. While those several days were long and arduous, they seemed to move more quickly the closer we got to leaving Fresno behind and having Pasadena in the foreground.
After arriving at our new apartment, several friends (God bless all of them who helped us pack, load, and unload!) came to help us unpack the boxes it took us weeks to pack. We started with a huge pile of boxes in the living room (our thought was to place them all there and take them to each room for unpacking or storing). By the end of one day, the pyramid of boxes had disappeared into rooms, drawers, closets, and the spare room. Suddenly, we had a living room with furniture and a television and lamps and a place to sit and relax. As the day wore on, we found that the boxes seem to disappear with greater speed than they did at the beginning.
Today, as I visited with my son and his fiance (they are getting married next weekend) I received a call from my lovely wife telling me that she has found a job. This was the last piece of the puzzle for us in this more than year long process of preparing to follow God's leading to the place God wanted us to be. Joanie has found a job as a music teacher at a Christian School in the L.A. area. She was "discovered" by sending out a resume. They found it very impressive and ended up interviewing only her. She has the job. It will pay well enough for us to live on for the next year (or more, if she likes it). It is near the ocean (hmmm, maybe we will move closer to the school she teaches in and let me commute to the seminary - oh, no, that would involve moving, again!). It is an answer to prayer. It has full medical benefits for her and adding me on will not cost too much (I have to have medical insurance in order to be a student at the seminary). Just as all the other avenues seemed to be shutting down and we weren't sure where the funds would come from to allow us to live, God provided a way. And, just like the jigsaw puzzle, the pieces have come together with amazing speed and quickness.
If you are in one of those times in life where none of the puzzle pieces seem to be fitting together, you may want to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. After all, when they do start falling, the domino affect will cause things to speed up and you might just miss the joy of seeing how God works.
Monday, August 7, 2006
The Edge of Adventure
Some years ago, Bruce Larson wrote a book called, "The Edge of Adventure". I never really understood the full meaning of the title - until today. You see, for the last 31 years I have been the pastor of a local congregation. (I spent nearly 10 months out of the pastorate some 12 years ago but, during that hiatus, I always felt like I would be returning to a pastorate somewhere). Today, I have spent the first Sunday in my adult life believing that I will probably never return to a local pastorate. Anything is possible, and I will not suggest that I will never be a pastor of a local church again, but I feel like the possibility is remote. I have begun a new chapter of my life with little knowledge of what lies ahead. The next four years will be in the library and in the classroom. Research and writing - that is my lot for the next four years. I look forward to it with release and abandon. It is a chapter I have been waiting two decades to write.
What are you waiting for? What is the dream you hope to see happen? What adventure lies ahead of you? I kept thinking about Elijah today. He has been in my thoughts for more than a year now. He marched into the palace, confronted King Ahab, gave the Word of the Lord that no rain would fall until he came back and said, "Thus saith the Lord". Then he walked out of the palace into an unknown future. Apparently, he didn't even know where he was to go. Sometimes, that is the exact place that God desires that we should be - in a place that has a future, but that future is unknown to everyone except God. God had ravens at the ready, babbling brooks full of fresh water, and plenty of food to be brought to Elijah at the brook. All of which Elijah did not know. He delivered a message and walked into an unknown future and knew he was living in the Will of God. In a world where comfort and control are highly prized, being in a place where you have neither is undesirable. Unless God leads you into that place.
Nearly 10 months ago, Joanie and I sensed that God was leading us into a time in our lives where the future would be uncertain and our need to have faith in the God of the Future would necessarily have to increase. We sensed that the greatest times of our lives where ones in which our dependence on God was high and our knowledge of the future was low. Living dependently was, for us, living on the edge of faith (or, maybe, in the center of faith). It was highly desirable. And so, today, we ventured into life without knowing the future. Living a different life than that of the last 31 years. Scary? Nah. Exciting. You bet. This is what I have come to understand it means to live on "The Edge of Adventure".
What are you waiting for? What is the dream you hope to see happen? What adventure lies ahead of you? I kept thinking about Elijah today. He has been in my thoughts for more than a year now. He marched into the palace, confronted King Ahab, gave the Word of the Lord that no rain would fall until he came back and said, "Thus saith the Lord". Then he walked out of the palace into an unknown future. Apparently, he didn't even know where he was to go. Sometimes, that is the exact place that God desires that we should be - in a place that has a future, but that future is unknown to everyone except God. God had ravens at the ready, babbling brooks full of fresh water, and plenty of food to be brought to Elijah at the brook. All of which Elijah did not know. He delivered a message and walked into an unknown future and knew he was living in the Will of God. In a world where comfort and control are highly prized, being in a place where you have neither is undesirable. Unless God leads you into that place.
Nearly 10 months ago, Joanie and I sensed that God was leading us into a time in our lives where the future would be uncertain and our need to have faith in the God of the Future would necessarily have to increase. We sensed that the greatest times of our lives where ones in which our dependence on God was high and our knowledge of the future was low. Living dependently was, for us, living on the edge of faith (or, maybe, in the center of faith). It was highly desirable. And so, today, we ventured into life without knowing the future. Living a different life than that of the last 31 years. Scary? Nah. Exciting. You bet. This is what I have come to understand it means to live on "The Edge of Adventure".
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