The Need for Fellowship

I am in the process of purchasing my first home. It is such an exciting adventure to be taking part in. From the looking at houses with the real estate agent to the adrenaline that rushes as you anxiously await the counteroffer, this process is a truly exciting ride. But during this whole thing, there are also those moments where you dread hearing from your realtor. One of this such moments is after the home inspection.

The inspector just examined the house that we had made an offer on. He returned with a report that had a few areas of concern attached to it. How could the house that my wife and I were swooning over have any flaws? While they were not major flaws, they were still areas of concern. They were things that had gone unnoticed by the owners because they had just blended into the background of the house. It took someone who was willing to search for the blemishes to find the imperfection that could have led to serious concern if they were to be left untreated.

Is this not the way it is with our lives though. If we took a step back and were honest with ourselves, there would be areas of our lives that need to be addressed. Maybe these areas are not major things, most likely they are not, but they are blemishes that could lead to serious issues later. It could be a habit that we have or an area of our life that we have sought to keep hidden and locked away. This is why God has given us brothers and sisters who genuinely care for us as God does. As we allow these people to have the authority to speak into our lives and keep us accountable, then we become blessed by a set of eyes that are not tainted by seeing the same thing in the mirror everyday. They can give us fresh perspective or bring to light that which we have been too afraid to bring to the light of day. I know it is difficult to allow others in. We become vulnerable in their hands, but with much prayer, God gifts us with exactly the right person or persons in our life who seek to lift us up in this process and bring glory to God as He perfects our blemishes. How about it? Are you willing to find a brother or sister in Christ and let them in? Are you ready for God to do a mighty work in your heart?

A Year Later

So what happens to a blog that has not been posted on for a year? It sits in cyberspace picking up internet dust and lacking the possible impact that it was intended to have on the lives of those who seek to follow it. I want to apologize to those who sought to follow my blog and to my blog for failing in allowing it to fulfill its purpose and impact others lives. My commitment is to change and do better.

Recently, I have been doing a lot of thinking along the lines of this exact subject, not fulfilling our intended purpose. I was reading in the book of Isaiah and this verse stuck out to me:

What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? (5:4)

As I meditated upon this verse, my heart broke as I realized that I am that vineyard that God is speaking of. I am the one in which he sought good grapes and found only bad ones. If I am honest with myself, God has given to me more than I could ever hope for to impact this world in such a way that my actions would bring him the glory and honor that he deserves. Sadly, I, all too often, seek only to benefit my own selfish ego and put off doing the difficult and most uncomfortable works of service that might be what honor God the most. Just think for a moment about all of the work that God has put into me (and possibly even you). The short list would include:

He died for me.

He filled me with himself so that I might have a guide.

He gave me his Word, revealing himself to me.

He gifted me with abilities, talents and passion so that I might fulfill his calling.

He has granted me opportunities that can only be explained by his hand.

All of these things he has done for me and when he comes looking for the good fruits of his work, he can only shake his head as he comes across all too many rows of bad fruit. My prayer today and for the many days to come is that I will be mindful of the work that my King and Savior has done in my life. I will seek to fulfill his purpose in doing those works in my life. I will present the good fruit of the harvest as an offering of honor and glory to him who started and continued the good work in me. May my heart be in tune with God's as I seek to fulfill his calling.

Back Again

Sorry for the long delay in my postings. God has been moving in powerful ways in my life. I have started in a new ministry since my last posting. I pray that God will continue to work through me to effectively reach these students with the redemptive power of the Lord.
This morning, I was heading to Vancouver for class and cruising down I-5. Just as I pass the Foster Rd. exit, I was forced to slam on my brakes just as the car in front of me had done a second earlier. Immediately after slamming on our brakes, the car in front of me and myself speed back up to sixty miles per hour. There was no present reason for the braking, but we were forced to brake. Why? At some time, possibly an hour or more ago, somebody felt the need to brake at that exact point. An hour later, we are still feeling the effects of that person's decision.
As I think about this, it makes me think about the lasting effect that occurs in our lives by the decisions of others. If we look big picture, the lives of others decades, centuries, or even millenniums earlier effect the lives of people today. The work of President Reagan three decades ago still effects our country today. The work of Christ over two thousand years ago still dramatically effects our lives today. The impact of our decisions can be felt long after the decision has run its course and by people who we have never come into contact with. It is like a ripple moving across a lake, spreading far from the actual point of contact. As I think about this, I am challenged. As I impact the life of those around me, the impact becomes felt far beyond the reaches that I could possibly imagine. As One life is impacted, every life that they come into contact with is impacted by the change that has occurred from the original impact. Now, there are several more people impacted by the original impact. Next thing you know, hours later, I am braking on the freeway for no apparent reason.
I pray that we live our lives with this in mind. May we seek to begin ripples for the Lord that will reach to the ends of the earth. It all begins with a single impact. I can not change the entire world, but I can impact my neighbor's life and he may reach the rest of the world.

Copernicus was wrong!

As I was running errands today, I got to thinking about life and how I view myself. In my life, I make decisions with the primary concern and motivation being myself. After getting married, I began to think of my wife at times before I made a decision, but still the primary factor for deciding one way or the other was my personal feelings and the amount of personal gain. This process was further complicated when I had children. Now, there are more factors to consider before making a decision, but my process still begin with my personal preferences at the center. Any compromises or alterations to my preferences that need to be made for the benefit of my family can be done, but the center is still me. With this in mind, I drove down the road today thinking to myself, "What a jerk!" Someone needs to contact Copernicus because apparently the universe revolves around me.
I imagine that if we were honest with ourselves, for the majority of us, this is exactly how we live our lives. I do not think that I am all that different in my thought process than the majority of humanity. What really hit me this morning though was that this is not the way that it is supposed to be. This is not the life that God has created me to live. In his example, Christ came not for his personal gain, but for the gain of others. There needs to be a transformation of my primary focus in life from myself to the Lord. This is not my life that I am living, rather it is the life that God has granted me for his service. I am not my own but God's. He has redeemed my soul and my life. He brought it out of the emptiness that it was destined to suffer in. I am not the center of the universe. God is! Copernicus did have it wrong. I pray that the Lord will move my heart to see with his eyes the world that he has called me to serve.
In Him,
Paul

Memories

Sorry for the long break from posting. Just taking care of business. I wanted to post some of my other favorite memories from my time at Judson. I remember volunteering with the Junior High ministry out of high school. I was the game guy. We played the craziest game. Baby food hot potato, grape out the nose shooting, mystery juice relays, running the gauntlet, and so many more. For you who know what these are, hope it brings a smile to your face. For those who want to know more, just ask and I will get you the details. After ten years, the games have reached all new levels of greatness. There is mystery milkshake chugging, cricket spitting, space invaders, pac-man, dynomite, power ball, the game that must not be mentioned, and more. There are so many images that are flooding my mind as I think of the many great moments that these games have created.
It was through those moments that great relationships were forged, life changing relationships for both my youth and myself. I remember a youth who had been burned by the church before. Through the encouragement of his friend, he decided to come to our open gym program. We started a relationship, slowly at first. Over the next several months, we began to tear down the walls that had separated him from God. That day that he began a relationship with God still brings tears to my eyes. God works in powerful ways. I remember one of my proudest moments in my early ministry was making a positive impact in some students' lives who, in many respects, were on their own. The day that they told me that they left their cigarettes at the park instead of bringing them to church put a smile on my face. It may have seemed like something small, but for these students, that was a giant step in their lives. It has been an honor to serve God and I look forward to the many memories still to come.

Thanks for everything!

Today, my position at the church has come to an end. The church has been struggling financially for many months now and something had to give. I have been serving there for the past ten years. It is difficult to thank about my life without going there everyday. It is the only church that both of my children have ever known. I am thankful for the many ways that the members of the church have positively impacted my family. I thought that as I close out my final month in service at Judson, I would spend several posts reflecting on the many memories that I have collected in my time here and the many lessons that I have learned.
I remember one of my first events as a youth pastor. It was a harvest party out at a parishioner's house. This was an event that the youth group had done for many years, and it seemed like everything was going as planned. Out of no where, things begin to rapidly turn ugly. A fight breaks out between a couple of the high school boys. As I separate them, I tell them that they will be escorted home by the staff. They begin to rally their friends to all leave, and chaos ensues. My wife is cussed out by a female youth and I am being pulled in every direction trying to regain some semblance of control. I can only imagine what is going through the head of the parishioner and his wife. In my mind, I begin to word my letter of apology and resignation.
Order was regained and I did not resign the next day. Instead, this incident became the starting point to five years of life-changing ministry. In these last five years, I have been given many opportunities to grow and mature in my faith and in my abilities to lead and shepherd God's people. Many gifted people have blessed my life with their wisdom and encouragement during this time. I have made many friends who I would consider to be like family. God taught me through this event that he has a plan for my life and in all instances, he is ready to teach me a lesson. I just want to say thank you to the many people who have stood by me these last five years. I am a better man because of you, your love for people, and your love for the Lord.
In Him,
Paul

Amazing Week

Sorry that I have not posted for several days. I was given the opportunity to speak at a high school camp for a church. It was an amazing week. God blessed us with great weather as we tubed on the lake and played at the beach. My many thanks to the staff and leaders who welcomed me into their group and allowed me this opportunity. Thanks Steve. Along with the great weather, I was surrounded by an amazing group of youth. These students genuinely cared for one another, their leaders, and most of all God. Their hearts are open to God's leading in their lives. As I sat in the small group discussions, these youth boldly stated their desires for God's growth in their lives. They also shared with one another their struggles and asked that their friends would help keep them accountable. I have been working in churches for the last fourteen years and I have never seen adults be so open with one another. It truly blew my mind. These youth grasped and lived out the concept of fellowship and growing together in the Lord. They really looked out for one another. As I think about the writings of Paul to the church of Thessalonica, Paul urges them to encourage and uplift one another. He charges them to keep each other from stumbling. As I watched these youth live this out, I was filled with hope. In the world that we live in, everyone is looking out for number one, themselves. It was encouraging to see that these youth were looking out for number one, God, and letting that dictate how they treated one another. I am a better man for having witnessed these students living out the gospel. It was truly a blessing.
In Him,
Paul