His PRESENCE is the answer to everything. Slowing down enough to really connect with Him is the thing. Not something. The Thing. I realized this morning as I began working that has been different about this week. I am typing on a dell laptop that has been terrorized by my beautiful daughter Ariel. She loves to pull the keys off the keyboard... I can see her now.. POP.. the key comes of the keyboard and she giggles and goes back for another! I am missing the G, ], and Enter keys. It is still usable but very un-becoming to the finger and eye. Last week, this just ate at me. Other "small" things ate at me. I went by computer stores, shopped the web for how I could fix it. It just bugged me. This morning it occurred to me that I have not even thought about it this week. This problem of circumstance was forgotten. I have been enjoying the presence of God and working hard doing what I am supposed to be doing that I have had no time to " be bothered" with so many things. When I seek first the Kingdom and renew my mind my "seeker" seems to be to busy to mess or be bothered with insignificant nusances that eat at me. I am not saying I am living in some state of perpetual bliss but rather these things have stopped ruining my day. Watching God open doors, hearing His voice, and being overwhelmed with thanksgiving for His love and grace seem to be drowning out stuff that usually ruins my day. I am sure most people think this is something a jr. high kid should have figured out but I am just now "getting it". Praise God. He is so good. It is His good pleasure, He actually finds pleasure in pouring out His Spirit, Love, and Presence on my life. I have tasted and seen the Lord is good and I don't want anything else!!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Kingdom Satisfaction
Luke 12:32 " Do not fear, little flock, for it is our Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." I have a feeling that if God finds pleasure in giving us His Kingdom that one of our goals in life, daily especially, would be to try to somehow to receive what HE find PLEASURE in giving. By His grace, this has been a week where I have tasted more of the Kingdom than I have in a long time. I have looked for it harder and found it easier. It has been one of the best weeks of my life. Seriously. I love writing this because I know that no one reads it and I am getting over fears of being mis-understood and always seeing my life as something I do as a performance.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Faith Notes
Well I am about to get back into blogging. My wife has a new blog and I am inspired. I am currently looking for work in Amarillo. God called us to move here and I am here trying to see why. I love it here ( I am spending time looking during the week) but am missing my family dearly. I am staying at my cousins house and it is great. His name is Jeff "Skip" Chisum and we grew up spending a lot of our summers together on vacation. It has been really cool re-connecting with him and it is a blast. It is also free. I do not know what I would do without the Casa Chisum... more to come.
I am trying to learn the art of "letting God" open a door and at the same time... being faithful to knock, knock, knock. I am stretching faith muscles that have long since been dormat!! What a journey. When I do find work, I really desire to keep "living by faith" in a greater measure. It is so easy to get comfortable. What does it really mean to "live by Faith" anyway? It must have something to do with continually hearing God, (faith comes by hearing, right?) and doing what He says. I desire to be a better listener and doer...
Monday, April 10, 2006
A Glimpse of Glory
I just read on Larry Calvin's blog (http://larrycalvin.blogspot.com), a story that got me to thinking. (Now there is a scary thought!!)
Here is an exerpt from it:
"In his autobiography, Bill Gaither recounts a time in his life when he was battling severe depression. A songwriter by both gift and trade, Gaither had entered a drought of creativity during which time NO songs were forthcoming and the prospects of any on the horizon seemed little to none.
Then came the day when he held his new-born son, Benji. Few experiences of life equal that. Those of you who have experienced it know what I'm talking about. Just last week, for the seventh time as Papa I held a precious grandbaby in my arms- Carter James Calvin. Praise God! For Gaither, that experience brought a song, the first in months and months, and the first of scores of lyrics that creatively flowed from his heart for the next few decades. Listen to this God-given masterpiece:
God sent His Son, they called him Jesus,
He came to love, heal, and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
How sweet to hold a new-born baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because he lives.
And then one day I’ll cross that river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then as death gives way to vict’ry,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know he reigns.
Because he lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives. "
Larry wrote this entry after holding a new grandson!!! Awesome.
What words...what revelation from a new born.
I was studying Enoch the other day. Such a concise description of a man, "he walked with God", with such incredible results, "and God took him-he was no more." You get the idea that God just coudn't wait to be with him-- that he wanted to be with Enoch face-to-face. Look deeper in the story and I found that he began to walk with God in his 65th year. (out of 365) That is also the year he had a son. What an incredible coincidence!!
I shared this insight in a sermon at church the other day and something happened after church that affirmed there is something there. A was visiting with a young woman who gave her life to Christ in the assembly that day. She said, "You know it was interesting what you were sharing about Enoch "walking with God" after he had his son. That is (three months ago) when I began seeking God-when my son was born."
Wow.
Paul says it like this: Rom 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
i.e You hold a new born baby and you are without excuse.
Ever had a revelation of God from a baby created in His Image? What a beautiful thing. I can remember the sound of each of my children drawing their first breath's simultaneously as God breathed on me. I have been blessed to experience this breeze four times. What a wonderful God!!! Just because HE LIVES!!!!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Cowboyin with Samuel
Samuel got to go with me the other day to a little branding ( to all you city slickers, that is when you brand, vaccinate, castrate, etc. cattle) You sqeem, but you can thank all these folks for those tasty hamburgers, fajitas and steaks you enjoy!!
Samuel had a BLAST!!!
I haven't outgrown my love for cowboyin yet. This is on the Bed Rock ranch north of Decatur. 4,ooo acres that look just like Wyoming... What a blast...What an awesome time with Samuel... Next week I get to go out with a Real Chuckwagon for a day of branding on the Silverbrook Ranch out by Abilene. It is a "little" bigger, over 20,000 acres. They still rope the calves there and drag them to the fire. Enough room to actually get me a little saddle sore... God is so good!!!
Ready-AIM-FIRE!!!
Ready Aim!! Ready Aim!! Ready Aim!! Come on man, pull the trigger!!!
A friend of mine the other day, Brady Boyd to be exact, talked about how great we are at aiming, planning, dreaming, and how inept we are at doing, starting, and implementing. We ready aim, ready aim, ready aim, ad nauseam.
My friend suggests some times using the strategy of the old battle ships. Where the gunner would shoot and the guy in the watch tower(with binocolars) would yell, "Move 30 feet to the left!!" They would shoot again. "10 feet left!!" Boom. Bullseye!!!
Get the picture? You adjust and learn after you fire. Ready,FIRE,aim.
Why don't we pull the trigger? I think it mainly has to do with fear. Some see giants. Some see giant opportunity. It seems that almost every good thing in life comes from risk. Learning to ride a bike. Learning to swim. Asking someone to spend their life with you.
So go ahead FIRE!!! Pull the trigger. Take the leap. What is it that you are sitting on that your heart has told you to try? That "thing" God has called you to do?
READY? FIRE
A friend of mine the other day, Brady Boyd to be exact, talked about how great we are at aiming, planning, dreaming, and how inept we are at doing, starting, and implementing. We ready aim, ready aim, ready aim, ad nauseam.
My friend suggests some times using the strategy of the old battle ships. Where the gunner would shoot and the guy in the watch tower(with binocolars) would yell, "Move 30 feet to the left!!" They would shoot again. "10 feet left!!" Boom. Bullseye!!!
Get the picture? You adjust and learn after you fire. Ready,FIRE,aim.
Why don't we pull the trigger? I think it mainly has to do with fear. Some see giants. Some see giant opportunity. It seems that almost every good thing in life comes from risk. Learning to ride a bike. Learning to swim. Asking someone to spend their life with you.
So go ahead FIRE!!! Pull the trigger. Take the leap. What is it that you are sitting on that your heart has told you to try? That "thing" God has called you to do?
READY? FIRE
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Real People
The longer I am a pastor the more I desire to let people know that I am JUST like them. A peculiar thing happens when you are a "paid minister". People treat you different. It is amazing how peoples language goes through a "talking to preacher" filter. On the golf course, around the 3rd to 4th hole, when they find out what I do for a living, it is humorous to see men apologize profusely for the joke they just shared. Around the "church front" many times instead of saying "that person really hurt me", they say "Oh the enemy is trying to attack me" or "Oh blank!!,(enter the cuss word that people usually use), becomes, "Wow,I feel like David did when he was beseiged by his enemies in Psalms 68". People will say, "no way", oh yes it is so true. You think you get "church speak" at church, I get it everywere I go.
That why I am so blessed to have elders like I do. Todd Parks and Doug Vaughn are two jewels who have pastored churches and they are as real as the day is long. I am also blessed to many friends who are the same. In fact, there are too many to list. I tried it-- and it was getting out of hand. They are who they are, wherever they are, with whomever they are with. Praise God I MARRIED the real deal.
It is refreshing to be around people who are more concerned with how God sees them then how they appear. These people seem to bring the peace of God wherever they go. Sometimes I think this is an overlooked aspect of bringing the Kingdom of God to the world. In the Kingdom there is no insecurity. Instead there is a self-less confidence that is bold yet humble: it defies "earthly" logic but hints of a place where things are as they should be. It is beautiful, it is exotic, it is peaceful and it is daring. Those who cross the path of a Kingdom life seem to go in opposite directions. To some it brings intrigue and others it brings anger. To some it is the answer to what they have always hoped for, to others it fuels a fire of rage that consumes more life.
It's interesting, and I know it can be done ad nauseam, but when I make myself real in the pulpit, people really seem to respond. I just read a blog by Patric Mead called "Tent Pegs", he talked about being like Isaac. He admitted that he is a preacher because it keeps him going to church and he needs that. Oh he has a tremendous passion for God and Christ, it is just the church part he struggles with. He is introverted. A natural loner. And the guts to be real. I love an honest guy. I love that fact the bible is so honest. It is full of "real People". I am preaching a series called "FAith that Works", profiles of the "giants" of faith in Hebrews 11. The more I study these characters, and that is what they are!!!!, the more I see God's grace in it all. Noah gets of the good ship ARK , promplty plants a vineyard and gets drunk. Abraham sleeps with his maid and lies, not once, but twice about his wife to cover his own butt. Jacob- Oh my gosh!!! Talk about a manipulator!! ..... Rahab... all the real people. All these people riddled with fear and failures and what does God remember: their Faith. If it weren't for these "real people" I a might think that these "saints" never sinned. I might be inclined to think they were like all the perfect people in church. Like all those preachers who are so full of faith and have it all together. I might never know that God could use a weak, stained, narcisistic, Pharisee like me. Praise God he uses real people. The truth really does set us free.
It ocurred to me the other day how good a deal we really have: God places Jesus' righteousness on us, forgives and forgets our sin, and gives us credit for any good that we do. What a deal. I am given credit for the miniscule good, forgiven for the mountainous bad. What Grace. What a Savior. I can give my life to a God like that.
That why I am so blessed to have elders like I do. Todd Parks and Doug Vaughn are two jewels who have pastored churches and they are as real as the day is long. I am also blessed to many friends who are the same. In fact, there are too many to list. I tried it-- and it was getting out of hand. They are who they are, wherever they are, with whomever they are with. Praise God I MARRIED the real deal.
It is refreshing to be around people who are more concerned with how God sees them then how they appear. These people seem to bring the peace of God wherever they go. Sometimes I think this is an overlooked aspect of bringing the Kingdom of God to the world. In the Kingdom there is no insecurity. Instead there is a self-less confidence that is bold yet humble: it defies "earthly" logic but hints of a place where things are as they should be. It is beautiful, it is exotic, it is peaceful and it is daring. Those who cross the path of a Kingdom life seem to go in opposite directions. To some it brings intrigue and others it brings anger. To some it is the answer to what they have always hoped for, to others it fuels a fire of rage that consumes more life.
It's interesting, and I know it can be done ad nauseam, but when I make myself real in the pulpit, people really seem to respond. I just read a blog by Patric Mead called "Tent Pegs", he talked about being like Isaac. He admitted that he is a preacher because it keeps him going to church and he needs that. Oh he has a tremendous passion for God and Christ, it is just the church part he struggles with. He is introverted. A natural loner. And the guts to be real. I love an honest guy. I love that fact the bible is so honest. It is full of "real People". I am preaching a series called "FAith that Works", profiles of the "giants" of faith in Hebrews 11. The more I study these characters, and that is what they are!!!!, the more I see God's grace in it all. Noah gets of the good ship ARK , promplty plants a vineyard and gets drunk. Abraham sleeps with his maid and lies, not once, but twice about his wife to cover his own butt. Jacob- Oh my gosh!!! Talk about a manipulator!! ..... Rahab... all the real people. All these people riddled with fear and failures and what does God remember: their Faith. If it weren't for these "real people" I a might think that these "saints" never sinned. I might be inclined to think they were like all the perfect people in church. Like all those preachers who are so full of faith and have it all together. I might never know that God could use a weak, stained, narcisistic, Pharisee like me. Praise God he uses real people. The truth really does set us free.
It ocurred to me the other day how good a deal we really have: God places Jesus' righteousness on us, forgives and forgets our sin, and gives us credit for any good that we do. What a deal. I am given credit for the miniscule good, forgiven for the mountainous bad. What Grace. What a Savior. I can give my life to a God like that.
Monday, November 14, 2005
No, REALLY!!!
God's way really is the best way... why does it take so much time to BELIEVE it?
Why do we ask for a clean heart when he has given us a new heart? Our view of reality needs to catch up with what God HAS DONE. The "old" has gone the "new" has come!!! I am "beginning" to believe this and it is changing my life.
The church doesn't need any more "fads" in church growth- we need a revelation of Jesus.
We get uncomfortable when people refer to God as "Daddy" when praying in public but Jesus modeled it. Intimacy makes many of us uncomfortable. People are dying for intimacy with God; Jesus died so we can have that intimacy.
Religion (the bad kind) can find it's way into the most peculiar things: cutting edge methods, non-denominations, church planting, being "radical for Jesus". One degree off the "real thing" is religion. God help us stay with Jesus....
Religion can attract many people, only the Spirit of God can really bring New Life.
1 Cor 2:4-5
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom , but on God's power.
NIV
AS we seek to use our minds and be informed it must never supersede our quest to ensure that we are relying on the Spirit's power so people won't put there faith in our wisdom. I long for the day that the "church" is marked by a demonstration of the Spirit's Power.
It never ceases to amaze me at how blind I can be to my own "stuff" and "issues". I think I might need a big shot of grace with my cafe' latte'.
To any who stumble on these ramblings- May you have a day that is closely connected with the one who makes all things NEW- even me and YOU!!!
Why do we ask for a clean heart when he has given us a new heart? Our view of reality needs to catch up with what God HAS DONE. The "old" has gone the "new" has come!!! I am "beginning" to believe this and it is changing my life.
The church doesn't need any more "fads" in church growth- we need a revelation of Jesus.
We get uncomfortable when people refer to God as "Daddy" when praying in public but Jesus modeled it. Intimacy makes many of us uncomfortable. People are dying for intimacy with God; Jesus died so we can have that intimacy.
Religion (the bad kind) can find it's way into the most peculiar things: cutting edge methods, non-denominations, church planting, being "radical for Jesus". One degree off the "real thing" is religion. God help us stay with Jesus....
Religion can attract many people, only the Spirit of God can really bring New Life.
1 Cor 2:4-5
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom , but on God's power.
NIV
AS we seek to use our minds and be informed it must never supersede our quest to ensure that we are relying on the Spirit's power so people won't put there faith in our wisdom. I long for the day that the "church" is marked by a demonstration of the Spirit's Power.
It never ceases to amaze me at how blind I can be to my own "stuff" and "issues". I think I might need a big shot of grace with my cafe' latte'.
To any who stumble on these ramblings- May you have a day that is closely connected with the one who makes all things NEW- even me and YOU!!!
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Jesus is Coming to Texas!!!
This just in: Jesus is coming to Texas. 75,000 people strong. Amidst pain, suffering, hunger, tears, chaos, rape, looting, finger pointing and blame, 75,000 homeless people are coming to the Lone Star State. No home. NO clothes. No food. No job. And many with no Savior.
Matt 25:37-40
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' NIV
Father, please empower YOUR church to see YOUR SON. Please bring beauty out of the ashes.
Matt 25:37-40
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' NIV
Father, please empower YOUR church to see YOUR SON. Please bring beauty out of the ashes.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
My Family
I am trying to get back into the BLOGosphere... posting more thoughts and learning to add photos... Here is a pic of my family!!! Rachel and I, Madeline (age 5) Samuel (3) and Lee and Tomlyn (2). I am a blessed man...
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Good Summer
It has been a good summer. Our kids have moved to the "non-stroller" era freeing us up to go more places. God continues to grow our marriage and family towards His ways. I got to experience two days with our Youth Group in Mexico with our new youth pastor. What an amazing group!! God has shown me how much I need Him!!!Our church family(www.crossroadsdecatur.com ) has been able to experience a permanent facility. We have added several new faces to our church family. I have got to play golf more than once and play in a scramble with Cody Wadsworth, Jim Reynolds and Stephen Bailey!!! In fact- I got reconnected with Stephen after a long spell. I learned to play 42. God has worked miracles in the lives of the people I serve. I found a deer lease that I get to hunt on with my good old Friend Eric Fleming. Madeline and Samuel got to drive (with their dad) a CAT DC-6 bulldozzer with Bobby Mayfield. We celebrated the 4th of July in our back yard sending fireworks over our (and our neighbors) back pastures!! Listening Samuel scream with excitment when the "Texas Screamers" went off was worth every bit of the $50 I spent. God has broken areas of pride off my heart- still a long ways to go - but progress. I got to help teach Madeline and Samuel how to swim. Rachel and I finally established a pretty routine date night!!! I learned how to really pray for my family. My church has continued to let me learn how to preach... and not shot me. God has delivered me from strongholds I have had my whole life!!! I have grown very close to two leaders in my church: Todd Parks and Bill Sandford. Our staff has come together!! What a team!!! I am learning to live in the present. Judging people and other churches is looking more and more stupid to me. On our family we have started a new tradition of eating breakfast at the Cracker Barrel...comfort food baby!!! Our church has seen 40 men get into discpleship groups and meet weekly with two of them: Donald Willis and Jeremiah young- two pilgrims who want God 90 proof (inside joke). How can I be so blessed!!!
Our whole family has been illness free for over 2 months, we have food on the table and the riding lawn mower for our ranchette has run like a top. What more could you ask for?
God is so good. It has been a good summer.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Holy Moments
I love Holy Moments.
Those unplanned seconds that grab your heart and imagination and don't let go. Watching grandparents gaze at their grandchild saying, "Till death do us part" at a wedding with tears rolling down their cheeks. Knowing that each tear could tell a story of great times and hard times and everything in between. Experiencing the moving emotion in a movie like "Braveheart" when William Wallace yells "FREEDOM" and gives his life for it or in a musical like "Les Miserables" when grace gives Jean Valjean freedom. Maybe you've had one of these moments lately when one of your kids crawl up in your lap and spontaneously say, "Daddy, I Love You." Your heart swells and your eyes water and your soul wishes you could push pause for about two years. These moments grab us, shake us, stir us, but mostly remind us what really matters in life: Living for a King that many can't see and loving our family and friends with a love that is beyond words.
I had one of those moments coming home from church this past Sunday. And, like most Holy Moments, it caught me off guard and surprised me with an experience I will not soon forget. As I turned of the highway going towards my home a huge banner caught my attention. It was professionally made and printed with very large red letters that said "WELCOME HOME!!!" On the side of the sign was a United States Marine Corps emblem- obviously a soldier coming home from the War. As I drove along the road there were more printed signs. "We missed YOU!!!- the Bransons"We Love You"- the Brazier's, hundreds of them-spaced every 10 yards- for miles. As I read these words from the hundredss of friends and family I found myself overwhelmed with the emotion the soldier must have been feeling as he turned down that highway towards His home; thankful to God that he is still breathing, able to drive a car- and then to be greeted with such a beautiful expression of love, thanks, and appreciation. I have long had an affinity for going home to were I grew up and experiencing that feeling of safety, warmth, and good memories. I can't imagine how much sweeter it was to that Marine who many days wondered whether he would ever make that drive again. I have never been to War. He has. The last sign I read will forever assure this moment a place in my memory. It said simply "Semper Fi". The Marine mantra which means, "Always Faithful".
In that moment I pictured the great cloud of witnesses that will one day line the streets when you and I come home. Signs of love, thanks, and appreciation, all signed by friends, family, and heroes of the faith that have gone home before me. I can't wait to see the signs for me from my NaNa, Don Phillips, Ryan King, and Justin Raburn, just to name a few. As great as those signs will be, they will lead to a greater reward that has captured my heart: To fall down before my Lord and My King, and to hear the words, "Semper Fi."
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1 I love Holy Moments.
Those unplanned seconds that grab your heart and imagination and don't let go. Watching grandparents gaze at their grandchild saying, "Till death do us part" at a wedding with tears rolling down their cheeks. Knowing that each tear could tell a story of great times and hard times and everything in between. Experiencing the moving emotion in a movie like "Braveheart" when William Wallace yells "FREEDOM" and gives his life for it or in a musical like "Les Miserables" when grace gives Jean Valjean freedom. Maybe you've had one of these moments lately when one of your kids crawl up in your lap and spontaneously say, "Daddy, I Love You." Your heart swells and your eyes water and your soul wishes you could push pause for about two years. These moments grab us, shake us, stir us, but mostly remind us what really matters in life: Living for a King that many can't see and loving our family and friends with a love that is beyond words.
I had one of those moments coming home from church this past Sunday. And, like most Holy Moments, it caught me off guard and surprised me with an experience I will not soon forget. As I turned of the highway going towards my home a huge banner caught my attention. It was professionally made and printed with very large red letters that said "WELCOME HOME!!!" On the side of the sign was a United States Marine Corps emblem- obviously a soldier coming home from the War. As I drove along the road there were more printed signs. "We missed YOU!!!- the Bransons"We Love You"- the Brazier's, hundreds of them-spaced every 10 yards- for miles. As I read these words from the hundredss of friends and family I found myself overwhelmed with the emotion the soldier must have been feeling as he turned down that highway towards His home; thankful to God that he is still breathing, able to drive a car- and then to be greeted with such a beautiful expression of love, thanks, and appreciation. I have long had an affinity for going home to were I grew up and experiencing that feeling of safety, warmth, and good memories. I can't imagine how much sweeter it was to that Marine who many days wondered whether he would ever make that drive again. I have never been to War. He has. The last sign I read will forever assure this moment a place in my memory. It said simply "Semper Fi". The Marine mantra which means, "Always Faithful".
In that moment I pictured the great cloud of witnesses that will one day line the streets when you and I come home. Signs of love, thanks, and appreciation, all signed by friends, family, and heroes of the faith that have gone home before me. I can't wait to see the signs for me from my NaNa, Don Phillips, Ryan King, and Justin Raburn, just to name a few. As great as those signs will be, they will lead to a greater reward that has captured my heart: To fall down before my Lord and My King, and to hear the words, "Semper Fi."
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1 I love Holy Moments.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Holy Moments
I love Holy Moments.
The unplanned seconds that grab your heart and imagination and don't let go. Watching grandparents gaze at their grandchild saying, "Till death do us part" at a wedding with tears rolling down their cheeks. Knowing that each tear could tell a story of great times and hard times and everything in between. Experiencing the moving emotion in a movie like "Braveheart" when William Wallace yells "FREEDOM" and gives his life for it or in a musical like "Les Miserables" when grace gives Jean Valjean freedom. Maybe you've had one of these moments lately when one of your kids crawl up in your lap and spontaneously say, "Daddy, I Love You." Your heart swells and your eyes water and your soul wishes you could push pause for about two years. These moments grab us, shake us, stir us, but mostly remind us what really matters in life: Living for a King that many can't see and loving our family and friends with a love that is beyond words.
I had one of those moments coming home from church this past Sunday. And, like most Holy Moments, it caught me off guard and surprised me with an experience I will not soon forget. As I turned of the highway going towards my home a huge banner caught my attention. It was professionally made and printed with very large red letters that said "WELCOME HOME!!!" On the side of the sign was a United States Marine Corps emblem- obviously a soldier coming home from the War. As I drove along the road there were more printed signs. "We missed YOU!!!- the Bransons"We Love You"- the Brazier's, hundreds of them-spaced every 10 yards- for miles. As I read these words from the hundredss of friends and family I found myself overwhelmed with the emotion the soldier must have been feeling as he turned down that highway towards His home; thankful to God that he is still breathing, able to drive a car- and then to be greeted with such a beautiful expression of love, thanks, and appreciation. I have long had an affinity for going home to were I grew up and experiencing that feeling of safety, warmth, and good memories. I can't imagine how much sweeter it was to that Marine who many days wondered whether he would ever make that drive again. I have never been to War. He has.
The last sign I read will forever assure this moment a place in my memory. It said simply "Semper Fi". The Marine mantra which means, "Always Faithful". In that moment I pictured the great cloud of witnesses that will one day line the streets when you and I come home. Signs of love, thanks, and appreciation, all signed by friends, family, and heroes of the faith that have gone home before me. I can't wait to see the signs for me from my NaNa, Don Phillips, Ryan King, and Justin Raburn, just to name a few. As great as those signs will be, they will lead to a greater reward that has captured my heart: To fall down before my Lord and My King, and to hear the words, "Semper Fi."
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
I love Holy Moments.
The unplanned seconds that grab your heart and imagination and don't let go. Watching grandparents gaze at their grandchild saying, "Till death do us part" at a wedding with tears rolling down their cheeks. Knowing that each tear could tell a story of great times and hard times and everything in between. Experiencing the moving emotion in a movie like "Braveheart" when William Wallace yells "FREEDOM" and gives his life for it or in a musical like "Les Miserables" when grace gives Jean Valjean freedom. Maybe you've had one of these moments lately when one of your kids crawl up in your lap and spontaneously say, "Daddy, I Love You." Your heart swells and your eyes water and your soul wishes you could push pause for about two years. These moments grab us, shake us, stir us, but mostly remind us what really matters in life: Living for a King that many can't see and loving our family and friends with a love that is beyond words.
I had one of those moments coming home from church this past Sunday. And, like most Holy Moments, it caught me off guard and surprised me with an experience I will not soon forget. As I turned of the highway going towards my home a huge banner caught my attention. It was professionally made and printed with very large red letters that said "WELCOME HOME!!!" On the side of the sign was a United States Marine Corps emblem- obviously a soldier coming home from the War. As I drove along the road there were more printed signs. "We missed YOU!!!- the Bransons"We Love You"- the Brazier's, hundreds of them-spaced every 10 yards- for miles. As I read these words from the hundredss of friends and family I found myself overwhelmed with the emotion the soldier must have been feeling as he turned down that highway towards His home; thankful to God that he is still breathing, able to drive a car- and then to be greeted with such a beautiful expression of love, thanks, and appreciation. I have long had an affinity for going home to were I grew up and experiencing that feeling of safety, warmth, and good memories. I can't imagine how much sweeter it was to that Marine who many days wondered whether he would ever make that drive again. I have never been to War. He has.
The last sign I read will forever assure this moment a place in my memory. It said simply "Semper Fi". The Marine mantra which means, "Always Faithful". In that moment I pictured the great cloud of witnesses that will one day line the streets when you and I come home. Signs of love, thanks, and appreciation, all signed by friends, family, and heroes of the faith that have gone home before me. I can't wait to see the signs for me from my NaNa, Don Phillips, Ryan King, and Justin Raburn, just to name a few. As great as those signs will be, they will lead to a greater reward that has captured my heart: To fall down before my Lord and My King, and to hear the words, "Semper Fi."
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
I love Holy Moments.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
I need help...
I can't get all my blogspot pages to look the same. WHen I look up my blog on the blog spot address it gives me my old template and does not list my new renderings. Help...
I cannot BLOG well...
I changed the template on my blog and cannot pull up my most recent posts... this thing is driving me nuts...
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Breakin the Silence
I wrote this two days after I had not seen my first attempt published..excuse the repetitiveness...
NOT that anyone would notice. But I am breaking my silence in the Blog world. Between family and church I have not made time for this adventure but here it is...my quote for the month..
"We need to take our lives more seriously and ourselves less seriously. Seriously."
I am amazed how hard it is not to get sucked into our culture of entertaining, inebriating, numbing, or blaming. We take our selves way to seriously and our lives way to lite... To quote a famous Theologian...whom is so famous I cannot remember his name... we need to be asking the question: "How then shall we live?" God move us from existing to living. From surviving to celebrating. From avoiding to facing, conquering, and praising!!! May the approval issues that chain us in fear be broken to peaces with the realization that it is about HIM, HIS PURPOSES, and HIS GLORY being made manifest in our lives. He must become GREATER, I must become less...
NOT that anyone would notice. But I am breaking my silence in the Blog world. Between family and church I have not made time for this adventure but here it is...my quote for the month..
"We need to take our lives more seriously and ourselves less seriously. Seriously."
I am amazed how hard it is not to get sucked into our culture of entertaining, inebriating, numbing, or blaming. We take our selves way to seriously and our lives way to lite... To quote a famous Theologian...whom is so famous I cannot remember his name... we need to be asking the question: "How then shall we live?" God move us from existing to living. From surviving to celebrating. From avoiding to facing, conquering, and praising!!! May the approval issues that chain us in fear be broken to peaces with the realization that it is about HIM, HIS PURPOSES, and HIS GLORY being made manifest in our lives. He must become GREATER, I must become less...
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Thought to Ponder....
Just a quick note to any that peruse my BLOG. I have been snowed and haven't made the time to BLOG but was hit with a "Thought to Ponder" the other day.
"WE need to take our lives more seriously and ourselves less seriously."
As I pastor a church and observe our culture it seems that we spend way to much time thinking, entertaining, psychoanalysing, feeding, or inebriating our selves and less time taking seriously evaluating how we live. As a famous Theologian(so famous I can't remember him) said "How then Shall we live? The choices we are making by and large are destroying our families and culture. I have been convicted to take my life more seriously and my self less. Self-less. What a concept. God---I need your help!!!
"WE need to take our lives more seriously and ourselves less seriously."
As I pastor a church and observe our culture it seems that we spend way to much time thinking, entertaining, psychoanalysing, feeding, or inebriating our selves and less time taking seriously evaluating how we live. As a famous Theologian(so famous I can't remember him) said "How then Shall we live? The choices we are making by and large are destroying our families and culture. I have been convicted to take my life more seriously and my self less. Self-less. What a concept. God---I need your help!!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Great Stuff!!!
I am copying this from Stephen Mansfields BLOG. You can read his stuff on his websight, "TheMansfieldGRoup". He is a fantastic writer and insightful historian. Here are his renderings concerning the presidential race:
"It was a bloody political fight. The two candidates wanted that Congressional seat and they wanted it badly. And one of the candidates was willing to throw the low blow to win.
This man had been a Methodist preacher, a tough, stout fiery pulpiteer of blunt opinions. He decided early in his campaign his opponent wasn’t a true Christian and that the largely church-going electorate ought to know it. So he opened fire. He told his audiences that his opponent denied Christ, welcomed drunkards as true believers, and never attended church. Perhaps worse, the man’s wife was an Episcopalian and therefore couldn’t be further from God. The voters had to choose, the preacher insisted, between a respected man of the cloth and a notorious infidel.
The preacher’s plan was calculated, well-executed and intended to strike the mortal wound. But it didn’t work. The former preacher, whose name was Peter Cartwright, lost the election badly. And we should be glad he did, for this bloody political battle took place in the Illinois of 1846. The name of the victorious infidel? Abraham Lincoln. Later, as our sixteenth president, Lincoln would summon the nation to faith and prayer more than all but a few of our chief executives have, his famed Second Inaugural Address ranking among the great political sermons of American history. Not bad for an infidel.
John Kerry would do well to learn from this episode in Lincoln’s life. On March 28, Kerry quoted James 2:14 to a St. Louis congregation, the scripture that says faith is of no profit without works, and then questioned aloud whether George Bush has genuine faith. Citing “our present national leadership,” Kerry said, “When we look at what’s happening in America today, where are the works of compassion? Because it’s also written, ‘Be doers of the word and not hearers only.’”
Mr. Kerry shouldn’t throw stones. He ought, first, to get consistent with his own faith. Kerry is a Catholic and by definition has affirmed the doctrines of the Church. Yet the candidate is at such variance with Catholic teaching on abortion and same-sex marriage that the Bishop of Kerry’s home diocese won’t admit the man to the Lord’s Table, the central experience of Catholic worship. Strange that Mr. Kerry feels the need to offer spiritual correction to President Bush.
What is more, while our current president is a man of deep and unapologetic evangelical faith, there is no record that he has ever questioned the faith of his opponents or doubted the sincerity of their religious opinions. In fact, though Bush is often portrayed by his enemies as a narrow Bible-thumper and pawn of preachers, the truth is that his administration has been graced with large-heartedness on religious matters. The president could not have been more affirming of law-abiding Muslims following the terror of September 11, 2001, and his administration is among the most religiously and racially diverse in American history. Like Lincoln and unlike Mr. Kerry, it isn’t Bush throwing religious punches in the current political fray.
Finally, it is odd to hear Kerry chastise Bush about an assumed divorce between faith and public policy. It is Bush who hopes to serve God in office while maintaining First Amendment boundaries. Mr. Kerry’s Democrat Party is notorious for candidates who believe one thing privately while urging another publicly. How many times do we hear a Democrat say, “Well, personally I’m opposed to abortion, but I will not vote my private opinions on the floor of the Congress?” If Mr. Kerry is going to start calling for a consistent line between private faith and public politics, he’ll have to switch parties first.
Religious attacks in politics are the refuge of the small and the insecure. Abraham Lincoln rose above them and won. President Bush will as well. Once again, Mr. Kerry is on the wrong side of history.
Great Stuff--
"It was a bloody political fight. The two candidates wanted that Congressional seat and they wanted it badly. And one of the candidates was willing to throw the low blow to win.
This man had been a Methodist preacher, a tough, stout fiery pulpiteer of blunt opinions. He decided early in his campaign his opponent wasn’t a true Christian and that the largely church-going electorate ought to know it. So he opened fire. He told his audiences that his opponent denied Christ, welcomed drunkards as true believers, and never attended church. Perhaps worse, the man’s wife was an Episcopalian and therefore couldn’t be further from God. The voters had to choose, the preacher insisted, between a respected man of the cloth and a notorious infidel.
The preacher’s plan was calculated, well-executed and intended to strike the mortal wound. But it didn’t work. The former preacher, whose name was Peter Cartwright, lost the election badly. And we should be glad he did, for this bloody political battle took place in the Illinois of 1846. The name of the victorious infidel? Abraham Lincoln. Later, as our sixteenth president, Lincoln would summon the nation to faith and prayer more than all but a few of our chief executives have, his famed Second Inaugural Address ranking among the great political sermons of American history. Not bad for an infidel.
John Kerry would do well to learn from this episode in Lincoln’s life. On March 28, Kerry quoted James 2:14 to a St. Louis congregation, the scripture that says faith is of no profit without works, and then questioned aloud whether George Bush has genuine faith. Citing “our present national leadership,” Kerry said, “When we look at what’s happening in America today, where are the works of compassion? Because it’s also written, ‘Be doers of the word and not hearers only.’”
Mr. Kerry shouldn’t throw stones. He ought, first, to get consistent with his own faith. Kerry is a Catholic and by definition has affirmed the doctrines of the Church. Yet the candidate is at such variance with Catholic teaching on abortion and same-sex marriage that the Bishop of Kerry’s home diocese won’t admit the man to the Lord’s Table, the central experience of Catholic worship. Strange that Mr. Kerry feels the need to offer spiritual correction to President Bush.
What is more, while our current president is a man of deep and unapologetic evangelical faith, there is no record that he has ever questioned the faith of his opponents or doubted the sincerity of their religious opinions. In fact, though Bush is often portrayed by his enemies as a narrow Bible-thumper and pawn of preachers, the truth is that his administration has been graced with large-heartedness on religious matters. The president could not have been more affirming of law-abiding Muslims following the terror of September 11, 2001, and his administration is among the most religiously and racially diverse in American history. Like Lincoln and unlike Mr. Kerry, it isn’t Bush throwing religious punches in the current political fray.
Finally, it is odd to hear Kerry chastise Bush about an assumed divorce between faith and public policy. It is Bush who hopes to serve God in office while maintaining First Amendment boundaries. Mr. Kerry’s Democrat Party is notorious for candidates who believe one thing privately while urging another publicly. How many times do we hear a Democrat say, “Well, personally I’m opposed to abortion, but I will not vote my private opinions on the floor of the Congress?” If Mr. Kerry is going to start calling for a consistent line between private faith and public politics, he’ll have to switch parties first.
Religious attacks in politics are the refuge of the small and the insecure. Abraham Lincoln rose above them and won. President Bush will as well. Once again, Mr. Kerry is on the wrong side of history.
Great Stuff--
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
God Comes Near
Your life is today... You are living in the current state of what you said 1 year ago would be "When I..." You are living in your future. When I do this... then I will be doing what God wants me to do... then I will be fulfilled... The tragedy of "tommorrow thinking" seems to rob us of so much...primarily- walking with God today. James says, "..Come near to God and He will come near to You.." Wow. I don't have to wait until I have something paid off, or some career checklist checked, or family goal realized.. I can draw near to him now. I am always amazed at the difference between the days I am walking with Him and the days I am doing my own thing. Night and day. POwerful or powerless. LIfe giving or tiresome..
I want to take the plunge.. dive in.. go for it... Kingdom living is such the adventure. The past two days have taken a wild twist. For some reason (God's grace being one primary) I quit fighting for control and tried to let go some more. The results were astounding. It is so simple yet we make it so complicated. He bears fruit when he is in charge. So just do it. Take one minute. Remind yourself who's in charge and give Him the pleasure of hearing your heart. Who knows...He might just come near to you....
I want to take the plunge.. dive in.. go for it... Kingdom living is such the adventure. The past two days have taken a wild twist. For some reason (God's grace being one primary) I quit fighting for control and tried to let go some more. The results were astounding. It is so simple yet we make it so complicated. He bears fruit when he is in charge. So just do it. Take one minute. Remind yourself who's in charge and give Him the pleasure of hearing your heart. Who knows...He might just come near to you....
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Politics
Not much time to write but must express one thought on the DNC in Boston. Concerning the huge security attention at the convention: Why would any terrorist want to threaten the Democratic convention and 1)weaken their ability to take over the White House ?or 2)actually cause them to have resolve concerning anything outside their political endeavors? If I were a terrorist, I would, along with Michael Moore, send the Kerry campaign a check and try to oust Bush. I was amused that Donald Trump joined in the celebrity Bush bashing party the other day as to why he would say, "You're Fired", to Bush. He stated one of his reasons was that he couldn't catch Ben ladin...note to Trump...put up a 30 million of your own money as a reward for his capture..just a small sacrifice.. and see what happens.
I realize my conservative, Texas influenced, political slant, but have heard nothing of substance out of this convention. Just Bush hatred. Come on, give us something, this is a democracy....
I realize my conservative, Texas influenced, political slant, but have heard nothing of substance out of this convention. Just Bush hatred. Come on, give us something, this is a democracy....
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Babysittin...
I would like to meet the person who came up with the term...babysitting. Rachel is on a much needed two day mini-vacation and I am keeping our children: Madeline age 4, Samuel- 2, and Lee and Tomlyn 16 months. It is 2:15 p.m and this is the first time I have "sat" down in 6 hours. It has been a blast...but definitely tiring. My respect for stay at home moms continues to increase...er excuse me..Domestic engineers. God Bless all you out there raising your kids in the Lord...there is no higher calling.
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