Dying in order to live

This is a repost from March of 2009...I needed to read it again...

Jesus also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." John 4:26-29

Imagine with me for moment this following scene:

The farmer from the above scripture is ready to plant the seed. The seeds cries out,"please don't put me in that hole? It is cold, dark, and wet in there. I will die in that hole!"

The farmer responds with, "Yes, you will die in there, but you will also sprout and grow into a mighty tree. You will come alive again and produce much fruit. You will grow very tall and be able to experience the height and depth of my love. You will also know what it feels like to have the wind blow and the sun shine on your leaves."

"But I don't want to die." states the little seed. "I don't want to loose what I have."

"Oh, what you will gain will far outweigh what you will loose in your new life." explains the farmer.

"I am afraid," pleads the little seed.

"Do not be afraid. I will take care of you. You must die to the fear in order to truly live." says the farmer. The farmer then plants the seed and the little seed becomes a mighty tree. The seeds learns in the dark, cold, wet parts of life is where we truly surrender and then we will truly begin to live.

What does it mean to be alive....to surrender oneself to God by declaring God's worth in our lives while recognizing His presence in our lives, by giving to God's purposes, and by lifting His praises in all we do. For when we die to ourselves is when we truly begin to live.
What do you think it means to be alive? You know I love ya - Don

Back to School - some guidelines

"Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility ... He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

"Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way" Daniel 1:3-8 (NIV)

Alice and Matthew go back to school tomorrow. They are so excited. I recall being miserable the day before I would go back to school at their ages. I started thinking about some of the guidelines that made life in school more productive and probably would have made my experience something to look forward to in contrast to my misery. I starting searching out some websites and thoughts finding Carol's list in "5 Minutes for Faith":

1. Do more listening than you do talking. If you are talking at the same time as the teacher, you may miss some very important instructions.

2. Follow directions. Don’t question what you have been told, just get down to business and follow directions the first time. It will save you much heartache in the long run.

3. Stay on task. Your teacher is smarter than you. Guaranteed. Each task serves a purpose in your overall education. Stay focused on what you need to do and don’t be distracted by others.

4. Come prepared. Don’t show up to school without your homework. Be sure you’ve put thought into what you might need each day.

5. Be flexible. Things will not always go the way you think they should. Smile anyway. Some pizza days could easily turn into fish sandwich days. Make up your mind to be happy no matter what.

I think all of us would do well to take these five guidelines and apply them to everyday life. We must commitment to Daniel's example and not defile ourselves. It is our job as Christ-followers to be the leaders in compassion, integrity, and in growth. So, we make it our goal to please Him, the perfect example for us all.

You know I love ya...and happy back-to-school. Don

"Love"...

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:16-18

I was asked what love is and I thought about it and tried to explain love as an expression of heartfelt passion toward another person...yet it does not truly describe love. There are theological words that describe love and there many ways love can be interpreted. Yet, that just does not do the job.

I think we have trouble describing love because love is an action word. Action words need to be told by the action that is demonstrated. Thus the text above describes what true love is. Marvin Williams writes about love:

A South African man surprised nine men robbing his home. Seven of the robbers ran away, but the homeowner managed to shove two into his backyard pool. After realizing that one of the robbers couldn’t swim, the homeowner jumped in to save him.The Cape Times reports that once out of the pool, the wet thief called to his friends to come back. Then he pulled a knife and threatened the man who had just rescued him. The homeowner said, “We were still standing near the pool, and when I saw the knife I just threw him back in. But he was gasping for air and was drowning. So I rescued him again.”

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote of another rescue: God the Father had saved them from the domain of darkness. This rescue occurred at the death of Christ, but also at the Colossians’ conversion. The imagery Paul used (1:12-13) suggests that believers have been rescued from the dark reign of Satan by being transferred as free people into the peaceable rule of Christ. By Jesus’ death, believers become free citizens in the kingdom of light.

The appropriate response to such amazing grace is to show joyous gratitude by offering God acceptable service with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28).

Our only response to being rescued and loved can be nothing less than to go and love those around us as Christ loved us first. I am going to "go" and "love." I will be looking for you on the journey. You know I love ya, Don

"Go" ...

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 NIV

Matthew rides horses every week. It is part of his Hippotherapy to strengthen his core and balance. He rides the horses and receives physical and occupational therapy at TherAplay. They teach him that as he is ready to call out to the horse and say, "Go!" Then the horse will move forward and they get moving.

I couldn't help but think of Jesus while I was watching Matthew on Friday. Jesus also gave us a command. He said, "Go." He was telling us to go physically out to people around us and demonstrate worship in compassion and sacrifice. Notice he says to all people and to go with a purpose. David Branon wrote in June of 2010:

Picher, Oklahoma, is no more. In mid-2009, this once-bustling town of 20,000 went out of business. In the first quarter of the 1900s, Picher was a boomtown because of its abundant lead and zinc. Workers extracted the ore, which was used to help arm the US during both World Wars.

The town faded as the ore began to run out—but the biggest problem was that while the lead and zinc brought wealth, they also brought pollution. Because nothing was done to deal with the pollution, Picher became a toxic wasteland, and the government condemned the land.

What happened to Picher can happen to people. Prosperity can look so good that it’s hard to think about possible downsides. Actions that are detrimental to long-term spiritual health are accepted, and unless the problem is corrected, destruction follows. It happened to King Saul. He began as a good king, but in seeking success he failed to see the damage he was doing. Turning his back on God’s commands, he acted “foolishly” (1 Sam. 13:13) and lost his kingdom (v.14).

In our attempts to find success, we need to watch out for spiritual pollution that comes when we fail to follow God’s clear scriptural guidelines. Godly living always beats toxic living.

To many times Christ-followers go yet they do not go with a purpose in mind. They go and move forward but with out a purpose it is like a town full of pollution. They start to feel scorned and toxins set in along with discouragement. So, what is the purpose Jesus set out for us? The purpose is to go and LOVE! Jesus' words are full of love and are are to follow in His example.

I am going to "go" and I pray I will see you on the journey. You know I love ya, Don

A Special Prayer for Today!

Open My Eyes by Clara H Scott

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

A Prayer for this day. You know I love ya, Don

Glimpses of Truth...high above the earth!

LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Psalm 8:1

Welcome August 2011. My desire and prayer for this month is, "Open My eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth God has for me." I don't travel by plane very often. When I do, I never grow tired of looking out the window of the airplane. Since most of my flights are to and from the same cities, the landscape I see is not unfamiliar, yet I have trouble recognizing the landscape from such a different view. Now matter from what view, sunrises and sunsets are never the same, particularly when viewed from the air, above the clouds.

As I think about clouds and how different they look from the air, it occurs to me that I am not physically designed to see clouds from above. I am able to because, through the achievements of modern aviation, I can go where I was not intended to go and see the earth from a different perspective, more like God's perspective.

Through His marvelous grace, I realize that when I fight my daily battles on earth and cannot see past them or deal with them effectively, I can step back and try to look at my life from God's perspective. He is like a strong jet seen from above, and ALSO very intricately involved in my life. The best of both perspectives. Then I perceive my situation differently -- sometimes as different as clouds look from above. God knows the overall scheme of things. From God's perspective, the particular battle I am fighting may not be so big after all...in fact I may be winning a new level of blessing and growth greater than I could even ask for.

"Dear Lord, open my eyes and may I see you and may other see you in me. Amen"

You know I love ya, Don

The Grand Canyon

Be still, and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon silenced me. Mom, Jim, and I were in the process of moving me to Tennessee to take the job at Smoky Mountain Christian Church. The Grand Canyon was not far off our planned route, so we thought we should stop and see the world's largest ditch. What an understatement. When we arrived, all three of us wished we had planned to stay there a little longer.

As I gazed out over the vastness and realized that water had done all this, I had no words. The Canyon stretched before me as far as the naked eye could see. There seemed to be no end to it. In the quiet, I watched light reflecting off the walls, creating splashes of red, blue, purple, yellow. A jagged rock towered nearby, reflecting light to the east side. Light and color glistened on the canyon rim where the trees staggered on the edge. Below I could see the river storming through what looked like cracks and crevices.

That was 16 years ago and even today I do not have words to describe my emotions and thoughts in that moment. I was mesmerized knowing that God created this beauty. But my thoughts turn today as I reflect back on that moment and in my heart the words, "Be still." Anxiety rushes up: worries over relationships, finances, schedules, and wondering if God will see fit to give us another opportunity to adopt a perfect little boy. But as I recall gazing at the scene unfolding, I heard the words echoing across the canyon, "Be still, and know that I am God."

The God who designed this canyon has designed you and me with the same infinite care. He is also the fountain of every blessing. If physical water can create such a vast canyon in the earth, how much more can the God of blessing carve into our anxiety the perfect heart that waits and trusts in the God we love. When we ponder the greatness of God who watches over all creation, both the Grand Canyon and us, silent awe seems an appropriate response.

"Fountain of every blessing and Awesome God, silence my heart. Help me to be still and allow you to take care of my anxieties. Thank you for caring about each of us in the midst of your great universe. I wait and trust in you. In the silence, I search, watch, and praise you for the blessings that carve out my anxieties. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

You know I love ya, Don