Breath of God

So the elk trip...

At 12,000 feet 7 guys camped out to hopefully find some elk (unfortunately, they were all hiding). With a tiny little cabin that only slept 4 guys, 3 of us drew the short straw and were forced to sleep in this tent. That's right. 12,000 feet of elevation, 20 degrees at night, and 7 inches of fresh snow that fell on the 3rd of 6 nights (which forced us to make an emergency evacuation back to civilization) and this tent!

As Bob and I slept in our sleeping bags in the tent (of course I got the short straw) on the 3rd night, "Uncle" Tracy wimped out, abandoned the tent and forced his way into the cabin. With 50+ mile/hour winds, thunder and lightening, and driving snow, I guess we can give him some grace - well, maybe. It was a wild night. Every time a big gust of wind started to blow we could hear it begin swirling a few miles away building up a full head of steam. It was like the sound of a freight train coming down the tracks off in the distance - just waiting for it to pass you by shaking every thing in its path. Then, after a few eery seconds of silence, the wind would hit the tent and...BOOM! It would hit with such vengeance, with such force, with such power that it seemed like it could move the entire mountain. With every gust we just kept waiting for the tent to rip off and leave us exposed in our sleeping bags.

As we were braving the night, Bob said, "Don't you just love that wind - it's like the breath of God blowing on us."

God's breath. God's breath is a powerful and awe-inspiring thing. God's breath creates life. God's breath is intimate and personal. God's breath is life-giving. Being in those mountains, exposed in a canvas tent, listening to God's breath breathe upon us with unrelenting force was an incredible encounter with the Creator and Sustainer of life. I will never think of the wind in the same way again. So the next time it is windy why not stop and enjoy the feeling of God's life-giving breath upon your face?

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth." (Psalm 33:6)

Don't Miss PPN!

PPN - Prayer and Praise Night - 7pm in the worship center. If you are looking for an encounter with God tonight you won't want to miss this!

"Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." (Psalm 100:2)

Jesus Loves Chick Hicks

So I am sitting here watching the movie Cars for the ten thousandth time. I am so grateful that Disney/Pixar has made movies that are fun for adults to watch as well - at least the first time or two.

My son, Trey, loves Cars. He knows every line, every car, every scene - he is an expert CAR-nian (not sure what planet they live on). Not only does he know who all the characters of the movie are, he knows who all our family's and friend's favorites are. Mommy's favorite is Tank. Daddy's favorite is Guido. Baby sister's favorite is Sheriff. Grandpa's favorite is Doc. If you have a favorite, Trey knows who it is.

The other day Trey was going through his long list of every family and friend and reciting their favorite car. Just when we thought he was finished, he went on to say, "Oh and Jesus' favorite is Chick Hicks!" For those of you who don't know the movie very well, Chick Hicks is the typical villain character of the movie. He is the car with an attitude. The one who cheats to win. The one who purposely crashes the other cars around him. He is the insecure, angry, lonely, wounded, aggressive, thinks the world owes him something guy.

No one likes Chick Hicks - that is of course no one except Jesus!

Jesus' favorite is Chick Hicks. Isn't that so true? Jesus has a heart for the bad guy. He has a heart for the wonderer. He has a heart for the broken, bruised, and beat up. He doesn't see who they currently are, he sees who they can become. He believes the best instead of pointing out the worst. He calls greatest out of the brokenness. Just look at the disciples - who else would have chosen that rag-tag bunch of characters?

Jesus didn't come for the healthy but for the sick. He didn't come for the perfect but for the fallen. He didn't come for the found but for the lost. This truth was reiterated to me by my 2 year old little boy. Jesus came for the Chick Hicks of the world not the Dinoco Kings. Like Paul says, "Jesus came to save to this world to save sinners - of which I am the worst" (1 Timothy 1:15). Like Paul, thankfully I am a Chick Hicks!

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about the one sheep than about the ninety-nin that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." (Matthew 18:12-14)

Are You Laughing Together?

Last night Colleen and I went on a surprise date to see our favorite comedian Brian Regan (here is a clip just for kicks). Colleen secretly set up the baby sitter, dinner reservations, and tickets for the show without me knowing. I got home from church and off we went. I love nights like that!

While the show was great, it was a great night just being on a date with my wife. I love Colleen and I can't tell you how grateful I am for her. She is my best friend, my partner, my love, and so much more. In a season of life, where we have two kids under 2, we need to make time to date. It keeps us focused on each other. It keeps our hearts connected. It keeps us in love. I love dating my wife.

Colleen and I have come to realize that when we are laughing together our marriage is healthy and in a great place. Laughter is our sign that our hearts are in sync. Laughter is our sign that we are serving each other. That we are processing through the worries and cares of this life and finding joy with one another. That we aren't so uptight that we are missing the fun of life. That we are choosing to love. That we are choosing to forgive. That we are seeing God's hand working in each other's life. I think God gave us the gift of laughter to celebrate him and to celebrate each other. When there is no laughter in our home we know we need to stop and re-calibrate.

Laughter is good for the soul and it is great for a marriage! Have you been laughing together lately?

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things from them.'" (Psalm 126:2)

Your Shadow

It is amazing how character follows you. It's kind of like your shadow - where ever you go, there you are. There is nothing you can do to hide it, mask it, out run it, nor spin it for any length of time. Your character will shine through and people will notice.

Brian is a servant. His servant's heart follows him everywhere he goes. Brian is our Facility Director and my friend. You can find him most days working on the church's campus. Cleaning, building, fixing, setting up, doing whatever needs to be done. Brian makes this place reflect the glory of God by the way he works and serves. While elk hunting with our little group this week Brian's character - his shadow - was there. Even when he wasn't feeling well he served the group with joy.

Whether he is in the church building or in the mountains Brian is a servant - his shadow is there. What kind of shadow or character follows you?

"Their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God." (Titus 2:9)

Change

Change. None of us likes change do we? We hate it when we have to find a new doctor, when our password has to be reset, when our favorite fast food place changes their menu and no longer serves our favorite item. Change for most of us is an inconvenience and a frustration - to be avoided at all costs! It is almost laughable how much we despise change. We wish we could just press pause on life sometimes just to prevent change don't we? We are creatures of habit and change throws us off our rhythm. Just think about change in your own life for a moment - see what I mean?

But Change is beautiful...

These aspen trees literally covered the mountains in Colorado last week. They were gorgeous because they were changing. In the summer they are lush and green. But as they prepare for the winter they change, turn a deep yellow, and fall to the ground. This change is not only beautiful, it also brings life. The leaves replenish the nutrients of the forest floor, they provide shelter for animals, and in a few short months the aspens will have survived the harsh winter, grown, and bloomed leaves once again.

...and Change brings life!

This week I am celebrating change! I am celebrating as our team changes. Becca Reynolds is changing from serving as Nursery Preschool Pastor to the Pastor of Connections. Brandi Miller is changing from serving in the Adult Ministry to Nursery Preschool Pastor. I cannot tell you how excited I am for this change because it is going to bring life to all it touches. Like the changing aspens Becca and Brandi are changing. Their assignments are changing. Their journeys are changing. The way God wants to use them is changing. And the best part is that they were both willing to say YES to change. They were willing to say YES to God!

When you say yes to God you have to be willing to say yes to change!

Hmmm...why don't you read that statement again?

When you say yes to God you have to be willing to say yes to change!

Brandi & Becca, may this be a beautiful season of following Father that is full of life for you and the people God has called you to influence. Thank you for being great examples of saying yes to God!

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." (Romans 12:1 - the Message)

Back

Well - after a ridiculous blog sabbatical (that wasn't intended to be) I am back! The last few weeks I have been in Atlanta with some of my team at a conference and then elk hunting in Colorado. I am not nearly as techy enough to blog while on the road - even though that is kind of the point, isn't it?

Anyways, the conference was ok - but the team time was awesome (more to come on that). The hunt was ok - but the adventure of getting home was awesome (more to come on that).

It is good to be home! It is good to be with my family! It is good to find peace (even with crying babies) in my house! Lord thank you for blessing my home while I was gone!

"The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous." (Proverbs 3:33)