Loyal to Him alone

I gave away a really nice Tim Brown Oakland Raiders jersey to a local San Clemente tree trimmer today. I bought it long ago when I was a 'die-hard' Raider fan, the kind that would lose his temper and sulk all weekend if they lost. What is a 40 year old man doing wearing replica jerseys of his favorite team anyway? I knew this young dude would really dig it and I was right. Afterward I felt a bit nostalgic and regret for giving it away like that. I couldn't believe a simple item like that could have any real impact one way or another on me. I thought ..."I don't want to be die-hard for anything but my faith in Christ, no matter the nostalga or memories. Everybody is different, and I know many guys would disagree here, but I felt better that it cost me something to be generous...albeit a little emotional twinge. Loyalty is a great quality to possess, so it is logical to exude it towards something truly worthy of it. Jesus to me is the only one truly worthy of 'at all cost' loyalty and devotion, even if there are plenty of compelling experiences that crave our focus and devotion. What will be the ever increasing tests of commitment and loyalty as life rolls on? May God who tests the heart find us empty of earthly devotion and only craving more of Him.

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Preoccupied

You seem preoccupied...what is it? Yes I am. Its the gospel of Jesus that has captured my attention, and its complete preeminence in my thinking makes so much sense now. The more focus I give to it, the more brilliant its worth is to me. I can't escape its captivating pull and compelling implications. What in this world should capture our attention more? God the Father has a legitimate and fully logical problem with sin, He focuses His wrath on it and justly deals with it. The amazing thought is how He dealt with our sin in His only Son Jesus. He fully focused His wrath on Jesus who had willing become our substitute. Therefore God demonstrates His justice (proving that sin does not go unpunished) and we are freely given our current righteous status before Him. In the gospel we see an overwhelming gracious God who took it upon himself to bridge the unforgeable gap between our condition and His perfection. Life begins truly for the believer at the Cross. We live like He lives. I'm hooked....

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Spiritual Fitness

As I meditated on the verse in II Cor.3 that states that we have been made fit as ministers of a new covenant...of the Spirit, I drew a few conclusions on what I thought it meant and its implications. When you are made fit for a task the implication is directed toward skill and endurance. No employer likes an employee who can't endure and finish the job assigned to them. The other implication is that the task of ministering this new covenant is extremely sacred and vital, and requires a skill set "fit" for the duration of the task at hand. The emphasis of this verse rests on He who made us capable, and how this new covenant task is administered...'by the Spirit'. God the Father making us competent to minister the gospel of God the Son in the power of God the Holy Spirit. The results show for themselves in the last part of verse 6....THERE IS LIFE! No life? Then no Father God making ministers fit to administer the good news of God the Son in the power of God the Holy Spirit. It is as simple and profound as that. So look for God Life and you'll be sure to find a place where the gospel is being preached and applied accurately. You can't buy this ministry like Simon did in Acts, you can't push its conterfeit...you either have it (God Life in the power of the Spirit) or you don't. Fitness in this wonderful life giving ministry comes from God alone, and oh what a path it cuts through the landscape of human history when humble men lay hold of it. Shall we raise our hand and say, "Father count me in, I want this spiritual fitness in my ministry evident by the life it brings." Its our turn don't you think?

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Love this Place

The Scripture says that God appointed the exact times and locations where we would live, and that gives me a tremendous sense of security and comfort. I feel that our lot really has fallen on pleasant places, and Los Angeles is a great place to live. There is so much to take in here, and I find myself enjoying the geography, (Mountains, Oceansides, Desert) as well as the local culture. Southern California is just really cool, and it seems like God knew my family and I would enjoy the privilege of being apart of it all. Yet with the privilege comes the pain, and by pain I mean the grieving that comes with the knowledge that so many people here are lost. I am realizing that loving a city has two sides of embracing in it. One embraces the beauty and joy of all that is great about our home. The other embraces the hard yards of working and living amongst so much wickedness and ungodliness. The daunting task of being light in a dark place can squeeze you with fear if you let it. God's constant comfort from the Holy Spirit, and the strength we have in numbers together with other believers has been for me a shelter like no other. I often ask for better eyes to see the harvest here in LA like God wants me to see, and the boldness to be a soul-winner in a sea of doubters. God gave me a picture recently of LA being laden down with sins, nearing the bursting point of unsustainable corruption and brokenness. Will God give us the compassion and skill to minister when sins corruption finally catches up? I think so, probably because He loved this generation long before the wheels came off. So through high times in this city, to the lowest troughs that would depress even the most ardent optimist, oh God would you keep training me to Love this Place we call home.

Ramblings and Musings

I really enjoy going to my local "Purrrrfect Auto Service" to get my oil changed just because they have cushy leather chairs, coffee, and every issue of National Geographic dating back to 1967! I broke out the issue of November 1970 which is the time I was born, and got a real laugh out of the different headline stories presented there. One was "Behold the Computer." So I read through what was hot in computers in 1970 along with the groovy pictures that go with it. International Business Machines or IBM was of course #1, with their CEO standing in front of the computer that takes up a large room. Another of a programmer with a memory board that took up half his desk, and oh he looked so proud. Much of the NG issue was taken up with all the different areas of commerce and business was being changed by this new-fangled technology. Not much of that truth is different today and I really think that anything is possible into the future. I mused on how far I've come and all I seen with my short little 39 years on the big blueberry we call our home planet Earth. With the rapid pace of how life is now for us, its fun to find those little spots of retrospection and think of everyone we know and how they are faring in their journey through life. I love how many old friends I have reconnected with through Facebook, faces from the past and well as the present. I don't where your find moments to muse, but they can be so helpful to put life into perspective. I guess we could use all this new-fangled technology to help us stay connected better, and peek our head into each other's lives more just to see how everyone's doing. When I do that, I must admit I get many smiles and also tears, depending on where people have found themselves in life. God has given me a genuine concern for people, but it is a muscle that can easily go into atrophy if I get distracted by me, myself and I. People will always be the most fascinating preoccupation even though we wear thin so quickly with the surrounding crowd around us. I see how Jesus needed time with the Father to replenish His spirit in the midst of such need. He lived in the Father's Presence and Company and moved among the people. Such a great example....

Take a Look around...

New Year's in San Francisco... I have a new favorite vacation city with all that it has to offer. The family and I packed a ton of fun sightseeing into one day. Angie and the kids wanted to ride the trolley, so I took a little side trip up to Coit Tower (I was on car duty/Frisco parking is a real challenge). I got a 180 degree panorama of the city at night and it was breathtaking. The entire day was really satisfying, and the sourdough clam chowder bowl was to die for. The city has such a European feel to it, and enchanting in a way. I kept thinking how surprised I was that we were having such fun, since I was quite ignorant to a city that is the butt of so many people's jokes. It made me think of the gospel, of which my whole faith is centered around, and the stigma attached to it 'out there'. The good news these days sure comes under the gun of bad humor, and lots of ignorant speculation as well. What a privilege though when you're the one who gets to walk along side someone who sees the beauty of God for the first time. The gospel, unlike the intrigue of San Francisco, is an eternal journey of discovery that awaits those willing to give it a look. There must be more....