Sleepless in Greenfield...

Have you ever just had one of those nights when you were so tired, but your mind just wouldn't stop? Attempting to fall asleep just makes you madder because you can't and so you start worrying about all the problems of the world? Last night was such a night for me. It started with one of the kids waking up and needing to "tell me something" (which was of limited importance and I might even attribute it to sleepwalking). I was awake from this and couldn't go back to sleep. . . and yet I tried and tried...

Now looking back on it, I'm sure it was God using my son to wake me up so He could speak to me. And this is why I'm convinced of that.

You see, lately I have been consumed with the state of the world (or at least the United States). I wish so badly that I had some perspective on the situations we face as to how we've emerged from times like this in the past. I've sought the counsel and wisdom of others, but there are time when you do just want to hear from your father or grandfather about how "Bishops get through this stuff." But I've never really had that kind of relationship with my father and this time of year he's always extremely busy bringing in the harvest. So I've neglected to ask. Yet I've tried to plow forward and find answers on my own. I check the Internet, the newspaper, podcasts, and converse with friends. I am absorbing everything I can but really finding only more confusion. All week, I've felt this nagging question, where is the Church's response to this confusion in the world? Who is carrying the banner encouraging people not to look at a candidate as a savior but the King of Kings as THE Savior?

So last night the confusion resulted in insomnia. As I was laying in bed, I decided it was useless and chose to get up, go downstairs, and complete my Bible Study Fellowship lesson and preparation as a leader. One of our preparation steps is to prepare homiletics on the passage we're studying. Homiletics are an intensive way to dissect scripture that helps you organize the content around the principles in the passage and seek personal application. This particular passage is studying Moses and the Israelites immediately after their deliverance through the Red Sea. We see that the Israelites immediately begin to grumble and quarrel with Moses, and ultimately with God. As I was studying this, I first realized the fault of the Israelites and identified with them in how quickly my praise can turn into grumbling. Yet, what I realized from this is how God responded. He didn't get angry and wipe them off the earth. He continued to listen to their grumbling. Moses tired of it long before God did. And yet, God continued to provide a way for them to be delivered. He sweetened bitter water and made it potable. He provided bread from heaven and quail for their diets. He then provided water from a rock when there was nothing to drink. Finally, through Moses prayer, He strengthened Joshua and his army to defeat the Amalekites. Each time He was providing a way to create the faith in the people that they would need to become a repentant nation and to achieve His purposes through them. (See Exodus 15:22 - 17:16 for the unabridged version of the story.)We also see God instructing Moses to "record this event" because memories would soon fade and people would need to be reminded in the future of His provision and to be encouraged....

I guess that would be me. I would need to be reminded AND encouraged last night as I read this passage and prepared my homiletics.

As a part of homiletics we're asked to state the "aim" of the passage. It starts with the aim is "to cause the audience to learn..." and you're to fill in the blank. I wrestled with this part. What is the aim. Is it to help the audience remember not to grumble when trial comes? Is it to remind them - like Moses - to cry out to God on behalf of others? Is it the admonishment to record God's provision for future generations? It could have been any or all of these. But the way I summarized it was by including this longsuffering aspect of my Abba Daddy that I recognized anew. . . and I stated the purpose as...

To cause the audience to learn that "Our long-suffering God will use ALL circumstances to develop AND preserve faith in His Church."

You see, each of the events going on today is a wake up call for us. Whatever is our "god" will be discredited. Our 401(k), our company job, our favorite candidate that we're worshipping... all can and will be discredited by the ONE true God. And His interest is in bringing us to lasting and repentant faith in Him. Nothing else.

So last night, it was through my son, and him waking me up - that I did actually learn how Bishop's make it through times like this. It wasn't from my earthly father - but from my Heavenly Abba Daddy that I receieved this encouragment. Isn't it just like that... through the Son, we find our Father!!!! Praise the Lord!

Now tonight, I'm sure I'll sleep much better!

Fear... but Fun...

These last few weekends have been the kind of weather that seem to put me in a spirit most receptive to feeling God's presence in my life. Perfect Autumn temperatures, falling leaves, the smell of winter just around the corner. You get the picture. So we've decided to celebrate autumn as a family and have dedicated Sundays recently to nothing but family activities. It starts by going to church, coming home for a brunch (Nicole makes the best pancakes!) and then deciding as a family how we want to experience the fall. Two weeks ago we spent the afternoon at Fort Ben State Park. We walked the trails, the kids picked up walking sticks and leaves and Mom and Dad actually got to walk hand in hand down the leaf-strewn path. Rather idyllic! This past week we went to a city park with more paths in the forest beside a creek and we got to talk about God's provision for us and how magnificent it is that He lets us enjoy this beauty.

While at this park, Owen and Claire were playing on the swing set. These swings were probably a bit small for them as they were the "Baby" swings that had a full "drop in" seat with a belt on them. So because of that the kids felt extra secure in their swing. I was pushing them and they kept taunting me to push "higher and higher." So being a kid myself I decided to see how high they'd like to go. It ended with me giving them "underdogs" (Remember those from the old days... when you push the swing and then run underneath of them!!! Brought me back memories of elementary school) Well this is when the boy separates from the girl. Owen was loving it. He was squealing and urging me to see if he could go upside down in his swing! Claire on the other hand was a bit scared. She was laughing because Owen was laughing but I could tell from the look on her face - she was just a little afraid that the swing might just go all the way around! When I asked her if she was OK, she said, "Its fun, just a little scary."

There in the middle of this beautiful fall portrait, I felt God's gentle nudge prompting me and speaking directly to my heart. He was encouraging me to be more like this little girl. You see, I think God wants us all to be on the edge of our seat where there is a delicate balance between fear and fun. Unless we're a little fearful, we believe we're always in control. At least I do. I think there is an appropriate amount of fear that we are to have in order to realize that God is in control and He alone will see me through this situation. And that is where the fun comes in.

All too often in life, I've played it safe. I'm still prone to that today. I stay comfortably within the social circles I feel most "alike" with. My closest friends are strong Christians and as such there's not much of an opportunity to share the freshness of God's love with them.

Yet you see, just a few short hours before this revelation on the playground, I was serving in Church. I volunteer to assist people who need to talk or make a decision during the services. It is an amazing experience. Yet up to now, I've mostly assisted the other volunteers until I learn the hang of things. But you see, this Sunday was fall break with the schools in the area, and the other volunteers weren't there. It was just me. And during the response time, no one came out with a decision. "Whew!" I thought. "I escaped that one." Then just as I was about to shut the doors to the decision area, a young man came out. He was obviously disturbed and moved by the message. I quickly prayed to God, "I'm scared. What if he has real stuff that I don't know how to deal with? Oh why isn't' there another volunteer out here with me? Why?" As we talked and prayed, I realized what a joy it was just to listen. To listen, not with the intent to fix a problem or provide an answer, but just with the intent to show compassion for someone who was authentically worshipping the Lord. A broken heart and a contrite spirit is all God needs to reveal Himself, and this day, this young man was helping me realize that in my brokenness and in my fear, God was showing up.

So in the words of my 3 year old daughter... it was fun - just a little scary. But isn't that exactly where God wants us to be?

Stop playing it safe fellow Christians. Step out, be bold, ask the Lord to show up and give you His strength to serve. And know that He will. Unless we get out into the world, we will never shine God's light. Salt in the shaker is useless. Only when it is out of the shaker does it realize its real purpose. So go... get out of the shaker. Don't rely on your self to go "higher and higher." Let God give you a few underdogs and see just exactly how high you can go!

John 3:30 "He must become greater; I must become less."

You never know it until you teach it...

I work as a corporate trainer. That means I can - by positional power - make perfectly grown up adults act like children in public for the sake of learning new skills. I absolutely love it... and for the most part I think the participants do too as they realize just how much of our childlike inquisitive nature is lost when we become adults.

One would then think that I might be a natural teacher for my kids then... but I'm ashamed to say that is not so. You see, I have to live with my kids and I'm scared to death that someday they'll catch me not doing what I've taught them to. Recently however, I've recognized that teaching them the "old" way by just reading books is not working for our family devotion time together. So we've tried engaging their senses in the process of learning.

This week we attempted to help them internalize Psalm 46:1 - "The Lord is our strength and refuge; an ever-present help in trouble." (For more on how we did this visit Nicole's Blog - www.bishopfamilyjournal.blogspot.com - and look under the heading "Big or Small they still won't fall".

To summarize, we were helping the kids see that if they dropped their egg with no protection it would break. Yet if they wrapped their egg in layers of protection and then it dropped it wouldn't break... the protection offered by - in this case - Wal-Mart bags - was like God's strength that we can wrap ourselves in.

Bingo... it hit me between the eyes as I was teaching this lesson. You see we've been living on the edge recently. Not "The edge" in terms of cutting edge, motivational type of edge... but the edge in terms of almost tipping off and falling. The extra adjustment to a new baby, a sleep-deprived mother, house projects and renovations that are still not 100% complete, 2 pre-schoolers, BSF-leadership challenges, etc... have kept us on the edge. Nicole and I have not been communicating so our marriage has been a bit "edgy" lately. Then work has been crazy with some re-organization going on and people's jobs being impacted - which has kept me on the edge lately. And then all the aforementioned items adding to the stress of life. I realized I hadn't taken time to wrap my self in the Wal-Mart bag of protection. I haven't been cloaking myself with God's love. I've not been as earnestly seeking Him in my quiet time.

What was I doing? Well to be quite honest, I was giving into the lie that because of all the busyness, I needed more sleep, more rest, more relaxation, more recreation - more laziness.

As we wrapped up our egg-dropping experience we closed in prayer asking God to help keep us from cracking when we fall. I heard Nicole utter that she was about ready to crack... and it hit me again -

You never really know something until you teach it. I pray I finally learn to wrap myself daily in Your protection.

Meltdown...

I've had a really unique experience this week and I just have to share. You see over the last several months I've enjoyed connecting and reconnecting with several of my high school classmates on Facebook. It has been fun and exciting to see how very different everyone has become. It has been nearly 18 years since I've spoken to many of them. So this "new" technology helps us communicate even when we don't see each other.

In many ways it has been fascinating but in other ways it has been very discouraging. Almost to the point of meltdown. You see a friend posted a seemingly innocuous comment about "praying for VP debate" and this sparked a firestorm of messages. Some of our friends from high school hold very strong opinions on both religion and politics. And because this was the nexus for those two to intersect... boom.. we had meltdown. As the string of posts grew many felt the need to throw their hat in the ring and counter each other's statements and adding their opinion. As this string grows (even as you read this) and the attacks become more pointed, I started reflecting and praying... why is this happening? Why can't we seek unity?

Bingo... there was no attempt to understand each other.

We were only talking AT each other... not with each other. I'm as guilty as the others on the postings. Reflecting on it and some of the very hurtful things that were said, I realized that when engaged in confrontation I fall victim to thinking "if I only provide enough "right" answers to them, they will surely see my point of view." We'll that is certainly not the case. A meltdown happened. An acquaintance from high school (I can't technically call him a friend because though we knew of each other, we didn't really know each other in High School) was really insulted by some of the things I said when expressing my opinion. I'm deeply grieved by this. I never intended to cause this hurt or this pain. I got caught up in "providing enough right answers" that I forgot to seek to understand him and where he was coming from. I feel horrible and am seeking forgiveness from him as well as From the Lord for misrepresenting Him to others.

But in here is a lesson. We see it playing out in our political system today and all around us. We are becoming so entrenched in being right that we forget to find out where other people are. We don't seek to get to know them before we try to convert them. Facebook made it easy to assume I knew someone because I read their profile... but I never really talked to them or asked them any questions. And I can't expect to understand unless I take the time to get to know someone. Unity is not achieved by our "connections" or the number of "Friends" we have in Facebook. Unity is truly only achieved by way of relationship. We need to be people of relationships with each other... but more importantly we need to be people of relationships with our Heavenly Father!

I learned a lot this week. Please, dear Father, don't give up on me yet!

Psalm 33:11 - But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever!

We've recently challenged our kids to memorize 6 scripture verses in 6 weeks. We're sequencing the verses so they learn about God's purpose in their life. This weeks verse was Psalm 33:11 - "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever."

I've been working with the kids all week to memorize this. We've used various tools. One of which was to have the kids put their hand prints in sand... and then I shook the container with the sand and their hand print disappeared. We likened this to the way we try to make plans on our own, but the storms of life can wash them away. Then the second time we added water to the sand so it was a bit "firmer" and they put their hand prints in it. Of course, upon shaking it, the hand print lasted a bit longer but with enough sustained shaking it too was erased. The third time, we put their hand print in the wet sand and then filled the imprint with wet plaster of Paris. Then after about 10 minutes it had set enough that upon shaking it the hand print remained. Then we removed the hand print and it was "firm forever". What a great illustration of the way we can rely on our Lord.

What I have witnessed over the last 2 weeks both at work and in general society is people grasping for stability. The economy is taking, the credit crisis has finally come back to bite our insatiable appetites for "stuff", things at work are constantly changing and never quite certain. Though the future seems dim in some ways it seems bright in other ways.

I believe it was providential that God has us teaching the kids this verse this week. Because when we teach something to someone else, we actually learn it for ourselves. Instead of grasping our 401(k) for security, instead of clinging to our job for significance, instead of believing a political candidate can save us from peril, won't you first grasp for the Lord?

You see this verse - Psalm 33:11 starts with the small but poignant word "BUT." But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.

"What about political candidates and presidential elections", you say? BUT THE PLANS OF THE LORD STAND FIRM FOREVER.

"What about the economic situation and the bailout package?" BUT THE PLANS OF THE LORD STAND FIRM FOREVER.

"What about corporate mergers and reorganizations?" BUT THE PLANS OF THE LORD STAND FIRM FOREVER.

Don't you see... the only thing that stands firm is God's plans. Everything else is just a situation He is using to get us to recognize His plan for us. Please in this time of turbulence and uncertainty as you grasp for stability, make sure you grasp the only thing that stands firm forever... He will not disappoint you.