A seed planted years ago...

When I was in college I spent some time working with three siblings whose family situation brought them to the attention of the community mental health organization. I was given the chance to work with these kids and try to be a type of big brother for them for about a year. When it was over I lost track of them...just recently I received a letter from the youngest of these three who had experienced an even more difficult childhood after I finished working with them. Long story short, this young many is about two years into a prison term at the prison about six miles from my home. It has been about 13 years since I had heard from any of them, but this young many remembered me and wanted to see if I could help him with the upcoming transition to the life he hopes to lead after his release. I don't think that the work that I did was all that special; I was just trying to be one small influence for good in the lives of these kids who sadly had none. And yet, the Lord planted a seed in this young man's heart. Now an opportunity for the both of us appears. I have the chance to pick up where I left off and once again try to be a good influence in this man's (now, he was a kid before) life. As a pastor I can also get in to visit him as well, something I hope to do soon.
How do we know what the Lord has in store for us? How do we know what will happen to the seeds that we scatter? The answer is that we don't know. The only thing for certain is that if we don't take the chance and sow some seed, nothing will grow. If we do step out of our comfort zone; take some chances, and see what the Lord will do, amazing things can happen. Remember, God wants you to plant some seeds, he's the master farmer, he'll make them grow.

In EVERYTHING Give Thanks??

I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." While on vacation in St. Ignace over Labor Day weekend with my wife, my parents, and about 35 other people from the Saranac/Clarksville area it came to my attention that Jay Frank (the son of the pastor of my home church while I was growing up) was giving thanks for the weather before our group meals despite the fact that the weather sucked. We had all driven up to Northern Michigan to enjoy the great outdoors and the outdoors was having the last laugh. It was cold, it was raining, and very few people were all that thrilled about it. And yet, before each meal, Jay would specifically give thanks for the weather along with the food and the fellowship, etc. After this had happened a couple of times, someone said to me, "he really shouldn't give thanks for this weather, God will think we like it"...the whole thing was good natured; funny actually, and when I prayed for the next meal I didn't make mention of the weather (which at the time was getting better, but not out of the woods yet) and followed it up by telling Jay that his previous thanks for the miserable weather hadn't been received with much enthusiasm...While this whole thing was just good natured fun during a time of vacation, it begs the question. Are we REALLY supposed to give thanks to the Lord in ALL things? Doesn't God know that I'm not happy with this or that current situation; how can he expect me to thank him for it? In the end, the reason that we do give thanks to the Lord in All things is because we're not thanking God for the circumstances (good or bad); we're thanking God for being who he is; for giving us life and for caring enough about our lives to send His Son to redeem us from sin. When you look at the big picture like that, you can still thank God for his goodness, his love, his mercy, his grace; despite the times when life is anything but good.

A new direction, the same ministry

I've decided to make a change in direction with my ministry that will allow me to better support my family and maintain my ministry at the First Baptist Church of Palo...I will be joining the Army Reserves as a Chaplain Candidate and re-enrolling at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary for the spring Semester. After I finish there, about 3 years, I will begin serving as either an active duty or reserve Chaplain for the Army. I've always held tremendous respect for the men and women of our nation's military and I know the toll that their service can take on them and on their families. As my friend Zach (Capt. 101st) seeks to heal their bodies through medicine, I will seek to heal their souls through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't claim any particular talents, just simply a desire to give something back in the process of moving my ministry forward. Thanks to all of you who have prayed for me in the past, I continue to count upon the support of the faithful in this transition period (I will be doing the one weekend a month thing throughout working alongside a chaplain). Whatever God has in store for Nicole and I, he will provide the way to serve Him.

Well, it’s raining now

Having just experienced one of the rainiest months of June in Michigan history, we’re all well aware that the weather can be fickle. As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mt. 5:45) For those living through floods or droughts, dealing with the devastation of a tornado or hurricane, or sifting through the rubble from a fire or earthquake; these words may seem hollow. We’d rather have the comfort of knowing that there was someone to blame for our misfortune. However, there is a purpose to knowing that God isn’t sending good or adverse weather our way in most cases. The tendency to blame someone (usually not ourselves) for weather disasters or gloat over beautiful weather is universal with man. It may be common, but it’s wrong. God sends blessings on both the just and the unjust, and God sends adversity to the righteous and the unrighteous.
The example of Elijah keeping it from raining in Israel for three years is an exception precisely because God specifically let his people know WHY they were being punished. When the people repented, the rain came. Unfortunately, in our day, some seek to make similar connections, blaming our godless ways for a whole host of natural disasters. {Have these men or women spoken to God personally? How do they know any of this?} Do we really need the weather to lead our people to repentance? Are we not capable of seeing the goodness of God in the blessings that he sends on ALL the Earth? The next time you hear someone spouting off about the “cause” of this or that natural disaster, remember that Jesus himself told you that God sends his blessings to us all. God is good when it rains, God is good when it pours, and God is good when the rain is nowhere to be found.

When it rains on your parade

Nicole and I just returned from a much needed vacation. We were supposed to camp in the U.P. (Van Ryper State Park; Moose country, hiking, etc.), but only had one day of sun before the week-long forcast of rain, rain, and more rain came in. We struck camp and loaded everything up about 10 mins. before the first of the rain started to fall. Rather than sulk and head home having vasted the 400 mile drive to get there, we decided to drive down through Wisconsin to Chicago and see the museums (indoor, no rain worries). It costs us a little more than camping, but we rolled w/ the punches so-to-speak. In the end, we had a great trip, saw cool stuff, and spent the time together that will continue to strengthen our marriage and rejuvinate both of us in our personal and work lives. Getting rained out was in no way a tragedy, but it could have easily led to resentments or hard feelings if we didn't work together to come up w/ and alternative plan that worked for both of us. As always, in our marriage, compromise and teamwork outweigh the preferences we each have. Vacations have a way of proving things to you about your family relationships. The expecations can be really high (unrealisticly many times) and things are boudn to go wrong on the way. Take a breath, remember why you're on the trip in the first place, and enjoy God's marvelous creation (including your spouse/kids/mother-in-law, etc.).