Thoughts to build communion with God, community with the church and help collide with darkness

My desire is to post my thoughts with the hope that God's people can benefit from them and be prepared to work harder and and fight better. Our enjoyment of God is at stake. Father is anything but a boring, no fun, stick in the mud who wants everyone to wear a tie. He is the creator of the universe and he will blow your mind!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

On the eve of something really cool

You know, tomorrow could either be a huge success for a huge failure, at least in these eyes. Father never fails, I know that. Just being honest with my thoughts.

When I first learned of the need for Christian parents to do James 1:27 for real I was confronted with a personal responsibility to do something. Enter my 4 year old son Daniel.

When I saw him for the first time he was sick, in shoes too small and with a lady he did not know and biological mother he did not know. Jennifer, being the always prepared one, asked the mother some questions and she answered. The mother did not even hold Daniel (that is his new name). He sat in the lap of the other lady who drove the mother to where we were. He was with no one he knew. Nothing familiar, sick and in clothes that did not fit.

He slid down off of the lady's lap when it was time to part ways and toddled over to me and put those arms up for me to pick him up. He had my heart. I still can't recall that moment without tears. Partly because he became my son at that moment and partly because I can't fathom walking away from my kid like the biological mother did.

That was just part of the journey that led to January 31, 2010. We will meet together with 5 other partner churches and a mix of people from other churches in the launch of Project 127 Rome. This is a licensed foster placement and adoption agency that is focused on mobilizing the church to be THE answer to the foster care problems in NW Georgia. At 6 PM tomorrow night we go. This is a chance for the church to become relevant to the culture, actually indispensable.

I'm not nervous, just fully of anticipation of what Father is going to do with such unity among brothers and desire to do the work.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Nehemiah is kicking my butt

You know what? Nehemiah is a journal of a man who took his passion for and knowledge of God and put it to work in a life long pursuit.

I hope that is what I have set my hands to.

Nehemiah records some of his internal musings, but he mostly records his work and what he said externally.

I, by no means, dwell fully in the world of internal musings and theory. I have my hands on too many things actually doing them as a result of what I say I believe. Too many. I actually must pare down some.

However, I often wrestle in communicating with my mouth the practice of what I am trying to do with my life to other people so that they can do the same things.

No doubt that doctrinal soundness and strong doctrinal moorings must be taught and adhered to, but they must be lived out. Nehemiah does this and he writes and tells you how he did it.

Communicating that how piece is my most difficult task.

My personality lends itself to self-starting and self-managing activity. I have no problem taking what I believe and going to do it from scratch and figuring out the best way along the way. Therefore, I default to wondering why all people just can't figure it out.

So, it's a challenge to get into the world of helping other people put the "how" to the "who and what". Nehemiah did that well, and it's kicking my butt.

Father is teaching me and I want to learn.

Help me Father speak the "how" better without forgetting the "who", "what" and "why".