Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a day to give thanks for all God's goodness in our lives, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to record some often-forgotten blessings that I'm guilty of overlooking...

I'm thankful for dirty diapers, because I know that there are many people who would love the opportunity to change their baby's diaper, but for whatever reason, they're unable to have children.

I'm thankful for pain, because I know that there are many people who are physically paralyzed or emotionally numb who would give anything to feel any sensation (even pain) once more.

I'm thankful for financial struggles, because I know there are many poorer than me with more struggles and many richer than me with more complicated struggles.

I'm thankful for traffic, because it reminds me that I'm among the lucky 2% of the world's population who owns a car.

I'm thankful for taxes, because they remind me that I'm honored to be a part of the greatest, most generous nation in the history of the world.

I'm thankful for my love handles, because they remind me that my own physical self-image is so insignificant compared to the hunger endured by millions of people all over the world.

I'm thankful for rude people, because they give me an opportunity to extend the grace that God has constantly shown me.

I'm thankful for interruptions, because they remind me that life is so much bigger than my plans.

I'm thankful for my weakness, because it allows God's strength to shine more brightly through my life.

I'm thankful for Jesus. Because of His love, all other blessings are possible.

Gil's Story

This video from my buddy Gil Allensworth is powerful and true. I greatly admire Gil for his authenticity. Gil, Thanks for sharing your testimony and reminding all of us that in good times and bad times, knowing and loving Jesus is what it's all about. I'm blessed to call you a friend!

Did God pick Obama or did we?

I've been asked quite a bit lately about whether or not God chooses political leaders or if He leaves that up to us. Below is text from an email I sent last week to a friend at church who brought up a question like this...

You bring up a great question about God's control over the political process. When Obama visited Israel a few months ago, he wrote a prayer and put it in the cracks of the Wailing Wall as people have done for many centuries. Somebody actually plucked his prayer out of the wall and gave it to the media (which Rabbis condemned). His prayer was simply, "Lord, make me an instrument of your will." I have no doubt that God will answer that prayer one way or another.

What does the Bible say about all of this? As for specific passages that suggest God's sovereignty over those in political power, Jesus' encounter with Pilate is as good as any, but more than one passage or verse, it seems like the whole of Scripture points to this notion that God is sovereign over the affairs of men (including political powers). For example, God raised up a pagan pharoah and hardened his heart so that God's greatness could be shown. God allowed both righteous and unrighteous kings to rule over Israel. God promised David a royal lineage that would never be broken which showed God's power to choose kings for all generations. We see in Proverbs that "promotion comes from the Lord" and many other examples in both the Old and New Testaments that God has power over placing rulers in their roles.

The mystery in all of this is that there are also many passages which point to our free will and our personal responsibility to make decisions, to act justly, to fight for the oppressed, etc. Ultimately, I'm convinced that the epic debate to clearly define the balance between God's Sovereignty and our personal free will to set the course for our own lives and leaders is a mystery that we will never fully understand until we get to heaven. I am also confident that God is in control of the master plan and I'm certain that he wasn't (nor has He ever been) surprised by the results of the election. Right now, our focus should be on praying for our leaders and doing all we can to point this lost and broken world to Jesus Christ who is the only Savior capable of bringing the "Change" that we all so desperately need.

Healing

Last night at the Creek, we had a service focused on the Healing Power of God and the response was tremendous! I had the opportunity to pray with people who are plagued with guilit, broken-hearted over abuse and molestation that shattered their innocence as children, burdened by the addictions and diseases of family members and exhausted from the trials of day-to-day life.

There is so much pain in the world that it often feels overwhelming, but there is still more hope than pain. We serve a God who not only saves...He Heals! The Bible says that when the sick came to Jesus, "...all who touched him were healed". God, I pray that you would give your healing touch to all who are broken and hurting at our church and around the globe. Thank you that you are still a God who loves and heals.

Under Attack

I know when you read that heading you're thinking, "Oh no! Dave is under attack". Calm down Mom...I'm not talking about me. I'm referring to the state of marriages in our church and in our nation. I preached a sermon on marriage a few weeks ago and at the end of the message, I prayed and asked anyone who had a marriage in crisis to raise their hand. I was astounded when hands flew into the air all over the auditorium. Since then, I've had several crisis marriage counseling sessions and I've been humbled by the sobering reality of overall marital health in our own church.

I strongly believe that strong marriages are the foundation for strong churches which are the foundation for strong societies and if the Enemy can poison a marriage, he can devastate so many lives as a result. My prayer is that God would guard our hearts and our marriages and cause us to not only look after our own marriage, but to partner in prayer with each other and defend and sanctity of marriage while reaching out to those suffering through the loneliness and desperation of a marriage in crisis. Our marriages are Always worth fighting for!