He Thinks I'm a Hero

My son drew this picture last month while we were at a Salvation Army Leadership Camp down in Gibsons, BC.

He was asked to draw somebody and he told me it was a picture of me as a superhero!  Apparently I was flying and able to shoot fire out of my hands.  Now I must admit, that would be pretty cool.  I would love to be able to fly and shoot fire out of my hands.  I would settle for just flying.  I was also tickled as a Dad that my son saw me as a superhero!  I know he won't always see me this way.

When my daughter was very young she also told me I was her hero.  I want to be my kids hero but more importantly, I want my kids to look at me and see Jesus living in me and through me.  I want my life, my actions, to point my children to their Heavenly Father.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

I have read that passage a lot lately.  I want my family to love God with all out heart, soul and strength.  I want to impress that on my children.  I want to share the love of God and how awesome He is.  If my kids walk with God throughout their life, then I truly will feel like a superhero!

The Father's Love Letter

My Child,
   

You may not know me, but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

 For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications
© 1999-2011 www.FathersLoveLetter.com

All By Myself

A few days ago my wife took the kids on a short visit to see her cousin. Things haven't been normal since.

What I mean by that is that there is a noticeable difference when my family isn't around. The normal hustle and bustle of our house has ceased as I hang with our dog, not the best conversationalist.

It goes beyond that though. Somethings missing. I can feel it.

I am by myself.

I don' like it!

I crave relationship...the relationship with my family. I want to spend time with them and when we aren't together I feel off...like my world is not in sync.

I feel the same way when my relationship with God isn't where it should be. His Word says He will never leave us or forsake us.

Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Joshua 1:5 - No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

1 Kings 8:57 - May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,

1 Chronicles 28:20 -And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God-my God-will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

I am never truly alone...yet even though He doesn't leave us...If I don't spend time with Him, in His presence, communicating...then just like I feel with my wife being gone...I will notice something is off.

It's not a fun feeling. When I am not firing on all cylinders in my relationship with God I notice it...and it feels miserable.

Thankfully my wife is coming home soon....and one day I will go home to be with the Father...I look forward to both!

Battleship

My daughter and I love battleship. It's a fun game where you seek and destroy your opponents ships which are hidden at sea. The fun is in the searching. As you seek to find your opponents ships you have to dig in and strategize, think, analyze, plan and implement ideas.

I find more excitement when I seek the Lord and search Him out, endeavoring to know Him more. When I think on Him, dig into His Word, etc.

A casual search of the Scriptures shows me numerous references to seeking the Lord.

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Chronicles 16:10
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 14:2
The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

Psalm 27:8
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 34:10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Psalm 53:2
God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

Psalm 119:10
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I get excited when I read these. God is awesome. I find that I desire Him more and more. Catch the excitement! If reading these Scriptures don't get your hunger for God stirring than I must ask...are you seeking Him?

God Keeps His Word!

I was 15 and had given my heart to Jesus Christ just over a year before. I was contemplating what I wanted to do with my life. I remember wanting to be a lawyer as a kid...don't ask me why. I thought about teaching or even preaching....both which God has allowed me to do over the years.

The one thing I had not thought of was missions.

One night while sleeping I had a dream. I remember this dream even now, 23 years later, (no old man jokes) because it was so vivid.

In the dream I was looking at a huge world map and Russia, Africa and Israel popped off the map in a kind of 3D type thing and in the dream I sensed the Lord saying I would be a missionary and go to these countries.

I've reflected on the dream from time to time. Like 14 years ago when I finally got the chance to go to Russia. It was literally a dream come true and I learned so much about Him on that trip...not to mention getting engaged to my future wife.

Recently I was reading a mission biography when I began thinking how I still have not seen Israel or Africa.

Deuteronomy 7:9 says, "Keep in mind that the LORD your God is the only God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands."

I have found that to be true. Just as quickly as I was reading this mission bio and the thought came to me how I had not seen Africa and Israel I felt the Lord show me how wrong I was.

I have not physically shared the Lord in Africa or Israel...yet I have been there! I have shared the Gospel of Christ via this blog in Africa and Israel. I love seeing those countries pop up as hits on this blog. When the Lord first showed me this dream I had never heard of the Internet...it was still a ways out from the use it gets today.

I may one day get to physically be in Africa or Israel but I will look at that as icing on the cake. The Lord is faithful and true...I have been able to share Him around the world.

Stay encouraged. He does answer prayers and He does fulfill His promises...maybe not the way you want or expect but definitely the way that will allow Him to receive the most Glory!

Wild Abandonment!

Love, Passion, Wild Abandonment! Giving yourself fully! No holds barred! Letting go completely to your passion! Sound exciting? Scary? Intoxicating? All of the above?

We live in an age of false passion. People fall in and out of lust and feel this is passion. However I am talking about a longing that aches to be quenched. A pursuing of your desired to the point of wild abandonment!

I am talking about the Lord! Is that scandalous? Sacrilege? No, it's Biblical!

There are 5 verses in Deuteronomy that speak of giving yourself completely to the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:5 talks about loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and might! Deuteronomy 10:12; 11:13; 13:3 and 30:6 all talk about loving the Lord and serving Him with all our heart and soul!

If I was to give myself completely to the Lord in that way, the way He desires, it would require me to do it fully. Not half-hearted attempts at love but to dive in to the point that my head is swimming!

Later in Joshua 22:5 it mentions clinging to the Lord and loving him and serving Him with all our soul!

Jesus also talks about this passionate, wild love. In Mark 12:30 Jesus talks about loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. He is saying we are to love the Lord
completely! Without reservations. Without second thoughts! Without restraint!

Are you scared yet? Excited? Wild Abandonment is scary, exciting and intoxicating! Can we let go so completely that we allow God to fill our every fiber? Can we burn with passion for Him? Do we want to?

Ashamedly I am not there yet but I want to be. I love the Lord but know that things hold me back from letting go completely. I want to desire God to the point where nothing else truly matters. I want to give Him all my cares and to cling to Him fully! I want to give myself to Him completely!

Disciplined By God

Deuteronomy 8:5 "Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you."

Discipline is never a fun topic. It oftentimes hurts to be corrected. Yet God corrects us for a reason.

A few weeks back I felt the Lord speak correction into my life. He began to convict me for not always "listening" to the hearts of the people he brings me into contact with. In my job I see a lot of homeless and low income families. It is very easy to listen to the same stories over and over and begin to let your mind drift or to tune out the heart of what is being spoken. As I was sitting in the drop-in centre awhile back I felt the Lord "strongly" urge me to pay attention to what 2 different people were saying. As I focused in I saw a "new" side to these individuals as they shared some of their heart. It was an eye-opening experience.

The hard part was what came next. As I realized what I had been missing in my "assumptions" of the conversations the Lord chastised me for not "seeing" what He saw in them. I felt the Lord breaking away some calluses that had begun to appear. Social service work is hard and it is a battle to not become cynical to the situations. I am not proud of the fact that I was becoming dulled to the stories.

I had to repent and ask the Lord to soften my heart in these areas again.

Hebrews 12:6 "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."

Discipline can hurt, it can be quite painful. Yet the Lord has a purpose in it. We may not see it at the time. We may not see it for a long time. However God loves us and He wants what is best for us. Just as parents correct their child God corrects us when we need it.

Hebrews 12:10 "For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness."

God wants us to share in His holiness, to reflect Him. He will bring correction in our life as needed. The struggle for us is not to fight it. When we try to "save" ourselves from discipline we only end up miserable. It is far better to let the Lord deal with us as needed.

I am still feeling a bit "sore" from my recent correction and I pray the Lord continues to break away the calluses so I can "see" what He sees for the hurting.

I want to be receptive to His discipline for I know His purpose is right and His ways are higher than my own!

He is Faithful

The Bible says God will neither leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

I found this to be so true. Year ago my family went through a financial downturn. Over a period of year we lost almost everything we owned. As a teen it was disheartening to see your toys, furniture, etc going out the door. My parents had to sell these things to put food on the table. Then the table was sold!

Eventually we lost our home as well and spent a day driving around looking for a place to live. We eventually found a 1 room rental cabin we stayed in for a month until a home opened up. This home, and the series of homes we went to after, were not in the best shape. We see through the walls, there was mold, mice, etc.

God eventually brought us through this period. When we were going through it I did not always see God. However that poem/song Footprints is very true. I look back and see that God carried us many times. We ALWAYS had a roof, maybe not the best roof but a roof, over our heads. We always had food in our belly. Our NEEDS were met. Our desires weren't always met but our NEEDS were!

God IS faithful. He never abandoned us. He was faithful to supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory! (Philippians 4:19)

Just A Thought #12

Are We Being Led?

I have found myself challenged in the past month or so by some Scriptures in the Old Testament. Our family is reading through the Bible in a year and Hanna (our 8 year old) has asked a lot of questions and also points out every now and then a real gem of Biblical truth. Recently while reading Deuteronomy I was reviewing how God led the Israelites by a cloud out of Egypt and brought them to the door of the Promised Land. Hanna has found God leading the Israelites this way to be fascinating and pointed it out numerous times which was why I was particularly drawn to Deut. 1:22 where the Israelites come to Moses and said, "Let US (Emphasis Mine) send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to." God led them but when they got to the door of the promised land they took matters into their own hands and ended up wandering in the desert 40 years! Then I read yesterday in Joshua about how the Gibeonites came to the Israelites to deceive them, making them believe they were from a far away nation to sue for peace. The latter part of verse 9:14 says they, "did not inquire of the Lord." and for that they fell into the Gibeonite deception.

These 2 verses got me to thinking about how many times in both ministry and personal matters I do not seek the Lord and I take matters into my own hands. Sometimes a good ministry opportunity pops up and I say yes without consulting God because it seems good and so He must be in it. I will make some major personal decisions without seeking 1st God's kingdom. (Matt. 6:33) I realize I need to seek God in all my decisions. To find His will for my life and not just do what seems right in my own eyes. That way leads to no good.

So are we being led or are we leading? Is Christ the pilot or are we trying to make Him our co-pilot. I would rather have God lead the way then be fighting for the wheel.