The Family John Experiment

Tonight we began the John Experiment as a family. All the kids were home and so after dinner we sat around the table and read through the first chapter of John. There are a couple of truths that drive this experiment for me:

1. The Word of God is alive.
2. The Holy Spirit is at work.

With that in mind we began and I shot up one of those prayers kind of like, "Lord please show up here tonight". A couple of the kids shared the reading of the 54 verses. I then asked the question, "What stuck out to you tonight?" Each kid shared the verse that stuck out to them and why. Here are a couple of their responses.

* John in one chapter summarizes the most important truths needed to understand salvation.
* The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was a favorite theme.

We ended our discussion commenting on how John predicted that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. I asked if anyone could share an instance when they felt the Holy Spirit speaking to them. One kid described how they left their group of friends watching a DVD movie because they just did not feel like it was something they should watch. A simple nudging was what they felt and so they left. Another one followed with a comment about having watched something with so much profanity and vulgar words that they walked away feeling "grieved" by it. They determined that the Holy Spirit within them had been grieved. We all shared how that caring for James sometimes pushes all of us to our servant limits. And yet somehow we concluded that caring for him fell within the serving of the "least of these" that Jesus describes in Matthew 25.

My prayer had been answered. The Holy Spirit's presence was evident. The level of sharing penetrated deep within our souls and we shared a special moment not often found. I am even more convinced now.

1. The Word of God is alive.
2. The Holy Spirit is at work.

If you have not given the John Experiment a try in your family yet, try it. There is something about reading the Bible out loud together.

"My Story"

This year we added a new tradition to our Christmas morning. After breakfast we all took the time to write out "My Story". With stories in hand we gathered before we exchanged gifts to each read our story. I will never forget that moment. Nothing in this world matters to me more than the salvation of my children and their walk with the Lord. It was my greatest gift to be able to hear their stories written by them read to all of us. The conversations continued as we asked questions and celebrated our individual and personal journeys and walk with the Lord.

Now the gifts of toys and and clothes and bath gels and on and on were great too. I really loved the simple dollar store basketball game I gave to James. Literally, I had to intercept it from James while he was opening other things to get the hang of it. Christmas is fun.

Special thanks to the photography of tiffanylyonsphotography.blogspot.com

Christmas Eve

I love our Christmas Eve service at church. There is something very nice about starting the Christmas Day with extended Church Family. There is a real sense of community as people come together for a moment of worship with each other. Meeting with people who you love is what makes Christmas special.

After the service we spent a few minutes for some Christmas pictures. Somehow Christmas marks the passage of time for a family. The kids are growing up and every year that change a little bit. There is real love and peace around the table as we laugh and tell stories. I am so grateful for God's Word. It gives us instructions on how to keep the peace at home. It makes loving each other a joy. Peace on earth is great, but peace at home is especially sweet.

"Plastic Baby Jesus"

We had some guests over at the house until late evening Friday night. When we went to the door to thank them for their visit we saw a "plastic baby Jesus" on the porch in front of the door. It was one of those lighted plastic Jesus figures in a manger that belongs with a nativity set. Well, what do you do with a stolen "plastic baby Jesus"? It was the perfect prank, someone stole it from a neighbor and implicated the pastor by putting it on his porch. The next day Cindy and I drove around the neighborhood looking for nativity sets missing baby Jesus. There were quite a few of these plastic nativity sets. All of them had their Jesus and then finally we found it, the Nativity set with the missing baby. I went up and rang the door bell excited to tell our neighbor we had their missing baby. An elderly lady came out to talk to me on that cold winter Saturday. I told her that I had a baby and maybe it was hers. She said, no, her baby Jesus was in the corner of her porch waiting for Christmas Day. She said “you can’t put out the baby until Christmas day. The baby isn’t born yet.” Well we still had a missing baby. So what do you do with a "plastic baby Jesus" that is stolen? You can’t keep it. You dare not throw it away. You would return it but don’t know where it belongs. Keep it and hope that the thief brings you Mary and Joseph the next year?

So what do you do? You work it into an illustration for Sunday's Christmas sermon. The illustration actually worked well with the message theme. After the service a very repentant prankster came up to confess that she (and her accomplice who was not with her) had done the prank. Well the story has a happy ending. I got a good illustration for a sermon. The pranksters made everything right by coming to get "plastic baby Jesus"and returning it to the waiting Joseph and Mary on somebody's yard.

The point is that for all of us Christmas is about some great things like trees and decorations, Stanta Claus and cooking and giving gifts and shopping and getting the most for your money and bargains and time off from school and work. But the truth is, if we forget that it really is about the Baby born to mankind who was God Himself we miss it completely. I want to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Praying for President-elect Obama

This week we had the opportunity to cast our vote. Watching the democratic process is truly an amazing part of our country’s DNA.

One of the important passages for any American young person is the first time they join the ranks of the adult world and cast their vote as a responsible citizen. My son Robert voted for the first time this year. I picked him up from school and took him to the polling place, his former elementary school. As we walked into the school he remarked that it was very familiar and yet so different. He commented that it looked smaller than when he was younger. On that day he was not a student but a citizen casting a vote that would determine the next leaders of our nation. I told him what line to get in and checked to make sure he had his voter identification card and his driver’s license. Then I told him that he was on his own. His vote was his to cast as he saw fit. There was a sacred sense in it all.

Our sophisticated system of vote counting did not leave us wondering who would win for very long. That same night, we watched as the winner was declared and the looser graciously conceded. This seamless process of the transition of power is what makes this such an amazing country.

As I watched President-elect Obama and his family take the stage there was this great sense of history. It was in a profound way a triumph of our value that “all men are created equal”. One of the ugliest parts of our nation’s history is the story of racism. There is no way I can as a white man I can ever fully understand the wounds inflicted on those who were the victims of this kind of prejudice. Watching the tears of those who do understand moved me. President-elect Obama summed up this amazing passage when he told of the black woman over 100 years old who had cast her vote for him. She has lived through times when not all people were treated with the equality and respect that all human beings deserve. There were times when a black man could not sit anywhere he wanted on a bus, use any bathroom or be served in any restaurant he might choose. She marveled that she had lived to see the day that she could vote for a black man to be the President of the United States. I pray that the election of President Obama will serve to heal wounds in this nation that have for too long marked us.

It is now my responsibility as a Christ follower and an American citizen to pray for our new President. We are commanded to pray for those in authority. Our leaders succeed better with our prayers. There is this attitude of honor and respectful support that is both cultivated and expressed when we pray for our leaders. One of the great mysteries of being both a Christian and a citizen is this idea that we choose, but that God sovereignly directs that choosing. It is God who puts a man up. It is my privilege to be part of President-elect Obama’s prayer team.

My prayer has been specifically that as the mantle of leadership falls on him that he would in that very lonely place realize that he needs Divine wisdom and guidance. While the President is constantly surrounded with people he is also very much alone. I pray that he will early on look to God for direction and be strengthened supernaturally as he leads. I also pray that God will bless his precious family as they transition into the unique setting of the White House. May God bless President-elect Obama and his family. And may God bless America.

Bruce Wilkinson

LUNCH WITH BRUCE WILKINSON

Last week God set up an unexpected lunch with Bruce Wilkinson. He is the author of the best selling book, THE PRAYER OF JABEZ. This book sold 9 million copies and is estimated to have been read by 30 million people.

I first heard of Bruce Wilkinson while a student attending High Street. He was a guest speaker on Sunday and preached the sermon THE THREE CHAIRS. I can still remember the point of that message many years later. I also remember going through the Bible program, WALK THROUGH THE BIBLE. So you can see that for me it was quite an unexpected gift to be able to spend some 3 hours over lunch with this man.

It all started when he was the guest speaker at the radio stations Pastors Appreciation Lunch at Bass Pro Shop. His message was both thought provoking and compelling and focused on the need for the church to return to and emphasis on small groups and away from the once a week service focus. During his talk he stopped and said that he felt like God wanted him to come back to Springfield to talk further with pastors if there was any interest. He pulled out his calendar and said, I have one date left this month, October 23. If there are any pastors interested let me know. Many pastors indicated that they wanted him to return. When he sat down I felt led to offer to pay for his room if he came back. I took out a business card and quietly approached his table just before we were dismissed. I handed it to him and said that if he would come back, High Street would pay for his room. He whispered to me, "High Street. I remember being there with David Cavin."

We exchanged a few emails mostly with his assistant to arrange accommodations when he decided he was in fact coming. On the 23rd about 90 pastors got together at the Holiday Inn North for what was a 10-11 hour day with him. It was a very interesting and thought provoking day. At the end of the day he graciously handed out copies of his books. The group crowded around him waiting for his to sign a book. I only decided to approach him because Cindy was talking and the room had pretty much emptied. When I asked for the signature his assistant mentioned that High Street had taken care of their rooms. He thanked me, continued to sign and then looked at me and said, "I think we are suppose to talk. Can you talk tomorrow. I feel like we are suppose to spend time together." And so that is how it happened. We met at 11 and for 3 hours it was like having a special time with a mentor. He asked penetrating questions about myself, my family and ministry. At one point he asked if he could go to the church. We did go and he looked around and he prayed for me and the church standing in front of the auditorium. it was a special time.

I left the experience having received some personal instruction and some powerful encouragement. It was a great day. He is a man of faith. He asked God for some very difficult things and is not afraid to move in faith and try to do the impossible. He told me that he felt like God was going to bless High Street and said we would be one of those TURNAROUND CHURCHES. His faith was catching. It was a great and unexpected gift.

Great Missionary Stories

This is mission conference week. One of my favorite weeks of the year. We have missionaries from; India, Costa Rica, Mexico, Sweden, France, and Wales. Today we took them fishing on the lake near the Branson Landing. Some of our group caught some small fish. Others (like me) caught nothing. We did however have a great time getting to know our missionaries.

Richie from Wales told me how he was 24 years old when he really heard the gospel and got saved. It took 24 years and he lived in the United States. He described how he felt like life was going no where, with no purpose and was not sure what was wrong. He and his wife went to church and they were so impressed with the hospitality of the other young couples. They soon became regular attenders and even got involved by going on visitation. One night he was visiting with his pastor, Dennis Jennings (now Pastor of Cherry St. Baptist in Springfield) and listened to him share the gospel with the person they were visiting. They left and Richie told Dennis that he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was saved that night.

Paul Dedeyan from France described how as a Frenchman in the US Air Force he ended up in Texas. His friends asked him if was interested in going on a blind date. Being from France, he was not familiar with that term. He thought that meant going out with a blind girl. He said that he agreed and was told he would have to go meet her parents first. When he went to her house and met her parents she came out and he was thinking that she got around so well for a blind girl. She really wasn't blind. She later became his wife.

Sam Thomas from India told us tonight that he and his evangelistic team went to a new area to hold an open air meeting. They got all set up and since rainy season begins in June and it was only April they did not worry about rain. Just before their meeting as everyone was assembled, without a cloud in the sky it rained and did so for an hour and a half. By the time the rain quit every one had gone. Disappointed they went home that night. The next day they learned that they were in the area where there were some militant religious groups that had planned an attack on them during the meeting. The rain stopped not only their meeting but also this attack. God's protection is real and so necessary.

We exchanged funny stories about cross cultural moments and had a great time at the Schaffitzels for Tony's amazing ribs and Gaye's spectacular home made rolls. It was a good time. I look forward to more stories as the conference continues.

Cindy and I sat and watched the news today. The stock market has dropped and money has evaporated like the wind. Cindy mentioned how glad she was that we choose to give to missions even sacrificing investment opportunities to do so. She pointed out that money in the stock market had gone away but our investment in missions is something that endures throughout eternity.