Ouch!!! I get the point!

Acts 26:13-14 "... at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.  And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'"

As I read about Paul's conversion, I am struck by the phrase, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads."  A goad was a long stick with a very sharp point at one end, used by farmers to "motivate" their oxen as they plowed their fields.  If the ox ignored the farmer's orders, the farmer would stick his rear leg with the goad.  When the ox tried to kick the goad loose, it would further imbed itself, causing more pain until the ox yielded to the farmer's will.

I've been pondering this phrase and I don't think the "Damascus Road" experience was God's first conversation with Saul about Jesus.  I believe the Holy Spirit had been working on him, goading him toward this crisis of faith.  I imagine He used martyrs like Stephen to prick his conscience, preparing him for his dramatic encounter with the Savior. Saul refused to believe Jesus was the Messiah and tried to destroy His followers.  He kicked furiously against the goads until he finally yielded to God's will.

I think God still uses goads today.  I know He uses them in my life.  There are times when He wants me to do something that's not on my agenda.  I try to ignore it, but the Holy Spirit is relentless and very creative.  He speaks to me in my morning time in the Word. He uses people - sometimes it's an offhand remark,  but more often it's the testimony of a faithful, obedient walk with The Lord.  Ultimately God gets His way with me, and I am changed in the process.

Dear Lord, thank You for not giving up on me when I stubbornly insist on going my direction, doing things my way.  Please help me to respond quickly to Your "prick". I pray that my words and example will be useful if You happen to need a goad today. Amen.

You never listen to Me... or... Thanks for listening

Acts 8:26 "But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.). So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

Interrupting.  It's a habit I've been trying to break for a long time.  It drives my wife crazy.  She'll be telling me something and before she can finish, I jump in, assuming I know what she's going to say (usually I get it wrong), and the conversation ends in frustration for both of us.

Ignoring.  That's another thing I'm working on.  Sometimes I get so focused on what I'm doing (or watching) that I shut everything else out.  Someone may be talking to me and I hear the words, but I shut them out.  It even happens mid-conversation.  My mind wanders and I lose track of what is being said.

Listening to someone is a sign of respect; it shows that you genuinely value them, that what they have to say is important to you.  Interrupting and ignoring a person devalues him or her and is self-centered, prideful.

I'm ashamed to admit that these habits carry over to my spiritual life as well.  I want to be like Phillip, actively listening and responding to God as He speaks to me.  Phillip was busily involved in an exciting ministry when God gave him a new assignment.  He could have interrupted or ignored the instructions, but instead, he humbly obeyed.

How often I hear the Spirit directing me to pray for someone, or to stop what I'm doing and help someone, and I ignore him because I'm too busy doing "my thing".  How often I interrupt Him when we're having a conversation, or I allow my mind to wander as He speaks to me.

As with my wife, The Lord is too often justified in saying, "You never listen to me!"  I want to change my behavior; I want to hear the words, "Thanks for listening."

Lord, please forgive me for interrupting and ignoring You.  Please help me to break that habit, both with You and with others.  Help me to stay "in the moment", focused on what You're saying to me.  I truly want to hear and respond to You.  Thank You for patiently listening to me. Amen.

Finishing in the black...

Romans 4:22-25 "Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,  He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."

Joan and I are in the process of building a house in southern Utah.  Although we're still in the foundational stages (literally) of this adventure, we have already experienced a slew of emotions.... excitement, frustration, doubt, hope, joy, to name a few.  While there are many stressors in a project like this, one that keeps recurring is the need to watch the "bottom line".

The first step in our journey was to develop a construction budget.  We researched websites, spoke to local homeowners and contractors, conferred with city building officials and determined a basic "per square foot" cost.  With that in mind, we put together a design for our new home.

We've moved forward through all the preliminary phases and have now started the construction process.  I've also started writing checks, and I'm keeping a close watch on my Excel spreadsheet.  My hope and expectation is that by the end of the process, the credits will balance with, or exceed, the debits.  Not knowing the "bottom line" wakes me up at night.  I need to finish "in the black".

In my morning time with God, I've started reading through Romans.  I love Paul's repeated emphasis of salvation by grace through faith.  No matter how hard I try, I can't do enough, be good enough to deserve Heaven.  If my life were to be expressed as a spreadsheet, the debits would far outweigh the credits.  There's no way that the bottom line would qualify me to spend eternity with my Heavenly Father.  And I'm not alone.  Paul echoes the Old Testament writer's words, "There is none who is righteous, no not one..." (Rom 2:10) 

I am so thankful for the truth of Rom 4:22... as with Abraham, God has credited our faith in Jesus (Who He is and What He did for us) as righteousness.  Jesus' words on the cross ("It is finished!") declared it, "sealed the deal", finalized the transaction.  By His death and resurrection, He erased the debits, declared my account "Paid in Full", and guaranteed a positive bottom line on my life's balance sheet.

Dear Lord, words cannot express my gratitude for Your mercy and grace.  I cannot fathom the depth of Your love; it doesn't make sense to me that You would allow Your Son to take my punishment, to suffer in my place.  You know me intimately and   You, above all, know that I don't deserve it.  I love You, I trust You, and my heart's desire is to honor and serve You.  Please work in and through me today.  Use me to bless others as You have blessed me.  Amen.

Winning souls - Whose job is it?

Acts 16:13-14  "And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul."

The year was 1972; the place was Mira Mesa, a newly developed suburb in San Diego.  The Lord had led my wife and me to start a church in this rapidly growing area.  I spent my days knocking on doors, sharing God's Word, inviting people to church.

Those were exciting days, but the more I shared the Gospel, the more discouraged I became.  The people I encountered were nice enough, but most of them politely declined my invitation to receive Christ.  What was I doing wrong?  Why didn't they respond?

During that time Joan and I attended a conference on evangelism at Arrowhead Springs, headquarters for Campus Crusade for Christ.  God used one simple sentence in a message to change our lives.  The speaker was talking about sharing our faith and I'll never forget these words: "Success in witnessing is simply sharing the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God."  

A light bulb flashed in my mind; it was an "ah-hah" moment!  In that instant, the Lord took all the pressure off my shoulders.  He told me that my job was to be a faithful witness.  It was His job to open hearts to the Gospel.  

That was 41 years ago.  Since then I have endeavored to do my part and I have rejoiced to see God do His. It is still frustrating at times to have people reject the Message; it's hard to patiently wait for God to open the hearts of ones I love.  I occasionally struggle with my inclination to "close the sale", but God is faithful to keep reminding me that it's not my job.

Dear Lord, thank You for clarifying my job description.  Thank You for reminding me that You are the only One who can open hearts to Your Word.  Please help me to ready at all time to share Your Gospel with those I encounter.  Give me the sensitivity and boldness I need, and let me trust You for the results.  Amen.

I love it when Your Plan comes together...

Acts 16:6-9    "They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;  and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.  A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

I love to make plans and I'm pretty good at it.  I love it when my plan comes together, but I get frustrated when things don't go the way I laid them out.  I should know better.  As a teacher, I was accustomed to making detailed lesson plans for the coming week.  They looked great on Monday morning, but by Tuesday afternoon there were lots of "cross-outs", circles, and arrows.  When plans intersect with people, plans change.

It's that way in my walk with God... like Paul on his second missionary journey.  He and Silas had a plan to go back and visit the churches of Asia, encouraging and strengthening the Christians.  They set out from Antioch, itinerary in hand, sure of where they were headed.  Then the Holy Spirit intervened, and their plans went out the window.  God had a bigger plan in mind: to take the Gospel to Europe.

I love Paul's response to God's change in direction.  Like a good teacher, he had a "Plan B".  But God nixed that one, too.  What did Paul do then?  He didn't fret or throw a temper tantrum; he didn't pack up and run home in frustration.  He waited to hear from God, and when The Lord spoke, he immediately swung into action.  God's plan became Paul's plan.

I want to be like that.  I'll never stop being a planner.  It's part of who I am.  I am learning however, that while they organizes my thoughts and give me a sense of direction, my plans must be subject to change.  I'm trying to consciously turn them over to God for a "plan check", asking for His direction and correction.  Like Paul, I am learning that my plans are often short-sighted, that God has something bigger in mind.  

Father, thank You for being so patient with me.  It must frustrate You when I plow ahead with my agenda, despite Your attempts to adjust my course.  Thank You for caring enough to intervene and "close doors" when my plan doesn't line up with Yours.  Lord, please help me today to hear You and respond.  I do love it when Your plan comes together!  Amen.

I love my job!

Luke 18:16 "But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

I'm the principal of a Christian school (K-8) and, like most educators, our jobs can become quite a grind.  I've been around long enough to observe how kids, parents, family structure, discipline, etc. have changed over the years.  Quite frankly, much of the fun has gone out of being an educator.  That's the tired, old part of me talking after a frustrating series of conferences, discipline issues, and phone calls.

Then there are days like today.  This morning I had a 3rd grade visitor to my office.  This young man has a very highly defined, very narrow sense of "fairness".  When something doesn't go his way, or he is called "out" in a game, he reacts inappropriately, to say the least.  That was the case today.  After our session, I sent him, still a bit teary-eyed, back to class, and I asked my secretary to watch him on our security monitors to be sure he made it safely.  Here's what she saw.  Two 7th graders walked past my little friend and then, the larger of the two turned back to check on him.  He approached the little guy, got down on one knee and talked with him.  My secretary couldn't hear the conversation, but from the body language and facial expression, it must have been encouraging.  The brief encounter ended with the two boys bumping knuckles and going their separate ways.  That little vignette nearly brought the two of us to tears.

A little later, on my way to visit a class, I passed the kindergartners at the lunch tables.  As I walked by, a little boy ran after me, anxious to get my attention.  "Guess what, Mr. Brown", this 5-year-old exclaimed excitedly.  "Last night I asked Jesus into my heart!"  Wow!  Two tear-jerkers in one day!!

That's why I do what I do.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  It's not the academics that get me out of bed in the morning.  Yes, academics are important; after all, we're a school.  But the reason I keep coming to the office is much bigger, much more important than that.  We are in the business of building foundations, helping children to have something solid, eternal that will help them make wise decisions as they mature.  We're in the "fruit tree planting" business.  We keep planting and watering seeds of Truth, hoping someday to see the fruit of godly character, growing from an intimate relation with Jesus.

As in any vocation, there are ups and downs, good days and bad days.  It's days like today that remind me why I love my job!

Dear Lord, I am so blessed to be able to share Your truth with children and young adults.  Thank You for days like today when I catch a glimpse of what You are doing in their lives.  Thank You for re-energizing me.  Amen.

Lessons from the Wheelhouse

Proverbs 3:5-6  "Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your steps."

I just returned home from a wonderful week of oceanography/marine biology experiences with our 7th graders.  While crossing the channel from Catalina Island to Long Beach, I had the privilege of taking the helm of our ship, The Wilderness Explorer.  Standing in the wheelhouse, I received instructions on how to safely pilot her towards port.  In front of me were a variety of instruments that informed me where I was and in what direction I was headed.  They also warned me of potential dangers.

So... my job was to focus on the compass and to keep the ship headed on a bearing of 31 degrees.  Sounds easy enough.  Not so.  Although the sea was relatively calm, there was a strong current from the northwest which, along with the winds, kept pushing the ship southeast.  I was constantly adjusting our course, and, unlike a Sea Doo, our ship didn't respond immediately.  She came about gradually and it was easy to over-correct.  I'm sure our wake showed a dramatic zig-zag pattern.

Fortunately for me, there was a GPS that illustrated our position and course.  There was a lever that rotated, showing me the position of the rudder whenever I turned the wheel.  It was important to keep the rudder pointing in the right direction.  There was a radar screen that pictured traffic in the area, and there was a sonar readout that showed the ocean depth.  Positioned right in front of me, in the center of the dashboard, was a large compass.  It was my primary focal point, for it informed me of my heading, and helped me to know which direction to steer when I needed to make a course correction.  In addition to paying close attention to the instruments, I had to continually scan the horizon, watching for approaching traffic.

Piloting a ship is not as easy as I thought it would be.  Fortunately, an experienced helmsman was standing at my shoulder to provide instruction and encouragement.  As I stood at the helm, wheel in hand, I saw a striking parallel to my walk with Jesus.

I am on a voyage to a specific destination: Heaven.   The Bible is both my chart that sets the course, and the compass that informs me of my "heading".  The Holy Spirit is my GPS, my sonar, and the experienced helmsman who stands at my shoulder to direct me.  My fellow Travelers warn me of approaching dangers.

Though the course is set and the vessel is seaworthy, the voyage is not simple.  Keeping the ship on track and avoiding danger is not an easy task.  I am constantly buffeted by winds of doubt and fear, pushed off course by tides of the cares and temptations of this world.  Thank God for His "navigational instruments", the constant reassuring presence of His Helmsman , and the accountability and fellowship of my fellow passengers!  With God's help, I will reach my destination safely.

Dear Lord, I am so thankful that You have not left me to navigate this voyage by myself.  Without You, I would end up crashing on the rocks or capsizing in the waves.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for standing at my shoulder.  I will keep my eyes on the course and listen carefully to your instructions.  What a beautiful day for a voyage!  Amen.