Camporee – My Son Is Growing Up

This morning, I dropped Isaac off for a Boy Scout Camporee sponsored by Schwenksville Boy Scout Troop 105.  Last year, I attended this event with him, and I had a blast despite the rain.  This year, we decided to let him camp without me.  In some ways, I was sad that I wasn’t going to be there to enjoy the fun, but I was looking forward to being with Leanne and Hannah.  And the more I thought about it, I was excited that Isaac would have an opportunity to stretch his own wings by camping without me.

In February, he will be making the transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.  As part of this transition, leadership and responsibility shifts from the parents to the boys.  In some ways, it’s hard to see our son growing up so quickly, but I am honestly so proud of him.  And I’m looking forward to watching him grow as he becomes a young man.

Praise You In This Storm

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This morning, I heard this song by Casting Crowns while driving to work.  If I remember correctly, this song was used in one of my favorite movies – Facing the Giants.

At any rate, I couldn’t help but think of my journey over the past couple of months.  I wish I could say that in the storms I always had praise for God.  I wish I could say that I was rock solid even when the ground around me seemed so shaky.  Honestly, it hasn’t always been that easy.  I’ve had questions.  I’ve had doubts.  Quite frankly, I’ve been mad at times.  Having said that, I’m thankful for the moments when I have remembered to praise God – even in the storm.  I have seen God working through my kids, through our neighbors, and through our family and friends.  I have heard God speak to me through His Word and through the storm.

The past couple of days have been good.  I’m thankful for that.  I’m looking forward to the weekend with my family.  I’m thankful for the calm that follows the storm.

Songs for the Soul

Last night, I was talking with a friend, and he mentioned that his small group was going through a Bible reading program together.  From the words of my friend, it sounds like it has become somewhat mechanical and even a drudgery for the group to be going through this exercise.  I’m sure that God’s Word is not supposed to feel like this, but I can understand the feeling having experienced it myself.  The problem with going the opposite way (not reading God’s Word regularly) is that we miss out on opportunities to hear God’s voice on a daily basis through His proven Word.

I may have mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again.  Being in God’s Word especially when we face life’s obstacles is so important.  As I hit a rocky patch a few weeks ago, it was a friend who challenged me to spend time in God’s Word on a daily basis.  My friend said, “Make yourself do it!”  I knew this was the right thing to do, and I’m so thankful that my friend was willing to be bold with me.

This morning, I continued my journey through the Psalms.  I have found them to be helpful and even healing.  (My dad reminded me several weeks ago that the Psalms are packed with just about every emotion that you and I deal with as we experience the ups and downs of life.)  Today, two Psalms really spoke out to me.

The ups and downs of life can cause us to question God and can cause us to feel down.  Both of these passages reminds me to put my hope in God even when life gets rocky.

Psalm 43

¹ Vindicate me, O God,
and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

² You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

³ Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

⁴ Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

40

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This morning, I was reading Psalm 40, and I was reminded of this song from U2 – one of my all time favorite bands.  The song and Psalm seem to fit in so well with my own life, but also with what is going on as I type this post.  8 of 33 Chilean miners have been rescued so far after being locked in a mine a half mile below the earth’s surface for over two months.  As I watch the CNN report, I cannot help but be inspired by the faces of the miners as they emerge from the depths of the earth.  I also am inspired by the efforts of the rescue team to stay at it for so long to save these miners.

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

⁴ Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

¹² For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

¹⁴ May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.

¹⁶ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“The LORD be exalted!”

¹⁷ Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

 

Plans for Me

I feel like I have recently been in a mental wrestling match with myself about my plans, the future, and trying to live one day at a time.  I like to have a plan for things.  I like it when I can map things out and know where I’m headed.  I have a quote hanging in my office, “If you fail to plan, you should plan to fail.”  I think it’s important to have a plan, but I’m also learning that it’s important to be flexible and to trust.  Trusting God for my future sounds easy and maybe it should be easy, but I must have the brain of a mule (stubborn).  I still get hung up on the “what ifs” of tomorrow, next month, next year, etc.

As I’ve been processing this and meditating on the word ‘plans,’ Jeremiah 29:11-13 came to my mind:

¹¹ “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

These verses point very clearly to that fact that God has plans for me that include hope for the future.  He simply asks me to come to Him, to seek Him with all I’ve got, and to be open to His plan.  I’m learning, and I’m thankful today for this reminder.  With this in mind, I can let go of my anxiety and my personal wrestling match.

One day at a time…

Extraordinary Measures

Last night, Leanne and I watched Extraordinary Measures.  The movie is about a dad who goes to every thinkable extreme to help his kids in their fight to live with Pompe disease.  The movie was very moving and inspiring.  I posted on facebook last night that I was so thankful for the scientists, investors, and clinical trial people who make medicines possible.  I standby that comment; however, this morning my thoughts on the movie took me a whole different direction.

As a dad and a husband, I kind of get the idea of the movie.  I would do anything for my wife and kids.  “I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more….” When I thought about this more though (even on the heals of my Helping Hands post), there is a limit to what extreme a human being could go for me.  There is still an answer.  There is still someone who would go to any (and I mean any) extreme for me and for you.  John 3:16 says, “God so loved this world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life.” You see, God took extraordinary measures by sending His Son to live his life, die on a cross, and rise again, so that you and I could one day share eternity with Him.  Talk about extraordinary.

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Helping Hands

Over the past several weeks, I have come to realize how important it is to have helping hands in our lives – friends and families who have our backs.  When life gets stormy, we need people in our lives who will go to extremes to keep our heads above water.  These weeks have reminded me how blessed I am to have these types of people in my life.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve had friends pray with me.  I’ve had friends and family call me to check in.  I’ve had friends bring meals over.  I’ve had friends and family take care of the kids.  I’ve had family and friends pick up a few things at the grocery store at just the right time.  I’ve had friends come over to clean up my flooded basement.  And these are just a few of the ways that I’ve been supported over the past few weeks.  There is no doubt that I am blessed with an amazing support structure.

I’ve thought about this a lot over the past few weeks.  The sad thing is that there are many people out there who do not have any kind of support structure to help them weather the storms of life.  They must feel like someone lost at sea without hope or help.

–  How and why do people become so isolated?

–  How can I help people who don’t have support in the storms of life?

–  How can I inspire people to reach out to their neighbors who might need a meal, a blanket, or even just a hug?

These are just a few of my questions.  I realize that it’s important at this time to make sure our family gets our feet back on the ground.  But I’m still looking ahead to the future – in hope, that I can lend a helping hand to those in need.

Promises, Promises…In Sickness and In Health

I’ve been following the happenings of a college friend’s family over the past couple of years as they have been weathering the storm brought on by the discovery of cancer in their young daughter a couple of summer’s ago.  As Nalene, the mom, has made their story public, I have been consistently amazed by their faith as they’ve shared this journey. This morning, I just had to share an excerpt from Nalene’s most recent post.  I resonate with what she shares as we’ve recently faced our own challenges.  I too am more grateful every day for our Strength, Sustainer, Redeemer, and King.   Thanks for sharing!

Two nights ago we finished pre-marital counseling with a couple whose vows are “just around the corner,” and tonight we hosted another young couple for dinner, who are beginning their engagement journey. It caused me to reflect (as my Sweetie helped me clean up the kitchen disaster afterward) just how little we understand those covenantal promises we make on that ONE day that changes our lives forever — when we truly become ONE flesh!

We know with our heads that hard times may come, but we’re full of hopes and dreams, plans for the future. Then, in God’s good providence, He chooses sometimes to send “in sickness and in health . . . till death do us part” moments — sometimes piled upon one another many times over! The knowledge moves from the head to the heart, and we learn in a new and poignant way that our Covenant Lord is the One who truly fulfills those marriage vows for and through us! After the past three years, I am more grateful every day that HE is our Strength, Sustenance, Redeemer, and King.

Renew My Strength

I’ll be honest, I didn’t sleep the greatest last night.  I think I had too many thoughts racing around in my head.  Whatever the case may be I’m feeling a bit tired this morning.  I was reminded of a passage that we read together as a family last night from Isaiah 40.  Today, I’m waiting on the Lord, the everlasting God, for renewal of my strength.  (A cup of coffee will probably help also.)

²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Dancing in the Minefields

Over 14 years ago, my wife and I promised to be with each other through all the ups and downs of life.  I’m so thankful that we are “stuck” together.  I need her, and she needs me.

This morning, a friend passed along this song by Andrew Peterson that echoes our commitment to each other.

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