Fantasy Football Team Drafted

I'm not sure how many teams I'll have this season, but I have drafted my primary team for fantasy football for the 2009 season. And here are the results:

QB: Peyton Manning, Kyle Orton
RB: DeAngelo Williams, Ryan Grant, Joseph Addai
WR: Michael Crabtree, Lee Evans, Eddie Royal, Torry Holt, Laveraneus Coles
TE: Jason Witten, Dustin Keller
K: Nick Folk, Garrett Hartley
DEF: Baltimore

I need to double check that Orton and Manning don't have the same off week (and that Orton has a favorable matchup on Manning's off week). And I might make some changes in the WR's. Looks like a decent team for the season, we'll see how it goes!

As Long As He Sought the Lord...

I've been listening to the Daily Audio Bible on iTunes lately. It's been interesting. The guy who puts it up reads from a different version of Scripture each week, and this week is my personal favorite translation: the English Standard Version. At the risk of sounding like a Scriptural elitist, I prefer the ESV to other versions because it has always been closer to the original when I have translated from the Greek. Unfortunately, I don't know Hebrew nearly as well, so I can't say the same. Anyhoo....

Part of today's reading comes from 2 Chronicles 26, and verse 5 really stuck out to me as I was listening. "He (Uzziah) set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper" (2 Chron 26:5).

I have some serious problems with the so-called "prosperity gospel." It's the idea that if you follow God, you will be blessed... materially. Of course, the logical conclusion of this is that if you have "things" then God has blessed you, and if you live in poverty, then God has not blessed you. What a horrible, horrible approach to the gospel. As I read through Scripture, more often than not, it is those who are most faithful that go through the most difficult times. However, I don't think that this particular verse supports the prosperity gospel.

What I see here is what happens when we truly seek after the Lord. When we seek after the will of God, we are blessed. When we seek after the Lord, material possessions do not matter as much because we have everything in its proper perspective. When we seek the Lord, the Lord will take care of our needs, and we have to trust in Him to provide. Maybe He will provide abundantly, but maybe, just maybe, He will only give us enough to make it through the day. Either way, our focus needs to be on Him. As long as we seek the Lord, we will prosper.

Praying for Strength

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, July 26, 2009. The text for this week's message is Ephesians 3:14-21.

This is our third week in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Two weeks ago, we looked at Ephesians 1:3-14 and explored what it means to be “in Christ.” Last week, we looked at Ephesians 2:11-22 and saw that there is no place for divisions within the Church. Regardless of past history, culture and socio-economic status, there is room for all people, and all are on equal ground at the foot of the cross. We aren’t asked to be perfect before we come to Jesus, but God doesn’t leave us in our sinful state either. Jesus came for those who are both far and near, and it is our responsibility to share the gospel in both word and deed. And this brings us to today’s passage - Ephesians 3:14-21.

As we read through the letter, picking back up at the beginning of chapter 3, we start to see the thread of Paul’s thought. Verse 1 begins in the same way as verse 14. In both verses Paul says, “For this reason…” If we just start reading it here, we have no idea what Paul is talking about. For what reason? What is it that is causing him to say what he’s about to say? This is where our chapters and verses don’t help us at all. Did you know that it took me until I was a freshman in college to realize that Paul’s letters should be read as a whole, and not chopped up segments? I know that it sounds so obvious, but it really took me that long to realize it. Paul’s letters, the gospels, the epistles, the prophets – all of them need to be read as a whole. They need to be understood as a complete, and often complex, work that builds on what came before. And this is crucial to remember when reading through Scripture. This one principle would help clear up so much confusion when it comes to interpreting the Word.

Remember a couple weeks ago when I said that Paul has a tendency to go down some trails and then jump back to where he was? That is what is going on here in chapter 3. He begins in verse 1 by saying, “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles-“ and then he elaborates on his call to be an apostle to the Gentiles. It’s like he gets sidetracked because he doesn’t want to make any assumptions about what they may or may not know about his call and ministry to the Gentiles. Next thing you know, we’re in verse 14 and Paul jumps back to what he was saying in verse 1, which of course, brings us back to the question, “For what reason?”

In order to answer that question, we would have to look back at what came before. This is where the cohesion of the letter is important. So, what was Paul talking about? Unity in Christ. About how at one time there were distinctions and divisions between Jews and Gentiles; about how there was a “dividing wall of hostility.” But Christ broke it down, and in the rubble of this broken wall, he started to build up a holy temple on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as its cornerstone. A holy temple that is still being built to this very day by members of the body of Christ working together, saved by grace through faith, and being added to by making disciples of all people in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission. For that reason, Paul enters into this prayer found in verses 16-21. Because of this newfound unity in Christ, Paul lifts up a prayer specifically for two things: strength and insight.

Verse 16 begins, “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” This is the first major petition of the prayer - that the readers would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. There are a few key things about this part of the passage that are important for us to explore. Things that help us understand what it means to be strengthened by the Lord; things that put our lives and our strength in the proper perspective.

First of all, it’s important to note that the verb “to be strengthened” is in the passive voice. What is strength? Strength is not something that we get on our own. Yes, we can go to the gym. We can exercise day in and day out, but does that give us strength? Sure, it makes us strong, but does that mean we have strength? Because I’m not too sure exactly where our dictionary is, I looked up the word “strength” online. And I discovered something. There’s not a single, clear idea of what strength is. In fact, there were 13 definitions of strength; strength referring from anything to physical, mental, and moral characteristics to properties of beverages. There appears to be a lot of fuzziness when it comes to defining this supposedly simple word.

But what Paul tells us is that strength is not something we gain through our own efforts. Strength is given to us by God. Strength comes to us by the riches of God’s glory. We have strength not by anything that we do, but by what God does in us. Strength comes from the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Strength is something that exists within us.

Again, notice what Paul says, “through his Spirit (the Holy Spirit) in your inner being.” Through the Spirit, we gain the personal presence of God in our lives, and that’s where our strength originates. I still can’t tell you exactly what strength is, but it seems like it’s one of those things that you understand it when you see it. It is a deep characteristic that is developed within by the work of the Holy Spirit. It comes by putting our faith in Christ, realizing that we can’t do everything on our own, laying it all before the Lord and finally allowing Him to work in our lives.

Paul goes on to point out that there is a purpose for this strength. The purpose is so that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” And it may seem odd that Paul is praying for strength so that they may have faith, but this is once again where the context and the whole of the writing come into play. When Paul was writing this letter, he was sitting in a Roman prison because of his faith, and he knew that the church at Ephesus would be facing some serious trials as they continued living out the gospel.

At the time, there were local persecutions going on, but nothing throughout the Empire. However, in Ephesus, there had already been some trouble with some of the local metalworkers. When Paul was in Ephesus, the gospel was spreading so much that some of the local metalworkers were losing business. And why were they losing business? Not because there was a sudden shortage of metal, but because the metalworkers primarily crafted idols out of metal.

Ephesus was where the Temple of Artemis was located, and it also obtained the right to house the Temple to the Divine Julius Caesar. Idolatry was a major part of the city of Ephesus, and when people started putting their faith in Jesus, business went down. And as people tend to do when business goes down, they start looking for someone to blame. In Ephesus it was going to be easy to blame the Christians, after all, it was their fault that people were turning away from idolatry. It wasn’t going to be long before the church in Ephesus was under stronger persecution. And the members of the church in Ephesus were going to have to rely on their faith in order to make it through this difficult time. They were going to need a different kind of strength; the type of strength that only comes from God.

The second major petition of the prayer is that the reader receives, “strength to comprehend… and to know the love of Christ.” Again, we see the word “strength” here, but it is now linked to the power to understand something that goes beyond understanding. It is the power to understand something that those who have gone before them in faith have understood – the love of Christ. Paul is praying for the type of insight that is needed to help get them through the difficult times that lay ahead.

I think one of the keys to understanding what Paul means here is the phrase at the beginning of this petition – “being grounded and rooted in love.” Living a life of love is the inevitable way to live for one who has placed his/her faith in Christ. We read elsewhere in Scripture that God is love. Love is a core characteristic of who God is; it is the primary concern for God. So, for one to be grounded and rooted in love, one is grounded and rooted in the very heart of God. And it is in the heart of God that we begin to wrap our minds around the magnitude of His love.

Paul refers to those who were “the saints” that came to terms with the magnitude of God’s love, and his prayer is that the reader – that we – would also understand the incredible impact of God’s love. He mentions the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth of God’s love. Sounds like he’s covering all the angles here, doesn’t it? But he has to! And the amazing thing is that he still cannot encompass all of God’s love! Just when we think we understand who God is and the magnitude of his love, He does something else that totally blows us away.

He says that the love of Christ surpasses all knowledge. No matter how hard we try, we cannot fully understand the love of Christ. You see, the problem is that we live in a society that thinks everything can be quantified and mapped out. We live in a culture that is looking for “all the answers.” But when it comes to God, there is no quantifying, there is no mapping and there is no such thing as “all the answers.” We will never be able to fully comprehend who God is. But Paul’s prayer is that at least we could at least get to the point that we understand that his love is unsurpassable.

Have you ever just stepped back and stood in awe of who God is? Have you ever looked at the world that He created and were just amazed? The complexity of even the tiniest of insects all the way to the beauty of the mountains and even the vastness of the universe; all of it simply amazes me. And when we stop and really think about it, doesn’t it just blow you away? Yet, in the midst of it all, God’s primary focus is on you. God created humanity in His image. Sin has marred the image of God in all our lives, but God is restoring us from its stranglehold – because of His love. And that’s something that surpasses knowledge.

But again, there is a purpose. The purpose that Paul prays for such insight into the love of Christ is so that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. How can we have insight into such a love and not be affected by it? We all watch movies that bring tears to our eyes because of the type of love that is shown. Even guys will have to admit to shedding a few tears at Braveheart or Saving Private Ryan because there is something about that deep, unexplainable type of love that tugs on our hearts, and that is the type of love that is shown by Jesus on the cross. It is difficult to see that type of love and not be moved. And when we break it down far enough, we know that is the type of love that all of us long to have in our lives. Being filled with the fullness of God will lead us into nothing less than this type of love, not only for God but for all people.

Paul closes the prayer with a reminder – a reminder that God is far beyond anything that we could ever imagine. God gives us more than we could even ask for or think to ask for. God is at work in all our hearts; some just realize it sooner than others. So this week in the same thread as Paul, I want to lift up a prayer for you. May you take some time this week to be in awe of who God is. May He give you the strength to be a witness for him every single day. May you be filled with His love. Amen.

Happy Hollidays?

Cardinal Nation is buzzing this afternoon with the news that the Cards acquired OF Matt Holliday from the Oakland A's for top prospect Brett Wallace, and minor leaguers Clayton Mortensen and Shane Petersen. This has been a move that has been met with mixed reactions on some of the Cardinal blogs that I have been reading lately.

Wallace is, by all accounts, a great hitter, but a liability on defense. He does play 3B, which is a position the Cards have struggled with all season; however, he has yet to play at the major league level. Many people don't like the move because they think that Wallace is the next great slugging 3rd baseman in baseball. At first, I wasn't too crazy about it, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get. Let's face it, Wallace is an unproven player on the major league level. Holliday is a very good player on the major league level, and it's possible that he could love playing in St. Louis and want to stay there. Only time will tell.

Compare these line-ups:

2b - Schumaker
cf - Rasmus
1b - Pujols
rf - Ludwick
lf - Ankiel/Duncan
c - Molina
3b - Thurston
Pitcher's slot
ss - Ryan

This has been a fairly typical lineup for the Cards this season. After a couple of moves, the lineup will probably look more like this:

2b - Schumaker
cf - Rasmus
1b - Pujols
lf - Holliday
rf - Ludwick
3b - DeRosa
c - Molina
ss - Ryan/Lugo
Pitcher's slot

Notice: most of the season, LaRussa has batted the pitcher eighth; however, he doesn't like to have the pitcher hitting right after Molina, and given that Molina's offensive production will most likely decline (because of the wear-and-tear of being a catcher), in conjunction with DeRosa on the field, I'm guessing that we're going to see him lower in the order than 6th on a consistent basis. Then again, I'm not LaRussa, and we could very well see Molina, DeRosa, Pitcher's slot and Ryan at the bottom of the order; that's for Tony to decide, not me.

Anyhoo, which of those lineups look scarier to other teams in the NL Central right now? Yeah, I'm saying the second one. Not to mention this puts Thurston and Ankiel on the bench, alongside Ryan/Lugo (whoever's not playing that night), Stavinoha/Barden (whoever doesn't get sent back down, I'm guessing Barden goes back to Memphis) and LaRue.

The more I think about it, the more I like this lineup:
  1. Schumaker is coming around as the everyday 2b (he's only committed 6 errors in 606 innings so far, not to mention he's hitting .307 as of right now)
  2. Rasmus is looking like the Rookie of the Year for the NL
  3. Pujols is having a well above average season (which considering his previous average seasons have placed him in the top 10 of all time, that's saying a lot), and looks well on his way to becoming a 3-time MVP. Oh, and also 2nd in batting (.020 behind Hanley Ramirez), 1st in HR (9 ahead of Adrian Gonzalez), and 1st in RBI (4 ahead of Prince Fielder and 20 ahead of 3rd place) - Triple Crown talk is still going on.
  4. Holliday has had a down year so far, but is heating up. And when you consider that .286 and 54 RBI's is a "down season" so far for Holliday, that's a good sign. (He's just a week removed from a 4-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI game; and in his last 10 games has put up a .390/3HR/11RBI line to go along with 12 runs and 3 strikeouts.)
  5. Ludwick has also been heating up after having some problems following an early DL stint. Even with those struggles, he's hitting .273 with 16 HR and 61 RBI's.
  6. DeRosa is adjusting back to the NL - 5 hits and 3 HR in his last 6 games since coming off the DL (another .270 hitter)
  7. Molina is having an All Star season with a .288 average and ridiculous defense behind the plate.
  8. Brendan Ryan has played very good defense at SS to go along with a respectable .275 average.
  9. Ankiel is not having a good season, but is still a significant power threat lurking on the bench.
  10. Thurston can't hit a lick, but has seen significant playing time this season, so that's another good one to have on the bench.
  11. Lugo can hit lefties, which is something this team has struggled with so far.
Now, if Wellemeyer can either remember how to pitch, or if they can get an effective 5th starter, the rotation has few, if any weak links. On just about any other team, we're looking at Carpenter and Wainwright as #1 starters, Lohse as a #2 and the way Pineiro has been going, he could be a legitimate #2 as well (3.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3 HR allowed and 12 BB in 122 innings this season).

The bullpen has been much better than last season and should be fairly well rested for the last 60+ games. Franklin (Wednesday's game notwithstanding) has been lights out - 5 earned runs allowed all season, and only two blown saves in his All Star season.

Overall, I feel good about this team. I'm still a little leary with Wellemeyer on the mound, but four nights out of five, I feel like they have a legitimate chance to win. And even with Wellemeyer on the mound, they now seem to have the offensive parts to overcome even his inefficiencies.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Okay, I'm not sure what the deal is with me and tenderloins for the last couple of weeks, but they so flippin' awesome! With Katie out of town this week, I got to do the grocery shopping by myself. This is good for two reasons: 1) I don't have to weigh my wallet down with a bunch of silly things... like vegetables (just kidding, I bought some fruit, salad stuff and asparagus to go along with the veggies we already had); and 2) I can get some meat that we don't usually get. This week was a beef tenderloin and a duck (yet to be made).

Now, in case you didn't know, beef tenderloin is where filet mignon comes from. I know, I know, we all thought it descended down from heaven overnight, but that was manna. Translation: it is an extremely tender and flavorful piece of meat. I decided that I would cook this in a way similar to the grilled pork tenderloin from last week - on the grill.

One thing I learn in preparing this beef tenderloin is that there are a lot of knife skills that would come in handy, which I don't have. I sliced it up pretty good trying to trim some of the excess fat and the silver skin, and then I cut it in half because I don't need to eat all five pounds of this thing at once. After the trimming and separating, there was probably about four pounds left. Two and a half of that got tied together and put in the freezer for later consumption, which left me with about a pound and a half to play with.

Last week I watched an episode of Good Eats that talked about making a dry rub mix. Here is the thing to remember (according to Alton Brown): 8+3+1+1. 8 parts brown sugar, 3 parts kosher salt, 1 part chili powder and 1 part whatever else you want. I used 1/4 cup as my primary measurement, so it amounted to:

Matt's Dry Rub Mix
2 cups of brown sugar
3/4 cup of kosher salt
1/4 cup of chili powder
1/4 cup of mixture of cumin, cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (and possibly a couple of other things that I can't remember right now)
Mix it all together and store it in a container.

I took the pound and a half of tenderloin and liberally spread the dry rub on both sides, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I went to the grill, brushed it with a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), and cranked it to high. After a few minutes, I turned the grill to low and put the tenderloin on. I let it cook for about 7 minutes on one side and 8 on the other, then pulled it off.

The tricky thing about this particular cut was that one end was very narrow and not very thick, while the other end was wide and about an inch and a half thick. This basically meant that one end of the tenderloin was at a nice medium well, while the other end was in the medium rare range (rare at the very center). However, it was amazing! I only ate about a third of it the first night, but finished it for lunch the next day (count it - that's a pound and a half of beef in 18 hours; delicious, tender, tasty beef). I paired it with some green beans and a nice, cold Mountain Dew. Simply awesome. I'll let you know how the duck turns out later on in the week.



Here it is in the pan after adding the dry rub mix and letting it sit for 15 minutes or so. Looks kinda like salmon, doesn't it?












Here is the glorious piece of meat on the grill. After doing it once, I would suggest 9 minutes to a side on medium heat.













And the finished product. Paired with some canned green beans given to us by our friends in Noblesville.

Simply incredible...

Finding Unity in Christ

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, July 19, 2009. The text for this week's message is Ephesians 2:11-22.

Last week, we looked at Paul’s ridiculously long prayer at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians. If you don’t remember, the reason why I say it is ridiculously long is because verses 3-14 are actually one sentence. Do the math there – it’s 12 verses and 1 sentence, which qualifies it as “ridiculously long.” But at the same time, it is a very important passage. We looked at Paul’s understanding of predestination and spent a good deal of time talking about the directions that we take in our lives. Just as a recap: direction determines destination. You will end up exactly where you are heading unless you change your course along the way.

As we read through today’s passage, we get an idea of what Jewish-Gentile relations were like in the early church. Throughout the Old Testament, there is an emphasis on keeping the Jewish people separate from those who were not. It was a separation that the Jewish people always struggled with, and it led them down the wrong road from time to time. One of the reasons why a monarchy was brought to Israel in the first place was because the people wanted to be like the other nations around them. Solomon is known for having hundreds of wives, and it was because, in the cultures surrounding Israel, treaties were often solidified by the taking of a bride. In an effort to make treaties with these non-Jewish neighbors, Solomon ended up with dozens of non-Jewish brides, which also caused some significant problems down the road for Israel; namely by leading them into idolatry.

The world that the early Jewish Christians were used to was one in which Jews avoided those who weren’t Jews. And remember, the early Christians did not see themselves as Christians, but as Jews who were following the long-awaited Messiah. It is understandable that there would be some tension when the gospel became bigger than just those who were Jewish. But that was the beauty of the gospel in the first century. The early Christians had to deal with a new paradigm regarding their interactions with Gentiles because the old paradigm was shattered by the gospel. The old Jewish-Gentile divisions no longer applied in a world where the gospel of Jesus Christ was making headway.

We read in Acts 15 about how the early Christians dealt with these divisions. There was a council in Jerusalem to discuss what should be done regarding Gentiles who put their faith in Jesus. There were some who taught that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised before they could be saved. Paul and others didn’t agree. They saw what the Spirit was doing in the lives of the Gentiles. They knew that they were already believers in Christ and followers of Christ without being circumcised.

In true Methodist fashion (because early Christians were Methodists to their core), they appointed a task force, proposed an amendment, sent around pamphlets to all the delegates, debated it on the floor and took a vote to see whether or not a two-thirds majority approved it. Obviously, I’m just half kidding here. In the end, it was decided that circumcision wasn’t necessary to be a follower of Christ. They realized that God was not making a distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles anymore, so why should they? This was an absolutely groundbreaking council for these early Christians.

When Paul is writing this letter to the church at Ephesus, the Jerusalem Council had already taken place. Paul is relating the official stance of the early Church when he writes these words. Regardless of what was decided at the Jerusalem Council, however, there were still some who were teaching that circumcision was necessary in order to be a true follower of Jesus. Doesn’t that always happen though? In spite of the official stance, there are always those who fight against it. That got me thinking about some of the divisions that we have in the Church today.

The first, and most obvious, division that we see in the Church (big C) today is denominations. There are literally hundreds of denominations out there, and that’s just the Baptists! Seriously though, just within the Wesleyan theological family (a branch of the Anglican Church that started roughly 250 years ago), there are the Nazarenes, Assemblies of God, Wesleyans, Free Methodists, United Methodists, Evangelical Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal, and several more. On a larger scale, there are Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Disciples of Christ, independent Christian churches, Baptists, Presbyterians, and, again, several more; that’s just off the top of my head.

You might hear me joke from time to time about the Baptists or the Catholics, but it’s just that, I’m joking. I don’t buy into the denominational divisions as much as other people do. I recognize that there are people who simply don’t see things the way I do and the way our denomination does. That’s all right. There needs to be a shift in perception when it comes to working with other churches. The churches in a community don’t need to be looking at each other as competitors, but as co-workers for the gospel. That’s the most important thing, not denominational affiliation. It is important for us, as United Methodists, to remain connected to our cluster, our conference and even the worldwide denomination, but that doesn’t mean we look past our neighbors. Imagine what we could do when we are all working together for the common purpose of sharing the gospel with our surrounding community. But then there are some more serious divisions within the Church universal.

It is still said that Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America. I realize that there are cultural barriers from time to time that would cause this separation, but there is no separation in Christ, so why is there so much separation in His church? That is a difficult question to struggle with. I’ve seen the demographics of our area, and sometimes, there just aren’t a lot of minorities, and that is the primary reason why there is so much segregation in some of the more rural areas of America. But even within larger, more culturally diverse areas, there is a good deal of segregation during the Sunday morning church time. We need to be actively seeking ways to tear down the walls of division.

I love what Paul says in verse 14, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” Jesus is our peace. Jesus is the one who tore down the wall between the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus is the one that is still trying to tear down whatever walls we build up to separate us from “those people,” whoever “those people” may be. There was an inscription on the outer wall of the courtyard of the Jerusalem temple warning Gentiles that they would only have themselves to blame for their death if they passed beyond it into the inner courts, which were reserved solely for the Jewish people. There’s just something about that which doesn’t seem right, isn’t there?

Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are no longer bound up by these walls that were there before, but in spite of the blood of Christ, we put up different walls, maybe without realizing it. So where are the walls that we put up? What are the barriers that we have that prevent people from coming to Christ? How can we tear them down and truly let Christ build up this church?

Paul brackets verse 13-18 with the comment that Jesus came for both those who were far off and those who were near. The gospel is not just for those who come to church, but for all people. In fact, if we take Jesus’ words in Mark 2 seriously, we begin to realize that the gospel is intended for those who are far off. When the Pharisees complain about Jesus eating with the sinners, he simply tells them that the well are not in need of a doctor. It is the sick that need the doctor. We are surrounded by sick people who are in need of the doctor. Yes, we know a lot of people that are physically ill, but I’m willing to bet that we know a lot more that are spiritually sick. They need Jesus in their lives to get rid of the disease of sin. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, not to tend to the found.

The gospel is for those both near and far; those who know Christ and those who do not. However, those that know Christ are given the charge to make disciples by sharing the gospel and discipling those who do not know him. Jesus’ words are words that give life, eternal life, to all who accept them and put their trust in Jesus. We can’t afford for there to be barriers, divisions, or walls that keep these words of life from those that need it the most.

No longer are we strangers or aliens, but we are citizens of God’s kingdom when we put our faith in Jesus. These three terms – strangers, aliens and citizens – were all terms that had very strong political meaning, especially in a Roman colony such as Ephesus. Strangers to a particular town had no rights whatsoever. They were foreigners in the city and had no rights or privileges at all. Aliens were non-citizens who lived in the city and were given some customary privileges, but they did not have full protection. Citizens had full rights, full privileges and full protection. It was every person’s goal in the first century to be a Roman citizen.

Roman citizens did not have to pay taxes; they had a right to a trial and could appeal all the way to Caesar; they could not be crucified (unless they committed treason). It paid to be a Roman citizen, and the people of Ephesus knew it. For Paul to use this language, some bells would have been going off in their heads. They understand what it means to no longer be strangers or aliens in their town; and Paul was equating that with what happens when they put their faith in Jesus. There were no more barriers to God. Full rights; full protection.

If Jesus removed the barriers, then we need to be intentional about not putting up any barriers. One of the biggest things that we can do to remove barriers within the Church is to be welcoming to all who come in through those doors. I hope and prayer is that we will start getting new visitors frequently. And my prayer is that we are ready to accept whoever comes through those doors; that we are ready to welcome them in, even if we know their history, even if we know their baggage, and even if we know what terrible people they were in elementary school. [If this is your first time here this morning, welcome. We are so glad you are here, and we hope that you have felt welcomed. And if you were a terrible person in elementary school, I didn’t mean to offend you with that last comment.]

One thing I have heard time and time again is that people would like to see this church grow. Now, the question becomes - Is it because it looks better to have a full sanctuary, or because we really believe in the gospel and the need for people to hear God’s word proclaimed. If it’s the first option, this congregation will not do anything but get smaller over the years. I can guarantee it. But, if we want to see the church grow so that more people can hear the gospel, so that more people can become disciples of Jesus and so that more people will be praising the name of God every week, then I think we’re in good shape. But we have to be honest with ourselves regarding our intentions.

If we are intentionally reaching out and sharing Jesus with the people we see through the week, then the harvest will come. Y’all know this more than I do, but I’m pretty sure that if you don’t plant any seeds, your fields will be empty when the time for the harvest comes. That’s a pretty certain spiritual rule as well. Plant the seeds, remove the barriers and watch them grow.

Drive Thru

I went to Crawfordsville today to do some grocery shopping. Along the way, I got a little tired of the commercials on MLB radio on XM, so I switched to one of the comedy stations. On it was Weird Al Yankovic's Trapped in the Drive Thru, a song I had heard before by one of today's foremost lyrical masters. So, I listened to it. It's a long song. I mean, a really long song - in the 10+ minute range.

The irony of it all is that on my way out of town, my stomach got the best of me, and I decided to stop at Burger King for a bite to eat. I ended up spending about that same amount of time in the drive-thru of this particular Burger King, which is not good, considering I was the only car in the drive-thru.

You'll have to click on the link above if you have a few extra minutes. It's relatively worth it.

Ode to a Past Life

I came across the clip below while I was checking my Google Reader this afternoon. Good stuff.

Random Blog Stats

I have been using Google Analytics to track some of the visits and other things to this site since, I think, March. It's kind of interesting to see all of the random things that it reports. Here's a little taste of the randomness of this blog:

From where are people visiting?
As you would probably expect the majority of the site visits have come from the U.S. (625 out of the 719, 87%); however a few other countries have joined in on the randomness as well, including: #2 the United Kingdom, #3 Australia, #4 Brazil, and #5 Canada. Not to mention: Philippines, Sweden, Serbia, Malaysia, Croatia, Colombia and Saudi Arabia. There are several others, but those are the most interesting.

What keywords are leading people to this blog?
This is one of my favorite ones. You never know what will pop up in a search engine. Here are some of the keyword searches: "how to beat farkle," "chicago cubs demotivational posters," "spiritual transformers principles more than meets the eye," "the proposal bullock," "asbury seminary," "is farkle a bad game for christians," and "random goat in transformers."

What have been the most popular posts?
Besides the main page, there have been quite a few posts that have set themselves apart as most viewed on this blog since March 1, 2009. And they are:

Well, there you have it, some of the randomness of Random Thoughts in it's first 4.5 months of existence. I'll chime in from time to time to update y'all on some more stats.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

I haven't put too much on here about some of the cooking that I do. I actually really like to cook. Katie is much better at it, so she's the one that does most of the cooking; however, the grill is where I do most of my magic.

Tonight's dinner was a grill adventure. I spent some time this afternoon putting together a recipe that we saw on Alton Brown's Good Eats for a grilled pork tenderloin and marinade. The idea was supposed to be that this tenderloin would cook on the grill. Unfortunately, I think I ran out of propane because even on high, the flame was really low and the grill wasn't heating above 150 degrees. So, I had to finish it on a grill pan on the stove. Regardless, the results were delicious. Below you'll find a couple of pictures of tonight's culinary adventure. Believe me, it tasted better than it looked.

The grilled pork tenderloin was coupled with fried potatoes, green beans, King's Hawaiian sweet rolls, and a salad (made with freshly picked cherry tomatoes and cucumber). Great dinner.

First picture is the tenderloin on the stove, and the second is the finished product.

























Visioneering

It's been a long time since I've updated my reading reviews. Mostly because after finishing three books in 2 weeks, I haven't really finished any others yet, though I have still been adding to the reading list. A little backwards, I know. Regardless, the most recent book that I have picked up is one written by Andy Stanley entitled Visioneering. I haven't come across any of Stanley's work that I haven't like so far, and Visioneering was no different. Here he walks through the story of Nehemiah and shares some insights regarding vision. Here are some of the quotes that popped out to me:
  • "Visioneering is the course one follows to make dreams a reality. It is the process whereby ideas and convictions take on substance" (8).
  • "Looking for something doesn't necessarily mean you will find it. But it sure increases the odds of seeing it if it is there to be seen.... Our tendency is to pray for miracles. But in most situations, it is more appropriate to pray for opportunities. More than likely you need an opportunity rather than something supernatural" (31).
  • "And to focus on what's around you diminishes your ability to focus on what's before you" (48).
  • "You will know what God has put in your heart to do before you know how he intends to bring it about. Often, you will know what long before you understand how" (55).
  • "The vision calls us to imagine what could be. The reason behind what could be moves us to believe that it should be" (99).
  • "A vision is what could and should be. A plan is a guess as t the best way to accomplish the vision" (156).
  • "To accomplish the important things you must learn to say no to some good things. More often than not, it is good things that have the greatest potential to distract you from the best things, the vision things" (203).
  • "Don't sacrifice your relationships for the sake of a business or a ministry or, for that matter, for any other vision" (228).
I have way more than the above underlined throughout the book. In fact, I doubt that I could go more than three pages without underlining something. The above is just a sampling. As always, Stanley's book has something significant upon which to reflect on nearly every page.

I started reading The Habits of Highly Effective Churches by George Barna now. I may be able to get through this in about a week, maybe sooner. I have a long list that I'm trying to get through right now, and the most dangerous thing is when my extreme case of literary ADD kicks in. I try to read 4 books at the same time, and usually, I don't get through one of them.

Being in Christ

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, July 12, 2009. The text for this week's message is Ephesians 1:3-14.

Today’s passage is a difficult one to sort through and understand on the first pass. Paul has a tendency in some parts of his letters to go off on tangents, and then trace back to the original thought without missing a beat. He also has a tendency to come up with some really long sentences. Today, we get the best of both worlds in one passage. Believe it or not, verses 3-14 are actually one long sentence in the Greek.

What amazes me most about this prayer that Paul lifts up at the beginning of the letter is the number of times he uses the phrase “in Christ,” or something similar. In just twelve verses, he uses the phrase ten times. That is a pretty high percentage, and it tells me that there is something important about this idea of being “in Christ.” So, what is it? What is it about the Christian life that makes it so crucial to be “in Christ?”

Paul begins the prayer by essentially giving thanks to God simply for who He is, but in doing so, he makes some significant theological statements. First of all, we are blessed in Christ and we are chosen in Christ before the very foundation of the world. A lot of times when we think about God’s plan for salvation, we look back to creation and notice that everything is declared good by God. Well, almost everything, the one thing that isn’t declared good is the fact that the man is alone, but that’s another message for another time. We build up creation as though it was the time when everything was perfect, but what if the creation story is meant to tell us something else? What if creation is not about how humanity messed everything up, but how things will look when all things on heaven and on earth are fully reconciled to God?

I think, in the creation story, we are given a snapshot of what eternity will look like. Because notice what Paul says here. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Christ’s role as redeemer of all humanity wasn’t a last minute decision that was caused because of the fall of humanity. It is an essential part of the person and role of Christ. God wasn’t surprised by the sin of humanity. God is never surprised by what we do. It’s not like we sin, and God sits on His throne and says, “Whoa! I didn’t see that one coming!” Redemption isn’t God’s way of making up for something that He missed. Redemption is a part of who God is. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life;” not, “I became the way, the truth and the life.”

Redemption was a very clear destination, not a detour. Redemption doesn’t happen on accident, it is the result of a very intentional decision. God’s plans of redemption were laid out from the beginning, before the foundation of the world. Ultimately, where we end up for eternity is a result of whether or not we follow this path of redemption.

I’m going to tell you something that at first will make you say, “Well, yeah. Of course.” But stay with me for a minute. Your direction determines your destination. If you want to go to Indianapolis, and you head out to I-74 and go west, you’ll never get there. At least, not without some significant detours and turning around. We realize this when we are driving, but do we realize it when it comes to our spiritual lives? Take a second to think about your spiritual life right now. What direction is it heading? Go ahead, I’ll wait.

If you’re thinking “I don’t know,” or “what is this guy talking about” then I think we have a directional problem. If we have a destination in mind, we don’t tend to get in our car and just drive around in circles. But we do that in our spiritual lives. Why? Ultimately, our destination is redemption and reconciliation with God, so why are we wondering around in circles? Why are we going places in our lives that don’t take us to our destination?

Paul says in his prayer that we are blessed and chosen for a purpose. That purpose is so that we should be holy and blameless before God. But is that direction that we are headed? Think about what your last week looked like. Did it look like a life that was headed towards redemption and reconciliation? Did it look like a life that would end up with you being holy and blameless before God? You know the answer to those questions better than I do. If the ultimate destination is the presence of God, what are we doing to go in that direction?

Now, some people will read through this passage and see a theological buzzword: “predestined.” For centuries, Wesleyans and Calvinists have had a fair amount of debate concerning the doctrine of predestination. As a Wesleyan myself, and having this congregation as a part of the Wesleyan tradition, I think it is important for us to understand a Wesleyan perspective on predestination. Those who are predestined to eternal life with God are those who believe in the gospel and place their trust in Christ.

It’s not about a cosmic game of dodgeball in which God either picks you, or He doesn’t. It’s about going in the direction that leads to redemption. It’s about the path that you take. Paul says that we are predestined for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. It is through Christ that we become children of God. The direction is predestined, not the individuals. It is only through Christ, and not by any other means that we enter into God’s presence. It is in Christ that Paul say we have three things: verse 7 – we have redemption; verse 11 – we have an inheritance; and verse 13 – we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.

First, in Christ, we have redemption. Paul is very specific about this. We have redemption specifically through the blood of Christ. And this redemption is specifically the forgiveness of our sins according to the grace of God. Forgiveness is not something that we earn. It is not the result of our hard work. It is not something that we are owed. Forgiveness is solely because of the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness and redemption are a part of God’s plan that came to fruition at just the right time in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that it is possible for all things to be united together in him, as Paul says, things in heaven and things on earth. All of creation is redeemed. All of creation is redeemed, and it is because of the grace of God.

Second, in Christ, we have an inheritance. The word for “inheritance” has some interesting history behind it, especially as we understand it from the perspective of ancient Israel. In the Greek Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, this same word is used when the tribes are given a portion, or allotment of the Promised Land. Translating that into the New Testament, it seems to signify a place for us in heaven. Jesus says in John 14 during his last night with the disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them in the Father’s house. There is a place for those who put their trust in Jesus. It is our allotment, if you will. The land in the Old Testament was recognized to belong to God, but by His grace, the land became the possession of the people. In the same way, by God’s grace, we have an inheritance, and that inheritance is our place in heaven.

This inheritance, which is to be given to those who place their trust in Jesus, is specifically for the glory of God. Again, it is the free gift of grace that allows us to have this inheritance. Our salvation is not just for our own good, but so that we might be praise and glory to God. Salvation is more than a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. Ultimately, our salvation is not for our own sake, but for the glory of God. And how is glory brought to God because of our salvation? By the way that we live it out. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But it’s true. We bring glory to God by the way that we live our lives. The way we live out our faith serves as a crucial witness for those around us of what it means to be saved by the grace of God. When people look at your life, are they seeing a life that glorifies God? Pray about that this week.

Finally, in Christ, we are sealed. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit when we hear the truth of the gospel and believe in Jesus. The work of the Spirit in our lives is the seal of our salvation. It cannot be broken. In ancient times, a messenger of the king would be given a letter and it would be sealed with the king’s emblem. If it arrived at its destination, and the seal was broken, it was grounds for execution by the messenger. The only one that could break the seal after the king gave it to the messenger was the recipient. No one can break the seal of your salvation, which you have received from the King. The only way that it can be broken is if you, as the recipient, break it.

We are given the promise of the Holy Spirit to be with us and work within us as long as we stay connected with God. If we break off that relationship, then that promise is no longer guaranteed. There are some who would say that once you are baptized, then that’s it, you’re in heaven, regardless of what you do with the rest of your life. But I don’t think that is what Scripture tells us. Scripture is pretty clear that no one outside of ourselves can take away our salvation, but we can certainly walk away from it.

One example that I can think of right away is Saul. He turned away from following the Lord, and God’s spirit left him. He eventually went a little crazy and David was raised up as king. I think we can all think of somebody who has strayed away from the faith. Maybe they were raised as believers of Christ, but for whatever reason, they decided to go their own way, which brings me back to what I said earlier. Direction determines destination. If we place our faith in Jesus, and walk beside him every day of our lives, then it is pretty clear where we will end up. But if we walk away, if we start going in a different direction, then the only thing that is clear is where we will not end up. More often than not, you end up where you are headed. The question then becomes, “Is where you are headed where you want to end up?”

If you are living “in Christ” then your direction is clear. Spend some time this week walking alongside Christ. I’ll reiterate the challenge to spend 15 minutes a day reading your Bible. That’s one way that you can walk alongside Christ this week. If you’re having a hard time doing that, pick up in Psalms and read one psalm a day. Or even Proverbs, there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, so you could read one a day for a month. Just do something. Like most things in life, your relationship with God doesn’t develop on accident. Intentionally set yourself in a direction to live in Christ, and you’ll end up there.

The Swisher Factory

In light of going through a new adventure in life, Katie and I have started up a family blog. You can see it by clicking on the following link: The Swisher Factory. Katie has already put a few posts up, and I'm sure that I'll chime in from time to time about things pertaining to being an expecting father. Should be quite a ride. After the baby comes, we'll be using this blog as a way to share pictures, videos and stories as well.

Blog Redesign

Well, what do you think? I like the 3 column format. I felt like it was getting a little heavy on one side. I like the colors, and I'm starting to like the design up-top. I've also added my Twitter feed to the blog on the right hand side. If you're on Twitter, let me know. I've been easing myself into it. I'm afraid my everyday life isn't terribly exciting for micro-blogging (not that's it's super exciting for macro(?)-blogging either!).

If you think of anything that might be good on the redesign, just let me know!

Summer Movie Tour: Star Trek

As part of my new weekly routine, and in large part thanks to Katie's new work schedule, I think I'm going to be spending Wednesdays in Indy. I'll use it as a time to finish up some work, meet with some friends in ministry and visit people that are in the hospital. What will not be a regular part of my upcoming Wednesday routine is seeing a movie; however, the last couple of weeks have been ridiculously busy and haven't been able to relax hardly at all. So, I took a couple hours this afternoon to go see one of the first blockbuster movies of the summer, which surprisingly was still in the theater.

Star Trek is the much-anticipated reboot of a series brought to us by J.J. Abrams. It certainly did not disappoint. I was talking with Katie a couple days ago about my top 3 movies for the summer, and Star Trek just booted one of those out of that lofty position. Star Trek tells the story of James Tiberius Kirk and the first voyage of the Enterprise. You do not have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this movie, and that is probably the best aspect about it.

My assessment: Star Trek is full of action, adventure, and humor, as well as engaging the brain a little bit as well. It certainly deserved to be one of the first blockbusters of the summer. It's only real disservice is that it may have come out at a bad time. The movies that came out right after it quickly drew our attention away. The acting is not bad, the storyline is good and the special effects are incredible.

My recommendation: If this is still in a theater near you, go see it. It's worth the full evening price if you can't make it out during the daytime. One of the best movies of the summer. See it in the theater, and buy it when it comes out on DVD.

Summer Movie Tour: Year One

Katie and I were out in Indy on Monday evening to have dinner with her family. As we were getting ready to head home, Katie asked, "Do you want to go see a movie?" Given the facts: 1) I wasn't tired (in spite of it being 9 p.m.), and 2) I want to see as many movies as possible this summer, I said, "Sure!" We ended up seeing Year One. Year One is a comedy about two guys who leave their tribe in the forest (or, more correctly, are forced to leave their tribe), and end up running into a few characters along the way: Cain and Abel, Adam and Abraham to name a few. It is an irreverent romp through the book of Genesis that winds up in Sodom with all the sodomy jokes to go along with it.

My assessment: It is filled with sexual humor - anything from circumcision, to sex with the opposite sex, to sodomy appear to be fair game. However, it wasn't so abrasive that it made me walk away shaking my head at the inappropriateness of it all. It certainly was inappropriate, and I'm not sure if this is one that I would buy down the road. But Jack Black and Michael Cera are absolutely hilarious. Their delivery of some of the sex-related jokes certainly eases the abrasive nature of them in the first place. In spite of all the sex humor, there is no nudity in the movie, which also makes it a bit more bearable as well.

My recommendation: I'm not too sure what to say here. I really did think it was funny, in spite of the inappropriate sexual humor. Black and Cera were certainly cast well in these roles, and I think if it hadn't be them, I wouldn't have laughed nearly as much. If you can put your waders on and get through the muck, it's worth seeing, but I would wait until it came out on DVD to see it.

Strength in Weakness

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, July 5, 2009. The text for this week's sermon is 2 Corinthians 12:2-10.

How many of you have had somebody in your life that just rubs you the wrong way? The kind of people that you try to avoid when you see them at the grocery store, or you always cringe when you see their name on the caller ID? The ones where more often than not you hit “Ignore” rather than “Answer” on your cell phone? I’m not looking for any names, especially if they are sitting in the sanctuary this morning. But you know who I’m talking about. Of course, nobody knows when he/she is “that person” because if they did, they would probably be more intentional about not being “that person.” When I was in seminary, we had a special term for people who just rubbed us the wrong way – “spiritual sandpaper.”

Sadly, after selling tools for five years, I know more about sandpaper than I would like. In fact, by the grace of God, I’ve probably forgotten more about sandpaper than a lot of people would ever want to know. There are hundreds of different types of sandpaper. There’s the full page, half page, one-third page; there’s paper for belt sanders, orbital sanders, pad sanders, drum sanders, 3-D sanders, corner sanders. Then, within all that, there are different grits. I’ve seen anything from 36 to 500 grit. You name it, and there is probably sandpaper for it.

There is sandpaper that is so rough that it will take the skin off your arm in one swipe; trust me, some of the people I worked with were jerks sometimes. There is sandpaper so smooth that will take paint off of something without leaving a scratch. And there is everything in between. Are you following me here? There are people like that in our lives. There are some that rub us so raw that we are hurt, and there are scars in our lives that remain for quite some time. Have any of those in your life? There are some who have such a gentle way of talking with us that it doesn’t hurt a bit, even if what they are saying is difficult to hear.

In any case, these people serve as a type of spiritual sandpaper in our lives. They work on us, rubbing away the rough edges in our lives. Sometimes it hurts more than it does other times. But it’s necessary. Scripture talks about the refiner’s fire. Isaiah 48 talks about the people being refined, being tried in a furnace of affliction. God’s motive in exiling the people to Babylon wasn’t simply to punish them, but to refine them in the fires of affliction.

I did some reading on refining metal this week. I know, I know, sounds incredibly exciting. But I wanted to understand what this process looked like. There are a lot of different ways to refine metals, but in all of these processes, the common denominator is that they are attempting to get rid of all the impurities in the metal. There are chemical processes, and some that use electricity, but the most common way of refining metal, even today is by fire. The metal is heated up and the impurities are separated from the metal. This is certainly the process that was used in Old Testament times, and it is a good metaphor for our spiritual lives as well.

As we read through 2 Corinthians, we find out that Paul had a similar experience in his life. In verse 7, he talks about there being a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan in his life. Scholars debate as to whether this was some kind of physical ailment or opponents to his ministry or psychological problems that Paul was dealing with. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that there was something in Paul’s life that was serving as a type of spiritual sandpaper. It was there, he says, to keep him from being conceited about these revelations that he received from God.

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul is addressing some of the deceivers who had followed him into Corinth. These people were troublemakers in the early church who taught a different doctrine than Paul and the other apostles. They were spreading rumors about Paul and really just giving him a hard time as he was trying to do ministry throughout the Roman Empire. He points, not to the successes that he has had in ministry around the empire, but to the struggles that he has faced so that the gospel would be shared. He shares this list of all he has gone through for the sake of the gospel.

In the Roman world boasting was not seen as a bad thing. If someone did something good, and they wanted everyone to know about it, they would boast about it. People would listen and be in awe of their accomplishments. However, Paul didn’t see things that way. Everything that Paul did was for the sake of the gospel. All of the good things that happened were not because of Paul directly, but because of God working through Paul. Paul knew this, and accepted it. He knew that the message of the gospel was counter-cultural and that there would be repercussions for sharing this message, and it is these repercussions that he shares with the reader in chapter 11, not the successes. And this discussion spills over into chapter 12.

Paul recognizes that his true strength is not in the amazing deeds that he accomplished by himself, but what God did through him in his weakness. He isn’t boasting about sharing the gospel all over the Roman Empire. He’s not boasting about starting churches throughout the region. He’s not boasting about bringing a young man back from the dead. (In Acts 20, a guy goes to sleep while Paul is teaching, falls out of the window and dies. All the more reason not to fall asleep during the sermon on Sunday morning.) No, he’s not boasting about any of this. He is boasting in the fact that God has worked through him, in spite of his limitations.

Anybody ever feel limited? Anybody ever feel like God can’t work through you? Ever feel too young, too old, too uneducated, too inadequate for God to work through you? So did Paul. Remember, Paul persecuted the early Christians before encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, where he was going to persecute more Christians. Paul may have been well educated, but one of the accusations that the false prophets had against him is that he wasn’t a very good speaker. Paul doesn’t deny this accusation. He may not have been a great speaker, but he didn’t have to be because God was working through him.

You don’t have to feel inadequate when it comes to sharing the gospel because God is working through you as well. And don’t say, “God can’t [fill in the blank].” Excuse my poor English here, but God can’t nothin’. Anytime you hear yourself say, “God can’t…” I want you to do me a favor. Take your right hand, hold it up, and put it over your mouth before you finish that sentence. God can’t nothin’. The simple truth is that we are inadequate when left on our own, but God is working through us. And God can’t nothin’.

Paul pleaded and pleaded and pleaded with God to take away whatever it was that was bothering him, but God never did. Because God can work in us and through us despite whatever limitations we may have. But we have to let Him. What was God’s reply to Paul’s pleas? “My grace is sufficient for you.” We have to rely on God’s grace to get us through the difficult times in our lives. We have to rely on God’s grace to deal with those who are the 36 grit spiritual sandpaper in our lives. We have to rely on God’s grace to work through our inadequacies. God’s grace is sufficient for you. Where you think you are at your weakest is where God can work the most.

Anybody know that the #1 fear in America is? Public speaking. Did you know that I hate public speaking? My heart starts racing. I’m worried that I’m going to stumble over my words or unintentionally say something embarrassing. Or even forget what I was going to say in the first place. But I love to preach. I love to study the Word and share what it is that I think I’m hearing from God on a given week. Trust me, on the weeks when you hear a good sermon, it’s not because I’m a great public speaker; it’s because God is working in spite of my weaknesses.

So, I want to close with a few questions for you this morning. Who has God placed in your life that is serving as a type of spiritual sandpaper? I don’t want any names out loud here, just think about it. What is it that God is trying to do in your life? Where are your weaknesses, and how is God working in spite of them? What affliction is helping to purify you through the refiner’s fire right now? Think about it this week, and then spend some time praying with God. Listen for what it is that He would have you do. Pray about how God’s power is made perfect in your weakness, and then maybe get together with a couple of friends and talk about it over some coffee or tea or soda. God can work through you, no matter what your weaknesses are. His power is made perfect in our weakness. Will you let God shape you, refine you and work through you? Paul did, and I’d say it turned out pretty well. What can He do through you?

One Journey Ends, Another Begins

I haven't said a lot over the last couple of years about the frustrations and heartaches that Katie and I have had when it has come to starting a family. I guess a part of me didn't really know how to put it into words, and maybe another part of me didn't want to admit that we were having a hard time getting pregnant.

On our way up to annual conference, Katie had an appointment to see the OB to talk about girl stuff that I don't fully understand (nor do I really want to!). Basically, we weren't sure if she was ovulating at all, and quite frankly, no ovulation = no pregnancy. It is something that we struggled with while we were still in Wilmore. A part of me always figured that we would someday, whenever God would choose to bless us.

The last couple of years have been filled with disappointment every time "that time" of the month rolled around. I think a part of each one of us was trying to come to terms with the idea that we never would get to have children of our own. We would discuss adoption from time to time, but it never went very far. I think we just didn't want to admit that it may be the only option we would have.

The conversation at the OB before annual conference ended with the doctor basically saying that she didn't want to waste our time trying something that didn't work in the past, and she was referring us to a fertility specialist. We were planning on giving them a call this past week.

At annual conference, Katie was pretty tired most of the time. She had been have some trouble breathing, and felt like her heart was beating harder than normal. This scared us a little, so she set up an appointment to meet with our doctor (who is still in Fishers because we haven't found a doctor in Veedersburg yet), and told him what was going on. They decided to give Katie a pregnancy test because it fit all the symptoms. In her words, she said, "I never pass those." (So funny, isn't she? She learned it from me.)

However, five minutes later, the doctor came in and asked how she felt about being a mom. As she was leaving the doctor's office, she called me. I had been in Veedersburg working on a funeral message for one of our church members when she called, and said two simple words, "I'm pregnant." I'm not a very emotional person, but I cried. It was a mixture of relief, joy and shock all at once. For once in my life, I was speechless. I don't usually say a lot anyway, but that's usually because I choose not to do so. I literally didn't have any words, apart from, "Really?"

We have had to trust in God so much during this journey. Somehow, through it all, I always believed that God would bless us in some way. It's amazing how something we've been trying so hard to do caught us totally off guard. God is good. The trying, difficult period is over. We are going to have a baby. Now, a new journey starts. It's another one that is certainly going to try our faith, but we know that God is faithful, and we can trust in Him.