Day 14

I had the great pleasure of loafing on the couch today and watched a Harrison Ford movie called "Clear and Present Danger." OK—for those who know me—I did fall asleep during part of it, but there was a part of the movie that encouraged my heart today. In the movie there were men that were left behind and Harrison Ford and the other general were going into the enemy's lands to get their men out. Harrison Ford turned and asked the general, “Where are the men?” The general quickly answered him in a protective and determined voice and said (paraphrased), “They are not just any men. They are MY men!” Then they did amazing feats of running, jumping and shooting and saved the men. As I watched this part of the movie, I was encouraged because the Lord calls us His own. He loves us and wants to protect us so much that He gave His very life to save us out of our mess. Harrison Ford may show us what feats a man might go through to protect the people he cares about, and yet, there is only one story in all of history that expresses the love our God has for us-- the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When Melissa and I left Las Vegas to come to Virginia, we knew that this was just the beginning of the path the Lord would use to create health and strength in our marriage, family, and in our personal lives. He has put amazing people in our lives every step of the way, placed us in a church that had something special for each member of our family, helped us find the perfect home, good jobs, good friends, and a whole lot of great memories. With all of these wonderful things that He has done in the last year, why is it that, at times, the thought of tomorrow is overwhelming? I wish my brain wasn’t so broken! He has called me his own and cares more about where my family lives, works, and plants roots than I do. I could imagine God having a conversation about us and telling that second party, “They are not just children, they are MY children!” It helps my heart and brain so much to know that I belong to my God and He has taken interest in my life. Which also means He has taken care of every day of my life and I just need to be obedient to Him.

Matthew 6:30-33
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Day 15

On this day, there has been no particular leading from the Lord in one way or the other. Today, I enjoyed my wife by taking her out on a date, enjoyed my children, and enjoyed the town the Lord placed me in by participating in a racquetball tournament. None of these things may seem like faith issues or spiritual insights that are worthy to put into writing, but I beg to differ. One of the things that I have learned about faith and living for God is that there are some days where His fingerprints seem to be on everything I come in contact with and then on other days the voice of God seems very quiet. However, those quiet days do not mean that it is time to get lost in the silence and make decisions based upon fear. Instead, it is time to stay focused and enjoy the blessings that are sitting in your everyday life.

Now I look at this and wonder what does this have to do with God speaking to us about our future? The conclusion to which I have arrived is that my future is going to be filled with many normal days of building a strong marriage, encouraging my children, and taking part in the lives of our community. I would go far as to say that if you want to test a man’s faith, then you would do well to watch and study him when God is at His quietest. It is those moments of solitude where true faith is not only built, but has an opportunity to shine.

Has God been quiet today? If He has, it does not mean that He has left you to your own demise. Perhaps it means He is taking a moment to examine what is going on inside of your heart. Will you let Him?

Day 16

This morning, Melissa and I awoke to the after-effects of a crazy Virginia storm. I got up, dressed and walked downstairs (where my closet is) to get my shoes. As I stepped onto the basement carpet with socks on my feet, I found that our bottom floor was soaked in at least two inches of water. Our basement and garage had flooded and what a mess! Now, to be honest, I was clueless on what to write about for Day 16 of Faith. All I could think of was what a pain in the backside this is going to be to get all this cleaned up. So I asked Melissa what she thought I should write on and she reminded of the story of Noah, or Evan Almighty (the Holllywood Noah!) who was asked to build an ark because the flood was coming. It seemed like a ridiculous request at that point, because who really hears from God to do something so crazy, right? Then as we related these stories to our own lives, we begin to believe that God is maybe up to His old way of doing things again. We both feel that our time in Virginia is coming to a close but we do not know where are going once we leave. However, we do know that we need to pack and we need to get ready. So, like Noah, we have been packing and looking to the horizon to see what the next step will be in this crazy journey we call life. Anyone feel any raindrops?

Lord,

Please help us trust you even though we do not know the next step. Scripture is full of stories of how you asked people to step out and make life-altering decisions before the path for that decision was clear. We commit to your love for us and we ask that you give us an extra dose of strength and faith to make it through this season.

Amen

Day 17

Today, I am reminded of the feeling that takes place before you go on a roller coaster ride. You are strapped in, committed and even excited about the journey ahead. You look at the person next to you, in my case that is Melissa, and give them a smile to say that you know it is all going to be OK, but, if we die in the next two minutes--know that I love you. Then you feel and hear the clicks of the roller coaster as you start going higher and higher. Each of those clicks represents a couple of things. It represents how fast and furious the ride is going to be and it also tells us that the ride is about to start. Both of these messages then cause your stomach to flutter and your heart rate to rise because there is no turning back. You will either enjoy whatever is to come or close your eyes and hope it goes away.

As you all know it is “Day 17” and the countdown continues. We are very thankful for what the Lord is doing right here today and are also excited about what tomorrow holds. Like the roller coaster illustration, Melissa and I are locked in and committed to this journey from the Lord. Each of the days that go by is a click on the ride of life and soon it will be time to open our eyes and hearts to wherever the tracks, which have been laid out for us from the beginning of time, will take us. We have received many words of encouragement from our friends and family and we thank you so much for your prayers.

So, for now, the Lord seems to be saying,

“Hold on to your seat and get ready for the ride of your life!”

Proverbs 5:21

For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.

Day 18

Originally I had something else that I wrote for today that looked a bit more like a devotional and I was ready to put the finishing touches on it and send it to you. As I took some time in worship I feel that the Lord has something else to say to me and to anyone that wants to hear. This is the worship song that the Holy Spirit led me too and it is the theme song for “Day 18”.

Awesome in this Place
Dave Billington

As I come into Your presence
Past the gates of praise
Into Your sanctuary
'Till we're standing face to face
I look upon Your countenance
I see the fullness of your grace
I can only bow down and say

You are awesome in this place Mighty God
You are awesome in this place Abba Father
You are worthy of all praise
To You our lives we raise
You are awesome in this place Mighty God

As I was playing this song and singing to the Lord I felt that God was asking me to be content with just Him. Is my God awesome enough by Himself that there is not a job, a person, or a material item that could possibly fulfill my life like Him?

My heart longs to be at this place while my mind feels like a million miles away.

Here is my response to the Lord…

As I come into your presence
With my doubts and disgrace
Into your sanctuary
Where I try to hide my face
You look upon my countenance
And give the fullness of your grace
So I will bow down and say

Thank you for your love Mighty God
Thank you for your grace Abba Father
You are worthy of all praise
To You our lives we raise
You are awesome in this place Mighty God

Day 19

There are some of you who read this that know Melissa and myself very well and maybe a few of you that have never met us. We have been married for almost 16 years, have two boys that are getting ready to go into Jr. High and High School and have been on a sabbatical from pastoring a church for the last year and a half or so. I am currently working at the wonderful church called, The Bridge Foursquare Church, and substitute teaching and Melissa is working at Virginia Tech and Starbucks. The Lord has used these jobs and the people in them to give us encouragement and love us during this great time of pause in our lives. It is now time for Melissa and I to hear from God and make some large decisions about life. We feel very strongly that it is possibly time for us to step back into the pulpit and are taking the next 19 days to hear from the lord and make our decisions. I am sharing this with you, because on my blog, for the next 19 days I want to write to you about what the Lord is doing and how we are walking this path of trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us. I feel that putting this out to you as the reader creates an accountability for me to stay focused on trusting in God , will help you as you face big decisions in life, and will allow God to be glorified for what He is about to do.

You may ask, “Why is it important to have an answer in 19 days?” There are many details to our life that has pointed our decision making to the end of May—you will just have to trust me when I say it is time to make a decision and we long to hear from God. Please be praying for these 19 days and let’s all together sit back and be amazed as the Lord takes the unknown and brings clarity and hope.

This morning began by Melissa and I having our devotions. Our devotion today was titled Why Not? , and was based out of Psalm 9:10.

“Those who know your name will trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

This devotional was pretty much about trusting God and quit trying to come up with all of our plan B’s. I don’t want to settle for plan B! I want plan A! Plan A represents us being exactly where the Lord has placed in doing exactly what He has asked of us. It is funny because I was having a hard day yesterday in that I was trying to form all of my different plans. It took my wife to stop and me and remind me to trust God. I encourage you to do the same in whatever situation you are facing. God knows exactly what He is doing and today, Day 19, I feel encouraged. I can’t wait to see what Day 18 will hold for us!

Pay Attention!

Hebrews 2:1-4
1. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3. how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

When I was a kid in school it was always very difficult to stay focused and to pay attention to what was being said. It seemed that even the best topic had a limited ability to keep me from wandering and begin dreaming of the things I wanted to be doing instead of sitting in that class room. It is now 20 to 30 years later and I am finding the same problem occurs on a daily basis. The Lord is longing for my attention and focus but I keep taking my eyes off of Him and dreaming about what I would rather be doing. The older I get the more I also spend time day dreaming about my past and thinking about things that should had been changed and lessons that have been learned. I wish that I was not so easily distracted. This scripture out of Hebrews is a great reminder to me to pay attention.

There are too many people that are falling into a daze, only to find when they wake up they have been adrift for some time. May this not be! Jesus came to give us life. He has brought salvation for you and me at a great cost.

Ways to Pay Attention
1. Slap Yourself- Put yourself in situations that will force you to fall on your knees and ask the Lord for help.
2. Exercise- Yes, I am talking about physical exercise as well as exercising our faith. Both our bodies and our faith will become sluggish if we do not keep them active.
3. Worship- Being in God’s presence is like dumping a bucket of cold water on life. The Holy Spirit will keep us alert and focused.
4. Search God’s Word- Read it daily! Allow Him to speak into your life through the amazing power of His word. It is like getting an electric shock. I need one of those on a daily basis.

Lord,
Please help me pay attention to you and what you are doing. I keep looking around at the chaos, pain, despair, and brokenness and it seems to put me in a trance. Then while in this trance I begin drifting. There are too many important things in my daily life that need attention for me to begin drifting. Please protect my marriage. Help me raise my children. Give me the faith to keep giving- even when finances are scary. Show me how to be there for my friends—especially those who are struggling. Thank you Lord for loving me though I lose my focus so easily.

Love your boy!