Blog

I’m not much good at asking for help. Never have been. It’s not that I don’t need or don’t want it, it’s just a flaw in my character.  A flaw that afflicts my human relations, as well as my relationship with God.  I was taught self-reliance at an early age.  I was required to help provide for the family with a hunting rifle, a shotgun, fur traps, or a fishing pole from about age 8. In the mountains, Dad made me carry an emergency fire kit, flint and steel exclusively, for two years before I was allowed to carry matches or a lighter. 

Independence was not just encouraged, it was ingrained.  Later in life, I adopted a career requiring healthy doses of unconventional individualism, personal courage, service to others, and self-sufficiency.  “Keep it simple, Kenney. Go here, do that, come home alive.”

Needless to say, I grew up and have lived my life with the understanding that it was largely up to me. Even after becoming a Christian, I occasionally experienced difficulty in asking God for help.  Afterall, I reasoned, He built me with all the tools I needed to survive – it was up to me to use them correctly and ON me if I didn’t.

But that’s not what God says at all. In 2 Corinthians 3:5 Paul writes, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God…”

"Even now,

at this point in my life,

God is teaching me His way. "

I’ve spent much of the last year learning that my complete self-reliance can conflict with God’s plan. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually I have been brought to my knees with realization after realization that I do need help, from time to time.  Sometimes it is professional help in the form of doctors and lawyers and such. Sometimes it is friends and buddies who refuse to take no for an answer, especially when I am being stubborn and somewhat of a jackalope.  Often it has been recognizing the role of my family supporting me vice my supporting them.  All of which, I see the hand of God manifest in.

In Corinthians 12:9, Paul again writes that Christ’s grace is sufficient and that His power is perfected in our weakness. Rarely have I seen those words be truer than in the past month.

Most recently, in recovering from hip surgery, every little thing that seemingly could go wrong has.  Vehicle repairs with both of our rigs that threatened to leave us stranded.  Mysterious, unidentified warning alarms incessantly toning from the bowels of our house at completely random times. Swamp cooler issues with no way to fix and no way to replace (imagine one man, two crutches, and a thirty-foot ladder).

What has amazed me during in this short snap-shot of life, is how blessed we are to live where and how we do.  God has placed in our lives people who are generous of their time, knowledge, and resources.  He has made me unable to do the things I normally would. The Lord has made me ask for help.

Picking up the phone and starting a conversation with “Listen, brother, I hate to ask this, but. . .” is a skill not practiced and therefore, not perfected.  It is, however, something I am getting better at.  And the Lord has provided His reinforcement of my humility. Whether it is those individuals who offer expert help in automotive adventures, or those who come over in the middle of the night at the drop-of-a-hat to find the low-voltage transformer screaming in a wall cavity, or whether it is those friends who spend their Independence Day with a screwdriver and a crane to fly a new swamp cooler to our roof and have it running in minutes.

None of these great, common people asked for a reward or for compensation. They just did.  Indeed, several may not even be Christians as you and I would recognize them to be.  However, each knew their role and each gave unselfishly of themselves.  In so doing, they taught me lessons about myself, God’s provision, and the trustworthiness of my friends and neighbors.

Even now, at this point in my life, God is teaching me His way.  In short, a little more humility and a little less bullheaded pride, goes a long way. Even for me.

Vacation Bible School… definitely sounds like something for the kids, but let me tell you, I grow so much from my experiences with it every year I get to participate. The theme is Power Up: Raise Your Game. It’s cool that we get to tie God’s word to something most kids are seeing or doing every single day.

While video games are being played after VBS by these awesome kiddos we’ve had here, I am praying that they remember the spoken truths that we talked about with them.

I was blessed to get to be the storyteller this year at VBS. You know, get up, give the big picture, and hopefully make the kids laugh a bit in the process.

I love telling stories, so this was definitely up my alley; I’ve discovered over the years that I’m a bit of a perfectionist in certain areas and that perfectionist really came out in me yesterday. I had worked hard to memorize all the lines so I could fully engage the kids and not be distracted from reading off a paper.

I was nervous but was doing my best to remember that God was still in control and I couldn’t mess this up- not really, anyway. Well, I got up there, started telling the story…and totally messed it up. I skipped lines all over the place, had to get back on track multiple times, etc. By the time I stepped off stage, I was really disappointed in myself. I couldn’t believe that I had messed up after all that practice!

Did the kids even learn anything? Did any of it make sense? How could I have done this? I went back up to the office to get some work done and while I sat in the quiet, I started praying. Pretty sure it was mostly a pity party prayer, not gonna lie. But God was so gracious and He spoke to me in my frustration. Kind of felt like He was basically saying, “Sarah, you do remember what you just told the kids right? You just told them where our real power comes from. Yet here you are, trying to be powerful on your own without me.” Ouch. That hit hard, but it was a truth I needed to hear. I had gotten up to encourage those kids to turn to God for their power all while I was relying on my OWN strength to get me through the story telling.

It’s neat that we can take a week to really focus on God. We’re answering questions from the kids, making sure we’re giving an example, but we’re also trying to be really honest with these guys. They’re incredibly receptive and are eager to soak up whatever they can. So what is a better way to encourage them than to admit that we still mess up and still need God’s strength to get us through? I’ve gotten to see several adults doing that with the kids already and it encourages me to do the same.

To let go of the pride and let God be glorified through my mess.

Of course, since that’s the last thing the Enemy wants me to do, he is going to be trying his hardest to distract me from the truth, to tempt me to put my eyes back on myself instead of God, and get those seeds of doubt planted in my heart. The awesome thing, though, is that I know he’s going to be doing this. So now I know how to prepare myself for that battle: by stepping back and remembering where my true power comes and letting God be the strength inside me.

Definitely easier said than done, but, just as we’ve been teaching the kids here at VBS, “God’s power gives us everything we need to lead a Godly life.” 2 Peter 1:3a (NIRV)

Ah summer! Finally, a break from the responsibility and monotony of school and extracurriculars. A chance to hang out with your friends, relax, maybe go swimming… and read a book about the holocaust.

As odd as it sounds, I knew when thinking about books I would have every student read that this one is at the top of the list. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom is the non-fiction story of Corrie and her family living in the Netherlands during World War 2. What starts out as a description of an idyllic childhood growing up in a dilapidated house where each day is bookended by scripture reading, quickly morphs into a spy novel as the Ten Booms and their home become the center for a major anti-Nazi operation, and then morphs again as horror comes to their doorstep and whisks them away.

My first experience with this book was when I was seven years old. My mom read it aloud to me before bed, and even then I recognized that this story showcased something special. It’s the story of a family whose dedication to God is completely unwavering through circumstances that are the stuff of nightmares. I knew I couldn’t live without that hope. 

It was after one of these nights of weeping with my mom about what God allowed to happen to Corrie and her sister and how faithful He was in all of it, that I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and become my savior. If there has been a book (besides the bible) that has been more influential on my Christian walk I don’t know what it is. I encourage you to add a level of gravity to your summer by taking on this book. Let God show you that He is everything. In Corrie’s words, “You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.”

Love,

Sami

“My brother, have you confessed your sins today?  Have you seen the cross of Christ today?”

These words are from Kefa Sempangi, a believer in Uganda.  He is quoted in C. John Miller’s small-but-powerful book Repentance: A Daring Call to Real Surrender.  It is a reminder of the refreshment that comes when we get to unburden ourselves before the Lord.  It is a reminder of the joy and richness that is mine when grace meets me in my specific and troubling sin.

In college, my life was changed when someone took the time to begin to teach me how to confess my sins specifically, and regularly ask for God’s help to walk in the Spirit.  Before that, repentance was just a heavy religious word; a nebulous concept of weight and guilt.  But after that, repentance came alive to me as a divine gift, an invitation to receive and experience God’s love in fresh and real ways.

I have been trying to practice and grow in the gift of repentance ever since!

Coming in at less than 100 pages, Repentance is the kind of book that can be read and re-read many times.  It has been a continual reminder for me of the life-renewing power of this practice.  When I bring my sin to the Cross, and agree with what God says, then I receive His mercy afresh each day.

Miller has helped to encourage me in this.  In fact, his biblical emphases - poured through the experiences of his own life and pain - have been a treasure store of God’s truth.  Miller helps us think through repentance vs. penance, the right role of conviction, and how we apply the finished work of Christ.  He walks us through biblical guilt and confession, to bring us out into freeing forgiveness and the Spirit’s power.

“In the great invitational passages of Scripture, the exhortation is not to thirst, i.e., to acquire a conviction of sin.  Instead, the command is for sinners to drink of Christ (Jn. 7:37, Is. 55:1-2).  Scripture does not say that the way of salvation is to make yourself heavy with your sins.  Instead, the invitation from the Lord is, ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden’ (Mt. 11:38).”

If you are ready to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Ptr. 3:18), and in the timeless practice of preaching the Cross to yourself regularly, than this book will be rich for you.

And if you pick up a copy, and start reading, I would love to hear about it.  You can expect that I will be reading it, too!

For His glory in us,

Frank

I want to offer a well-deserved congratulations to our graduating seniors! You have achieved an important milestone in your life. Because this is such an important juncture in your life, you have probably been receiving much uninvited advice. And, I am no different, I must add my two cents. My advice is simple, pick your superhero carefully.

Why is this so important? No matter what you are about to do (school, job, the military) you won’t be able to do it on your own. In fact, your friends and family won’t be enough. Life demands a superhero.

Fortunately, today we have many superheroes to choose from. Just a few weeks ago American’s spent a record $2.6B to see the Avengers, making it the second largest grossing movie of all time. And that is only the tip of the iceberg, as there are literally hundreds of comic book superheroes. Each have their unique super-ability to help them fight crime or intergalactic aliens. How is one to choose?

As you have probably already guessed, these are not the type of superhero that I have in mind. Obviously, my suggestion would be that you make Jesus Christ your superhero. What are his credentials? He can speak things into being; He can heal with the sound of a prayer; He knows everything, even the number of hairs on our head; He can be anywhere all at the same time; and, there is no end to his existence. If that’s not enough, he defeated our arch-nemesis on a simple cross. But maybe most amazingly, He loves each of us no matter what we do.

But wait, there is more. If we make him our superhero, He will endow us with superhuman ability. This is better known as the Holy Spirit. He makes us unstoppable—I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me (Phl 4:13). He places a force field of sorts around us—The Lord will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one (II Th 3:3). We become his personal Padawan—He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phl 1:6). We become indestructible—For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ro 6:23). And, these are only a few of the promises. These promises will come in handy in the future as they are the very answers to the challenging life that each of us have in front of us.

I realize that I am not saying anything that you don’t already know. The problem is that you know it too well and has become common-place. It is easy to fail to see the wonder, the “super hero-ness” that is our Lord Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that you will see Jesus for who He really is, the only true answer to the questions you will face in your life. But like all good superheroes even Jesus has his “kryptonite”. You may be thinking Satan, but Jesus defeated him thousands of years ago. And it is not Jesus that has a kryptonite but our relationship with him. That is, distraction! When He truly is our superhero we will feel the need to spend time with Him. We will want to share our lives with Him through prayer and seek His plan for our lives through Bible study. So, make quiet time and protect it with all your might!

Soon, you will be on your own and be faced with who your superhero will be. It will no longer be your parent’s decision. Will you choose to serve yourself, your career, a friend, spouse, money or a million other things? Or, will you choose to serve Jesus? The decision you will make over the next few years will shape the course for the rest of your life.