As God Walks

The famly and I had the wonderful oportunity to travel this past weekend to Baltimore to see the seniors from the school I used to serve at as they concluded their Senior Trip. It was a great blessing, as be we there or not, they are still "our kids." The visit was fairly short (about 2 hours), but most enjoyable. The visit was another example of God's unending goodness. The small blessings that He sends to remind us that He loves and cares for us are so very wonderful. After we left the FCA group at BWI, we spent an hour at Inner Harbor, then moved over to Fells Point where we ate lunch at a pizza place profiled on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives -- quite good. Next time I get to Baltimore we will visit a BBQ place profiled on DDD.

Colossians 2 begins with Paul commenting on his concern for those he loved in Colossae. It is somewhat the same feeling that I have, now settled into ministry in PA and yet having those we love halfway to China, or so it seems. God has shown that He is faithful and He continues to meet our needs, even as He allows us to serve here and keep up with our friends there.

One of the interesting aspects of God as reflected in Scripture is His personification. We know that He is a spirit, yet He is described with the qualities of a man. He sees; He hears, He listens; He walks. In Genesis, God walks through Eden seeking Adam and Eve, though in His omniscience He knew exactly where they were. In Colossians, as well in other books, we find the admonition to walk. We are to walk with God, living out our knowlwdge of God. If we are walking alongside of God, He does not need to go hunting for us as He did for Adam and Eve. We need to stay close to God through meditating on the Word, which in turn increases our love for Him. As our love for God increases, greater is the likelihood that we will heed the "put off" and "put on" commands of Col. 3. Christlike living is the result of godliness, it is not godliness of itself. Many people "do" to demonstrate their love for God; He wants us to "be" and understand the doing is simply the natural result of "being." It all starts with our walk. Does God need to find us or does He sense us close by?

Not Knowing Where You Are Walking

Though my schedule does not allow it so much these days, I greatly enjoy walking and bike riding. Though my schedule and finances do not allow, I also enjoy traveling. One thing that is for certain is that whether I ride my bike, go for a walk, or travel across the country, I need some familiarity with the area or a map (or GPS) to get around. Even with a map, sometimes one can get turned around and perhaps even, dare say it, lost. Perhaps more challenging than going to a new area is visiting an area anew after a long period away. You return and nothing looks quite the same. Landmarks have changed, perhaps even been removed; sight lines are different. These past few months have sort of had that feel. Everything is familiar, though only vaguely. it is the same, yet different. I can see that God is in control of everything and it is obvious that He has been meeting needs and providing, but is sure seems odd from this perspective. I know I am in the right neighborhood, but it seems to be a very large neighborhood. I just patiently wait to see if and when I arrive where I am headed. I must be close because everything looks sort of familiar.

One great blessing I had just this weekend was that the kids and I were able to go to Andrews Air Force Base outside of DC and see the Joint Services Open House Air Show. The show highlight was the Blue Angels. I have seen the Blues probably 8 times over the years, and every time is impressive. We had a blast. Justin took a couple hundred pictures. It was a long day, but we sure had a great time. God has given me a couple of great kids, that is for sure.

What a Week

My, was last week ever full. With Mothers Day upcoming, the shipping job went through the roof. Shari's Berries for mom -- seems like half the country was shipping them. There is a Shari's site close by, so we shipped MANY boxes of berries.

Looking for any excuse for a celebration, we recognized Cinco de Mayo in my class this week. It was a good reason to have Tres Leche in class. While on the topic of Mexican food, I have decided that there needs to be a Stripes convenience store located here in the Harrisburg area, just for the breakfast tacos. If they locate here, I will be first in line. I have found a decent Mexican restaurant, but still need a good breakfast taco.

The other need is to locate a good bar-be-que place. Haven't really looked yet, but that is on the horizon. Need to find somewhere to get some good flavor. Of course, with the current work schedule, the only real day to search for dining locations is Saturday. We have never really been a family that dines out on Sunday and I work until at least 9:30 every evening, so Saturday is the day. Becky works every other weekend, so it is me and the kids for lunch or dinner for the family. That being said, we do not eat out much anymore, so the word for the day: "whatever."

Enjoy dinner.

Walking with Curves in the Road

Over the years that I have been involved in ministry, two of the events that I have enjoyed the most are the Leadership Conference and the Senior Trip. God has been so good this year to allow me to participate in both events here at Emmanuel. While not necessarily the same as what I had done in the past, it sure has been a blessing to be involved in those events with the young people here at EBCA.

Meanwhile, I have the privilege of working (two jobs) while many in this region are without jobs. God continues to show that He is in control of everything. Truly, He is sovereign.

I am continuing to saunter through the book of Colossians. Colossians is, as I have stated before, probably my favorite book in the Bible, so I am really enjoying taking an extended time to read, study, and meditate on the book. Chapter 2, verse 6 has been a focal point for the past few weeks, especially the "so walk" statement. It is somewhat like the "act your age" command. If this is who you are, act like it. Perhaps at one time you were the recipient of the "what is your last name" speech. Others may be able to get away with _______, but no one by your name is going to do that. As Christians, we have a high standard of conduct to abide by. In this passage, Paul is telling us that if we are members of God's family, we are to live like we are members of God's family. That seems reasonable to me. Some of the issues addressed include:

1. Worldview, or personal philosophy
2. New life in Christ as we are forgiven of our sin
3. Pretense of rules-based religion
4. Need to focus on Christ
5. Put Off / Put On
6. Do all as to God
7. Relationships

Obviously, there is MUCH more in the passage, but these topics stand out as I read chapters 2 and 3. The entire Put Off / Put On section is worthy of lengthy meditation, especially as you reflect on the meaning of what Paul is saying. Often we read for the sake of reading, who cares about comprehension. When we really comprehend what is being said, it could and should radically change our lives.

Another idea that grabs my attention is the concept of spiritual pragmatism. Often we try to skip the steps that God has ordered as we try to reach a result without the necessary "trip." That is nothing more than "the end justifies the means"; we cannot bypass His principles as we walk through life. This leads back to the title for this entry. Sometimes we cannot see what God is trying to accomplish or where He is taking us, but we can know what He expects of us. His Word provides us with the "step-by-step directions" we need that allows us to reach His intended goal. We cannot take a bypass or a shortcut; we must live obediently day after day. Even in a world that demands to live apart from God, we can live Biblically as we seek to please Him. Those curves that we encounter are nothing more than opportunities to see our great God prove that He is in control of all things, even when have we no idea where we are. When we live according to the Word of God and seek His righteousness, He has promised to meet our every need. We can trust Him, even when there is a curve in the road.

Keeping My Eyes up As I Walk

One of the most natural things do, yet one the most unsafe, is to look down as you walk. I recall the words of one of my college professors when he told our class that we needed to look ahead as we walk. If we look down all we will see is the occasional lost coin; if we look up, there are lots of pretty girls to see. That was his idea, not necessarily mine. Now, I found a pretty girl years ago and she was/is a keeper. But, I was thinking about the application of keeping my eyes up while walking through life. As I continue my work in Colossians, one of the keys of chapter 2 is the need to be rooted in Christ; then, as Paul transitions into chapter 3, he says to set our affection on things above. If I am walking in the woods or through a swamp, I need to look down to ensure good, solid footing. However, as I walk through life I have the confidence of walking on the solid ground of the Biblical teaching. Footing is not the problem. David said that God took him out of the miry clay and set his feet upon a rock. Jesus told of the one who built his house upon a rock and saw it withstand the storms of life. No, the footing isn't the problem. In my life, often it is the focus that is the problem.

As we go through our days, we face a great variety of difficult situations. How we deal with them is determined by our focus on our God. Colossians two and three both deal with focus. Chapter two instructs us to keep our attention on Jesus, even as we avoid the influences of this world. Those influences take the form of enticing words, philosophy, vain deceit, tradition, and basic principles of the world. We need to keep focus on God and live as if we are dead to the influences of the world.

Colossians three takes a slight change of direction as Paul instructs us to seek the elements that are from God. We need to set our minds on the heavenly things and put to death the "qualities" of this world. If we truly love God and have our focus on Him, we will set aside the characteristics of this ungodly world and take upon ourselves the qualities that make us Christlike: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance,  forgiveness, and love. Paul then exhorts us to allow the scripture to dwell within us and for us to do all in the name of our God.

The conclusion of chapter three deals with personal relationships: spousal, parental, occupational, and spiritual. All that we do in each relational area should reflect well on our God and should show that we are clothed in the attire of Christ-likeness as seen in verses 12-14. These things can only happen when we get our eyes off the ground and the things that try to trip us and get our focus on God and His all-sufficient provision for our many needs.

Close to Where It Started

Back in 1984, I began working for A Beka Books as a college student. Throughout that school year and the next, I packed books into boxes to prepare them for shipping. From 1992-2009, I ordered boatloads of books and received them via shippers. Now here I am in 2010, working for a shipper. I recently began working at a national shipper loading packages into airline containers for shipment. Loads of fun indeed, but it is truly a blessing from God. As I wait for the Lord's direction and plan come fruition, this will allow us to continue along our present course. Come fall, I expect to be employed full-time at school, but God is using this job to help meet the needs and pay the bills of the family. Truly He is wonderful.

Since I moved in August, I have been waiting to learn what God had in store for us next. It seems as if I finally know what that next step is. It also seems that the way is being prepared even before I am aware of the need. What a surprise -- God works ahead of my feeble, human vision.

We have been so richly blessed by God over the last few months, or more accurately, many years. I have been able to do all that I have wanted to do, from coaching, working with kids, teaching, and administrating. Now it seems as if God is opening many of those doors again. While I will not need to do all that I had grown accustomed to doing, God is slowly preparing opportunities to minister and serve in the areas that I most enjoy. In the mean time, I pack shipping containers. God has once again shown Himself to be sovereign, working steps ahead of what we can see or envision.

Walking the Many Miles

What a wild and wonderful week I just had. I was able to go to South Carolina to attend a teacher recruitment conference on behalf of EBCA. That was quite an honor. It also happened to be the first time I had visited BJU. I was not able to really see the school, as I was busy searching for teachers, but I was able to get a better understanding of the school and students than I had previously. That was one blessing.

Before the trip, one of our best friends from Texas came to visit for a day. He was not here for long; almost exactly 24 hours, but it sure was great to see him. Not only that, but he also brought fresh grapefruit. It was a great treat to have him visit. Thanks Clifton.

I arrived in SC on Sunday evening and went to my former pastor's house, as I was going to stay at his place for three nights. Well, what a great surprise. All of the Apple family, sans Carolyn and her family in TN, were able to come over. Also, others that I served with in TX, the Kelley and the Fortney families came over also. All that was really missing was Becky. I sure wish that she could have gone. It was wonderful to see friends that I have not be able to see for a few years.

Once I arrived at the conference, I found a friend of Bec's family from back in the IA days. Brad is now the administrator of a Christian school in MI. It was good to catch up with him for a couple of days.

I have numerous times over the years told students that I have been able to do all that I could have ever wanted to do, simply because I was where God wanted doing what God wanted. This was just another example of God giving an opportunity that I could not have manufactured. What a great week.

Then, to top things off, I came home and became ill. Yippee.