The Plan (Part I)

The Plan? PART I

For I know the plans I have for you,”

says the Lord . “They are plans for good

and not for disaster, to give you a future

and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NLT https://my.bible.com/bible/116/JER.29.11.NLT

I am not sure I can express how great my life is. Words are not adequate to describe the growth I have seen over the past year and really for the past three years. You see, three years ago, this month, was the start of my latest LIFE JOURNEY.  Have you ever experienced a LIFE CHANGING event that very few people were aware of?  Most people can think of life changing events like births, deaths, weddings, and career changes. Those events are usually shared with a huge group of people. But, three years ago, at the end of the 2017 school year, my life changed. I really don't want to share all the details, but I was devastated. I decided on that last day of school in May of that year, I was retiring. It wasn't a pleasant thought. I loved teaching. I loved the kids. I loved MANY of my colleagues. But, I was devastated on that last day of school and I knew I was done. Very few people know of how deeply hurt I was. My close friends, Matt, Ron, Andy, my wife all knew. They were so supportive during that time. As an educator I always felt appreciated by my kids and I really thought what I was doing was making a difference. The fight got to me and I just couldn't do it any more. Yep, I gave up the fight. I was tired and deeply hurt. But, The LORD took that event and propelled me to the greatest years of my life. As I look back three years later, I can see how the Lord turned that devastation into a peace that surpasses all understanding. He truly has orchestrated the events to bring me to joy, peace, and a sense of excitement for my life that I have NEVER felt before.

I suffered severe depression the summer and early fall of 2017 and I really wanted nothing to do with anyone. I worked through it only by digging into God's word, deep prayer and a type of solitude by withdrawing from everything at school. By the end of 2017 Stephanie (my lovely wife) and I were praying together every morning and the Lord had revealed a plan for both of us to retire at the end of the 2019 school year. This plan was beyond a shadow of a doubt, the craziest thing we had ever done. We put our house up for sale in early 2018 and our plan was to sell the house, get rid of all our STUFF, purchase an RV, live in it full time, and travel around working for the LORD. We weren't sure what that was going to look like but we knew it would involve Motorcycle events and serving the Lord in any way he wanted. In all reality, we still don't know the EXACT plans, but we trust the Lord and know HE HAS A PERFECT PATH. So, we are both committed to the plan. TO make sure it was OF GOD and not US, we were and are open to any changes that may happen along the way. There is nothing concrete about our schedule.  We have been so shocked. All along the way the Lord has given us wonderful signs, we are doing his will. The first of those signs occurred in selling our house. 

Our house sold before it was even on the market. WOW! we couldn't believe it. THEN the buyer, backed out. Oh my gosh, we were stunned and thought, WELL LORD, it's your plan. Soon after we lost that offer and put the house on the market the second time, we received another offer. It was for more money and we thought, GREAT LORD WE TRUST YOU. Guess what, THEY BACKED out. SO, we went back on the market. By this time we were seriously questioning the plan. We still believed the Lord was with us but were wondering about out timing. We received our THIRD OFFER. IT was for even more than the previous two. GUESS WHAT.......nope they didn't back out. By June 2018 we were living full-time in a beautiful fifth wheel. We gave away most of our furniture and I took load upon load of clothes to the Salvation Army. It's amazing the STUFF you accumulate!

When we moved in to our TINY HOME ON WHEELS, I can not explain the peace and joy we had. Yep, we had quite the time figuring out this new lifestyle, but it was clear that God took the devastation of the summer of 2017 and turned it for our good. There was definitely hate in my heart for the people I felt destroyed my love of education. It has taken three years to put that behind me. I absolutely feel the LORD used them to wake me up and to really search for the path God wanted me to follow. We have an absolute love for our former lives as teachers. We have great love for our school and community. IF the events of May 2017 hadn't taken place, we would have missed so many blessings that have occurred since that time. I praise God for his powerful hand and loving direction in our lives today.

I know a lot of people experience worse devastation than we have ever known. But, I can assure anyone going through tough times, and there are a lot of people experiencing severe devastation right now in this pandemic. PLEASE RELY ON THE LORD. HE IS FAITHFUL and will not only get you through the valley of the shadow of death, HE will explode the JOY and BLESSINGS of your life if you just let him. I had a choice in the summer of 2017. I could have turned away from the Lord. I often asked him "WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME". But, I chose to depend NOT on my own understanding. I chose to depend on the Lord, seek him, and his NEW PLAN. I am so happy I did.

But the story was just beginning. God has continued to surprise us on this crazy adventure.

 

Love?

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD........

'“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one
and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will
not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into
the world not to judge the world, but to save the world
through him.' John 3:16-17 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/JHN.3.16-17

I have been doing a long walk every day, or most days. I have been using this time to do
an online devotion from various christian speakers. Yesterday, I was listening to Francis
Chan and a presentation on his book "Crazy Love". I think I need to get this book. One of
the things that struck me and has been burning inside me has been my relationship with
the Lord. Don't get me wrong. My time studying the word, my prayer time, my dedication
to sharing the gospel has never been stronger. But, is that really ALL that God has called
me to? I have been so fixated on Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the
commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.”' (Matthew 28:19-20 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/MAT.28.19-20)

God definitely wants me to spend my life sharing the gospel. But, he wants me to LOVE HIM, FIRST and foremost. 

'“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
and all your mind.This is the first and greatest commandment. ' Matthew 22:36-38https://my.bible.com/bible/116/MAT.22.36-38


So, I am commissioned to GO and I am COMMANDED to LOVE. Do I Love the Lord with a CRAZY LOVE.  Is it beyond the Love I have for my motorcycle, my retired life, my family, my wife?  Shouldn't my love be radical for God?

The questions posed yesterday in the Crazy Love devotion was. How are you showing your Love to God. When I pray to the Lord, can he tell I love him? Can other people tell I Love
the Lord. Maybe, just maybe, the way I GO out to share the gospel is letting others know in powerful, bold ways, that God Loves me and I Love him. That Love should permeate all that I am. 

My Father in Heaven wants me to bring others to him, but more importantly, he wants ME.  It's that simple. He, the Creator of all things, wants ME!!!!!!!!!

SO what should we do?

'I trust in the Lord for protection. So why
do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the
mountains for safety! The wicked are
stringing their bows and fitting their
arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot
from the shadows at those whose
hearts are right. The foundations of
law and order have collapsed. What
can the righteous do?” But the Lord
is in his holy Temple; the Lord still
rules from heaven. He watches
everyone closely, examining every
person on earth.' Psalms 11:1-4 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/PSA.11.1-4



It is so amazing how the Lord brings verses forward in my daily reading that speak DIRECTLY to the hot topic of the day. A big question of many during this Covid 19 pandemic is should I obey the guidelines. We are being kept from worshipping together. Our country has become a LOCK DOWN state where our every move is being monitored and limited. People are being arrested for travel. They are being ordered not to play in the park or ride their motorcycles.  It is a little scary the number of freedoms we are being forced to give up in this crisis. We trust our government to do the right thing, but as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to swallow.

ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING?

Many Christians have said "The Lord will protect me."  So they are ignoring the CDC guidelines. They flaunt their faith like they are superman. I agree I do not fear this virus because the Lord is with me. However, in my study of David, I have come to the conclusion that YES, WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF OUR NATIONS LEADERS.

Hear me out---

When David was being pursued by Saul, he fled!  During this time in David's life he was closer to the Lord than maybe any other time in his life. He constantly prayed to God for guidance and yet, he still ran from his would be murderer. He could have said, "No, I will not flee, the Lord will protect me!" In fact, the Lord did protect him by helping him run to safety.

During this very scary time, we need to set the example. We do not need to RUN OUT OF FEAR, we need to run out of confidence that the Lord will be with us. In our "RUNNING" the Lord will help us to grow and draw closer to him. We need to continue to ask for guidance. We need to help others as we can. We need to be the hands, feet, and voice for our one and only God. We need to be the LEADERS during this tough time. We need to be patient and wait for the Lord to direct us out of our homes and back in to the world to bring people to the grace of Jesus.

Thank you Lord for our safety. Thank you Lord for the peace and confidence we have that YOU ARE IN CHARGE.

Helping the helpless?

'Arise, O Lord ! Punish the wicked,
O God! Do not ignore the helpless!' Psalms 10:12 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/PSA.10.12



I am studying the Psalms as a part of my continuing study of David. Although he did not write all of them, he did write most of them and thought this would be a great conclusion to my study. I was struck by the words in chapter 10 verse 12. The writer asked for God to NOT ignore the HELPLESS.  I wrote a note in my Bible

"Who are the helpless?"

You may not agree, but all people that are struggling in this life are NOT helpless. All those that are homeless, unemployed, and "down and out" are NOT helpless. BUT,

How can we tell?

I am so guilty of judging who is and who is not helpless. I really believe in the power that YOU are responsible for your circumstances. You are the one who can pull yourself OUT OF YOUR STRUGGLES.  I strongly believe the government can not bail you out.  Churches can not bail you out and charities can not bail you out. These organizations have a wonderfully positive impact as "stop gaps" when someone is going through tough times. They can also create a great amount of dependence and are often treated as a LONG TERM solution. It may be heartless to say our poor and hungry should not be cared for by the state.  Short term care is wonderful and so necessary. It should NOT be the final solution.

Christians NEED to help the helpless. They need to support those that have given up all hope. BUT, our responsibility is NOT to provide hope in humanity. Our lives need to be dedicated to guiding them to the only place of REAL hope.  Our REAL purpose is to direct people to JESUS, his mercy, his grace, and his love. Yes, we can provide for immediate needs, but we can not stop there. The government does exactly that, they might provide the material necessities for a time. In many instances they do a wonderful job providing for needs. The dare not good at giving real hope. THAT IS OUR JOB as followers of Christ.

We are not to judge who is and who is not helpless. We are to serve them regardless. We are to help those that need help. We are to give of ourselves and our resources to love others. We need to give of our huge homes, our six figure salaries, and our wasted leisure time. But, more important than giving those things is giving HOPE THROUGH JESUS. We need to make sure we are completely focused on getting people to rely on the Lord. HE WILL PROVIDE through eternity, not just the here and now. We need to make sure we don't ignore sharing the gospel as we help the helpless. We want to generate of mass of people who are completely DEPENDENT ON THE LORD.

Please Lord, keep me from stepping in front of a moving bus!

'Lord , have mercy on me. See how my
enemies torment me. Snatch me back from
the jaws of death.'
Psalms 9:13 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/PSA.9.13



My first thought about this verse is -- Do I have enemies? There is no question David had enemies. Saul and his armies tried to kill him. The Philistines were constantly at war with him and their greatest prize was the Head of David. The Bible talks about our enemies and loving them. But, it really made me think. Who are those enemies?  Here is the Dictionary.com definition:

a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.

an armed foe; an opposing military force:The army attacked the enemy at dawn.

a hostile nation or state.

a citizen of such a state.

Some might claim their enemies are a group of people like "liberals", "democrats", "atheists". Others might feel their own neighbors are enemies. Some have people within their own families that are enemies. It amazes me that tow REAL FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST can be enemies. But, I ask the question:

"How responsible am I for creating my list of enemies?"

Personally, I can tell you I have created most of my enemies. So many times I choose to argue, antagonize, foster harmful designs, or show real hate, toward others. I know this is not ALWAYS true. But, I believe if we really look at our lists of enemies we can look at SOME responsibility for placing people in that category.

At least part of my prayer should be for the Lord to KEEP ME FROM MAKING ENEMIES. I love the last sentence in the verse, "Snatch me back from the Jaws of Death".  I picture a parent grabbing a young child as they nearly step in front of moving car. God is trying to keep us from making enemies of his children. God does not want us to separate ourselves from others in hatred. He does not want us to antagonize or wish ill to those we disagree with. 

This has really been on my mind lately. I have had many SOCIAL MEDIA DEBATES in recent times. Please Lord, keep me from making enemies on social media. Please Lord, keep me from stepping in front of a moving bus!