The Bible is Funny

The Bible is funny.  

I am serious…read it sometime.  I recently started a plan to read the Bible in a year and it has me starting in Genesis.  The boring part about Genesis is that Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Lot, etc, are the stories that we have grown up with since we were two…been there heard that.

 

The interesting part is that we have heard and not read.  I have only within the last month started a regular devotional and Scripture reading habit and I am the twenty-two year old son of a pastor that went to a Christian college.  I have heard the stories my entire life but never read them for myself.  Here are some examples:

What I heard:  God made His covenant with Abraham by having all the males circumcised.

What I read:  How do you explain to all your adult sons and slaves that they have to take a sharp rock to their unmentionables?  You want me to do what to my what?  Ch 17

What I heard:  Sodom was a bad place.

What I read:  The men of the city wanted Lot bring out his two male guests, who happened to be angels, so they could rape them…what happens if you try to rape an angel? (Ch 19)

What I heard:  Lot was an idiot.

What I read:  Lot and his two daughters were hiding out in a cave…just the three of them…in the middle of nowhere…no one else around, and yet he gets drunk enough that he sleeps with both of them on separate occasions (Ch 19).

In Chapter 22 verse 2, God tells Abraham to take and sacrifice his son, Isaac, to Him.  Verse 3 goes like this, “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey,”.  No questions…he just does it.  The list of incredible things in just the first part of Genesis is incredible.  Here is one for you…Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the patriarchs of Israel, God’s Chosen People.  A people that were described five times from Chapters 14-30 as either as numerous as the stars or the sand on the beach, not including other forms.  This was the bloodline through which God was going to change the world by sending His son.  The three main wives of these great men, Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, were ALL BARREN.  God built and saved His people through three barren women.  Granted there were other wives, concubines, and maids but three barren women.  I knew about Sarah but Rebecca and Rachel were also unable to have children until God opened the wombs.  God can do whatever He wants to accomplish whatever He wants.  There is no such thing as the unusables.

This is the novice insights of an uneducated young adult on a fraction of one book of the Bible.  How much are we missing out on in life, in love, in God…because we have already HEARD IT.  If the Bible was meant to be purely heard, it would be not have been written down.  READ IT.  It is the LIVING WORD of the ALMIGHTY MASTER of the UNIVERSE.  Do not settle for what you have HEARD.  There is so much more waiting for you.  As a new reader, I challenge you to find a time (5 minutes), a place (your bathroom), a section (a chapter a day), and start living for yourself rather than getting it second hand from someone else.  I am not saying that preachers are not important (what do you think I am doing?) but the comparison is equivalent to riding a roller coaster and having the experience described to you.

Strap yourself in.  READ.

Everyone has Armor of Light

Romans 13:11-12 (NASB)
¹¹ Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.
¹² The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

I found this verse while I was at camp.  Its power struck me.  The first part is instructing us to do "this", to love.  "Knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep;"  It is time to wake up and love.  The time of God's coming is sooner than we know and we must be ready.  Why sleep through the night and ignore those that God has placed in our lives.  The day is coming...the light is coming...the time of action is now.  We are to no longer to live shrouded in the darkness of the world and its mediocrity put to "put on the armor of light".  That is so cool.  My boys at camp were given football pads to wear as muscles...they wore their armor everyday because it was the coolest thing ever.  Now, no matter how cool armor is, armor of light is bloody fantastic.  I have seen Tron and and left really wanting a light suit.

Paul is calling us to stop napping in our lives and start putting on our armor...of light.  This not a covert sneak around battle that we are engaged in but a "Hey, Devil, I am over here...come get some!"  

So here is your to-do list:

1. Wake the heck up from your slumber.  Start living life rather than letting life happen to you.

2. Put aside the darkness and its deeds.  Live up to the potential that God has embedded into your life.

3. Put on your armor of light.  PUT IT ON.  It is game time.  It is time to start chugging those spiritual energy drinks (the Bible and Holy Spirit) and gear up for war.

Have a nice day.

It is Finished

It is finished.

I am not trying to make a Jesus reference here but camp is finished.  After 126 hours with and preparing for the kids, I am back home (which it is weird to answer with the fact that I am from Henderson and not Gretna…I AM AN ADULT).

I got both my boys back that I have had the last two years.  E (I cannot use their real names because of confidentiality) was pretty much the same but J got some meds switched or something and decided to revert back to his behavior from two years ago which means lots of running and punching.  The theme for the camp was Royal Olympics so we had muscle day, sports hero day, and lots of Olympic themed activities.

Oh, for those that do not know what Royal Family Kid’s Camp is it is a camp for children between the ages of 5 and 11 that have been physically and/or sexually abused.  The goal is to pour as much love and life into these kids as possible.  We want to show them how to play, how to be loved, and how to heal and make up for the years lost to abuse.

So camp is a fantastic event.  Beyond the opportunity to pour love into kids that desperately need it, during lots of crazy things: go-karts with attached water cannons, chasing pigs, water fights, swimming, giant slip and slides, water bottle rockets, fishing, archery, obstacle courses, dressing like muscle men, superheroes, gentlemen, hippies, and sports heroes, eating every hour and a half (not a joke), piñatas, etc., and the constant movement and singing, camp is a paradise.  It is about 100 adults living together selflessly without regard to self-promotion and with 100% dedication and submission to God’s Will.  For a week, there is no politics or bills or wars, there is only God, Satan, the kids, and you.  It is difficult to put the entire week into writing but here are some samples.

Scene: Little boy fishing on the edge of a pond catches a fish and his counselor is trying to get it off the hook.  Boy – Hey, it’s a female!  Me-How do you know it is a female? Boy – I can see its uterus.  And look…there is its pee-hole.

Scene: My boy, who has a bad habit of pinching, punching, or grabbing anything that he walks by, sees the last water balloon of the water balloon fight in the arms of an elderly gentlemen talking to his Parents-in-law.  Problem: Boy grabs water balloon…water balloon pops, drenching the man…the man happens to be the husband to the director of the camp.  The boy laughed about what he did until I revealed the man’s identity.  The boy knew the fear of God that day.

Scene:  Young boy, about 6, has been so badly sexually abused that he cannot control his bowel movements (This is one of several at the camp) is having a long day having pooped his pants four times.  Clean up and time spent walking back and forth kept him out of most of the activities but they got back in time to chase pigs.  He was too scared to get them himself (they were bigger than himself) so he comforted the piglet as I carried it to the bucket.  He excitedly runs out of the pen to counselor and says, “I had so much fun because I wasn’t pooping!”

Scene:  Young autistic boy smells bad after playing with pigs and counselor is trying to get him take a shower and makes the mistake of telling the newly adopted boy, “You smell so bad that your parents might kick you out of the house.”  Boy – (panicked) Do you think that they would do that? Counselor – (recovering) No, no they would never do that, I was just joking.  Boy- Would they really do that?  Counselor- No, they love and would never do that (still trying to get his foot out of his mouth).  Boy – Well, if they did, would you take me in?

I have many more funny, sweet, and sad stories from camp but an outsider cannot understand them.  This week of camp is the definition of “Standing in the Gap”.  These kids have been claimed by Satan and he does not easily let go.  Our job is to take back that ground and to do that we must stand in the gap between the Devil and these kids.  The funny thing about gaps is that they are the only opening and everything, if it wants to get through, must go through the gap.  So…if Satan wants to get to E and J, he must go through the gap, me and God.  It is a difficult week.  Camp was almost cancelled because of a broken well; an already short staff was whittled away by sickness and injury, kids cancelled attendance, and on and on.  Standing in the Gap is not easy but it is necessary.

YOU need to come to camp.  I do not care who you are, what you do, or if you like kids.  YOU HAVE to come to camp.  If you want to physically the healing power of God’s love, come to camp.  If you want know what unconditional love is like, come to camp.  If you want punch the Devil in the face, come to camp.  If you want to have the most fun you have ever experienced, come to camp.  If you want to be broken so that all selfishness and pride are stripped so that all is left is the will and strength of God, come to camp. 

Stand in the Gap.

If you would like more information about being involved with Royal Family Kids Camp in donations (monetary or supplies or time) or as a staff, please contact me.

The Stand

A large unstoppable army of evil was moving across an enormous plain.  This force was deeper and longer than the eye could see.  The front line was an impervious wall of shields marching forward.  The entire mass was stepping in unison so that the ground shook with every step…Boom…Boom…Boom.  The rattle of armor and weapons was a melody that chilled the bones.  The wall moved across the land without slowing, without regard to what it might destroy.  It simply marched to take over everything.

Then a single man appeared on the plain.  As the wall of shields and mass of marching death moved closer, he remained where he was.  He squared his shoulders and planted his feet, preparing for the wall.  When it came, he braced himself against…digging his feet into the earth.  He strained with all his might to stop the moving force of evil, but the force kept moving…pushing the solitary man in front of it…still straining with sliding feet.  The man continued to push against the wall despite the obvious futility of it.  There was no hope for him to stop this force.  However, three more men appeared next to him and also began to push against the shields.  He was not sure where they came from but the reinforcements gave him a new burst of energy and together they pushed against that wall with the strength of ten men…but they continued to slide. 

A short while later eight more showed up to help push, then nineteen, then thirty, before long the numbers of those pushing were in the hundreds and then the thousands…all straining with every ounce of their being to stop this force…to stop this wall.  Yet they slid.  Thousands were so finite and insignificant against this seemingly infinite force.  Occasionally, one or two would lose the footing completely and disappear behind the shields and under the pounding feet.  However, the resistors grew into the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands and eventually the millions…millions of people are passionately desiring for this wall to stop…for its movement of terror and despair to stop.  They shouted and sang to encourage each other.  They were one unified force pushing…and yet they slid.  Even as their numbers had grown, the wall had not slowed.  Even as they grew, it seemed that more and more people were slipping and being swallowed by the ever marching mass.  Bodies began to shake with exhaustion and spirits began to weaken.  Could they stop this force?  Even with these great numbers, is there no hope?  Why do we continue to slide backwards?  Why is this evil continuing to march?  People wondered why this was happening.

Then the wall stopped.

With a jerk that caused almost everyone to fall…the wall stopped moving.  People got off the ground not knowing what was going on, not sure if to trust this event.  The wall had stopped moving.  They quickly looked around for an answer and soon saw a single figure standing about 100 feet behind them.  He was dressed in all white and radiating light.  His appearance was so contrasting to the barren plain that people had to shield their eyes to look at Him.  There was nothing special about Him in statue or facial appearance but He shown…oh, He shown.  It seemed like He was whispering.  Nobody could make out what He was saying but they could feel the power.  The wall behind them starts to shake…increasingly more and more as The Man spoke.  Then when He lifted His hand, the force shattered, as if the entire mass had been made of glass and stuck with a hammer.  The once unstoppable force was suddenly an immense cloud of dust that was quickly being blown away by the wind.  The crowd could not believe what happened.  After what seemed like an eternity of struggle, strain, and failure by so many, this Man comes and stops and destroys the force with a few words and the motion of His hand.  They did not know what had happened, but they knew that the fight was over and this Man was their Savior.

We live in a world of a marching force of evil.  Whether you want to choose politics, the media, the education system, family dynamics, or any other aspect of life, Christians and the name of Jesus Christ seem to be losing.  Most Christians are simply afraid to even try to make a stand…it always seems like the wicked do what they want.  

Psalm 10:1-11 (NASB)
¹ Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
² In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
³ For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.
⁴ The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, "There is no God."
⁵ His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
⁶ He says to himself, "I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity."
⁷ His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
⁸ He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.
⁹ He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
¹⁰ He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
¹¹ He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it."

What is the point?  What can I do to stop it?  What can one person do?  It is just easier if I accept the world around me and just try to survive. 

One person can stand.  One person can resist the force.  We have a promise that God will take care of us.

Psalm 2:1-9 (NASB)
¹ Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?
² The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
³ "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"
⁴ He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
⁶ "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
⁷ "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
⁸ 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
⁹ 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"

When the world rises against, God will knock them down.

Psalm 3:7 (NASB)
⁷ Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

But then why is there so much pain in the world?  Why are there wars, corruption, and sexualized media?  Because there is sin.  God tells us that He will save us and all we have to do is stand.  It will be hard and it will seem like there is never hope…the wall is just too big.  If the Lord is before us, we cannot be shaken.

Psalm 16:8-9 (NASB)
⁸ I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.

We will slide and even slip and be trampled, but the voice of the Lord is behind us and that never fails.

Psalm 29:3-9 (NASB)
³ The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters.
⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
⁸ The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"

So stand…stand when no one else will.  Be encouraged when you find yourself among brothers and sisters.  Be encouraged to know that it is God and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ that will win this fight.  Be encouraged that the Ruler of the Universe is Here and He will never leave.  Be encouraged to stand for God is your solid ground.

Stand.

This Is My Life

Hey everyone, it has been awhile since I put anything up here.  I guess I am trying to figure out life and this whole blogging thing.

I work at a Children's Home and get to act as a parent to kids with behavior problems.  Many would consider this a poor life choice: socially, physically, emotionally, and especially financially.  There are times that I do find it difficult to continually fight against everything that is thrown at me be the behavior of the kids and the general rigors of 6 days of continuous awareness.  In addition to that, I recently returned from a 10 day trip to Haiti to work at an orphanage and leave in 3 days to work at a camp for abused kids.  Due to these side trips, I do not get my full time off and thus am getting tired.  I mean, I decided to spend the next indeterminate time in my life completely abandoning all of my desires just so some kids can learn to be better people.  What about me?  What about my wants?  I am a healthy 22 year old male with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and I am basically wiping the boogers of behaviorally challenged kids.  I am wasting the best years of my life...right?  I should be out finding my soulmate or building my portfolio or traveling the world...right?  Isn't that what I deserve?

How about this...how about the fact that I get to wake up every morning and give every ounce of my energy to glorify my Heavenly Father and use my creativity, my health, my financial security, my education, and my passion to show neglected kids how to live to their full potential.  How about the fact that God, the Creator of the Universe...THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE...has chosen to use me...ME, A HUMAN WHO'S SHORT LIFE CAN END IN THE MOST INSIGNIFICANT OF WAYS...to change the world.  I get give everything that I own and possess to make sure that kids in Haiti, the children's home, and the camp can live life knowing that there is something more for them in life beyond the pain, the harsh words, the mistakes, the loneliness.  There is a God that has planned out an incredible life here on Earth but also an eternal existence with Him in Paradise.

HOW LUCKY AM I?  I get to have an impact with eternal significance everyday.  How long is your significance going to last?  What is that work bonus going to affect?  How about the string of one-night stands?  Is the rev of your sport's cars engine going to change anything besides the noise pollution in the immediate vicinity?  I am sure that they promotion and "Getting Mine" will make life much fuller and meaningful.

How luck are we that the Almighty Ruler of the Universe cares for us to look down upon us and call us His Children...HIS CHILDREN.  We do not deserve that yet we got it yet we choose to act like it did not happen.  Stupid humans.  I want to challenge you to look at your life with a new perspective: "Is what I am doing going to make an eternal difference?  Does this really matter?"  God has so much to offer if we just answer...pick up the phone.

EMBRACE THE RAGE.