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Last week, I didn’t know the difference between a tibula and a fibia. Or a tibia and a fibula. But, that all changed on Monday. My youngest daughter, Chrystalynn, had an unfortunate horseback riding incident, and suffered a bimalleolar fracture. That means she broke the bottom of both the tibia and the fibula – her ankle.

We spent Monday evening at the emergency room, where x-rays were taken, her ankle thoroughly examined, and a temporary cast was put around her left foot and lower leg. On Wednesday, the orthopedic surgeon confirmed that surgery would be necessary, where the broken parts would be reattached to the rest of the bones with screws and a plate, thus allowing the healing to take place. Chrystalynn will then be in a walking cast for the next month or so, followed by therapy to allow her to regain flexibility in the ankle. The summer of 2009 should be an interesting one for Chrystalynn.

As always, this experience has allowed me to learn, and re-learn, some very meaningful things. Here are just a few.

Life is fragile. We are very thankful that the only thing that happened was a broken ankle. My daughter is a very experienced equestrian, having ridden for half her life. This is the most serious accident she has ever experienced. When I think of what could have happened, I give thanks to the Lord for His protection. Her life could have been taken in an instant. And, actually, that very same thing is true for every one of us every day. We need to give thanks to the Lord for His never-failing protection.

You never know what a day holds. Chrystalynn had plans for Monday evening. And the rest of the week. And for this summer. So did I. But, in just one moment, our plans changed. Short-term plans were immediately and completely turned upside down and changed. Longer plans are now modified. We may plan and prepare the best we can, but ultimately, our time and our days are in the hands of the Lord.

There is a world of hurting people. The emergency room was full that night. And, having been at Christiana Hospital ER many times, I know that it is nearly always busy and full. Full of people who are hurting. I couldn’t help but think about how much time we, as Christians – and as pastors – spend dealing with petty little things that have no eternal significance at all, while God has placed His Holy Spirit in us, empowering us, to make an eternal difference in the lives of hurting people, who need to know that there is a God who loves them and cares about them, and has provided a way for them to have eternal life.

I have a renewed appreciation for the Father’s love. I dropped everything to take Chrystalynn to the hospital. My week has been re-arranged to assure that she is taken care of. A trip to our denomination’s annual meeting next week will be delayed. And, none of that matters. My child is my top priority. And, I’m just a human father. How much more does our heavenly Father care for us and love us. He loves us – each and every one of us – so much that He gave His only Son to rescue us. My friend, know that God loves you more than you could possibly ever imagine. He loves you with an everlasting love, and an unfailing love.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.18. Live for God, on purpose, each and every day.

Persuaded by the Power of the Spirit

Well, I have become my father! Like many dads, I now find myself walking around the house and turning off lights in empty rooms. I then hear voices telling me “but I was going back in there!” My reply is always “so, turn the light on when you go back in.” When I see burning lights in an empty room, I see dollar bills burning up at the same time! And the bills keep getting bigger. My electric bill goes up all the time because electric costs keep rising.

We are in an energy crisis. Here in Delaware, there is a lot of talk about how we get our power, and how can we find better ways to get it. Another nuclear plant? Solar panels? Or, the increasingly popular off-shore wind power. We need more power!

However, electricity isn’t the only power we need. As Christians, we need the power of God! But, too often, just like the world, believers are trying to find “alternative power sources!” God has already provided all the power we need – we just need to avail ourselves of His provision! Acts 1:8 says that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you!” That’s what we need! We need the Holy Spirit’s power!

As we continue our series of messages on “Persuaded by the Power of God,” we move from our look last week at the character of the Holy Spirit, to considering His power this Sunday. It’s not wind power, nuclear power, or solar power that we need. And, it’s not the power of positive thinking or the power of positive confession either! This Sunday we will share with you just how the power of the Holy Spirit is needed, and can be found in each and every moment of our lives. Be sure to join us as we share part 2 of this series – “Persuaded by the Power of the Spirit!”

Praising God for Closed Doors

We need to learn to praise the Lord as much for a closed door as we do an open door. The reason God closes doors is because He has not prepared anything over there for us. If he didn’t close the wrong door, we would never find the right door.

God directs our path through the closing and opening of doors. Once a door closes, it forces you to change your course. Another door closes, it forces you to change your course again. Then, finally, you find the open door and you walk right into your blessing.

The Lord directs our paths through the opening and closing of doors, but instead of praising him for the closed door (which keeps us out of trouble); we get upset because we “judge by the appearances.”

You have an ever-present help in the time of trouble that is always standing guard. Because He walks ahead of you, He can spot trouble down the road and set up a roadblock or detour accordingly. But through our lack of wisdom, we try to tear down the roadblocks or push aside the detour sign. Then the minute we get into trouble, we start crying, “Lord, how could You have done this to me?”

We have got to realize that the closed door can be a blessing. Didn’t He say that no good thing would He withhold from them that love Him?

If you get terminated from your job, praise God for the new opportunities that will manifest themselves: it might be another job, it might be school.

If that man or woman won’t return your call, it might not be them, it might be the Lord setting up a roadblock (just let it go).

One time, a person had a bank they had been in business with for many years tell them “No!” to a $10,000 loan. The Lord put in their spirit to call another bank. That bank gave them $40,000 at a lower interest rate than the first bank was offering.

We can sometimes trap ourselves in doubt and discouragement through judging by appearances. Be grateful for the many times our Father has closed doors to us just to open them in the most unexpected places. The Lord won’t always say in spoken words: “Go to the left, now to the right” ...sometimes He will just close the doors that are wrong for you.

Time Management

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz” and he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.

He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in the class yelled, “Yes.” The time management expert replied, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”

By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!” “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point.

The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life, time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all.

So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life?

Then, put those in your jar first.

De-Evangelism

A particular church looked as if it was really thriving: they had about 500 people attending, had many outreach ministries reaching their community, and many people were coming to Christ and to church through their ministry. The problem was that the church was not growing in numbers – people were leaving as quickly as they were coming in. They began to do some research on the people who were leaving; and they found that the majority who left were not attending another church, they just stopped going to church at all. Because of their inability to hold people, they were actually de-evangelizing their neighborhood. Those who were leaving were almost impossible to bring back into any community of faith.

The senior pastor realized that something had to be done, so he called up the last 12 people to be baptized and invited them to supper at his house. These were all new Christians and very excited to be invited to the pastor’s house. After supper he sat them down and asked if they wanted to know the future. They all said, “Yes!” So he said, “Statistically speaking, in the next two or three years, two of your marriages will have broken up, and the shame will cause you to leave the church. Three of you will have a conflict with someone in the church, and you will leave the church. One will have a tragedy and lose faith and leave. Two will have a moral failing and leave, and two will lose interest and drift away. In two to three years, out of this group only two of you will be attending church, and only one of you at this church.”

There was dead silence in the room. All these wide-eyed Christians were about to say, “Surely not I, Lord.” When one of them spoke up and said, “What can we do to change the statistics?” The pastor said, “You can get together and, as a group, decide that you are not going to let anyone go.”

That is exactly what they did – these strangers formed a small group and supported each other through the tragedies, divorces, conflicts and failings. In four years, only one had left the church. The church went from losing 10 out of every 12 converts to losing only one. That church that was so great at evangelism learned it the hard way.

Psalm 23 Revisited

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression, it hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy for activities’ sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done, for my “ideal” is with me.

Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines, my in-basket overflows.

Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever

Biblical Headlines

If Biblical Headlines were written by today’s liberal media...

On Red Sea crossing:
WETLANDS TRAMPLED IN LABOR STRIKE
Pursuing Environmentalists Killed

On David vs. Goliath:
HATE CRIME KILLS BELOVED CHAMPION
Psychologist Questions Influence of Rock

On Elijah on Mt. Carmel:
FIRE SENDS RELIGIOUS RIGHT EXTREMIST INTO FRENZY
400 Killed

On the birth of Christ:
HOTELS FULL, ANIMALS LEFT HOMELESS
Animal Rights Activists Enraged by Insensitive Couple

On feeding the 5,000:
PREACHER STEALS CHILD’S LUNCH
Disciples Mystified Over Behavior

On healing the 10 lepers:
LOCAL DOCTOR’S PRACTICE RUINED
“Faith Healer” Causes Bankruptcy

On healing of the Gadarene demoniac:
MADMAN’S FRIEND CAUSES STAMPEDE
Local Farmer’s Investment Lost

On raising Lazarus from the dead:
FUNDAMENTALIST PREACHER RAISES A STINK
Will Reading to be Delayed

The Last Impression

There was once a handyman who had a dog named Mace. Mace was a great dog except he had one weird habit: he liked to eat grass – not just a little bit, but in quantities that would make a lawnmower blush. And nothing, it seemed, could cure him of it. One day, the handyman lost his wrench in the tall grass while he was working outside. He looked and looked, but it was nowhere to be found.

As it was getting dark, he gave up for the night and decided to look the next morning. When he awoke, he went outside and saw that his dog had eaten all the grass in the area, around where he had been working, and his wrench now lay in plain sight, glinting in the sun.

Going out to get his wrench, he called the dog over to him and said, “A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me.”

It’s hard to believe that 2009 is now one third over! Time moves by so quickly. We need to take advantage of every moment we have, redeeming the time for Him! One of the most important things to include in redeeming the time is “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25). You have the opportunity to do that this Sunday, as we gather to worship here at WFA. I am looking forward to worshiping together with you!