Knight Life

Rain -- and the Proving of the Faithful

2010-03-09T18:38:00Z

The temperature has finally started warming up a bit in Kansas after one of the coldest winters on record. I was so excited last Friday when I was at last able to ride my motorcycle to work for a change. These last few days were even warmer and would have been perfect riding weather if not for one problem, the spring rains have returned as well. Living in the country gives a whole new appreciation to riding in the rain, as the dirt roads become sloppy mud pits that roll on for miles. Needless to say, I’m back in my truck again today.

So often, waiting for the fulfillment of God’s purpose and plan for my life feels like waiting for nice riding weather. The winter seems to last forever, and just when I think there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, it rains. Paul was one of those people that seemed to run into a lot more rain than sun during his first century journey with Jesus. First being avoided and misunderstood as an enemy of the Gospel, just about the time he develops some credibility with the believers, the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans begin their barrages and even assassination attempts. Paul finds himself constantly on the defensive and usually on the run.

He seemed to be considering many of these obstacles as he penned the words of 1 Corinthians 4:2: ‘Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.’ There is this testing of our faith, as James explains, that develops perseverance, a perseverance that eventually leads to a maturity to walk in that trust that was given us.

It’s really the only way. It is really only in waiting faithfully and patiently through the winter, and in not loosing heart despite the rains, that we are truly ready to appreciate the trust of a sunny day.

And I noticed something else about the rain. It’s beautiful in its own way and as I quit dwelling on my disappointment over it, I actually began enjoying it. The sound, the freshness in the air and even the cold wetness of it offered me, for a moment, a time of resting in the presence of my King.

The sun will shine, we will ride again; but in the meantime, those of us given a trust, a place in this great story, are being proved faithful through the rains.

To the King,

David

The Eyes of the Blind will see

2010-03-05T16:31:00Z

If I am being honest, most days I feel rather inadequate as I share my thoughts with you about the authority of God, the love and sacrificial nature of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our Christian life. My thoughts are often incomplete, I don't elaborate well on key points and concepts and most of the time the stuff that I am talking about only makes sense to me and my very warped and limited understanding of God and how that plays out in the lives of the believers. Most would say that I have made agreements with the enemy; that he has me right where he wants me and in making such agreements, I am limiting my potential to walk in the fullness of that which God has for me. While there may be a certain amount of truth to that, what I do know for sure is that Christ has redeemed me from my sinful nature and my faith in Him has created a new life within me. A very big part of that new life is the empathy that I feel for those whom I walk with....

In Isaiah 29, we read about the Woes that will transpire in David's city of Ariel. Once again, history is repeating itself and mens hearts have become hardened to the glory and full authority of God as they have leaned upon their own wisdom, own strength and own understanding of life. In short, the people have begun to see things only as they would see them and have rejected the truth and the glory of Him who created them (v 14-16). But God, the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, responds as such...

"In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest? In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see." (Isaiah 29:17-18)

I love God's response: out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. What a great picture and what an incredible promise for those of us who earnestly seek the Lord but sometimes feel as if things are not as we thought that they would be. You see, after it is all said and done, God is still God and He is the one who restores our sight in the midst of a fallen world so that our focus may not be on what is seen, but rather, on what is unseen. During those times, even if only for a moment, we get a glimpse of "reality" and not this mirage which has been pulled over our eyes and feed to us as the truth. During those times, God is glorified...

It is my belief that my wife Marcy is being molded by God right now as she has literally turned away from most of the things of the world which provided her comfort and peace and is learning to trust in God. This process has not been an easy process for her and in her desperation, she is being attacked by the enemy. But during this time, however, I have been able to witness the work that God is doing in her and where He is leading her. It is a glorious thing to be sure, and I am honored to bear witness to this transformation, but it has also been a tough thing for me to watch. On one hand, I see the authority, love and power of God working in the life of my wife and on the other hand, I am watching my wife struggle in and with unfamiliar territory and feel quite helpless and powerless. I want very desperately to fight for my wife but the question that keeps coming to me is "Who am I really fighting with?" The attacks by the enemy are easy to see and those battles, I can handle. But the struggles, how do I battle that? I could fix her present circumstances and ease her suffering, but in the end, what I have really accomplished? And at what cost...

Angel, I love you and although I understand your struggles and confusion, God really is present and He is working all things out for you as you are now, and always have been, a special child of God and are important to Him. I wish that I could help you see it right now and that I could give you a very clear picture of what "that" will look like so that you may find strength and comfort in that knowledge. For now, however, I give you the Scripture from above with the reassurance that God is still God, He loves you and He will lead you out of the gloom and darkness into a place of understanding so that your "blind" eyes can see. Until then, I will continue to walk with you, love you and support you to the best of my ability.

My love forever,

Jim

Peace

2010-03-02T16:09:00Z

A few weeks ago during a men’s group, we were discussing the war for our hearts and how our enemy never gives up, which led to the realization of how dangerous it is for us to lay our weapons down and try to ignore the battle.

One of the men in our group raised a great question: ‘Does that mean that we never get a break? I mean, even in a physical war, there are times of intense fighting and times of quietness, even on the front.’ It was a very good observation.

I believe God does provide these moments of reprieve, of peace. They are a gift from Him. I experienced one of those this morning as I sat looking over our small farm pond, the sun rising in the east with the morning clouds reflecting off of the clear blue water. It was a time that Jesus simply said, ‘Rest here, and soak in my peace in the midst of the chaos.’ The writer of Hebrews explains that these moments are times of Jesus ushering us into a Sabbath rest, and unless we are seeking Him and His direction in this conflict, we will miss these times.

No, I really don’t believe that we get to take a break, not on our terms anyway. The battle rages every minute of every day. But I do believe that as we walk closely with our King, he will provide those moments or even seasons of peace at just the times that we need them the most.

Shalom (Peace).

To the King,

David

Behold the Bridegroom

2010-02-23T20:07:00Z

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord open to us. Be he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:1-13)

I have heard it said that Lent is a period preparation and remembrance by either "denying oneself" or "picking something up" and while I agree with that, I also fear that there is much danger associated with the process if you enter into this season and your vision isn't focused solely on the glory and communion with God through Jesus. The evil one would love nothing more than to blind our eyes so that our focus is on our personal acts of sacrifice or devotion rather than an opportunity to experience God. Allow me to explain...

Many years ago, I fasted from all meat and dairy products (not as easy as it sounds) during Lent. The first year that I did this, my focus was solely on drawing nearer to God through Christ and not on the act of fasting itself. It was an incredible process and through the experience, I felt closer to God than I had in years. I decided right then and there, that I would repeat this fast the following year. Year two, however, became more about what I could eat and still "technically" maintain the fast rather than an opportunity to draw closer to God. Year three was less spiritually motivated than year two and by the end of year four, it was brought to my attention that perhaps I was putting myself through this for the wrong reasons. Ouch. But the fact of the matter is that I was. I was missing the bigger story. When it is all said and done, much like in the parable above, if you have missed an opportunity for fellowship with our King, what have you really gained?

Please don't misunderstand my message. I still go through periods of fasting and devotion above and beyond that which I already do - the difference, however, is that the act is focused on meeting Jesus in the middle of this life rather than the act itself. Therefore, whatever you choose to do this Lenten season, if you choose to do anything at all, don't give the evil one any footholds into an opportunity to meet God. When Christ, the bridegroom comes, be ready to receive Him....

Your brother in Christ,

Jim

My Own Mortality

2010-02-22T18:54:00Z

Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it today, when a long time later he spoke though David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Hebrews 4:7

Seems like the last year or so has been a time of me beginning to recognize some of my own physical limits. I’m 46 now, and the broken bones just don’t heal as quickly, most of my joints stay sore all of the time, and both of my sons can pretty much kick my butt! I’m also a grandfather now. I love my grandson Landon; he’s cute, fun, mischievous, and a joy to be with. It’s just that getting up off of the floor after a round of ‘chase pa-pa in the walker’ seems to be a greater ordeal than it should be. (Can anyone say: ‘Help, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up?)

Perhaps most significantly though is the constant reminder that all of the aches and pains are of my own mortality. Our time on this earth really is just a fleeting breath that is here today and is gone tomorrow. In the grand scheme of things and in the shadow of eternity, we are barely on this earth long enough to say hello.

And yet, perhaps one of the most amazing and mysterious truths of this life that we have in Christ is that He sent us here, for this short time, to make a very significant impact. For like Esther, I believe each of us have been placed in this day and this place ‘for such a time as this.’

But sadly, most of us will miss it. Most of us will get so caught up with mortgages, work, vacations, possessions and disappointments over aches and pains that we will fail to live the life of great significance that our King has for us.

I don’t want to be that person. I want to wake up each morning with my back a little stiffer and my eyes a little weaker and thank God for the reminder that now is my time, now is my today.

To the King,

David

Empty

2010-02-15T18:12:00Z

A friend gave me this gumball machine for Christmas; although it wasn’t filled with gumballs, instead it had some of the freshest and most flavorful mixed nuts that I have ever tasted. It was packed full, and there were so many of them that I thought they would last forever. They didn’t. I ate the last almond today, my dispenser is empty.

I was struck with what a metaphor this gumball machine represented of my ministry life. So many times I have heard this fresh word from God, a mouth-watering mix of the choicest fruit, and my heart has been to live off of that. Out of love for my King and for His call on my life, I would begin running full speed ahead, drinking richly of the word that He had given, only to suddenly find my reservoir empty. It had seemed so overfilled at the time that I had received it that I had doubted it would ever run dry, but that is exactly where it would end up.

Through the years -- experience, God and just good old fashioned hunger have taught me the necessity of keeping a close eye on this area of my spiritual life. I’ve learned the importance of walking close to my Lord in the midst of the battle. This is the primary reason for what many call the disciplines: prayer, fasting, bible study, fellowship, etc. These are not to make us more spiritual or more holy and certainly not to impress our fellow church goers, but rather, they are our life lines, the places that we go to re-fill the dispenser.

Like you, I want my life to be a gift, sacrificially given to the service of my King. May we always remember to keep that life full of the very thing that we are called to dispense: the Life of Christ.

To the King,

David

Vision for the Journey of Life

2010-02-11T19:21:00Z

Over the course of the past couple of weeks, I have really been awestruck by the glory of God....

I have seen a couple in need that is moved to tears every time that a brother or sister in Christ comes along side them in support of their present circumstances. I have seen the tears of disbelief and thankfulness of an incarcerated brother in Christ when discussing the ways in which the local church is not only supporting his family but praying for and encouraging him. I have seen victory and understanding in the eyes of those close to me as they hear from God, obtain insight and wisdom through revelation or are strengthened by the swords of others who are fighting with them as they pursue what God has so passionately established within their hearts. I have seen those so moved by the Spirit that they step out in faith and pursue God's calling in their life through ministry. And finally, I have seen the beauty, passion and love of God all rolled into one in the eyes of my wife as she begins to see who she really is in and through Christ.

" Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:1-5)

In all things over the past couple of weeks, I am moved by what God has revealed to me as I walk out this life that He has blessed me with. Today I get it and am thankful not for the destination, but for the journey of life.

I pray that today you may have vision, vision to see not only the road ahead, but the glory of God in your life. If you need help in seeing that vision, Knight Vision is here....

Your brother in Christ,

Jim

White As Snow

2010-02-08T18:09:00Z

It snowed last night: a soft, deep snow. In the morning light, the fields around our home glistened in the beauty and newness of its smooth, white covering as fresh, cold, clean air assaulted my senses. Snow can change a landscape overnight like nothing else can.

David writes: ‘Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow’ (Psalm 51:7). In its simplest form, that is the Gospel: that through the sacrifice of His Son, God has changed the landscape, and that we now glisten in the newness of our identity in Christ.

Yet, as I shared last week, that newness, that fresh clean covering, has been assaulted; frequently by those closest to us. As we have sought their love and their acceptance, it is subsequently their rejections that have hurt us the most. And so Jesus teaches us that we are to forgive just as we have been forgiven.

We tend to misinterpret His meaning here, wrongly assuming that our forgiveness by Him is conditional on our efforts. That teaching, however, flies in the face of so much of the rest of the Gospel teaching. So what are we to understand about forgiving others?

I believe part of the answer lies in the snow. There is this moment, when you first walk out your front door, that the beauty of a new snow just overwhelms you. But then you start walking in it and driving in it and it becomes slick and cold and dirty. The calmness gives way to chaos. That, I believe, is what happens with our own unforgiveness. It makes His forgiveness, and the life that we have in Him, very difficult to walk in. It dirties the snow, melts it, and causes us to question what we ever loved of it in the first place.

God doesn’t command us to forgive as a condition, he invites us into the beauty and the majesty of forgiveness as an opportunity to once again taste of the cool, clean, fresh air of a winter snow.

To the King,

David

Rejected!

2010-02-01T20:57:00Z

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

I know that it is true, I have known if for some time now. I get it. I get that Jesus took away my heart of stone and gave me a new heart, a heart of flesh. I get that it is no longer I who live, but Christ that lives in me, that I am now an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. I understand all of that … and yet I still keep listening to them. I hear what they say about me and choose too often to agree with their assessment of me rather than that of my King.

I don’t think that I am alone on this one. Everyday I talk to someone who has chosen to let the assessment of someone else become their own assessment of themselves. Whether it is a positive assessment (‘they think I am the bomb, therefore I must be’), or more commonly a rejection in which someone of immense importance to us tells us in no uncertain terms that we are a failure, ugly, stupid, or just plain unredeemable; their words can speak so much louder than the truth that we ‘know’.

Why is that? I am sure that there are multiple reasons, but the underlying common denominator seems to be this lie of our enemy: that they are where life is found. And especially when they are the ones that we hoped would love us unconditionally – and they don’t – well the pain can lead us to a pit of darkness in which the light of the truth appears as nothing but a small flicker of an extinguished hope.

But you see, that is precisely the place where we are called to fight. ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ James tells us (4:7). Our battle for this life that Christ has for us begins with refusing to listen to them, and more precisely, refusing to listen to our enemies suggestions to agree with their assessment of us.

However it goes further still, for in their rejection of us, Satan strategically inflicts life threatening wounds, wounds that will fester and continue to cover us in a shroud of darkness. It is this battle where we are called to be strong and courageous, for this is the place where only forgiveness can allow that wound to heal.

I’ll talk more about forgiveness in my next blog, but for now know that the rejection and the pain of them is not the measure of you. You ARE a new creation. They are not where life is found, and consequently, do not have the power to take that life from you. Jesus Christ is your life.

To the King,

David

The Book Of Eli

2010-01-25T19:03:00Z

‘Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us and eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Few things make us more uneasy than the combination of religion, politics and violence, and with good reason. Be it Muslims, Christians, Jews or Hindus, all have had more than their fair share of dark moments in history, and so I understand the critics that take issue with a movie that portrays the salvation of the Christian Bible in the context of extreme and highly graphic bloodshed. I was honestly quite uncomfortable as I watch Denzel Washington fight his way through The Book of Eli.

But I was also captured by the obvious metaphors, especially as it relates to our message here at Knight Vision Ministries. Without giving away too much of the movie, the story centers around a man on a mission; a mission that he had likely never even dreamt of and a mission that seems almost certainly doomed for failure. Yet, he knows that this is exactly the road that God has placed him on; in his own words, he ‘walks by faith, not by sight’. Along the path are dangers and choices that he is forced to deal with. Some of those choices he makes are good ones, some are poor, and a few are just downright selfish; but as he listens to his God, he grows and matures into the man who can ultimately accomplish what is only for him to accomplish. In the midst of a great, transcendent, even supernatural call on his life, it is really the journey that changes him.

Likewise, the portrayal of evil set against the very life that God calls to is vivid and unmistakable. Its aggression, its randomness, its invitation to join with it is so evident and familiar, that you wonder how any man could succeed.

And that I believe is the key to the movie. No man could succeed. While the movie never comes out and states this, you have to assume that Washington’s character had been changed, literally by God himself.

It is our story. We too have been commissioned with a with a unique path to follow, one that only we can walk, but also one that we have no hope of finishing unless the mystery of the Gospel is true, the mystery that states that it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me, that we too have been changed. We will be opposed, fiercely, and it will take all that we have to stay in the fight, but it will also take more. It will take walking by faith not by sight.

The Book of Eli is not the story of religious fanaticism, it is the story of of the evil that we are facing every day, and of the God who is more than able to see us through those evils.

Fight well my friends.

To the King,

David

Haiti, Mystery, and Me

2010-01-19T18:45:00Z

I wrote a blog last night that I planned to publish today, but this whole Haiti thing has just got my heart torn and it is really this disaster that I feel God is asking me to address today.

I’m sure that you have all seen the pictures and watched the videos. The pain, the loss and the hopelessness over there is just pretty much overwhelming. Children suffering, dying, and losing parents; individuals roaming the streets helpless; murder, looting and the complete collapse of a nation leave me feeling numb. What are we to do with that? Where is God is that? Like many of you, I have sent a few dollars to some relief organizations, I have prayed for the people, and I have even considered applying for a passport and going over there myself, but it all seems so little, so impotent. Even as I type this there is this sense of ‘what can I say, I really have nothing to offer.’

I suspect Gideon felt a similar hopelessness. His land and his people overrun by the Midianites, he had spent the last seven years just trying to survive. We find him in Judges chapter six hiding in a wine press, foraging for a little grain to make bread. Those words spoken by the angel of the Lord must have sounded almost laughable, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (v. 12). His response certainly doesn’t sound warrior like, “if the Lord is with us, why has all of this happened to us? Where are all of the wonders our fathers told us about …” (v.13). Gideon had been watching the devastation around him, he had felt his own fear and powerlessness in it all, and he wants to know why God hasn’t done something about it. His question sounds all too familiar.

God’s response isn’t really one of comfort either. He doesn’t say, ‘Oh it will all be OK, I’ve got everything under control, just rest and trust me.’ No, he says to Gideon, this ‘mighty warrior’, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.” (v.14). He places the ball square back in Gideon’s court. Oh how that verse haunts me. What strength do I have against such a travesty as Haiti?

Enter Paul’s Mystery. Really it was God’s mystery, Paul just explains it to us in Colossians chapter 1, verse 27. ‘To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’

Haiti isn’t about what we can do; it is about what God can do through Christ in us. It isn’t just Christ, it is Him in us. That is why we are told to go in the strength we have, for we have immeasurable strength.

I still don’t know what I am supposed to do, but I know what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to hide in the winepress any longer.

To the King,

David

Joy and New Beginnings

2010-01-14T17:11:00Z

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

For those in the midst of the battle, I doubt that many see the trials and tribulations that they are experiencing as a particularly joyful event. As I look back over the past year, I can honestly say that I am thankful that 2009 is firmly behind me as it seemed to be a year full of trials. And if I am being completely honest, I don't recall "joy" being one of the emotions that I associated with those events. Yet now that I have had an opportunity to reflect on those events, from a safe distance mind you, I am beginning to understand what James meant as he wrote those words.

Perception it seems is a matter of perspective. How we view our life, the good, the bad and the ugly, seems to be based upon our perception of what we can see, touch, feel and experience. When life is going well, our senses relate to our perception of good where as when life is not going so well, our senses relate to our perception of bad. And yet as Christians, I firmly believe that there is something else that we must consider in all things. That is, how does God see these experiences...

In Hebrews 12:2, we read "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

There is that word again - joy. And yet the scripture clearly states that Christ viewed this event as a "joy set before him." The implication here then is that Christ viewed this as something more than what it appeared to be to mortal eyes. Christ's sacrifice at the cross wasn't simply a matter of simple endurance. Rather, Christ's sacrifice at the cross brought peace and established a new covenant between God and man. Christ found the lost sheep, paid the ultimate price for their deliverance (a shameful price as written in the scriptures) and then established a bridge so that all who call upon the name of the Lord and repent of their sins have access to the Father without fear or condemnation, but rather love, grace and mercy. The "joy" that is described here provided the lost - you and I - sinners all who had no possible way of coming to the Father of our own accord, with a new beginning....

When I was just out of college (many, many years ago) I used to hate the new year. Back then, what the new year represented to me was an overcrowding at the gym by those who had "resolved" to get back into shape. The gym became crowded with people who were clueless about how things worked, where things were at and worst of all, they were forever in my way. What had taken an hour prior to these "new beginnings" now stretched into two hours and only worsened as everyone frantically tried to shower and leave the facility to continue on with their day. Yet the resolve of the new year didn't last long for most and my joy was soon realized by about mid-February when the gym once again belonged to me and a few other faithful who had the decency to stay out of each others way...

And although I must admit that I still find a certain amount of joy in that at the gym that I go to now, my greatest joy is to witness those who have discovered a new beginning with our God through Christ our Savior. And so to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you now to stop and reflect upon the giants of the past year with new eyes - those of our Heavenly Father. What do we need to see through His eyes to claim our "joy" and "new beginning"? Whatever that may be, Knight Vision Ministries is here to walk with you. I leave you, with the words of Paul from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Your brother in Christ,

Jim

Lighting the Way

2010-01-12T21:09:00Z

I drove my truck out this morning to one of my favorite places to just sit and listen to my King: a small frozen farm pond on the edge of our acreage. The sun hadn’t risen yet, the sky was overcast and the temperature was a balmy twenty-three degrees Fahrenheit … in short, it was cold and dark. I wasn’t even supposed to be there. I had an early morning meeting scheduled with a good friend, but he called just before I left the house telling me that he couldn’t make it, so off to the pond I went. There was this real sense that God wanted to say something to me there. I didn’t know what, but I felt sure that He had cancelled my meeting so I could meet with Him.

As I stopped my truck, and the heater finally started taking some of the bite out of the air, I opened my BlackBerry Bible App and the verse in the middle of the screen spoke louder than any voice ever has. It spoke of the place that I was at, at the call that God has given me, and of His promise to fulfill that very thing. I so needed that. As happens so often in the battle, I was questioning all of it; but now, in the cold, in the dark, He reminded me of His faithfulness in the midst of that fight.

That’s when I looked up. Out of the window of my cab, in the distance through the trees, a lone light shone. He spoke again, ‘I am the light in the darkness’. It’s crazy how often we get so busy and so distracted that we forget to look at the one who longs to show the way, a beacon in the darkness of night.

And that is exactly what our King is inviting us into, an adventure of finding him in the midst of the fog, a life of listening to his voice, and a faith that believes His adjustments in our schedules are for our benefit.

‘Listen to me … the Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you’ (2 Chronicles 15:2).

To the King,

David

Guaranteed for LIFE

2010-01-06T19:12:00Z

OK, I know, screwdrivers are intended to be used to attach and remove small metallic threaded fasteners, but sometimes, honestly, it is easier to grab a screwdriver than a pry-bar. Unfortunately, the last time that I tried this I broke the tip off of my nice Craftsman Professional flathead screwdriver. But you see, that is precisely why I own Craftsman tools. I returned my broken implement to Sears yesterday; and just as they promised, I received a brand new one, no questions asked. Guaranteed for life, they call it. How cool is that?

As we embark on a new year, even a new decade, it would be good for us to remember that our King has offered a similar if not much better promise. ‘If anyone is in Christ’, Paul writes, ‘he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come’ (2 Cor 5:17). As my pastor Rob is famous for saying, Jesus is all about offering New Beginnings.

The cool thing is that it doesn’t matter whether we are broken from using our ‘tools’ as they were intended – in His service – or stupidly as we are sometimes known to do. 2009 was a great year for me. God did some awesome things through Knight Vision and through His call on my life, but not all of it was without pain. Further, if I am honest, there are events in the last twelve months that I would rather forget, places where I should not have gone, things that I should not have done. And so I am claiming another of Paul’s words as mine for 2010: ‘Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.' (Phil 3:12-14).

Guaranteed for LIFE – that’s our promise.

To the King,

David

Y2K+TEN

2009-12-28T21:01:00Z

It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since all of the chaos of the Y2K scare. You remember that, don’t you? Everyone feared that all of our computers would fail to turn over to the new millennium and life as we knew it would come to a stand still. The end of the world some feared. Before that was the touted return of Christ in 1994 along with many others, and now of course, we have 2012 to look forward to.

I for one have no clue when our King will return and restore all things, although there certainly are signs that suggest this time is imminent. But whether that is imminent as in next week or the next generation, I for one am thankful for another year of Grace, of our God staying his hand as He prepares His bride.

Don’t get me wrong. I am looking forward to Jesus’ return, even longing for it on days; and yet it is His will that has been most capturing me of late. And that will seems to be to wait, at least for now. How gracious of our God. How kind. Another year to stand with Him in the midst of this battle. Another day to be trained and fathered by the one who knows my heart and who delights in me. Another minute to enjoy the adventure of trusting His plan for my life.

2010 is charging toward us; and with it … opportunity. I don’t know what that opportunity will be for you, and I only have a hint of what it will be for me, but I do know this: it will be good-- very, very good. Our King has plans for us, plans that He knows and has established from before the beginning of time. They are plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans for a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Looking forward to the unfolding of that future with you.

To the King,

David

A Very Disturbed Christmas

2009-12-21T22:20:00Z

            'Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who was born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
            When King Herod heard this he was disturbed.'
                                                                                              Matt 2:1-3

It’s interesting how different people react to Christmas. For some, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. For others, it’s filled with pain and sadness. Many see it as an opportunity to give to others while still others find ways to capitalize on this season of giving with sale after sale. Christmas is touted as an occasion to proclaim the message of Christ, to market the message of Christ, or even to deny the message of Christ in some politically correct holiday greeting.

Yet, perhaps one of the most honest and insightful reactions to the Christmas story that I have ever heard is that of King Herod’s. Matthew reports that he was disturbed. Disturbed? It’s just a baby, born to a peasant family, in a small insignificant rural town. But apparently Herod was up on his bible prophesy, for immediately Matthew reports that the king gathered all of the chief priests and teachers of the law to find out where the Christ was to be born.

You see, Herod seemed to understand something that we often tend to forget during all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas; and that was that this event, this child born in a manger, was about something much more significant than just a silent night, holy night. This was the King that had been foretold for centuries, the King that was to change everything. Nothing would be safe any longer. No longer would tyranny continue unopposed. All of those old excuses of not being born to the right family or belonging to the wrong people group wouldn’t hold water now. The invasion had begun … and so Herod was disturbed; so disturbed in fact that he had every male child under two murdered in a desperate attempt to end the siege. While his response was clearly wrong, his assessment was exactly right.

And so, here’s wishing you a very disturbed Christmas. Whether you love the season or hate it, may the child -- that grew in favor with God and with man, that died at the hands of men not unlike us, and that rose from that grave to become the King he was prophesied to become -- may he disturb your holidays and invite you into something much grander and glorious and terrifying than you have ever imagined.

To the King,

David

A Wise Man's Determination Through Distractions

2009-12-14T16:27:00Z

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
Matthew 2:9

Someone once said that the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. Our walk with Christ is really not much different. Oh, I know, our salvation is based on Christ alone, and on nothing that we do. Likewise, God’s acceptance and love of us is similarly a done deal, nothing that we can ever do to earn or affect it.

And yet Paul exhorts us to ‘run in such a way to get the prize’ (1 Cor 9:24) and James explains that we are to ‘resist the devil and he will flee’ (James 4:7). Jesus himself declared that he ‘did not come to bring peace, but a sword’ (Matt 10:34).

The reality of our faith is that we are daily presented with a plethora of tempting parking places. They may mask themselves in busyness, fatigue, disappointment or distractions, but they are, every one of them, orchestrated attempts of our enemy to keep us from following that star in the east.

The wise men would have just been a bunch of smart guys if all they did was recognize the star. What made them wise was their recognition of its great importance, an understanding that changed their lives, that convinced them that it was worth the effort to follow from the east, to keep following when Herod interrogated them, and to not stop until it stopped … over the place where the child was.

Ah, and that was the goal, wasn’t it: finding the Christ, being where He was. The key to being a wise man is not diplomas, but determination; and that determination is only possible as we begin to allow God’s Spirit to reveal the wonder of the Christ, of Christmas, to us.

May you know the Christ this Christmas. May you, like the wise men, pursue His presence at all costs. May you resist the parking places dotting your holidays, those distractions from the depths of hell itself, and not stop until you are at the place that the King has for you.

Fight well this Christmas my friends.

To the King,

David

A Shepherd's Hope

2009-12-08T18:21:00Z

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them… When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.”
Luke 2:8,9,15

This part of Luke’s narrative from that first Christmas affords me so much hope. Unlike the wise men, who had been searching the skies, studying the stars, and enjoyed the means to devote their lives to such, these poor shepherds weren’t looking for anything. They were just trying to survive. The passage says that they were “living out in the fields”. This wasn’t some hobby or a second job, this was their life. Uneducated and consumed with the 24/7 task of keeping track of their flocks, they could neither find the time nor develop the knowledge to look for a savior if they wanted to.

And that’s the cool part. You see, God doesn’t disqualify them from the Christmas story just because of their life circumstances. He could have. He could have restricted the guest list to only those star gazers, or just the Annas and Simeons who had been waiting for the ‘consolation of Israel’ (Luke 2:25). He could have limited his announcement to only those who were pure in heart like Mary or only the righteous like Joseph. But He doesn’t. He reaches out of eternity, sending his personal messengers with all of the pomp and circumstance due the arrival of a King … to this small group of sheep herders.

It’s brilliant! The confused and terrified shepherds, the field on the outskirts of nowhere, the heavens filled with thousands upon thousands of Angels proclaiming the greatness of this King. What better picture of what Christmas is all about? Jesus, meeting us where we are, when we least expect it, with a message of unimaginable beauty.

Yet maybe even more impressive is the response of these men. “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby …” (Luke 2:16). They didn’t need any further convincing. The sheep would wait. No need to study the thing. God had spoken to them, offered a gift … there was no way they were going to miss this one.

He’s still speaking, you know. He’s still coming out to our fields of despair and into our lives of insignificance, calling us out of the wilderness to come quickly, and ‘see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

I doubt the shepherds were ever the same after that night. I pray that this season, as you hear that story again and visit the manger one more time, that you would never be the same again – regardless of where you are at this moment.

To the King,

David

The Birth of Hope

2009-12-01T21:41:00Z

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2

Ever notice how God does things on a different economy than we would? He needs someone to kill a giant that is demoralizing his people, so God brings a teenage boy into the arena. The time comes to drive out the Midianites who have been terrorizing Israel, so he cuts Gideon’s army down from 30,000 to 300. Then there is the time when Israel is on the verge of extinction, and again, instead of an air raid, he raises up a peasant girl to be queen for ‘such a time as this’.

And so I guess it really is no surprise that He would choose as the birth place of his only Son, the great Prince Jesus, a small insignificant town on the outskirts of Judah. It just seems to be consistent with the way that God operates, stripping away the physical to display his supernatural.

What gets me are all of the parallels between that Micah verse and what Jesus accomplished for me beginning with that first Christmas. You see, like Bethlehem Ephrathah, I too often feel like the smallest of the clan. Insignificance (at least from our vantage point) is everywhere. I see it when my family doesn’t notice all of the sacrifices I make, when my paycheck is less than the toll that the job has taken on me, or when my grand and glorious plans fall face down on the field of unfulfilled dreams.

But the promice is that ‘though you are small’ yet out of you will come greatness, and that greatness is through ‘one’. The mystery, Paul calls it in Colossians 1:27, is ‘Christ in you, the hope of Glory.’ We are not what we seem. We are not what we appear to be.There really is a glory to our lives.

We have become so scarred from the fall, so scarred from our enemies unrelenting attacks, that we have forgotten that ‘before the creation of the world’ we were chosen (Ephesians 1:4), chosen for a purpose, for a grand adventure. That like Bethlehem, our ‘origins are from old, from ancient times’. That though we are small among the clans, out of us will come one who is truer than we ever imagined.

Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking Christmas is just the historical account of the birth of Jesus, another birthday to celebrate. But it is so much more. It is my story, and it is your story. It is God accomplishing what only God can accomplish, both then and now. It is not just the birth of a Savior, it is the birth of hope … for today.

To the King,

David

Christmas Music

2009-11-24T22:54:00Z

We started playing Christmas music in our office today. The first song took me a bit by surprise, as I found myself instantly transported back in time to a much younger David, a David who anticipated the coming season, who feared that it would both come too slowly and leave too soon. I found myself smiling with the revelation that Christmas is almost here!

However, that David was quickly exchanged for a different David, a David who dreaded the coming season, who feared it would come too soon and leave too slowly. And I found myself wincing with the revelation that Christmas is almost here.

It’s funny, isn’t it; if it weren’t so sad, at how our expectations of something can so color our emotions? My first David remembered a time of snow, gifts, Christmas carols and friends. The latter had experienced the expectations, the rush, and the anxieties of the holiday.

And both missed the Advent, the proclamation of something good, something very good, the truth of the season. Both were concerned with how fast or slow this time would pass.

I really don’t want to live in either this year. Rather, my hope is to embrace the proclamation of a great message, a message of freedom for all who have been held captive, while at the same time celebrating the truth and reality of that arrival. That today is the day of the Lords favor.

So I say, bring on the Christmas music. May each song, whether it is Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer or Silent Night, proclaim to you a reality, not an emotion. May each proclaim the truth: that the birth of our King on that first Christmas changed everything.

And may you never listen to Christmas music the same.

To the King,

David