Following The Son

Defeat. We all face it. We fall spiritually. A relationship falls apart. A financial hit devastates us. A ministry opportunity doesn’t work out. A job is lost. The list goes on and on. Joshua faced it as well. After the triumph in Jericho a much smaller battle awaited the people he led. The little city of Ai would be much easier to conquer, but that’s not how things worked out at all. The decision was made to send a smaller army to the battle, and here are the results; “ They were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them.” Joshua 7:4-5 Now if you know the story you know there’s more to the story than losing a battle. There was sin in the camp that had to be dealt with. However for the purpose of this blog we’re focusing on Joshua’s response to the defeat, and God’s response to Joshua. Check out Joshua after the loss; “ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening.”

" Ezra opened the book" Neh. 8:5. This was a significant moment in the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah could rebuild a wall with bricks and mortar, but to rebuild lives he was going to need something more. Walls are temporary. The new one would still not last forever. However lives are so much more. God created us as eternal beings, and to rebuild eternal beings you have to work with eternal materials. The Psalmist declared, “ Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven" Psalm 119:89. Opening the book was the only way to prepare eternal beings for eternity. It still is. Today we often open the book by opening an app, by clicking an icon, or we may still flip open a cover. However we do it, we must do it. The Bible wasn't intended to remain closed. It's a weapon. It's a tool. It's a transformer. “ Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" Romans 12:2 Open t

You're in for a great show!" These were the words or our host last July 4th. We were invited over someone's home in NJ whom we had never met before. The home was beautiful and right on a lake. The weather couldn't have been better. The food was delicious. We were having a great time, and it was all leading up to a grand display of fireworks. The owner of the home told stories of how incredible previous shows had been. He told us of how they were going to bring boats right out onto the lake, and as darkness settled in we all got ready. We set up camping and lawn chairs, sat around on the dock, and laid in the grass. Then we waited...and waited...and waited. They never came. Hey, it happens. Sometimes things don't go as planned, sometimes things don't work out like we thought they would, sometimes life can throw some real curve balls our way. It isn't always in something so simple either. It happens in every area of life. The Psalmist said

Summer vacation. Most students are already out for the year, and others will soon join them. I remember well counting down the days as a child. For most students the summer is a time to power down their brains and take a break from learning. It's ok to take a break as a student, but we must never break from being a disciple. Being a disciple is more than simply being a student, but disciples definitely are students. When the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy he exhorted him with these words: “ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15 And when we read of the believers in Berea in the book of Acts they’re commended for their faithfulness to the word. “ Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 And the

As I stood behind my LTD station wagon I wondered, "when did this happen?"  It was only a few short years before I was riding around on my motorcycle with hardly a care in the world. Yet, here I stood. I had just finished buckling the seatbelt on the car seat, and then closed my wife's door on our station wagon. As I circled the car to get in I paused at the rear of the vehicle, and for a brief moment thought about the dramatic change that had taken place in my life. I was now a husband and a father. We would soon add a second car seat to the vehicle. I had responsibilities. People were counting on me to come through. Marriage and parenting can be a heavy load at times, but I would discover that it's all worth it. The nights awake with a baby that won't stop crying? Worth it. The tantrums of the toddler years? Worth it. The effort it takes to grow in a marriage relationship for decades? Worth it. The task of navigating your children th

We visited our nephew and his family last weekend. They have three boys, and witnessing their interactions brought back memories of both fun and difficult days of raising our boys. Sometimes when my boys were young I felt like all I did was discipline them. It seemed at times like we couldn't make it through a meal, homework, or even play time, without a fight breaking out, some inappropriate comment, backtalk, or a hundred other random things they could find to do to push their Mother and I over the line. I remember calmly saying things like, "I need for you to understand that I can feel anger welling up within me."  Sometimes this would result in corrected behavior, other times they would look at me as though I were speaking Chinese (I know this isn't actually a language, please don't write me a letter). I realize spanking children is controversial, so I tried not to spank my sons over 3 or 4 times a day (That's called hyperbole). On one occ