Build an alter in the center of Las Vegas

Does every choice we make really lead to life or destruction?

Here is a riddle for you to consider. You are going down a river and to you come to a split in the river. One way leads to life and the other leads to certain death. At the split in the river is a single cabin. In that cabin live two twin brothers. These brothers are the only ones who know which way leads to life and which way to death. One brother always tells the truth and one always lies. One of the brothers comes out to greet you. You don't know which brother it is. You only have one question you can ask to figure out which way to go. What is the one question that you can ask to ensure you go down the river of life?

Let me know if you figure out the answer.

In Genesis 13 there comes a choice for Lot. The land is not plentiful enough to support both of their herds, because they have become to rich and their herdsmen are fighting. So Abraham gives Lot the choice. You pick where you want to go. If you go right I will go left and if you go left I will go right. Lot takes a look at the land and sees a lush valley by the Jordan. This seems the logical choice to support the life of his family and herds so to the valley he goes. Lot pitches his tents among the cities in the valley near Sodom which if full of wickedness. Abraham moves into the forest and builds an alter to the Lord.

Now this is the argument that many home school parents use for the protection of their kids. Lets keep them isolated from the evil of the world. We all want to protect our kids don't we? And from the way this story develops we could look at this and say that is the right choice look what happens to Lot. He really just moved himself into a bad area of town so shame on him. (PS I have nothing against homeschooling!)

I wonder though if the real choice here was not so much where they moved but what they did when they moved there. Abram gave Lot the choice. If Lot had chosen to go the other way it seems that Abram would have moved into the valley. Would the fate of Sodom and Gamora have been changed if Abram had moved closer? We will never know. But what we do know is that where ever Abram set up camp he build and alter to the Lord. Well he didn't in Egypt and we know how that went.

In John chapter 17 Jesus prays not that his father would take the disciples out of the world, but that he would protect them in the world. There is still work to be done. Running to the hills and into the country side in order to avoid the world doesn't really seem to be God's call, nor the lesson in this passage.

It seems to me, God's call is more to worship him where ever we go. I would like to think we can build an alter down town Sodom and be a light in that dark place. We could build alters in downtown Portland, Spokane, Denver, Seattle, Vegas, L.A., etc. I don't think Jesus' prayer is for us to avoid the world but to engage the world, to change the world.

I don't know if Abram had moved to Sodom that it would not have been destroyed, but perhaps a few more people would have run out with him. Or perhaps his tents could have been a refuge just outside of the city for people to run too. Bible prophecy doesn't say that we can save this world from destruction. In the end it will be destroyed and then recreated. But the people in this would will not all be destroyed.

So lets build and alter where ever we are and continue the rescue mission in the midst of the world. For we truly are called to be in the world just not of the world. There must be light in the darkness, there must be salt to give preservation to this human race. Jesus calls us to be that salt and light!

God's benefit plan

Sometimes in life we find out the hard way that God really was right after all.

When I was about 12 my dad tried to give me some good advice. It was regarding my friends. He told me that the crowd I was hanging out with really wasn't the best idea. I scoffed at the suggestion and kept hanging out with my friends. They were cool, they were the bad boys in town. We were having fun disregarding some of the rules and some of the laws of our town. Who needed to be out of the streets at curfew anyway right?

When I found myself in police custody I decided my Dad had been right after all. I wasn't trying to be my own person, I just wanted to be accepted and so when the big dog of our little gang mentioned that he needed some smokes I decided to get him some. How does s 12 year old kid get smokes? You steal them. That's really the only way, stores won't sell them too you. So I tried, I must have looked like guiltiest kid on the planet though cause the checker spotted me right away as I tried to be smooth and snag a pack through the check out next too her. When the police got there, I got a ride "down town."

I was talking with a student just the other day who said she didn't like the word required when it came to keeping the commandments of God. She would rather think of keeping them as beneficial. It reminded me of what Paul had to say about everything being permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Many times we find this out the hard way.

In Gen 11 and 12 we have two examples of this. God told the people to be fruitful and multiply to spread out on the earth. They decided they wanted to stick together and build a city with a massive tower reaching to the heavens. God saw what they were doing and he confused their languages so that they had to disperse because they couldn't understand each other anymore. Permissible maybe but not beneficial.

Abram gets called on by God to head out to a land that God will show him. On this journey he ends up in Egypt where he decides to lie about his wife Sarai and say she is his sister so that he won't get killed because of her great beauty. So pharaoh takes Abrams "sister" into his household - to be his wife. Abram is getting all kinds of good stuff, livestock and such, but then pharaoh and his house hold get sick. Pharaoh finds out that Sarai is Abram's wife and sends them both packing. It seemed like a good idea (not really) it was permissible after all Sarai was kinda his sister. But not beneficial at all.

It turns out that listening to what our fathers have to say, especially our father in heaven, can really be the best plan after all.

I was lucky that I got caught that day. I didn't continue my life of crime and I didn't spend so much time with those friends anymore either. We still saw each other from time to time. But I didn't think they were so cool anymore. I learned that my Dad was actually worth listening to.

When it comes to the commands of God, I think we might just find out that they are more beneficial then we might think.

Nimrod and capguns

Have you ever stood out to God?

When I was a little tyke, my dad would take me hunting with him. We would get up really early like 3am and load up into the truck. I loved these early mornings with Dad. The first thing we would do was stop by the St. Joe Sports stop and load up on junk food. There was always beef jerky, hostess chocolate cupcakes, and my very favorite those little mother's frosted cookies.

After we had our fabulous breakfast packed in the truck we would head out, up into the woods for the adventure of a life time. My dad had his 357 (big rifle) and his reed bugle. It was a little piece of plastic he could slip onto the top of his mouth and blow through it just right to rip and ear piercing elk bugle through the air. I had an old musket cap gun. It was pretty sweet. I would pull back the hammer and then set a little cap (a tiny piece of paper filled with gun power) on the just the right place so that when I pulled the trigger there would be an explosion and just a little smoke that would rise up from the exploded cap. I didn't need a bugle because my voice hadn't changed yet and I could vocalize the incredibly high bugle all on my own.

Genesis chap 10 doesn't seem to have a whole lot to grab onto in it. It just lists of names and the cities that the descendants of Noah's different sons established. But it pauses half way through to take notice of one of the son's of Cush who was one of the sons of Ham, the son of Noah was cursed for looking at his father's nakedness. Nimrod is the guy that Moses, inspired by God to write the book of Genesis, pauses on. Why because he was a mighyt warrior before the LORD. Even more specifically he was a mighty hunter before the LORD. There was even an expression after this man. To be like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.

I don't know who he was fighting or what he was hunting. But what I do know is that he was noticed by God. In the list of names of the descendants of Noah Nimrod is noticed and commended for who he was.

When I would go hunting with my Dad, we never actually killed an animal. We didn't even see one. I don't think I was really very helpful with the whole quietness thing carrying my cap gun hiking up the trial like a double agent. But I know that I was noticed. My Dad woke me up got me loaded in the truck, bought me my favorite junk food, and took me hunting with him. I know that I was noticed by my dad.

Scripture says that God knows every hair on our heads, that he formed us in our mothers womb. God has a plan and a purpose in our lives. Even if a nursing mother could forget her child he would not forget us. He sees every sparrow that falls. Our heavenly Father notices us. He knows where you are right now reading this. He is with me right now as I'm writing this.

We are noticed and known by God.

A String around God's finger?

Can God forget things?

They say that the second things to go with Old age is memory...and I can't remember the first. I don't know if you have problems forgetting things or not. It seems these days that I leave the house and average of three times before I actually leave. You know you keep coming back in because you forgot this thing of that thing and you really needed to bring the other thing for that thing you need to do at that one place. I first purchased a palm pilot because I was starting to forget meetings. I could still remember the phone numbers of childhood friends, but I couldn't remember the plan for the week. I just wouldn't show up and some one would call and ask me where I was. It was embarrassing because I wanted to be a person that people could trust to come through for them and I would just forget. I wanted to be able to keep my commitments.

Remembering things seems to have a lot to do with action. Not so much the memorizing of algebra formulas or facts from trivial pursuit, but remembering to show up for meetings, to take action on your commitments, even remembering peoples names. You remember a name so that you can greet that person and they will feel cared about, significant to you, the will feel remembered.

In Gen 9 God says he will put his rainbow in the sky so that he will remember his promise not to wipe the world out with another flood. He makes a covenant a promise to Noah, to all the people on the planet, and to every living creature that he won't ever wipe them all out with water ever again. And then he puts the rainbow in the sky to remind himself? Doesn't that seem strange that God needs to remember not to destroy all living creatures. Will he just forget one day, "Oops, I just accidentally opened the flood gate. Sorry guys - won't let it happen again."

When God calls for remembrance in scripture he is calling for action. He asks Israel to remember the covenant that has been made, to keep the commands that he has given them. Even the sabbath which he creates as a memorial of creation requires the action of intentionally setting aside our work and activity to rest and spend time with Him. This is why in Exodus 20 he asks the people of Israel to remember the sabbath. They have been enslaved for years in Egypt and haven't been taking the action to stop and rest on the sabbath.

God places the rainbow in the sky, this is an action that he does so that he will keep this covenant with man. This brings my mind back to Genesis chap 5 when he almost decides to stop contending with the heart of man and just give up on us, destroying us forever. But he sees Noah and decides to let his love come through to continue to contend with humanity. He makes the promise here to continue to contend with us. He will continue to win our hearts. He will not give up on me or you.

So when you see a rainbow in the sky remember that God has not given up on you and maybe we don't need to give up on him either.

Caged by life

Have you ever felt caged up by your own pace of life?

My wife and I met on the road. We spent a year traveling around the US and Canada doing youth events. We traveled in a truck. It was a duly crew cab F-350 with a 36 foot racing trailer behind it full of sound and lighting equipment. We were like a youth rally in a really big box. We would pull in set up do programing for a weekend or a week, then load back up and drive to the next place. We did 60 events in that year with a month off for thanksgiving and Christmas. So as you can imaging we were pretty busy. Everything that we owned and wanted to bring with us had to fit in a locker and suitcase. I brought the biggest most massive bag you have ever scene thinking I would need all those clothes. A couple of months in I realized all I really wanted with me was a small duffel bag with enough clothes for a week. We also lived on room and board provided for us by the host church or school we were staying with. The only money that come to us was about $70 a month. It was such simple living and we saw the provision of God everywhere we went. It was an amazing year.

Noah had a completely different kind of year. Did you realize that it was a full year that Noah and his family were in that ark. Now that's a big boat and all but a whole year with all of those animals. Gen 8 finally put the time line together in my head. Some how they had all that they needed for that year. We don't hear about any of the 8 people aboard not making it. So God must have provided everything for them and all those animals for a whole year before they got on the boat.

I can just imagine the freedom that they finally felt when the got out of that boat. When they began to walk on solid ground again. It must have felt like you were really stretching for the very first time in a year. It is no wonder to me that they first thing that Noah does is build an alter and offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to God. They made it!!! the survived!!! They were free once more.

Freedom is something we just don't really understand until it is taken away. I have never been in prison. I have never been persecuted for my faith. I have never been locked inside a boat for a year. But I do know what the cage of a busy schedule feels like. There just isn't enough time in the day to get done everything that we need to do. I feel this way as the school year is starting again.

Youth ministry calms down a little in the summer. Kids are running all over everywhere with their families and they really don't connect with church a whole lot. It gives me time to think, read, plan, study, and prepare for the school year. Yet when the school year hits, I still don't feel ready.

Have you felt this? This containment of schedule and the busy life? Where do we go for relief?

It seems to me that God is still there and he is still providing. Just as he did for Noah in the boat and my team in the truck. I believe that in the same way that God provided for Noah's physical needs he also gave him peace of mind on the year in the boat. A peace that passes all understanding is what Jesus is offering. When I slow down long enough to read, to pray, to think through things enough to write this blog. I find that God is still there providing peace of mind and freedom in the midst of a caging, busy schedule.

Have you taken time for God's provision of peace today?

Unforgettable moments

Do you remember where you were the day when...?

I believe I was twelve maybe thirteen. It was a Wednesday night, of course it was youth group was always on Wednesday night. We were walking together to youth group hand in hand. We walked through the little streets of our little town passing by homes, churches, a little quaint school house. We were "going out" with each other. Where we were going I don't know but she was my girlfriend. It was starting to rain, but we didn't care we were so...in...love! We were a block from youth group standing under a street light in the rain when I had my first kiss. WOW!!! That was good! I was on cloud nine all through youth group.

Now allow me to give a disclaimer, I'm not making a statement here on how old kids should be when they start dating or when they have their first kiss. All I'm saying is I remember where I was the day I had my first kiss. What days do you remember where you were. Were they good days, were they bad days. I also remember where I was when the towers fell on 9/11. We were having a pastors prayer breakfast at Porter Hospital in Denver, CO. Someone raced in and turned on the T.V. and we watched what looked like a bad action movie as the second plane hit the second tower. The news caster had just been reviewing what had happened to the first tower when our unbelieving eyes saw the second plane hit. Then we watched them come down. The hospital chaplain got on the phone and over the speaker system of the hospital he prayed for those who were affected by this tragedy.

Genesis Chapter 7 is too much for me to take in. I don't know what to do with it. It doesn't make sense in my mind. A world wide flood, really, 20 feet higher than the tallest mountain. It took 40 days to fill the earth with water and then 150 days of floating on that wide open, never ending ocean. I just can't wrap my mind around it. Its no wonder many consider it myth. Although I can't wrap my mind around the big band and trillions of years of evolution either so they both take faith.

But what I can understand is that Noah remembered the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 600th year of his life like no other. He can remember where he was the day when...the flood began. What a day, what a moment.

Sometimes is take world events to create a memorable event. Sometimes it just takes a kiss. But the only way that we remember it, I think, is if our heart is poured into it. If we were really present on that day and in that moment those are the days that we remember.

So many days I don't remember, time goes so fast, one day runs into the next. Do I remember what my daughter did today? Was I present and engaged when she climbed up into my lap this morning to cuddle with her daddy?

My thought today is, be present - be engaged. It is so easy to let life slip by unnoticed. It's just another staff meeting, its just another day at home, its just another kiss goodnight. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that everything is meaningless a chasing after the wind. So we must take hold of the days that we are given and find joy in each one. To be present with God, to be present with each other.

Will today be a day that you will remember where you were when...?

They day God almost gave up

Is God still contending with you? - this is a good thing!

I was never really in a fight, not a fist fight anyway. I would have kids pick on me and every once in a while I would retaliate to end the bullying. I remember one guy who was two years ahead of me in grade school. He was an 8th grader and I was in 6th. He would take every opportunity he could to tease and pick on me, even timing how long I would use the bathroom and then mocking me for it. One day I had enough and when the teacher left the room I turned around and picked him up off the ground by the lapels till he was standing only on his tippy toes against the door. I can almost feel the triumph even now. He said in a shaking voice - Ooh I'm so afraid. And as much as he tried to add the sarcasm to his voice, it was pretty clear that he was quite afraid. And I didn't receive anymore bullying from him.

My more grown up fights have been in words and emotional battle. My wife and I have gone through a real doosey of a time these last couple years. And I am glad to say, praise God, that we are coming out of it now. YEAH!!! I remember those times in the midst of a fight that were the most dangerous. The times when I felt like just giving up. We would have an argument and then we just wouldn't talk for a couple of days. The opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference. I thank God that we still loved each other enough the keep fighting until we got it figured out. I have seen the look in the eyes of a husband when he has given up.

I have felt it in simple things as well like coming to a point in a round of golf when I've played so bad that I just give up and play like a hacker the rest of the round. This can happen in a job, in a church, in life. We vote with our feet and we walk out. We have had two suicides in our community in the last year or so. Young guys, lots of life to live. These are the darkest times of depression when we just want to give up.

In Genesis 6 we get a picture of when it seems God just wanted to give up on humanity. He was done with us. His heart was grieved and he said that his spirit would no longer contend with the hearts of men. Every thought and desire of man was evil and he numbered their days to 120 years. This would be the end of humanity. But God is a God of love and not indifference. He finds one man, just one. Noah finds favor in the eyes of the LORD. God's love is so infinite that just one man out of the whole of humanity was enough for God not to give up on us.

I have had people tell me that they think they might have committed the unpardonable sin mentioned by Jesus. They think they might have grieved the Holy spirit. But I am glad to tell them that if they are asking that question then the answer is no. Because they still have a desire for God. They are still contending with him and he is still contending with them and for them against their own evil desires and the powers of spiritual darkness around them. He is the author and finisher of our faith and he will keep this up until the day that Jesus returns when the change will be complete.

I praise God today that I am still a contender.

In our image - in God's image?

Have you even made anything in your image?

When I was 10 or so my mom gave me a little square piece of metal with little prongs on it. She told me it was a potholder maker. It came with these little stretchy bands. As you weave them together you end up with a potholder. I really got into this and made it quite the little business. I would make these potholders and sell them to church members for $.25 a piece. They really weren't that great, but apparently I was cute enough that people bought them anyway.

I have made many things in my life; paintings, salads, enchiladas, potholders. But nothing was really made in my image or really like me until we had Lorelai. Every time someone sees us together especially when she was little they would look at her and then look at me and say, "well, there is no way you could deny she is your daughter. She looks just like you." I always felt a little ticked about that. When would I ever want to deny my own daughter!!! But it was true that she does look a lot like me. And she looks even more like her grandmother, my mom. But she doesn't only look like my mother she also acts like her. She is a bundle on energy just like her grandmother. My mom would climb out of her crib and catch flies of the window. Lorelai has been climbing and catching bugs her whole life.

In Genesis 5 scripture reiterates that man was made in the image and likeness of God and then tells us that Adam had a son in his image and likeness in Seth. It would seem that not only was there son like father but son like grandfather, as in God. I don't know how much if any physical likeness there is, although we must allow for this. But as long as Adam raised Seth to know God the character likeness would for sure be there. This would seem to be true sense it was through Seth that Noah came along, which with the long lives of men there maybe Noah actually knew Seth, I haven't added up the years. Noah was the one on the earth found righteous so it seems that son was like father and great...grandfather God.

Unfortunately there were many who were not like God and when we get to the flood we find that Noah was about the only one left. Lorelai also learns things that aren't so great for her reflection of God from her daddy. I wish it weren't so, but I do my best. And there is a better chance of her reflecting God if she is with a father and mother that know him. I definitely need to continue to seek after God myself. I would like the one who is made in my image to also be in the image of God.

In case you don't have this opportunity with a child of your own I would like to encourage you to get involved in the life of a child. As a youth pastor I would first in courage you to do this through your church family. I also just came across a great program that is going on in Portland, founded by Donald Miller the author of "Blue like Jazz." It is about to go national this fall for those who don't live in Portland. Check it out at www.thementoringproject.org I would be great for these fatherless children to made more into the image of their heavenly father, of course that would depend on if we are allowing ourselves to be made into the same.

The mark of mercy

Did you know that the mark of Cain was a good thing?

Do you remember the scene from the lion king when Simba is getting his pouncing lesson. Mufasa instructs Zazu the little Toucan to turn his back to the young cub for the coming pouncing lesson. So Zazu turns around and is anticipating with fear the pounce once he realizes what is coming. He turns back around to protest and realizes that he can't see either father or cub anywhere. Suddenly all he sees is paws and fur coming strait for him as he is pummeled to the ground.

I was reminded of this scene when reading through Gen 4 today. Cain and able bring their offerings. Abel's is accepted Cain's is rejected and Cain is downcast. I think downcast here means more brooding then it does sad, because the LORD gives him this warning. Cain, do what is right because sin lies crouched at the door ready to suck you in.

There are times in my life that I feel like sin is hovering over the house these days rather than just crouched at the door. Its not just waiting for us its seems to already have us. The dark oppression that has over whelmed our lives. Have you ever felt this? I think Cain was there. He doesn't even pay attention to God's warning. The next thing that he does is invite Abel out into a field where he attacks and kills his brother. He has opened the door and been sucked into the abyss that is sin.

Sin really is more that just a concept or wrongs acts that we do. Sin is a power an all consuming power. 1Peter says that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour and I don't think its the fur and paws of a cub either. I can think of dark days in my life dark brooding days when I have let it consume me. It doesn't even seem like I can even think about doing something right.

Cain is there and found by God there. "Where is you brother?" asks God. "Am I my brother's keeper?" replies Cain. God goes on to tell cain that abels blood is crying out to him from the earth on which it was spilled. Cain is caught, there is no way around it so now he turns to thinking of his own neck. "God if people see me they will kill me, I will be a wanderer as you said and they will kill me." Here is where God's amazing mercy comes in. He gives Cain a mark, a seal of protection. So that if anyone sees Cain and his mark and kills him they will be cursed seven times more that Cain was.

God's crazy love, his undeserved mercy. The first murderer in human history and he gives him the mark of protection. And I feel blessed, I feel blessed. Because God promises us the same thing. He finds us lost in sin, completely sucked in becasue we have have opened the door to the crouching lion. But he offers us his son a very costly gift for our forgiveness and then he seal us. He puts his mark on us - his holy spirit so that we will be protected from the destruction reserved to the devil. No lake of fire for us even though we have been completely pummeled by sin.

We are protected! We are forgiven! And we are marked for Salvation!!!

Hiding from the answers

Why is it that we hide from the very one who can answer our questions?

I went to the beach the other day with my family. We are a family of three; myself, my wife, and our daughter who is 4. We have a good time together just the three of us, but we decided to take along a playmate for lorelai. It is a wonderful thing to be able to actually have a conversation with my wife while the children entertain each other. The playmate that went along with us is in the question asking phase. He is hilarious. The questions range from an accusing why, when he wants to know the reason for something he's not sure he likes to the questions of the thousand umms. Its kind of like a teenager who, like, you know, like, uses, like a thousand, like, likes to say, like, you know, like anything. Its interesting how different personalities handle the different questions that come our way. I have no problem with the accusing whys, but the thousand umms drive me crazy - just say it already. My wife on the other hand thinks the umms are hilarious and has complete patience with them, but the whys are just to controlling for her.

I was reading through Genesis 3 this morning and when I got to the end of this third chapter I found myself asking more questions then I could answer for example: How could Adam have meet all the animals in one day? Why did it take sin for Adam and Eve to notice that they were naked? Why did it take a fruit from the tree of life to sustain eternity in man? Etc.

Sometimes when I have these questions I find them turning into doubts and I noticed that doubts start to make me withdraw from God. Even as I was praying in my journal I stepped back from calling him father to just calling him God as I was wrestling with these doubts.

Then I realized that I was doing the very same thing that Adam and Eve had done. When they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they realized they were naked. First they hid from each other by sowing together fig leaves to cover themselves and then they hid from God when they heard him coming.

Hiding from God is really rather pointless. First of all he knows where we are and second he is the one who can take care of our need anyway. When he finds Adam and Eve he is the one who clothes them with skins instead of fig leaves. Even though they do have to face the consequences of their sin even in the midst of the curse the promise for redemption is in the same breathe. Gen 3:15 one of the seed of Eve, the messiah, with crush the head of the serpent, the devil. So even at the entrance of sin and its curse the promise of redemption is provided.

The same is true of my questions. Instead of letting them becomes doubts and disbelief driving me into the darkness of hiding from God, I can bring them to God and find the answers that he has for me. I didn't get the answers to all of my questions this morning, there are still things I don't understand. But I'm not going to get them if I hide from the only one who can answer them whether it is now, later, or in eternity.

When Lorelai's little playmate had his questions he didn't run away down the beach he ran to us...the ones who had the best chance of giving him an answer. I'm glad that he did, umms included. I believe that God, our heavenly father, will be glad we come to him with our questions as well.

Discovering the need

When i was in college I was pretty sure that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was studying psychology and feeling good about it. Even after I spent a year on the road doing youth ministry events I was still set to continue my study to be a christian counselor. I prayed about it and I asked God to direct me to the best school for me to pursue my education. I found a program in Denver that I was really interested in and proceeded to register and moved my belongings to colorado. I loved the campus, the teachers, classes, the worships were amazing. I was living in a town house instead of a dorm room, and I have never had to much trouble with roommates. The problem was I just couldn't get settled emotionally. I began to have what I could only think of a panic attacks. I began to cry when i got up in the morning and it would stop until I left the house, then until I got to class. And this is all happening within the first week.

I though that I was maybe just missing my girlfriend at the time, now my wife. As I thought through just moving to be closer to her that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe God has different plans for my life. And sure enough as I prayed through a vocational change it became clear that he had intentions for me to change from psychology to theology.

I found my self wondering though. God why did you bring me all the way to colorado? Why not tell me before I came here so I could have skipped this whole thing. I didn't need to move enroll in school for a week and then move again. But it turns out that I did need to do those things. God had in mind for me what I needed, but he had to put me through this process so that I would know that I needed as well.

I was reading Genesis 2 this morning. It describes the creation of Adam in more detail. He was formed from the dust out side of the garden just as all the other animals and birds were. But God knew it was not good for man to be alone. So he placed him in the garden and had him meet and name all of the animals. Can you imaging how long that took to meet and name all the animals? However long it took, at the end of meeting all the animals it was clear that no suitable partner had been found. God knew this all along. But Adam didn't. Adam needed to know his need.

Once Adam recognized his need then God created Eve from his rib and when she was presented to him, he responds with, "this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. For this reason a man with leave his father and mother and a woman leave her home and the two shall be joined together as one flesh." For this reason? For what reason? Because he saw all the other options, all the other animals and none were right. So of course for this reason woman will be the one that he is united with. No other would work. God knew this from the beginning, but Adam needed to learn it.

It took me a while to figure out what God already had in mind for my life. I needed a detour through Colorado to get to michigan, through psychology to get to theology and it turned out to be the shortest line between two points. Weird huh?

Maybe next time you can't seem to figure out why in the world you are where you are when you thought God lead you there, you just might be discovering your need. The need you didn't even know you had.

Stay

I was thinking about the day that our daughter was born. Now I don't know that any of the mothers who read this will agree that the husband puts in any work what's so ever, but little as it may be I know that I felt the sense of accomplishment when our little girl was born. I don't know if it was the hour at which I took Laura to the hospital 3am, the fact that I didn't sleep at all from that time on, the worrying about the pain that laura was feeling, or holding more than Laura's hand as she delivered. Whatever it was, when Lorelai was born I remember feeling, "look what we have done." It was amazing as the nurse placed our new baby in the little side cart thing and Lorelai reached out with one hand grabbing the side of the cart and pulling her self onto her side. A brand new baby with strength enough to pull herself over. WOW!

All I could do in that moment was sit there in the rocking chair beside Laura and marvel at this little life. Resting in that moment of reflection, splendor, and exhaustion. I didn't leave to go take a shower or go take a nap. I stayed there, I rested in that moment. I took pictures and marveled at my little girl.

I just read through Genesis 1 this morning and the first couple verses of chapter 2. The act of creation was an amazing act of power and strength and probably pain free joy for God. When he got to the end of this effort. He didn't go on to the next accomplishment. He stayed there in that moment. He rested. He made a holy day out of it. I think he just wanted to be there, to experience to new life, to take pictures, to revel in what he had made. To enjoy us and the rest of this beautiful world.

Perhaps this is the reason that sabbath continues even to this day. God is still in the business of recreating us. He doesn't want to just move onto the next thing. He wants to stay, rest, and enjoy what he has done, he wants to enjoy us.

It makes me want to stay and enjoy him too.