In God We Still Do Trust

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Summer Fun

Summer has begun.  Kids are playing.  Neighborhoods echo of last minute ditch efforts for kids to play outside another hour.  Lemonade stands and children's imigination.  The day at the beach and the night eating ice cream.  The Chicago Blackhawks are in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Summer fun is here, our friends and what you do with the rest of it is your way to honor God.  Children playing has no better sound than laughter.  The pure unadulterated imagination of kids adventure amazes me to even this day.  I absolutely love the sound of happiness in whatever shape and or sounds they come in.  My children are so much fun to watch and listen to and to even play with.  I love the idea of how we look at our little children is sometimes (if not all the time) how God looks at us. 

As I am typing my son is walking inside wearing my shoes and is a solid sheet of sweat from playing outside with his two sisters.  My wife asked him to finish a verse, "as for me and my house...", my son finishes the verse, "we will serve the Lord."  Joshua 24:15.  Does that mean that we will serve him only on Sunday?  Or possibly between breakfast, the Sunday Service and then the trip to the beach?  Does it mean that we should try to put God in our imiginary boxes and pull him out of it whenever we decide that we need to hit the "easy" button or we want to try and elude the consequences of our sin?  Of course not.  What it really means is that our very essence, that is, our fiber and core shoudl serve the Lord.  Does that mean that we have to be religous and pious instead of being dad, or a faithful employee?  Does that mean that we cannot have fun in the sun and instead we have to do everything from sun up to sun down that would reflect the life of a monk?  Of course not.  

So what does it mean?   Come on, Dante, spill the beans.  What is God's will for my life?  Surely there has to be something better than this mundane life.  Surely God has called me to do something great that will turn the heads of this world and all will give recognition to me for serving the Lord.  Seriously?  Are we that full of ourselves that we think we have to achieve greatness on this earth in order to fulfill our destiny in the Lord?

What does Scripture say for our lives:  To share a few, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of this World to be holy and blameless in his sight...(Ephesians 1:4..).  "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together in one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 3:6). "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers." (Glatians 6:9-10).  "Do not let any unwholesome talk talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen...Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and sladner, along with every form of malice.  Be kind a compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you...Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us...." (Ephesians 4 & 5).  "Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..." (Philippians 1:27).  How about this one..., "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God. (Phillipians 2).  As you look back at these verses is there anything in our lives that sticks out and that may be contrary to Scripture?  If you call yourself a seasoned Christian then read the Book of James and see how your walk measures up.  Is your Christian life become a life without works that honor the temple of God (that is your body) and his Name?  Is your life bearing no fruit (The Fruit of the Spirit).  Did you know that as a Christian we are called to be holy priests?  Did you know that we are to make our lives pure and blameless in the sight of God?  Did you know that God doesn't look at the outward appearance, but judges the heart.  Do you know that God is not in a box and instead of God answering to this World as some think that He should, INSTEAD all of us will given an account and kneel before Him.  Whether the Judgement we are in is either the Judgement Seat of Christ (Christians) or the Great White Throne Judgement (those who do not know Jesus as Lord)...time will tell. 

Maybe, just maybe, we are called to use our gifts in what God has promised us through His Holy Spirit to honor him.  Whether we are a cowboy, military or a commodities broker, one thing is for sure--in all that we do we need to honor Him and put him first.  That is, to say, to make Him Lord over every aspect and fiber of our lives.  If there is anything that you cannot be sure of in reading the above passages then the answer is simple - God's will for your life is found in obedience--reading his Word, praying daily and finding the quietness of His wonderful voice in devotion toward him.

Thoughts?

Just wondering,

Dante 
  

Humble yourselves....

Part of the joy of being a leader in Men's Ministry is that you get to be part of something very special and something that can only be explained by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This past Saturday, I was asked by one of our Facilitators to sub for him because of a personal emergency in his family.  I was more than glad to because I personally enjoy hearing men turn the pages of their Bibles as we open God's word for discussion and for lessons.  Anyway, my intention was to go into the book of Job and also some of the Psalms to talk about a valley (Trial & Tribulation) that I recently was delivered through.  However, I felt prompted, which I believe was by the Spirit, that I opened up the men's Bible studies to any questions, topics and/or themes that guys wanted to talk about.  

The first topic was about work, the second was about our walk and the third topic went right into trials and tribulations and we read some passages through both Job and Psalms and we had a very special day in God's Word.  What I truly enjoyed most about the morning was that there were over 20 guys who were there in collective Spirit to read, pray and sharpen one another in God's Word.

When we are obedient to God's words and we not only hear what they say, but make an effort to do those words and we repent and humble ourselves before our Holy God - he will  use a man like that making everyday things possibly extraordinary in God's Kingdom.

In all things, acknowledge our God and he will make your paths straight!

What is lacking in today's discipleship...?

As a leader in Men's Ministry I have found myself more in prayer and leaning on God's word daily.  I have come through a season in life that I would call, "Walking through the desert of persecution."  I have remained faithful to prayer and to daily Bible reading and instead of trying to change my circumstance, I instead changed MY ATTITUDE toward how I respond to difficult and trying situations.  Scripture is very clear when it tells us that those of us who are Children of God will (it doesn't say "May") BUT WILL face persecution.  

Thankfully, I have accountability partners in my life (not just my wife, but a few close friends who don't hold back in hold me to the fire) and they have given me wise counsel in difficult situations.  I am thankful for these people in my life and I am thankful for the Bible that is practical in the ways of righteousness and obedience to God's will.  

Through this season, this Valley, I have been made keenly aware that churches can tend to have a lot of immature spiritual babies who are still on the proverbial nipple and have yet to dig into the meat of the Bible and to move from Spiritual Immaturity into Spiritual Maturity.  In putting it in simpler terms: They need to move from milk to meat.  My pastor puts it in an even better way - moving from a pew sitter to a heavy hitter.  

I really don't put blame on anyone or institution for the immaturity of most believers.  Instead, I found the need even more important in today's context.  That is, to say, that we are in a world that continues to move even further away from God and does not rely on the very foundation of truth and biblical principles - if you don't believe me - do some research on some ivy league colleges in the US and our founding fathers of this great and wonderful nation.  

To put my thoughts as plainly and simply as possible - we need more disciples of Christ.  We need to grow the connected (those that are members of church and actively serving) and to have mentors (both men and women) teach the younglings (those who are spiritually immature - I don't care how old they are) how to move from infant to heavy hitter in the Kingdom of God (refer to Hebrew 5 & 6 to see where I am going with this).

I have posted before on three major themes that I continue to keep coming back to and that is: 1) Biblical Purity 2) Biblical Stewardship (which includes Contentment) and 3) Discipleship.  This is a call to arms to all of our brothers and sisters who read this blog.  If you are a Timothy - then found and pray for a Paul and a Lois & Eunice in their lives.  If you are a Paul and or an Elijah, then find a younger Timothy in your life and mentor them.  Prepare them and sharpen them as the Word of God calls us to do.  Teach the younger women to love their husbands.  Teach the young men to lead by their obedience to Christ.

More to follow,

Dante

TAYLOR'S WILD RIDE

With Mothers Day safely distant and Lance’s uplifting “Mothers and Wives” well digested, I can now tell this story.
It’s a week old, but my smile and the twinkle on my heart lingers. It’s a short story with a long ending, a Legacy Dad’s future ending. The players are Matt (dad), Taylor (son), and Steve (friend, burly professional outdoor instructor). This time Legacy Grand Dad (Gary) is but the remote scribe...but he was “there”.
Taylor is now 12years + 4 weeks. Yes, that week thing is important. Remember, he’s in his Year of Passage, his “manhood year.” Behind him already are his birthday hunting rifle (Dad’s money), a scope (his and Grand Dad’s money), an overnight, a couple of now regular Tuesday morning father-son breakfasts, a long mountain bike trek and a couple of seven mile runs (after which Dad passes out, Taylor does chores).
Utah’s a great place to raise kids, boys especially. Guess that’s why there’s so many of ‘em in Utah. The wonderland of Moab and Arches National Park is only a couple hours away. So, off they went, the three of them, bolting first out the church doors (usually the last of the chit-chatters), Mom and four siblings behind to make their way home with a fresh inch of snow on the roads.
Back story: Taylor is a spectacle-wearing brainiac (I claim the DNA source). Though he’s homeschooled, he’d be called “scrawny” by school bullies…until they see him wrestle. Great kid, excellent student, mostly good oldest brother, a real birth order oldest. He herds cattle, rides mountain bikes, hikes with family, that sorta stuff; hey, it’s Utah.
Late afternoon with majestic formations ready to take on their unforgettable sunset glow, the two men and the boy-becoming-man make camp hastily and pull out the climbing gear. This was not Taylor’s first equipped climb (the first one was ice climbing; in itself memorable). But , it was his first serious and guided climb; super-challenging . Hey, his mentors were pro wilderness and recreational therapists for a residential ranch.
Then comes Dad’s surprise. Two big guys and one little one were off, heading to a popular climbers’ prize face, a huge multi-faceted, multi-colored bluff (they called it, “Steep Stuff Bluff”). Up, up, and away; two supermen and a boy. This is where Dad’s telling of it takes on the rich overtones of one of those forever family stories. He climbed well and, strangely, the only one whose breath was not echoing off canyon walls. Tail-end Charley, Taylor was left to pull the pitons and anchors, safely rigged in the line. The big boys got themselves in a dead end crevice. Dang. As they re-routed (“backed down” doesn’t sound right, they were pros), Taylor headed off sideways to a new route. Dad and Steve froze. Not in fear, but in wonder. Taylor was making his way, precariously but safely, along the thin slice of sandstone protrusion using a technical move that actually had a name. Taylor didn’t know the name, but he had the move instinctively. It required high levels of “clever,” focus, determination, experience, limberness, and strength. Hand over hand, foot to knob, Taylor guided the guides to the top of “Steep Stuff”.
Dad and Steve knew boys; they’re pros. This one amazed them. “Scrawny” had become a little giant of a man. Racing the Sun’s fading glow down had less instruction than affirmation for the pair and their charge. Camp fire and a climber’s snack couldn’t come soon enough.
Next morning’s burritos in town was more like three men hanging out. The day ahead had a ten-mile mountain bike trek on tap. This is not ride around Central Park. It’s man-stuff; gullies, foothills, slot canyons, river beds, way up, way down. Half way, with five miles back to camp Taylor, calling a halt while he pulled cactus needles from his legs (breaking new trails always has risks), wondered if it was possible to make it back to camp and do a little more climbing.
Sometimes it will be the smallest comment midst a big adventure that brands a marker in our memories. I wasn’t there. Dad recited the conversation as if he were painting a mural. Bikes back in the truck, equipment out and re-rigged, the three found their way to the base of yet another challenging rock face. Taylor stepped back to let one of the big guys start up. “Hey there, big guy, you’ve earned your spot. You lead the way and I’ll follow my instructor.” That was burly Steve.
The story winds down as the men pack the truck for the return, but Dad describes the scene with his surprise and his pride still fresh. “Hey, Dad, this sleeping bag goes here, and I think the back pack will fit under the cooler.” The young man, now fully part of the team, has stepped up without permission to take charge of one small part of the world.
There’s a Legacy Dad idea we can all take away and ponder. Like they do us, we too oft take our children for granted. We have real lives as we work and socialize outside their view. The venture with Taylor outside the customary home setting (you know, chores, school work, family meals, outings), gave Matt a chance to see a son forming as man, a future Legacy Dad, in setting unconfined by routine. A wild man after God’s own creative heart was being honed in a way that won’t materialize behind the lawn mower. The imprint of the Passage was already deep…and it was not just on the son.

The Power of Prayer

James 5:16b puts it this way, "The Prayer of a Righteous Man is powerful and effective".  Let me put it a different way, The Prayer of a Righteous Man, who has professed Christ as his personal Savior and has made him Lord over all is powerful and effective.  To put it another way, any prayer that is not centered with Christ, would therefore be a sin, because it would not constitute as being in God's Will because we would not be using the one Advocate who is testifying on our behalf:  None other than Jesus Christ who is/was and forever will be the perfect Lamb of God.  When Jesus, who was the perfect lamb and who came to save you and me, died on a tree (a cross) he fulfilled every prophecy about him and he now acts as our intercessor with God.  Because of His sacrifice and victory over death, we can approach the very throne room of God with effective prayer.  

Here is the key to effective prayer, it has to be done in a way that is truly from the heart.  It has to be prayer that does not contradict God's will.  When/Where two or three are gathered in His Name we are told in Scripture that God is there and hears our prayers.  When a Righteous man prays, his prayers are powerful effective because he is praying:  "Not my will be done, but God's will be done."  We are not righteous on what we have done, what we could do, or what we could potentially do, however, we are made righteous by God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son, who has given us a great and powerful Mediator (who is the Holy Spirit - Read Romans 8:16). This process of righteousness is given to us who are called by God to be engrafted sons and daughters into his Kingdom by the process of Justification, Regeneration and Sanctification - not by our will or righteousness, but through God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit can this process only be completed.  Note:  We will only be fully Sanctified upon the return of Jesus Christ.  When we pray, through the righteousness and holiness of the Trinity, we can be bold and confident in our prayers - Through Obedience, Humility, prayers from the Heart and prayers that our God's will - we can be effective - we can have assurance - For if God is for us - who can truly be against us.

Repentance + Obedience + Humility + Spiritual Growth = the elements to the prayer of a Righteous Man.

Where are you today?  God loves you and wants the best for his adopted children - he loves us as his very own because of his gift of Jesus Christ.  Humble yourselves and obey!

To God be the Glory Forever and Ever, Amen.

Dante

Mothers and Wives

The Things Mothers Have Taught Me.
If it was not for a woman, I would most likely be in jail right now. Women tend to bring out the worst or best in men and I have been blessed to have known many women, some closer than others – Moms, Wife, etc. At times, I did not know that these women were subtly teaching me. They led by example, by humility and by courage. I could probably write pages on this subject but I will try to keep it to a few.     

 Women are the most selfless people I have met. I tend to be selfish while my wife is the exact opposite. Jesus never focused attention onto himself, but rather always on the Father and then His bride (the church). My wife’s example led me to follow Ephesians 5:25. My reward has been a wife who wants to serve me and an incredible, loving, passionate marriage and family.

My mother and wife have taught me that moms perform selflessly on a daily basis for their families – and one completely self-sacrificing act by giving her child life. Moms make sure everyone else is fed first and always offer their husband “the good piece of fish.” Moms get up in the middle of the night when children are sick. Moms drive endless hours to practices, games and meetings to support their children’s activities. In essence, a mother’s existence is one big act of selflessness. In my book, everyday should be Mother’s Day.   

Humility. My mother has taught me humility. In the past, I’ve leaned more towards pride and boastfulness. Society teaches men from an early age to be strong, self-reliant and competitive. But my mother, like Jesus, took a different approach. She set aside her pride and ego, and tried to submit herself to God. She has been through some tough times and showed me the value of gratefulness and being humble.

Kindness and Gentleness. I have learned that my anger can have a very negative effect on my whole family. My anger does not expose itself in a physical way but a verbal way. Husbands can speak life or death to a marriage or family simply by the words we use. I pray daily for God to help me to guard my tongue and try to only use words that edify and uplift others, not tear down or emotional scar. Again my wife and mother have set the example. 

Honesty. Our world is full of dishonesty and society seems to think lies have a sliding scale of severity. My wife has taught me that honesty will always prevail. Even when what we have to say may be hurtful, it is always better to be honest. In marriage, a pillar of communication, honesty will make or break your marriage. My wife is my helpmate and confidant, I tell her everything. I even warn other men not to share things with me that they do not want my wife to know about. Honesty has made the difference.    

Spiritual Gifts. This is one area that I have always struggled in. The Bible speaks of miracles and spiritual gifts but it always seemed so supernatural to me and unbelievable. My mother in law has recently learned the gift of healing, if I would have not seen it with my own eyes or heard of the countless eyewitness accounts, I would have never believed it myself. My mother in law cannot explain it in words but simply describes it as the Holy Spirit working through her. She has absolute faith. Miracles happen every day we are simply too blind or skeptical to actual see them most of the time.   

Unconditional Love. A marriage is never 50-50, it’s 100-100. Giving yourself unconditionally to another person or child is not easy for men. It takes combining all the above traits to truly commit to love somebody no matter what life throws your way. All the moms in my life have taught me that when you give your heart to someone, it is unconditional. You don’t withhold your love and kindness when times are tough or you don’t agree with your spouse or child. You love your children from the moment they are born until the moment you or they leave this earth and you never hold back. 

To my wife and my Moms who have taught me so much by saying so little, I thank you and love you so much. You have left a Legacy inside me and everyone you touch with your love, your warmth and your kindness. You are the reason I am the man you see in me today.

Happy Mother’s Day
Lance      

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