Hello ... God Calling!

Has God ever interrupted you while you spending time with him? You know you are in the moment. You are there in God’s presence and you are in awe of His wonder, splendor and majesty and something or someone breaks your concentration?

Perhaps you are in a worship service (public or private), reading your Bible, singing, or praying and God shows up unexpectedly!

Even worse suppose you are doing something inappropriate (you can fill in the blank here) and God breaks in on your moment…

How do you react? How do you respond?

Are you embarrassed? Annoyed? Surprised? Thrilled? Awed? Scared?

How do you act or respond? What do you do?

I’m not saying we will hear a clear audible voice (although perhaps we will) but somehow you recognize that God is present in that moment and He has something to impart to you. (And no, I’m not saying that God has visited you or me with a book to be added to His cannon of Scripture. Just that he is impressing something on our mind or convicting you of something or just wanting to spend time with one of His children)

Or even worse…What if God has never spoken to you?!?

Perhaps you are too busy to notice He is visiting you or maybe you have never invited Him to be a part of your life. If that’s the case drop me a line and I’ll help you get in contact with Him.

Well back to my story – I was out walking a couple of weeks ago and I was enjoying listening to the Bible on my iPhone. See I’m preparing a new series on 1, 2, and 3 John for a men’s Bible study and I like to saturate myself with the passages we will be studying before spending time digging deeper.

I had listened through all of the Epistles of John and had kept the program running as I walked. I had blown through Jude and was in that amazing and confusing book of the Revelation. I was in chapter 5 where all of Heaven was singing the praises of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Jesus Christ) when the recording stopped and my iPhone rang.

My first response was “Who was bothering me?” my next was some telemarketer had gotten a hold of my cell phone and was soliciting me to buy something. I was pretty convinced of that when I looked at the caller ID and saw that the number was from out of state and not one that I knew.

I wish that I could say that I answered politely, but I’m really not sure that I did. The first words that I heard was “Dr Prest this is so-and-so calling from the search committee of XYZ church. Can we talk with you?”  I have to believe that my voice tambour changed and I was trying to control my breath while the walking.

I don’t know what will come of my contact with this church and I don’t know what God’s will is concerning this place and any other church, yet. But I will tell you that at the end of the phone call my step was a little lighter and tears were streaming down my face as I thought of how God had stopped by to give me lift and encourage me in my journey.

I don’t know why I’m surprised when God shows up or shows Himself mighty to save. You would think that all followers of Christ would be looking for Him and expecting Him to make His presence known in power and might.

But so often I get busy (sometimes even in worship) that I forget just how close He is. How interested in us He is and how intimately involved in our lives He wants to be.

Times of refreshing (Acts 3:19) often come unexpectedly but always just when we need them.  Perhaps we just need to be more aware of Him and more expectant of hearing His voice.

Got to run, I think I hear my phone…

Pastor Val

When God leads, God Provides!

I am always amazed at how God takes care of his children, who live by faith. I really shouldn’t be surprised but almost every time it happens I am.

This week I am returning to India to train pastors. The trip expenses are a bit much for me in my current financial condition.

When God laid it upon my heart to help train pastors half way around the world I knew I would need help from Christian friends and family to raise the funds necessary. It was a learning experience to realize that I needed community to accomplish the task that God was asking me to do. And I think that it was a learning experience for the community to pray the dangerous prayer, “Lord, what would you have me do?” and then obey whatever he tells you to do, even if the answer was not to help financially but to simply pray for the ministry.

Last year God brought in 30% more then I needed to fund the trip. And God was obeyed and honored by all who participated in the experience.

It has been my experience that when we first exercise our faith muscle God often builds our confidence by answering quickly and abundantly. But muscle is built by stretching it and then relaxing it. Now God always knows just how much to stretch our faith without giving us a faith Charlie-horse.

The first trip stretched me and this year again I felt God’s leading to return to India. So I asked my extended community to again pray the dangerous prayer and obey God’s leading. Last year the funds came in rather quickly but this year the funds come in much more slowly.

With less then two weeks before the trip I was still short 20% of the amount I needed to cover the trip’s expenses. I was beginning to look at how I was going to cover the shortfall. I knew that God wanted me to go and I knew that God would provide but I didn’t know how it was going to happen or when.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that “When God leads, God provides!” A couple of nights ago I got a text from a friend who told me that he wanted to support my mission but had been late getting the funds off to the mission organization. And since he was late in getting the funds sent  he wanted me to know how much he was sending so I could plan accordingly.

Well the amount he felt God lay on his heart to supply was the 20% shortfall I needed!

PTL

At this rate, God will wait until the day I go to fully fund my next trip!

Once again I’m reminded that “When God leads, God provides!”

Getting ready to pack

Pastor Val

Biting My Tongue

A couple of weeks ago I had a profound occurrence. It was one of those experiences that rocks your world! This revelation came from the Holy Spirit through a conversation with my wife. Yep! My wife often has profound comments but this one really set me back on my heels.

I have to share a bit of the background for you to appreciate my experience. I had just come back from a Bible study that I have been participating in. This study meets very early (which is not a good thing from my point of view) and it is open to anyone who would like to join us. Now this is a great thing having many different traditions attending because it leads to some lively discussions. It also leads quite often to my biting my tongue when some people share things that are theologically questionable (at least from my perspective).

I had come home from the study and was fussing about some doctrinal issues and comments that had been said during our meeting. I had chosen to not immediately comment on some things that I knew were questionable at best. I wanted the people to feel open to express themselves and then I tried to navigate the rapids that had been created by their comments. While my desire was to come down hard on some comments I realized that the people who were sharing these comments were seeking answers and were vocalizing their thoughts and were expressing where they were in their spiritual journey. My desire was to knock some heads together and “straighten out their thinking” but my job was to gently help guide them through their journey not to correct each and every statement they made (2 Timothy 2:25).

I was home expressing my frustration to my wife on some of the people’s lack of progress in their spiritual journey. She looked at me and said, “If you are frustrated with them just think how frustrated God is with us with our lack progress!”

I have to tell you she took the wind right out of my sails!

I stood there and tried to imagine the frustration that I must cause God with my own lack of progress at times. Even in spite of my best efforts I seem to constantly fall short of where I want to be on my journey. And yet God is patiently encouraging me as I stumble on my way often making ridiculous statements that must cause him to wince. I look back at some of my past thoughts and comments and wonder how many times He’s had to bite his tongue at some of my outrageous comments.

His patience is beyond my imagination and certainly beyond my ability but it is a goal for each of us as we nurture fellow believers. We must gently speak the truth in love and encourage them when their progress slower then we would like.

I’m thankful for God’s patience with us

Treating my bruised & bloody tongue

Pastor Val

I’m Willing

I just came back from attending the 2011 Global Leadership Summit. It was two days of nonstop learning this year. Often there is a session or two that are less than stellar but this year it seemed like I came away with handfuls from every session.

One specific session dealt with leading under difficult situations. We heard the stories of two modern leaders who lead under remarkably difficult conditions. Their unique stories were more reminiscent to the martyrs of bygone eras not experiences of the 21^st century.

The final message of this session was taken from Jeremiah, a book out of the Old Testament section of the Bible. It really was an overview of the ministry life of this ancient prophet who was chosen by God to speak to the nation of Judah of coming judgment if they failed to return to God.

On a scale of one to ten with one being the lowest possible results of a lifetime of ministry Jeremiah’s would have to be pegged at a minus 3 at the best. But through it all and even after a chapter or two of complaints Jeremiah comes to the conclusion that in spite of the difficulties and dangers serving God is better then any alternative.

During one point in the message a large piece of pottery was shattered on stage to remind us of the brokenness of all of us and yet God can still use us in our brokenness. At the beginning of the day each of us was given a broken piece of pottery. After the session we were asked to consider writing a message on it indicating our willingness to serve regardless of what our called to do and then to date it.

My message read “I’m willing! 8-12-11”

Now I have to say that I have said this to God for the past year to year and a half but God’s answer has been wait…not yet. Apparently I had (more likely still have) lessons to learn before I’m properly prepared for what God has next for me.

BTW waiting is not one of my strong suits but the thing about learning patience is that it takes time. It’s kind of like on the job training!

I have to be honest when I came home I put the piece of pottery on the counter and never bothered to tell my wife or anyone else about it. I had some errands to take care of this morning and didn’t get back home until mid afternoon when I finally checked my email prior to doing some finishing work on my message for tomorrow.

Sitting in my inbox was an email from a church I had sent my resume to eleven months ago. Five months ago I had received a communication from them inquiring if I was still available and interested in this church. A month ago I had sent them an email checking with them to see where they were in their process and had heard from them that I was still being considered.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hunting for a job or ministry lately I have to tell you that you can usually tell by thickness of the letter or whether an email has an attachment if you are still being considered. Thin letters or emails without attachments usually mean that you are no longer being considered for the job/ministry. But thick letters or emails with attachments usually mean that you are still being considered and td you have a questionnaire to fill out.

I’m sure that you are wondering about the email I received this afternoon… It contained an attachment and I’ve been asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Now I’m not saying that my wait is over or the church that contacted me is the one that God has for me but it is kind of exciting to realize that God heard my prayer and wanted to encourage me during my patience experience.

Just clay in the Potter’s hand

Pastor Val

Stop & Go!

I love the Great Commission as it is laid out in Matthew 28:18-20.

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

The first part of the commission is the command of motion – Go!

If you are like me I hate waiting. When I’m in a car and we get in a traffic jam, I’m always looking for a way around the mess. My wife will tell you that I often say “I’d rather be moving than just sitting here waiting!” Movement is always better than non-movement.

Now the truth of the matter is that often if I had just been more patient and waited, I’d have gotten to my destination sooner then taking the detour I chose to take!

In Acts 1:4b-5 Jesus gives his disciples additional instructions about this commission thing.

⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 1:4-5 (NIV)

Before they can go they have to wait. Wait until God does something special. Wait until they are properly prepared for the mission he has planned for them.

You see we often want to rush in and get busy, when God tells us to wait on him so he can renew our strength.

If the disciples had failed to obey Jesus’ command to wait, they would have failed! Failed in their assigned task to make disciples in all the world. Why? Because they would have gone to work without the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Greek word used here is dynamis. We get our words dynamite and dynamics from this Greek word. Dynamis is not potential power, nor is it stored up power. Rather it indicates power already in motion. Power at work and we get to tap into it!

The supernatural power of God is ours to use. We become conducts of his power, but it took time to prepare for the disciples were able to tap into this God power that the Holy Spirit provides.

The mission the disciples were given and that is still ours today can not be accomplished in our own strength. It can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we need to wait upon the Lord and his time, Sometimes waiting is a good thing… even when it drive me crazy!

Almost around the bend,

Pastor Val

Bonehead Faith

When I was in my undergraduate program at Bob Jones University we had to pass a proficiency in English before we could graduate. If we failed the proficiency test we had to take a refresher course in English grammar. We unofficially referred to this course as “Bonehead English.” Well you guessed it failed the test and had to take the course. My big problem was two fold. I am not a great speller (I thank God for spell checker, if it would only verify what I was thinking as well as the letters that went on the page.) I also learned two ways of doing grammar. My senior year in high school I pulled an “A” in grammar but I had to learn another way to do grammar when I got to college thus setting up my dilemma when it came to commas.

Needless to say when it comes to grammar I often have no idea which punctuation mark to use or how often. I just guessed, hoping that my choice is close to being correct. Yeah, I know, I have an earned doctorate that required lots and lots of writing. I had some great help from my proof reader- I call her Becki, she’s my wife!

The other day I was sharing with a member of Grace Community about how I hate it when God decides that I need refresher courses in faith and patience. After I “coined” the phrase I made a mental note that the phrase might be worth mulling over.

The more I mulled the more I realized how this process was a lot like my refresher course in grammar. We are often in need of being reminded who we have placed our faith in and the fact that our faith is tested it is for the purpose of building patience into our lives. (See James chapter 1)

According to the writer of the book of Hebrews we are constantly in need of not only solid food but also liquid food (milk), the basic things of our belief system as well. We all from time to time need restoration of our earliest understanding of our faith.

So often we don’t mind gaining faith as long as we can get it right now. I’ve recently taken a new ministry in Smalltown USA. The pace here is a little slower and traffic is lighter. I’ve been learning to slow down and appreciate some things I often overlooked in my suburban lifestyle. And I’m realizing again that my ministry is to people not just preparing a Sunday message. I’m hoping to learn the lesson extremely well this time. It would be nice if a lot of time passed before I needed another refresher course in patience.

But Lord in the mean time could you bring a buyer for my house soon? My patience is starting to wear thin!

Dr. Bonehead - Val

In God’s Waiting Room

As a pilgrim who is on his way home, I sometimes feel like an immigrant sitting in the waiting room. For a number of years I have known that God had a new direction for my life. Often I’ve been impatient for Him to reveal this new path to me. I’ve often told others that it’s like being in the waiting room in the doctor’s office. Waiting to be called into the examining room.

At first the waiting is OK and you flip through a few old magazines. But as time goes on you get tired of the old magazines and you’ve read through the kids’ books. The other patients seem to be coming and going but there you wait. Eventually your frustration gets the better of you and you go up to the window and check to make sure that your name is still on the list and that they haven’t bypassed you. You start hanging out at the admittance window asking about the delay. There are other sick and broken people who seem to be getting help but there you sit broken and feeling alone.

Ever been there?

I have been there with medical doctors and for the last couple of years with the Great Physician, too. It seems that I’ve hung around the waiting room hoping to get a chance to hear the prognosis for my heavenly doctor and not seeing the opportunity I’ve been given to observe the human condition all around me. I wonder how many times I’ve missed the opportunity to do triage in the waiting room while I waited my turn.

Perhaps I’ve missed some real blessings to be the horizontal incarnation of the Great Physician and Good Shepherd while I “waited” on His time and for His plan. Maybe I missed some great opportunities to serve. Recently I was in having some cloths altered at a men’s clothing shop and I had the opportunity to triage a store manager who asked about what I did and after she found out asked me to help her learn what truth is and where she could find it. I would have missed that opportunity if I had left God’s waiting room. A couple of week later I ran into her and found out she had purchased one of the books I had recommended and was reading it. She also asked me to suggest other books for her to read.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:2-5 (NIV)

3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; Romans 5:3 (NIV)

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalms 37:7 (NIV)

These are all great verses; the problem is that we often have a hard time living what we know.
I’m still in God’s waiting room but I’ve moved up the list a bit. I know not only what God wants me to do, I also know where He wants me to serve. Now I’m just waiting for the God’s time.
So I’m now the official pastor-in-waiting for the Grace Community Baptist Church in Trenton IL. I’ll be starting my “official duties” August 1, 2008.

If I’ve learned anything from this past waiting period, it’s that I’m moving from the front of one queue to the back of the next one. God’s not done with me yet but I’m becoming closer to what he wants me to be.

How about you?

How’s your waiting game??

Dr. Val