fighting the war in the stars...

Being a huge Star Wars fan, I remember going to the first movie to come out in theaters. It was weaving the story of Luke finding his place in fighting the good fight to make sure the good won out. He had a mentor named OB1 Kenobi, who in appearances, seemed wise but not much of a fighter. Luke and his companions had gone to the enemy’s ship to free Princess Leia and in doing so encountered Darth Vader. In a powerful scene, OB1 Kenobi ended up fighting Darth Vader face to face. Good versus evil. Luke and his companions saw the fight from a distance and after OB1 had assured enough time for the group to escape, he did a very strange thing. He lowered his light sabre and Darth Vader seemingly struck him down. Luke was mortified as he saw his mentor, his friend die before his very eyes. He did not know that OB1 had to die to make it possible for Luke and those of the force to rise up in more powerful numbers and defeat evil once and for all. After that OB1 was a constant help as a spirit that would step in and continue to lead and enable those fighting the good fight. Evil was defeated and peace and good reigned from there on.

That mirrors the fight we as believers continue to fight through the strength of the one who died for us, Jesus. It has always been a struggle as we continue to fight the good fight and present the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Each of us are important to God’s plan and His great power comes alive in all who know Him and call him Savior. That plan takes many different directions as He guides us in His perfect will to accomplish, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Great Commission. Jesus died and left the Holy Spirit to empower us to do His work. HIS work!

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do

what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these,

because I am going to the Father.

--John 14:12

As we have served together over the past three years we have seen God do some incredible things. We have experienced those things together and those experiences have knit our hearts together for eternity. Even though I won’t be here, we are still actually all still together….in our love for Jesus, in our heart for worshipping our Lord, in our obedience to His call. The call remains the same, just different connections with different people.

My challenge is this: don’t back away or back off. Continue to fan the flame and see just what God can continue to do through each of you. His plan is still the best. His love is still contagious. He is still worthy of all our praise. He is the great I AM. Serving miles apart we will continue to be of one heart and mind as we serve Him in our mission fields. Our time with you has blessed our hearts and made us better servants. Thank you for encouraging us and loving us, and challenging us to greatness. Hopefully, we have done the same and the lasting effect of our crossing paths will continue to impact a world desperately in need of a Savior.

The Pilgrimage continues....


David Warren

Give Thanks...

The fourth-grader rose from his desk and walked slowly to the front of the classroom to deliver a report concerning the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. With Thanksgiving just days away, the classroom was buzzing with excitement. The teacher shared the eagerness of her students and felt that she had done an adequate job of encouraging each child to focus on the true meaning of the holiday. Those hopes were soundly dashed against the words of the young speaker.
"The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of ... you know what. When they landed, they gave thanks to ... you know who. Because of these brave people, we can celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and our freedom to worship every Sunday ... you know where."
We laugh at the thought of leaving God's name out of this childish writing but, in fact, many of us are just as guilty of leaving Him out of our daily walk - especially when it comes to giving thanks. While Thanksgiving does remind us to stop and give thanks, Thanksgiving is not just a national holiday to be celebrated for a few hours each November. Learning to live in the gear of perpetual thanksgiving is a life changing discipline. Giving thanks should be a natural characteristic and innate practice of every believer. It is thanking God for all that He has done as well as for all He is presently doing and going to do in the future. Thanksgiving heightens our awareness of His presence and thrives on an active, living faith - a faith that is not ashamed to boldly act or afraid to speak out even in the face of doubt.
The book of James tells us, " When you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the sin" (NLT).
Learning to be thankful - even when we cannot see, hear or understand what God is doing or how He is working - is authentic thanksgiving and the direct result of a living, active and personal faith in God. We often say that we need more faith in order to be more thankful. I don't think so! We operate in faith every single day. We flip a switch believing in faith that light will appear. We turn a key believing in faith that a car will start. We even go to a doctor we hardly know who scribbles an impossible - to - read prescription which we promptly take to a pharmacist we have never seen. This unknown druggist proceeds to fill the prescription, giving us a medicine with a name we cannot even pronounce. And we take it - all in blind faith! Amazing!
I believe that instead of pleading for more faith, we need to exercise the faith we already possess. As we continually step out in faith, not only will that faith grow stronger, but we will begin to trust God more, naturally developing an attitude of thanks. Faith does not believe that God can or will act. Faith believes that God is answering as we pray. And that truth, my friend, will send us to our knees in praise and thanksgiving.
Don't leave God out of your Thanksgiving celebration. Instead, realize that He is the very reason you can experience abundant and eternal life. Do not let the day pass without finding a few moments to be alone, thanking Him for His magnificent bounty in our hearts and in our lives.

No matter what happens, always be thankful,

for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

--I Thessalonians 5:18

[taken from a daily online devotional, crosswalk.com]

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren