Living Legacy - The Template

Template - A pattern to make something..                     Don't break the mold!!!

I love to watch the tv show "how it's made" as they show the inside stuff about how things we use and see every day are made.  When you see how something is made you realize the amount of work it took to make it and gives you a deeper appreciation or value of the article.  Life has a template also.  The Life Template is one that has taken much care and sacrifice to put together and if we understand all that happened to make it we will hopefully have a greater appreciation for it.  Back to the "How It's made" show.  I was watching the other night and the first part of the feature was about the fine tuned shaving of an object to make it just right.  I was intrigued by the attention to detail in shaping this one object and was looking to see what the finished  article would look like.  Then they said this is just the "template" for molding plastic to make the actual article.  I had been watching them make a template out of a raw piece of aluminum for 20 minutes and then they poured in the plastic and I saw the finished product, a plastic seat for a doll carriage.  All that prep work for a plastic seat for a doll carriage seat?  It seemed like such a waste of time to be so precise in making a template for something so seemingly insignificant, but it wasn't.  Time warp back to an earlier time when I was opening my oldest daughter's doll carriage.  As I was unwrapping it I noticed a little imperfection in the seat of the carriage.  It wasn't much, but out of all the other stuff I said, "Boy they didn't take much time and care when they built this!"  I noticed the flaws, not the overall carriage.  You may say, "Boy you are picky."  I wasn't noticing anything different than anybody else would should their eyes happen to see the imperfection.  What will be the thinking after noticing the less than perfect workmanship?  "I don't think I will use that company for my next purchase.  They don't seem to take care in their production process and the article may not be well put together."

In our Living Legacy, what will be the production value of our life.  Will we be known for doing things right or half right?  Will our steps be quality or poor?  You may say, "oh you're talking about being a perfectionist."  No way.  There are not any perfectionists anymore anyway.  The standard for living our lives has been so watered down and compromised, we wouldn't recognize quality if it hit us in the face.  I take that back.  We would notice it, but wouldn't know what it was because it would be so unusual to see it.  I'm not talking a crazy works based lifestyle, but I am talking about doing everything we do as "unto the Lord."  To give the very best in how we live our lives is a legacy that is passed on to everyone around us, and the extra care to do the best is something that will be noticed and appreciated when living our time on this earth.  Paul wrote to the church at Corinth regarding what foods to eat and expanded the message beyond food choice to life choices.  1 Corinthians 10:31 or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Now, it doesn't mean we lose the heart or reason for what we do, that is the core of everything we do.  But it does mean that we take time to give our best effort for the Lord, who we love and follow.  I have been in churches who think that good stewardship of their monies is to buy cheap quality or get it free.  I don't agree with that. I believe God deserves the best we can do and that attitude bleeds over to the way that workers serve the Lord in something they have volunteered for in the Lord's service.  They get to thinking that what they do deserves a half-hearted effort and the witness to a lost and dying world is "they don't really care."  But we do!!!  We do care!!  Let it be seen in the detail of how we build the template for living our lives and the quality and care we take to make sure we do things right.  I believe that Christ uses His church to reach the world, but I also believe that our making of the template has flaws and those flaws came from the lack of living a Christ-like life by individual believers.

Now, for the passive aggressive, Americanized Christians who may be reading this. don't think I for one minute would take the why of doing something for Christ out of the picture and sacrifice that on the OCD altar of perfectism.   "I think we're safe!!"  I will say that years ago there was something called Apprenticeship, where someone, usually younger, would learn a skill or trade from an artisan so it could be passed down from generation to generation.  You surely don't see that anymore!!  Just remember that the one thing Jesus took care to "show" His disciples was the attitude of being a servant.  Part of that servant attitude is best seen in how we do things for the Lord.  Do we honor Him 100% with our effort or do we give him left overs?  The template for living our lives with honor and Christlikeness has been carefully  crafted and stained by blood for safe keeping.  May we not dishonor it by watering down our effort and by not taking special care to preserve it for another generation.  Christ is our Template!!  May our lives reflect who He is to all we meet and may our efforts to serve Him be known as sacrifices of praise to ensure the quality of His message is not compromised.  Take care....Take care....Take care....

1 Peter 4: 10 Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: 11 if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything - encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! 

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Living Legacy - Time

Take Time for Family

‘How much time does tv take away from you being a responsible family member.  How much tv is too much in the effort to make our family stronger?  What other distractions take away from the family time we so desperately need?  What sacrifices in my events or wants can help our family draw closer together. Why is it important to evaluate my how my family spends it time?

Time is precious thing and the following poem is written with this in mind.

No Time to Play - My precious boy with the golden hair 
Came up one day beside my chair
And fell upon his bended knee
 And said, “Oh, Mommy, please play with me!”I said, “Not now, go on and play;
I’ve got so much to do today.”
He smiled through tears in eyes so blue
When I said, “We’ll play when I get through.”But the chores lasted all through the day
 And I never did find time to play. 
When supper was over and dishes done ,
I was much too tired for my little son.I tucked him in and kissed his cheek 
And watched my angel fall asleep.
As I tossed and turned upon my bed, 
Those words kept ringing in my head,“Not now, son, go on and play,
 I’ve got so much to do today.”
I fell asleep and in a minute’s span, 
My little boy is a full-grown man.  No toys are there to clutter the floor;
 No dirty fingerprints on the door;
No snacks to fix; no tears to dry;
The rooms just echo my lonely sigh. And now I’ve got the time to play;
 But my precious boy is gone away. 
I awoke myself with a pitiful scream
 And realized it was just a dream For across the room in his little bed, 
Lay my curly-haired boy, the sleepy-head .
My work will wait ‘til another day 
For now I must find some time to play.

We must take time to play together as a family.  If mom and dad are too busy to play, then they are too busy.  Play time has to be planned for or it will be left out.  Play time is more than a vacation twice a  year.  It’s more than taking your kids to their next event.  Play time is the time when we get to put our guard down and just have fun.  Every member of the family needs to realize that time is slipping by and play time is the best time to deepen our family’s love for each other.  The following story illustrates the need to cherish each and every moment of every day, because they will soon be gone.

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day...Allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every day, of course, and use it to your advantage! Well, you have such a bank, and its name is TIME! Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances, it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow.

Ephesians 5:16 says to redeem the time because the days are evil.  Time slips away much faster than we think and the snowball effect of time lost becomes so big we feel like we can't reverse the trend.  But you can react now and make the most of the time you have at your disposal.  Plan some special days with your children and see how much they blossom when you take time for them alone.

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Living Legacy - The Training

I played high school basketball as a point guard and loved it, except for all the running at the end of EVERY practice.  I would give it my all on every play and then have to hear those fateful words.  "On the line"  When we first started running like that I would groan, with my other teammates,  and walk slowly to the end line of the basketball court.  I remember one of our players, after an extremely long and hard workout, yell out as he went to the locker room say, "What does this have to do with basketball.?"  He yelled out what the rest of us were thinking, but were too afraid to say out loud.   This guy was a starter and a star and had been given carte blanche treatment all through the younger years because he was what you would call a "lights out" shooter. When the ball left his hands, it was going through the hoop. He was that good.  He would step over the half court line and look to shoot and most of the time he made it.  Even he learned a lesson from our coach who knew what we were up against and how much in shape we would have to be.  We couldn't see it, but our coach had seen it and he was preparing us for battle.  His wisdom about conditioning was vital to our success and his living legacy to me and my teammates was all about preparation.  Our first game would showcase that his wisdom was good and it would help us pull out a close victory over a conference rival.  We came to the sideline at the end of the third quarter knowing we were in a tough fight and that we could lose our first game, it was so close.  Coach told us to kneel down and he drew out the plan.  He wanted us to go into a full court man to man press for the rest of the game.  We all looked at each other with shock.  We didn't have the leg strength to keep up a press, or so we thought!!  As we stepped back on the court the other team had their plans and their plans were to maintain and hope to pull a win out at the end.  Our plans were to dominate with the dreaded full court press, man to man.  As they attempted to throw the ball in, we got on them  with a tough man to man defense.  I could tell they were shocked and it rattled them a little bit, but they got the ball in, just to have it stolen by one of our players and taken in for an easy layup.  They attempted to get it in again and had a five second call on them and we got the ball and scored.  Their coach called a time out to settle them down, but it didn't help.  We stole the ball four more times when the game started again,and it was over.  They had no energy left and we looked like we had just started the game, AND WE WERE  PRESSING.  Why?  Conditioning.

Our coach made us work hard in practice to help us be ready for the game and it paid off.  The next day we  had a hard practice and coach said it, "On the line."  We sprinted to the line and proceeded to run the best line drills he had ever seen.  Now we could see what he saw.  Conditioning wins ball games.  Our star never said the words, "what does this have to do with playing basketball"  again.   Coach knew what was best!!!

Ou heavenly Father has a great plan for our families and conditioning and a vision for greater things and winning battles is part of His plan.  He can see what is coming down the line for each of us and wants to equip us to handle those life situations and win!!  In 1 Corinthians 9:25 Paul wrote, "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last;  but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."  Our conditioning as believers has eternal effects for us and those who see our lives.  As parents our living legacy is one that will turn our children toward or away from following Jesus, but the conditioning we give as parents at the least will prepare them for life and all of it's curves.  It's took time for our coach to think ahead for the team and all the struggles we would have and it takes time for parents to look ahead for the struggles our kids will face in life.  Scripture says in Proverbs 22:6, "Point your kids in the right direction, when they're old they won't be lost."(The Message)   I am believing for the best in my children's lives now that they are adults.  I believe we trained them about life and living for Christ and their conscious desire is to serve Jesus.  They know He is their God and the one to turn to, and now they pass that on to their children and the training continues....  I like what Harry Truman said, "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it."  That sounds funny, but it is very true.  Anne Frank said, "Parents can only give good advice put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."  Training is just training.  The race of life is something that is run by your children when they grow up and the fruit of that training is best seen in how they live their lives.  So, when we  train them.  We must train them to look ahead from our experience and give them tools to handle life at each one of it's turns and then support them in what they do.  They may complain and fight against it at some points in their lives, but the training must go on or they will be left incomplete, weak, and not strong enough to live a life of victory.  LOST!!  Take time to train them well coach and we can win this game!!

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Living Legacy - The Truth

It was great to get together with some of our kids and grandchildren over the Easter Weekend.  We missed our kids who couldn't make it and cherished the memories of those who could.  I am totally amazed at how strong our love for each other as a family is and truly thank God for the lasting ties of love he has put in our lives.  More than that I am thankful for the strong stand our children have for God.  They shine out brightly in what seems to be a Godless generation at times and their intense desire to serve God is awe inspiring.  It was always our prayer that they would turn out this way, so we are not surprised, but very thankful for their stance for Jesus Christ.  I was raised in a home where my father never really wanted anything to do with the Lord or the church and some painful experiences in his childhood soured him for his entire life on anything to do with the faith.  Sadly, he only saw mostly bad in the Christian Life and never gave it much of a chance.  Enters some dear people in my life.  These people were Porky and Roberta Barber, John and Mary Holstein, and Jack and Kay Garrett.  Who were these people?  They are the ones who picked me up and took me to church when I didn't have a ride and kept me in touch with other Christians who nurtured my faith and thus set into motion who David Warren is today.  I may not be much, but what good I am is because of God using these wiling servants to reach out to me with a love that went beyond the common goodness of man and began a legacy of faith that makes me who I am today.  In their minds, they probably never thought about the future effect of what they were doing and I sure didn't, but looking back I can see a legacy that changed not only my future, but the future of my children and my children's children, and so on.  Porky and Roberta were constant examples of God's love and encouragement and provided a way for me to enjoy the church activities with my friends and also grow in my faith.  They became a sounding board for me when I first entered the ministry and gave me great encouragement and wisdom when I so desperately needed it.  Once again, they gave time.   John and Mary Holstein treated me like a son and their great wisdom and real faith steered me in the right direction more than they will ever know.  They made me believe in myself and offered the one thing I needed the most, true encouragement.  Jack and Kay Garrett gave me a ride home from church more than I can remember, and their understanding of my circumstances equipped them to guide in the best possible way.  These dear friends will never realize just what they meant to me and to my family now and for eternity.  They will never know because the process just keeps going and going and more Godly people come along to take the baton and keep the race moving along.  It's a legacy that God begins and He finishes.  Probably someone came alongside them at a pivotal time in their life and set into motion something that was passed down to me.  And now I continue to pass it down to my family and friends to keep the race moving along.  I see it now in my children and realize that this legacy of following Christ has to be cared for and maintained. It also has to be protected and encouraged by the one leaving it.  It is a Living Legacy.  The Apostle Paul in writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, had such a wonderful way of leaving his legacy with Timothy.  He wrote so specifically to Timothy.  So much more than any other letters he wrote, and in those letters to Timothy he gave him eternal truths that formed who Timothy was and those truths were surely handed down from Timothy to others he would disciple.  A Living Legacy.  Whatever truths we teach are impacting someone, somewhere, so be careful that you teach truths that are Bible Based and real.  Here is a story of what can happen when the truth isn't worth much.

In the early 1900s George Riddell acquired the sensational London newspaper The News of the World. Meeting British journalist Frederick Greenwood one day, Riddell mentioned that he owned a newspaper, told Greenwood its name, and offered to send him a copy. The next time they met, Riddell asked Greenwood what he thought of The News.

"I looked at it and then I put it in the wastepaper basket," said Greenwood, "and then I thought, 'If I leave it there the cook may read it,' so I burned it." 

Not everything we teach or live in front of our kids is something you want them to remember, so if it isn't from Christ, don't keep it around long.   This is what I like to call shaving....Not shaving, like with razor.  Shaving, like getting excess, unimportant things out of your life.  Unimportant things like social status, membership requirements, and such nonsense which have become a big part of those following Jesus, even when He teaches against these things. Jesus said in Matthew 27-30, 27 Then Peter said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?" 28 And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in their generation when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. 30 "But many who are first will be last ; and the last, first.  You see, we teach these truths....sometimes, but we really don't live them, so this truth has no legacy attached to it because it is half believed.  But when you teach this truth as an eternal lesson from God's Word, it becomes a legacy truth and not just an expression of a truth.  It IS the truth!!!  Big difference.  Jack Nicholson was quoted in the movie, A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!"  In a Living Legacy, you can't live WITHOUT the truth.  Big difference.  Perhaps it should be more worded for us as, "you don't want to handle the truth."  The truth will set you free.  Jesus said these words in John 8:32 , "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  Set your kids free by telling them the truth of the Gospel and living a life of faith and you will in turn set them free.  Per Jesus.

Live the Legacy of truth and quit summarizing life's greatest truths to make you feel good.  Then share those truths with those who are looking to you for truth and you will begin a living legacy of faith that will impact generations.  I know the legacy that someone started in my life is still going and I pray it will continue for many generations in the time before Jesus comes back.  It's a long road, so pack a lot of truths for the long haul and you will see it is worth it.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Foritfy As You Sanctify - Build a good wall around the Fort

In the movie, The Kingdom of Heaven, Balian de Ibelin (played by Orlando Bloom) was a central figure in the story of a man who had a destiny or a calling to go to Jerusalem. In his thinking he was going there to get his sins taken care of for killing a man from his town.  In reality he was trying to get over the death of his wife, and he felt there was hope and restoration for him in Jerusalem.  His conquest happened during the Crusades of King Richard in the 12th century, and his elevation from blacksmith to a leader in the defense of the city of Jerusalem is an epic story of change and maturity in a person's life.  He goes from normal, humble beginnings to a leadership position that offered him the role of king.  His great love for what is right was the driving force behind whatever he did and the soldiers of the English Army greatly respected him and followed him into battle.  In the movie he finds out his real father is Godfrey de Ibelin and that information is given to him as a way of making things right for Godfrey.   Godfrey dies soon after they are introduced and he leaves young Balian with a strong charge.  A charge that included the statement, "You are not what you were born, but what you have within yourself to be"  Those words speak to the process of Sanctification that we Christians know is a huge part of our progress in the faith.  Sanctification is the process of being set apart as holy.  Another part of the definition is to be consecrated.  To be consecrated is to be dedicated to a divine purpose.  Balian didn't know his purpose until he started moving toward Jerusalem.  The very city he hoped to find peace and wisdom was the city he was destined to defend.  And defend he did.  Part of his defense of the city was to fortify the walls and prepare for large towers that the Muslims were going to use to allow their troops to enter the city over it's walls.  Before they brought those towers to the city though, the Muslims catapulted fireballs against the wall, to no avail.  It wasn't until they saw a weak spot in the wall that they were able to bust through and win victory and reclaim Jerusalem.  The weak part of the wall resulted in the downfall of the entire city.  As believers we are also set aside for holiness and consecrated to live a life that gains more and more holiness as we learn more and more from our relationship with God.  In 1 Peter Chapter 1 Peter emphasizes the strength of God and how fortunate we are to have Him teaching us and empowering us.  He goes on to say that we should continue to pursue the holiness of God as consecrated vessels.  This act of following God becomes our pilgrimage and the lifestyle changes that take place move us from new, shy,  untrained believers to seasoned, vibrant, spirit-filled saints that know God has a special purpose for their life.  Peter brings it all into focus in verse 16 where he says, "God said, I am holy, you be holy."  He brings this statement into the scripture right after he warns not to slip back into things of our former life before Christ.  In fact, he says, "Don't slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing.   You didn't know any better then; you do now!"   When scripture says we are a new creation and old things have passed away to make way for the new, that is exactly what has happened.  We are not the same anymore, so don't live like you are the same.  When Balian went to Jerusalem one thing after another happened to direct his steps to greatness and he responded with wisdom to those challenges.  In our pilgrimage, God puts us through many different steps to position us for greatness, and our continued growth as a believer helps us make the right choices in life to insure we take the right steps.  Sometimes we progress quite rapidly and feel like we are through with the whole growth thing, but sanctification is an ongoing process of becoming more like God, so this journey will not end this side of heaven.  We like Balian, have a longing, a searching in our hearts to be more.  More like Jesus, more in line with God's Word, more, more, more....  Is this a dissatisfaction with who we are?  I believe it is and it is ok as long as our desire to honor God is at the heart of it.  So what happens in the  pilgrimage?  God equips us and trains us to handle the bigger things in life and that is where the fort comes in.  Evil is alway at our door, throwing one fireball after another to test our walls.  It is our responsibility to make sure those walls remain strong and our continued quest for holiness keeps those strong walls in place.  Also, we are always on the lookout for where the fireballs  are coming from and always alert to the desperate moves of our enemy.  God's protection is real and we learn from Him all along the way as we handle one assault after another.   We become seasoned fighters of the faith and instead of just fighting for our own direction we are put in positions of leadership to fight with and for others and offer our wisdom from our journey to help them build up their walls as well.  In the movie, the weakness of one part of the wall is a glowing example to each of us to make sure all weakenesses in our lives are well fortified, because that is exactly where satan will attack to try to bring us down.  Just remember you are consecrated, or declared sacred to our Lord and HIs protection is the ultimate change agent in the battle.  Our reliance on His Holiness and His strength will be the winning combination in each battle and our wall will stand strong. He is the great commander.  

In this great pilgrimage called life we see that as we draw closer to God in holiness, our life will take on a whole new level and as the battles confront us we learn to rely on our great commander and He fortifies our wall to protect us from the evil one.  Not only to protect us, but to enable us to fight the good fight Paul wrote to Timothy about.  A fight that is fought on our knees, in His power, and always vigilant.  Remember Godfrey's statement to Balian? "You are not what you were born, but what you have within yourself to be"  We as believers are not what we are born, but what we are born again.  This birth starts the growth process of sanctification and thus the battle begins.

The power of sanctification is a process that makes us much more able to fight the fight and win battle after battle.  Remember, Balian took on the name of his father and his life changed from normal to great.   When we take on the name of our Heavenly Father, we take on the greatness God has intended for all His children.  Read the lesson: Fortify yourself and let the sanctification continue....

Shawn McDonald - We Are Brave  This link sends you to a great video about standing for Christ.     

The Pilgrimage continues..

David Warren

Chosen Not Frozen

The Disney Movie Frozen has become an immediate cult classic, seemingly overnight.  I find myself humming the song "Let It Go" on a regular basis.  The story of a girl with a powerful freezing malady that is so powerful it threatens everyone she touches.  Her power extends well beyond touch though and ratchets up to encompassing a whole village and even a small area of her country.  Her final act of freedom and release is the building of an ice castle on a mountain that is far away from everyone else.  Of course, this is the part where she can really let go and the singing of this very familiar song is added to emphasize the letting go point.  She is in her element in the castle she has built in the cold and it "doesn't really bother her anyway."  Her sister on the other hand, doesn't have the  freezing power, but her power is centered around an uncompromising love for her chilly sister.  Anna is amazing in her desire to reach out to Elsa to let her know she can come back to the village.  Her journey up the mountain to reach Elsa almost gets her killed, but she still won't give up.  She believes that Elsa is still reachable and will do anything she can to reach her.

This story brings to mind the difference between those who are followers of Jesus Christ  (true love) and a lost and dying (freezing) world.  When we realize that God has chosen all believers to reach this world with His gospel and that we are the ones carrying the warm love of Christ with us, we will climb any mountains to let those who are lost (freezing) see that there is still hope for them.  1 Peter 2:9-12 says, "But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you - 10 from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 11 Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 12 Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives."  For those who call the name of Jesus, we are chosen to serve Him with loving hearts that reach out to the frozen hearts and offer them the warmth of salvation so they can spend eternity in our heavenly village.  No longer outcasts, but citizens of heaven.  When we accept Christ we are no longer to be frozen in our cold, sinful nature, but we are chosen to go reach others for our Lord.  Many have strayed so far from the reality of change, that they seem unapproachable, but we are commissioned to go and let them know there is still hope.  Hope for eternity, hope for new life, hope for salvation.   The Gospel has a way of warming hearts and bringing people out of their frozen condition when they hear of the hope that it offers.  But those who have the hope have become frozen like those who don't know God and that freezing is spreading everywhere without anyone standing up to make a difference.  That is where believers come into the picture and change everything.  We realize our chosen task and resist the freezing that wants to take over everything, thus causing death.

We go up against the mountainous resistance that those who are lost offer us and give them back love.  God's love.  I thought that Kristoff was going to kiss Anna with a kiss of true love to make everything right, but instead it was the love Anna had for Elsa, her sister, that broke the freeze that had ruined their village.  Love conquered!!!   Then the whole village started to thaw and everyone was affected.  Just think of the effect it would have if Disciples were to have that kind of selfless love for those who are frozen in their sin.  It would be epic!!   So what's to be the end of this story.  I see a day where the frozen, realize they are the chosen and go up the mountains of doubt in people's lives and reach them with an uncompromising love that calls them to salvation.  I then see those frozen ones thawing out spiritually and others joining their ranks to reach the world like our Lord has called us to.  Then I see no more frozen, but chosen.  Chosen to share the message of Christ and extending the warmth of the Gospel wherever they go.  It's time to thaw out the joy of our salvation and share it with others once again as never before. 

There is a world full of Elsa's just waiting to see that others care enough to approach their ice castles of unbelief and extend a hand of love, real warm love.  God's Love.  Are you frozen?  Time to thaw out and Let it Go in a good way.  By the way,  the cold does REALLY bother God anyway....

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Satisfaction Guaranteed

When you think about our Lord and what He accomplished on the cross, our message takes on a whole new life.  A life that is tied to the eternal life in heaven for those who accept Jesus and ask Him into their life.  A life that is impacted in such a way as to change a person's outlook and perception of what life is all about.  A life of inner peace and satisfaction.  What generates this change in such a drastic way.  Enters the Holy Spirit....  When Jesus told His disciples He was leaving this world in John 14:25-28  "I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you. 26 The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. 27 I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left - feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught. 28 "You've heard me tell you, 'I'm going away, and I'm coming back.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.  This inner peace we have is found in the Holy Spirit and Jesus left, but the Holy Spirit is here with us and strenghtening us in our faith and giving us direction.  At times I feel like we have totally forgotten the Holy Spirit.  So much so, that a book on not forgetting the Hoiy Spirit has been written and is being taught in churches all over the place.  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our friend, and the existence of the Holy Spirit is real, but unknown by many believers because of teachings that cause us to run from the very one who gives us the power to live life as God intended.  Our very power source is found in the Holy Spirit but we deny Him by not turning to Him and ignoring Him.  How silly is that?  Very silly!!  For me to mention the name of the Holy Spirit so many times in this blog entry would freak some institutionalized Christians out.  Institutuionalized through indoctrination that leaves the teaching of the Holy Spirit out.  Boy, is that walking into the  enemy's trap or what?  We have seen so much abuse at the hands of radicals when it comes to the Holy Spirit, that it causes most Christians to run from even discussing the subject.  So... there you go.  Continued power and wisdom loss.  A dear lady of the faith who I revered tremendously told me one day, "David, don't be afraid of the Holy Spirit."  When she told me that I thought, "Well, of course I won't."  But to some extent i have not let Him lead me as much as I should have and there is no satisfaction in doing that.  On the other hand, when we do make a place for the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts, we see God.  There is a freshness to our life that is better and best.  When we rely on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, He supplies and the deep things of life come to the forefront in our thinking and we are permanently impacted.  I have led worship at a service and had someone come up and say, "I felt the Holy Spirit here today."  I want to say, "He's been here the whole time."  When I received Jesus, I received the Holy Spirit.  Enough said.

He is not someone we conjure up by repeating something over and  over until we get into an emotional frenzy and there He is.  He is with us continually.  The problem occurs when we don't listen to Him and ignore His presence in our lives.  Why would we do that?  Because we are afraid He will ask us to do something we don't want to do.  So we think we can live a radical Christian life as a disciple and block out our power source?  Not gonna happen!!  It's time for believers all over the world to let the power of God go and allow Him to work through our lives and with it will come boldness, freshness, discernment, conviction, and Godliness.  When people see the righeousness of God in our lives they are seeing the Holy Spirit. It's time to let go and let God have total control and then we will experience Him in the fullness of who He is through His Spirit, His Holy Spirit.  Jesus said that we would do even greater things than He did when the Holy Spirit comes, so what's the hold up?  It is our unwillngness to surrender to the Spirit's leading in humility and reverence that holds back God moving in our lives to the fullest.  Time to let go and let God.  He will satisfy every area of your life if you just trust His Holy Spirit.  Satisfaction Guaranteed!  Listen to what Paul wrote in Romans 8:2 A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death." Live in the Spirit and thus elevate Jesus in your life.  

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Enduring Love

Enduring - (def) Long lasting  We many times talk about the faithfulness of God and how His love is enduring and words cannot express the magnitude of His Enduring Love. The very definition of enduring is derived from God's long lasting love for us.  Day after day, always there, always in place, and always accessible.  In Matthew 3:16-17 we get to see and hear of God's enduring love for His Son Jesus.  The time was when John the Baptist baptized Jesus to begin His Ministry here on earth.  Scriptures says, "The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit- it looked like a dove-descending and landing on Him.  And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen, and marked by my love, delight of my life."  What a love He has for His Son who died for you and for me.  That same love is pictured in God's enduring love for you and me.   His Spirit is also resting on our lives as Jesus left the Holy Spirit with those who know Him and the power of God is seen through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  To know God is to know the Holy Spirit and know Enduring Love.  Paul wrote about this kind of love to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 13 where he says, "Love never gives up.  Love cares more for others than for self and so on, and closes out  with Love puts up with anything, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end."  That is enduring love.  You may say, "I've never felt that kind of love"  God has been showing that kind of love to you every day of your life, now mirror what He shows you to everyone you meet.  Remember, it's not just love.  It's enduring love, because it never fails.....NEVER!

When a man and woman commit their lives to each other in God's Name in a marriage, they are committing to that kind of love. an enduring love.  Sometimes I wonder when this scripture is used in weddings, if it is not just a hope instead of a commitment.  Why?  Because so many marriages end tragically because of the one main ingredient being left out.  Enduring Love!  God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55 verse 3 and said, "Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.  I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you, the same I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love."  Well, I'm paying attention and that is what I want and what I want to give.  It's something that will last and last, more than the energizer bunny for sure.  It's like a Timex watch and "takes a licking and keeps on ticking!" Enduring love.  Time to pour that into your heart and see what happens.  Here's a hint: RADICAL CHANGE!!  Think about this.

The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him.  Endurance is possible and victory is the end result.  Enduring love is a love that lasts and lasts and lasts.  Get you some today.

Enduring love is a lasting love and the sooner couples realize that the sooner Christian Marriages will stop failing and start following the love God has given to each of us.  Here is a funny by true story about the reality of marriage.

We were visiting friends when they received a telephone call from their recently married daughter. After several tense minutes on the phone, the mother told the father to pick up the extension. The newlyweds had had their first big fight.
In a few moments, the father rejoined us and tersely explained, "Said she wanted to come home."
"What did you tell her?" I asked.
"Told her she was home."
If you have problems with what God is showing you in your life and want to go back to doing things your way, remember that it is not who you are anymore and you are home when you are in the arms of a loving God who loves with an enduring love.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Sufficient Can Be Enough

Sufficiency is an amazing concept when really looked at in a Biblical Way.  God is real good about teaching us lessons of happiness and contentment without making it seem like we are settling for mediocre or weak.  Years ago I ran track for one year in High School and then switched to another sport because that sport was on schedule at the same time as track and I excelled more in that sport.  Not knowing too much about track, I was quickly initiated into the track world on our first day.  I was a sophomore at the time and many of the senior runners who had been in track for all four years held a pretty high esteem with us younger athletes and we basically were in awe when around some of them.  Why?  Their names were on the "big board" of the field house for having won conference championships and other awards.  They had also set some of the school records and I was basically working out as a new recruit with the heroes of the track team.  It was very intimidating, but it only spurred me on to try harder when I was around them.  My first day on the team our coach had us run a 600 yard run as a warm up and then sprint that same distance.  When I heard sprint and 600 yards in the same sentence I almost fell out!!  I thought, "600 yard sprint!  He must be crazy"  There was one guy who led out for the whole team to follow and he was a senior who had his name on quite a few of the rewards on the  "big board" so I thought, "He's the guy to beat."  My next move will go down in my personal history as an all time best.  For some strange reason my breathing was extremely measured that day and it seemed like I could run any speed and not get winded.  In feeling this newfound vitality I made plans to not only run with this guy, but pass him and win the whole race (remember, it was supposed to be practice)  The first 600 yard run was easy and the leader of the group basically jogged it and we followed suit.  As we rounded the turn into the home stretch I thought I would see just how this guy would react to me taking over as leader.  He reacted like a true competitor and when I started past him speeded up to adjust and proceeded to run away from the whole group, all except for me.  Like I said, I had an extremely good feeling that day and running was easy....and I was fast.  I decided to stay with his pace and we left the pack behind with looks of astonishment from my sophomore teammates.  As we went around the back side of the track I started thinking, "Wow, if I don't beat him now I will look stupid" and questioned my move, but then it kicked in. "Why not me?"  I thought, "Who's this guy to have his name on the "big board" and not be able to beat a sophomore on the first day."  My thinking narrowed down to one strong thought.  WIN!!  As we rounded the last turn before the home stretch I started analyzing how this guy was holding up and noticed no strain or chance of him backing down now.  He was going to defend his honor with great prejudice and no sophomore was going to change that now.  I decided I would make my move just before we finished the last turn and moved to the side to pass.  He glanced at me and just before he was able to respond I quickly passed him, and now I was in the front with 30 yards, 30 long... yards to go.  I moved inside and turned on whatever speed I had left and finished a good 10 yards in front of him.  I ran over to the track coach, thinking he would be jubilant at this new, talented sophomore runner who had just beaten his star.  As I stood there waiting for him to say, "Wow, you did great Warren. You are my new star" or something like that, He just looked at his writing pad and grunted.  I said, "Coach, what did you think about that?"  He said, "Think about what?"  I told him,"I just beat your star runner!"  To which he proceeded to say, "That was sufficient."  Sufficient? "That was much more than sufficient." He turned to me and said, "Good job Warren.  You just beat a guy who is recovering from knee surgery."  You could have knocked me over with a feather, and I limped away, deflated.  My best race against his best guy and I beat him, but he was recovering from knee surgery.  Sufficient suddenly took on a new meaning.  Me running so hard in that race against an injured runner truly was sufficient for beating him, but maybe not sufficient for winning races against non-injured runners.  My coach weighed my accomplishment in accordance with whom I was running against, and I did good, but not earth shattering good.  But it was the truth.  All that effort to beat someone who was about 80% of his ability that day was just sufficient.  But I did run the race, no matter what the details, and I did win!  The win wasn't as glorious though after he told me of the runners injury and rehab.  I just kept telling myself, "A win is a win."  And you know, I was right.  Looking back I remember, no one challenged him and no one stayed up with us.  At the end it was me in the front, not him, and my coaches words couldn't keep me from knowing I gave my best and it was "sufficient."  
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul wrote, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."   The life we live is like a race, a race where the sufficiency of Christ is premiere in our thinking.  When you feel down and defeated, just remember you are not defeated because of Christ's sufficiency.  He gives just enough to fill the bill for our weaknesses and in fact, the more weak we are the more His strength shines in each of us.  When we try to run the race of life in our own strength we realize that our sufficiency is not enough and our best laid plans are weak and almost embarrassing.  If we can just get this through our heads and into our hearts it will revolutionize the way we live our lives.  The American Way is where we pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and move on, and that is fine, but not sufficient for weak, fallen sinners like me.  Any great attempts at greatness in my own strength and power fall miserably short of being sufficient to accomplish anything of worth.  But.....when I trust in God's sufficiency, it is always just enough to supply my need.   What needs to happen?  We need to realize just how weak we are and how much we need God and acknowledge that in our daily walk as we learn to live in His power.  If we decide we want to get out and lead the race, then we need to remember who gives us the power to run and rely on Him and Him alone for the end result. I'm not talking "flippant faith" here.  I'm talking "trusting God."  Think about the point of God being our power in life and read this illustration.
One New Year's Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas.
God's gas never runs out because it is sufficient at every turn.  Have a need for wisdom?  Pray to God and seek His Word and He will give you sufficient wisdom.  Have a need for money?  Turn to God and He will sufficiently give you what you need.  Have a need for physical strength?  Turn to God and He will give you the strength sufficient for your needs.  God's power is sufficient for everything, not just most things.  Of all people, Christians should be people who are known for trusting God and His sufficiency, not running out of gas when it is needed the most.  Have you run out of gas like the float?  If so, remember God is our Standard Oil Company and His fuel is eternal, so we don't ever stop.  Crank up your engine again and trust in God supplying your needs ,and see if that engine doesn't purr like a kitten.  Time to move forward and into a whole new way of thinking for today's world.  We will not trust ourselves, but only trust God.  The end result will be SUFFICIENT!!


The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Don't get poisoned!! Sound the Alarm!!

We woke up the other morning to a house that was 62 degrees and no heat.  When I checked to see what was wrong with the heater I found out from some heating and air guys that had checked the unit that it  had a cracked heat box.  The good thing is they ordered a replacement part.  The strange thing is, they left the heat off because it could poison us with carbon monoxide!   Weren't we surprised by that last part.  Praise God, we are fine, but the realization that we could have died in our sleep was alarming at best.  When talking to my wife she brought up the point that we have a carbon monoxide alarm in our house and I told her she needed to check the batteries to make sure it is working as good as possible.  She made the reply, "It's plugged into the power of the house."  That's even better.

This whole thing brings to mind the point that a cracked commitment that let's the ways and poison of the world come into our life can get us when we least expect it.  Like the HVAC experts, we have an ongoing person who keeps our heart in good working condition and He is the Holy Spirit.  Periodic checks are needed to make sure everything is working right and that we don't have any major cracks in our spiritual life.  God also has a warning system for us if some poison should get through, and when the alarm goes off we are to make quick adjustments to keep the poison from killing us.  Now what would we have thought,  had we not put in the alarm because we thought nothing would probably happen to us and it wasn't needed.  We would have been very unhappy, but not before being very dead.  The alarms in life are made just for that "to alarm us."  If we are sleeping, "to wake us up."   If we are near exposure, "to tell us to get away."   If there is unknown danger, "now we know,"  Alarms are good.  Sometimes we get lulled into thinking we don't need alarms, because we haven't had any problems so far.  But we do....

Thanks to the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, everyone has heard of the "midnight ride of Paul Revere." But few have heard of Israel Bissel, a humble post rider on the Boston-New York route. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, Bissel was ordered to raise the alarm in New Haven, Connecticut. He reached Worchester, Mass., normally a day's ride, in two hours. There, according to tradition, his horse promptly dropped dead. Pausing only to get another mount, Bissel pressed on and by April 22 was in New Haven--but he didn't stop there! He rode on to New York, arriving April 24, and then stayed in the saddle until he reached Philadelphia the next day. Bissel's 126 hour, 345 mile ride signaled American militia units throughout the Northeast to mobilize for war. 

The alarms that are given from pulpits of Evangelical churches throughout our world are being ignored and we are being lulled to sleep.  The ones sounding the alarms are unheralded heroes of the faith, IF they sound the alarm.  If they aren't sounding the alarm, they have become part of the poisonous problem of breathing in more worldliness and apathy.  They have unplugged their alarm from the power source and no longer believe there is anything to be alarmed about.  There is a foul wind blowing in our world and it stinks of evil, but the smell, like carbon monixide (the silent killer) is undetectable.  Only those plugged into the power source, God and His Holy Word, will hear the alarm and share that alarm with others.  Others may not listen to the alarm, or choose to ignore it, but the fact still remains, WE HAVE TO SOUND IT!!  It takes a very little amount of powerful poisonous evil to kill and we need to be aware of the effects.  Check out this fact:  A minimum lethal dose of botulism bacillus is .00003 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. That is almost the equivalent of a flea derailing a 100 mile freight train.   We may think we can ignore the alarm because we have become so self sufficient, but evil poison is very powerful and it spreads so much faster than we realize.  It's time for all of us to respond to those sounding the alarm and make changes and then carry on the alarm wherever we go.  Here's what God said through His prophet Joel in Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-- Don't be caught sleeping when God sounds His alarm and stayed plugged in to the power source so you can hear the alarm..

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren