Here Am I, Send Him

 The prophet Isaiah was a major prophet who heard from the Lord in a very specific way.  Isaiah even knew about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus and he described Jesus as wonderful counselor, the prince of peace. Isaiah also knew about the call of God.  In Isaiah 6:1-4 Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  And they were calling to one another:  Holy,  holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory."  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  What a worship service that must have been.  They were "shaking the house" with the sound of their worship.  In other words, IT WAS LOUD!!  It shook Isaiah so much that he cried in verse 5 "Woe to me!  I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!"  The experience didn't stop there with Isaiah saying he was unworthy, but at that very time one of the seraphim flew to him with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  Verse 7  With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."  Then in verse 8 Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?"  Do you get the picture of this awesome time of worship where Isaiah is getting to experience and worship the Lord in His presence with the angels?  Wow!  What an experience!  Now it gets to the result of the whole thing where God asked "who will go for Him?"  I will guarantee Isaiah would not say, "Here am I, send Him."  Why?  First of all, because that is what scripture says and secondly, when you experience the presence of the Lord in that way what would be the result of it all for you?  I venture to say that you would fall on your knees and say, as Isaiah did, here am I, send me!!  How could you not accept that invitation from God?

In the modern day church we have learned a lot of good things and a lot of bad things about serving and following God's call.  Oh, we read about Jesus being a servant, even as the Son of God.  So we don't think of serving as being a  "less than" type of mentality.  But one of the things we have learned to do is "walk away from a worship experience without committing."  You are probably thinking of a church service as your worship experience, but that is not only what I am talking about.  The Lord came to Isaiah with a word in the temple, and prior to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection that would have been the place.  But with the coming of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit, that worship experience can happen just about anywhere God wants.  It may be a quiet time when God reveals Himself to you through His Word.  It could be a life and death scare that wakes up your soul to really "listen" to God.  It could be time of untimely blessing, where God has done something so wonderful for  you and you feel so unworthy.  It could be a church service where the Word of God speaks to you so specifically that you want to hit your knees in worship.  Whatever and wherever it is,  God shows up and calls you.  We have those experiences from time to time when God challenges our call or commitment, asking for more that we are doing or giving right now.  He may even shake up our life like he did in the temple with the volume of the worship being so loud that it shakes and wakes us up.  Even with this shaking, many have learned to say something much different than Isaiah when the Lord called him out.  We have learned to say, "Here am I, Send Him or Her."  It doesn't really matter whether it is male or female because it is just the result of the poison of apathy that makes that reply come from modern day church attenders.  Send him!!  Send Her!!!  Whatever you want Lord.  I'm not doing it!!  It doesn't matter the excuse, it doesn't matter the reason, it doesn't matter the timing.  What matters is "the heart!"  

The New Testament shows the same question being voiced by Jesus in Matthew 4, where Jesus told some fishermen, "come follow me."   They dropped their nets and left their livelihood and followed the Lord.  In Matthew 9  He saw a tax collector named Matthew and said "Come along with me" and Matthew followed Him.  There was also one who came to him in Matthew 10.  He was a rich young ruler and he was shaken by the presence of the Lord, but his heart was not in following Jesus.  Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor to get his treasure in heaven, but the rich young ruler turned away and in so many ways said,  "Here am I, send him."  God knows the heart.  Paul, in Acts 15 shared that the heart is where these decisions are made and the heart is affected by the Holy Spirit.  In other words, it is not the outside influence that makes those decisions, but it is the inside of us that does.  So, if a person can have a life changing experience with God, much like Isaiah, and not say "Here am I, Send me", something is wrong!!  If you can come to a worship experience in a church setting and see the hand of God moving and walk away unchanged, something is wrong!  The Lord is still alive and moving in His people.  The Lord is still showing up among His people.  The Lord is still calling for life changing commitment from His people.  If our  hearts are open to hearing from Him, the Lord is still speaking to His people.  Maybe, we don't want to hear what He may say to us because,  like Isaiah, God will ask "will you go?"  I wrote a song a few  years back called Will You Go and the lyrics go like this "will you go, when He calls out your name?  Can you say, where He leads I will go.  He is calling you now. open up.... to His love... open up."  Those lyrics say exactly what I am trying to get across.  Are you willing?  Are you really?  Then voice that commitment to God and say, "Here am I, Send me!"   When Jesus called his disciples, that's exactly what they said when He said "follow me."  If there was an awakening in the remnant today, it would be filled with many saying, "I will go!"  

With that kind of awakening true servants would gobble up everything needing to be done to reach a lost and dying world and we would be stepping over each other trying to get it done, instead of a paltry, small group of saints having to do the whole thing by themselves because no one else will go.  We need an awakening of hearts ready to do whatever He asks.

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand spent 14 years in a Romanian prison cell because he would not deny Christ.  In his autobiography Tortured for Christ, he tells of the atrocities suffered by Christians and others.  For years the book was refused by publishers because they thought it was too condemning of communist governments and too graphic in its descriptions of the suffering of those Christians.  May we not practice avoidance in dealing with reality when it comes to the atrocities seen in weak church members and then see God's Word published in our lives as we live the call of the Master every day of our life.  May our loyalty to Christ be seen in our heartfelt commitment to follow Him at all costs and  thus say, "Here Am I, Lord Send Me!"

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Sure. I am narrow minded..

Political correctness (def) - the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult a group of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.  There is a lot being said about political correctness lately and it seems that we as a people have marginalized just about every pure thing in life.  Some truths cannot be marginalized though and the gospel is one of those truths.  If you go to someone who is a waffler and tell them Jesus is the only way to eternal life, they will say, "oh there are many ways."  That reasoning works only if you don't believe the Bible, but then you have another issue to deal with..... God!!  In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."  So, you might say to me, "Are  you saying there is no other way to eternal life, but through Jesus Christ?"  I will say, "No, I didn't say that.  God's Word says that!"  Now that throws a kink into the apathetic argument of someone who thinks there are many ways to heaven, and it also probably insults them that someone would be so narrow-minded, but that reasoning doesn't line up with the words Jesus used to those who were considering following Him.  In Matthew 7:13  Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."  That doesn't sound very politically correct does it?  Nope!  But it is God-correct and that is the linch pin that holds the whole thing together.  That truth is vital for all who are searching for The Way.  In the Beatitudes Jesus warned about things that would happen to those who were narrow-minded.  In Matthew 5:11  Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say evil against you because of me."  Why did Jesus say this right of the gate?  Because He knew the narrow-minded truth would be rejected and that those who were telling that truth would have to deal with political correctness or maybe spiritual correctness.   But in verse 12 Jesus tells us to "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  

If we choose the stance to go through the wide gate, you can see how things can get out of hand and the truth will easily be marginalized by the many different human opinions about which way is right.  That stance is the scourge that is affecting our world and our churches today.  Churches are dying because of open mindedness.  Only those who follow the narrow way will receive the promises of God.  Jesus is that narrow way.  So you might ask me, "Are you narrow-minded?  To which I will say, "If you are asking if Jesus is the only way?  I say, YES!  Yes, I am narrow-minded because truth is truth when it comes from God.  Man's opinions and watered down wisdom is the broad way and there are many who are following that reasoning, but the end is destruction.  Destruction.....  Proverbs 16:25 is starting to ring in our ears isn't it?  "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."  Common sense alone says, "don't follow that way."  But God's Word commands and says, "There is no other way but Jesus!"  

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

A Knight's Tale - Lacking Nothing

Perseverance (def)- Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.  In the movie A Knight's Tale, Heath Ledger's character took quite a  journey of greatness.  The movie chronicles his life from his childhood, born a poor man's son, his father basically selling him into service as a valet to an aristocrat.  The story fast forwards to show the boy as a young man serving yet another nobleman who goes through the country jousting for sport and money.  The man he is serving dies after a joust where he got wounded and the young Will Thatcher takes on this man's colors and identity.  He is extremely talented at jousting, and after honing his skills, starts winning jousting matches.  Much to the dismay of one Adhemar, who up to the entrance of Will into the jousting world had been the ongoing undefeated champion.  Young Will and his band of misfits continue to win one competition after another in their quest for more wealth and position.  He even uses counterfeit papers to allow him to continue to compete and fights his way to power and position.  Adhemar hears of young Will's rise to stardom, but cannot do anything about it as he is called off to war.  Upon returning from war Adhemar sees his chance to meet and hopefully defeat Will at the upcoming championships in London.  This match is particularly special to Will because that is where he is from and also left as a young lad.  He seeks out his father and upon finding him is discovered  as the impostor he is by Adhemar and is put in the stocks or prison.  Prince Edward, who Will was very fair to at an earlier match, overrides the decision to keep Will from the match by issuing an order that only someone of his position can order and Will gets to joust in the championship match.  At this point in the movie I was thinking, "Will is going to destroy Adhemar and get his just due."  But Adhemar puts a spear head on the end of his jousting spear and on their first pass injures Will severely.  Earlier Adhemar had visited Will in jail and beat him up and leaned down and said, "You have been weighed, You have been measured, and you have absolutely been found wanting."  Those words rang in young Will's ears as he realized his injury might keep him from fulfilling his dream of winning the tournament.  But like his name, his will took over and he willed himself to get back on the horse and defeat Adhemar.  Victory!!!  As he goes to the fallen Adhemar, he leans in and repeats those fateful words, "You have been weighed, You have been measured, and you have absolutely been found wanting."  Justice at last.

No matter what the circumstances of his life,  young Will was determined to finish his race, complete his quest at all costs.  One distraction after another, one let down after another, but yet he still kept on.  He saw the goal and worked to keep that goal in front of himself and showed great perseverance.  It's because of perseverance that goodness turns into greatness.  It's because of perseverance that mediocrity becomes majesty.  It's because of perseverance that defeat becomes decided victory.  Jesus showed great perseverance as he was met at every turn of his travels on this earth with great hatred, deceit, and evil.  But He persevered!!  He finished His race for you and for me.  Scripture calls us to persevere  in the face of great odds and great evil.  Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  So, our perseverance has some tough times ahead as we know our enemy is very powerful.  But don't despair and don't give up. Romans 12:11 says, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."  Perseverance...  The enemy will try to keep us from trusting in God and His mighty power.  The enemy will try to make us doubt the power we have inside us and he will tempt us by giving us easier alternatives in our direction, so as to keep us from having the effect God wants us to have in our life's direction.  But persevere, please persevere.  The Kingdom depends on our perseverance, so don't despair, don't fall back, don't quit, keep on serving.  The enemy will even whisper these words to us from time to time to get us to quit,  "You have been weighed, You have been measured, and you have absolutely been found wanting."  But James 1:4 says, "Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  The Word of God admonishes each of us by saying "Perseverance must finish it's work."  In other words, don't give up!  Persevere!!! Here is a story of one Godly man's quest to finish the work God started in him. 

One day George Muller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Muller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Muller's funeral the last one was saved.

It would be so sad to start a quest and quit in the middle and never experience the victory of  that quest by quitting.  Perseverance is something that has to happen if you expect to see God do great things through your life.  Our goodness will become greatness, if we persevere!!  Our apathy will become awesome, if we persevere!!  

Romans 5:3-5 says it well about this process of persevering.  "3 No only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character hope  5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."  We have all we need to finish the race set before us so here's what we need to do.  Press on.. Philippians 3:14 says "Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  God's Word has spoken... perservere!!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Mow the Grass

This week I went out and scalped my lawn and mowed it for the last time of the season.  It ended up being the most difficult job yet. I put my riding mower cutting height a little lower this time and I was amazed at the amount of grass clippings I had to rake and bag.  All through the summer I had fertilized and killed weeds and I must say the yard really had a good look. I would cut it at a depth that looked very uniform when finished and that depth would make me have to mow it about every four days.  As summer days turn to fall the grass also turns more brown than green in color and the growth stops for the winter season.  But those grass clippings!!  It is just a bunch of dead grass and when the wind gets up it flies all over the place.  Frustrating...

Those dead grass clippings really got me thinking about how my lawn is watered and taken care of and how when fertilizer is added it gets really green and then at the end of the summer it goes dormant.  Kind of a controlled death.  Not growing, but not totally dying, and not very good to look at with no growth at all.  Peter wrote to the church in 1 Peter chapter 1 about being holy and also staying green all the time and what it takes to do that.  In verse 13 Peter says "prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope full on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."  He goes on and talks about the ongoing hope in verse 23 we will have if we know where it comes from "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."   A life built on God's Word never goes dormant.  It is always growing and thriving and the witness God builds in our lives through His Word is a beautiful representation of His living Word, the Bible.   

Too many times we as Christians try to live our life out of secondary information like, I heard someone say one time...., or remember the old saying....  All of those are very pleasing to our ears, but only the words from the Word of God have the power to change and rearrange and make us fresh and ever growing in our faith.  What we have to offer as humans is not ever growing and fresh, but dying and perishable and goes dormant when you really need it.  In verse  24 Peter says, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but.... the word of the Lord stands forever."  There is a very important final sentence in this scripture and it goes like this..."And this is the word that was preached to you."  What are you listening to that is preached to you.  Is it the unedited word of God or is it someones impression of the word filtered through a worldly viewpoint.  Sometimes we want to take God's Word and filter it through a worldly filter to make it more palatable for those listening, like we have to explain what we think it was really saying, so people can comprehend and make it apply to how we live today.  What is really happening is we are watering it down because don't see the power of it being so blunt and so exact.  When we do that we are causing God's Word to be less lasting and effective, and it will become dormant in our lives.  Why?  Because we have inserted us and our opinions into the mix.  When that happens it loses some of it's life, some of it's power.  Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any doubled-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  

So if you are a blade of grass and all through your life you have been watered and fertilized by a filtered version of God's Word you will go dormant or die eventually.  Bad news huh?  The good news is you can make it right today by seeking God in His Word and taking it for what it really says, and nothing less.  In other words, mow the grass that has been grown by teachings that are filtered through man's intellect and reasoning and redo your lawn (life) by getting into God's Word and seeing what it says to you and the Holy Spirit will do the rest.  Actually most believers are living their faith from filtered truth and that produces weak and changing faith that is very ineffective.  God's Word is imperishable truth and never goes dormant, but is fresh and new every time you read it.  If you don't believe me.  Try it. Cause I know that's true.  The Apostle Paul sent letters to Timothy, his son in the faith and he said a lot of great things, but the one that stands out most to me is what he said in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is God-breathed and is  useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."  Mow the grass that is dying and going dormant and reseed with the pure Word of God.  Then your grass (life) will always be green and growing....

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Ketchup on my clothes

Have you ever had a stain of ketchup on your shirt?  I have!  And boy it is really hard to get out.  We were  eating on the patio of Sonic today (fine dining) and to eat my onion rings I needed to empty about six of those ketchup packets on a napkin and then I would have enough to eat my rings with and feel complete...  So, I empty out the packet on the napkin, not realizing there was a breeze blowing.  The breeze can't lift the napkin when the ketchup pile is heavy, but the more I ate of the ketchup, the more the breeze affected my napkin.  Of course, you know what happened a little later.  Ketchup is almost gone and the napkin, without much ketchup weight gets turned over by the breeze.  Now my ketchup is where it shouldn't be...under the napkin.  Bummer!!

If I just left the pile of ketchup on the napkin, with all it's weight to hold it down, I wouldn't have had a problem.   Then the problem would be getting the taste of the ketchup on my onion rings.  Oh how they need that ketchup.  Use the ketchup, get the flavor.  Don't use the ketchup, don't get the flavor but  you keep the stain off your clothes.  One time the same thing happened and it landed on my shirt and put a stain on it that looked terrible.  Ketchup on my clothes.  In Isaiah 61:10 the prophet said, "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,  as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."  How are we "adorned" as disciples?  With the blood of Jesus!!  It is because of His blood that we have the righteousness we now live in and the stain of that blood is a real reminder for each of us.  That stain...  The clothes we wear as believers are clothes that represent who Christ is to us and identifies us with Jesus at every turn of our life.  When I say clothes, I mean the righteousness that we now have because of His blood.    Of course, much more than ketchup, real blood.  That blood was shed for you and for me and it is "who we are"  as we go about our everyday life of service.  Some who claim the name of Jesus don't want to have that blood stain seen in their lives, but it is still there if they actually know him.  Sometimes you may want to be a convenient Christian, but not one who totally identifies yourself with our Savior.  First of all, shame on you.  Secondly, you cannot escape what that blood stain means.  Even if you wanted to.   The blood stain of Jesus' blood was not meant to be hidden, or even cleaned off.  It is the flavor of our life.   The flavor that blood adds to our life is a flavor that gives us a righteousness that impacts people in a very confrontational way at times.  It is almost intimidating and very convicting for those who profess Christ and those who don't

Today make an effort to put away anything that may be an attempt to keep His righteousness from shining through and "embrace the stain."  Let the stain be a reminder, a stimulus, a heart's cry, an identity, and let the breeze of the Holy Spirit blow through your life so you can live in the freedom only found in Christ.  Here is what the Apostle Paul said about Christ' love for the church in Ephesians  5: 26  "and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."  Because of the blood of Jesus we can be presented in that way without stain or blemish, but whole and complete.  Praise the name of Jesus for His great love and sacrifice for you and for me.  

The pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

A Clear View of the Creek

I live in a community next to a town that has a creek running through it.  That creek is a beautiful expression of God's creation, and we love looking at it, but most of all, we would love to get in it!!  It is our great wish and prayer that some day we might be able to live on that creek or another one like it.  My wife and I talk about it every time we see the creek and I am praying that God will one day give us the opportunity to live on the water in some form or fashion.  We saw some building lots the other day that were in a location where the underbrush could be removed and then we could build a house that would overlook the creek.  The underbrush was blocking the view, but the huge trees on the lot were no distraction at all because their branches didn't even start for at least 20 feet up the tree trunk.  I could almost totally see my wife and I walking down the lot from a well-positioned house to the creek below and looking at the water?  No!  Jumping in!  It would be a shame to have that water and not enjoy it by swimming in it.  Oh we could clear out all the underbrush we wanted and build an immaculate house, but what would be the use if we didn't use the creek for all it was intended.  Swimming!!  Of course, I could fish in it also, but the swimming would be the ultimate high for us.  That may only be a wish that never gets to be a reality, but it is still fun to wish.

Which brings to mind the ability to live a full and fruitful life as God provides.  No underbrush (sin) restricting full view of something wonderful God wants to do through your life that you can really enjoy.  The ultimate high!!  Anything to do with water is usually active.  I like to swim in it and I remember as a kid I would barely have my head out of the lake as I observed the life that was going on  around me.  I just wanted to stay there in the water.  It felt so soothing.  Also,  when I was a kid my dad bought a boat dock on a lake and moved our family down there.  At first I didn't want to leave the safe, secure, town I had friends in, but all of that changed when I realized that we were going to be living just about 50 yards from the lake.  My first time in that water made me think, "Forget my old friends.  This is the best!"  My childhood memories of that time are all glowing.   Even though I got bit by a copperhead snake while living there, I still count that as a great place to grow up.  So water has been a big part of my life.  When someone says, "There is a creek down beyond those trees, I'm trying to spot the creek immediately.  Why?  I like water!!  To me life by a creek would be the ultimate thing, but I wouldn't want to only look at it, but swim in it.  No restrictions between me and that water.  A clear view of the creek would be awesome, because I am going to jump in and recapture a little of the beautiful childhood memories of the best years of my childhood.  Many of Jesus' disciples were lovers of water too.  It must have been tough to leave behind the "life on the water" experiences, but their mission in life changed the moment they met Jesus.  When Jesus was nailed to the cross they were a long way from the lake.   When the Holy Spirit came upon them they were also a long way from the lake.  Their clear view of the water was exchanged for a clearer view of real life centered around following Jesus.  They had a clear view of eternity and all it held for them and the ones they shared their message with as they traveled on the road. 

When the underbrush of their lives was cleared away they had a clear view of who Jesus was and what His mission was and they left it all to follow Him.  I may never get to have a clear view of the creek in my life, but I do get the privilege of having a clear view of Jesus and all He wants to show me as I follow Him.  No underbrush, just tall trees with a good view of all the abundant life has to offer.  That view is a precursor to an even better view when Jesus returns to take us to our heavenly home. Jeremiah 17:8 says, " He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  it does not fear when heat  comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."  Don't trade the truly important things in life for a desire to have a clear view of the creek.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2

Where are your eyes today?  Are they fixed on Jesus or are they looking for the next creek to lay around and look at.  Live the active life that Jesus has called each of us to live and you will find your "creek" in life in the blessings that only He can give as you serve Him.  Matthew 5:8  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  I'm liking this view the best right now.  Hope you are too!!  A Clear view of our Savior....

The Pilgrimage continues..

David Warren

Cruisin on the Good Ship Lollipop

A child actress of yesteryear, Shirley Temple, was in a bunch of movies as a child and captured the heart of our country with her contagious smile and her cute singing voice.  In one of her movies, Bright Eyes, she sang a song that was her signature song for years.  The song was entitled "On the Good Ship Lollipop."  Here are some of the lyrics of that song  on the good ship lollipop its a nice trip, into bed you hop, and dream away, on the good ship lollipop. A few years ago our children got together and gave us our first ever cruise to Cosumel.  We didn't know what to expect when we got on our ship, so everything was a new experience.  The biggest part of the experience was "getting away from it all."  You know a, "calgon take me away" type of thing.  And we really enjoyed the chance to relax, refresh, and spend that time together.  It was a great time and much appreciated by me and my wife.  I guess if we immersed ourselves in that way of life, we would probably just like to spend all the rest of our days on that ship.  Sun, food, no clean up, just vegging.  The only problem is, life isn't that way.  You do come to a port somewhere and reality kicks back in....as it should.

In the book of Jonah, in Chapter 1 verse 1 it says, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai."  God had a great plan for Jonah's life and He wanted him to go to Nineveh and preach against it, because of it's wickedness.  Jonah on the other hand thought that was a terrible plan, so he proceeded to run from God and ran straight onto what he thought was the Good Ship Lollipop, but he was mistaken.  He wasn't on the Good Ship Lollipop, he was really on The Last Ship.  And it was the last ship he would want to sail on for awhile.  You know the story.  He was thrown overboard, he was swallowed by a giant fish, and puked up on the shore.  That was him returning to port.  It all goes to show that if God wants you to do something it is better to go ahead and follow His will and do it.  I have heard some say, "God won't force you to do anything."  Tell that to Jonah as he walks around with his "fish breath." God got his attention and, as  unconventional as it seemed, Jonah followed God's original instructions. God does get His way every time.  Jonah went from "I'm not gonna do it!" To Jonah 2:7-9  "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.  Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs, but with a song of thanksgiving, will I sacrifice to you."  Oh, now Jonah is singing a different tune isn't he? His song changed from Not Gonna Bow to Let's Go.  He thought he would be able to escape on the Good Ship Lollipop, but there was no escaping the long arm of God and his repentance and change of heart resulted in all the people of Nineveh repenting with sackcloth and ashes and it even caused the king of Nineveh to do the same.  Mission accomplished!!  It changed them so much the king declared that all the people should cry out urgently to God and give up their evil ways.  God heard their prayers and it saved their city.  But what about Jonah.  He didn't stand up and say, "Praise the Lord for saving the Ninevites.  Nope, Jonah had a mad fit because he hated the Ninevites and thought that God was wasting His grace on them.  Another part of this story is Jonah went out to the east side of the city and had a mad fit and wanted to die, but God provided a vine to cover over him to protect him and then killed the vine the next morning with a worm. Jonah was so concerned over the death of the vine, but not concerned over the lives of the people.  I guess you could say he was a "tree hugger."  God showed him the error of his ways when comparing a vine to 120,000 people's lives.  Jonah fled the presence of God to keep from having to serve Him for a people he did not like.  His attempt to flee on a ship was stopped by God because God wanted to use him for his plan and him alone.  Jonah had significance in God's plan and Jonah trying to sail away on the Good Ship Lollipop wasn't going to keep God from using him.

What is God calling you to do for him and who is it going to impact?  Are they people you have a love for, or are they people you don't really like?  Don't think you can cruise off into the sunset if God wants you to serve Him for a specific ministry.  That's when the storms of life will direct you back to God's original plan for you.  Been there, done that.  You may have given every excuse  you can think of to keep from following God's plan, but God answers every excuse.  So what do you do?  First of all, you don't go on a cruise and veg.  Secondly, you perk up and start listening even closer for God's specific direction in your life.  Why?  Because it will mean something great for you and those you minister to.  Thirdly, you let go and let God!!!  It's time to let go and follow the call on your life and see what great things God has planned for your life when you follow His commands.  The Psalmist said in Psalm 31:3  "Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."

If you are willing He is  wanting.  If  you are listening, He is talking.  If you are ready, He says Go!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Can You See the Mountains

We were on a group trip to Montana years ago and as we were gaining more and more elevation it seemed like we would see mountain ranges anytime, but we didn't.  Then we came around a curve and there in the distance I saw it.  Mountains....like huge mountains.  It was my first time to get to see some of the most majestic and beautiful mountains in my life.  I realized what I had been missing all those years was something totally beyond my imagination, and the sight of those mountains really got to me.  It was something I had not actually planned on being that pretty and big.  In other words, I couldn't even imagine it before seeing it because my vision of the whole thing was way too small.

As believers we also need to see mountains at times to encourage us about God and His Presence.  Some people might call it proof of God's existence, but I like to call it affirmation that God is still in control and what He does is way beyond what we can perceive or imagine.  That's the awesomeness of God!!!  Even in the "we've done that" attitude of our world, God continues to pop up wonderful mountaintop things in our lives.   You may be in a place right now where you feel like God is not doing so much in your life.  Well, you are not alone.  But like the group we were driving on our trip, when I saw the mountains, they heard me say, "Now that's what I call a Mountain!!"  They would have seen the mountains eventually, but it heightened the whole experience when I yelled out in a loud hush, "Mountains. wow!"  My excited, awestruck way of saying it kind of pulled everybody into the excitement of the moment and allowed us all to marvel together.

My question is this; "Can you see the Mountains?"  If not, are you even looking for the mountains?  What I mean is "do you still believe God can amaze?"  If not, then you have let time and circumstances dumb down your attitude about the power and majesty of God.  Don't doubt God!!  He doesn't like that, and by the way, you need to start looking for the mountains (beauty of God's power) in your life again.  satan would like nothing less than to get us to quit pursuing God and His awesome power.  He would like for us to miss all the beautiful things God is doing all around us to minimize God in our thinking.  Don't let him do it!!  God is still in the mountain making business and He is still working in our lives, so keep on looking for the great things He will do through your life.  Don't lose the dream that becomes a reality when we are looking for it.  Also, God lets us not only look at those mountains, but also travel on them.  He will take us to heights we never thought were possible and gift us a new outlook on the world around us.  In Luke 9:28 it says "about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went  up onto a mountain to pray."  They went up on the mountain to pray.  Guess who made that mountain?  Jesus.  They were never the same after spending that time with our Savior and you will never be the same if you "walk with God" in your daily life.  One thing about it, God will show you some mountains and the extent of His great power, and He will also take you up on those mountains to show you a new view point.  But first....start looking for God's handiwork in the world around you and allow that handiwork to be seen in your life as well.

Then point others to the mountains that God has shown you and it will be an eye-opening thing for them also.  

Can you see the mountains?  They are there.  Look again...

The Pilgrimage  continues....

David Warren

The Crooked Path

In Psalm 119:35 the Psalmist wrote "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."  As I look back on the path of my life I see many crooked paths that took a lot longer to get somewhere and that was because some of those paths I took on my own.  Oh they winded around here and there and everywhere, when they could have been a very straight path to the next destination.  At times I would let valleys, when I went through them,  get me confused as to where I was, and get me off task and off route for where God wanted me to go.  Those valleys were meant to get me to look up and get more of God's directions and less of mine so I would move in the right direction.  Oh, there have also been plenty of times when I moved directly where I needed to go, via God's straightforward directions and avoided all the walking around aimlessly.  Boy that was a lot easier!!  

What does the path of your life look like.  A straight and narrow path, or a crooked, disjointed one?  Of course, I can reason it out by saying, "If I had not gone down that crooked path, I would not have experienced the circumstances that developed my walk and faith in God." Really?  Sometimes I just make bone headed choices that get me totally off track and sure, God will bail me out, but I shouldn't have gone that way anyway!  Discernment is a huge plus in our walk with the Lord, but it takes us being in tune with God and the Holy Spirit.

For me it is the difference between the narrow gate and the wide gate.  In Matthew 7:13 Jesus was teaching His disciples and He said, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it."  If we will narrow our focus and let that focus be on Jesus and His way we will begin to see things starting to open up in our life and make us much more productive in our walk. Very directional....  In Hebrews 12 2 the writer says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."  Eyes on Jesus + walking forward with His instruction = Straight and narrow.  Think about it this way.  Picture a funnel.  Normal usage of a funnel would be to start at the big end and it gets smaller to the other end.  Turn the funnel around.  Start at the small end and then see what happens.  It opens up to a much wider end.  If we center our lives on following Jesus' instructions in the straight and narrow, we will see a new life open up before us that widens our influence, or direction, and our results.  The key is "fixing our eyes on Jesus!" The Message Bible translates the Psalm 119:35 scripture like this; "Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!"

So, victorious living dictates that our life should be fixed on Jesus, content to follow His commands and narrow down our path, and move totally in His direction.  That means more straight roads and less crooked paths.  That falls in line with Paul's instruction in Ephesians 5:16  "Make the most of every chance you get.  These are desperate times!!"

Keep from letting life slip by and keep your eyes on Jesus and you will live a much more efficient, effective life that opens up to new and exciting challenges every day.  The straight and narrow path is best!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Where Did All the Words Go?

In the modern day church of 2015 it seems like we hear a lot of things like, "Well, back in the 80's we used to run (insert your number) and now it's all we can do to get (another number)."  2015 is a different time and a different world.  Who would have ever thought that Christians would be running for their lives in America?  But it is happening!!  Also, churches are running for their lives to keep going and the downward spiral of believers who darken the doors of churches is declining.  We scratch our heads and hope that the modern trends of mass media will somehow stop the bleeding, but will it?  Sometimes the "fix" we use to repair the problem only makes it worse, and in the case of today's fixes for the problem, I believe that is happening.  It seems like the world's fixation on second and third hand relationships is a part of the problem that caused the downward spiral of true relationship building. Texting instead of actually "talking" to someone on the phone, has made us even more antiseptic in our relationships.  Antiseptic, in that we think typing something can make our words more powerful than our human voice, when in reality it is a wispy conversation at best.  Ok, I'm 60 years old and here it goes....David, you have to get with the times and realize this is just the way things are going, so let go of the past and keep up with the current changes in our society.  And, by the way, I do text. begrudgingly, but I DO text.  Overall I think texting is a good "backup" for not being able to reach someone on the phone, so it does have some advantages....some.  But texting can never replace the one on one conversations that develop relationships, share dreams, and deepen our connections with each other.  NEVER!!!

I was a youth pastor for 25  years and during those years I forced the youth to really get to know each other by doing "one on one" exercises in communication.  At the time I thought, and they thought, I was crazy for doing that, but the end result was worth it all.  A young person in the early stages of development will at times try to avoid that personal contact of another person for whatever reason. It could be they are intimidated, or shy, or superficial in their personality.  So, when you "force" a person of that age to do something like sit across from another person and get to know them one on one, it scares them to death. But in the case of those in my youth group, they started liking it, and wanting to do it....a lot.  Relationships in the group that seemed to be timid and awkward, started becoming warm and close.  The fake faces were gone and the real you and me took over and we were ok with it.  Things like eye contact, and sharing, and listening replaced walk bys, and, I don't have time for this, and avoidance.  It was great!!!  Guess when this happened?  The 80s!  If I were a prophet at that time, I would have told you "There will be a time when talk and conversation is going to be replaced with machines."  You would have looked at me and thought I was crazy, or writing the next Star Wars script, but not looking at the world realistically.  But it has happened!!  And it continues to happen more and more.

Can you imagine what the life of Christ would have looked like in Jesus' day if they had our modern means?  Instead of walking among the people healing and preaching, Jesus would have made a video on His iphone and put it on facebook.  Or maybe, Jesus would have attached a gopro to his head and captured them lifting him up on the cross, and looking down on the people seeing their detachment from what was happening to Him.  There are some things you just can't reproduce without being there.  That is the precious thing about interaction with people.  You are there..... Not through a text or Facebook messenger.  You are there.  You are real and they are real and now it is one on one.  Can you handle that?  You might think not, but if you will force yourself to spend time one on one with someone, I believe you will develop the ability to do it more and more until it unearths who you really are, a human being.  Don't get me wrong. I have an Iphone and yes, I look at it quite often to use the computer side of it to get information, and Siri has helped me many times.  I just feel like such a "sell out" when it comes to how I should be connecting with people.  I should talk to them in person, and at least on the phone to make it much more personal.  I should...I could....I would.... I will!!!  The Psalmist in 16:11 said a lot about being in the presence of someone, namely God.  It says "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  

So, why don't people come to Bible Study and Church like they did years ago?  Could it be that technology is feeding the lack of desire for true communication in human form with each other?  I think so!  You know what's next don't you?  Of course, this mindset also feeds the lack of desire to be in God's presence also.  Here is a scenario.  I text God my prayer request and wait for him to text me back?  I don't think so, do you?  If we are so immersed in the worldly practice of avoiding the presence of someone else, surely we are also avoiding being in the presence of God!!  Now if you think all of this is just a bunch of hooey from an old guy, maybe you are drinking the koolaid and thinking it tastes good.  I'm telling you, it will kill you if you don't quit!!  You may use the creativity excuse to keep the texting element in use, but that is weak because true creativity is best seen in people interacting with God and each other.  In John 8 Jesus told the Jews "if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."  They questioned Him about saying that He could set them free by saying they had never been slaves.  They just couldn't get it because they had been conditioned from childhood to believe what they were saying.  So, they missed the reality of truth shared to them by Jesus.  We have been conditioned to think that a certain way of communicating is best also, but is it?  Jesus went on to say in vs. 36  "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."  Jesus introduced a new "game plan" and it was different than what they had been used to, and instead of embracing it, they fought it.  Of course, they were deep in their beliefs and it consumed them to the point of doubting Jesus at every word He said, so Jesus got straight to the point..."He who belongs to God hears what God says.  The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."  Jesus is great about getting to the point and He did that right in front of them, to their face.  That is interaction at it's purest form.  One on One.  We need more of that kind of conversation between believers and believers; and believers and non believers.  Here is an experiment you can do.  When you are connecting with someone else in a conversation try to at least talk to them on the phone, but preferably face to face.  It may be a little difficult at first, but you will get good at it after a while and then you will see the value of one on one in the presence of someone else.  And on that same thought, spend time one on one with God and see if that doesn't develop into a closer relationship that involves being in the presence of God.  Oh yeah, it would be great to also believe that you can actually be in the presence of the Living God.  There's a good start right there....

Where did all the words go?  They are still here, but just not being used in conversations....

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren