This Is It!!

It's hard to believe I am writing my 365th blog entry.  That means I have a full year's worth of blog entries.  Wow!  I hope these blogs are helpful to all who read them, and if not, at least something to get you thinking  As you can read, I write about things I see and experience and relate God's Word to them to leave a lasting message that is attached to a real life action.  Common sense wisdom from God's Word for common sense problems and questions.  Now that I have made my first goal for this blog  you might think I would quit.  Not so fast my friend.  There is more to go, because life is ever-changing and God's Word is teaching us new lessons every day as we live our lives as vessels of His grace, mercy, and wisdom.  That's where the word Vesselogical comes from.  It stands for logic for those wishing to be a vessel for God's wisdom. This is it, but it's not over.  ala Kenny Loggins song. 
Lyrics below...

There've been times in my life, I've been wonderin' why. Still, somehow I believed we'd always survive. Now, I'm not so sure You're waiting here, one good reason to try But, what more can I say? What's left to provide?

(You think that maybe it's over,) (Only if you want it to be.)  Are you gonna wait for a sign, your miracle?

Stand up and fight.

(This is it.)  Make no mistake where you are. (This is it.) Your back's to the corner. 
(This is it.)

Don't be a fool anymore.  (This is it.)

The waiting is over, no, don't you run. No way to hide. No time for wonderin' why. It's here, the moment is now, about to decide. Let 'em believe. Leave 'em behind. But keep me near in your heart. Know whatever you do, I'm here by your side.

(You say that maybe it's over.) (Not if you don't want it to be.) For once in your life, here's your miracle.

Stand up and fight.

(This is it.) Make no mistake where you are. (This is it.) You're goin' no further. (This is it.)

Until it's over and done.

(No one can tell what the future holds.) Oh-oh-oh-oh. (Who makes the choice of how it goes?) It's not up to me this time. (You know.) Comes a day in every life.
(This is it.) Make no mistake where you are. (This is it.) You're goin' no further. (This is it.) Until it's over and done.
(This is it.) One way or another. (This is it.) (No one can tell what the future holds.) (This is it.)
Your back's to the corner. (This is it.) (You make the choice of how it goes.) (This is it.)
The waiting is over. (This is it.) (No one can tell what the future holds.) (This is it.)
One way or another. (This is it.)

So, Lord willing, I will continue writing these blogs, if for no one else....me.  I hope I will touch some hearts and challenge some doubters to keep on following God and live an inspired life.  We live in perilous times and the exercise of seeking God hasn't gotten old, but is new and fresh every day.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  I'm gonna keep on seeking and trusting God because I am on a pilgrimage and it just keeps on going and going.   

The pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Scared of Knowledge? I think not! People herding....

In Proverbs 1:7 scripture says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."  When I was in my teens I lived on a farm that was located in Howell Valley.  Howell Valley was a valley just outside of West Plains, Missouri and my dad moved us to our 63 acre farm when I was just about 12 years old.  I can visualize the valley right now as I look out our back door across the road where 60 beautiful "bottom land" acres were situated.  I had many a great time on those acres and most of them involved horses and cattle.  My dad was a cattle auctioneer and cattle buyer, and from time to time we might have as many as 80 head of cattle roaming that acreage.  We would fatten those cows up and then ship them off to be sold.  When it came time to bring in those cattle to load them up I had a little cattle pony I would hop on and ride out to the main pasture and start gathering up our stock and guide them toward a lane that had been made by narrowing the fence to make it only 14 feet wide.  That lane allowed us to keep the cows moving into the holding pen that led to the shoot that led to the truck.   You get it.  We were herding cattle.  Before the cattle got to that lane they had every chance of getting away from me and my horse because we were in the big pasture and all they needed to do was start running in different directions.  That would overwhelm my ability to keep them moving forward and I couldn't keep 20 different cows together when they were moving in different directions.  So it was my goal to gently move them to a  place where I could control them better, and getting them to the lane was my main goal.  Most of the time this plan worked, but every once in a while we would have a wild cow or two who would realize what was happening and then they would make a break for it.  When they got away the others turned around and realized they could break free too.  Havoc ensued when this happened and I had to start the whole thing over again.  Like I said, most of the time it all went as planned and the lane would serve it's purpose in getting the cattle herded in the same direction and they would end up in the same pen.  Job completed!!!  Whew!!  I don't know what was more difficult, doing the cattle herding or telling you about it.  Anyway, cattle are just a little dumb, so they can be manipulated to move from here to there pretty easily.  

As Christians we are led by God's hand from here to there at times as he gently moves us to another place in our life.  When he is gently moving us we, as trusting souls, keep moving forward as he places us in another location for doing what he wants with us.  It is called the "will of God."  God also puts us in a position to listen to Him and follow His direction many times as He fine tunes our options to direct in the way we should go.  Sometimes our wants and desires can come across as looking pretty dumb when we try to revolt against the direction God is taking us.  But our fear of God should kick in and cause  us not to "buck" against His will, but follow it completely.  When we learn to fear God to that point, we start to show we have some knowledge of who God is and what He wants.  This narrowing of purpose, God's Will, is a part of a perfect plan God has for our life.  That plan's defining moment is when our knowledge of God kicks in and we step in the footsteps He has laid out before us.  There is a poem entitled Footprints in the Sand that speaks to this very thing.

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me." 

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

So as the scripture I quoted at the beginning of this blog says,  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  That fear sparks a Holy Spirit led lifestyle that seeks God and His ways, and God is faithful to direct us in the direction He wants us to go and sometimes He carries us there through trials and testing.  The scripture goes on to alert us to the fact that we are fools when we don't follow His ways.  

On one of my cattle drives I was herding a bunch of mothers with new calves.  One calf was so young and weak that it couldn't go any further and it just laid down.  At that point I picked the calf up in my arms and carried it through the lane to the new pen where it's mother was waiting for it.  When I got it there it's mother ran over to make sure the calf was not hurt and helped it continue on.  There may be times in  your Christian journey when you feel like you cannot go any further and you just want to quit.  God will pick you up and help you  make it to the next place of growth in your life and make sure you are ok and strengthened.  The Psalmist says in Psalm 68:35  "You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!"  God is our strength and our song and He not only directs us, but picks us up when we cannot go on our own strength.  If that is knowledge, I want all I can get!!  In my  heart I need to fear God and follow His plan and trust His ways are higher than my ways and let Him direct my path to that new place He has for me.  If I will learn to follow God's ways my life will be solid and secure.  In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said it like this "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a  wise man who built his house on the rock."  Don't be foolish.  God's ways are the best ways and it is time to let Him guide you into a deeper walk with Him.  Learn to fear God and let Him guide you into the way of everlasting.  I love the story told by Elizabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot, the missionary who was killed by the Auca indians while trying to share the gospel with them.

Elizabeth Elliot tells of two adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes. They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians. She writes: "Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me -- confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped. But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff, something is missing?

She suggests that we often ask God for too little. We know what we need--a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question. Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way.

God knows the way. Let Him be your guide to get there.

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Institutioned Not Inspired

1 Thessalonians 1:3 -" We continually remember before our  God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."  

When was the last time you were really inspired to do something great in your life?  To step out and, by faith, trust God and do a really God-sized act?  If it has been a while then you have probably fallen into what I call "institutionalized Christianity."  We see way to much of that kind of Christianity today in our churches and actually, we foster that kind of faith by doing nothing to challenge believers to greatness.  You may say, "what is greatness?"  Greatness is that thing you do that sets you apart from others by your actions, not your words.  It means you live out your faith every day as, what the Bible calls, a disciple; a person who walks with Jesus.  It's not how big you are, or how well you are liked, or how big or trendy your church is.  It is who Jesus is in your life and how you are living that out by action every day.  We don't even have to get "super spiritual" about it.  We just need to know that it is all about Jesus and no one else.  That kind of greatness is the kind of faith that makes an impact in the world we live in and sets things into motion that leads others to Christ.  Greatness comes from inspiration.  The word inspire means to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence.  To produce or arouse, and to influence or impel.  We just don't see that kind of faith anymore in our churches, in our pulpits, or really anywhere.  We have become institutionalized in our lifestyle and it has caused our faith in Jesus to be replaced with our thoughts about Jesus.  The personal relationship has been replaced with a very impersonal way of perceiving the one who has saved our soul from hell and eternal fire.  Yep...I wrote that...FIRE.  We have become so numb to the prospect of  inspiration we cannot even think in clear terms about it to the point of getting back to it again.  We have become mesmerized by the thought of Christianity and the perception we have about our faith, but none of that is real and relational.  Just think about the concept of the Son of God coming to this earth and being born of a virgin and living a life as fully God and fully man!!  Just think about the nastiness of living and walking on this sinful earth that shakes a bony fist at our creator with almost every breath we take.  Of being unjustly accused and convicted of a crime that was no crime at all and then being crucified for the whole thing; all the time loving those who were crucifying you.  Now if that doesn't affect your thinking about serving God, then you don't know Him at all.  Nope...you don't.  Don't make excuses.  He is not your savior.  The thought of Him is  your salvation and that thought will get you a front row seat on the next train to hell.  So many churches have been established on that thought and now they are closing down one by one as the worldly juice that keeps them open runs out into the streets with no inspiration to do anything more than ATTEND.  And the end result is a church building that has become the saving faith of those who attend, but in the end it won't save anyone.... no one!  Our world has dumbed down our faith to point of control by getting us to huddle in our church buildings and that has made us feel "good enough."  We have been taught to celebrate death more than life and we actually are pretty good at celebrating it in our church buildings.  This last statement is the most dangerous.  We have been TAUGHT!!  In the context I say it makes it sound like we have been programmed and that is exactly what has happened.  I used to think it was my denomination that was the culprit, but it is all denominations, and even the ones who like to think they aren't denominations (ain't no such thing).  This attitude about church life and about Jesus that lacks inspiration is something even felt by those who start new churches. They think they are doing something earth shattering to get away from old, dead traditions, but give them a few years and they will have them a whole new set of traditions in their church starts.  It's not about old or new.  It's about doing the work of the Savior.  In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  Mission organizations love to use this scripture as if it was their own.  It is not just for those going to another country on mission.  It is for us.....now......serving.....inspired......on fire.  We are those missionaries and it is right where we live and function that this mission work takes place.  But, not if we aren't inspired to do it.  And apparently we aren't.  There are many churches that are closing their doors every day because of their lack of being on mission for Christ.  That's not the worst of it though.  It is the ones who are thriving at doing nothing that are the problem.  Those that are thriving, doing the wrong thing are much more destructive that those who are dying from a lack of caring and serving.  Why?  Because they are making disciples who think the same way.  It's not about church growth.  It is about "walking with God" and the impact that has on those who come in contact with you.  Do you inspire others to GREATNESS?  If Christ is your true inspiration, then you will.  The result will be lives that have been radically changed and taught to "be the church" wherever they go.  Those people will never let mediocrity raise it's ugly head  in the church and they will push all barriers that keep them from living that inspired life for Christ.  So, the question is "do  you live an institutionalized faith or an inspired faith?"  Today is the day to find out and start allowing God to take your inspiration, Jesus Christ, and make Him known through who  you are in Him.  The results will be astounding..  Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The Pilgrimage continues..

David Warren

Pressure Treated

  I am now starting to see some pretty significant wear on the fence surrounding my back yard and as I repair boards that are coming loose I can see that the boards are falling apart a little more each day.  I told my wife today that I didn't think the boards used  years ago were pressure treated and that is why they are starting to rot a little.  The pressure treating process takes place in a cylindrical holding tank.  The tank is depressurized to create a vacuum and the treatment solution fills the tank.  Pressurization forces the wood to soak up the solution.  Once the treatment completes, workers and cranes remove the boards. The lumber bakes to dry, and the solution is reusable. Kiln drying adds expense to the wood treatment process; however, most pressure-treated wood can be air dried.  Some kinds of timber are difficult to treat.  Incising is a process of cutting slits into the wood to allow more surface to soak up the preservative product.   The process of of pressure treating is a remarkable thing as the wood soaks up the chemical needed to keep it fresh and make it resistant to the forces around it like rain and insects.  The process of causing the wood to soak up the chemical by putting it in a a vacuum is a lot like the process God uses in developing our faith as we live our daily life.

Our treatment is the Word of God and the ongoing way it fill us with wisdom and power in order to handle the pressures of life is an amazing process itself. The definition of the word vacuum is "a space entirely devoid of matter or a space not filled or occupied." When you give your life to Christ the vacuum that is left is empty because the penalty of sin has been removed. The Holy Spirit is the one who occupies the empty space. Jesus' death on the cross emptied the sin presence in our life as we stand before God. Of course, we know that sin is still an issue in our life, but we live in the precious freedom God gives us by not having that penalty for that sin. In that freedom there is a vacuum that has been created by God taking away our sin penalty. WE ARE NEW OR BORN AGAIN!! Many times a new believer will not realize what has just happened in their life and they will allow the wrong things to fill that vacuum in their life. It goes back to the seed in their life being overrun by the thorns of life, so there is not a lot of growth in their relationship with Jesus. The vacuum has been filled, but with the wrong things. That is why it is necessary to get into God's Word immediately after receiving Christ so that the vacuum is filled with God's teaching and direction. This process insures that the person's faith will grow stronger and be able to handle the storms of life. In a nutshell, the life is a pressure treated life. The stronger the storms, the stronger the faith because of the pressure treated life. The writer of Hebrews says it this way in Hebrews 1:2,3, "Don't run from tests and hardships, brother and sisters. As difficult as the are, you will ultimately find join them ; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience." The filling of the Holy Spirit in a person's life sets that life on a course of Godliness, good habits, and Spirit-filled growth that only God can give. Over the years a believer won't get weaker because of the storms of life, but they will get more resilient to the tough things in life. Their pressure treating is real and lasting and them filling that sin vacuum with the things of God will insure they grow and get stronger in their faith. I have seen some people who have been Christians for a long time that show a very weak and old faith, and the wear and tear of living life with a world view of faith is starting to show. The only thing that will help those dear people is a fresh infusion of the Holy Spirit in their life and that can only be done by true revival. I have also seen those who are growing steadily in their faith through the years and their life is pressure treated with the best of the best, the Holy Spirit. They were shown how to grow in their faith immediately after receiving Christ, and their faith is strong and ready for the tough times and stormy things of life. They are ever growing in their faith and have a youthful vibrancy about them that shows God is still fresh in their life. That is how I want to be and my desire to serve God has to be driven by a fresh relationship that is growing and getting stronger every day.

Pressure Treated Christians are Christians who know where their strength comes from and that process began when the vacuum in their life was filled by the Holy Spirit.  That freshness in their life can only come from God.  Is your life pressure treated or is your faith old, stagnant, and dead?  It's time to come back to God and let the freshness of the Holy Spirit renew your commitment to him.  We need the freshness that can only come from God in order to face the struggles of life and follow Him.  Time to get pressure treated!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren