Fear......?

Fear...

August 26 2015

At first I was rather grieved.

Maybe that is not the correct word.

Grieving is normally associated with death.

It was more like wounded.

Maybe not that word either. 

It is associated more with combat and war.

Maybe it is more like I felt betrayed.

Nope that is not quite the word I am looking for.

It was more like a combination of all the above words.

Grieved.

Wounded.

Betrayed.

And yet none of those three words truly describe how I felt.

Makes me wonder.

How did our Lord and Saviour feel when the world did all three of those to Him?

My situation is not unlike so many other people in this world.

We are simply asked to leave because of fear.

Fear due to our beliefs.

Fear due to our past.

Fear due to a memory brought up.

Fear due to lack of love.

And lack of forgiveness.

Oh that fear would be broken!

How horrible that we, even us as believers, base our lives on fear.

Fear of the stock market crashing.

Fear of relationship.

Fear of criticism.

Fear of....

You fill in the blank for yourself.

And then thank the Lord for taking it away.

You already know that is what He wants to do.

When we let fear take part of our lives, we are allowing it to distance us from the one who conquered fear and death.

The Lord.

Give it up my friends.

It is not worth holding onto.

Remember life is for living.

That is why they call it life.

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Seattle....

Seattle

July 28

It seems odd.

I guess not so much odd as surreal.

Maybe that is not even the right word.

Almost seems as if I am in a dream.

I am sitting in the plane as we cruise from Albuquerque to Phoenix.

Hard to believe that after seven weeks of being away from the farm I am on my way back.

Five weeks of pedaling.

Almost two weeks of being with Michal and Matthew.

Reality of life is calling me back from this beautiful time of journey and travel.

Ministry meetings.

Figuring out the next part of this journey.

To Omaha.

For Kacia's third year of teacher education.

Jonathan heading up north for school in Canada.

...............

July 30

Tomorrow I head north for meetings.

The next day, Saturday, Kacia and I begin our trip.

Gonna see some relatives on the way.

The travel each summer to get her to university has become a tradition.

Always so much fun.

Never quite sure how far we will go in one day.

Where we will stop.

I do know that I am so thankful I can spend this time with my daughter.

It is a privilege.

An honor.

A joy.

No matter where my children land in life, I will always be willing to travel to see them.

That is one of my great delights I get to do.

It almost came to a very abrupt and certain close some years ago.

But....

For the grace of the Lord, I was able to pick up where I had stalled and fallen in life.

I am a Dad again.

Pops as some people call me.

Am so glad my Father in Heaven rescued me from what have could have been a life long tragedy.

My family never gave up on me.

They prayed for me.

They encouraged me.

They held me accountable.

They listened.

They challenged.

They spoke into my life.

They loved me.

Warts, bruises, wounds and all.

They loved me.

How can I not do the same for those around me?

Family, friends and even enemies all alike?

Just as the Lord did.

And still does.

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Forgiveness....

Forgiveness

July 26

Went to fellowship this morning at Extol.

Did last week as well.

The message this week really hit me soundly in the noggin.

Count The Cost.

The cost of forgiveness.

Pastor Rick really brought the truth home.

I am going to share from the notes on the paper and what I wrote.

--------------------------

Intro. "Why should I forgive. I did nothing wrong."

1 Why shall we forgive?

forgiveness - to lie aside

to lay aside all the negative and see the positive in the person

to suffer

to let go

There is value in forgiveness

When you value a person it allows you to forgive

"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."

A. Biblical reminders to forgive.

Matthew 14

B. Unforgiveness linked to physical illness.

Chronic stress, high blood pressure, brain hemmourage

short term intense responses, short fuse is bad

depression

2 Who shall we forgive?

A. forgive those in the faith, fellowship

forgive each other

Ephesians 4.32

B. Forgive everyone and anyone

anything against anyone, forgive them.

Mark 11.35-36

3 How shall we forgive?

A Forgive quickly

Ephesians 4.26-27

B Forgive orderly

Matthew 5.22-24

"before you worship and fellowship...."

C Forgive continually

Matthew 18.21-22

Luke 17.3-4

Do not keep a tally of how many times you forgive!

That is what the Lord has been teaching me through the fellowship of believers.

God is good!

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Mechanic....

Mechanic...

July 25

For a day...

or four....

or more....

A few days since I wrote.

Been learning about how to work the brakes on a chevy pickup.

Specifically Matthew's.

We have taken off the old and put on the new.

Bearings.

Inside and outside on both the front wheels.

New rotors.

New brake pads.

On the back as well.

New drums and new pads.

It took the three of us some time to figure out just how to do it all.

None of is are trained in auto mechanics.

And all three of us were getting frustrated throughout this learning experience.

But once we had the old off, what could we do but put on the new.

So we kept plugging away.

Praying.

And I think, very silently, cursing the decisions to try and do all the work ourselves.

Then asking forgiveness as the Lord would suddenly allow the part to go on properly.

And then came along Jesse, a friend of Michal and Matthew's, who is a true trained mechanic.

He gave us some school time in an apartment parking lot where the bearings went out.

How to install the new parts.

A very good teacher.

So that was on one day.

The next day was the back ones.

No problem getting them off.

But they fell off and apart without really seeing how they went together.

Putting them back on was like a puzzle from 'hell.'

But....

We got them all on.

Without going to any auto shop.

So.....

Even without all the proper tools...

Even when we were getting tired and short with one another...

Even as we were sore and tired from crawling in and out under the truck more times than we could count.....

We got it done.

We rejoiced.

We celebrated with sparkling apple cider and pizza.

The puzzle of the rear brakes reminds me of how often we think break apart and need to be put back together.

Not always easy picking up the pieces.

But so enjoyable to see how we come together again.

Changed.

Transformed.

We all still look the same on the outside....

Yet....

Inwardly we are constantly being transformed in our minds.

Our character.

Thoughts.

Attitudes.

Perspectives.

And all of that falling apart, being put back together.

That is for our sake.

So others can see the testimony of the Lord's grace, mercy, patience, endurance...

In our lives.

So others can see, hear, learn and experience the goodness of the Lord.

We are broken and put back together for others sakes.

Cool!

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel....

July 22

2.8

Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion.

Do not join them....

3.10

...let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says!'

listen first

then go

6.8-9

But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world.

Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins. 

escape destruction

scatter

exiled

remember

recognize

hate themselves

12.16

But I will spare a few of them from death by war, famine, or disease, so they can confess all their detestable sins to their captors. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

spare...so can confess

we confess to our enemies, our captors

we seek forgiveness from those who would harm us

is that what heaping burning coals on our enemies heads is all about?

These are the verses from Ezekiel the Lord has been allowing me to wade through.

And what is the idol that so disgusted the Lord?

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Spare ribs....

Spare Ribs.....

July 19

Today was spare ribs day when all the folk from the fellowship came over to where Michal and Matthew are living.

Quite a crew.

A wonderful time getting to know Todd who has a musician's heart.

Lots of frolicking in the pool and eating of all kinds of food.

Ribs.

Chicken.

Hot dogs.

Celebrating life.

And love with other believers in Christ.

D.

Sandia Crest....

Sandia Crest

July 18

Today's adventure took us up to Sandia Crest.

10680 feet up into the mountains.

All the way up I kept commenting on how beautiful and wonderful the scenery was.

Switchbacks.

S curves.

Slow curves.

Gorgeous view even if it was a little overcast.

And at the top was something called the iron forest.

All the radio, television and whatever else towers.

Could see the city of Albuquerque even if it looked like a miniature model of it all put on a four by eight piece of plywood.

Walked around the gift shop a bit.

Nothing really jumped out and grabbed my attention.

Probably a good thing.

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.