How He loves us

With the Storm crushing in on our neighbors in the East, and a heated election coming up, I thought it would be refreshing to be reminded of God's love for us.

Sit down with your kids and tell them the story of your love for them. How you reacted when you heard the news that they were going to be the new addition to your family. How you work to make sure they have the things they need to keep warm. tell them about how you watch out for their safety and think about them during the day while they are in school or at work.

And then tell them the story of God's love for them.

Here are the lyrics to this song, by the David Crowder Band.

"How He Loves"
(originally by John Mark McMillan)

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about the way...

He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us.

Prayer:

God, we are grateful for your love. Thank you for the way you pour out mercy on our lives. Thank you for every step Jesus took as He carried the cross up to Calvary. Thank you for every step Jesus takes to be near us in our times of hurt, or worry, or fear. God help us to be a family that paints a picture of your love. Forgive us for the times when we have forgotten to love you and to love our neighbor. Erase our sin and give us a heart that loves like you do.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

know your kids :)

borrowed from Dan Scott's Blog

A lot of zeroes in our account

Read John 4

Technology is great. Before moving my family here to Joplin, I had my credit union account set up to send me deposit reminders if my balance was running below a certain point. I have since closed my account, but the reminders still come...daily. That particular feature does not recognize that my account is closed, so every morning, when I check my email, there is my reminder, showing $0 balance. In the computer's mind, it is time to make a deposit.

Wouldn't it be great if our families came with reminders like that? A ping would sound off on our phone when our spouse needs a hug, or a pop up flashes on our tv when our kids need to throw a ball around with us or have a book read to them. Imagine never missing an opportunity to invest ourselves in their lives

Instead, we must remind ourselves that every morning, the account stands at zero, and we must make a deposit! Our kids need hugs and "I love you's", today. Our spouse needs that gentle word of affirmation and to be told how grateful we are to have them in our life. It is time for a deposit!

For that to happen, we, ourselves, need to be constantly aware of the way God shows His love to us. Every day, God pours Himself into our life. He brings fresh awareness of His faithfulness and a full expression of His mercy. He gives us the ability to live our Christian life in surplus! As Psalm 23 states, "my cup overflows!"

John 4, sends us four important "zero" reminders. Think of it in these terms. Our family's spiritual health is measured by having a lot of zeroes in the account.

Zero Activity. In verse 6, we are alerted to the reality that we all need times of rest and refreshing. Christ was in the middle of what seems like a three year sprint! But He did not overlook the need to sit down for a few moments and catch His breath. We should sit down, every day with our family for a time to catch up and spend time "doing nothing", together.

Zero Balance. Verses 7 through 14 sound the alarm about our need for spiritual life. Remarkably, Jesus starts by asking the woman for a drink. She is surprised and caught off guard. Jesus then tells her He has what she needs. He will be her spiritual resource, if she will only ask Him for what He has to offer. Christ wants all of us to spend time asking. Our families need to hear us acknowledge that without Him, we have nothing, but with Him, we have everything we need! Let your children hear you asking God for guidance, asking for wisdom, asking for protection and asking for opportunities to serve Him. Most importantly, let them hear you asking God to fill you with His Spirit. And then teach them to start with a zero balance, and ask God to meet their needs.

Zero Reserves. Christ gets up close and personal with the woman, in verses 15 through 18. He wants her to understand and express her spiritual poverty. If she is to draw out spiritual abundance from Him, He must draw out spiritual bankruptcy from her. She cannot hold anything back. Teach your children not to keep secrets from the Lord. Confession literally means to "to come to an agreement". Our family must see transparency in our lives. It doesn't mean we confess everything in front of each other, but that we demonstrate the pattern. Our families must know that we hold nothing back from God, and in turn, He holds nothing back from us. Nothing in reserve.

Zero Overdraft. In John 4:27 - 34, His disciples return to find Jesus spending. Spending time with a person in need and spending His energy in a compelling presentation of the gospel. They were concerned that He was going to run out of energy and burn out on ministry. Jesus gave them great news! He was protected from spiritual overdraft because He was serving the Father.

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." -John 4:34

He was where God wanted Him to be, when God wanted him there, doing what God wanted Him to do. What a great encouragement to our family! Show your kids what serving God looks like. Help them understand how freeing it is to submit to God's will for your life. Lead them on a missionary journey on your own back yard. Involve them in sharing God's love with a lost and dying world.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for reminding me of your investment in my family. We have so very much! Lead us on a missional adventure as we serve you and tell others about you. We praise you for all the zeroes you have placed in our account!
Amen.

buzzer beater

Psalm 27:13-14 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

Quitting can become a habit, if we're not careful. Its a parent's job to help our kids see hope. To help them understand all things are possible with God!

I remember when my boys were very small, we were going through a rough spot, financially. The car we were driving would shoot out plumes of white smoke, every time it was cranked. The guys at work would literally stand at the door of our shop, to watch me start it up, for the drive home.

One night we were heading back from a Christian concert, and the little car was huffing and puffing, like the little engine that could. My son, Zack, who was 3 at the time, said, "Daddy, we not got no car that works!" I said, "Son, I couldn't agree more."

But when we got home, I sat with my boys at our kitchen table, and shared my heart. I told them about how I trusted God. I explained how tithing was mommy and daddy's way of showing God we had hope in what He was able to do in our lives. By tithing, and by talking about tithing, we were teaching them about hope. We wrapped up by renewing our commitment to trust in God, by leading them in a family prayer.

As soon as I said "amen", the phone rang. It was Woody, a guy in my Sunday School class. He worked for the car manufacturer that made my vehicle. He said they were cleaning out a store room and had a never-used engine, the same year and make as mine, in a crate in a storeroom. They did not have a use for it and were going to throw it out. Very casually, he asked, "Could you use it?"

God had sank another game-winning buzzer beater! He had proven Himself to my kids, as a God of hope, who delivers.

Talk to your kids, today, about hope. Show them the ways you are putting your hope in God. Then watch God deliver!

Going Vertical

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

There is this awesome video of base jumpers using wing suits to leap from sheer cliffs and glide along. They became bored with “just” flying away from the cliffs, so they developed the nerve to skim the edges, almost able to reach out and touch the rocks. It is amazing to watch, and I’m sure it is a rush to experience!
One problem... They cannot actually fly. The ride always ends with a deploying canopy and rapid deceleration. They are not flying because they cannot go vertical!
For a lot of believers there is the same kind of experience. Unless we surrender completely to God, and allow Him to crucify our flesh, we can only experience brief periods of emotional spirituality. The rush is followed by a long climb back up the hill, and the hope of another leap and a few seconds of air.
John experiences Christ a different way. Exiled and punished, he was to be alone and separated where it was believed he could have no impact. But John has a special skill set. He’s a Jesus man. He has wings. He prays in the Spirit. He can go vertical!


8 The Master declares, "I'm A to Z. I'm The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive. I'm the Sovereign-Strong."
9-17 I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God's Word, the witness of Jesus. It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying. I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing…
Revelation 1 – The Message

His passion? His rush? Simply the patience of Jesus. He waits on the Lord. He gets his thrills from seeing God move, and rushing to join Him in His work! Whatever his circumstance, wherever he is assigned, that is his launch pad. The Lord meets him on a desolate island and lifts him to a view of Heaven. That is vertical!

Isaiah was another Jesus man. He was tasked with trying to stir the faith of a whole nation. He stirs them out of their apathy, towards a vertical relationship.

27-31 Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying,"God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me"?Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out.He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles,They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.
Isaiah 40:31 – The Message