Category Archives: Fatherhood

Musings from a Madman: The Mystery of Relationship (Part 12)

You have stepped into the secret place, into the very presence of God in your pursuit of an intimate relationship with him. Hunger, love, devotion, and desperation have all banded together and enabled you to knock on the door, and now the love and passion of God is opening it. You are about to experience his presence in a new way…what will it be like?

One word is used throughout the Bible to describe this moment and that word is “shalom” or peace. Shalom brings an inner and outer calmness of wholeness and health in your spirit, soul, and body. Shalom is not just what God brings; it is who he is as well. The presence of God can be a terrifying thing, but not if you belong to God and have come with confidence into his presence as one of his children intent on experiencing his presence and spending time with him.

The sudden descent of peace and being enveloped in it is an experience beyond description. It is enough to say once it happens you will know it and you will never forget it, no matter how often it happens. Storms may rage on the outside but in your heart there is a peace that surpasses understanding!

When the peace of God’s presence comes, the power of his provision begins to flow. He knows exactly what you need and he pours it out in abundance. Rest assured, whenever you enter the presence of God like this, your needs will be met, even if you can’t name them. Your hunger for relationship—your desire to sit in the very presence of the Lover of your soul—is the key. Out of relationship provision will come. You pursue the relationship and God will send the provision for whatever you need.

Take the position of a child crawling up in his or her father’s lap. That’s exactly what you are doing with God. He is your Abba, your Daddy. As a child would place their hands on their father’s cheeks and look him in the eyes—lift your hands toward the face of God and tell him you love him. Forget about everything else and concentrate on the One who loves you with an unconditional, infinite love.

Time no longer matters when you arrive here. Focus on his presence—on his heart. Listen for his voice. You will never forget how it sounds once you hear it. Relax and revel in his presence. For the moment, just sit with him, soak up his glorious presence, and enjoy the peace that comes for experiencing the reality of intimacy and relationship with God.  

Party Time in Heaven

This past week I was part of a five person mission team from Eagle’s Wing Church. This was a ground breaking trip because it was the first foreign mission trip our eleven month old church has taken. Our destination was Parras, Mexico to work with Armand Lombardo and the team at Mexico Outreach Mission. The trip was life-changing and over the next few weeks I would like to share some lessons we learned.

Today, I simply want to show you a picture of what eternal life looks like. We did construction projects in the mornings and assisted one of the local churches every evening in a mission Vacation Bible School outside at one of the homes in the city.

Parras is a small city of 45,000 people. But God showed up in a powerful way last week and ten people (2 adults and 8 children) met Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The angels in heaven were having a party and I have to admit, I jumped up and down in unbridled excitement as I watched God move.

On Tuesday, evening one of the ladies motioned for me to come into the house. I don’t speak Spanish and she did not speak English, but both of us watch in awe as a little girl was birthed into the Kingdom of Heaven. You don’t need words at a moment like that, you simply watch the Holy Spirit work. One of the teachers was leading a little girl in a prayer as she asked Jesus to save her. And your know what? God did just that right there on the spot. It was matter of fact for the little girl and she went right back to her class. But…for me it was a moment of indescribable joy. I went outside and jumped up and down–sort had a come apart right there in the dirt street front of God and about forty others adults. They looked at me a little funny, but hey, I’m a gringo so they sort of expect things like that from us.

Words can’t describe the emotions or the joy of the Lord that welled up in me. And yet, I know in heaven the angels were going wild. In fact, it was party time in heaven. If you have ever wondered what salvation looks like–here you go!

Saved by grace!!

Hey Homer Listen Up?

 

Frustration is the frequent companion of a father. His may be the most misunderstood and misrepresented privilege on the face of the earth. He is constantly ridiculed in the media and entertainment industries as a bumbling idiot, an arrogant jerk, an over-sexed deviant, or an inept psychopath. And yet the length of his shadow and the tenor of his words guide and shape his children for a lifetime. His role defines masculinity for his son. He validates femininity in his daughter. His influence is powerful but His presence must be gentle and tender as he shapes fragility into potency.

The privilege he is given comes without roadmap or instruction. Oh there are some snippets here and there of what to do or not do, but most he simply learns on his own or by repeating what he witnessed in his own father, which almost always dictates the results will be mixed, both good and bad. To multiply the degree of difficulty—every child is different—no two are alike. Just when he thinks he’s figured it out and is ready to swing for a homerun, he gets a curve ball with the next kid low and inside. It totally messes him up. Frustrating does not even begin to describe it.

He retains an almost god-status in the life of his toddler, but soon becomes the buffoon who knows absolutely nothing about anything by his teens. How can anyone go from divine genius to dumb goober in the span of just 13 years? His wisdom from years of experience often go unheeded and seem wasted as they bounce off the force field surrounding the superior intellect of a 16 year old prodigy who thinks he know everything but has little or no common sense.

And then he enters that period where there are brief moments of joy in seeing his progeny excel in the things he has taught them—only to see them take a different direction and pursue another cause. They may acknowledge his wisdom but politely say no thank you to his ways. Their ears are enchanted by the beat of another drummer and the siren’s enchanting diddy seems to be one you can dance to. So he patiently waits and prays and eventually helps pick up the pieces of Humpty Dumpty after she falls off the wall. His counsel may have spared her the fall since he himself had already seen that ground up close and personal in the not so distant past. Frustrating?—yeah a little.

Ultimately, he witnesses the echoes of history as his own repeat the cycle in the lives of their little ones. He must now quietly watch being careful not to interfere but knowing secret formulas and schemes that could make life easier for everyone. He may be revered but seen as old fashion—loved but endured—remembered but only at the last moment. In a few short years he has made the short journey from essential to extinction—from the warrior-king of the castle to a white-haired stoic in the recliner. Frustrating?—you bet!

And yet, if a father is paying attention—it will dawn on him sooner or later that the feelings he is experiencing are similar to the ones God must feel as the Father. For you see, every human father bears a strange spiritual resemblance to his natural children. Their experiences are or have been experienced in his relationship to His heavenly Father. And yet the testimony of God as Father is this: For God so loved…that He gave.

Perhaps the solution to the frustration is to ultimately recognize as a father that your job is no different. You are called to love without condition and give without measure. In doing so, you mirror the perfect Father and if that is the heritage you leave—you have been successful even if you are portrayed on TV as an over-weight bald imbecile named Homer.