SALT & LIGHT

GO READ THIS....NOW!!!

2009-05-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

Feeling complacent? Follow this recipe from Micah 6:8... one part acting justly...one part loving mercy...one part walking humbly...mix thoroughly and receive contentment and joy.

First Responder

2009-05-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

When Aimee and I met I was working for a hospital as an outreach Athletic Trainer providing healthcare and emergency response for the local high school. I was the first responder for all medical emergencies. Prior to that gig, I found myself covering multiple sports at the University level and following that gig, I helped cover a couple of sporting venues while I finished up my Doctoral studies. During those 9 years as a clinical athletic trainer and first responder, I saw more than a few athletes receive a mechanical blow to the head and lose consciousness. Many times, I have found myself coming to the aid of an athlete who had lost consciousness and was unresponsive…they were “out cold”. The first glance of a person on the ground in this motionless state brings the immediate realization of the seriousness of injury. They look to be lifeless and they are completely helpless. Of all the injuries known to result from participation in sport, this is the one that has intrigued me the most. In fact, since 2000, this state of being and its associated mechanisms (causes) has been the primary focus of my research. This is probably why the scripture I came across yesterday while reading stopped me in my tracks…it floored me. You see, within the opening portions of the book of Romans, Paul is explaining the relevance of the law to the gentiles. In chapter 3 verse 20, Paul writes …for by the law is the knowledge of sin. My first thought was that I have heard this scripture preached and taught, but it had never stopped me and begged for exploration and furthermore, understanding. So, as I let that sink in a bit, I began to explore the word knowledge. Through various commentaries and such, I came to find that this word is synonymous with the term consciousness…consciousness relates to alertness, awareness, and cognition. Consciousness or the knowledge of sin, afforded to us by the law. WOW!! Did you catch that?

Let me lay it down for you as it has been spiritually etched into my heart. We live and work in a crazy, mixed up world. Because of the fall, it is very different from that which was intended and designed for us…we are born into sin…we are born into this world in a state of unconsciousness and continue this lack of awareness until we accept Christ into our lives and develop an intimate relationship with Him. But often, way too often, this is ignored or even forgotten…and thus, I find myself not responding appropriately. In the past, when I have witnessed an athlete on the playing field who is lying still and unresponsive, I know to act as if their life depends upon it. I immediately realize the seriousness of the condition. Concern and compassion kicks in, training is followed and my body responds accordingly to the stresses placed upon it by this dire situation…heart rate raises, anxiety creeps in, concern develops, care is administered with accuracy and expediency…this is a LIFE or DEATH situation.

I walk across campus, through the mall, through the grocery store, among friends, colleagues, students, and loved-ones. I am surrounded by people who are physically alive, but are spiritually dead…they are unconscious to sin. They are not alert to the dangers that are before them, they are unaware of the evil that envelops them…they are unconcerned and eternally lifeless…they are obviously and undeniably “out cold” and I…I find myself ignoring the situation. I do not respond accordingly. Instead, I find myself getting frustrated with folks who act so “un-Christian”…I expect people who do not claim to know Christ to behave like they do. For instance, when people at work act selfishly and lie, cheat, steal, slander…I get frustrated and often avoid these people. Upon a closer reflection to justify my actions…I realized I avoid them so as not to fall prey to their actions in anger and to ruin my Christian witness….WHAT? UUURRRRRRKKKKKK (this is me slamming on the brakes for a spiritual GUT check!).

1) We must understand our environment…we should expect a person who is unconscious to act like they are unconscious! We should not RUN away and avoid, but pray for strength to maintain a Christian witness among and around these people.

2) We must respond to the unconscious person (victim)…. We must immediately realize the seriousness of the condition. Our concern and compassion should be modeled after the concern and compassion Christ had for all mankind at Calvary.

We must be the salt that prevents decay and adds flavor and we must be the light that exposes all darkness…we must act in obedience to glorify our Father and live in pursuit of the perfect standard He himself set for us during his time on earth. Above all, we must live out our passion for Christ who is passionate for us…it is and will forever be, the greatest story ever told.

New Post over at Little Footsteps.

2009-04-29T12:48:00.001-07:00

To save time, I put my devotional thought for the week over at my blog.

Click this link to read up on how God is continually kicking my rear.

And Scott, if it's okay with you, I'm going to "dress" the place up a little bit. It needs some atmosphere.

Peace,
Joanna

English Leather, Aqua Net and Ego

2009-04-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Way back when...I mean way, way back, when I was in my freshman year of high school (19 eighty something) I was chosen by one of my teachers for a two-day public speaking class…I was pretty shy and introverted when I was young. My entire life was an inner monologue…I had (what I believed to be hilarious and insightful) things to say, I just said them in my head. I never really uttered a word when I was among a group…I wanted too and really wished I was that kind of person but….I never could quite overcome the feeling I would get before speaking. It was a horrible, overwhelming sense of pressure and dread…My mind would create what to say, but between my brain and mouth, elegant articulations became nothing more than singular, meaningless, utterances. It all began on a Monday at 7:50am. I hesitantly walked into the room immediately realizing that the two-day public speaking class was restricted to seniors…Yep! I was thrust into a room of 35 of the most intimidating and mature individuals that I had ever seen…four guys had full beards (I was 30 before ever achieving full facial coverage) and they all possessed larger than life personalities…no one hesitated a single second when given a chance to voice their thoughts. Everyone loved to talk out loud…they all had something to say…and they were all saying it at the top of their lungs and at the same time…the room was loud, obnoxious and chaotic (it smelled like English Leather, Aqua Net and Ego). I quickly realized that this class was not for me. I went to the teacher and timidly asked her if I was in the right place…for which she replied, “you are exactly where you need to be…now go up in front of the class and stand in front of the video camera.” Thirty-five seniors, one (very large) video camera and my first exposure to extemporaneous speaking…my heart might have stopped if I hadn’t been concentrating on not peeing in my pants. The topic that was given was complex… “tell us your name and why you are here”… I quickly demonstrated my expertise as a non-verbal communicator…not a word uttered…deer in the headlights…some of the best laughs I have ever received from an audience. I will NEVER forget how I felt at that moment (an eternity no less). I felt like I had a balloon in my chest cavity. It expanded and gained pressure at an incredible rate…this expansion compressed my lungs and stole my breath, my throat started to close up as the balloon pushed further and further outward, my blood pressure rose and all I wanted was for that balloon to pop...all you wanted was relief from this continuous expansion within me...my eyes bulged and began to fill with tears and my posture became mechanicaly stiff...the pressure was so immense and intense that I could not decide if I had something in my chest or on my back...the sweat began to pour from my brow and I was pretty sure that I was going to collapse onto the floor in a huge pile of gelatinous goop…SAVE ME!

I learned a lot those two days…That was the only time i tried to speak, but I observed and listened intently while all those children of the eighties toned down and perfected their oratory skills. That experience changed my life…from that point on I took every opportunity to be placed back into that situation…I wanted that feeling again…I wanted to defeat its power over me and I wanted to be in control. It took me quite a while to learn more about that feeling and how to use it to my advantage…fast forward to the end of my first year as a Doctoral student (that would be about 13 years later). I was in Los Angeles to present research at a conference for the very first time. The venue was simple, I was to stand in front of my poster and orally present my research for 10 minutes to a room full of 200 of my peers, mentors, colleagues and future employers. I then was to stand there to take questions from the audience. I stood in front of my poster rehearsing what I was going to say over and over in my head…I had it nailed…I would just keep looking at my poster…if I forgot something, I had my poster (like Linus and his blanket) for a quick reference…well that is what I thought. My advisor (He was actually in charge of the session and was ready to show the world of Athletic Training research his new “find”…he kept building this up as one of the single most important moments of my young career) came up to me and said.. “ten minutes left, you ready?” I went to answer him when I saw something on my poster that did not look right. In a moment of panic I quickly realized that the information on my poster was absolutely and completely incorrect…it did not match up to the information that was published prior to the conference and was now in the hands of all 200 attendees in the room…his first response… “well Scott, you just committed career suicide!” I was sunk. I saw the promise of the future…and it was vanishing right before eyes…my biggest concern at that moment…How am I going to tell Aimee? It was awful…I immediately began to smell English Leather, Aqua Net and ego…I was back in that room in High School…pressure building…I was about to take globular form on the floor in front of everyone who was anyone in my professional field… My mentor told me that I would have to tell everyone in the room I made a mistake but he would leave my presentation for last so I time to formulate a plan. About one minute later he stands up in front of the group, welcomes all and introduces the first of 10 speakers…Scott Piland…GULP

Thinking I had a good thirty minutes to generate some thoughts I was not ready, I began to feel that ole' balloon within me immediately reach maximal capacity…the memories of English Leather, Aqua Net and Ego were overwhelming and I probably looked like a blowfish because that is exactly what I felt like… I stood there…pressure building…then “POP!!”

I learned something that day…release the pressure…just open your mouth and speak…do so with vigor and passion, believe in what you have to say, be honest, be real....and just say it. The next 10 minutes flew by. I apologized for the mistake and went on to explain my research, findings and relevance sans poster…what became evident to the audience was that I believed in my work…I knew my work and I owned my work. That 10 minute talk opened up many doors for future opportunities. Something I just knew would be the end of me…served to catapult my career. Flash forward to the present…For the past two weeks I have again, been experiencing a balloon pressurizing inside my chest…I have tried on multiple occasion to blog about the things upon my heart, but the pressure of the burden has been overwhelming…I am smelling English Leather, Aqua Net and Ego…but not out of fear, mistake or ignorance…but out of the desire for those who read (both of you) this message to join me in my present state of three degrees past overwhlemed. So, learning from the lessons of the past...I will just speak...with vigor, passion and beleif. My burden is that my heart is full of JOY! Joy I have been granted from watching and experiencing God at work!! For three weeks I have been unable to write anything possessing a modicum of ability to accurately articulate or describe it..I have a balloon in my chest and today I must BLOG! I can be silent NO MORE! I must tell you…I feel JOY...simply pure, tremendously powerful...JOY. I am redeemed, I am saved! I serve a living God...A God I deserve to be separated from...but by HIS GRACE have an intimate relationship with. How AWESOME! How OVERWHELMING! How PRECIOUS! How BIG! How POWERFUL...yet upon this realization is I see how lowly, how underwhelming, how undeserving I am…but also...How loved am I?

So loved that God sent His son to live on this earth and experience all that I can possibly experience. So loved that this son died an unimaginable death in complete and perfect obedience to His Father...So loved that Jesus shed his blood for my sins and invites me to a wonderful relationship with him!

We have been able to see God's miraculous ways these past few weeks...the yard sale, baptisms, testimony, lessons, sermons...God is at work EVERYWHERE around us and the JOY he provides is tremendous! “POP!” ...."sigh"...."Aghh"….smell of English Leather, Aqua Net an Ego vanishing…."praise the Lord" Glad I got that off my chest. -SGP

Not-So-Merry-Go-Round

2009-04-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the little red house next to Richburg Baptist, over on Sandy Run Road. That's where Daddy preached from the time I was nine months old to the time I was 25. Behind the church was a merry-go-round built by a couple of men in the church who were welders. It was basically a huge disc with a rail all around it, but open in the middle. It wasn't like those nice, safe kind at parks that have humps or handles in the center.

The game was to get the merry-go-round spinning as fast as we could, then jump onto it without flying off the side. I can't tell you how many times I flew, sprawling into the grass or the chainlink fence around the basketball court. And I can't tell you how many times I ran to my momma, crying to her that I had gotten hurt. Her answer, "Why do you do that? You know it's going to hurt!" Didn't matter. It was fun. I was ten. Playing dangerously is pretty much a rule.

Fast forward (none of your business) years, and I'm still playing dangerously. This time, I'm flirting with disaster. I make it a personal goal to see just how long I can go without sunscreen before I am in that place of no return. Last night, I was examining the tops of my shoulders - a few days since the egg hunt. The very top of my right shoulder looks like bacon....the crunchy kind. Ewwww. I know, right? Today, I was planning on another good dose of sun. We had a carnival at school, but unfortunately, we had more wind and clouds than anything. The sun only came out at the very end of the day. I think God was trying to protect me from further damage. And by damage, I mean - stupidity!

WHY do what you know is harmful? Why is that our bent as humans? Why did mama-Eve take the bait?

Answer?

We think we know better. Maybe this time I can jump on the merry-go-round and stick the landing. Maybe this time, I'll get just the right amount of sun exposure for a righteous tan, without burning. Maybe this time, when God tells me to open up to someone who is asking me for help - I'll listen. Maybe this time, when God tells me to walk away from a conversation that is about to take a turn toward gossip or a personal attack - I will. Maybe this time....

If I learn nothing else from the Old Testament, I have learned that this cyclical kind of behavior is devastating. Those of us with a relationship with Christ are not going to lose our salvations over these things, but we may stand in the way of someone else's. Keep these two things in mind.

1. God's purpose for mankind is that we Glorify Him and Enjoy Him Forever.
2. Satan's purpose is to keep lost people Lost, and to keep saved people Acting and Feeling like they are Lost.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to ask myself every once in a while, whose purpose am I serving? Maybe then I'll avoid the not-so-merry-go-round.

As We Approach Easter Sunday Morning....

2009-04-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share the moving words of a hymn that is difficult to sing, musically speaking. "And Can It Be" is an ancient tune and hard to follow, which is why you probably haven't heard it very much. The only times I ever used it when leading worship, I changed the tune to modernize it a bit. Nevertheless, the words will get you right in the gut. Meditate on these as you prepare for Sunday's upcoming worship service.

And can it be that I should gain

an interest in my Saviour's blood?

Died He for me, who caused his pain?

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love, how can it be

That Thou, my God, should die for me?

He left His Father's throne above,

So free, so infinite His grace.

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And died for Adam's helpless race.

'Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For, o my God, it found out me.

This is my favorite verse:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

Fast bound in sin and nature's night.

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray.

I woke! The dungeon flamed with light.

My chains fell off, my heart was free.

I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread.

Jesus and all in Him is mine!

Alive in Him, my living Head,

And clothed in righteousness divine.

Bold, I approach the eternal throne,

And claim the crown thro' Christ, my own.

Amazing love, how can it be

That Thou my God should die for me!

Words: Charles Wesley

Blessings,

Joanna

P.S. Don't forget about the egg hunt at Harold and Sue Traylor's on Saturday, at 11am, I think. Bring blankets or lawn chairs, and easter baskets. We're providing lunch and the eggs for hunting. Invite friends.

And now for a shameless plug...

2009-04-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

For some more random thoughts and devotional musings, click here to go visit my blog "Little Footsteps".

I started it over a year ago, when Joe and I were beginning the process of an international adoption. I was going through a lot of internal struggle at the beginning of that road, and used the blog to journal my experiences. It has evolved since then into a more devotional writing, with a little bit of ranting every now and then. Maybe a drop or two of poetry or lyrics. And a joke if I can fit one in. Come visit!

Joanna

No A&P dictionary required.

2009-04-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Isaiah....prophet to a people who would not listen.

I teach 5th graders. I can relate.

There is nothing more infuriating than having an important message that no one is paying any attention to. Somedays, I feel like that robot from the old "Lost In Space" tv show -

"Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"

Really? If the robot was always able to spot real trouble, why didn't those people consult it BEFORE walking into a situation? "Hey, robot. What do you think? Are these tribbles going to be trouble for us?" (Oops. Wrong space series.)

Or how about, "Hey, God. What do You think? Are you leading me here? Or is this just my human reaction?"

I'm surprised - but then again, I'm not - at how things are overlapping that our church is studying right now. It may have been a few months since "Experiencing God" wrapped up, but we still need to be keenly aware of whether we are or are not looking for where God is working. We need to be deeply invested in the love relationship that He desires for us. We need to surrender to His leadership when we hear Him speaking to us, meaning we make all the necessary adjustments to line ourselves up with His will. Then we get to experience Him.

That was Isaiah's message.

"Hey, Jude....er, I mean Judah, God loves you. God is pursuing you! If you would only obey, He'd protect you! He'd make you soar on wings like eagles. But since you are not willing to adjust to His will, here's what's going to go down. Babylon! And after He has rid the nation of its hypocrisy, of its lip-service, He'll bring you back and heal you by the stripes of a Son born to a virgin. So, heads up."

Here we all are, almost four months out from finishing up "Experiencing God". Are you? Experiencing God, I mean. Have you heard Him speak? Have you come to a crossroads, a crisis of belief? How did you respond?

Isaiah is teaching us the repercussions of NOT listening, NOT adjusting, NOT experiencing what God wants for us - a genuine love relationship that is real and personal.

You're not a 5th grader, anymore. It's time to listen.

Peace.

Joanna

Newer than the newest addition

2009-03-31T12:24:00.001-07:00

Dustin, Jessica and Abby Carney welcomed a baby girl into the world Saturday! I will post pics soon...but in the mean time Miss Allie Elizabeth weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces and is 20 inches long. Everyone is at home and resting (??)

All you wanted to know about cardio-respiratory fitness

2009-03-31T12:07:00.001-07:00

If the rain clears later this afternoon I will be meeting Pastor David for a 4 mile run…and I don’t know how I feel about it. I have recently been made aware that David and I are different…I have also realized that I long for the thing that makes us different (forgive me Lord, for I covet). You intrigued? I will explain…as I know some of you are wondering and may even be speculating as to what it is I desire…BE CERTAIN! It is not his fancy silver running shoes, nor is it his abundant head of hair? Quite simply, I yearn for David’s heart condition. You see, later today I am going to use my legs to ambulate around beautiful Lake Serene. That effort will force my musculature to contract, overcome 180 pounds of inertia (i.e. the dead weight of too many bowls of Blue Bell ice cream), move joints through their respective ranges of motion, absorb or re-direct the associated ground reaction forces of impact (all with the purpose of propelling the aforementioned dead weight forward), relax, recover and then repeat…over and over and over and over again until the 4 miles is finished. In order to do this my heart is going to have to pump oxygenated blood from my lungs to the muscles that I am choosing to torture. The oxygenated blood will be pushed through my arteries and veins having its oxygen contents carried away to the “power house” of the cell, the mitochondria. The oxygen will then be metabolized (chemically transformed) within a cyclical event called the Krebs cycle. This will produce the Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) that will be used to fuel the muscle cell to contract or shorten. NOW, I have NOT been running a lot, so I will be asking my body to do something that it is not prepared to do and…it ain’t going to be happy about it. Today, I will expose myself to something called an acute response to exercise (and it will not have anything to do with being cute).

You all know and have experienced what I am talking about, though you may have never been able to name it. Ever been forced to use the stairs when you are use to taking the elevator? How did you feel at the top? Heart racing, sweating, breathless, and fatigued? You are experiencing the bodies acute response to exercise…doesn’t feel great does it. You see, like your car, your muscles requires fuel (ATP) to work (no gas, no go). To make that fuel you body must have oxygen. Your heart is responsible for circulating your blood through your lungs (to pick up oxygen) and out to all aspects of your body. When you unexpectedly increase the workload of muscles and increase the fuel requirement your heart has to respond. It meets the demand for more oxygen by revving up…increasing the amount of times it beats (pumps) per minute (your typical heart rate while sitting in your couch is between 70-76 beats per minute…your heart rate during stair climbing can raise above and beyond 160 beats per minute). More beats per minute means that more blood will be pushed through the lungs…which in turn means that you need to have oxygen in your lungs to be picked up by the blood…i.e. you start breathing heavily and rapidly…this works fine for a moment, but your body is not ready for this stress…it does what it can to meet the need, but it soon begins to fail…it becomes extremely inefficient and gets too tired to function…How do you know that you have reached that point???? Using our stair example, some folks will tire out at the top of the stairs….others…somewhere in the middle…the rest of us…two to three steps off the floor. Now, a very cool thing occurs when you expose yourself to these stresses (in this case climbing stairs) over time (days and weeks); your heart will get stronger (from beating so much and so often). As your heart gains and grows in strength it will become more efficient and more powerful (i.e., it can push a greater amount of blood through the body with a single pump). This change in the ability of the heart to function is called an adaptation to exercise. When this occurs, your resting heart rate will fall from 70-76 beats per minute (on the couch) down to 50-60 beats per minute (on the couch)…this simply means that you heart now does “more with less”...it accomplished the same amount of work (same amount of volume of blood pushed through the body) through less effort (lower energy needed to accomplish task). When you then expose yourself to stresses (stairs, running etc…) your heart rate still increases, but only to 70-80 beats per minute (which is your old resting heart rate) the outcome?? The stresses will not stress your body…you can make it to the top of stairs and not find yourself fatigued, breathing hard, and sweating profusely.

Well, if you are still with me, I want to share how incredible this truly is. Right now, David has been running on a consistent basis, and his heart has made this adaptation. I on the other hand, have not…thus, my heart will respond to the stresses of running differently. Today, before we get to the end of the first mile, I will be breathing heavy, sweating profusely, and wanting to quit…meanwhile David will be smiling, breathing easily, and probably laughing due to the horrific look of anguish upon my face. This is all good and fun but what does this have to do with a Sunday School blog?

Being in “shape”, i.e. physical fitness means that you have good cardio-respiratory fitness. Simply being that your heart reacts efficiently and appropriately to external stresses (i.e. exercise, physical activity) thus, when stressed, it does not simply respond out of the necessity to survive, but that it adapts to handle and function to such a point of efficiency that the external stresses are no longer…stressful. I see that our spiritual heart is no different. As Christians we need to maintain a high level of spiritual alertness. Whether you acknowledge it or not, we are immersed in spiritual warfare. Satan is busy and he purposes to make us fall. If we do not read and study our Bible and fall all on our knees in consistent prayer…our hearts will simply respond to the external stresses (world) in the flesh (temptation, anger, disobedience etc…), but if we prepare our hearts by exposing it to spiritual disciplines, we will functionally make an adaptation. This adaptation into a heart that is more efficient, humble, meek, and dependent upon God allows us to maintain a high level of spiritual alertness and claim victory for God. Unfortunately, the old principle of “use it or lose it” applies. Though we cannot lose our salvation, we can lose our level of spiritual alertness…just like if we do not run or exercise on a consistent basis we will lose our cardio-respiratory fitness.

So in my efforts to obtain the same level of peak physical fitness that is displayed by David, I would like to request prayer to survive my run today, however, I feel that the request for prayer is better utilized in regards to each of us increasing and maintaining our spiritual alertness. I encourage each of you to be in God’s Word and pray consistently, for these practices will produce a healthy heart.

How Optimus Prime, caused me to really appreciate the book of Isaiah…an introspective moment to reveal the way my brain works (I apologize in advance)

2009-03-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Darkness is the absence of all light. It is a condition that exists only when no photons are around…there is nothing available in the environment to stimulate the photosensitive cells that line the inner wall of the posterior eye…therefore your brain processes the environment as totally and completely black. I have only experienced darkness once in my life, but I have been in many darkened places (which, actually is a misnomer due to the aforementioned fact that darkness is the absence of light, therefore, any presence of light, no matter how small would render the environment lighted…not darkened...anyway, I digress). A high school friend’s mom and dad back in Bainbridge own a parcel of land which houses a cave, one of the largest in the southeast. Of course, a long time ago (beyond any statutes of limitations for parental punishment) we liked to go venturing around and into the entrance of the cavern, doing things that make me happy no such thing as a digital camera was invented yet. One such time we entered into the cave, crawled through a sand tunnel and entered into a magnificently huge room where light could no longer reflect, refract or penetrate the strata. Once settled in, we turned off all flashlights and lanterns…this was TRUE Darkness…all encompassing, complete, humbling and frightening… the darkness was heavy, cold feeling (that might have simply been the cave..duh) and almost overpowering (that was not the cave). It was quite an experience, one that I had not recalled for many years until the other night.

Our son Jack has decided that it is really cool to make visits to our bathroom during the sleeping hours, even though our home has a bathroom right next to his room. He will quickly and successfully plot his way down the darkened hallway and across the darkened living room and kitchen and enter into our bathroom via our bedroom. Even though the little guy never has difficulty making his way in, he always request a personal escort back to his room citing that he cannot see…too dark. I most often oblige because I know that I will get rewarded with a hug before he goes back down to sleep…and I am sure as he gets older that will become a fleeting experience. One recent evening I was confronted around 10pm with that sweet little voice, “you are gonna have to take me back…it is too dark for me”…a quick inquisitive smirk and a simple shrug of his shoulders and I am up and we are off on our cross house jaunt. Nothing too unusual about that night other than it just seemed to be darker than usual…while this thought was making its way from one side of my half-a-sleep cerebral cortex to the other CRUNCH!!!! With terrifically blinded commitment, I made contact directly upon the pointy, multi-structured polymer based back of the mighty Optimus Prime…of transformers fame and one of Jacks favorite toys (apparently out for a nightly patrol as I quickly remembered telling Jack before bedtime to put it up in his room….). Anyway…My full 175 pounds was transferred through the pseudo-robotic focal point upon the base of my sensitive little tootsie…it felt as if someone stuck me with a syringe full of hot smoldering iron ore (no…it really hurt). After bouncing around the room and doing a little dance, that I am positive would be placed in the top three of my most ridiculous body movements for 2009, we made it to Jack’s room….I got my well deserved hug and began my trek back to my room…on this journey, my now very alert and slightly over-stimulated cerebral cortex was paying full attention. My wide open eyes strained at first, but fully dilated pupils and a determination to not dance around the room again with a plastic toy stuck to the bottom of my foot made me very aware of the fact that I could see. There was the couch, the chair, the coffee table and Optimus Prime right where I crushed him (I picked him up and placed him by the trash can…I wanted him to see his new home)…After returning to bed I began to soak on my experience…and started to realize that the house was not very dark at all, in fact it was quite lighted. I recalled the cave experience and remembered what TRUE darkness was like. It did not compare. Now here is how my feeble little mind works to pull ideas together….bare with me (if you dare, I share).

We have been studying Isaiah for our Sunday School lessons and it has been awesome! We began talking about how the children of Israel were planted in a perfect vineyard, cultivated and nourished by God, but they refused to grow where they were planted. We also read and experienced Isaiah’s vision which (Ch 6) paints a truly vivid, visually stunning, and accurately humbling portrait of who God is….it also cogently describes Isaiah’s first thoughts and reflections of a perfect God by him uttering the words “Woe is me! I am undone”. He immediately realized how small, inadequate and unworthy he was to be in the presence of the Father. He believed…..belief….uhmmmm…my brain jumped to this connection. Darkness is the absence of light and though we physically find ourselves in “darkened” environments (homes, roadways etc)…they are not TRUELY dark...however, we often find ourselves thinking that we are experiencing “true darkness” when in reality we are far from it. Maybe it is simply because some have never been deep inside a lightless cavern, or perhaps it is due to forgetting the cave experience…whatever it may be…their almost always seems to be a little light….What does this have to do with belief? Well, like darkness, belief is total. DARKNESS is the absence of LIGHT, while BELIEF is the absence of DOUBT. When Isaiah came before the throne he did not doubt who God was…there was no mistaking he believed. But how often do we see examples of a “darkened” belief, a belief that has a few penetrating photons of doubt? We see an example of this in Isaiah Chapter 7 when king Ahaz refuses to listen to the words God gave Isaiah for him concerning how to govern Judah. He demonstrated complete arrogance and disbelief in God by his actions...even after Isaiah tells him, “If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” He told him to stand firm in his belief in God the Almighty or do not stand at all! Again, Chapter 29 tells us that the people of Judah were demonstrating their “darkened” doubt-filled belief in God by the ways they worshipped him, “For as much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me.” The people of Judah demonstrated some level of belief by giving God “lip service”, but doubt filled their hearts which resulted in their destruction.

This is how my simple mind works (aren’t you glad yours doesn’t….don’t be offended if it does…we will suffer through together;)stepping on Jack’s toy in the middle of the darkened (dimly lit) night, made me start to question if I perceive the completeness of the meaning of the word “belief” like I know the completeness of the meaning of the term “darkness”? Do I treat God like Ahaz, relying on my own human logic and earthly wisdom and doubt God’s providence? Do I worship like the people of Judah, announcing to the world that I believe, yet in reality only provide “lip service”, not demonstrating my belief in every aspect of my life? Do I fall before a HOLY GOD like Isaiah in full fear and understanding of my place and glorify him by saying, “Here I am Lord, Send me?”

These questions and reflections have been laid upon my heart during our time in Isaiah. I cannot even begin to articulate the level of my appreciation for my Heavenly Father's grace and mercy…I would love to hear about the effect studying Isaiah has had upon your life....God is good, and Optimus Prime has found his way back into Jack’s room.

God Bless

SGP

Newest Addition

2009-03-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

Anabelle Robinson: Born March 26th, 7 pounds 2 ounces, 20 inches. CONGRATS to Dana and Ashley!!

Wrapped up in my own AWESOMENESS!!! (I know it is not a word)

2009-03-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

It is true.....I sometimes crave a "ME moment". You know what I am talking about......when your peers, co-workers, spouse, children, friends, or other people of importance sing your praises and you thoroughly wrap yourself up in this glorification and say ME! ME! ME! ME!......I also like to call it a "Scott is AWESOME moment". I mean, I deserve it....right. I need to be recognized and praised and take the credit for my incredible actions...I mean, really! How often are you blessed to come across someone like me (please do not answer that…..stop laughing Joe)? People need to see that I am talented, that I can accomplish great things....right? I know I am not alone on this......it is confirmed to me all the time as I see and hear it constantly....for instance I read it this morning on a billboard outside of my office "Freeing the POWER of the INDIVIDUAL". Messages, advertisements, slogans all purporting that the power to succeed and to do things is found within ourselves bombard our senses on a daily basis. We are inundated by them, so obviously there must be some truth to them...right? Hmmm.....wish I had something to reference that would let me know the harm in a little selfish pride.......wish there was a king of Judah that abided in a little "ME moment" to demonstrate what happens when the "POWER" of the "INDIVIDUAL" is freed............Oh wait! Isaiah!!

Isaiah Chapters 36-39. King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz (former king of Judah....not a Godly man), ruler of Judah around 700BC had a "ME moment", and it led to some pretty bad things...but Hezekiah did not start things of f selfishly....he actually behaved like a pretty righteous man. When the King of Assyria threatened to destroy Jerusalem, Hezekiah did not search within himself for his own personal power to solve the crisis (unlike his father had done before him) he turned to God in prayer and relied upon divine power for rescue......the result...God delivered Jerusalem by running off (killing 185,000) the Assyrians, Jerusalem was not overtaken or even attacked. Later in Chapter 38, we see that Isaiah goes to the Hez-man and tells him to prepare for his death (he was covered in boils and a skin infection....yes very nasty)....Hezekiah, again, does not look for strength and power to overcome his health condition from within.....he goes to God in fervent pleading prayer......the result? God gives him 15 additional years of life. In tough and challenging times Hezekiah never found himself tempted to take a "ME moment", but in Chapter 39 things change. Hearing that the king of Judah had recovered from near death, the Babylonians send an envoy of representatives bearing gifts and accolades for Hezekiah. Keep in mind that the Babylonians were pagans and no friend to Judah...however, they were not that powerful at that time in history and they despised the Assyrians just as much as Judah did, thus they were looking to form an alliance with Hezekiah....hence all of the pomp and circumstance and praise for the great KING of Judah.......Here is the crux. Hezekiah, knowing that the Babylonians were not friends, did not rely upon Godly wisdom....he did not seek Gods face for guidance....He was overwhelmed by the grandeur of praise and accolades being offered by the Babylonians.....they were telling him that HE was great (they FREED the POWER of the individual) and the individual relied upon his own wisdom and logic and started to brag. Hezekiah willfully experienced a "Hezekiah is AWESOME moment" and full of pride showed the entourage everything that Judah owned....ALL the silver (look at ME!), gold (I am GREAT!), spices (I did this!), fine oils....EVERYTHING! After seeing ALL that Judah had, the Babylonians changed their game plan….they went from wanting to form and alliance with Judah to wanting everything Judah had. Isaiah revealed to Hezekiah at the end of Chapter 39 that, "The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left..."

On Sunday morning we will be studying in greater detail this time of Hezekiah and Isaiah’s lives. What it means to glorify God and be spiritually ALERT. Hezekiah got caught up in an act of selfish pride, did not seek God’s will, did not give God the glory…had a “ME moment” and paid dearly for it. Putting God first in ALL THINGS is the take home message....Glorify God ALWAYS. It is the only way to maintain your alertness. When we look for power from within we fail. Our power comes from a single source...in good times and in bad...God is first!

I think I will pass on that "ME moment".

Matthew 5:13-16

2009-03-25T19:02:00.001-07:00

Hi all and welcome! Aimee and I are excited to share the things going on at IBC and in the "Mixed Nuts" Sunday School class with the WORLD!!! Yep, the WORLD...right here from this lowly little space in the vast blogosphere we will openly share how God is working. Not only how we as a group of believers have been challenged, tested, and blessed, but also how we are growing and glorifying God. Speaking of growing, we have experienced both physical and spiritual growth over the past few years and it is way past time to tell the WORLD about it all......Am I being a bit overzealous? No one will read this little blog? Such a small effort will have no effect? Right?..........Do me a favor as you read this...go into your kitchen, and take a single grain of salt out of your salt shaker....got it? Now place it on your tongue...can you taste it? Do you know it is there?....Pretty robust effect for such an infinitesimal amount of salt....especially considering how the flavour spreads throughout your entire mouth. Such a small thing...such a large effect...salt on your favorite food enriches it, increasing the flavour....its abilities and effects are exponential to its size and amount. This is what Jesus was conveying to the apostles in Matthew (5:13-16). Regardless of their small number they were encouraged to fulfill their mission to be "Fishers of men" and a blessing to the WORLD... "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Now, about that light thing......Jesus said,"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." I really cannot think of a way to make that any simpler........we are called to be bright and flavorful...and that is what we will be. Welcome to the SALT & LIGHT blog ;)