Home

I've been doing a ton of travel lately for my job with the RCA equipping church planters, speaking engagements, conferences, and a vacation with Kristy. I don't think I've been homne for two weeks in a row since mid August. Yikes. This past Friday night I got home from a trip to Baltimore and wonder of wonders I have no trips scheduled until late January. Awesome.

It just feels good and right to be home. Traveling may be a little exciting, but home is filled with peace, comfort, security, stability, joy, and best of all - family. There is an inner thing going on with me now as I know I won't be leaving for months. And it feels great. Although I have to travel from time to time - I was meant to be at home. The travel, which is a part of my mission in life, gets wearisome.

I wonder if this is the sentiment Peter was getting at when he says in I Peter 2:11 we are aliens and strangers in this world. Our mission is on earth to be sure, but it isn't our home. Our home is with Christ in heaven. That's a sweet thought when life gets wearisome - our mission is here, but this is not our home.

It works

In the book of James we read, "the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." There have been many times in my life when I say to myself, "really??"

Last blog I mentioned Zeke was struggling a bit in school. We decided to get him tested for ADHD. Part of the testing includes a teacher evaluation. When I went to pick it up Monday morning she said she could barely fill it out. "It is as if he is totally free from all his issues that were plaguing him," is what she told me.

Hmmm... The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. I think I'm a bit more inclinded to pray today.

Peace and Joy
Rob

My Boy

Our middle son Zeke has been having a rough go lately at school. He's been getting in trouble and has had a hard time checking the emotions. It seems as if the filter in his mind has been shut off. In addition to the 2 trips to the principle's office this has done some damage on his little 8 year old psyche. He knows that what he is doing isn't good and feels incredible remorse for his outbursts yet he can't help himself and thus he feels terrible.

I'm reminded of what the apostle Paul said in Rom. 7, I do what I don't want to do and don't do what I want to do. In reality not only does Zeke struggle with this - so do I! I can't count the times I've been stupid/siunful/angry/lustful/etc. And just like Zeke the remorse and self loathing at times gets the best of me.

As a parent it messes me up to see my boy walk under so much self condemnation and to see him get in trouble. I want with all my being to help him get free from the actions so that he can be free from the icky feelings. We are working hard to understand what is behind the behavior to eliminate it and are speaking profusely of grace, mercy, and forgiveness hoping to silence the lies of Satan. I literally have lost sleep - happily I might add - thinking how I can help him out. I want him to be free.

It seems to me this is the heart of Abba. He wants us to be free both from the goofy actions as well as the shame that follows. Maybe it would be good for us to do what Zeke has been experiencing lately - to sit in the lap of the Father and hear; His words of love and mercy that quickly over ride sin and shame, to hear His heart and longing for us to have victory and freedom, to hear Him say He loves us regardless of our performance, and to hear His assurance that we will get beyond this current struggle and all will be well.

Really?

Admiral Perry first stated that he wanted to reach the north pole at the age of 10. Amazing. Throughout his adolesence and early adulthood many folks (in fact a majority of folks) who heard his dream discouraged him. Yet he was of a single mind and pursued the dream relentlessly. He wanted it. He made it happen.

I was reading in a devotional the following:
"When I hear someone say, 'I always wanted to be a teacher,' only politeness keeps me from answering, 'No you didn't, or you'd be a teacher. There was no "always" and you didn't really "want it." You just had a little wishfulness now and then.' "

Yikes - that's pretty in your face. And right on the money. Let's be honest if we really want something, really want it, we will work for it tirelessly. Much of what we say we want is really only wishfulness or even worse lipservice.

The Psalmist says, "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for you O God." Really? Really? I don't know about you but I would like this to be true for me. Do I really want to be close to God. Do I really desire to be intimate with him at all cost? Do you? If so we would do what it takes. Maybe the first step is to pray that our wishfulness meets reality. I'd love to go the way of Admiral Bird in my pursuit of the Lord. Wouldn't you?

Hmmm...

Peace and Joy
Rob

yuck

Blood, entrails, dead animals, and more blood. These in and of themselves are enough to make me thankful for Jesus. I've been reading through Exodus and Leviticus the past several days. Often my devotional readings proove to be good fodder for the manblog. It sure has been dry lately. Not alot of fodder there. Yet it struck me this morning after reading the thousandth regulation for sacrifice, seeing for who knows how many times an animal coming to a grisly end, and watching yet again Aaron sprinkle blood on the alter and then the people that the new covenant is a pretty darn good one. No one could keep the old covenant. Shoot even Aaron's two sons were struck down by the Lord because they lit a sacrificial fire at the wrong time. My goodness.

Yes, the new covenant is sweet. Thank God Jesus fulfilled all the regulations, met the blood requirments and was the last sacrificial lamb. I don't think my aversion to bloody animals would have allowed me to do all that sacrificing. I would have been screwed. Here is a true statement: with Jesus I am not screwed. And neither are you my friend.

Peace and Joy
Rob

sex with the slave

Another lesson from Jacob and Abraham.

As referenced in the last blog, both of these men were given a promise from the Lord for multiple offspring/descendants. Both of these dudes grew impatient waiting on the Lord's timing and took matters into there own hands by having sex with a slave women.

In a messed up, graphic kinda way this is the human story. Don't we like the grandpa/grandson duo grow impatient and take matters into our own hands? How many times have you left the Lord's way for you own? Yikes. If this were a federal offense I'd be in for life.

For Abraham the result was strife, tension, rejection and ostracization. For Jacob, his child of the flesh became part of the team that sold the child of the promise into slavery. Yet inspite of their stupidity and sin, the Lord redeemed. Ishmael was provided for and blessed by the Lord. Dan became one of the founding fathers (so to speak) of the twelve tribes of Israel.

It is never a good idea to take matters into your own hands. And yet even when we sinfully do, God in his amazing grace and mercy can redeem the worst of situations.

Peace and Joy
Rob

Dads

More observations from the Book of Genesis within the family of Abraham.

Did you know that Abraham did these two things: He lied to a king telling the king that his wife Sarah was actually his sister because he was scared of the king. And... When the promise of God seemed to slow in coming he listened to his wife's advice and had sex with one of her female slaves thus taking into his own hands the fulfillment of the promise of offspring.

Did you know that Isaac lied to a king telling the king his wife Rebbekah was actually his sister because he was scared of the king.

Did you know that Jacob, when the promise of God seemed to slow in coming, listened to his wife's advice and had sex with one of her female slaves thus taking into his own hands the fulfillment of the promise of offspring.

Did you know that Abraham was Isaac's dad and Jacobs grandfather? Did you know that God says in Deut. 5 and Ex. 20 that the sins of the parents will visit the children to the third and fourht generation?

Hmmm...

Peace and Joy
Rob

Jacob

Hey men,

Kristy and I just got back last night from a 10 day get away. Simply put - it was awesome! Glad to be back in town though. :)

These past couple days I've been ready the story of Jacob in the book of Genesis. Here is what I've noticed about him. He cheated his brother out of his birth right. He cheated that same brother out of the father's blessing. He tricked his father in law, Laban, by breeding the sheep in such a way that increased his flock and shrunk Laban's. My goodness even at birth he came out grasping his brothers heal and thus was given the name Jacob meaning "usurper." Yikes. What a scoundrel.

And yet this is the knucklehead that God chose to fulfill his promise to Abraham through. I would think that God would choose someone a bit more stable.

Yet Jacob's short comings are not the point. Rather God's grace, mercy, and crazy love is. God extends his blessing soley out of his grace and mercy and not based on human merit. God chooses to bless morons like Jacob. God blesses the most unlikely of people. God's kingdom is advanced by failable goofballs. God's love and blessing are unexplainable.

Here's something cool - we too are knucklehead, moronic, goofballs just like Jacob. Even better - all those cool things about God apply to us too. Cool.

Peace and Joy
Rob

doggie grief

My last post a week and a half ago let you know that Ralf has gone to doggie heaven. I knew that I was going to be sad, yet I've been shocked at the depth of my grief and how it has taken me out of the game. I've been pondering why that is.

Part of me thinks that my grief is a longing for Eden and Heaven. When Adam and Eve were kickin it in the garden before the fall, they were in right and good relationship with the animals. The critters were companions long before they became food. In the book of Revelation we see that at the end of it all there will be a new heaven and new earth where the earth and heaven will be united and earth resotred to an edenic state. You can hpothesis that we will be in right and good relationship with animals (and all creation for that matter) when we get to glory.

Ralf wasn't just another four legged thing. He was a friend and companion who gave me, my family and many others a glimpse back into Eden and forward into glory where we were and will be walking in tight communion with animals. My friendship with him filled an void that has been present in all humanity since Genesis 3 - the longing for all to be well. For some that void is filled with horses. For others by a long walk in the woods. still for others a day on the lake answers that call for Eden. For me it was filled with my brown furry friend. I miss him becasue I (like you) was made for heaven.

Peace and Joy
Rob

Mourning

Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount in Matt. 5 that "bessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted."

Well our dog and buddy Ralf died this morning and it sure doesn't feel blessed. I trust someday it will. Our home is pretty heavy with sadness now. For now we will simply feel the weight of sadness and not rush out of it.

Peace and Joy
Rob

Again

It got me again. Darn it. Will I ever be free from the pull to letargy and laxity in the wonderful freeing disciplines in life. Time with God. Commitment to excercise. Right and balanced eating. This week the disciplines were all replaced with the old habits. The Apostle Paul talks about the battle between the spirit man and the flesh man. It sure does feel like Mr. Flesh wins a few too many times.

"As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it [sin], but it is the sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; ... For in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ... Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:17-25)

Well said Paul, you speak for me. Thanks be to God. Through Jesus we are rescued. Rescued from the eternal consequences of sin. But also rescued from the day to day consequences of sin. It's a new day. A good time to start a new.

Peace and Joy
Rob

Brothers

Nehimiah 4:14 says, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daugheters, your wives, and your homes." Hmm... I would have thought that wives and kids woul have come before brothers. Yet it is not so. Brothers first. Then the family.

A couple weekends ago at the Mancation we looked at this second role of men - brothers (remember the first role was son). We looked at Nehimiah's call to fight for them first. To be sure we are called to engage in the battle for the hearts of our children and spouses. Yet in the battle against the kingdom of darkness we must first fight for our brothers. We stand stronger when we don't stand alone. Once we have fought well for our brothers as a brother we will have greater united strength to fight for our kids and wives.

Your role - if you choose to accept it - is to be a brother to other men. Fight well and fight together.

Peace and Joy
Rob

The Falkon

Jake and I learned a valuable lesson on community Wednesday night.

We were driving back from Massachusettes in a 2000 Dodge Ram Truck that my brother had bequethed to us for the boys to have as they learn to drive. While driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania around 70 miles an hour on a 90 degree day, having had the fans on high all day after having driven for 11 hours the radiator said, "enough!"

We pulled over, raised the hood, and quickly remembered I know nothing about cars other than how to put gas in it. The fact that I knew how to raise the hood was a miracle in and of itself. We didn't know if this was a simple over heating or another major issue. It took me about ten seconds to realize this was a job for Tim. Tim is a friend of mine that I've known for years who is a professional machanic. In 2 seconds flat Tim was able to diagnose the problem and tell me how to fix it - on the phone! We let the truck rest a bit to cool down, dumped a bunch of water in the radiator and drove home without incident (we were through with the mountains thankfully). I'm not sure what we would have done without Tim. Probably would have spent a ton of money for some Pennsylvanian stranger to tell me it was only overheated. Thank you Tim.

And thank God for the idea of living life in community. Since the Garden of Eden it has been God's plan for people to live in relationship and community with people. David had Jonathon. Abraham had Lot. Tom had Jerry. Paul had Barnabus. Jesus had the 12. David had his mighty men. To be sure we were meant to live as a part of a larger team. Tim's calming, knowledgable voice was a God-send. His assurance was peace-giving. His insights were invaluable and saved us some hassle and expense. Community and freindship is a great idea.

Peace and Joy
Rob

PS we named the truck The Falkon after the Millenium Falcon (Star Wars).

Role # 1

This weekend at The River's Mancation we spent some time looking at 4 different roles given to men.

That first night I was sharing how I am still suprised how much my 3 boys long for and want physical affection from me. Even our oldest who is 12 and now a lanky 6 feet tall loves when it is his turn to sit "on my lap" (a near impossibility with his size) while watching TV. As I thought about that reality I realized that even I still have a longing for physical affection and affirmation from my dad - although the desire to sit on his lap is long past :). As men, we all have a built in need for such affirmation. Unfortunatley for a variety of reasons this need has gone unmet for many.

Thank God for God. Whether our dads have been able to meet our need for affection and affirmation or not, God longs to be Abba for us, to us, and with us. Granted he can't touch us physically, but he can bring words of affirmation (if we listen) and overt signs of love (if our eyes are open).

That first role that we were encouraged to walk into at the Mancation was the Role of Son. Son of the Most High God. Son of the King of Kings. Son of the Creator of the Universe. Son of the Father of Compassion. Son of the one who has reconciled us to Himself. Son of Abba. Son. It is yours to embrace my brothers. "See what manner of love he's given unto us that we should be called sons of God."

To embrace this role we were given a couple assignments. 1. Get alone with Abba. The "how" doesn't matter. Whether it is in your basement, a tree stand, or while riding a motorcycle doesn't matter. Just make some time to get in the word, ask of the Lord, and listen. 2. Be young again as if you were a young son to Abba (which you are). Play, goof round, don't take yourself to seriously and feel free to forget about work for a bit.

Peace and Joy
Rob

St. Julian

It's been said that life sucks and then you die. It's also been said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. Hmmm... At times this certainly feels true. Heaviness, depression, sorrow, loss, cancer, illness, loneliness. Things that make the two statements ring true. Yet what seems true isn't always true.

Jesus says in John 8 that, "the truth will set you free." The truth is that all things will work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8). The truth is that nothing can seperate us from the love of Christ (also Rom. 8). The truth is that there is a peace that passes understanding (Phil. 4).

This is good news. It's good news because I know many of you struggle with the weightiness of life. It's good news because in "this life you will have troubles." It's good news because, at times, our issues seem to get the best of us. It's good news becasue it sure does seem like life sucks and then you die. (Now, some of you are blessed with a cheery disposition and are mercifully clueless to these heavy, dark, morose thoughts - to you I saw count yourself blessed.)

As Julian of Norwich has said, "All will be well. All will be well and in all manner of things, all will be well."

Be of good cheer men for all will be well. That's a promise. A Biblical promise.

Peace and Joy
Rob

Mancation

This might come as a suprise to some of you - men are different than women. Shocking, I know. But true none the less.

I'm gearing up for this weekends "Mancation" (i.e. The River's Men's retreat) and looking forward to some extended guy time. I believe it is intentional use of the masculine in Pr. 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." It does not say as one man sharpens a women, nor does it say as one woman sharpens a man. It says, "so one man sharpens another." To be sure as men we can be refined by women. Shoot I get a bunch of rough edges shaved off of me regularly by Kristy, and that is a good thing. I'm a huge fan of Joyce Meyer - listen to a few sermons a week by her and am almost always challenged to grow.

Yet there is something uniquely sweet when men walk the faith walk together. There is something specifically male in each of us that can best be related to by other males. Only another man who has fought "the addiction" (of course I'm talking porn) can understand the shame and remorse. Only another man can know the struggle (or lack thereof) of trying to lead the family well in the ways of the Lord while the world pulls us to do anything but that. Only another man can relate to the deep longing for unfelt affection from a father and the embarassment of having that longing.

Truly men need men. More specifically you need men.

Peace and Joy
Rob

Built some shelves last night. I usually hate such projects. It took much longer than planned. It wasn't done until midnite. My plans for the evening were shot. And it was awesome.

Jake (our 12 year old son) and I had one of those cool father son moments that I doubt either of us will forget. Together we built a fairly elaborate shelving system out of an old book shelf we had sitting around the house. As I said it was a great time. The key phrase in the process - "together." I had a blast teaching him how to use a skill saw. He had a blast using the skill saw. I felt a little like a carpentry Yoda and he was my padawan. Awesome. Just awesome. There was something indescribable that we both were aware of that was richly present. We did it together. Had I done it alone I would have hated it. Had he done it alone it would have been miserable. But together it was a great night.

What blows me away and I can barely comprehend is that Abba feels a million more times that way about time with us. He destined us for adoption to be his children says Paul in Ephesians. John would say in 1 John, see what manner of love he has given unto us that we should be called children of God. He is dad and we are sons. Dearly loved sons whose company the father delights in. Wow. Now that's a cool thought.

Peace and Joy
Rob

It is a sure thing - Tommy must go. (If you are confused about Tommy, go back and read my first blog entry). Discipline is very helpful in such an endeavor. Yet discipline is not the point. The point of all this Tommy-Talk is freedom. Paul would say in 2 Cor. "where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom." He would say in Galatians, "It is for freedom that He set us free." Discipline is a tool that serves us on the journey toward freedom.

Yet if we are not vigilant, discipline can become a cruel task master bringing pharisaical rigidity, guilt, shame and shackles. So to avoid such nonsense I ate an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen yesterday and loved it. Discipline out of balance would have screamed at me. But discipline in it's place said, "enjoy."

To be sure much of what I blog about is the pursuit of discipline for the sake of freedom. Yet I want to be sure that it is in it's place as a servant to the freedom Christ has for us.

Peace and Joy
Rob

He ddn't flee. His son died. A sobering correlation don't you think?

Of course I'm talking about good old King David. He saw Bathsheba, kept looking, and well... you know the rest of the story (2 Sam 11 & 12). One man's sin led to the literal death of two (Uriah and the baby born to Bathsheba) and the emotional death of countless others. All because he didn't flee. Sins effect is never localized to just the sinner. It has far reaching and deadly effect. In a word sin is; deadly.

In this life we will have troubles and temptations. The trick is to flee from them like a snowman at a tanning convention. Run man run. This is so much easier said than done. Yet Thank God Jesus didn't die on the cross for us to only do easy things. Thank God we were not meant to walk alone. (I love the fact that I can share my "Bathsheba" moments with some brothers. Their insight, prayers, and kicks in the pants help me to run.) Thank God for David's sobering story. And thank God for David's redemtion.

My brother - you will face temptation. Today. Tomorrow. And the next day. Flee. Run. Scram. Bolt. Sprint. Dash. So others might live.

Peace and Joy
Rob

In my time with God this morning I read an account of Fr. Edward Farrell who went on a vacation to Ireland to celebrate his uncles 80th birthday. (I read the account in Abba's Child by Brennan Manning.) One morning they got up very early and took a walk to Lake Killarney and paused to watch the sunrise. "Suddenly the uncle turned and went skipping down the road. He was radiant, beaming, smiling from ear to ear. His nephew said, 'Uncle Seamus, you really look happy.'
'I am lad.'
'Want to tell me why?'
His eighty-year-old uncle replied, 'Yes, you see, my Abba is very found of me.'"

Wow. The author went on to ask, "how would you respond if I asked you this question, 'Do you honestly believe God likes you, not just loves you because theologicaly God has to love you?'"

This is a hard one to grasp in fulness. God really like me? God really likes you? How much of life is spent trying to make ourselves better and/or atone for our sin? How many hours do we spend wishing we were more this or less that? How much energy is exerted for the sake of self improvement? To be sure growth and maturity is a good thing (as I've said Tommy must go - see initial blog :)). Yet how much of our efforts or lack of them in some instances are directly a result of self loathing or at least self dislike?

What would it be like to live like uncle Seamus truly believing deep down at the core of our being that God really likes us - a lot. It seems that therein lies the way to freedom.

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the sone of her womb? Even these may forget, But I will not forget you" (Is. 49:15). God loves us, likes us and has a boat load of compassion and tenderness for us. He is very fond of us.

He likes us. Alot

Peace and Joy
Rob