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Throughout the Book of Judges

If you don’t know I have joined forces with a buddy of mine, Jason Weaver (that should scare some of you if you know us both) in reading the Bible in 90 days. I may have talked to you, or you may have seen me tweet about this endeavor, but if not…..now you know. So, as apart of that journey we have been reading the book of Judges this week. 

Throughout the book of judges….there is one very frequent phrase. 

The Israelites again did things that the Lord saw as evil.

This phrase is a part of a pattern. The Israelites do what they feel is right and did things that the Lord saw as evil, then the Lord allows a country or people group to overthrow the Israelites and rule over them, the Israelites beg for help from the Lord, the Lord helps and they are saved for a period of time until they decide to once again do what THEY feel is right. 

It’s a vicious cycle. 

Over, and over they choose to do what they feel is right. 

In Deuteronomy 8:5, The Lord says through Moses this: 

Know then in your heart that Lord your God has been disciplining you just as a father disciplines his children. 

There are a lot of rules in the Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and even Deuteronomy. Rules according to Moses that God has put in place not for grins and giggles, but for the betterment of the people. It’s like parents always say: 

I’m doing this for your own good.

Who knew that this phrase was biblical? That is was from the heart of God? 

God knows that we are going to mess up from time to time, and knows especially that when we do what we feel is right then we are headed for a path that is not so good. Does that mean that we don’t know right from wrong? 

Well of course not! 

But our heavenly father knows us. After he made us and the psalmist even says that he knows what we are going to do before we even think about doing it. I wonder if we followed the diet rules that are layed out in Leviticus how heathly we would be? I wonder what would happen if we truly honored our father and mother at all times? I wonder if we really loved as God loves all the time? 

How much different would this world look like? 

How different would our relationships look? 

God loves us so much that He desires for us to live an abundant life. He must because throughout the Old Testament God sends prophet after prophet to help the Israelites. He continually saves them and he is still doing that saving work today. 

What would our lives look like if we truly looked at the Ten Commandments as more than rules and regulations? What if we looked at them as steps to an abundant life? 

It really is for our own good. 

 

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My New Favorite Thing

I’ve been in ministry for several years now and I was born and raised in a pastors family so ministry is more or less the family business, and because of this throughout my life I have encountered many programming opportunities. Now that I am in a ministry career I have obviously encountered the same. 

In my new role of Lay Associate at Edge Park I inherited the “Senior Ministries Luncheon” which happens two wednesdays in each month. My first senior ministry luncheon was months ago, but my first experience of leading one was the last wednesday of January. 

It is my new favorite thing about my ministry here at Edge Park. 

Around 10 o clock this morning 20-25 seniors in our church will come and play games and fellowship with one another. Mind you the competition is fierce, especially the 42 table. I love every minute of it. It so awesome to see the smiles and hear the laughs of everyone present. I am so very blessed and joyful about this opportunity to lead this awesome group of people! 

I will be sure to share some pictures from todays lunch so stay tuned! 

 

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A New Season

“There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens”

-Ecclesiastes 3:1- 

Lately I’ve been thinking about the seasons that our lives go through at times, mostly because I am in a new one, and actually it’s not just one new thing but it seems as of late that the norm of what I was used to my life being is no where near where I am now. What’s more is that this “new season” has two levels to it. 

Level 1: College Graduate

For the better part of the last decade I have gone to class, studied, took tests and worked to get a bachelors degree. On a very large level college was the only constant that I had for nine years. Now that is a something that has been accomplished. It’s a thing of the past. Something yes that I am very proud of, but something that is very surreal to label as something I did in the past. 

Level 2: Went from Youth Director to Lay Associate Pastor

The other part of this new season is my job change at Edge Park UMC. At the beginning of January I was offered a great opportunity to be the Lay Associate Pastor at Edge Park. This is an opportunity that I honestly never thought would come in my life, but especially this quickly after graduating. One month I was graduating from college and the next God was placing me as a Lay Pastor at Edge Park. That in and of itself can be overwhelming. 

So, here is a question. In the new seasons of our lives what do we do? How do be apart of this season. I have come to believe that just like other areas of our lives the seasons that we encounter are also opportunities given to us by God to show that He is still faithful to us. 

I am so incredibly blessed to be where I am in my life. I am very humbled by the opportunities that God has set before me. It is in that realization of how blessed we are to have what we have that we truly engage our heavenly father. It is a type of worship. To embrace the new season with the child like faith that we are called to live for the glory of God. 

All of us encounter new seasons in our lives. Some of you may be in one right now. So, this is my prayer for these seasons. 

Holy God, 

Help to draw more near to you Father. Not just during new seasons or old seasons but in every season. Help us to acknowledge your presence in these seasons and give us the strength, wisdom, courage, and strong faith in your plan. Thank you Father for blessing us with the gift that we don’t deserve, your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to always glorify you in all we do. In your Son’s Holy and Precious Name we pray. 

Amen. 

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All I Can Say

I love me some David Crowder and lately I can’t help but listen to “All I Can Say,” one of the classic Crowder Hits. I think the song’s meaning or what I think is the meaning is easily overlooked. 

Here is the chorus: 

“And this is all I can say right now
 And this is all that I can give
 And this is all I can say right now
 And this is all that I can give, that’s my everything.”

Ever feel that your life is nothing compared to the love of God? Or ever feel so overwhelmed by the grace that He extends to us? It’s like we are all drowning in the ocean of grace, right?

Think about that feeling for just a moment.

Focus on it.

Feel it.

Now, read the lyrics again.

See that? Feel that?

Remember that story of the prodigal son? 

One day a son gets his portion of his inheritance from his father

Then he proceeds to sqaunder his portion on meaningless things? 

Then he comes to a point where he realizes that before he eats besides pigs to get food (because he really was that poor) he must go home and be a servant to his father because being a servant definitely beats eating beside pigs. 

Then when he comes home he falls on his knees and says that he will be his fathers servant and work under him with the hope of earning back all he squandered

Remember what the Father did? 

Threw open his arms and welcomed his son home. 

All the son had was himself to give. 

You can imagine that he would’ve said something like the chorus of this song. 

“Father this is all i can say and this is all I can give.” 

Turns out that’s all that God desires that we give. 

Is ourselves. 

So right now as your reading this I ask that you give all of yourself and all of everything you can say to the Lord. 

Because that is all it took for him to come and die for you.