Standing Next to Hitler?

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:9-11, NASB)

Our church celebrated the opening of its new sanctuary this morning, and the worship was incredible. During the musical part of our worship, a song based on the verse above was sung. As I sang, I got a picture in my mind of being in that mass of people on judgment day.

I don't know if everyone will be mixed together or if they'll be separated into believers and non-believers, but according to this verse, regardless of their earthly decisions, they will fall facedown in front of Jesus on that day. Then I thought, "What if I were standing next to Hitler on that day?" I would be facedown, overjoyed in the presence of the Lord, but he would be facedown in indescribable anguish over forsaking the real King. Part of me hurt for him. Then my mind shifted from Hitler to others in this world who are lost and without hope on that day. Instead of joyfully bowing in honor of the King, the sheer magnitude of the realization of their depravity will double them over.

Makes me want to tell them about Jesus. How about you? It makes me ache for the thousands of people in Colorado who worship the creation but not the Creator. It may not be literal tree-hugging...it could just be hiking on Sundays because it makes them feel spiritual. Regardless, when the mountains melt like wax before Him upon His return, the object of their worship will be made known.

Let's not be selfish. One day, your neighbor will bow...will it be the first time? One day, that stranger you ignored will bow...will it be in joy or anguish? One day, those whom you've despised and rejected will bow...will they shed tears of gratefulness or tears of terror? Think you can't tell them about Jesus? Think they'll never come to faith in Him?

My Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever, the author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see

Your singing for the glory of the risen King

Promotion + Vietnam + Interactive Bible Reading

Three quick updates about life here with the Cowtown Colliers:

1. I got a promotion last week. I'm now the Associate Director of News and Information. Basically, I will be responsible for managing the writers and building relationships with media personnel to get our stories out. I'll still write and edit, and I'm really excited about the opportunity. Please pray for wisdom, creativity, and time management as I take on this new task.
2. My Vietnam trip will probably get rescheduled to May. God raised the money for me to go in the fastest time anyone's raised it before, but no one else was able to raise the money in time. I asked our leader if we wanted to wait until May so more people could go. It looks like that will be when we go, but I'll keep you posted. It actually works out better for me schedule wise.
3. If you don't have a regular Bible reading plan, I'm in the rotation with three other writers for our church's online Interactive Bible Reading (click to check it out). You can post comments about what God's showing you and everything.

Future Photographer

So the grandmothers were in town this past weekend. Amy's mom let Will go wild with her digital camera. Here's some of the "abstract" photos he shot:

Shred and Re-organize

Last night, Amy and I spent several hours re-organizing our file cabinet. We shredded old bills and forms with personal information. We also cleaned out folders of unneccessary items.

In church this morning, we were singing a song which said, "Come, Lord Jesus, Come." I realized that sometimes I'm satisfied with living my life, and I'm not always anticipating the return of Jesus.

As I began to repent of this, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the reorganizing and shredding from last night. He said He wanted to do the same in me internally. I began to confess sin and ask that he shred it and reorganize my life and priorities.

In His power, I'm wanting to grow stronger and more intentional in my walk with the Lord. As I anxiously await the final coming of the Kingdom at the end of days, I will live in the Kingdom that is now at hand (Mark 1:15)

Humility Begins with Gratefulness

Last night as I was laying down in bed and praying, the Holy Spirit started convicting me of arrogance and pride issues. It's not the first time I've been faced with this aspect of my own depravity, so I repented and started talking to God about why I keep falling into this sin trap.

I walk around with a lot of insecurities, as I imagine almost everyone does. The ways humans deal with their insecurities vary, and my way is to try to overcompensate through humor and sarcasm. I'll say something that sounds arrogant in a humorous way in an effort to try to display some type of self-confidence.

In church today, several of the songs we sang spoke of thankfulness, gratefulness, and surrender. It felt as though God were saying, "Humility begins with gratefulness." When I recognize that everything I have is a gift from my King, then I recognize that self-confidence is not all that important. God-confidence is most important. If I rely on myself and begin to think I'm responsible for my accomplishments, pride begins to swell. When I recognize I'm an unworthy servant who has been adopted into the King's family, I will boast in His richness and grace.

Psalm 34:2 "My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad."

Galatians 6:14 "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whichthe world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Here's some lyrics from a song we sang today:
I will boast in the Lord my God
I will boast in the one who's worthy
He's worthy!
I will make my boast in Christ alone

Vietnam

Many of you already know that I am planning on taking a 10-day trip to Vietnam with my church planting internship in March. I wasn't sure if I would be able to raise the funds to go, and I also had some problems with my passport. On both, God came through with flying colors!!!

The passport was more of a timing issue. Because I'm going to Vietnam with a religious group, the Visa process takes a little longer. I called the US Passport Agency because my passport wasn't going to arrive for up to 3 weeks, and they said they would put in a request to expedite my passport, but we all know how fast the government can be. Within a couple of days, my passport was in my mailbox!

As for funds, I had to raise $3,000 to go on the trip. I sent out letters to friends and family at the beginning of December and after 3 weeks, I have nearly all of the money! For those of you who gave money, I greatly appreciate it, and please know that your investment has Kingdom rewards.

In each of these areas, God proved both His faithfulness and His plan for me to go to Vietnam. Our church has been working in Vietnam for 12 years now, providing development projects such as water filtration systems, special education training for teachers, and, soon, computer labs for underprivileged schools. I have been part of the team working on the computer labs, which will provide poor children computer skills to help them get jobs.

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Pray also for Amy and the boys as they will be without me for 10 days (and I without them).