Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Set Free
Ok. This is short but it has a point. Last Friday our band did the worship service for Set Free Escondido. The band has been doing it for a while with just Franny and Christy in an acoustic set. This was the first time I joined them. And I was so moved by one part of the service. After worship they took a few minutes to honor those that had been clean for certain time frames. Thirty days, six months, one year, and 17 years. They gave them a little plastic token that said 30 days or whatever. And the look of accomplishment as they were honored, not so much for what they did but what God did in them. Wow. It was amazing. I was moved almost to tears. It was cool. Really cool.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Glamdring
It's been 5 months since the most awesome birthday of mine on record. This birthday was significant for me because it was the first time I was able to celebrate with joy in my heart. Birthday's for me, usually involve a certain amount of pain. Not the pain associated with getting older, but the pain associated with my existence. But this year it was different. My life has taken a turn for the better this year. God is amazing. The things He has done in my life in the past 10 or 11 months still just blow me away. A good friend gave me a copy of some "I am" statements from the Bible. (If you want them, let me know. It's good stuff) And after reading them and asking God to show me that they were true about me, my whole outlook on things changed.
Now, flash forward (or backward, depending on how you look at things) to January of 2007. I had the occasion to spend Jan 2nd all alone with my God in the mountains. Just me and my Father. And I went there that day with one purpose really. To get answers to two questions.
1. Do I have what it takes?
2. What do you think of me God?
Before I tell you where those two questions went, let me say, that if you have never had a chance to do this, MAKE IT HAPPEN. You will not regret it. I would spend a day like this again in a heart beat.
Ok. So in answer to my first question, God most definitely told me that I do have what it takes. I have what it takes to be the man that He's called me to be, the husband I'm supposed to be, the father I'm supposed to be, the Warrior I'm supposed to be. Little did I know at the time, but I would be tested greatly in some of those areas in the days and months to come. But it helped knowing that I had what it takes to make it.
Now for the second question. What do you think of me God? Most of the answers to that question are extremely private between me and my Father. But what I can share is this. God said that He loves me. And that He was proud of me. And he called me by my new name. He called me Gandalf. (Those not familiar with that name, it is the name of one of the characters in the Lord of the Rings books.) I laughed at first when He said that to me. I was like, 'Yeah right. More like Pippen or Merry. Anything but Gandalf.' You see Gandalf is a wizard who leads the Fellowship of the Ring on their quest. He seems to have all the answers, he knows everything. He gains everyones trust. He is loved by everyone who knows him. He bravely leads the Fellowship into battle. And then there's me. Sure, I would like to have all those things said about me. But I didn't want to think that that was me. I mean Gandalf was wise and all, but he had a staff not a sword. At least the Hobbits had little bitty swords. And then there was Aragorn. Now he had a sword. Yes God, maybe you meant Aragorn. Thats it. Yes Aragorn, you must have been confused on your characters Lord.
Now I don't want to assume that anyone else in the world has ever questioned God, so I will now fill you in on how it went from there. Father was like, 'Oh yes. Of course. Me who knows everything was mis-taken. So sorry GANDALF. Yes Gandalf is my name for you. You will see in time. Trust me.' Have you ever been in that place where the God of the universe asks you to trust Him? Well what are you going to do? Hint: TRUST HIM.
Ok. So I leave from my time in the mountains happy, and confused at the same time. I was almost embarassed to share my new name with my wife, because I halfway expected this roaring laughter followed by, 'Yeah right! Gandalf's horse maybe. Hahahaha.' Or something like that. But when I shared with her, the words from her were like honey. 'Oh yeah. I can totally see that. You are so much like him.'
Now I'm just wierded out. My wife and God conspiring together! But I said ok God. I'm trusting you. So I go to work the next day and do a little search online for all things Lord of the Rings. And would you believe, Gandalf had a sword! It's name was Glamdring. It was an Elvin sword, with history. I couldn't believe it. I sent a copy of the web page to my wife saying 'Look! Gandalf has a sword!' And that was pretty much it.
Jump to my birthday. My wife Franny, our friend Christy, and our boys had a little party for me complete with a viewing of The Return of the King, and cake and all that jazz. There were decorations and stuff and a happy birthday banner with two pictures of Gandalf. My wife and Christy were sad though, because the gift that they bought me didn't get delivered on time. I told them it was no big deal.
Well the next day they came home from work with my present. It was a box about four feet long, a foot across and about 4 inches thick. Inside that box was Glamdring. It was mine. Given to me by those who love me. I've never been more speachless in my life.
It hangs on the wall beside my bed. It is mine. I am Gandalf. God said so.
Since that time, many things have happened that have confirmed that God was right with my name. (duh) God knew what I was made of, and that I had what it would take for each one of those situations.
But for now..........
"Fly Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!"
Now, flash forward (or backward, depending on how you look at things) to January of 2007. I had the occasion to spend Jan 2nd all alone with my God in the mountains. Just me and my Father. And I went there that day with one purpose really. To get answers to two questions.
1. Do I have what it takes?
2. What do you think of me God?
Before I tell you where those two questions went, let me say, that if you have never had a chance to do this, MAKE IT HAPPEN. You will not regret it. I would spend a day like this again in a heart beat.
Ok. So in answer to my first question, God most definitely told me that I do have what it takes. I have what it takes to be the man that He's called me to be, the husband I'm supposed to be, the father I'm supposed to be, the Warrior I'm supposed to be. Little did I know at the time, but I would be tested greatly in some of those areas in the days and months to come. But it helped knowing that I had what it takes to make it.
Now for the second question. What do you think of me God? Most of the answers to that question are extremely private between me and my Father. But what I can share is this. God said that He loves me. And that He was proud of me. And he called me by my new name. He called me Gandalf. (Those not familiar with that name, it is the name of one of the characters in the Lord of the Rings books.) I laughed at first when He said that to me. I was like, 'Yeah right. More like Pippen or Merry. Anything but Gandalf.' You see Gandalf is a wizard who leads the Fellowship of the Ring on their quest. He seems to have all the answers, he knows everything. He gains everyones trust. He is loved by everyone who knows him. He bravely leads the Fellowship into battle. And then there's me. Sure, I would like to have all those things said about me. But I didn't want to think that that was me. I mean Gandalf was wise and all, but he had a staff not a sword. At least the Hobbits had little bitty swords. And then there was Aragorn. Now he had a sword. Yes God, maybe you meant Aragorn. Thats it. Yes Aragorn, you must have been confused on your characters Lord.
Now I don't want to assume that anyone else in the world has ever questioned God, so I will now fill you in on how it went from there. Father was like, 'Oh yes. Of course. Me who knows everything was mis-taken. So sorry GANDALF. Yes Gandalf is my name for you. You will see in time. Trust me.' Have you ever been in that place where the God of the universe asks you to trust Him? Well what are you going to do? Hint: TRUST HIM.
Ok. So I leave from my time in the mountains happy, and confused at the same time. I was almost embarassed to share my new name with my wife, because I halfway expected this roaring laughter followed by, 'Yeah right! Gandalf's horse maybe. Hahahaha.' Or something like that. But when I shared with her, the words from her were like honey. 'Oh yeah. I can totally see that. You are so much like him.'
Now I'm just wierded out. My wife and God conspiring together! But I said ok God. I'm trusting you. So I go to work the next day and do a little search online for all things Lord of the Rings. And would you believe, Gandalf had a sword! It's name was Glamdring. It was an Elvin sword, with history. I couldn't believe it. I sent a copy of the web page to my wife saying 'Look! Gandalf has a sword!' And that was pretty much it.
Jump to my birthday. My wife Franny, our friend Christy, and our boys had a little party for me complete with a viewing of The Return of the King, and cake and all that jazz. There were decorations and stuff and a happy birthday banner with two pictures of Gandalf. My wife and Christy were sad though, because the gift that they bought me didn't get delivered on time. I told them it was no big deal.
Well the next day they came home from work with my present. It was a box about four feet long, a foot across and about 4 inches thick. Inside that box was Glamdring. It was mine. Given to me by those who love me. I've never been more speachless in my life.
It hangs on the wall beside my bed. It is mine. I am Gandalf. God said so.
Since that time, many things have happened that have confirmed that God was right with my name. (duh) God knew what I was made of, and that I had what it would take for each one of those situations.
But for now..........
"Fly Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!"
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