I’m so proud of my son.

As we get ready to board for his first trip outta the country, he’s noticably skittish. His mouth is running non-stop, he hasn’t sat still in hours and I think I’ve made 43 runs to the airport restroom for…well…u know…eggs and anxiety don’t mix:)

Yet in the midst of it all, I see fertile soil in his heart…perfect consistency to begin planting seeds that might take days, months or years to bear fruit.

But bear fruit they will and healthy fruit indeed. El Salvador will impact his young heart in a way that only reality can. And a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God, a heart that beats for the things that matter….not selfish things like color of the carpet or musical styles or personal pursuits… will lead the world forward in the Kingdom. Thanks for the seeds, Lord. You keep giving them, I’ll keep planting them. He and all of our family are your soil. Lead us, break our hearts and strengthen our message to the church and to all of humanity….getabsorbed…n

(The next two weeks will feature a daily devotional in preparation for Lakeview Church’s mission’s trip to Kings Castle in El Salvador. Unity of purpose commands a blessing from our King. May we all begin to walk to the rhythm of His heartbeat)

Part 6

Sometimes I find my lifestyle isn’t real conducive to marination.  What I mean by that is that I am prone to “rush through to get through.”  I just want to move to the next thing.  Too bad the Kingdom of God isn’t set up that way.

Lately my morning routine has been a bit messed up.  Due to a number of circumstances, my normal routine has been condensed into a panicked attempt to find a few hours alone with my King.

I HAVE to be alone, still and listening for His heartbeat.  Not for my job (although I’d be worthless trying to get by without hearing from the One who made my ears). Not for my marriage (although my schmuck meter would peg off the page and I’d probably end up at YOUR house within a few days, bawling and asking “why did she kick me out?:)  Not for my kids (although if they are going to live in the promises of God who’s gonna be around to tell ‘em?  Their Sunday school teacher?  Yeah…not his job.  It’s mine)

No I need to be alone, marinating and absorbing His word, basking and soaking in His Presence simply because that’s what I was made to do.    His life has to permeate mine.  His Word has to transform me.  His love has to pour outta every pore of my being.  The only way to do that is to just BE with Him.  Instead of getting through His word in a set aside time in the day, I need to let Him get through me all day. Everyday…you?  yeah…getabsorbed…n

(The next two weeks will feature a daily devotional in preparation for Lakeview Church’s mission’s trip to Kings Castle in El Salvador. Unity of purpose commands a blessing from our King. May we all begin to walk to the rhythm of His heartbeat)

Part 5

I remember the first time I went to King’s Castle.  And I’ll never forget it…

It was the first time in my entire life that my comfortable lifestyle was challenged by my surroundings.  My heart broke day after day as the need overwhelmed me.  My prayers moved from “God bless me” to “God bless me to bless others.”  I suddenly began to feel a responsibility for the world around me.  I had been called to be light in darkness, freedom for the captives and hope for the forgotten.

I pray that as you prepare yourself for the coming trip, that you will allow God to rule over your perspective.  If you’ll let it, it’ll get shifted forever.  Needy thoughts will get replaced by unselfish acts.  Arrogance will get replaced by utter dependence.  And hard hearts will be broken up by a shift in the soil of your perspective…get ready…getabsorbed…n

(The following link has all the essentials for your trip in one click)

el-salvador-tickets-and-itinerary

(The next two weeks will feature a daily devotional in preparation for Lakeview Church’s mission’s trip to Kings Castle in El Salvador. Unity of purpose commands a blessing from our King. May we all begin to walk to the rhythm of His heartbeat)

PART 4

Take a moment and breathe in your surroundings.  What do you smell?  What do you see?

Most of you reading this are just like me..upper class, highly educated and probably know where your next meal is coming from.  Since that is what we see with our eyes, it becomes our reality; a lens from which to view and absorb the world around us.

What if I told you your reality is NOT a good gauge for the reality that awaits most of the world?  It’s a journey into truth that I’m just beginning to realize.  But I want it to go far beyond guilty feelings.  I want the world reality to begin shaping my own.

El Salvador is an honest look into an uncomfortable but REAL reality.  Get ready to absorb more than your current reality can handle.  Your heart will break…let it.  Tears will flow..let ‘em.  Just don’t spend the rest of your life with an eye closed to reality.  I spent 30 plus years in a false reality.  Ten of those as a so called Christian.  You and I are blessed to be a blessing.  Let’s be one for the world…getabsorbed…n

(The next two weeks will feature a daily devotional in preparation for Lakeview Church’s mission’s trip to Kings Castle in El Salvador. Unity of purpose commands a blessing from our King. May we all begin to walk to the rhythm of His heartbeat)

(This is incredible insight from my wife Tricia…you’re amazing babe:)

Matthew 25:37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

The Least of These……

When we get to El Salvador you are going to see first hand what Jesus deemed “the least of these”. Oh, it is so obvious! People living in shacks with no walls, but merely a tin roof to cover them. There will be filth and dirt like you have never seen, unless you have been on other trips. The poverty is overwhelming. People with no teeth, very ill, skin conditions, some covered in lice. You may even want to take someone home with you. These kinds of trips pull at not only your heart strings but your conscience too! You will begin to wonder how the world can be like this in 2008!? “THE LEAST OF THESE!!” The Lord called us to take care of them. It is going to be rough and draining and rewarding. Your heart will change forever! However, it is easy to get on a plane and take care of “the least of these” and then come home. But what happens when you return to your life?

What happens when you see the homeless man on the street? Do you cross to the other side? Do you sheepishly dig for remaining change from your lunch? Or do you roll your eyes and think “Get a job, buddy!”? What about the lady at Walmart that is counting every single penny from her purse to cover what her food stamps didn’t, for an order you mentally deem irresponsible? And finally, what about that neighbor? You know the one….who always throws the huge loud racing parties with 2 kegs, and beer bottle light stung across his deck. These too are THE LEAST OF THESE!!!! Let’s remember that we don’t have to fly 5 hours away to help “the least of these”.

Let’s all pray together these next few weeks that when this trip changes our hearts He will change our hearts to serve all of HIS “the least of these”.

(The next two weeks will feature a daily devotional in preparation for Lakeview Church’s mission’s trip to Kings Castle in El Salvador. Unity of purpose commands a blessing from our King. May we all begin to walk to the rhythm of His heartbeat)

Team is a tough concept. Especially if you’re an American:)

Sure I know there are great examples of team in the world of sports. The Chicago Bulls of the 1990’s managed to come up with 6 NBA titles. The New England Patriots (it feels blasphemous even to type that name:) won three Super Bowls in four years and the world of baseball has it’s dynasty team in the Yankees; 26 World Series wins in 39 appearances. So yeah…there are some great teams that have graced the pages of history but it’s rare.

You see, great teams have one thing in common: they’ve learned to ADVANCE TOGETHER IN UNITY TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. They’ve learned to unite their strengths, pick up each other in weaknesses and focus on collective outcomes NOT just individual results. Unity commands a blessing no matter what arena you are in and is THE driving force in the Kingdom of God.

As we approach Kings Castle, ask yourself a few critical questions: What are my personal strengths? What areas might I be a little weak in? Am I secure enough in my relationship with Christ to mold into a team effort or am I a solo act? Yeesh…tough questions but lives are depending on your answers.

Take some time today to allow God to examine you in these areas. There’s too much too be done for one person/part to do it all. True, each part of the Body is critical on its own. Yet only when it works in UNITY with other parts, is it Kingdom effective…and that’s what we’re all about…getabsorbed…n

(The next two weeks will feature a daily devotional in preparation for Lakeview Church’s mission’s trip to Kings Castle in El Salvador. Unity of purpose commands a blessing from our King. May we all begin to walk to the rhythm of His heartbeat)

Years ago, I was challenged by a close friend from South Africa. Loving South Africa (LSA) has a special place in my heart because its leaders have a special heart for God. We were walking along a stretch of the Monon Trail after enjoying some fine Indian cuisine at our favorite Broadripple haunt, Shalimar. The day was hot and muggy; a typical Indiana summer where your shirt clings a little to closely to your body, but heck, everybody knows that a sticky shirt outside is wa

aay better than a comfortable shirt inside the office any day of the week.:)

So down the path we traveled, speaking Kingdom things and searching for revolutionary answers to the ills of the world. I told him about the “platform” that I felt God was entrusting me with and my desire to speak His heart to the world. The dialogue was beautiful until my friend casually asked this question:

“Well, if you’re going to speak His heart, when you get close to God, what does He say?”

I opened my mouth to give some pat, Pentecostal, good church pastor answer and the samosas in my belly began fighting with the Dal Makhani that resided there. Say?

“Uhhh…well…I uhhh…feel closer to Him? Yeah…like I get goosebumpy and know that everything’s going to be alright. He has a plan and…uhhh…”

My friend graciously cut me off.

“No seriously. When you hear God’s heartbeat, what is it beating for?”

In the busyness of our lives and even in our eagerness to be a vessel for God’s use, we often miss His heartbeat for the world. Our laundry list of things we think God wants us to do may be extremely different than His true desires. What are the desires of God’s heart? What are the things that He is concerned about? It would do all of us good to have a ready answer for these questions. Are we prepared to invest our lives in what matters to Him or what matters to us? Yeah, this is the stuff that should make your belly turn…let it and then ask God for answers.

As we prepare for this journey to El Salvador, we step into a unique opportunity to dance to the beat of a different drummer; to be still before the Maker of the Universe and listen to the rhythm of God’s heartbeat for the world. Individually we must begin listening so that when we come together as One, each of us will walk in lockstep to the sound as our hearts beat in tandem with His…let the journey begin…getabsorbed…n