Omni

A few weeks ago I had an out-of-town photography job. My wife typically accompanies me on these jobs, but in light of her nearing due-date we opted for her to stay home. Because she is such an important part of what I do, I was especially aware of my need to depend on God for physical strength and support.

As I drove down the highway I found myself praying about this need. I remember thinking along these lines: Lord, I know that you are with me...and Your grace is sufficient in light of my weakness...and I don't need any extra evidence that you are truly "with me" today...but if you would humor me with some sort of "sign" (and I don't remember ever asking You for one of these)...some sort of tangible reminder of your presence with me today...well, that would be an extra dose of encouragement. Amen.

So I waited...only a few seconds...and I noticed this big white truck on the road ahead of me. I didn't notice it there before praying, but then again, why would I have paid any attention to it at that point? Then it struck me, "Maybe You are using that van, God, to remind me that You have gone ahead of me today...leading me, guiding me, and preparing my pathway. Then again, maybe I'm just getting imaginative because I want to see more than a white truck.

Maybe not.

Only a few seconds later I noticed a white van coming toward me in the opposite lane...then another, then another...5 or 6 in all. All white and all in a row. OK, so maybe there are a lot of white vehicles on the road today. White is a popular color. Or, just maybe He (God) is answering my outlandish request after all.

Then, almost as if God turned my attention to the other side of the road, I looked to my right. Would you believe it, but just then I was passing a body of water that had a bunch of (you guessed it) white boats all docked next to each other. I started to laugh...I mean, this was getting funny. And so my thoughts began to run...

"OK, God, I don't think I'm imagining things now. That pretty amazing...the whole van and boat thing...but (feeling a growing confidence) if it's true that you are ahead of me, and on my left and right, you're certainly UNDER me." Now, the only thing I could have imagined God might do now was make a white rabbit run out of the brush and under my car. As I scanned the roadway I say no wildlife...then I spotted it...NO WAY...a huge mess of white paint was spilled all over the highway. White was underneath me. My laughter turned into more of a hilarious, howling-like tone now.

In an exhilarated mood, I reviewed what was taking place. He has gone ahead of me...He's on my left and my right...and He's supporting me from underneath...well I wonder what might be in the air. I stuck my neck up by my dashboard to catch a glimpse of anything I could spot in the sky...and wouldn't you know it...it was completely overcast and the entire sky was an even WHITE color...as far as my eyes could see.

My laughter suddenly turned to quiet, humble gratitude for the omni-magnificence of my God. He didn't need to do any of that...but He did.

That infinite, omni God loves YOU too. Why not trust Him with your day? Better yet, trust Him with your life! Search for Him today...and He'll answer.

"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you." (Psalm 9:10)

"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:1-4)

Stickers

This was a rare find. Upon returning to my car after shopping at a local store, I discovered this green van parked next to my car. It wasn't hard to spot. There must have been 150 bumper stickers on this van...most of which weren't on the bumpers. As I conducted a 360 and read nearly every one of the stickers, it was clear to me that the owner was against a lot of things.

"Condoms are easier to change than diapers"
"Mend your fuelish ways"
"The only trouble with Baptists is they don't hold them under long enough"
"No war has ever been fought in the name of Wicca"

Remembering that I had my camera in my backseat, I snapped a few pictures just to remember this unique display of philosophical randomness.

As I was taking pictures, a gentleman got out of his truck and approached me and the van. His reaction was, "Boy, what do you make of this?" And after reading a number of the stickers he continued, "You know, it's sort of hard to figure out what this person believes in!" That was when the Spirit prompted me (He's been doing a lot of that lately). I expressed my agreement, then followed by saying, "Well, I can tell you very simply what I believe in". He looked quite curious and he invited me to continue. I proceeded to tell this man about Jesus Christ, why He came to this earth, how He saved me from my sin, and that my purpose in life is to enjoy Him, bring glory to Him, and tell others about Him. This man stared at me for a moment, then he proceeded to tell me that this couldn't be a chance meeting. He went on to tell me that this has been the most difficult year of his life, partly due to having lost his mother to brain cancer (Thanks to God, I could relate) and losing a sister to another tragic situation. Without family nearby, he felt like he had come to the end of his rope and had recognized his need for God. Wow! Needless to say, we talked a bit more.

...and to think that I could have ignored that "prompting"...as I have done so many times.

You know, our world is full of jaded, cynical, and angry people. Do I care enough to reach out, in love, and tell everyone I possibly can about Jesus...the ONLY hope for true joy in this life...and in the ONLY hope for eternal life.

Right about now I can just hear some people replying to me by saying, "You are so narrow-minded. How dare you be so pompous as to say that Jesus is the only way to God. There are many paths to God...many religions and faiths. Who are you to say that every other religion and faith is wrong? You are just another arrogant Christian." To that I would reply, "If I am arrogant, I need to ask your forgiveness. Arrogance is wrong and it 'uglifies' (yes, an invented word) all who wear it. However, Jesus Christ claimed to be the only way to 'The Father' (John 14:6). If I follow Jesus completely (not just when it fits a politically correct worldview), I am compelled to align myself with His teaching and be no less exclusive. Therefore, I am compelled to adopt His position on salvation...which is very exclusive. If I place my faith in Jesus and hold to His teaching (especially a teaching as important as salvation), that doesn't make me arrogant...it makes me a Christian.

Just a quick side note [FOR CHRISTIANS ONLY]...too often we are known for arguing a position on the basis of "church tradition" or, equally fatal, on the authority of the latest "Christian bestseller" (whatever that may be at the moment). Truth be told, opinions, traditions, and best-sellers come and go...but the word of the Lord remains forever! Fellow Christian, if you can't argue from (on the authority) the Bible, save your breath...don't insert yourself or yet another opinion...the world needs more of Jesus...the Living Word...and less of everything else. This means that we all need to be in the Word...daily. You can't draw water from a well that is empty! [END OF 'NOTE TO CHRISTIANS']

Now, no one likes to be told that they are wrong...myself included. But, lets be honest here, none of us are right about everything. I might be wrong about a lot of things, but I'm not wrong about Jesus...that He is the Messiah, my Savior, and is the only way to inherit eternal life with God. You see, if I didn't have that kind of conviction on that point, I wouldn't be a Christian! Therefore, a true Christian is a bold Christian...but may the boldness be for the advancement of Jesus Christ and not my own ego. That is where some of us Christians royally mess up.

And so, I need to thank the owner of the van. If you are reading this (and, who knows, you just might be), thank you for parking your van next to my car. Unknowingly you were used of God to help start a conversation that led to one man hearing about Jesus Christ. Praise be to God for you (and I'm not being sarcastic)! Secondly, thanks for one sticker, in particular, that God used to remind me of my need to follow Jesus Christ closely and completely. It was the brown sticker that quoted Ghandi...




I like your Christ.
I do not like your Christians.
They are so unlike your Christ.

Thanks for reminding me that I need to be more like Jesus Christ and less like the rest of the those who mis-represent Christ. If we cross paths and you're not driving that van, I won't notice you. But, may you notice me if you see me living a radical, Christ-like life that will pique your curiosity and lead to a conversation about Jesus Christ. I promise not to bludgeon you with philosophy or exert my personality on you. Instead, I purpose in my heart to quickly offer you a cup of refreshing, "Living Water". Until then...

Blind-sided

I went to the youth retreat at Whitewater State Park because I had fun hanging out with my youth group buddies. Who doesn't? God had me there to change my life.

There is a lot to be said about being blind, I suppose. If you're blind you can deny it, but it doesn't change much, now, does it? I know because I was blind...blind to God and heavenly things...and, therefore, blind to what was most important on earth. The crazy thing was that I wasn't denying it because I didn't think I was blind. Maybe your life resembles half-opened eyelids...only letting half of the light in. One of my favorite songwriters, Ben Glover, writes about that. The light to which I refer is Jesus and to truth.

So, for those of us who have bruised our lives by bumping into one bad decision after another, we can be grateful that God can still reach us through our ears. If you're blind, you have to be more dependent on your ears. Should it come as any surprise, then, that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). God did make us. As always, He knows what He's doing.

What I heard on July 24, 1986 was nothing new to me...it's just that I listened that night. The talk was taken from John 10 (the "Good Shepherd" passage in the Gospel of John). I vividly can remember verses 27-28. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me". I wasn't following God. Oh I went through religious motions every week, like going to church and what not. But in reality, I was not a "following sheep" and God's Spirit made it clear why I was not following. I wasn't one of His sheep...that is until I finally surrendered my will and admitted that I was a sinner that needed the Great Shepherd, Jesus, as my Savior. I asked God to save me from my sin and make me one of His children.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

"So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." (John 10:7)

A kind youth pastor named Brad prayed with me as I entered through the narrow gate. My eyes were opened. Exactly how and why is impossible for a mortal to explain. All I can say is what one blind man said when he was questioned regarding his encounter with Jesus:

"One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25)

Not only is July 24 a memorable day for me spiritually (the day Christ united me with my heavenly Father), it happens to be the date of my wedding anniversary (the day I was united with my greatest earthly blessing, Heather).

Zoiks

For those of you who haven't seen an episode of Scooby Doo, "Zoiks" is the universal exclamatory phrase one would hear when a character was either startled, excited, or possibly a little freaked out. I, for one, recently experienced a "moment of exclamation"...a moment in which I simultaneously felt startled, excited, and a little freaked out. All at once. What was I doing and what had I just eaten? Nothing out of the ordinary could be said about that day or that moment, other than the fact that I was suddenly was struck with the reality that I am (at least statistically or hypothetically) more than halfway home...and so are many of you.

First, let's deal with this "halfway" thing. To be honest, I really don't know if I'm just over halfway home or 90% of the way home. For sake of this conversation, I'm defining "home" as that moment when time ends and eternity begins. The average life expectancy is roughly 70 years of age for a healthy adult male. Therefore, as a recent convert to life as 35-year-old, that makes me "over the hill". People who think the crest of the hill takes place at 40 are either procrastinating their acceptance of reality or are a bit rusty at math.

Last fall my mother died of a brain tumor. She was 69. Interestingly, I was 34.5 years old at the time. Exactly half of her age. For me, this was the beginning of a reality check for me and my life. The reality check didn't really settle in until yesterday. Why yesterday? I can't really put it into words...mostly because it is a culmination of so many things. Subsequent blogs might be devoted to exploring this. All I know is that something (or rather someone, namely the Holy Spirit spoken of in the Bible) brought this to my mind. And in that instant I knew I had to write this blog.

Now, allow me to be morbid for a moment (and you sort of have to since this is my blog). If I die tomorrow, I'm still more than halfway home today (Well, in that case, far more than halfway home). In fact, I'll be more than halfway home from this moment on. Maybe this new awareness is simply what others call their midlife crisis. But this is different, I must believe. You see, this doesn't feel like a crisis. On the other hand, maybe I should speak of it in "crisis" terminology. Then I could rationalize doing something wild and crazy like buying a sweet set of hog wheels (a Harley, of course) ...something that has been an unrealistic dream for years.

As a Christian, this new awareness doesn't scare me, but rather it infuses great passion and zeal into my life...a life that is shorter than any of us can grasp. This truth is profound: life is short and eternity is long. Too much of my half-life (scratch that...let's call it part one in a three part series) has been spent answering questions like, "What do I want in life", or "What do I want to pursue", or "What cool, exciting, and fulfilling activities can I experience." Let me tell you, there are a lot of people who have answered all of those questions and are still empty as a zero with the rim off (you'll have to visualize that one to fully appreciate it).

[By the way, how long should blog entries be? this is my first blog, and I don't read a lot of blogs, so is BC...blogically correct...if I ramble on a bit more to really set the stage for the future of this blog? Wait, am I supposed to ask questions? Well, maybe I'll never know because this blog won't be found and read, which is OK. It really serves a primary function of helping me put into words what God is doing in my heart and that is more than enough reason to keep on writing. I'm going to want to remember all of this someday. Continue Roger...]

Because I am a Christian, I MUST tell you all why I'm a Christian and invite you to consider the claims of Jesus Christ for yourself. Why must I do this? He created me, died for me, and has commissioned me to tell the world about Him. In fact, every true Christian can (and should) say the same thing. Christians don't proclaim Jesus Christ because we think we're more intelligent, articulate, or better people. Quite the opposite. For me to proclaim to you that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Lord, I am admitting to you that I am a sinner (1 Corinthians 2:1-5), imperfect, and in need of The Holy God to forgive me of my sin. No person ever became a Christian through intelligence, personal goodness, or simply by going to synagogue or church (a car doesn't become a car by sitting in a garage). For those of you who aren't familiar with Jesus Christ and "Christianity" (the life of one redeemed by and committed to Jesus), may this serve as an "on ramp", introducing you to the most amazing, abundant, and incredible journey you could ever imagine.

In my next blog installment I'll rewind the videotape back to July 24, 1986. A very special day, indeed. Until then, friends, ponder the words of James 4:14...

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

I'll meet you here again, and soon...provided that my mist hasn't vanished.