Early one morning an experienced pilot took off on a flight from a small Montana airport with two friends on board to fly across the Rocky Mountains. This ill-fated flight disappeared from the radar screen about ten minutes after departure. The remains of the crash were discovered later that day by a helicopter pilot who found the mangled remains of the aircraft embedded in a rocky hillside. All aboard had perished.
I was familiar with this particular airport, and the flight path of this fatal crash, because as a young pastor I augmented our family income as a flight instructor and charter pilot. I had flown in and out of this particular airport many times.
This flight would have been routine for this pilot. The morning of the flight, the entire valley, and the tops of the surrounding mountains, were covered in clouds. In order to depart, a pilot would need to file an instrument flight plan to fly up and through the cloud cover to “get on top,” as pilots say.
Each aircraft has an instrument that tells a pilot how high he is flying. This instrument, called an altimeter, is pressure sensitive and reads altitude based on barometric pressure. An altimeter needs to be adjusted for each flight to make sure you are flying at a precise altitude. If you miss this one item on your checklist, and fail to make the proper adjustments, you could actually be flying lower than your instruments are telling you. This can get you killed if mountains are in the clouds.
Somewhere in the process of departure this experienced pilot missed one thing on his checklist. He failed to adjust his altimeter. This fatal mistake was discovered later by the NTSB investigators when they examined the wreckage.
A few years after this crash, I was hiking near the top of the Rocky Mountains that overlook the beautiful Flathead Valley where this incident had taken place. These mountains surround the valley like a beautiful necklace. To get in or out of this valley requires that one deal with the mountains whether you drive or fly.
As I walked along at the timber line, I was in that zone where the vegetation and trees are thinned out and the ridge line was mostly rock and gravel. Ahead of me I saw a dark stain in the soil that was about six feet across. In and around the stain were bits of aluminum and pieces metal. I realized that I had come upon a crash site. The dark soil was the remnant of engine oil. From my vantage point I mentally calculated the instrument flight departure from the airport in the valley below and knew this was the crash site of the three men who had perished just a few years before.
I walked over to the oil stain and paused. This was a place where three men were talking and laughing about the coming day one moment and in the next moment they entered eternity unexpectedly. I was standing on sacred ground.
After a few moments of reflection, I began to investigate the crash site. Upon impact, the aircraft was traveling at a high rate of speed and drilled itself deep into the mountain side. When the airplane exploded on impact, oil from the fragmented aircraft engine was driven into the mountain leaving the dark stain still visible that day.
As I stood there I looked up to the top of the ridge line. The impact point of the crash was only six feet below the top of the mountain. The difference between life and death was only six feet. Failing to adjust the altimeter to the changing barometric pressure was a fatal error.
Clouds hide mountains that can kill a pilot. The clouds of life can also hide things that can kill relationships and destinies. We can be heading in the right direction, but be flying at the wrong altitude. Having enough altitude is what keeps us above the dangerous terrain below.
Probably no one in the scripture illustrates this point better than Saul. When the people of Israel wanted a king, so they could be like the nations around them, God gave them Saul. The results of Saul's leadership were disastrous.
When Saul began his reign as king he had it all going for him. He was well-equipped for the job.
He was blessed with physical attributes.
I Samuel 9:2 “Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.”
He was anointed.
I Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession.”
He was given a new heart.
I Samuel 10:9 “As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day.”
He exercised spiritual gifts.
I Samuel 10:10 “When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. 11 When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”
Saul began his reign heading in the right direction and possessing everything he needed to become a great king. But Saul had a problem - he was flying at a wrong heart altitude. He lacked the spiritual altitude that comes when we manage the condition of our heart on a daily basis. Saul thought he could rely on his initial direction and not worry about going higher. He flew on autopilot into his future. Somewhere along the way he stopped making heart adjustments. In the end, his life would crash into the mountains of pride and foolishness that were hidden in the clouds of his calling.
As you read the story of Saul in I Samuel, you see a man who became presumptuous with God. He took liberties not assigned for him to take. He assumed things. Somewhere along the path he began to lose altitude. I Samuel 15 reveals what a life can look like that begins a journey heading in the right direction but ends up crashing because the altitude of the heart was too low.
He wasn't loyal to God (vs. 11).
He built monuments to his greatness (vs. 12).
He blamed others for his mistakes (vs. 15).
He thought too little of himself, failing to see himself through God's eyes (vs.17)
He kept what belonged to God (vs. 19).
He feared people more than he feared God (vs. 24).
In I Samuel 15:11, God speaks sobering words when he said to Samuel, “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has again refused to obey me.” God was sorry that he ever made Saul king because he had to change the plans he had for Saul's life. Saul was the one who chose to derail his destiny. God can do amazing things through us if we will simply adjust our hearts each day.
The rest of Saul's life is a sad story of a man who is living in turmoil with himself and others. He began to throw spears at those he should have loved. His rage so blinded him that he could not see how much David honored him. He became abusive. Saul crashed when he should have flown higher. This man, who was anointed and heading in the right direction, collided with his own selfish desires and it ended his ministry. In the end God took the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David – a man after God's own heart.
A pure heart gives us the altitude we need to clear the obstacles that are in our flight path. A pure heart is what carries God's anointing to the end of our lives and helps us finish well. When we get rushed to make the destination, or feel pressured to hurry along the process, we can fail to examine our hearts as part of a daily spiritual checklist and the results can be tragic.
Every pilot knows how important it is to set the altimeter to the correct pressure levels at the departure airport and then along the way for the entire flight. A safe flight requires re-calibrated instruments in all phases of the journey. If our heart instrument is out of adjustment, we can be heading in the right direction, but be flying at the wrong altitude.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
"Restored Flight" by Garris Elkins
Recently, I was driving home from my office to pack for a leader's conference my wife and I planned to attend in California. On the commute home my route takes me through some beautiful farm land and rolling hills.
On one long section of road I noticed ahead of me the brake lights of cars beginning to light up so I slowed down. After a few moments I saw what was causing the traffic to slow. A bird had been struck by a passing car and was wounded and flapping its wings in the middle of the road. It was trying to fly again. Helplessness in any wounded creature is a sad image. This bird God had created to fly had apparently broken its back on impact with a passing car and could not flap its wings hard enough to get airborne again. Birds don't do well against cars. Birds don't belong on highways – they belong in the air.
We can all end up in places we don't belong. In the spring time, when kings go war, David stayed home and fell into sin. In all the mess of David's life he was still a man after God's own heart. After Peter's denial he went back to fishing for fish instead of fishing for men and Jesus had to restore him so he could fish for men once again. Peter's record breaking swim from the boat to shore reveals how much he wanted to be with Jesus.
When we really blow it we think everything is over. The immense failures in our lives can be the very places from which our true destiny emerges. A life without the hope of restoration destroys people. A life with hope makes us write Psalms of joy and preach powerful sermons on the Day of Pentecost.
As Jan and I arrived at the leader's conference and completed our registration, we were assigned a day and a time for personal prophecy. Each registered attendee was given an appointment that would take place at some point in the next three days. These are rich times when we sit before loving people who prophesy the heart of God into our lives and ministries. At this particular conference of 800 leaders, the process of getting all these people into fifteen minute time slots is something to behold. Our appointment was for the next morning.
As we waited in line the group scheduled to go before us was getting ready to enter their appointment. Then I heard a voice I was familiar with – it was Ted Haggard and his wife. I turned my head and confirmed that the voice belonged Ted. We were no more than six feet apart.
This is the Ted Haggard who pastored a large and world-impacting church. This is the Ted Haggard who was also the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals. The is the Ted Haggard who had been all over the news.
When I looked over at Ted I felt the compassion of God well up in me. One of my first thoughts was what guts and strength and humility was at work for this man and his wife to get in line with the rest of us who also needed a word of hope from God. All of a sudden I loved God more. I loved Ted more. I loved the church more. I loved the ministry who hosted this conference more for having a culture of honor. I loved more because hope was in the house.
As I stood in line waiting, I remembered the bird in the roadway from the day before who was wounded and trying to fly again. That bird never left its nest as a chick with plans to someday fly into the grill of a fast moving car. Birds don't belong on roadways. Pastors don't belong in sinful situations, but sad things happen. The surprise is not that we do sinful things. The surprise is that there could be a place where broken lives can fly again. Part of me is sad that the latter is a surprise.
The wounded bird in the roadway probably died later that day. But that morning in the line waiting for a personal word of hope, I felt that this man would one day fly again.
On one long section of road I noticed ahead of me the brake lights of cars beginning to light up so I slowed down. After a few moments I saw what was causing the traffic to slow. A bird had been struck by a passing car and was wounded and flapping its wings in the middle of the road. It was trying to fly again. Helplessness in any wounded creature is a sad image. This bird God had created to fly had apparently broken its back on impact with a passing car and could not flap its wings hard enough to get airborne again. Birds don't do well against cars. Birds don't belong on highways – they belong in the air.
We can all end up in places we don't belong. In the spring time, when kings go war, David stayed home and fell into sin. In all the mess of David's life he was still a man after God's own heart. After Peter's denial he went back to fishing for fish instead of fishing for men and Jesus had to restore him so he could fish for men once again. Peter's record breaking swim from the boat to shore reveals how much he wanted to be with Jesus.
When we really blow it we think everything is over. The immense failures in our lives can be the very places from which our true destiny emerges. A life without the hope of restoration destroys people. A life with hope makes us write Psalms of joy and preach powerful sermons on the Day of Pentecost.
As Jan and I arrived at the leader's conference and completed our registration, we were assigned a day and a time for personal prophecy. Each registered attendee was given an appointment that would take place at some point in the next three days. These are rich times when we sit before loving people who prophesy the heart of God into our lives and ministries. At this particular conference of 800 leaders, the process of getting all these people into fifteen minute time slots is something to behold. Our appointment was for the next morning.
As we waited in line the group scheduled to go before us was getting ready to enter their appointment. Then I heard a voice I was familiar with – it was Ted Haggard and his wife. I turned my head and confirmed that the voice belonged Ted. We were no more than six feet apart.
This is the Ted Haggard who pastored a large and world-impacting church. This is the Ted Haggard who was also the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals. The is the Ted Haggard who had been all over the news.
When I looked over at Ted I felt the compassion of God well up in me. One of my first thoughts was what guts and strength and humility was at work for this man and his wife to get in line with the rest of us who also needed a word of hope from God. All of a sudden I loved God more. I loved Ted more. I loved the church more. I loved the ministry who hosted this conference more for having a culture of honor. I loved more because hope was in the house.
As I stood in line waiting, I remembered the bird in the roadway from the day before who was wounded and trying to fly again. That bird never left its nest as a chick with plans to someday fly into the grill of a fast moving car. Birds don't belong on roadways. Pastors don't belong in sinful situations, but sad things happen. The surprise is not that we do sinful things. The surprise is that there could be a place where broken lives can fly again. Part of me is sad that the latter is a surprise.
The wounded bird in the roadway probably died later that day. But that morning in the line waiting for a personal word of hope, I felt that this man would one day fly again.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
"Detonating The Land Mines Of Hell" by Garris Elkins
“I will lead you back into old battlefields where you once suffered loss. I will lead you into these places to do a work of restoration and return to you what the enemy has taken. The fear of reentry will flee before us as you and I walk together into these places. My presence will consume the traps of fear that have been designed to destroy you. Prepare your heart in My presence and begin to walk forward with Me.”
Saipan was the site of major battles during World War II. Many Americans and Japanese died on the island. Remnants of the war are still visible today. Some of these remnants are only rusting relics of war. Others are hidden in the soil of Saipan in the form of land mines and unexploded ordnance that can still kill people.
My daughter, Anna, is a high school teacher on the island of Saipan, way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “Way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean” are words used by a lonesome father to say his little girl is a long way from home. Recently, my daughter posted an article on her personal blog site that I copied and pasted to here to set up what I want to share:
“They have closed the north end of the island to detonate the unexploded remnants of WWII munitions. I wonder if this was inspired by a recent fire. Friends of ours live on the back of the island. When a small fire came close, they weren’t worried about it so much as the latent land mines it might ignite. Sure enough, they said it sounded like the 4th of July when the flames sent rusted elements of war exploding.”
Can you imagine living in the middle of that scenario? When a fire comes, instead of getting out the fire hose you duck for cover! Anna's comments caused me to ponder a few things.
In all of our lives there are remnants of past wars. These wars were fought in relationships and circumstances where people died emotionally and spiritually.
The weapons used in these wars may have been a hurtful word spoken in anger or a pain-inspired vow we made to never allow ourselves to be vulnerable again. The unkind word lies embedded in the heart of its victim and festers. The vow is still alive and pumps poison into its owner every time the vow is repeated.
A spiritual land mine can be left over from the pain suffered in divorce. These land mines can explode many years later, after the divorce is over, when a new relationship develops with our former marital issues still unresolved.
Maybe a parent hurts us and the emotional scar is still bleeding deep within our heart. When a broken relationship with a parent is left unhealed, situations can explode years later when we become parents ourselves. The innocent become victims to our childhood sorrows.
These unresolved and rusting implements of relational warfare are dangerous because they have not yet been dealt with. Explosions caused by this kind of unexploded ordnance can come as a surprise because we think the war was over long ago. These land mines lay hidden in the weeds of life and can be stepped on at some future date. They never go away. They live in the weeds - waiting.
When my daughter wrote about the forest fires setting off the old ordnance of World War II, I thought of one of the ways God has made himself known throughout the redemption story. God revealed himself in fire.
“The Lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.“ Exodus 13:21
“Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! And when the people saw it they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” I Kings 18: 38-39
“Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.” Acts 2: 3
The presence of God is the fire of heaven. God's presence, when carried by his Church, will ignite the land mines of hell that lie in our path. The land mines only have power because we allow them to remain. These things that are intended to bring death, can be exploded before we step on them if we allow God to deal with the issues in our hearts.
When followers of Jesus Christ walk in union with Him, they are surrounded by heaven's mine sweeper – the presence of God. As we follow God's presence, and yield to his will, he goes before us into those old battlefields where the land mines of unresolved and unconfessed sin and personal failure lay waiting for our unsuspecting step. God wants to explode these things before we arrive.
Isaiah 54:7 tells us that, “No weapon formed against you will prosper.” This word “prosper” in the Hebrew language has been translated to mean, “to break out” or “to push forward” or “to effect.” In other words – to explode. No weapon that has been formed by hell, using our own failure and sorrow, will be able to explode against us if we have given those things to God. Those hidden land mines formed against us will not have the ability to break out, push forward, or affect us if God is allowed to detonate them.
God's presence explodes hell's weaponry when we choose to forgive those who have waged war against us in the past. God's presence detonates hell's plan when we renounce the self-protecting vows we made when fear gripped our hearts. God's presence sets off the bombs of doubt when we choose to believe the best about people and our present circumstances and not be surprised by the worst. God's presence destroys despair when we cultivate a thankful heart and live immersed in gratefulness.
God's presence surrounds our lives with a ring of fire that is his glory, and that fire will set off the land mines of hell hidden in the weeds of our lives. Instead of stepping on death we begin walking in freedom. The distant explosions will remind us that God has gone before us and the way is now clear.
Saipan was the site of major battles during World War II. Many Americans and Japanese died on the island. Remnants of the war are still visible today. Some of these remnants are only rusting relics of war. Others are hidden in the soil of Saipan in the form of land mines and unexploded ordnance that can still kill people.
My daughter, Anna, is a high school teacher on the island of Saipan, way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “Way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean” are words used by a lonesome father to say his little girl is a long way from home. Recently, my daughter posted an article on her personal blog site that I copied and pasted to here to set up what I want to share:
“They have closed the north end of the island to detonate the unexploded remnants of WWII munitions. I wonder if this was inspired by a recent fire. Friends of ours live on the back of the island. When a small fire came close, they weren’t worried about it so much as the latent land mines it might ignite. Sure enough, they said it sounded like the 4th of July when the flames sent rusted elements of war exploding.”
Can you imagine living in the middle of that scenario? When a fire comes, instead of getting out the fire hose you duck for cover! Anna's comments caused me to ponder a few things.
In all of our lives there are remnants of past wars. These wars were fought in relationships and circumstances where people died emotionally and spiritually.
The weapons used in these wars may have been a hurtful word spoken in anger or a pain-inspired vow we made to never allow ourselves to be vulnerable again. The unkind word lies embedded in the heart of its victim and festers. The vow is still alive and pumps poison into its owner every time the vow is repeated.
A spiritual land mine can be left over from the pain suffered in divorce. These land mines can explode many years later, after the divorce is over, when a new relationship develops with our former marital issues still unresolved.
Maybe a parent hurts us and the emotional scar is still bleeding deep within our heart. When a broken relationship with a parent is left unhealed, situations can explode years later when we become parents ourselves. The innocent become victims to our childhood sorrows.
These unresolved and rusting implements of relational warfare are dangerous because they have not yet been dealt with. Explosions caused by this kind of unexploded ordnance can come as a surprise because we think the war was over long ago. These land mines lay hidden in the weeds of life and can be stepped on at some future date. They never go away. They live in the weeds - waiting.
When my daughter wrote about the forest fires setting off the old ordnance of World War II, I thought of one of the ways God has made himself known throughout the redemption story. God revealed himself in fire.
“The Lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.“ Exodus 13:21
“Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! And when the people saw it they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” I Kings 18: 38-39
“Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.” Acts 2: 3
The presence of God is the fire of heaven. God's presence, when carried by his Church, will ignite the land mines of hell that lie in our path. The land mines only have power because we allow them to remain. These things that are intended to bring death, can be exploded before we step on them if we allow God to deal with the issues in our hearts.
When followers of Jesus Christ walk in union with Him, they are surrounded by heaven's mine sweeper – the presence of God. As we follow God's presence, and yield to his will, he goes before us into those old battlefields where the land mines of unresolved and unconfessed sin and personal failure lay waiting for our unsuspecting step. God wants to explode these things before we arrive.
Isaiah 54:7 tells us that, “No weapon formed against you will prosper.” This word “prosper” in the Hebrew language has been translated to mean, “to break out” or “to push forward” or “to effect.” In other words – to explode. No weapon that has been formed by hell, using our own failure and sorrow, will be able to explode against us if we have given those things to God. Those hidden land mines formed against us will not have the ability to break out, push forward, or affect us if God is allowed to detonate them.
God's presence explodes hell's weaponry when we choose to forgive those who have waged war against us in the past. God's presence detonates hell's plan when we renounce the self-protecting vows we made when fear gripped our hearts. God's presence sets off the bombs of doubt when we choose to believe the best about people and our present circumstances and not be surprised by the worst. God's presence destroys despair when we cultivate a thankful heart and live immersed in gratefulness.
God's presence surrounds our lives with a ring of fire that is his glory, and that fire will set off the land mines of hell hidden in the weeds of our lives. Instead of stepping on death we begin walking in freedom. The distant explosions will remind us that God has gone before us and the way is now clear.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
"Speaking Hope Into The Margins Of Life" by Garris Elkins
Most of us have written something in the margin of a book or a Bible. As we read along we have thoughts and observations that we want to remember. We connect those thoughts and observations with what we are reading by making notes in the margins of the text. There is actually a term for this – it is called “Marginalia.” Marginalia is a term used to the describe the notes, scribbles and commentary that are written in the margins of a book.
Marginalia has been used to describe the illuminated manuscripts that were produced in Medieval times. These illuminated manuscripts hosted beautiful imprints of gold and silver in the margins of a book and helped illuminate what the text was saying. In some ways the marginalia of these illuminated texts is similar to the icons that have been used to describe the Biblical narrative. These illuminated texts are very valuable as an art form.
Each person has a text that describes their life. This life text defines the successes and failures that visit each of us as we walk upon planet Earth. Along with a life text we also have margins on the pages of our lives that have yet to be written upon. God has words of hope and destiny that He places into those margins that illuminate His purpose for us beyond what the text of our life reveals. The Church has been called to prophesy God's heart into the margins of people's lives.
The gift of prophecy is described by Paul in I Corinthians 14: 3, “But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.” The gift of prophecy was given to the Church to illuminate the life text of the people in our family, our workplace and those living in the distant corners of this world. God uses the gift of prophecy to write in the margins of a life and illuminate something in the text that connects what is written with the heart and purpose of God.
Sometimes we don't understand the text of our lives – the text doesn't make sense. When the word of prophecy comes and fills in the margins of our lives, our life text is illuminated with things that bring us strength, courage and comfort. Something wonderful and supernatural takes place when we know that God sees more for us than we can see for ourselves.
Whenever God has us speak a word of hope to another person, God uses those words as His pen to write His destiny into the margins of someone's life. When God speaks into the margins of a life, the text of that life becomes an illuminated document.
Marginalia has been used to describe the illuminated manuscripts that were produced in Medieval times. These illuminated manuscripts hosted beautiful imprints of gold and silver in the margins of a book and helped illuminate what the text was saying. In some ways the marginalia of these illuminated texts is similar to the icons that have been used to describe the Biblical narrative. These illuminated texts are very valuable as an art form.
Each person has a text that describes their life. This life text defines the successes and failures that visit each of us as we walk upon planet Earth. Along with a life text we also have margins on the pages of our lives that have yet to be written upon. God has words of hope and destiny that He places into those margins that illuminate His purpose for us beyond what the text of our life reveals. The Church has been called to prophesy God's heart into the margins of people's lives.
The gift of prophecy is described by Paul in I Corinthians 14: 3, “But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.” The gift of prophecy was given to the Church to illuminate the life text of the people in our family, our workplace and those living in the distant corners of this world. God uses the gift of prophecy to write in the margins of a life and illuminate something in the text that connects what is written with the heart and purpose of God.
Sometimes we don't understand the text of our lives – the text doesn't make sense. When the word of prophecy comes and fills in the margins of our lives, our life text is illuminated with things that bring us strength, courage and comfort. Something wonderful and supernatural takes place when we know that God sees more for us than we can see for ourselves.
Whenever God has us speak a word of hope to another person, God uses those words as His pen to write His destiny into the margins of someone's life. When God speaks into the margins of a life, the text of that life becomes an illuminated document.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
"God Never Leaves Us Hanging" by Garris Elkins
When I was 8 years old I was a Cub Scout. I still have my little blue Cub Scout hat and yellow bandana. Being a Cub Scout was a big deal for me because it was the first time I was able to wear a uniform. Kids with uniforms feel important and big.
My mom and dad were asked to help locate a suitable park for our group – called a Cub Scout Pack – to have a picnic. We left our home in Los Gatos, California and drove out to Stevens Creek Park in San Jose. It must have been a week day because the park was deserted. Mom and dad sat down on one of the benches and my brother and I took off to explore.
Dad always told us to never run on trails. I am sure I logged that somewhere in the back of my yet-to-be-developed young brain. Dad's words of wisdom would make sense in about an hour.
Once out of sight of our parents my brother and I put it in overdrive. As the older brother of 8 years, I assumed the lead over my 6 year old little brother. We tore down trails in our black high-top tennis shoes and created two mobile dust clouds as we crisscrossed the park.
I remember coming to one section of the trail that was cut into a very steep mountain side. Not a good place to continue to run – but we did anyway. The trail was now only about two feet wide, with the steep mountain side climbing above the trail to my left. The edge of the trail to my right was just as steep as the mountain side, continuing for about 10 more feet down past the trail's edge and then it went vertical and became the edge of a cliff that was suspended 80 feet or so above the rocks below.
I am not sure how it happened but my foot slipped and over the edge I went, sliding down the very steep trail edge. When I slipped I landed on my stomach and I was sliding down the slope backwards. At the very edge of the cliff was a little twig-like plant clinging to life. This little twig, all 6 inches of it, caught me in the crotch and stopped me.
I didn't dare breath. My little brother was taking one long last look at his older brother before the twig gave way and he met Jesus prematurely. With a whisper I said, “Go get dad!” Off my little brother ran to get help.
As I hung there, with my legs hanging over the cliff and my fingernails dug into the dirt, I had a lot of time to think. But at age 8 there wasn't much to think about. I just waited and prayed that my twig would continue to be strong.
In about 10 minutes I heard my dad running down the trail. It is OK to run when your son is hanging on for dear life. I saw dad come around the turn in the trail and in one leap he dove over the side of the trail, hanging onto a branch along the trail and swinging over the edge. He planted his boot into the hillside and grabbed me by the pants. Dad pulled me up off the edge of the cliff and literally tossed me back onto the trail. I was alive!
Dad never did lecture me or punish me. The trail and the cliff and the impending possibility of death spoke volumes to me. This was one of my first “self-taught moments.” I could tell dad was happy to have his boy alive.
That day as a Cub Scout was over fifty years ago. I can still see some of the images of that experience in my mind. The most beautiful thing about that day was seeing my dad arrive on the scene and saving me. That is what dads are supposed to do.
Each of us are born into this world hanging over the edge of a cliff. We were born with what the theologians call “a sin nature.” We are birthed onto the cliff edge as a result of having our ancestors in the Garden fall off the trail. No matter how great a family we have, and no matter what good things we have done, we arrive into this world on the cliff. We need to be rescued. Only the God can get us to a safe place.
The way off the cliff is to realize how hopeless we are without God and call for him to come and get us. Church people call this “salvation” or being “born again.”
We will all take a last breath some day. That last breath will be followed by a fall. Some will fall into eternity without God and forever be separated from Him. Others will fall into the hands of a loving and rescuing Father to live forever in His presence.
Today I am traveling the trails of my culture looking for people who are hanging on the cliff edge. Like my little brother did – I want to run and get the Father and bring Him back for the rescue.
My mom and dad were asked to help locate a suitable park for our group – called a Cub Scout Pack – to have a picnic. We left our home in Los Gatos, California and drove out to Stevens Creek Park in San Jose. It must have been a week day because the park was deserted. Mom and dad sat down on one of the benches and my brother and I took off to explore.
Dad always told us to never run on trails. I am sure I logged that somewhere in the back of my yet-to-be-developed young brain. Dad's words of wisdom would make sense in about an hour.
Once out of sight of our parents my brother and I put it in overdrive. As the older brother of 8 years, I assumed the lead over my 6 year old little brother. We tore down trails in our black high-top tennis shoes and created two mobile dust clouds as we crisscrossed the park.
I remember coming to one section of the trail that was cut into a very steep mountain side. Not a good place to continue to run – but we did anyway. The trail was now only about two feet wide, with the steep mountain side climbing above the trail to my left. The edge of the trail to my right was just as steep as the mountain side, continuing for about 10 more feet down past the trail's edge and then it went vertical and became the edge of a cliff that was suspended 80 feet or so above the rocks below.
I am not sure how it happened but my foot slipped and over the edge I went, sliding down the very steep trail edge. When I slipped I landed on my stomach and I was sliding down the slope backwards. At the very edge of the cliff was a little twig-like plant clinging to life. This little twig, all 6 inches of it, caught me in the crotch and stopped me.
I didn't dare breath. My little brother was taking one long last look at his older brother before the twig gave way and he met Jesus prematurely. With a whisper I said, “Go get dad!” Off my little brother ran to get help.
As I hung there, with my legs hanging over the cliff and my fingernails dug into the dirt, I had a lot of time to think. But at age 8 there wasn't much to think about. I just waited and prayed that my twig would continue to be strong.
In about 10 minutes I heard my dad running down the trail. It is OK to run when your son is hanging on for dear life. I saw dad come around the turn in the trail and in one leap he dove over the side of the trail, hanging onto a branch along the trail and swinging over the edge. He planted his boot into the hillside and grabbed me by the pants. Dad pulled me up off the edge of the cliff and literally tossed me back onto the trail. I was alive!
Dad never did lecture me or punish me. The trail and the cliff and the impending possibility of death spoke volumes to me. This was one of my first “self-taught moments.” I could tell dad was happy to have his boy alive.
That day as a Cub Scout was over fifty years ago. I can still see some of the images of that experience in my mind. The most beautiful thing about that day was seeing my dad arrive on the scene and saving me. That is what dads are supposed to do.
Each of us are born into this world hanging over the edge of a cliff. We were born with what the theologians call “a sin nature.” We are birthed onto the cliff edge as a result of having our ancestors in the Garden fall off the trail. No matter how great a family we have, and no matter what good things we have done, we arrive into this world on the cliff. We need to be rescued. Only the God can get us to a safe place.
The way off the cliff is to realize how hopeless we are without God and call for him to come and get us. Church people call this “salvation” or being “born again.”
We will all take a last breath some day. That last breath will be followed by a fall. Some will fall into eternity without God and forever be separated from Him. Others will fall into the hands of a loving and rescuing Father to live forever in His presence.
Today I am traveling the trails of my culture looking for people who are hanging on the cliff edge. Like my little brother did – I want to run and get the Father and bring Him back for the rescue.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
"A Kingdom of Power" by Garris Elkins
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." I Corinthians 4:20
It is easy for those of us in the Western Church to be enamored with our technology, our education and our programs. These things are not wrong - they simply can be done without God. The Kingdom of God is not about what we can accomplish in our own power. The Kingdom of God is about God doing the impossible through us. The impossible requires the power of God. This power heals the sick, saves the lost and confronts spiritual forces of darkness.
When the power of God is made manifest it forces people to make decisions to engage a reality that is outside of their control and comfort. If the church begins to create a culture where we only celebrate what we can do in our own power and strength then we are in trouble. Our celebration should be in what God is doing supernaturally. The church is not a community service organization - we belong to a Kingdom where our mandate is to walk in the power of God to accomplish things that seem to be impossible.
It is easy for those of us in the Western Church to be enamored with our technology, our education and our programs. These things are not wrong - they simply can be done without God. The Kingdom of God is not about what we can accomplish in our own power. The Kingdom of God is about God doing the impossible through us. The impossible requires the power of God. This power heals the sick, saves the lost and confronts spiritual forces of darkness.
When the power of God is made manifest it forces people to make decisions to engage a reality that is outside of their control and comfort. If the church begins to create a culture where we only celebrate what we can do in our own power and strength then we are in trouble. Our celebration should be in what God is doing supernaturally. The church is not a community service organization - we belong to a Kingdom where our mandate is to walk in the power of God to accomplish things that seem to be impossible.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
"The Blood Points The Way" by Garris Elkins
When I was a young cop I was taught about crime scene investigation in the Police Academy. We learned about blood evidence. Later, after years of working the streets, I became a detective. When a murder would take place I would arrive at the scene and begin to collect evidence.
There is something interesting about the evidence that blood drops leave behind. Falling straight down, blood will make a fairly uniform spot. But when the wounded suspect or victim is moving, the blood droplet will fall striking the ground, and then thin out, becoming a point indicating the direction the person was moving.
During this Easter season I think about the blood Jesus shed for each of us. After His death on the Cross, He was taken down and moved towards the tomb. As His blood fell to the ground He left an evidence trail of what was to come. His blood pointed to the tomb and His coming resurrection that we celebrate during Easter week.
My prayer today is that all we do as His people will also point towards His will and purpose that was empowered by His death and resurrection.
There is something interesting about the evidence that blood drops leave behind. Falling straight down, blood will make a fairly uniform spot. But when the wounded suspect or victim is moving, the blood droplet will fall striking the ground, and then thin out, becoming a point indicating the direction the person was moving.
During this Easter season I think about the blood Jesus shed for each of us. After His death on the Cross, He was taken down and moved towards the tomb. As His blood fell to the ground He left an evidence trail of what was to come. His blood pointed to the tomb and His coming resurrection that we celebrate during Easter week.
My prayer today is that all we do as His people will also point towards His will and purpose that was empowered by His death and resurrection.
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