The valley

Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "

I like to call this "the valley of hope," because the message to me is: even when ALL hope has literally dried up and gone, God can bring new life.

I don't care what our situation is, how hopeless it seems to us, God can not only call together the bones, but put tendons, muscle, and then breathe HIS life into it. How useful would it have been if God had simply called forth an army of old, dead men? He breathed HIS life into them because that's how God rolls.

Sermon prep 101

Prep for next week's sermon begins in earnest today. Funny how that sounds so normal and correct, yet in reality I am one of those people who sees almost everything that happens to me as a potential sermon point.

I don't preach that often any more - let's put that in perspective: I have done a handful of Wednesday night Bible Studies and two Sunday Sermons in the past twenty years - so as I say, I don't preach often.

Which means that I have many years of sermon points saved up, and the big job ahead of me is to hear from God which one, two, or at the most: three He wants me to use this week. And it gets better: I have already seen a list of the things which are to be included into next Sunday's schedule, and I will be lucky to have about thirty minutes at most. At most!

So - I feel more like an editor than a student at this point. But you want to hear the biggest challenge?

I am asking God that I say exactly what He wants our church to hear - and that may have nothing whatsoever to do with my huge stack of stuff. God tends to speak to the exact issues of the exact time and place of the exact person who is willing to be a listener. So I have to hear from Him this week as I study, and be ready to throw aside all the things I want to say to the church so I can say what HE wants me to.

How hard could that be?

New weapons of warfare

I read a fascinating article yesterday. It was all about a computer virus which is now coming to light - but don't worry, this one is not going to offer any threat to you or your computer. It was aimed directly at Iran - specifically Iran's nuclear industry. And it worked: over a period of time thousands of machines were ruined. Not computers, but machines which helped to make enriched plutonium and/or other heavy metals and elements of nuclear bomb production. And the computers which controlled these thousands of machines were sealed: they were isolated and NOT connected to the Internet in any way.

So how did the virus get into these 'safe' systems? It first went into the computers of people who worked at the plants. One by one people - yes, individual people - were targeted and their computers were infected. Then, one or more of them brought home some work, or transferred one file or document to and/or from their personal computers, and that was the way in for this devious virus. Once 'in,' it had enough smarts to go to the control systems, AND erase it's trail so nobody knows (and that is still true) exactly HOW it got in. That way, they can't protect against further intrusion, so it will be possible for this type of attack to be used in the future.

In fact, this type of virus could very easily be in place in the nuclear industry in any number of other countries right now - waiting and watching for the way into the very core.

If you are interested in all the gory details, here is a link to the entire article. It's long and detailed, but it paints a picture of mass destruction from a very elegant little virus. The article was written by Ed Barnes, published November 26th, 2010 by FoxNews.com, under the title: "Mystery Surrounds Cyber Missile That Crippled Iran's Nuclear Weapons Ambitions" I give you all of that information because I don't know how long the link will be useful, and you can search for it later. Or ask me to send you a copy via email.

What's the big deal with this? Well, the systems which were attacked were very specific, and the way the virus got in was totally unorthodox in computer virus technology. It never would have made it 'in' if it hadn't been escorted in by people who never knew they were even being used to do so.

Just like the church - people bring in all manner of things which can cripple and even stop the work. Complaining, gossip, anger, territorial wars, tradition, comfort, personal peace and affluence - all these and many more things which well-meaning people unknowingly bring into the church can go straight to the very heart of ministries and stop them cold.

I pray that I am not one of those people! I am just as vulnerable as you. Lord Jesus! Help us to keep this from happening.

Can we stop long enough to actually give thanks?

There are few holidays on the US calender which create more controversy than Thanksgiving. Was it a celebration of the whites over the Native Americans, as many Hollywood stars would have us think? Was it begun at Plymouth Plantation (Plymouth Mass in 1612)as the new settlers abandoned collectivism and discovered the motivational power of simple capitalistic rewards for your own hard work? They recorded their thanks to God for the provision He brought, but so many today want to point out we may not have survived without the aid of the Native Americans

Much later in our history (1863) President Lincoln offered a proclamation which is, by some, considered to be the establishment of the day as a national holiday - perhaps not officially a government-sponsored holiday yet, but one celebrated by the entire nation nonetheless. He said this: "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

FDR declared the day a National Holiday on December 26, 1941. He also moved it away from the very last day of November so that retail sales could get a boost around Christmas. Yes - the date of the holiday was adjusted to boost the Commercialization of Christmas.

OK - so enough history. What do YOU plan on doing today? Please - be sure it includes at least a few moments of reflection upon the goodness and providence of God. He truly deserves our thanks. Today, and every day.

Praise God in a down economy? You kidding?

1 Peter 1

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

OK OK - so I have a problem. I'm normal. You in the black chair - stop laughing. I AM!

I, just like you, have a tendency to feel that I need to be making money, paying my bills, getting ahead, saving for retirement, keeping my cars well maintained, recycling, eating healthy, exercising, losing weight and all that. But God seems to think that this 'salvation of your souls' is somehow of greater worth than all that other stuff. So, He orchestrates our lives for the more valuable things. The things HE considers more valuable, that is. Because He loves us.

Go figure.

What would be the point?

Ezekiel 20
Rebellious Israel

20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me.

2 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign LORD.’

4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their fathers 5 and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of the house of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the LORD your God.” 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 7 And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

Funny - I was JUST thinking about how worthless some of the things are in my life. I have a warehouse full of stuff. I'm going to take a hard look at selling it all off and getting back to the basics. But of course, keeping things simple is nothing worth crowing about if I don't then offer myself to the Lord and say, "OK Lord, I have let go of the anchors in my life, now what shall we do together?"

The best-laid plans of mice

Boasting About Tomorrow

James 4:13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Interesting how often we - in our "Entitlement" society - get upset when our plans fall through.

Interesting.

Why didn't you warn me?

Ezekiel 12
The Exile Symbolized

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

3 “Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. 4 During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile. 5 While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it. 6 Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”

7 So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.

8 In the morning the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “Son of man, did not that rebellious house of Israel ask you, ‘What are you doing?’

10 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel who are there.’ 11 Say to them, ‘I am a sign to you.’

“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives."

God seems to go out of His way to let the people know what is about to happen to them. Think about that. God gets a bad rap for 'being cruel' and/or other negative things, when in fact there were clearly laid-out warnings and always a way of redemption provided.

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Growth -

Wow =- it's Wednesday already. What happened to Tuesday. Forget Tuesday, what happened to the last twenty years of my life!

I was just taking stock of my life. I obviously must not do that very often. I have been in meetings where the speaker said, "think of where you were five years ago. Have you grown? Think of where you want to be five years from now. What are you doing to get there?"

I felt like I needed to change. But I don't know if I did. Sure, I make changes in my business - I hire new people, fire others, lay off folks as business demands, try new suppliers, new shippers, even try selling different brands of goods. But overall, I'm still in the same business.

Do we do the same with our Christian walk? Do we make small changes here and there, like putting a new band-aid on a missing limb or something?

There are small changes which can make huge differences, but there are also small changes which only make us feel as if we are advancing, growing, when we really are not. Hmm. I may have a sermon here.

I'll let you know.

The meeting

We had our "Annual Business Meeting" at church yesterday. We had lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers, grilled on the patio. That tends to send the smell of cooking food into the church near the end of the service and encourages folks to come out, have lunch and stay for the biz meeting. It worked: we had a good crowd at lunch, good food I might add, and then a good crowd of folks for the meeting.

I was nominated for a second term as a board member. I have lost track of how many three-year terms I have served, but it's up around five or six now. A friend came to console me, saying they tried to vote me out but were sad to hear I had been elected to "another three year sentence."

Well, let's see what the year has in store for us - God cares about us all, and He cares out the church more than we do. So as we continue our search for the right pastor, we trust in Him to guide.

There you have it.

Hard work

I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm not afraid of werewolves either - but that doesn't mean I want to go out of my way to have either of them in my life.

We have not been selling as many hot tubs as we normally do - this should come as no surprise given our economy - yet God is faithful and we have begun to make a little money again. We are doing it by working harder. It's the pits! But it had to happen sooner or later.

We have sold more replacement covers, filters, supplies, repairs, and other small-ticket items recently. Those items make us far less money per sale, and take more work per sale, but with enough of them taking place - well we can make ends meet.

So now what? We were convinced that our business was at the end. Now, we are not so sure. God! What we need here is a little direction, please. Oh, and thanks for the sales you ARE bringing in, please don't stop. OK?

Dead end

Hebrews 9: 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

The book of Hebrews tells us that there were ways to rid us of sins under the Old Testament, but that Christ brought a new way. Christ bypassed the trappings of the old method, with animal blood being spilled as a way to pay for sins, and applied a new way. He paid with HIS blood, which was about as superior a payment as anything could be. It covers us. COVERS us - as in - we no longer have to repeat the sacrifice, nor do we have to live in fear that our sins separate us from the love of God.

The old ways were a dead end - they went 'so far' and no farther. They were a shadow, a cheap copy, an imitation of the real thing. Christ Jesus is that real thing.

Thousands of years of prophesy and tradition have pointed us to the one Lamb which, when slain, paid the price for the sin of the world.

I like that.

Problem

I had to make a tough choice last night. It has been cold, and that combined with windy conditions a few days out of last week seem to have trigger some sort of reaction with my asthma. I do not generally have trouble with it, I don't have a lot of allergies - really just one or two - and for the most part I can totally live as if I was not an asthmatic. But last night it kicked in with a vengeance. And that's where the choice came in.

I could lay there not able to breath easily - which slowly makes all the muscles sore, and keeps me from sleeping - or I could get up and puff on an inhaler. I sometimes clear up just by getting up and sitting up - sometimes I grab a blanket and go sit in my recliner until I clear up and doze off. Other times just sitting at my computer for an hour will do the trick as I cough and hack and finally everything clears out.

But last night none of it worked. So I toked on the inhaler. Once didn't seem to do it. Twice didn't seem to do it. By the time I was on my third inhalation, I began to get some relief and was pretty happy to put the thing down and climb back into bed breathing freely.

One problem -

The inhaler contains some sort of stimulant. It's about like two cups of coffee. So I got to lay there - breathing freely - and stare at the ceiling until I got up just awhile ago.

Interesting choices come in all colors, shapes, sizes, and types. The trouble with life choices is that we often don't see the results of our decision until much later. And often, it is too late to do anything about it. Aren't you glad that God is outside of time, and has a plan for your life?

COLD cold cold...

Well, we here in Southern California are sometimes weather wimps. We have such a nice even temperature all year around, that when the occasional hot spell or cold spell hits us we don't know what to do.

I did some plumbing repairs on our house about four months ago, and it involved shutting down all our gas appliances while I moved a couple of pipes. Since then, I haven't bothered to re-light the pilot in our furnace. Didn't need it - till this morning.

OK - so I should make a spiritual tie-in, right?

I'll let you, kind reader, do that one today. Ask God, "in what part of my life do I tend to enjoy comfort and ease?"

But be careful: the spiritual weather may change on us.

On the road

I'll be on the road all day today- I have to run down to Vista, CA, to pick up a few spas and some covers. Not a real big load, but enough to pay some bills.

I'll be on the road extra early, so no blog today - unless I come home with any energy whatsoever and try to put one together Tuesday afternoon or early evening. We'll see!

Thanks for reading -

Who do you spur?

It is so much easier to do what I need to do each day when I am surrounded by support. You know, people who ask things like - "you want to go walking this morning," or "should I make some of that 'zero point soup' we like so much?

I don't have time for much of a blog this morning, my wife and I are about to go take a walk. I was unable to walk most of last week thanks to some physical problems, but I'm going to push through it today and see how it goes. I only lost a half a pound last week, so I'm motivated.

Hebrews 10:24 (New International Version)

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

Demand

Psalms 8:4 -(the Message)
3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?

(New International Version)
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?[a]

The car in the picture is a Morgan. Morgans have been built by raving sports car enthusiasts since around 1900. That's over a hundred years, and that places them squarely at the top of the pile when you compare any automaker's number of years of continuous operation. I love Morgans. They are a very interesting blend of old and new - I'm talking now about the new cars - they have kept the very important things that make them what they are. Iconic styling cues such as the slab-sided sweeping front fenders and other things have been there from the earliest models and you can still find echoes of those very same things designed into the latest models. So what's the point?

Things like this endure for a reason - because people continue to value them. That creates a Demand for the product. As long as that demand is there, the company will continue to produce and sell them. For big prices. And it doesn't take millions of people, as there is for most production-line automobiles produced around the world today - but for every Morgan that shows up for sale, there seem to be a line of buyers waiting to bid.

And these cars do exact a price from their owners which goes beyond just the purchase price - the older ones have wooden frames, spoke wheels, aluminum bodywork, and many other designs features which dictate special care and maintenance. And if you want to restore one of these, you can get parts, but be prepared to pay a lot. Yet people do restore them, people do own them, people do take them around to car shows, and people do drive them. And in the case of the newest models, they are amazingly expensive, take a month to hand-build, yet there is a waiting list of people anxious to buy. I owned a very similar British open-top sports car when I was young. I completely restored it from the ground up, painted it red, had to do some form of repair or maintenance almost every weekend - yet I loved the car, and loved every minute behind the wheel.

Again - it's because people value these things. Not everyone - but enough people do. What brought this to the front of my thinking today is this - a challenge that seems to be pounding in my little Chas-brain:

"What do I value?"

I don't have the cash nor the time to own a Morgan of any vintage. Yet I do have some things which take money and time. And I continue to own those things. Why? I value them. I have friends and relatives who say I should get rid of them, some even offer to help me take them to the dump, or to a donation station, or load them into the nearest dumpster. But they simply don't value them as I do, so they do not understand.

Sort of like God loving us. Why? What is so special about us? We need so much, cost so much, take all kinds of special storage, tons of high maintenance, and we so often act as if we deserve all the attention God lavishes upon us. But the only reason I can see for God to do all that He has done, including sending His Son to die for us, is that

He values us.

On paper

I am working with the leadership of our church to select a new pastor. Our church is above average in size, and has a good reputation in our denomination, so we have no shortage of people applying for the job. Our former pastor has moved up to a leadership position in our denominations Southern California District office, and is still very well thought-of in the entire So Cal area, and he's also well connected. He has input on the people who we are considering, and that is interesting, because some of these people look bad on paper. Others look good on paper, but after meeting them we just don't seem to 'click.'

What is it about people that makes it so hard to contain their essence on paper accurately? What would I write about myself? You? And the big question: do we see ourselves as God see us?

Wow - considering I'm still working on my second cup of coffee for the morning, that's deep!

1 Samuel 16:6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

The Son

I was just reading the first chapter of Hebrews, where it says that Jesus is superior to all the angels. And that "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."

This should challenge us to want to know more about Jesus. I have studied the life and times of Jesus countless times. I know the proposed date of his birth, the proposed date he dies, the way he lived and the way he died. I know the lineage of Jesus' family tree, I know the promise of his return, I know that his message while here on earth was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand."

But do I know Jesus personally as well as I could/should?

I'm challenged.

The government

Romans 13
Submission to Governing Authorities
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

It would be easy to obey this clear command if we always agreed with everything our government did. But we don't. If you are a liberal, you most likely blame everything on the conservatives, and vice-versa. We are free to complain, and boy is there a lot of complaining going on right now.

I fear for our nation regarding the polarization we see: people who have never had any concern about 'politics' are now standing up and condemning those whose ideologies oppose theirs. We are splitting apart as a nation, and I see it in the marketplace daily. It is on the radio, in the Internet news, everywhere.

Lord - let us focus on one thing which has the power to bring us together as a nation. Yes Lord, I mean YOU.

A day in the life of a Chas

It's warm in Ventura. That's not something I usually get to say, since we enjoy a wonderful climate all year around, but almost every October it does get a bit warm. We made it through most of the month without any warm weather this year, and here it is, the second day of NOVEMBER, and it's hot outside. Oh brother.

So what to do? Well, I have to go to Thousand Oaks, one of the warmest parts of the county today. Then to the mall to exchange my brand new iPhone which our sound man fried for me, then I get to go home and mow the lawns. Outside. In the heat.

Simple - to the point. There you go!

The pain...

Hope and I "woke up" this morning and we realized that there is a certain mount of truth to the rumor that 'getting old is not for wimps.'

We were involved in a large event at our church last night, but of course, that involved days and days of work in advance. Lots of planning meetings, shopping, moving and loading equipment, and so much more mind-numbing detail that I won't bore you with it.

The event was a success - close to a thousand people showed up - but we are trashed.

So - here is a short teaching from the Book of Titus, Chapter 2:

What Must Be Taught to Various Groups

1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.