Be with us

How often have we heard someone pray “Lord be with me?” Or maybe we’ve prayed that ourselves. My guess is that most who pray something along this line really don’t believe that God is not there, so what do we mean? I think it is something along the lines of this… ‘God, in all the ways that I can perceive you, I just don’t right now.’ This may be a simple explanation, but I believe it captures the sentiment. That is why when something happens that opens our awareness to God’s presence it’s usually a pretty powerful thing.

I have shared this story at Genesis, as well as with some family and friends here and there, but was informed that I have not written about it and thought it worth telling again.

My son, Samuel, is in the Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina. Some months ago, he set sail for the Persian Gulf. He is part of a traveling battalion with three ships and thousands of personnel which is basically a traveling military base on the go. Because of the nature of their service, he is unable to tell us where he is going, only where he’s been. In fact, in many cases he himself doesn’t know where they are going.

It has been difficult for Samuel and his wife, Dominique, (who’s in the Army and stationed in Hawaii). The amount of time that they have been able to see each other in the past year could be counted on one hand, which only adds to any difficult adjustments of marriage. As Samuel headed to the gulf he was able to stop in Spain, Greece and a number of other places that made me a bit envious, but he finally made his way to a base in Kuwait. Dominique, on the other hand, was on her way to Iraq by plane some months after Samuel set sail.

The base in Kuwait is a training facility for the Marines, the Army, and the Navy. It houses thousands of military personnel who are constantly being brought in and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or other areas in the region. After moving from the aircraft carrier to the base on land, Samuel made his way to the mess hall to get something to eat with some of his buddies. As he was walking through the huge mess hall (seats about 2,000) something caught his attention. He thought for a brief moment before turning to take a second look that this was not possible, but knew he had to look anyway. As he turned around, standing there before him was Dominique, his wife. They were both stunned and embraced. Realizing where she was and that she is not supposed to show this much public affection, she said that she should go and went back to her table. As Samuel was about to walk away, he turned back and thought, ‘forget this!’ and ran back over to her and continued embracing his wife. I sooo wish I had a video of this encounter.

Even though they had different schedules that kept them from being together as much as they would have liked, they were able to spend about a week together on that base and both felt it a miracle that they even saw each other at all. I love these kinds of stories, because the odds of them happening at all are so staggering. Combine that with those who were praying for these two and their marriage, it really encourages one’s faith that God does have His hand in our lives and that He really is with us!

Strange Indeed

Strange Indeed

Okay, here it goes. My son Jordan has been working on a boat out in Louisiana. The boat had a problem with the water and sewer pipes and so the guys had to get off the ship while repairs were being made. The company put them up in a nice hotel while the repairs were being made and one evening quite a few of the guys were down in the hotel restaurant lounge area, hanging out while doing laundry and getting something to eat. While they were there a guy was hanging out around them who spoke broken English mixed with Spanish. This man was singing, pestering the guys and just being a bit obnoxious.

As the night went on the guys all went up to their rooms and Jordan was the last one (figures) waiting for his laundry to be done. This man then came straight up to Jordan grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and told him that he needed to get his stuff and get up to his room right away or that Jordan would die. He then kissed Jordan on his forehead.

Well this kind of freaked Jordan out, so he got his stuff and headed up to his room. He used his key card, unlocked the door and stepped inside the room. As he walked in the room stepping out of the shadows and already in his room was this guy!! The one down in the hotel dinning lounge!!! Jordan froze in fear as this guy walked passed him and out of the room saying, “do not leave this room!”

After the man left Jordan called the hotel desk and told them that there was a guy in his room, but no one saw him again that night. Later that evening the other member from the crew came back to the hotel room and when Jordan told him the story his response was, “welcome to New Orleans” there have been no further incidences.

I’m still processing all of this and am relaying this from Jordan to Corinne to me. I will talk to my son about this more later. I probably should of waited before posting anything on Facebook and getting all the interest, but I was pretty freaked out myself with the story and have been wondering, how did this guy get into Jordan’s room without a key and how would he know which room was Jordan’s in the first place? Was this a warning for protection? Or is this a part of some of the dark stuff that happens down in New Orleans?

Anyway, as you remember, please keep Jordan in your prayers.

For Love

We recently finished going through the book of Acts and one of the things that I really enjoyed from that book was reading the transformation of Paul’s life. When he comes into the picture he is zealous to stop this sect (later known as Christians), to the extent that he approved of them brutally being killed, but toward the end we see him giving his life for the same Jesus that he once opposed so violently, moving from a religious zealot to a man willing to give his life for others (Acts 21).

So what changed and motivated Paul? Well, obviously God, but sometimes I think we can make things more complicated than they really need to be when we introduce God into the conversation. For example, if I asked if you could pick something up and not pick it up at the same time, you would say, “that’s nonsense” and rightly so, because those two things are mutually exclusive. But when you ask, “Can GOD make a rock so heavy that he can’t pick it up?” somehow, now it becomes “deep” when really, it is still just nonsense. I think we can do the same thing when trying to understand and explain what transformed Paul.

People are motivated by a variety of things. We do things for attention, money, vengeance or power, but nothing moves us as compellingly as when we do things for love. Recently, Corinne and I took a trip to visit our son Samuel before he was deployed to the gulf. It was yet another reminder of how vulnerable we are to love and how willing we are to do things that in any other circumstances just wouldn’t make sense, until you factor in love. Why would we choose to take time off work, spend money on plane tickets to Jacksonville, North Carolina, rent a room at a much less than luxurious Ramada Inn and hang out at a Marine base instead of going somewhere along the coast, or New York? It was because we love our son. In fact, even in looking back I really couldn’t imagine going anywhere else in the world than to see my son. That time with him still fills my eyes with tears and my heart with joy.

Back to Paul; imagine trying your whole life to please God, thinking that by being good you could earn his approval but never being sure when enough was enough. I mean how good do you have to be to please God? But for all Paul’s zeal, it did not lead to a close relationship to God; instead it only led him to madness. Imagine now what it would be like to discover that the God you had been searching to find was actually searching for you! That instead of you having to reach God, He was in fact reaching for you because He loved you. Paul later would write that even if he could prophesy--had all knowledge, understood all mysteries, had faith to move mountains, gave all he had to the poor or his body to be burned--but did not have love, it would profit him nothing. You see the same thing that moves us to sacrifice for others is what moved Paul to later live a life of selfless sacrifice. It was for love.

I don’t think we really need to look for something extraordinary that moved the great apostle Paul to live the life he lived. We need only to look at what moves us so deeply. And it shouldn’t surprise us either that to change our lives God is not depending on us following a list of regulations or to pray for a certain amount of time every day, but instead has banked everything on love, asking that we would, Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. (Matt. 22:38)

Aptly, Jesus’ brother Jude, who later became a follower, would write and encourage us, “To keep ourselves in the love of God” Jude 21

I think that’s good advice.

God Golf and Going Forward

I don’t really play golf, but I have actually gone to the driving range a couple of times to try and improve what little game I have. As I would stand there slicing away through a bucket of golf balls, every now and then I would connect, hit that one ball that would not only go far, but go straight as well! It’s as if all cylinders are firing on that one swing. Maybe the car analogy explains a lot about my golf game, but that one swing is what made me want to buy another bucket of balls just for the chance to connect one more time. Well, life has felt a lot like that lately; a lot of slices, hardships, but every now and then that connect that makes me want to keep on going.

A few weeks ago I got caught up in a situation that I won’t go into, but it really turned me upside down and instead of looking forward and keeping my eye on the ball, I got stuck in the past with this internal battle that kept aggravating me and kept my mind spiraling in circles. That same week, Corinne and I also found out that our daughter-in-law lost the baby she was carrying. As I shared with most of you, we are grateful she is ok, but have a silent sorrow that surfaces at times and are heartbroken thinking of them both going through this alone.

Through these two situations some great things took place. With regards to the first incident, I was on the verge of sending out a rather blasting email affirming my frustrations, justifying my positions and basically declaring war on the event. Fortunately, a few close to me took time and spoke peace into my life so instead of me escalating the situation, they helped me walk away and regain my vision for myself and what is taking place at Genesis. The same was true regarding my son, Samuel, and Dominique and the loss of the baby. Although Corinne and I were not the ones really hurting, we were overwhelmed by the love and care from our friends, the phone calls, emails, and even an invitation to fly Corinne out to Hawaii so she could see Dominique. This opened my eyes once again to see what it means to be willing to step into people’s lives, to take the time to laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry, to care and to be a real friend.

The scriptures really came to life at this time as well as we are going through the book of Acts. Our last few gatherings have been like spiritual symphonies, there has been a real response to the things we’ve learned in worship, service and in growing closer to the God we believe in and live for.

A few weeks back when all these things were happening, we were looking at what it meant to be a “Christian” (little Christ) as they were first called in Antioch. When we began I had everyone write down on a piece of paper what came to mind when they think of the name Jesus Christ. In a few words, describe who He has been to you. After my talk in Acts 11 we had a responsive time in worship as I also read all the things that we thought of when we hear the name of Jesus. Words like loving, kind, patient, always there for me, forgiving, my best friend, etc. With all these thoughts about who He was to us was also the realization that this is who we are to be to others as we imitate the Lord and bear His name as Christians.

Through these events I have been charged, rejuvenated, and quickened by God’s Spirit and those around me. It has been an incredible lift and I am absolutely ecstatic to be where I am at this place in my life. Let’s get another bucket; I’m ready to start swinging.

Sad news

A few months ago I shared about my son Samuel and our daughter in law Dominique expecting a baby. I have sad news, this morning she had a miscarriage and lost the baby. We are heartbroken for her and Samuel and would ask that you remember them in prayer as she is by herself stationed in Hawaii and he in North Carolina.

We have confidence in God’s ability to work for the good in this situation, but really wish we could be with them and just hold them in our arms right now.

Thanks for the prayerful support,

Sam

God’s Promises

‘God’s Promises’ is a song Darryl recently recorded and that he and I wrote a few years back. If you would like to hear it and some of the other songs on his CD go to www.myspace.com/darrylmarini The CD can be purchased from there as well. This is a small devotion written for that song.

Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." I believe that one of the biggest problems we have is perspective. We are blind to so many things and see only a small part of a picture that is very, very big. We are near-sighted and facing eternity. We look for the hand of God, but are blind to His presence. We strain to hear His voice, but are deaf to its sound and without divine intervention we are lost. But God has intervened. More than that, He has promised, made a covenant with us, with all flesh on the earth. And He has come and revealed Himself in a very tangible way through the person of Jesus Christ.

The song, ‘God’s Promises’ was written in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A reminder that like the first rainbow there is hope beyond the flood, light beyond the darkness, life that is more powerful than the grave, and an inheritance that will not fade away. There are the promises of God which stand forever.

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ~Psalm 61:1-2

PRESSED

Pressed

My brother was driving one day and saw someone who went to his church, so he honked to wave and say hello only to have the guy react and flip him off, this man then turned and realized what he had just done to one of his “brethren”.

How do you respond under pressure? When finances are tight or not there? When health is failing? Or when someone honks at you in traffic? It has been said that pressure does not make character as much as reveals it. It’s when the heat is on that we see what boils to the top. Oh we may say things “I don’t know what got into me,” but in fact it’s more what came out of me and like squeezing a tube of toothpaste when the pressure comes we see what was really inside us all along, we are just good at keeping it hidden most of the time.

In Acts Ch. 7 we read about Stephan, the first Christian martyr. We are told previously that people were induced to speak lies about him and then bring him before the Supreme Court of his day with these drummed up accusations. When he spoke up and they heard what he had to say, they became enraged and began to stone him to death. Definitely a pressure situation, yet when he had every right to be at his worst, he was at his best and as his life was crushed what came from him was not judgment or bitterness, what came from him was forgiveness and love, what came out of him was Jesus. Literally, his last words were not his own they were the same as Jesus the last moments of His life on the cross. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”

If indeed pressure does not make character but reveals it, then when Stephen’s life was crushed what it revealed was love and forgiveness, who we saw was Jesus. Who is in you?

It was estimated that 171,000 Christians were martyred in 2006

I received an invitation from Tim Bohler to be involved with another Extreme Home Makeover project. If you would like to be a part of this up in Victorville go to this website www.biabuild.com. Look for the Project 620 button!!!

Or email Tim @ tb2926@att.com

Do Good

DO GOOD

I recently read that among Leonardo Da Vinci’s last words he said, "I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have." I have to admit, reading that made me feel a bit insecure (as I sit on the couch watching American Idol and know that I would never stand a chance to ‘go to Hollywood baby!’) I mean if an obvious genius saw a failure to reach his “expected” potential, where does that leave me?

Well, fortunately God will not hold me accountable for being like Leonardo Da Vinci, just for being like me. That may sound simple enough (for those who know me), but even in this small task I can get baffled and wonder how I should invest my life. Is it as a father, husband, pastor or friend? Is it in teaching, counseling, singing (well I already touched on that), or maybe it is to develop my business and career and be successful. How can I know what I should do so that in the end looking back I’m not haunted that I have offended God or mankind?

Ephesians 2 says “that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Some believe these words paint a picture of a narrow bridge with exacting specifications of what God wants us to do, but Kenneth Wuest says… ‘The word “walk” is “to regulate one’s life, to conduct one’s self, to order one’s behavior. We are to order our behavior within the sphere of these good works.’ So instead of this being a narrow path with only a few choices that we have to try and find, this is really more like a four lane highway with good works as a guardrail. So I don’t have to be paranoid whether this is “the” thing I am to do, instead, just start doing something good! Can you really imagine God saying … “Why did you help all those orphans? I wanted you to work at the old folk’s home!” I don’t think so.

So instead of trying to find the “one” thing you are to do, practice doing what good you can right now, right where you’re at, with the people you find around you now. Be a better dad, mom, co-worker, boss or friend. You may start off like Philip in Acts 6 taking care of the money issues for the widows and end up an evangelist responsible for the gospel message reaching Ethiopia or like Stephen who started out the same, became the first Christian martyr and left a mark on Saul who would later be known as the apostle Paul who left a mark on the entire world.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 ( NIV )

HAPPY NEW YEAR

What goes through your mind when you think of what it would take to make the next year a “happy” one? I have to admit, my first thoughts were rather superficial and self-centered (those usually go together). I figure maybe if I make more money and work less, or if I have less conflicts with people and fewer difficulties, then it will be a “happy” year indeed, but knowing that the word blessed actually means happy makes me wonder if the people that I read about in scripture who were “blessed” led lives that fit into my parameter of “happy”?

In Genesis 12 God says to Abram “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” God then says that He will make him a great nation and bless him (make him happy). Now being told to leave your home, people and family doesn’t sound easy to me, in fact that would be pretty scary. Joseph and Paul also were both blessed by God, yet had some pretty rough years and let’s not forget Job! So, how could people who went through difficult times be happy? Maybe the problem is with our understanding of the word, connecting it to circumstances and not to God.

I received a text message on New Year’s Eve. Saying “2008 wasn’t so great, but 2009 will be fine” and I thought to myself “anything easier than last year will be just fine with me,” but there I go again equating easy and good when in all actuality easy is probably more closely equated to idle or maybe even lazy, which I don’t think is necessarily good at all. The last 16 months of Corinne and my life were pretty brutal. From losing my job, three of our four children moving out (two of them out of state), one joining the Marines, another starting a dangerous profession (as if the Marines were a safe one?) one almost getting killed, two having to go to the hospital for some pretty serious things and there’s a whole lot more. How could last year be a happy one? Where is the blessing in any of that? But if God lead Abram into a desert to become Abraham so that the nations of the earth would be blessed, intended Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers for good to save many lives (Gen. 50:20), showed Saul (who became Paul) what things he had to suffer and sent him to Rome where he would be put to death, but through which we would receive much of the New Testament. If these men were blessed (happy), well, then it’s entirely possible that I had a happy year after all and what I need to be looking for is God at work in me to benefit others and not for an easier way. After all it is more blessed (happier) to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Let me ask you a question that I’m asking myself.
If your dreams came true for this next year, if you got all the things that you wanted for your life, would it make the world a better place for others, or just for you?

Happy New Year

something new

With the dawn of a new year, comes for me and Corinne some new news. Our son, Samuel and our daughter-in-law, Dominique are with child! That’s right, my son is going to be a dad! I know I have shared this with a few of you already as I have been running into a few people around town, but I figured I would share it here this blog too that it might reach those of you I don’t bump into, including some of you across the pond as well.

Now, Corinne and I are as excited and thrilled as can be and the term, ‘grandparent’ doesn’t really faze either of us at all, in fact bring it on! But I would ask you to pray for them both as she is still in the Army and stationed in Hawaii and he in the Marines, stationed in North Carolina and being deployed to Afghanistan sometime soon. There are a lot of possibilities and even more questions on what is going to happen and so we are praying that this change in their lives will move them in a healthy direction for momma, dad and the baby.

The city of Upland has put up flags along some of the main streets, supporting those who are in the armed forces. We had received a letter informing us that they were putting up a flag for Samuel, but did not know where it was, so as we would drive up or down these streets our eyes would glance up and wonder if our son’s name would be spotted. Well, leave it to a mom to find her son. One day Corinne calls me and excitedly tells me that she spotted “the flag”. So just like the Supertramp song, I take the long way home to see it for myself. Funny that a flag could somehow make me feel a little closer to my son, but it did. It is a tangible reminder of someone I love and care for deeply. The same is true for the scriptures; they are a written reminder that if God cares for the birds that don’t plant, harvest or store in barns, how much more is He keeping an eye on my son & daughter-in-law who are much more valuable to Him? And just as I know where that flag is with my son’s name on it, (Mountain Ave., third flag north of Foothill Blvd. on the west side of the street) God knows where he is too and not just his position, but the deeper things still.

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Matthew 6:26 ( NLT )