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 )

Extra/Ordinary

Do you remember the first time you heard and understood the Christmas story? For me it was while watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I don’t remember exactly how old I was, and I know it wasn’t the first time I had seen that cartoon, but this time when Linus recited from Luke Ch. 2, something resonated in me. I remember hearing and thinking how “real” this all sounded and a quiet calm shook my soul that night.
This past Sunday we looked at this chapter and how if we’re not careful we will overlook the miraculous hand of God and only see the mundane. Think about it. The only spectacular and extraordinary thing that takes place in these first verses is when the angels appear to the shepherds (not to Joseph or Mary) and when they do, they don’t say, “Look at us! We’re a sign from God!” Instead, they say “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Hmmm, let’s read that again. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Yep, that’s it, that’s your sign.

God seems to be pushing the story into the most raw and unimpressive places; shepherds in a field, a stable next to an inn, a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a feeding trough. Can you get more commonplace? God not only is pushing out every stereotype of what a King is thought to be, but He is also revealing them to the strangest of people. Like the shepherds, who were serious outcasts at the time (they smelled pretty bad), but who got a serious upgrade in status after this event. Let’s face it, if it were not for this story, I doubt we would ever put little figurines of shepherds all over our homes. Then there are the Magi, or sorcerers, men involved with astrology who are looking for the wrong god and who somehow find the true One. It’s as if God is in the glories of heaven and saying, “I need to make sure that those who are the lowest and farthest away from Me can see and understand what I am doing, because if I start there, then Christ can be known by everyone.
Now a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger is not a sign at all, unless it is a Savior being born for us, unless it is Christ, the Lord. Then that would be a sign indeed.

Merry Christmas

This is an actual photo of an "ordinary" snowflake
that fell on a hat. Pretty extraordinary, don't you think?
Photo taken by Sherri Youngward

Passion

Today is our first Christmas gathering at Genesis. After the service we will be wrapping gifts together and taking them out to a number of families in our community who could use a little help this season. It was neat how so many of you took the names of those families that were on the board so quickly that first Sunday enabling us to add more people the following week.

All this got me thinking about what we’re doing and have done in the short eight months that we’ve been together. Now if what I’m about to share seems a little like bragging, well, I guess it is, but I intend for it to be taken in the same spirit that Paul spoke about those at Colossi, Philippi or the other churches when he said, he was thankful for their love, faith and partnership in the work of the Gospel.

Since we have been meeting together, you from Genesis have been a part of three trips to Mexico and are continuing support down there every month. You have helped out with relief work in Mississippi and Texas. You have gone into the prisons, juvenile halls and are ministering there regularly as well. So many of you helped out over those weeks to renovate the apartment where we will be starting another study to reach that neighborhood next month. Of course not everyone has been able to go to Mexico, Texas or work at the apartment, but all of you who have given financially are a part of each of these works as well.

Many of you of also help out every week pulling the trailer, caring for the kids, setting up the sound & video, making coffee, flyers and all the details that make things happen every week after week, but the reason I mentioned the previous items is because they are all directed outside toward others and not toward ourselves. It is easy (natural really) to cater to our own interests and though there is nothing wrong with doing things to strengthen and encourage one another, all too often that becomes the majority of what we are about. We can have our gatherings, seminars and luncheons, but if we’re not careful we can become a community that just preserves itself and has little passion to reach those outside our walls, which is so unlike Jesus who was most passionate for the lost, the outsider. We see Jesus most angered (anger is a passion) in the Temple where he threw out the money changers. He quotes Isaiah 56 and says “My house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL nations…” (Mark 11:17). Those verses in Isaiah from 3-7 are all about the foreigner, those on the outside. Jesus was passionate when people were hindered from coming to God by those who were supposed to reach out for them and instead pursued their own gain.

When Genesis began, it was my desire that we would be postured towards others and I have to say, that standing here right now and looking back I am overwhelmed with emotion and inspired by all of you who have taken the words of Jesus and made them a living example so that people are able to see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. I am so grateful and humbled to be a part of all of this with you.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now

Philippians 1:3-5 ( NIV )

We are the Church

A week or so ago we had a house warming party at the apartment that we fixed up. We didn’t warm the house with gifts, but with worship and prayer. Over twenty people crowded into the apartment where together we dedicated those who live there as well as those in the neighborhood to the Lord. Among those who came were the landlord and a few friends who had heard about the work being done with the apartment and wanted to be a part of this “party”. The landlord at the beginning of this endeavor was not willing to help much at all, even just compensating with the materials needed was like pulling teeth, but as the project went on and he saw the work we did and how freely everyone gave of themselves to see the work done, well it overwhelmed him and he shared so at this gathering. Later after our time of worship I shared a few things from Isaiah 58, others also shared how the Lord worked in their hearts through this project and then we prayed. During that time of prayer a young girl who lives in the apartments there touched everyone’s heart as she prayed repeatedly. It not only touched our hearts, it also confirmed why we were there and what hope the gospel provides.
The apartment looked great and our time together that evening was nothing less than incredible. I was told that a neighbor across the way was continuously walking around just outside during our time there. He later spoke to his family and told them that they need to get to church.
Well good news, next month we will be starting a bible study there at the apartment, so they won’t have to go very far to get to church, since we are the church.

When God Builds a Wall (revisited)

When God Builds a Wall (Revisited)

I received a comment yesterday on a blog I posted a year ago which caused me to re-read and remember what was happening at that time in my life. I then talked with a couple of people today who are facing walls of sorts in their lives right now and so thought I'd re-post this.

You may have heard the saying, 'When God closes a door, He opens a window.' It sounds nice and is something we like to read in our little box of promises, but in my experience, sometimes the door closes and there is no window in sight. In fact, sometimes it seems as if God closes a door and builds a wall! I think the difficult thing for us to understand (at least for me) is that our circumstances (and by that I mean our comfort) are really not the way we determine if God is at work or not. I mean, imagine if Mary and Joseph used their circumstances to determine if God was at work in their lives or not. Here they are on their way to Bethlehem in the last days of Mary's pregnancy (riding on a donkey, no less) all because some hedonistic king wants to take a census so he can get more money. Do you think that maybe they were feeling a little stressed out? I know in that circumstance I would be wondering, "Ok God, where's the window that my promise book talked about?"
It is only in retrospect that we understand God was orchestrating all of mankind to bring about the most incredible event that would ever take place in human history, that the Word would become flesh and dwell among us, but I bet you a million to one Joseph and Mary weren't feeling the love at that moment.

What drives people to keep moving forward in faith? It's definitely not circumstances. Maybe it's perseverance in spite of what we see, or fail to see. In 1 Samuel 14:13 it speaks of Jonathan and his armor bearer climbing up, using their hands and feet to engage the Philistine army who severely outnumbered them. Now why is that verse in the Scriptures? If he was climbing, what else would he use besides his hands and feet? Maybe the same way Jonathan climbed the mountain and Joseph & Mary made their way to Bethlehem is also the way we get past the walls in front of us.
So when it seems like God has closed the door and put up a wall, you can wait for a window, or you can use your hands and feet

...and get over it

Bread Dough & Restoring the Streets

Tonight, Corinne made these little bread snack things from Trader Joe’s and before she put them in the oven I ate one of the bread dough squares raw. I know some of you are disgusted right now, but when I was younger, I used to love eating raw dough (especially those little Pillsbury biscuits). I had forgotten how much I used to love those things and it made me think how easily time can erase what once meant so much to us.

Years ago, I had a desire to reach my community with the good news of Jesus so badly I could taste it. It affected the places that I chose to worship, the jobs that I took and the things I thought and dreamed. Even when I would travel to various places with mission teams, this theme would come up over and over again, whether in Mississippi, China or Wales. At some point in a time of prayer or in comments shared as a group, someone would say “let’s take what we’re doing here back home with us” and each time I came home I would think, “ok, how can we do something with this?”

Some of this resulted in throwing block parties that gave backpacks filled with school supplies to the kids in a local neighborhood, or taking food and making breakfast in that same neighborhood, also in playing music and speaking at a local club/pizza place where a band would play and people would sit at the bar drinking beer and listen to what I talked about concerning my faith in Christ.

That was then, but what about now? I have always felt it important to not live on the events of the past. If there are no new or fresh things happening in my life, then I am like a car that has run out of gas and is only moving on the momentum of yesterday… it’s just a matter of time before I stop.

So what about now? Glad you asked…

We are helping to establish two of the ladies in our community into an apartment where we will begin reaching out in a very tangible way right in the midst of those to whom we desire to show the love of Christ. We are building relationships (I’m already bringing one man to our Sunday gatherings) and we plan to have Bible studies there and so much more. We have also connected with a state funded organization here in Upland and it seems that a door wide enough to fly a cargo plane through has opened up for us to work with them. And get this, we are not only going to be able to help with the social needs, but the way things are working out, we will also have the opportunity and freedom to share our faith in Jesus and share how He still changes lives with these people!

All these things have recharged my soul and like the taste of raw dough, have rekindled my spirit with an endeavor to reach our local community. I am excited, encouraged and truth be told, a bit scared as a lot is happening very, very quickly.

Please pray for us at Genesis and these opportunities before us; that Jesus would continue to set before us an open door that no one can shut. (Revelation 3).

Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. -Isaiah 58:12 (NKJV)