I want letters from you.
Kendall Bachman, Staff
Hume Lake Christian Camps
64144 Hume Lake Road
Hume, CA 93628-9999
I'll be there In two days... June 3-Aug 22
No cell service... hop on twitter and I can "text" you from my laptop to your phone.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Granite Lake, Trinity Alps, CA
This will be one of those rare "what I've been up to" writings...
I just MUST get out the testimony of my last weekend.
It was worship... pure, unadulterated, unreligousified, worship.
Destination: Granite Lake, Trinity Alps, CA
"As we gathered around the fire, we were reminded of the epic-ness of the day. The flames flickered and burned the scenery of the last eight hours into our minds. Memories that would last forever.
The waterfall roars in the distance, a lonely frog croaks, a small bird chirps goodnight, and smell of steak was saturates our camp. This is the abundant life. The life that Jesus had promised..."
1000 foot granite peaks behind us.
100 foot waterfall in front of us.
1,000,000,000 stars, each known by name.
0 moonlight.
The abundant life.
Worship was almost demanded.
God's awesome.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
"Just roll with it"
The ballpoint pen.
What a beautiful picture of how the Kingdom of God transposes itself onto to tablets of earth.
As Christ followers and kingdom-bringers, God never expects us to make anything happen. We just can't do it on our own.
He holds the ink. The Kingdom of God is like the shaft of the pen, it holds all the ink necessary to inscribe truth in our daily circumstances.
but,
instead of spilling the ink (truth) over every area of the world, He has chosen to put a roller ball on the contact point of the pen.
You are the roller ball.
You don't provide the ink. You don't really have to do anything except stay connected to the pen, stay in front of the ink.
As you roll, truth is established on the earth. It leaves a lasting effect.
The fruit of the "roller ball" believer will be exactly what God intended to write, exactly what He meant to say.
"Just roll with it"
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
a God of process.
Ebbing and flowing, sinking and floating,
who knows what tomorrow sees?
Finding and losing, walking and cruising,
who knows what tomorrow thinks?
Shining and hiding, fleeing and fighting,
who knows how tomorrow seems?
Out of the circle, inside the bubble,
Thank God I'll never arrive,
Thank God that He holds the prize,
Thank God, The God, True God,
That you are a God,
of process.
who knows what tomorrow sees?
Finding and losing, walking and cruising,
who knows what tomorrow thinks?
Shining and hiding, fleeing and fighting,
who knows how tomorrow seems?
Out of the circle, inside the bubble,
Thank God I'll never arrive,
Thank God that He holds the prize,
Thank God, The God, True God,
That you are a God,
of process.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Trail guides and Perception.
OUR PERCEPTIONS of God's voice are often missing the mark. There is a volume receptor in our brains that is hovering ever so slightly above mute.
Let me restate.
We have this backwards idea of God interactions, and we are so good at perceiving antiGod in our daily lives.
We are so quick to notice evil and so slow to notice God.
We are so quick to see what’s wrong. Do not miss what’s right in the world.
Celebrate what’s right in the world.
I see God yelling, not whispering. He is screaming from the mountain tops, shining through the windows, and sowing seeds everywhere He goes… that, friend, is everywhere by the way.
We just don’t understand the fullness of His glory, and we often pass it by.
The reason: there is an Evil that is covertly distracting us. This evil doesn’t plainly speak “Hey. I’m over here; look at me so I can distract you. I’m distracting you!” The prince of this world has been a deceiver since the beginning of history; the beginning of History.
Distraction is Satan’s largest tool in battling the people of God.
Money, clothes, sex, appearances, cars, houses, sports, video games, movies, art. The normal stuff.
A different reality is proposed. A new normal.
Pay attention.
What about creation? What about the wind and the stars? The sky and the trees? The flowers and the bees? A human face? A puppy face?
These are normal, these are glory, these show off God himself. These represent a master artist. These are normal. God wants to show us his glory, it's all around you. Look! God is not silent. We just aren’t listening for the right voice.
Satan is quiet. He is lurking. He is waiting. He is stealthily distracting. Without being noticed he turns our eyes to lusting, our hearts to greed, our emotions to depression...
and we are lost because we think God is being silent
No.
He's screaming out goodness and glory to you.
Papa gives and gives.
He is good.
He is constant.
In fact, He is the King
of Glory.
God's love never fails.
Watch the sunset tonight. Feel the breeze. Talk to God. Be still. Listen.
In this moment now God will speak to you; but He waits for you to listen.
In this moment now God will reveal Himself; but He waits for you to look.
In this moment now the King of all creation waits for your love.
Your God is
a love addict,
a patient parent,
a best friend,
He is relational, not far off, not distant, but near.
Near. Here. There.
Let us rise up to the massive call on our lives to be amazing, incredible, purpose lead,
trail guides.
You heard correctly. Trail guides.
The apostle Paul directed the already spiritually active towards their “unknown God” idol (Acts 17). He pointed out that this unknown was the King of Kings, the God of all Gods. The men of Athens were merely redirected in their passion for worship.
Let us redirect.
Let us spend our lives pointing out the most beautiful pieces of this world.
“There, do you see that mountain? It’s so majestic, isn’t it? That is the glory of God. That is the art of Jesus.”
Forget the mess. Overwhelm your mind with the art. The love. The majesty.
Let us be eternal trail guides, leading people through the thick; pointing out the glory of God which manifests itself in His creation.
Watch the sunset tonight. Feel the breeze. Talk to God. Be still. Listen.
Let me restate.
We have this backwards idea of God interactions, and we are so good at perceiving antiGod in our daily lives.
We are so quick to notice evil and so slow to notice God.
We are so quick to see what’s wrong. Do not miss what’s right in the world.
Celebrate what’s right in the world.
I see God yelling, not whispering. He is screaming from the mountain tops, shining through the windows, and sowing seeds everywhere He goes… that, friend, is everywhere by the way.
We just don’t understand the fullness of His glory, and we often pass it by.
The reason: there is an Evil that is covertly distracting us. This evil doesn’t plainly speak “Hey. I’m over here; look at me so I can distract you. I’m distracting you!” The prince of this world has been a deceiver since the beginning of history; the beginning of History.
Distraction is Satan’s largest tool in battling the people of God.
Money, clothes, sex, appearances, cars, houses, sports, video games, movies, art. The normal stuff.
A different reality is proposed. A new normal.
Pay attention.
What about creation? What about the wind and the stars? The sky and the trees? The flowers and the bees? A human face? A puppy face?
These are normal, these are glory, these show off God himself. These represent a master artist. These are normal. God wants to show us his glory, it's all around you. Look! God is not silent. We just aren’t listening for the right voice.
Satan is quiet. He is lurking. He is waiting. He is stealthily distracting. Without being noticed he turns our eyes to lusting, our hearts to greed, our emotions to depression...
and we are lost because we think God is being silent
No.
He's screaming out goodness and glory to you.
Papa gives and gives.
He is good.
He is constant.
In fact, He is the King
of Glory.
God's love never fails.
Watch the sunset tonight. Feel the breeze. Talk to God. Be still. Listen.
In this moment now God will speak to you; but He waits for you to listen.
In this moment now God will reveal Himself; but He waits for you to look.
In this moment now the King of all creation waits for your love.
Your God is
a love addict,
a patient parent,
a best friend,
He is relational, not far off, not distant, but near.
Near. Here. There.
Let us rise up to the massive call on our lives to be amazing, incredible, purpose lead,
trail guides.
You heard correctly. Trail guides.
The apostle Paul directed the already spiritually active towards their “unknown God” idol (Acts 17). He pointed out that this unknown was the King of Kings, the God of all Gods. The men of Athens were merely redirected in their passion for worship.
Let us redirect.
Let us spend our lives pointing out the most beautiful pieces of this world.
“There, do you see that mountain? It’s so majestic, isn’t it? That is the glory of God. That is the art of Jesus.”
Forget the mess. Overwhelm your mind with the art. The love. The majesty.
Let us be eternal trail guides, leading people through the thick; pointing out the glory of God which manifests itself in His creation.
Watch the sunset tonight. Feel the breeze. Talk to God. Be still. Listen.
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