Christmas 2010

Over the Christmas holiday I spent 3 hours in an Apple store working to negotiate a new line to be added on my family plan with AT&T. What a nightmare! AT&T wanted to charge me a $300 deposit for a new line. POLICY they said for new lines. There was no way I was going to pay for that. In fact, even tough they won't care I am switching my Iphone plan to verizon as soon as I can.

What this brought to my attention however, was values that I hold dear. (1) The gift of time is more important than money. I realized that I don't want to spend this kind of time anymore in any store. Apple and AT&T don't deserve my time. I offer my time to people who are important to me. (2) I realized that The Gift Of Friendship is an important value to me. I don't want to waste my time on people who don't care about anything more than "what they can get out of me." Relationship is a sacred trust and a very valuable commodity. It needs to be spent on people who value it. Not people who could care less about us. Andra and I don't mind spending our lives on others but we will not be spending our lives on stupid people who suck the life out of us and only want to use us for their own self-centered purposes. (3) The third value I identified important is "The gift Of hospitality." We love loving, sharing and being together with others. Christmas day for us this year began with not only our family but sharing it with people in our church family also. Heb 13:2 exhorts us to be hospitable. I think if I were to identify another value of mine it would have to be "Generosity." I don't understand people who are not generous. Those who are generous are generous in spirit. Mother Theresa once said, "If you can't feed a hundred, then just feed one." God gives us our time, relationships, hospitality and generousity as gifts - lets use them wisely.

Being Thankful

Yesterday Brian Cook preached a great message on Thankfulness in our church. Thanksgiving is an awesome time to stop and reflect on what we have to be thankful in our lives. First, I am very grateful to have my family. My wife, my girls, my Dad and his wife, Andra's family, and my very large extended family... especially my cousins. But I am also thankful for all the people I have as friends around the world. In Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Ukraine, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Finland and the list goes on. I am thankful for the friends I have here in the USA too. This particular Thanksgiving I had an awesome day with John and Robin Blanchard and their family, cooking and sharing our day together in Virginia Beach. Thank you guys for the awesome hospitality. I also am thankful that we had a great moment as a family to drive through the Christmas light display on Virginia Beach's boardwalk. It was great. Finally, I am thankful for having had a great nephew, Jake Vier, who was only with us up until this past Friday evening as he passed on from this life to the next. He was a joy to his Dad, his grandparents, and to us. I think one of the greatest things he left us was showing us how a kid can get through all the obstacles of life and not be bitter... to always look for thegood things in life. Being Thankful is the most important aspect of life we can hold. Thank God we all have the opportunity to go through life with the people God has placed with us whether for a long period or short time. In all things let's give thanks.

Global Politics

With the rise of GenX into leadership positions all around the world, it shouldn't be surprising that deconstructionism will be the political position of many of our leaders. Anti-institutionalism will be the wave for the next ten years. Throughout the years of traveling through the nations, it has been puzzling to me how the same themes being raised by our USA politicians are the same as those in England, France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, all you have to do is watch them and you can easily predict what is going to happen in the USA.

Currently, the political choices is not about personalities but rather a choice between Keysian economics and Adam Smith's view of unregulated markets. It is a matter of interpreting theology and biblical economics as to what view we arrive at. The issues are the same for all of us in the west. Global competetion between East and west... costs related to employment and the rise of a knowledge based economy will not ease our tensions nor resolve our current situation easily. All we can do is effectively choose leadership who understand the world and it's future. those who understand that will lead us effectively into the future instead of attempting to take us back to the industrial age.

How God Uses Broken People To Heal Broken People: A tribute to Frank and Hazel Houston

Many years ago I had the awesome privilege of meeting Frank and Hazel Houston. Frank and Hazel were founders of what is today Hillsong Church based in Sydney Australia. They originally began as Salvation Army officers in New Zealand. Frank was sent out to to serve churches which were basically struggling to survive. For those, who have worked in this field, it is a well known fact how hard struggling churches can be on a minister, his wife and family. It can certainly be depressing, frustrating, and taxing on your faith. Sometime during this period, as I remember, Frank experienced some kind of mental breakdown and checked himself into a mental hospital. Both Frank and Hazel shared with me the difficulty they had during that dark time in their lives. This story can easily be found in "Being Frank" by Hazel Houston.  This story has been widely known for years by many of those around Frank and Hazel and was often shared by Frank as he shared his testimony publicly. Even tough, Frank never shared the day to day details of his 3 year stay in this mentally hospital, there was no hiding of this dark period - especially in light of it being published in Hazel's book.

In fact, this book is a huge testimony to Gods healing and transforming power. It's an inspirational story of how God can take any broken person and use them to reach other broken people. Anyone familiar with Hazel's book, knows that the first few chapters alone explains and gives huge insight into the depth of how this period of mental illness impacted them. A few years, after Franks hospitalization, Frank and Hazel were mightily touched by the Holy Spirit under the ministry of Ray Bloomfield in Auckland's Miracle Tabernacle. As the years progressed Frank experienced healing and went onto have awesome crusades where hundreds were brought to Christ. At age 60, God led he and Hazel to Sydney where they began Sydney Christian Life Centre. Everyone who really wants to know the truth about Frank and Hazel's journey should buy a copy of the book.  Their story needs to be revisited instead of dishonored. Read Hazel's book!  John 8:3-7  demonstrates Jesus' attitude toward on any of our accusers:

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Mental illness is a huge embarrassment on those who have suffered with it and painful on their loved ones who have had to live through it. It is so sad how this subject has been neglected in the church today. In the late 1980's,  I had the awesome privilege of meeting Frank and Hazel in the Dulles Airport in Washington, DC. I stayed in their home several times and became a close friend to both of them.  I never knew Frank as the broken person he was during this dark period of his life. What I experienced was a faith-filled very inspiring and encouraging person. I loved being around him. I spoke often at Sydney Christian Life Center (waterloo) as it was known and Frank's network of churches, including Hills (now known as Hillsong) throughout the early 90's. The men and women of God who serve all across the world today because of Frank and Hazel is a testament to their lives. I loved and had a great time with Frank and his family. They have always been a remarkable family. The Frank and Hazel Houston that I knew inspired both my wife and I, filled us with vision, and always encouraged us to always be radicals for God as they did for so many other ministers around the world. However, one of the most inspiring moments came later long after Frank and Hazel had gone on to be with the Lord. It is a lasting testament to their story. In late 2010, I watched a remarkable church plant that is both a tribute to Brian and Bobbie's Houston and the many leaders that Frank and Hazel left behind. (See John 15:16 This verse says it all!)

I witnessed, as a new generation of leaders, the launch of Hillsong NYC as it began in the actual facility that Evangeline Booth, daughter of William and Catherine Booth, had built in 1929 as she lead the Salvation Army into America. Lines of young people poured around the building.  1500 seats... and three services that first night. As each serviced progressed, hundreds of young people were saved after Brian shared a great message on the 3Gs Grace, Glory, and Goodness. It was an inspiring message as usual. Hillsong leader, Christine Caine followed up Brian's message and gave an awesome invitation for people to receive Christ... in the true form of the house. It was also nice to see Judith McGhie, Frank's youngest daughter, Roma Kasevich from Kiev, and Joel and Ben all serving the Lord. Lord have mercy those boys have grown up. I am very thankful to have witnessed this ongoing ministry and work of Hillsong across the world. Thanks guys for letting me have a moment with you in the past and in continuing the legacy of my friends "Frank and Hazel Houston." I am so thankful to have met you and I will always honor and remember you as "my friends." Frank and Hazel must have been having a real moment with Evangeline Booth in heaven the opening night of Hillsong NYC! :) It's always good to remember the good things about people who we knew and loved.  I am forever grateful for my experiences with Frank and Hazel, in both my home (in Annapolis) and theirs (in Sydney) and that final time in Evangelist's Jeff Beacham's home in New Jersey just before they died. (See Psalm 116:15) This is how I will always remember them, and as Frank always said:  "To Hell With The Devil!"

Can a post-modern thinker admit to being wrong?

In our current culture, post-modernism has become our generations way of thinking. Postmodernism is a tendency in contemporary culture characterized by the rejection of objective truth and global cultural narrative. It emphasizes the role of language, power relations, and motivations; in particular it attacks the use of sharp classifications such as male versus female, straight versus gay, white versus black, and imperial versus colonial. Many people believe that truth is relative. That their truth is their truth and my truth is my truth and as long as our truths don't conflict then we can be friends. However, If my truth conflicts with your truth we can't be in relationship. My question is "then who is correctable?" "Where is accountability?" and, "How do you discern if you are deceived? Jeremiah 17:9 states that " ABOVE ALL THINGS the heart is deceitful. Who can know it?" Prov. 15:32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.Prov. 15:33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Criteria for secure people

They can be corrected, without feeling rejected They are teachable They listen to constructive criticism

A good question to ask ourselves is "How well do I respond to correction? Am I defensive? People that hate taking advice are the kind of people Pro 15:32 is speaking about. They get bent out of shape when they are corrected, or believe that they are being attacked, you name it.

Criteria for insecure people

They never feel secure about their identity, and are constantly comparing themselves to others When someone corrects them they get defensive They wont take advice from people not like themselves They are the kind of people are constantly trying to prove something They may tend to lie to make themselves look good in front of others They are ashamed to let others know who they really are When they are corrected, they typically feel rejected

Cultivating Contentment

Phillipians 4:11 says "... I've learned to be content in whatever situation I'm in."  Life has a way of throwing some defining moments at us that challenges - our status quo, the familiar, life routines, and work structures.

These challenges sometime demand our commitment to "cultivate" a life of contentment and personal growth.  Sometimes these challenges require a re-evaluation of our relationships.  Jim Rohn says you become an average of the five people you associate with most. The people we spend our time with determine what conversations dominate our attention, and what observations, attitudes and opinions we repetitively are introduced to.

Personally over the years, I have kept close relationship with people who are "stable, consistent, not given to change in their family relationships, friendships and work enviroments." I have a great difficulty with people who mishandle their relationships.  I believe God is calling us to "cultivate contentment" in our relationships.  The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:18 "And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons."  We all go through seasons of life (Ecclesiates 3) marriage, births, mid-life, deaths, grieving periods, etc. The Question is how we remain connected to each other, living and loving each other through the good times and difficult moments.  Throughout the years I am amazed at the poor decisions people have made to not stick with their friends during these difficult moments.  I want to be a faithful friend with the same attitude Jesus had "While we were yet SINNERS Christ died for us." I'm not looking to keep transactional relationships but rather covenant friendships which last through all seasons of life.  I know when I'm old I'll have a great story but the more important things to have is to have someone who shared that story with me.  What kind of people are you cultivating around you in life?  The discontented? or contented drama free types?  Personally I have learned that some people are just addicted to Chaos and want to be perpetual victims.  I don't want to be foolish to keep people like this in my life. I'm looking for my friends to just join together with me and cultivate contentment in our lives together.

Praying For Our President.

A little over two years ago, Barack Obama was elected to be my nation's president. I have always viewed his election as the hand of God placing him as our leader. Romans 13:1-2 (Amplified Bible) states: "Let EVERY person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authories. For there is no authority except from God [by his permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God's appointment. Therefore, he who resists and sets himself up against the authorities resists what God has appointed and arranged (in divine order). And those who resist will bring down judgement upon themselves [receiving the penalty due them]." Barack Obama is our President. As a follow of Jesus, we are called to pray for Him (I Tim. 2:1-2) and for all those in authority over us. II Peter 2:10 states that those "who walk after the flesh and indulge... in scorn and despise authority are presumptious, daring, self-willed, and self-loving. They scoff at and revile (which means to "Criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner") dignitaries without trembling. It is appalling to me that so many Christian are engaged in attacking our President as though God has appointed them to do so. God has raised up our President to "pull the covers back" on racism, hatred, and our lack of discipline in bringing ourselves into accountability." America is at a crossroad... it's not about republican or democrat positions. It's about "whether we obey God's word or not." The church is to take the leadership in leading the way by repenting of our own "wicked" ways II Chron. 7:14 not blameshifting and pointing the finger at our leaders. Pull the beam out of your own eye... so you can see clearly the spect in your brothers eye.