Teenage Brain Deadness

I am wondering how the next generation will survive. When I dropped off my kids at their High School this morning, I noticed that the temperature was 16 degrees. That's 16 degrees below the point where H20 turns from liquid to solid. There was also a pretty stiff wind, so who knows what the wind chill factor was. I was thinking about my outside dog and feeling a little worried.... (She is covered in thick fur and has an igloo house filled with warm bedding).

As I pulled up to the High School, what did I see? I saw kids in shorts with little short socks... kids in short-sleeved T-shirts with no coat... kids dressed as if it were the heat of Summer. In fact, as I pulled up to the drop off point, I only saw 2 kids with coats on... my 2 kids. Did I mention it was 16 degrees?

I think the schools might have brainwashed the kids a little too heavily on global warming (don't even get me started on that one). I found myself wondering, WHAT HAPPENS IF AN EARTHQUAKE OR SOMETHING TAKES OUT THE POWER AT THE SCHOOL AND THEY'RE IN LOCK DOWN? I guess then we'll have survival of the non-idiots... or should I say survival of the children of the non-idiots...

But that's the real problem here, in my opinion. Who are these kid's parents? More importantly, who decided that parents should stop parenting once kids reach the age of 13 (or younger)? Oh, sure, we've got to start picking our battles... we've got to let go where we can... but my goodness, we don't have to ask for permission to continue to be the parent of a teenager who is still learning to be an adult. They need us now more than ever! They still need our authority. They still need our rules. Often, they still need to be flat out told what to do.

As I watched countless kids walking into the school building holding themselves and shivering in response to the literal freezing of their flesh, the fact that they still need parents became clear to me once again.

Am I saying that I would MAKE my 15 year old or even my 17 year old wear a coat on a day like today? Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Who do I think I am? I am their Dad. They are teenagers and sometimes they still need a parent to help them overcome the brain-deadness that lapses in and out with that condition.

This goes out to all of you with kids who are getting closer and closer to their teenage years. Listen to me. Once you let go, you can't ever take hold again. Don't let go too soon. Don't stop being their parent before they are ready. They need you now more than ever! Teenagers may not always like it, but deep down they are desperate for Mom and Dad to be Mom and Dad. The day will come when the relationship needs to change, but friend trust me, that day doesn't come during High School.

Put a coat on that kid!!!

To Be Faithful (A Poem by Mark Ford)

To be faithful is, to follow through....
To finish strong...
To do the “ought to.”

To be faithful is, to completely obey...
To follow God...
And never run away.

To be faithful, isn’t always fun...
It isn’t usually easy...
It isn’t ever done.

To be faithful is, to take the hard road...
To walk it out...
To go, go, go.

To be faithful is, to live your life...
To enter the fray...
To do what’s right.

To be faithful, true, His praise will earn
On that Last Day...
When Christ returns.

The Single Greatest Example of Ministry in the Name of Christ I Have Ever Seen

Yep, that's how I would describe "Haiti Home of Hope." After spending about 3 travel days and 7 days on mission in Pignon, Haiti, I find myself struggling to even try to write about it. It is impossible to put into words. Many of the children in this picture would have died if not for Haiti Home of Hope, a Christian-missionary-run orphanage. Not all of the 50 or so children at HHH are pictured here. Missionaries, Bill and Jennifer Campbell have at least one jewel in their heavenly crown for each of these children. I learned many of their names while I was there. They are truly precious. They are very healthy and loved to sing with me every time I picked up my guitar. Some of them just preferred to climb all over me like a jungle gym. Although this made me uncomfortable at first, I now greatly miss it as a tear comes to my eye.

Of course, we also had our "real" work to do. Many of the folks on our team worked on cement block laying, but I had the privilege of working like Jesus did... as a carpenter. I was part of a smaller group which built, from start to finish, the very large roof for the new girls dorm. It was quite a feeling of accomplishment to see it completed.


The stories that are represented by the children at Haiti Home of Hope are made more powerful when you start to get to know some of the children. Three precious little girls especially stuck in my heart (Alina, Chrissy and Benji) as I was around them more. Each of these came to the orphanage malnourished to the point of death, one weighing just 9 lbs. at the age of 1, another weighing 20 pounds at the age of 7, and yet now they are so healthy and full of life that it is unbelievable. They also all know Jesus, when without HHH, they would probably be stuck in the trap of Voodoo. Their precious little healthy Jesus-empowered smiles are something that will stick with me forever.

Another older girl (15), Madilyn (pictured here) came to the orphanage fairly recently after losing her leg in the earthquake. She is a real hero, having saved a baby at the cost of her leg. She had gotten out of the building safely, but returned to save the baby, which she did. Unfortunately, in the process something fell on her and they couldn't save her leg. The family she was serving no longer wanted her, even though it was their baby she had saved. They turned her out on the street. However, Elroi (the God who sees) had better plans for Madilyn. Now, she is very happy and well taken care of at Haiti Home of Hope. She is also a great singer and helps take care of the younger children.

What else can I say? Well, I could say a lot more. But it has been difficult to even write what I have written. Some things are just too meaningful for words. If I were to try to sum up what I experienced in Haiti with one word, I would have to use the word, "Revolutionary." How amazing, then, that this was my topic for the week with the mission team of 20 or so people, who I had been asked to lead in worship and devotionals each night. How poignant it was to talk about becoming God's revolutionaries even as we experienced a week of what that could be like. It feels like 3 years of ministry was packed into 10 days. What a God-rush!

Pray for Bill and Jennifer Campbell and Haiti Home of Hope. Also check out their website at www.haitihomeofhope.org May God bless them greatly!!!

When God Clapped

It was an amazing night. Our 8th annual Bapti-Q. What's a Bapti-Q? Well that's just a term we coined to communicate, well, a Bapti-Q. It's only the most important night of the year for our church. Not only is the food and fellowship in the beautiful outdoor setting fantastic but the main event is absolutely priceless. I had the honor of baptizing seventeen individuals this evening. That's seventeen real stories. I had met with each of them individually beforehand. Most of them very recently made a personal decision to receive Christ in my presence (About 3 had done so further back, but had not been baptized since). I can't even begin to put into words what it means to me to have had the privilege of leading most of these in prayers to receive Christ as Savior and then to be able to reenact the death, burial and Resurrection of Christ by baptizing them each (That's what baptism is, see Col. 2:12).

How many baptisms is it now since we started the church? Maybe something like 135. But tonight was special, because tonight was not about adding to a number. Tonight was about real people with names... children and adults... taking their stand with Christ and professing their personal faith in Him. Yes, it was an amazing night.

But the night wasn't over yet at that point. When I got home I jumped in the shower to wash off the lake water, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. What an awesome privilege to do what I get to do. It's just flat out astounding. I felt overwhelmed with thankfulness. And so I started to sing... I sang a hymn I haven't sung in years, "How Great Thou Art." It had been one of my favorites in the old days, but I was kind of surprised that I could completely remember 3 verses worth of words without even thinking about it.

As a singer, there are those rare times when something happens inside that is impossible to describe. It's not just that you really mean what you're singing or that you are putting your heart into it. That happens fairly regularly. This is something more, and it is rare. The only way I know to describe it is that it is like God starts singing through you.

As I belted it out, I raised each verse up a step or two and my voice rang like I'm not sure it ever has. All I can say is that it was a truly amazing moment that probably sounds stupid to people who have never experienced it. At the end of the hymn, something happened. I HEARD CLAPPING. I absolutely know that I heard clapping and, I thought, a bit of a cheer. I figured it was either my daughter or son being a little silly, cheering on dad for his extremely dramatic, shower-sung rendition of an old hymn.

After getting dressed, I asked both of my kids (my wife was out) if they liked my song. (I actually was thinking about how I'd like to make sure they have at least heard some of the best of the old hymns.) But the really strange thing is that my daughter was watching TV and said she couldn't really hear me and my son had been in the shower himself. He didn't even know I was singing. NEITHER OF THEM HAD CLAPPED OR CHEERED.

I was in disbelief. I kept asking if they were sure. And then my daughter said what I would have never thought of on my own. She said, "Daddy, maybe it was God clapping for you."

She was about half joking, but she was also half serious. She has always been very in tune with spiritual things. Being a logical person by nature, at first I kind of laughed it off, but a few seconds later it started sinking in. After a little more thought, I decided to let myself believe it.

I think I just heard God clap. How thrilling is that?

Thank you God. Thank you for moments like this. I love You.

The Reason For ROC

Nine years ago we started RiverOaks Church. We knew God called us to do it. I finally figured out why He did.

It wasn't because He wanted us to get glory by making a big church so people could say, "Wow look how big it is."

It wasn't because He particularly needed another church in this area.

It certainly wasn’t about church buildings or other trophies that the eye can see.

It wasn't even because He wanted us to somehow be more special than any other church.

It wasn't because we would be better than any other church.

It wasn’t because He wanted there to be more churches in America.

It wasn’t even because we were going to reach a different group of people than other churches were reaching.

The reason God called us to start RiverOaks Church was for the sake of some very specific people who have names... people whose names I did not know before... people whose names now warm my heart.

Those specific people are the reason God called us to start RiverOaks Church. I love those people. Over the years, some of those people have moved on for good or bad reasons, but we still played a very powerful role in their lives. Many are still here, and are so different and so changed now that they can't even completely remember what life was like before RiverOaks Church.

God called us to start RiverOaks Church, because He knew there would be stories. Those stories are powerful. Those stories range from radical salvation experiences to deeper walks with Christ to simply a place of service that was God’s plan for someone. God knew each story before it unfolded. He knew exactly why He wanted RiverOaks Church to be born. He knew their names.

And what about my story? How has God changed me through the experience of RiverOaks Church? Oh my. I can't even put it into words.

God called us to start RiverOaks Church for the love of people... not a mass of people... not numbers of people, but individual, real-life people who matter to God... and now they matter to me.

God had a plan... and His plan, as always, was about redeeming, changing and using people.... individual people. He knew. He always knew. He knew exactly who would be touched through RiverOaks. He knew that because of these specific people, regardless of what else happened, it would all be worth whatever sacrifices have been made... whatever faith we have needed to have... whatever struggles we needed to endure.

God called us to start RiverOaks Church for the people we would touch... the wonderfully incredible people whom we have had a chance to bless, challenge, teach and love.

What other reason could there possibly be for starting a church?

The State of Our Union (A Christian Perspective)

Another Fourth of July has come and gone, and life seems to continue as it always has. We go to work, buy our groceries, take our children to various events, and mow our yards. What deeper part of life in America has significantly changed in the last 50 years... 100 years... 200 years? Aren’t we still the United States of America? Aren’t we still the benchmark for freedom and prosperity... the land of opportunity? Well, in many ways, yes... so far.

But what has changed? What part of our history is being forgotten at great peril to our future? What part of the fabric of our nation is being intentionally ripped out? What decisions are leading us away from those foundational truths that made us great in the first place?

So far we don’t have soldiers banging down our church doors, or laws being written that significantly squelch our freedom of worship or speech. Oh, there are rumblings of such things, and different powers nibble at the edges of our freedoms, but so far, it is still a free country. What is there to be concerned about?

Ask yourself these questions: Who decided to make God an unpopular topic? Who decided that most all stores would be open on Sundays, something unheard of when I was a child? Who decided it was okay to hold children’s sports events on Sunday mornings? Who decided Christian music should have its own radio station and be banned from all others?

Who decided we should not be called a Christian nation, something that would have created a deafening outcry thirty years ago? Who decided we would not teach children the whole truth about our American History? Who decided to edit God out of the Mayflower Compact and other early documents, as they are quoted in our children’s textbooks?

Who decided that even student-led prayer would be discouraged in schools and that the Gideons would no longer be allowed to pass out free Bibles? Who decided that the philosophy of evolutionism would be taught as fact, using every possible persuasive tool including outright falsifications, while the philosophy of Creationism would be censored with extreme prejudice? Who decided that a public school teacher could not share a Scripture verse in the classroom without fear of punishment or job loss? Who decided?

We, the people decided. One way or another, by our votes or by our passivity, we have decided. I’m afraid we have been indoctrinated right along with our children. We have become convinced that we must hide our Christianity and keep it private, as if it were a disease, rather than the normal expectation of an American citizen. We have been duped into believing that it is perfectly right for government to squelch it wherever it might have publically been expressed. This, in a nation where our own public school textbooks were once filled with Scripture and often mentioned the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. This, in a nation where our third president allowed churches to meet in the capitol building and convinced congress to support a foreign Christian missionary with public funds. Unthinkable.

Worse than these policy changes, we have forgotten the principles that made this nation great. We have forgotten that a fundamental commitment to God was at the very heart of our constitution and democratic ideals. Countless quotes from our founding fathers prove their full understanding that this democracy could not succeed without a people committed, at the very least, to faith in God. Most of them were also committed to Christ. Patrick Henry, the founding father who said, “Give me liberty or give me death,” also said this:

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”

But we do not even have to go back to founding fathers in order to see how far we have fallen. Consider this quote from our thirtieth president, Calvin Coolidge:

“The foundation of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”

Read that again. Let it sink in. Can you imagine a president making this statement today? Can you imagine living during a time when almost everyone in the country is familiar with the basic tenets of Scripture?

I could fill pages with quotes like these from earlier statesmen. But I don’t even have to go back as far as that. My own relatively young memory tells me enough. When I was a child, we prayed in our classrooms. We sang songs like “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee.” Even as recent as my high school years, a pastor preached from the Bible at our graduation ceremonies. In my valedictory address, I quoted Scripture and spoke openly of my faith in Jesus Christ. It did not even cross my mind that this might not be allowed.

My point is that even we Christians, for the most part, have failed to recognize how far our nation has fallen. I’ll refrain from the typical list of statistics often given to demonstrate the moral decay that has accompanied our country’s decision to gradually relegate and forget God. We all have seen it happen.

Where will it end? It will end in one of two places: either revival or judgment... or perhaps both. I for one would rather avoid the judgment part, if at all possible. I am reminded of what my Dad would say, “You can either do what you’re told with a spanking or without a spanking.” The choice was mine.

Does God still judge nations? Well, He certainly did so in Scripture... very consistently.... And even though there were invariably a faithful few left within the nation about to be judged, God still judged that nation. The remnant was forced to endure hardship along with the rebellious.

Some would say God isn’t in the nation- judging business anymore. But, I don’t see anything in the New Testament to suggest that God has somehow changed His character. Ask yourself where you got the idea that God no longer uses things like natural disasters, war and famine to judge nations. He certainly did so in the past, and His Word warns us that He would not fail to do so in the future. What makes us so sure we are “above” what the Bible clearly says God will do, to the nation which strays from Him?

Perhaps it is easier to think of it this way: Why has America experienced such greatness at historically-unprecedented levels? Does anybody really believe God had nothing to do with it? Our founders were passionately committed to God. Was our subsequent rise to greatness merely coincidence? I think not. But the God who blesses faithfulness must also judge idolatry. Based on His Word alone, it is difficult to come to any other conclusion than that we are plummeting ever nearer to God’s judgment as a nation. If that doesn’t cause you to tremble, read the book of Micah.

Granted, followers of Christ are not ultimately destined for God’s wrath, but the hard truth is that if our nation is judged, we will all suffer through it. The even- harder truth is that we are also at fault for the current state of our union. That’s right. We Christians are partially responsible for the descent of our nation. We have failed to be salty enough, and we have kept our light hidden far too much.

And yet, my friends, the task before us is honestly impossible. We cannot, by force of will, change our public education system, that was long ago hijacked at the federal level, by secularists. We cannot quickly change the legislation or rhetoric coming out of Washington. We cannot curb the intent of Hollywood or the other sources of propaganda that violently seek to wreck the very Christian foundations that have made us a great nation. We cannot turn around the trends that would leave us just another post-Christian socialist nation. No matter how much we stand up and speak out (as we should), we cannot realistically make those changes. We cannot do it, my friends. But God can. God CAN do the impossible. God can bring revival like none of us now alive has ever seen. He has done it before. He can do it again. Historically, revival ALWAYS starts with the prayers of the righteous. Consistent, fervent, corporate prayer at a massive level is the only hope for the United States of America.

Maybe you have been like me. I had basically given up on our country. Not that I didn’t still love it, but in terms of any corporate return to God, I had given up. I figured Christians would become more and more the minority, not in the world, but in America. I just didn’t believe that current trends could be turned around. I felt that our descent into immorality and anti-Christian ideals was far too advanced to be reversed. That’s why I didn’t pray about it. But now, for no logical reason I can think of, I have been given just enough hope to pray in earnest for our nation. I’m not sure where this hope or desire to pray has come from. It must be from God. And so, I will pray every day that our nation returns to Him. I will pray that the United States of America returns to Christ. Because this is my country, too. And at least to some degree, I will suffer the fate of this nation.

Our only chance is in repentance and prayer. Hopefully, we are not too late. We who are His people, must humble ourselves, turn from our own wicked ways and pray with all of our hearts, while we humbly seek the face of God (2 Chronicles 7:14). My fellow American Christians, if you care about our nation.... if you consider yourself a patriot... if you would even fight and die for your country... for your homeland... for your friends and family and fellow countrymen... then it is time to put that patriotism to the test. It is time to get on your knees and pray every day that these United States might return to, and even eclipse, our former standing as one nation UNDER God. This is my prayer, amen.