A Stone's Throw

Wow, I really needed to read this post from Kem Meyer this morning.  I have been pretty discouraged lately for a myriad of reasons.  I don’t want to simply use this blog to whine to the 3 1/2 people who might read it, but I have been in a particular whiny mood lately.

However, I have been trying to immerse myself in the Word lately to combat the negative thoughts out of my mind.  Several of the tools I use are on the iPhone…pretty cool…and I have it with me pretty much all of the time.

Bible Reading::I am using YouVersion from the LifeChurch.tv guys to read the “Professor Horner’s Bible Reading Plan.”

It is very similar to the 5 Lane Reading Plan I have used in the past.

Hear the Word::Another cool app that I have on my phone to listen to the Word while I am working is Bible.Is from Faith Comes from Hearing.  It is really cool.  There are several versions of audio Bibles that you can listen to through your phone.  I have found that to be a great way to really immerse my life in the Word rather than immerse my life in sports talk radio.  (That doesn’t mean I don’t still get my share of talk radio, however.)

Memorize the Word::A fellow pastor friend of mine showed me this app and how it has helped him so much to really live out the Word and it has been a great thing for me as well.  I am using Bible Verses to memorize Scripture.  There are several different versions out there, but I like this particular app because I can choose which translation and it is also put together like the old Navigators Bible Memory System with different categories, etc.  There is also a cool feature that allows you to make the verse all blanks and you can click each blank to reveal the correct word to help you memorize better.

Reading books::I am currently reading The Land Between by Jeff Manion on my Kindle.  I saw his talk at Leadership Summit a couple of weeks ago and it really resonated with me while I am waiting in this “Land Between.”  It is based on the story of the Israelites and the Exodus.  Great stuff!

We also got a “well-timed” letter from some great friends that was a photocopy of a chapter in A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado.  One of the key passages in the chapter that really spoke to me was a summary of the Exodus in Deuteronomy 8.

² Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

So tell me, how do you deal with discouragement in your life? Feel free to leave a comment.

Dont let discouragement pile up. Guard your heart – Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise.

Today was William Carey’s birthday.  He would have been 284.  He is often called the “father” of the modern missions movement.  Ran across this info. on Sam Shaw’s blog this evening on my google reader.  Check out his post here.

I am often reminded of William Carey and the Serampore Mission that he founded in India.  When I get to feeling pretty low and inadequate in my ministry, I always remember what I learned about him in seminary.  He must have had the same feelings–only exponentially stronger! What is amazing is that he had no converts for the first 7 years in India! He lost two wives to death. And he lost 19 years of translation work due to a fire.  After the fire, he wrote “In one short evening the labours of years are consumed. How unsearchable are the ways of God! . . . The Lord has laid me low that I may look more simply to him.” Are you kidding me? That is amazing! Sure wish I could have that kind of faith in the midst of the storms of life.  He was so convinced that God had called him to reach lost souls that he was never going to give up!

God, give me that same kind of tenacity and drive for the lost in my world!

A friend of mine, John Hill, posted about being close to Columbine on a business trip the day the massacre happened ten years ago.  It brings back to my mind the next year when I had the opportunity to bring in Darrell and Craig Scott to speak at several rallies at our church.  Darrell is Rachel Scott’s father and Craig is her brother.  Craig and Rachel were both in the library when the two gunmen came in and began their shooting spree.  Craig survived the shootings, but sadly, Rachel did not.

However, it seems that a whole lot of good has happened from this trajedy.  Darrell started a crusade across America to prevent what happened at Columbine for ever happening again.  You can check out their organization here.  Her brother is an amazing young man that is the video director for the organization.

I remember that week of “Columbine Redemption” rallies like it was yesterday.  It is hard to believe that it was almost a decade ago.  The beautiful thing about the Lord is that He always seems to help bring beauty out of trajedy.  That is the gospel–namely that God took me and my mess and is making “all things new.” What was cool was that God used Rachel’s testimony to help many students find Christ in the Springfield area. We hate for tragedy to happen, but we know that a soveriegn God who “holds all things in his hands” will bring glory to his name.  Much like the statement in John 11, the tragedy of Lazarus’ death was to “bring Glory to God.”  As we see photos and video of the Columbine tragedy, let us remember to thank God for his soveriegnty and his redemptive purpose in all of our lives.