I'm reminded in this season of my life of the words of Jeremiah 6:16 "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’"
What I see here is that God invites us to stand at the crossroads and look. We need to be observant. God then says, "Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is..." God calls us to pray, to seek and listen. Do you know where you are going... standing at the crossroads... wondering what's next. God wants to reveal things to us... to show us His path, but He says, "Walk in it..." We have to determine the course and then stay the course! It's easy to read the bible and then say, "Well, I don't know if I agree with that." But that is exactly what God calls us to do... agree with HIM that His path is the right one. You know when you have gotten on the wrong path? When you lack peace. God's promise is that as we pray and go that we will find rest for our souls. We will find peace in the midst of anything happening because we are where He wants us. The question is "will you"? Sadly many have said, "We will not walk in it." Choose to discover and "walk in it"!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
stuff that's swimming in my head...
Tonight I went to see Ps100, a group of guys that sing some very tight Christian Rock (and praise & worship). Most of their music is original. It is definitely worth a listen! My connection with them is through their drummer. Back in the day when I was leading worship in Akron NY he was on the team. God has brought Mike so far (and through things I had no idea about before tonight... believing that God's healing his wife of that cancer!) Tonight I came with a head full and heart broken. There's just been so much going on lately that it's been overwhelming. Trying to carry the burdens of others while carrying your own is quite a task. Tonight I was reminded that "Your grace is enough". We are not guaranteed by God a life without any heartache, physical illness, relational tension, poverty (or riches) etc. But we are guaranteed that as we place our faith in Jesus Christ to cover our sins, God runs to us, picks us up and carries us. Sometimes, I believe, He just holds us like children that have had the worst nightmare and we just can't shake it. It is in our brokenness that he floods his love through the cracks of our heart. Healing us. Mending us. Giving us a hope that many, honestly, can't comprehend. That is the hope of eternal life. Not that we keep this life, or by some form of cosmic cruelty, to return again and again until we 'get it right'. No. The bible says all this 'stuff' is temporary. Eventually it will all "burn". Jesus said he was preparing a place for us to come back and take us to. This is our hope. Jesus endured the darkest hour of his life knowing the joy to come.
As Brenton Brown (singer/songwriter) wrote in the song OUR GOD IS MERCY: "The Kingdom of our God is near, lift your eyes, lift your eyes! The hope of heaven drawing near, lift your eyes! Lift your eyes!" If we first seek God's Kingdom then everything else will be taken care of (rough paraphrase!). This is just some of the stuff that's been swimming in my head recently...
As Brenton Brown (singer/songwriter) wrote in the song OUR GOD IS MERCY: "The Kingdom of our God is near, lift your eyes, lift your eyes! The hope of heaven drawing near, lift your eyes! Lift your eyes!" If we first seek God's Kingdom then everything else will be taken care of (rough paraphrase!). This is just some of the stuff that's been swimming in my head recently...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
A new year. New challenges!
I'm finding that my greatest challenge recently is parenting. It's not a problem, it's a challenge. The challenge is to uniquely raise my boys to best be who they are in Christ. To do that I have to be like the guy from the kids movie: "How To Train Your Dragon" What did he do? Became a student. He used observation to see what would happen. It's a challenge to do the same with my boys. At every age level there is something new or a different quirk to them. One year they love mac-n-cheese, the next it's an abomination to their taste buds! One kid loves omelets while the other won't eat an egg unless it's for supper (on rare occasion). One kid is so tender that I have to be careful not to crush his spirit by sarcasm. The other kid is so demanding that I have to be careful not to crush his spirit by always saying "NO!". :)
I'm always learning "on the job" as a parent. I keep hearing, "Enjoy those days. They will soon be over." I know that and am trying to enjoy them. I also realize that as I seek to shape their lives I know that my life is being changed too. And it's ALL good. :)
I'm always learning "on the job" as a parent. I keep hearing, "Enjoy those days. They will soon be over." I know that and am trying to enjoy them. I also realize that as I seek to shape their lives I know that my life is being changed too. And it's ALL good. :)
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Praying with Thanksgiving
Some of my friends and family haven't had a chance to see me speak recently so I've put on YouTube my message from Nov. 28th, 2010. It's in 2 parts because I spoke for about 27 minutes. You can't post anything longer than 15 minutes. :*(
Never the less... The first part is up at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lnAJQurGx0
At the top of the YouTube page says that I have X entries. (Presently it's 5 to choose from). You can choose PT2 and finish out the message. For those who have wrestled with their conversations with God in prayer... maybe the answers don't seem to be coming... this is a pretty good message. That's not me tooting my own horn, it's the majority of the feedback from the people of Niagara Alliance Church. (Including the Head Elder!)
To God be the glory!
Never the less... The first part is up at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lnAJQurGx0
At the top of the YouTube page says that I have X entries. (Presently it's 5 to choose from). You can choose PT2 and finish out the message. For those who have wrestled with their conversations with God in prayer... maybe the answers don't seem to be coming... this is a pretty good message. That's not me tooting my own horn, it's the majority of the feedback from the people of Niagara Alliance Church. (Including the Head Elder!)
To God be the glory!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
What began on Twitter last night...
I'm not the "normal" follower of Christ, in that, I spend the time before I go to sleep reading my bible. Devotions, they call it. Most pastors I've heard suggest that you start the day devoting yourself to God in reading the bible and praying (even journaling). I find that I never really could get going in the morning, but still have steadily walked with God for 32 years.
Last night I read Acts 3 and 4. But as I came to a specific verse, Acts 3:16, something just hit me. It's the story about Peter and James going to the temple for prayer. As they go they encounter a man that was lame, he could not walk. We know that he'd been that way 40ish years. Peter looks at the man and says in essence: "Look, I don't have money, but I do have the knowledge that Jesus wants to heal you now. So get up!" The man gets up. People are immediately drawn to the situation where Peter finds an impromptu opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus. In doing so he says something that got my head and fingers going last night:
Considering that the disciples had been with Jesus watching Him heal, that they had witnessed what was happening when Jesus made a decision, they should be acquainted with what Jesus wanted to do. However, until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was fully poured out, they lacked the ability to do what they had seen done. They learned to listen (prayer) leading up to Pentecost and with the Holy Spirit on them it was instant connection and understanding of what they should do in that moment. As I looked at Acts 3:16 it hit me: Peter was saying that Jesus wanted to heal the man. Peter was also saying that he nor 'faith' (in an abstract form) healed the man, it was Jesus.
That's pretty bold trust. To look at someone and say, "God has healed you." This should be normal for the follower of Christ. I'm not trying to be all weird, I'm just saying that it all happens out of relationship. Just as me telling my son to tell someone else something I've said. It all begins with the assumption of Acts 2:39 - repentance of sin & filling of the Holy Spirit. There is no connection w/o repentance of sin. And to take a phone analogy a bit further...
You have no 'dial tone' without the Holy Spirit. Always 'answer' when Jesus is speaking, He will tell you what He wants... Then DO IT!
The problem of just being connected and choosing not to listen and obey, is that it creates a 'form of religion' but 'denies the power'. Jesus wants to impact our world through us! What I've noticed, from observation, is that, in general, people these days have lost faith in the church because the people in the church don't express God's ability to transform lives! So many in the church look and act the same as people in the world. The fruit of their lives doesn't show they they are different. Some of that is due to a misunderstanding that knowledge is maturity. IT ISN'T. The application of the knowledge of God's Word, the Bible, leads us to a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ and what we have. We live out of relationship with the Son of God who gave Himself up for us. It is in the intimate moments (morning, evening or whenever) that we begin to cultivate the ability to hear from God and do what He says. God wants us to get the "easy" stuff first. To walk in obedience and love God and others. I remember nights when I would be out on the bleachers during college praying for an hour or two and wondering "God are you listening?" Over the years I've learned that God is asking me, "Are YOU listening?" ;)
I've spent plenty of time wondering from the time I was a Junior in High School, "God, where are are the healings that Jesus performed? Why did He say we would do greater things than what He did?" I have friends that God has healed, of lukemia and carpel tunnel. I have a pastor friend that saw God raise a woman from the dead, before his eyes! So I knew that God could heal and have watched plenty of people laying hands on others for healing. For myself the journey took a turn when I saw again a saying, "Faith is not believing that God can. It is believing that He WILL." So many times I've watched as a person is prayed for, "God, if it is your will... we don't want to assume..." I sat one Sunday watching a woman and God said to me, "She's healed." It startled me. I really didn't want to say anything. I did. She had been healed. A friend recently asked for prayer for a job. Immediately I got, "Done deal." God knew he was going to get that job. He did. This is beginning to be the "norm" for me. Amazingly, it was the "norm" for the early church. The only thing that has passed is time.
The point? The whole church thing isn't a game. It isn't about how good we look (or bad). It's about connecting with God. Connecting with others and Connecting others with God. (borrowed from the sign in front of Niagara Alliance Church ;D ) If you have a good connection with Christ, the Holy Spirit will speak and use you. You will grow in your relationship with God and He will tell you what he wants in a situation. There's more that I could say. But for now let me just return to the original thought...
Ask Jesus what He wants to do. Peter did and then told the man and his life was transformed forever. God is in the business of transforming lives!
Last night I read Acts 3 and 4. But as I came to a specific verse, Acts 3:16, something just hit me. It's the story about Peter and James going to the temple for prayer. As they go they encounter a man that was lame, he could not walk. We know that he'd been that way 40ish years. Peter looks at the man and says in essence: "Look, I don't have money, but I do have the knowledge that Jesus wants to heal you now. So get up!" The man gets up. People are immediately drawn to the situation where Peter finds an impromptu opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus. In doing so he says something that got my head and fingers going last night:
(Holman Christian Standard Bible) Acts3:16 By faith in His name, His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Him has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.
Let me expand a bit on what I said.Considering that the disciples had been with Jesus watching Him heal, that they had witnessed what was happening when Jesus made a decision, they should be acquainted with what Jesus wanted to do. However, until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was fully poured out, they lacked the ability to do what they had seen done. They learned to listen (prayer) leading up to Pentecost and with the Holy Spirit on them it was instant connection and understanding of what they should do in that moment. As I looked at Acts 3:16 it hit me: Peter was saying that Jesus wanted to heal the man. Peter was also saying that he nor 'faith' (in an abstract form) healed the man, it was Jesus.
That's pretty bold trust. To look at someone and say, "God has healed you." This should be normal for the follower of Christ. I'm not trying to be all weird, I'm just saying that it all happens out of relationship. Just as me telling my son to tell someone else something I've said. It all begins with the assumption of Acts 2:39 - repentance of sin & filling of the Holy Spirit. There is no connection w/o repentance of sin. And to take a phone analogy a bit further...
You have no 'dial tone' without the Holy Spirit. Always 'answer' when Jesus is speaking, He will tell you what He wants... Then DO IT!
The problem of just being connected and choosing not to listen and obey, is that it creates a 'form of religion' but 'denies the power'. Jesus wants to impact our world through us! What I've noticed, from observation, is that, in general, people these days have lost faith in the church because the people in the church don't express God's ability to transform lives! So many in the church look and act the same as people in the world. The fruit of their lives doesn't show they they are different. Some of that is due to a misunderstanding that knowledge is maturity. IT ISN'T. The application of the knowledge of God's Word, the Bible, leads us to a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ and what we have. We live out of relationship with the Son of God who gave Himself up for us. It is in the intimate moments (morning, evening or whenever) that we begin to cultivate the ability to hear from God and do what He says. God wants us to get the "easy" stuff first. To walk in obedience and love God and others. I remember nights when I would be out on the bleachers during college praying for an hour or two and wondering "God are you listening?" Over the years I've learned that God is asking me, "Are YOU listening?" ;)
I've spent plenty of time wondering from the time I was a Junior in High School, "God, where are are the healings that Jesus performed? Why did He say we would do greater things than what He did?" I have friends that God has healed, of lukemia and carpel tunnel. I have a pastor friend that saw God raise a woman from the dead, before his eyes! So I knew that God could heal and have watched plenty of people laying hands on others for healing. For myself the journey took a turn when I saw again a saying, "Faith is not believing that God can. It is believing that He WILL." So many times I've watched as a person is prayed for, "God, if it is your will... we don't want to assume..." I sat one Sunday watching a woman and God said to me, "She's healed." It startled me. I really didn't want to say anything. I did. She had been healed. A friend recently asked for prayer for a job. Immediately I got, "Done deal." God knew he was going to get that job. He did. This is beginning to be the "norm" for me. Amazingly, it was the "norm" for the early church. The only thing that has passed is time.
The point? The whole church thing isn't a game. It isn't about how good we look (or bad). It's about connecting with God. Connecting with others and Connecting others with God. (borrowed from the sign in front of Niagara Alliance Church ;D ) If you have a good connection with Christ, the Holy Spirit will speak and use you. You will grow in your relationship with God and He will tell you what he wants in a situation. There's more that I could say. But for now let me just return to the original thought...
Ask Jesus what He wants to do. Peter did and then told the man and his life was transformed forever. God is in the business of transforming lives!
Two more songs on YouTube...
As I post this blog the first song I put on YouTube is sitting at 69 views. My wife reminds me that this is a God thing not a Lonnie thing. The reason I started to post any songs on YouTube in the first place came out of my conversation with Jim Drew, a fellow musician / worship leader and passionate follower of Christ. Jim's words to me were and encouragement to allow God to use me by placing the song(s) out there. I am thankful for those who have been so kind. I haven't had any negative feedback, just a one person cheer squad in Nora, who I led to Christ years ago.
I've placed the song "Macedonia" and "My Everything" on. I trust that as you listen you will begin to understand the depth of God's love for us and those who have yet to place their full trust in Him.
The link to Macedonia will also let you view the other videos.
God bless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99TspuSOn28
I've placed the song "Macedonia" and "My Everything" on. I trust that as you listen you will begin to understand the depth of God's love for us and those who have yet to place their full trust in Him.
The link to Macedonia will also let you view the other videos.
God bless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99TspuSOn28
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