Sitting at the breakfast table this morning mindlessly munching my frosted Cheerios, I suddenly sensed the presence of something I had not previously noticed.  It was accompanied by a sinking sort of feeling, but under laid with some strange sort of pride as well.  Glancing at my thirteen year old son who was downing the last bite of his toast I saw with horror that there was FUZZ, barely perceptible to the trained eye of a mother, but nonetheless present, on his top lip!  As I swallowed my mouthful of cereal I felt at least three gray hairs sprout spontaneously from my head.  What’s happening?!  I suddenly felt as if I were transported to the front lines of a battlefield: me, the mama bear, against a vast army of incessantly multiplying hormones inside my son.  They were tirelessly training, gaining power, even brainwashing my son and working overtime to suck my baby boy into the hostile foreign world of the adult male.  How could I stop them?  Where would they take him?  Would I ever get him back?   I remembered that just that week he had rejected the new boxers I bought for him because they had cars on them.  Cars!  Boys like cars don’t they?  Apparently not on boxers that must shamefully be revealed in the gym locker room. 

Through my mind flashed a myriad of pictures of my son; from pulling up in his crib for the first time, proud of this brave new accomplishment, to playing his guitar on the now teen-like cluttered floor of his room, to his first bike wreck when I watched helplessly as his front wheel shuddered wrecklessly back and forth out of his control until he landed face first into the dirt by the side of the path, to sitting at the computer, focused like a missile, programming his Lego Mindstorm robot, to his first day of Kindergarten when he bravely left my side and walked into a room full of strangers, to his first day of geometry class this year; back and forth and around in a swirl of timeless time that left my head spinning and my heart aching.  But for what?  “The good old days?”  Do I really want my baby to stay a baby, or a pre-schooler, or even a teen?  Sigh.  No, I suppose not.  I must press on.  I am reminded of the verse in Pillipians 3:13 “I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.“  

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There is a phrase being said a lot in my office lately. I work at the community college in Santa Maria and with all the State’s budget problems mixed with the current economy the college is facing many new challenges. Classes are being cut, schedules shortened, and for the first time in 20 years the frail and confined in the community along with many others will not receive services this summer. In staff meetings my boss just shakes her head and says, “These are unprecedented times!”

And you know what? She is absolutely right. These are unprecedented times. The opportunities for the world to see a people of unprecedented peace and joy have just dramatically increased. The stage is set for unprecedented miracles and acts of faith, for unprecedented generosity and acts of kindness, and most of all—opportunities for an encounter with the amazing God who loves them. Isaiah 61: 9 puts it this way, “Their descendants will be known among the nations. And their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

My prayer during these unprecedented times is that the Bride of Christ would rise up and be glorious! That our churches would walk in such a way that the glory of God (His attributes) would shine in our cities. But, I also know that this starts with you and me.

We have to be people of unflinching conviction that God is good and He is faithful. That no matter what circumstances we encounter, He is working all things together for our good. We can’t afford to get caught in the current of the world’s worry. Focusing on the natural world all around us and forgetting that there is NO recession in Heaven! We must walk in the knowledge and rest that the storehouses are full and all of God’s promises are still yes!

The world needs the see the church as Christ destined her to be—not a people holding on waiting for the sweet bye and bye—but a beautiful bride. Jesus is coming back for a glorious bride! He is not coming back for a pity date! His plan is to save the world through the bride not to save the bride from the world.

The enemy needs to see the bride as a force to be reckoned with. And the people of our communities need to say of us what was said of the disciples, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6 Wow! I like that! Let’s turn some things upside down this year! Let’s turn worry in to extravagant peace, hopelessness into hope, despair in to overwhelming joy! Let’s overcome evil with good! Nothing is impossible with God. After all…these are unprecedented times!

I hope all of you had a great Christmas and enjoyed your holiday season.  I had a great time in Colorado.  It was even white part of the time!  I also enjoyed catching up with some friends we hadn’t seen since last Christmas.  The conversations usually began with a summary of our last year, how the family was doing and how our church was doing.  I found it interesting to recap the past year in five minutes or less.  My summary included good things like my youngest son’s baptism, my friend’s wedding, a great family vacation, a new job bringing much welcome financial stability and a stable and peaceful year for the church.  I was also pleased to assess my spiritual growth over the year and see that I have grown spiritually despite the lack of trials and tribulations which have made my roots grow deep and fast in the past.  God has been teaching me about rest, beauty, prayer and trust. Overall 2008 was a good year for me, and that is something I want to remember.

 Psalm 78 has a strong lesson on remembering:

 O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, ² for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—³ stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.⁵For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, ⁶so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children. ⁷So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. ⁸Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. ⁹ The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle. ¹⁰They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his instructions. ¹¹They forgot what he had done—the great wonders he had shown them, ¹² the miracles he did for their ancestors on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.     Psalm 78: 1-12

Ephraim was the tribe known for its warriors.  Psalm 60:7 says that Ephraim would produce warriors while Judah would produce kings.  War was their spiritual gift!  This is what they were created for and yet when the day of battle came, and they were fully trained and armed, they totally wimped out! They turned and ran, the big sissies!

Oh, how we shake our heads at them, seeing the big picture, both past and future (for them) of what God did again and again.  It’s so obvious to us. The miracles of their time are unsurpassed to this day.  God rescued them in dramatic displays of his power that defied the laws of our universe and the stretches of our imagination.  How could they forget the walls of water they walked through to safety, the pillar of fire and cloud that just “happened to” go before them, the rock that split open giving them much needed water, or the bread that fell from the skies!?!  And when they got tired of “angel food” He had birds just fall from the sky for dinner instead.  I don’t know about you, but I would love to have my dinner fall from the sky each day!

Yes, it is easy to “tsk, tsk” them and ponder how they could forget things of such magnitude, but look at what verse four says. “We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.”  Verse five through seven says that the Israelites had been commanded to teach the next generation not only of His laws but also of His stories, His stories of glory and power.  How many times had these mighty warriors heard these glorious stories of old?  Not enough, it seems.

I can remember my Grandma telling “missionary stories”, sometimes of God’s miraculous rescue, sometimes of the dramatic change of a primitive tribe who decided to follow Jesus.  You’ve probably seen The End of the Spear, the story of Jim Elliot.  Stories like these inspire us; they encourage us that God is still on His throne and is still in the miracle business.  He still swoops down in big and small ways to care for lost souls or to rescue you when you are in trouble.

We need to remember these stories just like the Israelites needed to remember what God had done in their past!  I need to remember the small quiet things God did in 2008 and the large, painful and dramatic things He did in 2005. When I look back to survey the things God has been doing, I am encouraged by the development I see, punctuated with dramatic episodes of rescue, provision and love.  I have stories that are God-stories that my children need to hear.

Ladies, you are in the perilous venture of church planting.  Like Moses, you are leading God’s people on this stretch of the journey.  I am sure He is doing things both big and small in your churches and in your hearts.  Don’t keep it quiet! Tell this (and the next) generation of His glorious deeds!  Document your journey.  Keep track of your ups and downs and how God brings you through. I encourage you to keep a journal or to start a blog.  If your “day of battle” has not yet come, I dare say it is around the corner and you will need to swiftly recollect all the ways that God has been faithful in the past in order to give you courage for your present need.

If you’ve been in church planting for some time (we have completed five years now!) you have a growing list of God’s accomplishments to consider. But listen to this and get excited: 

I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. “But forget all that- it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.    Isaiah 43:16-18

Remember the amazing things that God has done in the past, but also know that there are still many miracles to come!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us… Eph 2:4

My two favorite words put together have to be—But God! In every situation of your life there is always a “But God!”

In verses 6 and 7 of chapter 2 of Ephesians it goes on to say that we have been seated in high places (vs.6) in order that He may show us the riches of His kindness (vs.7).

The world is saying 2009 will be a difficult year. I believe it will be a year of triumph! Why? But God! It doesn’t matter what situations we may face, we are not alone and ourlives are not left up to chance or fate. We serve the Creator of the universe and He is always faithful to His promises.

When I look at my checking accountand it’s not encouraging I rememberbut God has promised to meet my needs according to His riches not mine. Aren’t you glad there’s no recession in Heaven! His store houses are still full! All the good works that He has prepared for you to do in advance this year are all ready budgeted for. Remember, you are a budget item in heaven.

Those two little but very big words put together are the source of a deep well of strength and joy in difficult times. Right now my precious great niece is going through some health issues and it breaks my heart when I think of what her parents and grandparents are going through. And then I think—BUT GOD- and I feel strength and comfort and peace rise up in me and yes even joy as I remember and proclaim that He is holding that little girl in His big hands.That she is dearly loved and cared for by Him and That He is the great physician. It allows me to pray with confidence and faith.

No matter what you may face in 2009, no matter what the circumstances look like remember there is always a “but God” for those who are called by His name! We are more than conquerors in Christ! Will you stand and declare with me at the beginning of this new year that 2009 will be a year of triumph! That we will see the Glory of the Lord in our cities! That we will take ground from the enemy and advance the cause of Christ! If we believe it—we will see it!“