April '08 News

I just wanted to let everyone know that Greg will be leaving around July 1 for a six-month deployment in support of the current war. I can’t tell you where he is going, but he is not going to Iraq. He is not going to fill an Army slot so he will not have to go to Combat Support Training prior to deployment.

Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for his departure. Thanks! Rachel

Faith

Screen Door by Rich Mullins

It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine
Faith without works baby, it just ain't happenin'
One is your left hand, one is your right
It'll take two strong arms to hold on tight
Some folks cut off their nose just to spite their face
I think you need some works to show for your alleged faith

Well there's a difference you know b'tween having faith and playing make believe
One will make you grow the other one just make you sleep
Talk about it but I really think you oughtta
Take a leap off of the ship before you claim to walk on water
Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine

Faith comes from God and every word that He breathes
He lets you take it to your heart so you can give it hands and feet
It's gotta be active if it's gonna be alive you gotta put it into practice
Otherwise....

It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine
Faith without works, baby It just ain't happenin'
One is your right hand, one is your left it's your light, your guide
Your life and your breath

Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine

If you have been keeping up with my blogs you already know that God has been challenging me to step out of what I know to be comfortable and take a walk with Him. I love the words penned in this song. They are a reminder that my faith is incomplete—useless actually—without showing action. My faith has grown tremendously since I have allowed God to lead and guide my footsteps. Does that mean I have followed without fail? No, I still have to battle the flesh side of myself. I still think every now and again that I know a different perspective than God knows. What is means is I am more willing to yield to Him instead of fight against His perfect will for my life.

Do you know how much faster God can work without me in His way? Let me tell you, the results are unbelievable!! He is capable of making things happen that I could have only dreamed happening. It seems that when something is prayed about, God has revealed either the answer or the confirmation within a week, normally within a day or two. There is no way I would have had the same peace God gives me in a matter of days if I handled the issues of life myself.

I tried.

I failed.

I know I am taking liberty with the song here, but try to follow me. Have you found yourself dealing with the issues of life without the Captain of your submarine? Maybe you have left God at the dock deciding that you could pilot the ship better yourself. Is your faith useless? We want to say we have faith in God, but is your faith backed by works? We try to take our faith and pilot it in such a way to make ourselves look good, but in reality, it is a smokescreen providing cover as we run for the problems of life. We walk into church on Sunday, professing our faith in God, only to shy away from the works that make our faith real during the week.

What the song is talking about is how our lack of works to show our faith will sink us as a faster a submarine would sink with screen doors installed in place of the hatches. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to remove the screen doors off the submarine and install the real deals. We need fortified hatches to replace the screens of our faith. You see, a screen can easily be breeched. It rusts easily and over time will fall apart. A hatch is solid. It is capable of withstanding much more force than a screen can handle. It is not as prone to damage as a screen is.

Another aspect of a screen is the holes. A screen is designed to allow air and light through the metal mesh. When life is pouring down on you and your faith is made of mesh instead of solid steel, you are being washed in the cares of life. The floodwaters pouring onto your life are overwhelming you creating a sinking feeling in your life. A hatch does not care what falls on it. It is capable of deflecting whatever is falling onto it, thereby preventing the floods of life from washing you away. I know my faith has been reinforced lately, but I know God has even more in store for me, I just need to be willing to let go of the flimsy screen and be refitted for a solid hatch.

Walking

So, I hijacked this snippet of meat from a friends. You know who you are, and I say thanks! I needed this challenge today in particular and I believe others will gain something from it.

Taken from Breaking Free, by Beth Moore:

"Imagine going to Heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you the calendar of His plan for your earthly life. It begins with the day you are born. Once you received Christ as Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of each week of your life. On many of the days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire: "Father, are those my footprints on the calendar every day and is the second set of prints when you joined me?"

He answers, "No, My precious Child. The consistent footprints on your calendar are Mine. The second set of footprints are when you joined me."
"Where were you going Father?"

"To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you’d follow."

"But Father where are my footprints all those times?"

He answers, "Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits while I was still going forward, hoping you’d join me. Sometimes you departed from My path and chose your own calendar instead. Other times your footprints can even be seen on another person’s calendar because you liked their plan better. At other times, you simply stopped because you would not let go of something you could not take to the next day."

"But Father we ended up OK even if I didn’t walk with You every day, didn’t we?"

He holds you close and smiles, "Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you."

"Father, what are those golden treasure boxes on certain days?"

"Blessings, My child, I had for you along the way. Those that are open are those you received. Those still closed were days you did not walk with Me."