Victory is in Him!

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy.
Though I have fallen,
I will rise because there is a power in me that is greater than this heaviness I feel now,
And there is a light before me that will shine through the darkness that surrounds me now.

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy
Because for the moment your weapons are working.
Yes, I have retreated to the Lord my refuge, but surrender is not an option.
I'll be back to fight because Christ fights with me, and I will win because the victory is in Him.

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy
Because I appear weak.
My weakness is my greatest strength.
His grace is all I need, I wll follow as He leads.

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy
Because I've lost a few battles.
You can't beat me because in Christ I am more than a conqueror.
I had victory before this war began, and your end is near.

Do not rejoice me, my enemy
Because I appear outnumbered.
You have no advantage. There are angel armies on my side.
If Christ be for me, who can be against me?

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy
Because I am wounded.
You can't deliver the death blow, because Christ has taken your sword.
My heel may be bruised, but your head will be crushed.
I will wave His Banner of Love that signals our triumph and your defeat.

As good as it gets

If you haven't figured it out yet, Satan is a LIAR! I was doing some pondering tonight after watching a sermon on temptation. I didn't really hear any crazy, groundbreaking truth that I never heard before, but I did think to myself that temptation still works in my life. Everyone can probably relate that there are some things that we seem to struggle with constantly even though we know they are wrong. Yet, we still fall, and then we think that we are losers because we realize our stupidity. It becomes a vicious cycle. Why do we fall for temptation? Because it usually looks awesome! Otherwise, it wouldn't tempt us. We've all got these needs and desires that must be filled. God made us this way. God also has ways of meeting every single need and desire that we have. God is our Father, and He's pretty capable of taking care of us. "My God SHALL supply ALL your need according to His RICHES in Glory in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19 Okay, so there it is, plain and simple. God promised to take care of us. It seems like this promise should take care of our dilemna, but it doesn't seem to be working all the time. Why? There are two reasons. The first reason is that we don't fully trust God to come through. So we look for satisfaction elsewhere. The second reason why temptation works is because we believe lies. We get misled by the Devil and ourselves. Satan is a destroyer and a liar. While God wants to bless and fulfill our lives, Satan wants to curse and wreck our lives. One of the ways he does this is by luring us away from God's goodness with lies. Usually no one will willingly walk down a path that they know will lead to their total destruction. Why do we choose these wrong paths? Because we think that they are leading to somewhere great. We think that the object of our temptation will bring us what we ultimately want. In order to get us headed in the wrong direction, Satan lies to us. He will undermine every truth that God has told us, until he gets our attention. I realized tonight that one of the lies that Satan has me believing is that "This" (whatever it may be) is as good as it gets. I stop trusting God, get impatient, and chase after something totally pathetic because I think that the temptation is the best I can expect in this life. I think that this lie is believed a lot. Most people pursue the American dream, reach it, and then lead miserable lives thinking that this is as good as it gets. I've read in God's Word that the best life has to offer is available, but it's not found where we often look for it. God says that he is the source of all that is good. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Ps. 37:4 Only God knows want you truly need and want, and He wants to give it to you. But it takes patience, trust, and commitement. Ps. 37:5-11 So let's not settle for less, much less than the best. However, not only is the path of temptation less thant the best, but it's ultimately dangerous. "And sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." So next time we are tempted, recognize the lie and seek the truth. Remember that SAtan came to steal, kill, and destroy, and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the FAther of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 2:16-17 Believe it!

Looking Back

I just recently ran across an old poem of mine that I think I wrote when I first moved to Florida. This poem was written during a time of lots of changes and uncertainty. It was cool to read it now and see how God has been faithful all along and has yet to let me down. As humans, we are always up and down, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and will never leave or forsake us.

Either Way

Why am I in the dark?
Is it because there is no light,
or have I lost my sight?
God, could You shine brighter,
or do I need my eyes to open wider?
Either way, I need to see You.

Why does it see so silent?
Is it because You left,
or have I become deaf?
God, could You speak louder than before,
or do I just need to listen more?
Either way, I need to hear You.

Why do I feel all alone?
Is it because You left my side,
or am I trying to hide?
God, could You let me know You're near,
or do I just need to lose my fears?
Either way, I need to your presence.

Why do I feel ignored?
Is it because You don't hear what I say,
or do I not really believe when I pray?
God, could You please answer a prayer,
or do I need more trust that You care?
Either way, I need an answer.

But honestly, I don't have one good reason to doubt You.
Every Promise You made to me has come true.

So here we are, now what?

It's been a while since I've written. I think this is because it's been a while since I've slowed down. So today I was able to slow down and do some thinking, and here's what I thought. I was sitting on my front porch this afternoon, and as I was enjoying the beautiful southern Florida afternoon I realized that there is unmistakeable evidence of a purposeful creation all around me. I'm preparing to teach my students about some of the faults of evolution in our next science chapter, and I've been thinking a lot about why evolution is wrong. As I sat there this afternoon, I noticed that I was refuting evolution with every breath I took. I gazed at the blue sky scattered with clouds and thought about how purposeful this creation is. This planet is perfectly suited for us. We are able to breath it's oxygen and drink it's water and eat it's nutrients. Every breath I took proved to me that I was no product of accident. Then I thought about how we as humans horribly dishonor this creator by ignoring Him, destroying His earth, and hating His creatures. Romans 1:20-22 says, "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools." I don't want to be a fool and live my life on this earth ignoring the unmistakeable realities of God that surround me. I want to know this Creator, and through this Creator I want to find my purpose. Is it possible to know this Creator? Yes, Jesus was God in the flesh. John 1 talks about how Jesus was the Word, and the Word was God. The Word means the expression of God, the very picture of God. In Colossians 1:15-17 it says, "Christ (Jesus) is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,[a] 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together." Jesus is our picture of God. He is the one who connects us to God, and Jesus is the meaning of life. I know it may seem weird to think that a person is the meaning to life, but in John 14:6 it reads, "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." Jesus is the way to the Father! Our Creator sees us as His children! It's so awesome to know that in this big, confusing existence there is my Creator who is my Father, and my Father has opened up life, truth, and hope for me. How do I know that I belong to the Father? I know because He has poured out His Spirit of love and truth into my heart. And eventhough this world can be a tough and lonely place sometimes, the Holy Spirit is my constant Comforter and Guide through it all. Romans 8:14-18 says, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children[a] of God. 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.[b] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”[c] 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later." Yes, there is hope of a glorious existance beyond this temporary existance we have now on earth. God desires His children to live with Him in paradise for eternity. Again in Romans 5:5 it reads, "And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." So, no. Life is not an accident. Life is a gift. Life is not pointless. Life is full of grand purpose. Life should not be lonely. Life should be spent enjoying the love of God who made it all.

Lt. Barkers

We got a professional to take this shot. This'll go on the Christmas cards for sure.

That's how she rolls.

Me and my homeslice cruising south central, boy!

My two roomates

Cover girl!

Yeah, she plays soccer.

PE and the Kingdom of God

No, I'm not kidding. I'm seriously going to relate my PE experience to the Kingdom of God. And no, I'm not trying to be silly by intertwining these two areas. I love to receive fresh thoughts about God, truth, and life, and sometimes God uses my daily life to communicate ideas to me. PE just so happens to be a constant part of my life right now, so God even uses it to speak to me. I know it's weird, but hear me out. I had just finished reading the last chapter of The Secret Message of Jesus, and this chapter was talking about seeing glimpses of the Kingdom. After the chapter, I was wishing that I would recognize the subtle beauty of God's Kingdom more often. Then, all of the sudden, this silly but profound little PE thought hit me. My main goal, my will, my dream as a PE teacher is to provide a fun, inclusive, and healthy (physically, socially, and emotionally) environment to my students by introducing them to fun, inclusive, and healthy physical activities. I couldn't be happier if my students were having fun and enjoying each other's company and freindship. I do my best to create this environment. However, I have this one class. We don't exaclty see eye to eye. I have communicated my goals to them, but they never really responded they way I hoped they would. Their will for class directly opposes mine. Their idea of a good time is organizing into little groups excluding people they don't "like." Once they are in these groups they battle for the spotlight, and most of them are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve center-of-attention stauts. It hurts me to see the lack of fun and the exclusion when I know how good their experience could be. Of course, I could force them. I could make them participate in every activity and punish every student who refuses to smile or who doesn't take turns or share, but that would never accomplish the goal. The students would merely be robots who obeyed only out of fear. There would be no fun, inclusion would be faked, and there would be no personal growth. In fact, force would only breed rebellion and hatred. The only shot at making this ideal PE experience work is for the desires of the students to match the desires of the teacher. How could that happen? I could model it for them. Maybe, just once, they could catch a glimpse of the good time I hope for. Perhaps, they would have to get sick of the way they think PE should be first. I think that this is similar to the Kingdom of God. God has a dream and will for us and this earth. It is a perfect will, a beautiful dream. It is a pure and peaceful world filled with people who love each other. There is no injustice or hatred. God knows that His Kingdom is a glorious experience. However, we as humans haven't really got on board with God's holy plan. We want to fulfill our own selfish desires, sometimes even if it hurts others. We want to be number one, and we might just do anything to get to the top. Of course, God could force us, but that wouldn't be a Kingdom of Peace. It would be a Kingdom of Fear. So how is God going about making this Kingdom happen. First of all, He sent Jesus to model it for us. Jesus showed us the beauty of the Kingdom, but we didn't recognize the beauty. We killed Jesus, the Kingdom's perfect representative. God knew we wouldn't want the Kingdom, but He did believe that to be a part of His Kingdom is the most glorious experience there could ever be. He never scrapped the idea of of His perfect kingdom. He just created a plan to help us joyfully enter His Kingdom. His plan is to transform our lives from the inside out. His plan helps us see the beauty of the Kingdom, but first we have to realize the ugliness of our kingdom. Then we can call out to God, be forgiven through His son Jesus, and begin the process of belonging to His Kingdom. This is only the beginning. We don't immediately love the Kingdom of God, but we start wanting to. We trust God now that He knows the truth, and that He has our best interest in mind. However, we find ourselves still trying to live our own way. So we must be taught and trained to love and see the beauty of the Kingdom. Therefore, we must be humble and teachable. We must listen to God and accept His discipline when we get off track. It's good news to know that we are now on the right track. One day we will fully appreciate and enjoy God's beautiful world. Maybe one day, my PE class will enjoy class for what it could be, but I think the Kingdom might be a little more important, huh?