Wild Goose Chase

Mark Batterson, the author of a book I am reading, recently requested that people share with him their experiences from the book. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but felt I should share.
Here is what I wrote about Wild Goose Chase:

I haven’t even finished the book yet, but I’ve already been blown away by what I’ve read. God has been using your work to reveal some amazing things to me.

I’m a police officer in a metropolitan city. I have worked for the same agency for almost 15 years. For the past five or six years, I have been experiencing an incredible season of spiritual growth in my personal life. I’ve had the feeling that God is preparing me to do something incredible for His kingdom. But because he is the An Geadh-Glas, I haven’t really understood what it is he was preparing me for. Of course, I knew I was in good hands, but it’s been a bit stressful to not know what he was planning. I am only five years away from being eligible for retirement, but I knew that he was planning to use me sooner than that. I had the distinct impression that I would be working in the missionary/evangelism field, so I assumed I would have to turn in the badge and gun and go to work for His church.

When I read the description of the “Cage of Responsibility” in chapter one, particularly the words “God-ordained passions tend to get buried beneath day-to-day responsibilities” I suddenly understood what it is that God has been preparing me for. He wants me to do His work, from where I am.

You see, police work is about helping people. You ask almost any police officer why he/she chose that line of work and nine times out of ten the answer will be, “I wanted to help people.” Sure, for most of us, excitement also played a large role, but helping people was the primary reason we chose the work we did.

When I stopped to consider what my God-ordained passion is, what makes me mad, glad or sad, I realized that the thing that gives me the most personal satisfaction is helping people. Unfortunately, however, I had stopped “helping people” a long, long time ago. Sure, I help people. It’s impossible to not help people in the line of work I’m in, but I had long ago stopped including my heart in the process.

There are a number of reasons for this; and, as I continued reading, I realized that each of them fell into one of the Six Cages. As an example, one of the experiences that most negatively impacted me occurred early in my career. At the time, we had a significant gang problem in the area I worked. As it turned out, I came to know a young gang member that wanted out of the lifestyle. We came to know each other well and I began investing a lot of my heart in helping him to turn his life around. To make a long story short, after months of working with this kid, and just when I thought I was making some serious headway, he got arrested for a significant crime he had committed and was subsequently sentenced to a long time in jail. Wow! That really broke my heart! Because of this experience, along with a number of others, I allowed myself to be trapped in the Cage of Failure (I was not able to do enough to help), the Cage of Guilt (I should have done more), the Cage of Assumptions (everyone I tried to help would disappoint me) and the Cage of Fear (If I don’t get involved, I can’t get hurt).

There were a number of lessons that God has been teaching me lately, that came together as a single revelation as I considered what you had written. One of those was a lesson that came from a recent “Wall Builders” episode when one of the founding fathers was quoted as saying that God does not judge us by our results, but rather by the actions behind those results. For me, that means I need to get back to what led me to police work in the first place. When I help people, I feel more in touch with God and with my true self. Sure, there will be a lot of disappointments along the way, but if I can bring even one person to Christ, then I’ve been successful.

What’s even more incredible than the revelation itself is the way God has been preparing me for this revelation for some time. He has put me in a position to be able to do incredible works.

About a year ago, I was transferred to a new position. This was a new position for me, but was also a new position in the department. This position was created to supervise a new unit that would identify the most dangerous parts of the City. Once identified, we would “clean up” the area and apply measures that would lead to lasting change.

For the first six months or so, we were highly successful. Everyone in the city was singing our praises. Then, about a month ago, we were told that we were being too aggressive and need to do more to involve the community. I was devastated. I had invested so much in what we were doing. I had poured my heart and soul into this project for over a year and now I was being told that I was doing it all wrong. I was angry and hurt….until God told me that I needed to let go of my pride. He then followed that up a week or so later by putting your book in my hands. That was when he revealed to me that my critics were right, but that it was OK, because that was all part of his plan.

He suddenly began revealing so many things to me that we could do as a police department to help people improve their lives. Every person I come in contact with as a police officer is a person in need; even the people I arrest. I had long ago quit thinking of “suspects” as people in need. The truth is that those are the people that need the most help. Those are the people in direst need of God’s mercy and grace.

Interestingly enough, at the same time that I was appointed to my new position, I also began working a part-time security job at a very large church in the area that my unit is working in. During my time at the church I have made some amazing contacts that I now understand will be critical to meeting the needs of the community in which we are working.

It’s only been a week since God revealed all of this to me and I’ve already been able to minister to several people in need. One was a suspect I was arresting for running from and fighting with the police. Two weeks ago, I would not have considered this guy worthy of being helped.

I could go on and on for days about how God set me up for this minute when I would read this passage; how much he did to prepare me to receive and put into effect what was revealed to me through your work. Be encouraged in the knowledge that God is using you in some really fantastic ways. I know that God has big plans for me as I learn to escape from the cages that have kept me confined for so long.

From The Ragamuffin Gospel

This will mean even more to you if you attended church at The Vine Fellowship this morning. What's really crazy is that God put this exerpt on my heart last night.

From The Ragamuffin Gospel

According to an ancient Christian legend, a saint once knelt down and prayed, "Dear God, I have only one desire in life. Give me the grace of never offending you again."
When God heard this, he started laughing out loud. "That's what they all ask for. But if I granted everyone this grace, tell me, whom would I forgive?"
Because salvation is by grace through faith, I believe that among the countless number of people standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands (Revelation 7:9), I shall see the prostitute from the Kit Kat Ranch in Carson City, Nevada, who tearfully told me she could find no other employment to support her two-year-old son. I shall see the woman who had an abortion and is haunted by guilt and remorse but did the best she could faced with grueling alternatives; the businessman besieged with debt who sold his integrity in a series of desperate transactions; the insecure clergyman addicted to being liked, who never challenged his people from the pulpit and longed for unconditional love; the sexually-abused teen molested by his father and now selling his body on the street, who, as he falls asleep each night after his last "trick", whispers the name of the unknown God he learned about in Sunday school; the death-bed convert who for decades had his cake and ate it, broke every law of God and man, wallowed in lust and raped the earth.
"But how?" we ask. Then the voice says, "They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."There they are. There we are-the multitude who so wanted to be faithful, who at times got defeated, soiled by life, and bested by trials, wearing the bloodied garments of life's tribulations, but through it all clung to the faith.My friends, if this is not good news to you, you have never understood the gospel of grace.

A Word from God

On Wednesday nights, I work a part-time security job at Calvary Church. I've been working there for almost a year now and have met quite a few wonderful people.

Last Wednesday night, one of their newest staff-members (I don't even know his name) was giving a brief word to the congregation before offering a prayer. I usually don't get to hear what’s going on inside the worship center, as I am busy with other tasks. On this particular occasion, however, I felt a tug on my heart to stop and listen. As I listened, this gentleman began to tell the story of Jesus and his disciples in the boat (Luke 8:22-25). This is a familiar story to most of us, but as he spoke about it, for some reason, the story began to come alive for me. As he recounted the fear and apprehension of the disciples during the storm, I realized why God wanted me to hear this message. The gentleman went on to discuss Jesus' response to the disciples; "Where is your faith?" Wow...for some reason, this really struck me. “Why don’t you just trust me?!”

With great enthusiasm and awe, I contemplated this message for the rest of the service. You see, Karen and I are enduring quite a storm of our own right now. Between the stresses of her illness, finances, my job, her job and a myriad of other issues we're dealing with right now, we both are on the verge of being at our wits' end. This simple, but familiar passage was the perfect word for us both.

It didn’t end there, though. As if to drive his point home, God had another message for us both. As I was watching the congregation file out, a familiar face began to pass by. I've never had a conversation with this woman before, but have exchanged greetings with her on numerous occasions. She smiled and waved as she approached. I smiled and nodded back at her, but just as she was about to pass by, she abruptly stopped and turned toward me. It was obvious she had no inclination to talk to me until that very instant. As she approached, she asked "May I share a word with you?" “Of course”, I said, and she began sharing a story with me about a trip she had taken to Lubbock.

She had several friends in the car with her and they were enjoying their conversation so much, that before they realized it, they had passed through and driven 70 miles past their destination. She immediately turned around and headed back toward Lubbock. Apparently, in her panic to get back on time, she began driving a bit faster than she realized. As she looked back in her rearview mirror, she noticed the fast-approaching red and blues of a State Trooper. Several minutes later, she found herself standing on the side of the highway begging for mercy. She was not in a position, financially, to pay a traffic ticket. Her pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as she ultimately received a citation. As she took her ticket and pulled back onto the road, she began to worry about how she could possibly come up with the funds needed to pay the ticket.

She eventually finished her business and returned home, but the worry followed her. When the summons came in the mail, she decided to call the court. She was doubtful that it would help, but thought she would try to plea with them once more. Imagine her shock when the judge herself answered the phone. They had a very brief conversation in which the judge suggested to her the possibility of working the ticket off via community service. She even went so far as to suggest that she donate her time to her church to satisfy the community service requirements.

What a blessing! She ended up donating her time, through Calvary Church, at a nursing home. She said she spent eight hours playing games, reading books and singing to residents of the home. She said that she had so much fun that she is now a full-time volunteer at the nursing home and couldn't be happier.

She said, "I don't know why, but I just know that's a message you needed to hear this week; That God's ways are often strange, but they are always working in your favor!" I told her that she couldn't imagine how incredibly perfect that word was for me at that moment and she replied "Oh yes I do!" With that, she turned and walked away.

And, finally, just to make sure we didn’t miss what he had to say, God finished his word to us with a message from our pastor this Sunday. Pastor David was scheduled to continue a series he had begun several weeks prior entitled “Rediscovering Jesus”. Instead, when he awoke Sunday morning, God told him he needed to change his message. The theme of his new message…….”God is for us and with us in our storms!” How weird is that! Instead of butchering such a wonderful message by paraphrasing it here, I’ll post a link to it when it becomes available.

For those of you that wonder what it means to “hear from God”, this is it. At least for me. These type of things have been happening more and more often to both Karen and I and I can’t even begin to tell you how cool it is! Our God is an awesome God!!!

Do you remember a time when God has spoken to you? I would love to hear your story. Please post your experiences in the comments section.

IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!

I stole this little tidbit off of Trey Morgan's blog:

I heard it again last night. In fact I hear it nearly every night. Cooper repeats the same thing every night as I put him to bed, "Dad, will you wake me up early in the morning so I can get up and play. It's going to be a great day." As I listened to him last night, I thought to myself, how much I wish I had that kind of enthusiasm for every new day that God gives me.

Amen, huh? How cool is it that his son is that excited about life! I remember how when I was young, my parents would tell me to savor my youth, because those would be the best days of my life.

You know what's sad? In many ways they were right. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade the life I have, or my wife and kiddos for the world. But isn't it crazy how, as we age, we get so caught up in our day to day affairs, that we forget to live. We worry so much about our jobs, errands we need to run, and bills we need to pay that we forget what God put us here for.

You know, I truly believe God wants us to be happy. Sure there's a lot of bad things in this world. It can be downright awful sometimes. But as a general rule, I know God wants me to enjoy my life.

God's been doing a lot of work on me these past few years. As sad as it is, enjoying life has never seen something that's natural for me. In fact, it's something I had to seek God's counsel on.
What he's shown me is that the most important factor in my ability to enjoy life, is my relationship with Him. Even my wife can see this in me. On more than one occasion, she's mentioned to me that she can tell I'm not where I should be with God. I don't even have to do anything different. She can just see it in my eyes.

Please join with me in daily prayer that we all might learn to live with more joy in our lives. Keep a keen eye on your thoughts. Make sure you know who they're coming from. If you find yourself thinking something you realize is not from God, seek him out immediately. Ask him to lead, guide and direct you back to where you need to be.

Here are just a few verses I've found that prove to me that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Psalm 68:3

But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;

may they be happy and joyful.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

Luke 2:10

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

THE GREATEST BLESSING

Many times, as I sit down to spend time in the Bible, I don't really have a plan. I ask God to take me to a passage that's relevant and current for me. As I opened my Bible last night, I found he'd once again given me a special blessing.

This time, the message was not at all something I would have expected. In fact, it wasn't really anything I didn't already know. Instead, I think he just wanted to remind me, and for me to remind Karen, of what a special blessing she is in my life.

The chapter I opened up to was Proverbs 31. The passage below is a bit of a mixture of what is written in the NIV Bible and The Message, with a few of my own thoughts/translations thrown in. While some would argue that I have tainted "the Word", I feel that I have stayed consistent with the meaning of the passage, while at the same time describing how wonderfully I've been blessed with Karen.

PROVERBS 31:10-31

A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.

Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.

Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.

She works diligently, all throughout the day,
to insure that all of his domestic needs are met.

She is up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.

She shows sound judgement,
as she plans for her family's future.

She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.

She is skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.

She is quick to assist anyone in need,
she reaches out to those that are poor in spirit.

She doesn't worry about the weather outside,
for she has insured her family will be properly clothed.

When there is time to spare,
she does all she can to contibute to the family's finances.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat of the bread of idleness.

Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise.

Many women have done noble things,
but Karen surpasses them all!

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting (except in Karen);
but a woman that fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned, O Lord,
may her life be filled with blessing!!!!

ON PARENTING....

The following is an excerpt from a book I'm reading. While the information isn't rocket-science, it did cause me to reflect and recognize something I may be able to improve on. Thought I would share.
In the home, children often get cast in roles: one will be a good eater, while the other picks at her food; one loves to read, but the other isn't interested; one is outspoken, the other quiet and internal. Many of these roles are the result of well-meaning praise. "Look what a great eater his is!" When a child observes that one role is taken, he will look for another way to find his identity. His natural tendencies may have been to eat or read ravenously, but observing that his sister is considered the "good" reader or eater can propel him in a different direction.

from "The Best Things Parents Do" by Susan Isaacs Kohl

QUOTE

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God won't protect you....

Went Fishing The Other Day

This is a 38 pound blue cat. My guys and I went on a guided trip out to Tawakoni. It was an absolute blast! I only caught one other fish the entire day, but it was a big'un, too! In all, we probably caught 20-25 fish. The smallest was about 8 pounds. Most were in the 15-20 pound range.
Our guide wasn't cheap, but he didn't scimp on anything either. Most full-day trips last about 6 hours. We were on the lake for 8.5. He is also the previous world record holder for a blue cat he caught on Texoma. 121.5 pounds!!
This is the guide: http://www.catfish-guide.com/oklahoma-texas/catfishing-trips.html