Changing Course...

For the second day in a row, I had the complete joy of speaking to about 250 children yesterday at Hope Church's Vacation Bible School. The theme this year is "Gotta Move" which is focusing on some biblical characters as well learning the Fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. My role was to relate the day's theme with a "gospel" message about Jesus.

I had the message all worked out to talk about the day's biblical character Joshua and how sometimes God tells us to do the craziest things and in the midst of that crazy request we are called to be obedient.

God had told Joshua, if you want to defeat the city Jericho which was encased by a tall and very thick wall, all you need to do is walk around the city seven times, blow the trumpets and then have the people shout as loud as they can and the walls will come tumbling down!

Yeah... right!

I arrived at the church and Darcie, the Children's leader showed me a bag of golf clubs and each club had a tag on it with one of the Fruit of the Spirit attached to it. She was so excited to use this illustration in talking to the children right before it would be my turn to speak. She leaned over to me and said, "I don't know if your message has anything to do with golf clubs or golf but feel free to do whatever you want." And then she was off to lead the children in a couple of songs and then I was "on."

My mind was racing... "How can I relate Joshua to golf clubs?"

Darcie ascended the stage for the last song. I started to run out of the church. I spoke to one of the volunteers, "If Darcie calls my name, I will be back" and with that I ran out of the church.

In a flash I was back with a golf club, a golf ball and a towel.
Darcie was right in the middle of introducing me and within 30 seconds I was "on."

My iWitness...

I finished my presentation with my sand wedge golf club in hand lifted high in the air. I was laughing. The kids were hooting and hollering the name of Jesus with great gusto and Darcie came over, smiling and laughing and said, "That was great! How much did you have to change course from what you had originally prepared?"

I paused, looked her straight in the eye and with a twinkle in my own eye I said, "Completely!"
We both laughed out loud.

This is one of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Many times, if I am willing to listen, God has something completely different in store for me than what I think or have prepared for. Yesterday the result was tons better and much more effective than that which I had spent the morning preparing.

Where are you today?
What are you doing?
What course are you on?

Do you need to change course?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city." (Joshua 6. 20)

For the extra curious...

I jumped down off the three foot high stage with my golf club, golf ball and towel in hand.I told the children that the golf ball represented us. Our goal was to get to heaven. I grabbed a putter out of Darcie's bag. I showed the children that using a putter would never get us up on stage (heaven).  I illustrated this a couple of times, putting the ball into the base of the stage.

I grabbed the Sand wedge and said to the children, "This club has an "S" on it. Do you know what the "S" stands for? I shouted, "Savior!" With that I placed the golf ball on the towel, swung the club and on the second try lofted the ball right up onto the heavenly kingdom (the stage). The kids went crazy!

Thank you Jesus for being our "Sand wedge."

Without you... we are trapped...

How Great Thou Art...

Seemingly out of nowhere at 5:04 yesterday afternoon the Bell Tower on the Quad of the University of Dubuque broke out in praise of the Lord God Almighty by ringing out the great hymn of "How Great Thou Art."

In no time I found myself whistling along and singing the words in my mind and out loud...

Verse 1:
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Verse 2:
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Verse 3:
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Verse 4:
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"


My iWitness...

When the world is falling apart
And your mind and soul have begun to dart
I know not the end
But I do know where to start
"My God, how great thou art"
I will proclaim
For You and you alone take away all my shame
To You and you alone I will offer all the praise and fame
When I look at the flowers and the trees
The birds and the bees
People short and tall
Blondes, brunettes, redheads and those with no hair at all
Praise fills my heart
I shout, "My God, how great thou art."

Today will bring its share of trouble and pain
That gives me no reason for His name to disdain
Whether half full or half empty is my cup
My downcast eyes will reverse their course and look up

My spirit will start to tremble, start to raise
All will fall away as I begin to praise
The day ahead is like an empty canvas of art
I will paint it with the colorful words of "My God, how great thou art."
Give it a try just for once this day
Whether the Lord gives or takes away
Lift up your voice
Make it your number one choice
To shout from the bottom to the top of  your heart
"My God, how great thou art."

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

And Job said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked shall I return.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1. 21)

Waiting and Soaring

We sang one of my favorite worship songs yesterday in church:

Waiting Here For You

 If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, waiting here for you

You're the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The author of salvation
You've loved us from the start

Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's you we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything you've promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for your presence
All we need is you

Waiting here for you, Lord
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's you, Lord, we adore
Singing Alleluia
My iWitness...

How well do you wait?

Me neither...

What are you waiting on these days?

For character to develop?
For a bad habit to stop?
For the other shoe to drop?
For a personality change?
For an increase in knowledge, appreciation, wisdom and wage?
For a relationship to be restored?
For your game to improve?
For an illness to be cured?
For this blog to be over!!??

Typically, waiting is passive.
We sit...
We stand...
We shuffle our weight from one leg to the next..
We surrender our very being as we become immovable waiting objects...

I get the impression from scripture that "waiting" is active.
It takes...
Energy...
Agility...
Go gettedness (is that even a word?)
Leaping, as in leaps of faith
Enthusiasm
Strength

Take the first letter of those last six words and put them together and you get...
EAGLES

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
      He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
      Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
      but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;    they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40. 28-31)

May our waiting on the Lord mount us up with wings like EAGLES and

Soar....

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Starfish on the Sand...

“A man was walking along the beach when he saw a boy picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.  Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” 

“Throwing starfish back into the ocean,” he said.  “The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” 

“Son,” the man said.  “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?  You can’t make a difference!” 

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”

My iWitness...

I was at a gathering last night of six couples. We share a lot in common but the one thing we do uniquely share with each other is that all of us have at least one adopted child in our family.

I counted at least 15 children last night who are adopted. (I may be off a child or two. They wouldn't stand still long enough for me to count!!) The song "Jesus loves the little children" came to mind.
One verse of the song speaks to the diversity of our group...
"Red, brown, yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight...
Jesus loves the little children of the world."

There are millions of children waiting to be adopted.
The statistics are overwhelming.
But like starfish stranded on the sand, this group has picked up a few special stars and is doing their best to make a difference for each one of these precious gifts from God.

Today's topic was adoption...
You pick the topic, the issue or the problem and the statistics will be overwhelming.
Let the challenge be to walk along the beach of life and scour the sand for someone who is stranded or abandoned or simply needs a helping hand.
Gently pick them up and toss them back into the sea of life.
At the very least, you will have made a difference for that one...
And that just might make all the difference in the world!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"And of some have compassion, making a difference..." (Jude 1. 22 Webster's Bible)

See you on the other side...

As part of a team building exercise our whole staff went "Zip Lining" yesterday.
If you have never been on a "Zip Line" it provides lots of entertainment as well as building your own sense of trust into equipment and people as you "zip" through the air suspended about 45 feet above the ground on a very thin cable.
As we were getting ready to go on one of the zip lines our guide led the way and as she embarked she shouted, "See you on the other side."

My iWitness...

Not two hours after completing the Zip Line experience I received a text message from a good friend of mine who was fifteen minutes outside of Dubuque "just passing through."
My friend is home from deployment. He's been on three deployments in the last five years. He is a fighter pilot and serving our country with great pride and expertise.
We met at church in Klamath Falls. He was learning how to fly the F-15 Eagle fighter jet. He loves the Lord.
He is a tall, chiseled hunk of a man and when he pulled up on his brand new "blacked out" Harley Davidson motorcycle with his four day growth beard and his bandana on his head, I have to say my heart was just a little bit envious.
His quick smile and warm embrace was met with the same and even though we hadn't seen each other in four years, it was as if we had never been apart.
We drove over to the University of Dubuque campus and grabbed a waffle cone of Rocky Road ice cream at Mike and Betty's Ice Cream shop.
We quickly found ourselves sitting under the Bell Tower on the quad enjoying the summer breeze.

My friend is hurting... grieving the loss of his marriage of 5.5 years...
Feeling "burned"... "distrustful"..."at a loss of how to begin anew"...

I know those feelings.
I have been through those firsthand.
He's crawling down a road that I have paved with my hands and knees as well.

We talked...
We shared...
I shared with him the verse that changed my life when I went through my divorce...
"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29. 11)
We were vulnerable...
We laughed...
We prayed...
We hugged...
We took pictures...
He started up the Harley, made a sharp left turn out of the parking lot and roared off...

One thing that I told him with incredible confidence, trust and experience was this...
"Josh... there's life on the other side of divorce."

He looked at me...
I looked at him...
I'm on the other side...
He's not.... yet...

"Hey Josh! See you on the other side!"

And that's my iWitness...Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Free gift!

I watched a video on YouTube yesterday where a guy stood on street corners and other locales in the Boston area trying to give away "free money." He simply stood there with a fistful of dollars and asked people if they would like some money. "Free money! Free money! I am trying to give away money to anyone who wants it", he would shout.

In the edited version of the video that I watched not one person took him up on the offer.
Lots of lookers but no takers...

My iWitness...

The gift of salvation is not free.
It cost the Son of God his very life...
But the good news is that the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus has set us free.
The gift of salvation is free to anyone who is willing to say, "Yes... I would like that."

But how many of us simply walk on by, muttering to ourselves, "I am sure there is some kind of catch. Some sort of strings attached. I'll take him up on the offer when I have more time on my hands."

What free gifts (I know that is redundant to say "free gift", but you get my point!) will we pass on today?
The gift of a compliment from someone who admires a certain quality about us?
The gift of encouragement?
The gift of a smile?
The gift of laughter? (I don't have time for that! I've got serious business to take care of!!)
The gift of a nap?
The gift of God's arms wrapped around us, holding us, offering warmth, security, grace and love?

Lots of lookers...
How many takers?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

 ^"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 6. 23)

 

No reason...

My good friend David Naudin from my Junior High days turns 50 today.
Happy Birthday David!!
The other day David posted on his Facebook these most powerful words...

"Really proud of my boys...no reason, just really proud of them...all of them!"

Fifteen words...
No words with more than two syllables - simple yet profound...
The full sentence has just one more syllable than a Japanese Haiku...
The weight, the gravitas of such sentiment is unfathomable...

What words strike you the most?

For me?
"...no reason..."

My iWitness...

David Naudin's sense of being "proud" of his children mirrors the love of our Heavenly Father.
This is unconditional pride at its best...
This is unconditional love with no strings attached...

Notice what David's Facebook post does not say...

"Really proud of my boys... because of...
... their good looks
... their accomplishments
...their good grades
...their outstanding surfing ability
...their Christian faith
...all the awards they have won
...the way they love me, honor me, shower me with gifts and never ask for money.

Do we believe that God is proud of us for "NO REASON"?

Do we believe that God is just as proud of us in our lowest moment of unfaithfulness, disobedience and rebellion as He is in our highest moment of faithful devotion of worship, obedience and service?

If not...
Then maybe today is the day to begin believing, trusting and wholeheartedly embracing that God unconditionally loves us and is immensely proud of us...
just because...
no reason...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4. 19)

ps - Well done David...your boys are blessed...well done...

Listening...

I went to lunch with an 89 year old professor of Biblical Theology yesterday.
He ordered the Turkey Club sandwich.
I ordered the Wild Berry Chicken Salad.
Our order arrived with his Club sandwich cut into four wedges.
He started off our conversation saying that this month was very emotional for him.
Seventy five years ago, his grandfather was invited by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to attend a reunion of all the soldiers who had fought at the Battle of Gettysburg. In 1938 it was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
On the way home from the reunion my 89 year old friend's grandfather died. At the tender age of 14 he was a pallbearer at the funeral.
After that story he began to tell me another fascinating story.
After one hour and fifteen minutes and eight stories later he looked down at my empty plate and then glanced at his own seeing that three wedges of his Club sandwich remained along with a plate full of French fries.
He laughed at himself... "I guess I have been doing all the talking."

My iWitness...

It was a pure delight for me to listen yesterday to these utterly fascinating stories!
No pressure to talk.
No expectation of me to eloquently voice an opinion or thought on any particular matter.
Just listening...

How does our conversation with God go most of the time?
My take is that usually at the end of my conversations with God I end up commenting...

"I guess I have been doing all the talking."

Today...
I am going to try to do more listening than talking.

How about you?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live..." (Isaiah 55. 3)

Together, forever...

Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman.
One was African American...
One was Hispanic...
One was a teenager...
One was not...
One is dead...
One is alive...
Some people support Trayvon
Some people support George
The all women jury have offered their verdict...
Protests have been staged...
Marches have been staged...
News channels have interviewed, talked about and speculated on this case ad nauseam...

In all of this....
This much is true:
One boy is dead and another man must live the rest of his days knowing that he ended the life of another.
The two will be forever linked...
Trayvon and George...
Together, forever...

My iWitness...

Is there anything or anybody that you will together, forever be linked with?
Either rightly or wrongly?
Positively or negatively?


How do we handle that?
I wish I had a good answer today...

Perhaps being linked with Jesus together, forever is the only answer I know to offer today.

I will simply trust in that today...
Jesus and me...
Together, forever...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Jesus... Matthew 28. 20)

Refueling...

After a week's vacation to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Julie and I finally arrived home yesterday around 3:10 in the afternoon.
Our time in Hilton Head was relaxing, restful and recreational.
It was also a much needed time to "refuel..."

My iWitness...

I believe it was Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Southern California that once said about "refueling"...

Divert daily
Withdraw weekly
Abandon annually...

The human body and human spirit was meant to live in a seasonal way.
This is why we have the Sabbath - a day of doing nothing. A day of rest. A day of worship.
We push it hard for six days and then we rest.
Or do we?

I just read a Facebook post of a good friend of mine who had just worked for 14 days straight.
How long can we push ourselves without a break?

When was the last time you spent a day doing nothing?

How did it feel when you took that much needed nap?
How was it to just sit and recreationally read a book?
Do you feel as guilty as I do?!!
Shouldn't we be productive?
Shouldn't we be contributing to the betterment of society?
Get off your rear and get going!!!!

Where do these voices come from?
They are literally killing us.

One thing I have discovered over the years is that for me to do anything with any type of regularity, I have to be "intentional."

Take some time today to write down some "me" time on your day timer, your calendar, or your electronic device that is attached to the palm of your hand.

It's time to be intentional about "refueling"...
Otherwise, you're going to be running on empty.
And we all know, we can't do that for very long.

Pull over...
Relax...
Rest...
Recreate...
Refuel...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.(Exodus 20. 8-11)

Smokey the Bear

He's 69 years old...
Ever since 1944 his message has been pretty much the same...
With his broad brimmed hat atop his furry head...
With his blue jeans covering his furry body...
With a shovel in his left hand...
And with a right index finger pointing right at us...
Smokey the Bear says...
"Only You can prevent Wildfires!"

I saw him again today on a billboard by the side of the highway.
My cousin Stephen (who's five days older than me) had a Smokey the Bear stuffed animal growing up that he used to sleep with every night. Then he got married about 10 years ago and now Smokey sleeps by himself (I think...)

My iWitness...

Have you prevented any "Wildfires" lately?

A better and yet more penetrating question might be... "Have you started any Wildfires lately?"

The book of James has this to say about our "tongues"...

"So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3. 5-8)

I am sure I have said this before but it bears worth repeating...
Whoever came up with the phrase...
"Sticks and Stones may break my bones
But words can never hurt me."

The author of this little quip should be taken out to the streets and beaten with sticks and stones!
I don't know about you, but I have never had a bone broken by sticks or stones.
But, I do know this... My body, my heart, my mind, and my full emotional state of being have been crushed and squashed and burned by people's words.

Let's be careful with our words today...
Our tongues are just licking to start a fire...

"Only You can prevent Wildfires!"

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Watch me!

He couldn't have been more than six years old.
He was in the pool...
His mom was poolside lounging in the chaise...reading a book.

He was about to do something amazing...
With great vigor and zeal he shouted, "Watch me!"
His mom never heard a word.
Again, with greater vigor and zeal he shouted, "Watch me!"
The mom was unmoved.

And then, as if he was the parent scolding himself...
"Stop reading your book!
Watch me..."
And then with a ninth month pregnant pause he added...
"Watch me... forever!"

My iWitness...

We don't have to shout.
We don't have to plead.
We don't have to scold or beg.
We don't have to say anything at all.

Our heavenly Father,
Watches...
Watches you...
Watches me...
Forever!!!

"I lift up me eyes to the hills.
     From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, 
     who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
     he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
     will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
     the Lord is your shad on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
     nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
     he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
     your going out and your coming in
     from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121)


And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Fight on!

Julie and I took a walk on the beach this morning to enjoy the majesty of God's creativeness in once again painting the morning sky with the daily sunrise.

As we walked along the beach someone had taken the time to scrawl into the sand in very legible capital letters...

FIGHT ALS

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease which typically progresses to a point where you can no longer breathe.

At the end of the FIGHT ALS the author had drawn a heart with the name JUDY written inside of it.
In our short walk this was written three different times along the shoreline in the hardened sand.

My iWitness...

What will you be fighting today?

Do you think of yourself as a fighter?

Will you be fighting...
Racism?
Sexism?
Depression?
Cancer?
Inner demons?
Voices of your past?
For your life?
With your colleagues?
For your job?
Security?
Status?
With your neighbors?
ALS?
AIDS?
With your family?
For your family?
With God?
For God?

What are you fighting today?
Sometimes we love something so much that we have to fight for it.

I love what Paul says at the end of his second letter to his dear friend Timothy...

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4. 6-7)

At the end of today...
At the end of the year...
At the end of our life...
May we be able to proclaim the same!

Fight on!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

ps - Pray for Judy...

You can do this...

Her name is Amelia.
She is twelve years old.
Amelia is from the Garden State of New Jersey.
Everyone around her was standing up.
She wasn't budging from her seated position.
The crowd of nine people around her were all on Stand Up Paddle Boards for the first time, except for the instructor named Jean.

We started off kneeling on our ten foot long boards to gain confidence that we could actually stay on top of it without falling over.
With everyone kneeling we paddled our way out into the channel where deeper waters awaited us.
By the time we hit the channel we were all standing...
Except Amelia...

Frozen by fear her bottom end was cemented to the board and she was unwilling or unable to stand.
Our wonderful guide and instructor sidled up beside her and began coaxing her with these words...

"You can do this..."

Jean must have said it twenty times in a two minute period.
Slowly, ever so slowly, with the voice of Jean sweetly, politely, firmly repeating, "You can do this..." Amelia went from sitting to kneeling to up on all fours to up on all threes until she made the last move which allowed her to be up on all twos.

And with that the surrounding crowd, myself included began to clap and whoop and holler words of congratulations.

Amelia did something she didn't think she could do...
All because someone took the time to believe in her and whisper...

"You can do this..."

My iWitness...

I don't know the man's name but he had been an invalid for 38 years.
He sat by a pool called Bethesda and believed that if someone would put him in the pool when the waters stirred that he would be healed.

Jesus came along and took in his situation and asked him the simplest, stupidest and yet most profound question...

"Do you want to be healed?" (John 5. 6)

The question could mean several things...
1. Hope that your situation could improve!
2. Somehow, some way you have been taken care of by others for 38 years. If you are healed you will now have to take responsibility for yourself and for your life. That will be a drastic change to your current lifestyle. Do you want to be healed?
3. Perhaps this is Jesus' way of saying, "You can do this..."

I see this all the time out on the tennis court as a microcosm of life itself.
A fellow player will complain... "My backhand slice is terrible."
Inside my mind the question arises... "Do you want to be healed?"
Are you going to do anything that helps that backhand? Are you going to take a lesson? Are you willing to give up your old habits to try something new to enjoy the game better? Are you willing to get out and for hours hit on the ball machine perfecting a new stroke altogether? Do you want to be healed?
Or do you just want to "sit by the pool hoping that somehow and some way the backhand slice will magically get better on its own?"

And so it is with life...
You are stuck in a rut at work...
Your relationship is as stale as 10 day old bread...
The bills are higher than the checkbook...
Life has not turned out like you thought it would...
Friends are flakier than the corn flakes in your cereal bowl...
You wonder if things will ever change...

Do you want to be healed?
There is life on the other side...
Jesus left us a helper called the Holy Spirit who whispers in our ears everyday...

"With my power... You can do this..."

Just to let you know...
I'll be standing there with you, applauding, clapping, whooping and hollering for you when you're ready to stand up and paddle!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

Go Fly a Kite!

Sitting under my umbrella at the beach yesterday I watched firsthand an exercise in futility.
A very tanned father who was quite muscular matched only in proportion to his beer belly, wearing a bright blue paisley patterned speedo bathing suit was trying to fly a kite.
His daughter was so excited at the prospect.
The father pulled the kite out of the packaging.
The string was attached and away the kite went...
Only one thing was wrong, which the father could not figure out.
There was no cross bar on the kite to stabilize the wings. The little piece of wood that stretches across the back of the kite was missing.
The kite just flapped and flapped but could not ascend.
The kite could not do what it was made to do.
And here's the crazy part...
The father along with the daughter let out about eight feet of string and found muted delight in seeing this blob of colorful plastic flap in the wind about four feet off the ground.
After about ten minutes of this, the father pulled in the string, wrapped up the kite and placed it back in the bag.

My iWitness...

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16. 24)

If we are going to fly...
If we are going to soar...
If we are going to experience the thrill of ascending and dancing in this life like a colorful kite in the bright blue sky...
Then one thing is necessary - the cross, picking up the cross bar of Jesus and following Jesus wherever he leads.

This is so counterintuitive and counter cultural in our world today.
In a world of "look inward to go upward", "pull yourself up by your boot straps" and "just tap the inner energy", the idea of "denying myself" and strapping a "cross" on your back and then following "someone else" sounds just plain ridiculous.

But this is what I have found to be true over the last forty years or so...

When I strap on the cross bar of Jesus and let the wind of his Holy Spirit push against me and deny myself by just "letting go" - then I fly... I dance... I soar... I reach new heights I never thought achievable...I do that which God made me to be and do.

Here's our choice for the day...
Don't take up the cross and flap in the wind on the ground...
Or...
Take up the cross and fly baby fly...!!!

I know which one I will choose...
How about you?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

Are you a Saint?

Looking at the tumbling surf from our balcony, my pulse rate was slow, my mind drifting, my ears hypnotized by the rhythmic roar, my body relaxed after a full day of activity and sunshine, the wine glass was settled nicely on my left thigh in my left hand when all of a sudden I was jolted awake by the feeling of moisture on my right thigh...

I had fallen asleep and in so doing the wine glass in my left hand tipped over and red wine went all over the Khaki shorts on my right thigh...

The shorts have this nice "vino" stain on them...
We soaked the shorts, we washed the shorts and still the "stain" remains...

My iWitness...

Have you ever made a mistake that left a "stain?"

Me too...

Here's what I love about the word STAIN...

Imagine the letter T as a cross...

Now bury the T (put the T below the rest of the letters in the word STAIN)

Bury it for 3 letters (three days) and with each passing day move it over one letter to the right.

So that after three days, resurrect the T and put it at the end of the word and what word do you have now?

SAINT!!!

This is what Jesus did on the cross...
He removed our Stains...
He made us Saints...
When we believe in Jesus we are called Saints!

How did he do that?
I don't know...
All I know is that by the blood of Jesus our sins are washed away...
The Stain no longer remains...

C'mon!!
Let's go!!
Time to put back on my Khaki shorts and hit the beach!
Surf's up!!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

"Come now let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson
they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1. 18)

"Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.." (Revelation 1. 5)

Ex's in Texas

"All my ex's live in Texas" is a song made popular by George Strait.
Something strange and something rather peaceful happened yesterday.
I prayed for my ex-wife...
That is something I haven't done in a very long time.
No need to go into the details of what prompted such a prayer, just suffice it to say that I found peace and comfort in doing so.
I don't know if the prayer helped her...
But it sure did help me... even healed me a little bit...

My iWitness...

How many "ex's" do we have?

Ex-husbands...
Ex-wives...
Ex-employers...
Ex-employees...
Ex-colleagues...
Ex-girlfriends...
Ex-boyfriends...
Ex-jobs...
Ex-churches...
Ex-pastors...
Ex-parishioners...
Ex-friends...
Ex-hobbies...
Ex-faith..
Ex-Facebook friends...
Ex-dreams...
Ex-hopes...

I am sure the list could go on and on...

What do we do with these "ex's"?

Some of the "ex's" have hurt us deeply.
We have hurt some of the "ex's" deeply.

Some of the "ex's" have just drifted away.
Some of the "ex's" have a good relationship with us.
Some don't...

Do we wish them harm?
Do we wish them well?
Do we wish they would "go to hell?"

What would happen if we prayed for them today?
It may or may not help them...
But it sure would help us...
Maybe even "heal" us...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5. 16)

The Relentless Tides and Waves of God's Grace

I'm at the beach!
I love the jagged mountains...
I relish the barren beautiful desert...
I welcome the dense solitary quiet forests...
I am mesmerized at the movement of the rivers...
I'm at home on the beach...

Yesterday, I do what I always do when I get to the beach,
I walk on it.

Minute after minute I stroll on the beach, the temporary sandcastles standing so tall and proud, the surf tickling my ankles, the salt air filling my nose, the sand gently pushing its way through my ten toes, the wind dancing through my hair, the sunset painting a once in a lifetime picture and the low voice of the ocean roaring in my soul.

I'm at home on the beach...

My iWitness...

The tide and the waves at the beach are relentless.
Like Siamese Twins they are inseparable.
Broken shells litter the beach after being pulverized by the never ending soft pounding of the waves day after day, month after month, year after year...

So it is with The Relentless Tides of God's Grace.

We find our hard shells shattered on the seashore...
We discover our sandcastles of fame, fortune and power are quickly washed away...
We realize that the holes that we have dug for ourselves are filled with the water and sand of God's mercy...

And when we wonder if the tides of God's grace has abandoned us, all of a sudden here it comes wave after wave after wave.

God's grace knows nothing of stopping.
We cannot escape it.
Stand tall if you must.
Stand your ground.
Stake your stance on the sand if you dare.
But whatever you do...
Don't think for a minute that the relentless tides and waves of God's grace is going to somehow stop gently and relentlessly pounding away at the rough edges of your soul.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find a jagged rock on the beach?
Oh sure, some of the rock formations on a rocky coastline are jagged.
But, look for a jagged rock that has been washed up on the shore after years and years of being tossed and turned over and over by the waves...

So may it be for us today...
May the relentless tides and waves of God's grace turn us over and over again until we are as smooth as silk.
May the relentless tides and waves of God's grace gently and consistently welcome us each morning when we wake and each evening as we sleep.
May the relentless tides and waves of God's grace roar the sound of "I love you... I am here for you... I will never leave you nor forsake you... I forgive you... I accept you..." deep into our very souls.
May the relentless tides and waves of God's grace bring you into His arms in such a way that you and I proclaim at the top of our lungs,
"I'm at home on the beach!"

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3. 22)

A Walking Tattoo of Serenity

I am discovering that people who have tattoos on their bodies enjoy telling people about them.
I was at a convenience store yesterday in Mason City, Iowa named "Kum and Go" (Yep... that really is the name!)
As we paid for our junk food fix a young lady was walking out the door ahead of me.
She wore short shorts exposing the full length of her long legs, flip flops and a black tank top.
On her left shoulder blade was a tattoo that had several lines of words.
It looked like a poem.
I was trying to read it and the lady was walking too fast for me to read all the verses.
She hurried out the door and started walking to her car.
I shouted out, "Hey! You're walking too fast. I can't read your tattoo."
She turned right away and said, "Oh... here you go" backing up to me so that I could see her left shoulder. The verse was obscured by her left tank top strap which she quickly removed exposing her whole left shoulder blade.

Here's what I read...

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

After reading it, I shouted,  "The Serenity Prayer!"

She turned around and faced me while pulling up her strap. 

She looked surprised at my knowledge of the prayer and said, "Yes... that's right."

I asked her, "Do you know who authored that prayer."

Puzzlement drifted all over her face and she replied, "No."

I offered her the answer...

"Reinhold Niebuhr - he was a popular theologian back in the 1950's or so."

The puzzlement left her face and she said, "Wow... Cool!"

As I turned to walk away I said, "Have a great day."

I think she did...

I know I did!

My iWitness...

Tattoos are billboards for people to express their beliefs, passions, hopes, dreams, addictions and also to pay tribute to their idols, children, family members and friends.

Yesterday, I discovered a walking tattoo of Serenity...

For all of our spiritual nourishment today, here is the Serenity Prayer in its entirety...

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it; 

Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Amen and Amen!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

When my Mom met my Birth Mom...

Fifty years, four months and seven days ago I was born into this world and two lovely ladies became inextricably linked to my life...

One gave me breath...
The other gave me life...
One gave me up...
The other grabbed ahold of me for dear life...
One thought about me every day...
The other lived with me every day...(at least for the first 18 years)
One held me deep in her heart...
The other held me deep in her arms...
One is named Betty Jean...
The other is named Judy...
One was born in 1940
The other was born in 1940...
One would have the distinction of being my "birth mom."
The other would have the distinction of being my "mom."
One loved me in silence...
The other loved me openly...
One wondered what I looked like...
The other had my looks forever etched in her mind...
One missed out on a lot of years...
The other just missed me when I left home...
One prayed that I would be raised in a Christian home..
The other provided that on a daily basis..
One prayed that I would receive a good education...
The other made sure that I would go to college...
One loves me with all her heart, mind and strength...
The other loves me with all her heart, mind and strength...
One I have known for seven years and one month...
The other I have known all my life...

Yesterday, at 2:40 pm (Eastern time), in the town of Gloucester, Virginia
these two ladies met for the very first time!

Mom meet Birth Mom...
Judy meet Betty Jean...
Betty Jean meet Judy...

After narrowly missing each other by a day fifty years ago the two embraced, laughed, cried, shared stories and discovered that they have more in common than just me.

My iWitness...

A while back I mentioned in this blog that I hoped that one day my Mom and my Birth Mom would one day meet each other.
Yesterday that hope became a reality.

I wasn't there to witness the event...
Didn't have to be...

From here on out life will hold a whole new perspective which I am excited to experience.

God's timing and knowledge is so strange to me.
I wondered if Betty Jean and Judy would ever meet and God all along knew that they would.

What other things do I wonder about that God knows the answer to all along?
I guess the answer is everything!

I find that quite comforting today.
I hope you do too...

O Lord... You did a marvelous work back in 1940.
Two baby girls were brought into this world
Who would both grow up to be Moms
forever linked by a baby boy
And that baby boy is me!
Thank you, Lord...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55. 8-9)

Betty Jean (L) and Judy (R)

Met any interesting women lately?

I watched a poignant video yesterday that struck me to the core.
Actor and Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman was sharing the most important lesson he learned from playing the role of a woman in the comedy movie "Tootsie."

Before the movie went into production Dustin Hoffman asked the make up artists at Columbia Pictures to "make him up" into a woman. If he could walk down the streets of New York and not be looked upon as a man who was in drag then he would do the movie. He really wanted to look like a woman.

The make up artists went to work...
Sure enough, the make up artists succeeded.
Upon returning from venturing out onto the streets of New York Dustin Hoffman looked in the mirror and said to the make up artists, "You have done a great job of making me look like a woman. Now, I need you to make me look like a beautiful woman."

The reply was sobering... "This is as good as it gets."

Dustin went home and told his wife with tears running down his face, "I have to make this picture." She asked, "Why?"

Listen carefully...
"Because I think I am an interesting woman when I look at myself on the screen. And I know that if I met myself at a party I would never talk to that character because she doesn't fulfill physically the demands that we are brought up to think that women have to have in order for us to ask them out."
My wife asked, "What are you saying?"
"There are too many interesting women that I have... I have... I have not had the experience to know in this life because I have been brainwashed. That (Tootsie) was never a comedy for me."

My iWitness...

The prophet Samuel is brought to the house of Jesse to pick the new king.
Jesse brings out more than a handful of sons and Samuel is immediately drawn to the oldest, first born son. Just look at him... He's tall, he's handsome, he's strong! Yes, he is the one!

Listen carefully to the Lord's response...
“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16. 7)

And Samuel takes a look at each succeeding son and the Lord keeps saying, "No."
Exasperated, Samuel asks Jesse, "Do you have any other sons?"

Jesse basically responds, "Oh yes... I nearly forgot... I do have one more son out in the fields tending my sheep. I'll go get him."

Upon Jesse's return with young ruddy looking shepherd boy David, Samuel is filled with God's spirit and declares, "He's the one."

David is anointed right on the spot and eventually becomes king and was ultimately declared to be a "man after God's own heart."

My hope and prayer is this...
Today and tomorrow and the next day and the next one after that...may the Lord open the eyes of our hearts not only to see, but to meet and get to know some very "interesting" people who are ultimately men and women after God's own heart.

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

The Honeymoon is over...

The usual practice after getting married is to go on a "Honeymoon." Typically the Honeymoon is understood as a time of intimacy and seclusion where the opening cycle of the new marriage is supposedly the sweetest. Perhaps this is where some of the origin of the word comes from....
"Honey" - sweet / Moon - the cycle or the phase of the moon which lasts for about a month.
One source refers to newly married couples receiving a one month's supply of "honey mead" which is "honeyed wine."

Yesterday I heard the word "honeymoon" used in a different context.
With downcast eyes, defeated posture and a tone of voice that emanated sadness my friend declared that "the honeymoon is over."

My iWitness...

Have those words ever escaped your lips?

You are newly married and everything is blissful and then the first major misunderstanding takes place with one partner sleeping in the other room... The honeymoon is over.

Your new job is going like gangbusters and then all of a sudden your number one client decides to take their business elsewhere... The honeymoon is over.

You are a brand new Christian and your love for the Lord and the Church and your small group Bible study is higher than Mt. Everest. And then, of all things you overhear one of the ladies at church gossiping about you and makes a cutting remark... The honeymoon is over.

It's as if the big, bright Daffy Duck floatie that wraps around your waist in the pool suddenly starts to deflate. We find ourselves kicking up a storm so as not to sink. That which was as "sweet as honey" is no longer something we can count on and now it is time to look elsewhere for foundational support, encouragement.

Jesus was getting ready to preach in the synagogue at age 30 back in his hometown of Nazareth. It was his first public preaching assignment. He walked up to the scroll containing the words of the prophet Isaiah. Carefully untying the scroll, his strong carpenter worn hands began to stretch the scroll out to arms length. His piercing eyes dart back and forth until he finds the scripture from which he will preach. Anticipatory silence hangs in the air as Jesus takes a deep breath to read the ancient words.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4. 18-19)

With proper reverence, Jesus rolls the scroll of Isaiah back up and then calmly sits down as all eyes in the synagogue are fixed upon him. Jesus breaks the silence with these words...

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Basically, Jesus says, "I am the one Isaiah was prophesying about. I have arrived. I am the one!!"

The religious leaders of the day become so enraged at the pronouncement that in a mob mentality of madness the crowd with foaming mouths take Jesus to the edge of a cliff to throw him over in order to kill him...

The honeymoon was over...

Welcome to the reality that everything is not as sweet as honey.

People disappoint...
Friends betray...
Neighbors judge...
Clients lie...
Churches are full of sinners... (as they should be!!)
Spouses have issues...
Families are dysfunctional...

Yes... the honeymoon may be over, but our life is not.

My heart aches for my friend.
I do believe that the heart of Jesus aches for my friend.

And I do believe that Jesus will take my friend firmly by those strong carpenter hands as he does with all of us and with his voice and heart that is as sweet as honey whisper into our ears, "Come with me. I've been here before and let me show you the way out..."

And off we go...
The honeymoon is over...
The incredible journey is not...
In fact... it's just beginning....

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

Swing Away...

I played in the David J. Dodds Memorial golf tournament yesterday that was a fundraiser for the University of Dubuque. All the proceeds benefitted Aviation scholarships and Athletic programming.

The format for the tournament was a "best ball scramble." In your particular foursome you play the "best ball" that was hit out of the four players. This is a great and fun way to play golf. If I hit a bad shot... no worries... more than likely someone else on the team will have hit a better shot. A few times (very few), I had the best shot and the rest of the team played where my ball had landed.

The whole day and the whole score was based on a "team" effort.

My iWitness...

My Christian life and journey feels like my golf game.
There are days where I make great shots and feel like my swing is right in the groove and everything goes just great...
Then there are the days, weeks and months where I feel totally out of sync where I can't hit the fairway or sink a putt if I was only two feet away.

You've had days like that too?

Here's the good news...

My whole day and my whole score at the end of the round are based on a "team" effort.
The advantage we have is that Jesus is on our team... or more appropriately... I'm on Jesus' team.

Here is what separates Christianity from every other religion...

At the end of my round (life) my score will be judged on what Jesus did and not on what I did.
Christianity is based on what has been done and not on what I do.
Jesus' perfect life, shots and score are ultimately what counts when my scorecard is tallied at the end of the round.
That may not sound fair or logical, but if grace was fair and logical... it wouldn't be grace.

We've been entrusted with the greatest game in the world - Life.
We have an array of clubs in our bag - Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5. 22)
We have an incredible caddie and playing partner named Jesus who helps us navigate our way throughout the course.

One word of encouragement for the day ahead...

Swing Away!!!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5. 17-21)

First Day of Camp!

The whole family went over to Camp Albrecht Acres to help check in the campers arriving today for their weeklong adventure.
Faith and Joshua and I were helping the campers with their luggage, making sure it got to the right cabin. Julie was in charge of the Bank - keeping track of the camper's money for the week ahead. Most campers deposited five to ten dollars in the "Bank."

I loved observing the campers coming into the registration building.
Some were nervous.
Others excited.
Some recognizing other campers from years past with shouts of "hello" and big hugs.
Others arrived with pensive outlooks as this was their first time.
Most of the campers were accompanied by their parents.
Sometimes I couldn't tell who was more nervous... the parents or the children.
I met Emily's dad... shook his hand and said, "We'll take good care of your girl this week." He nodded his head in the most subtle of ways with his cowboy hat barely making a move.

Ricky came up to me and said, "Hi... I'm Wicky." He shook my hand then extended his arms way up in the air for a "Welcome to Camp" hug.
Gwen arrived and she was rather stunning. Long legs, big smile and her arms were ripped (as in great muscle tone).
Chris arrived with his Chicago White Sox hat on and he kept going on and on about the White Sox.
Richard was so sweet. He drew me two pictures while I was helping.
Sarah had the deepest onyx colored eyes that were simply captivating.

Oops... Forgive me... I left out one important detail of Camp Albrecht Acres.
This Camp is for Adults who have special needs.
The campers ranged from 18-60 years in age.

Emily has Downs Syndrome and her parents are the sweetest couple you would ever meet.
Ricky has Downs Syndrome and has a great sense of humor and gives great hugs!
Gwen is wheelchair bound and her long legs are so twisted and contorted, I am not sure that they will ever stop from being crisscrossed. Her arms are "ripped" because she flexes her arms with great intensity about every 20 seconds. Her big smile was only interrupted by her second and third finger of her left hand that was constantly being sucked on.
Chris kept asking me my name and latched onto the fact that I even knew who the Chicago White Sox were.
Richard, in his 50's was the "silent" artist. He would come up to me and hand me a picture he had just drawn with crayons and then shuffle back to his table. Before long... there he was again...with another work of art.
And then there was Sarah...(tears cascade down my face as I think about Sarah)
Sarah is in a wheelchair. Her feet are in a locked position. Her hands are palms down on the armrests. Neither her feet nor her hands moved the whole time I saw her.
Her head ticks to the left and then tocks back to the center in perfect rhythm like a metronome.
She was sitting in her room with her counselor by her side when I brought in her luggage.
I politely asked, "Are you Sarah?"
The counselor said, "Yes..."
I looked straight into Sarah's beautiful onyx colored eyes and gently said, "Sarah. I hope you are going to have a great week at camp."
Her head tilted back to the left and then back to center and then back to the left and then back to center....
I gazed at Sarah...
I don't think Sarah saw me... but then again maybe she did... I don't know... I never will...She was captivating nonetheless...One thing I do know... I saw Sarah and maybe that's all that matters...

My iWitness...

I am not sure what to say about my experience on that warm Sunday afternoon at Camp Albrecht Acres.

I am sure of one thing though...

Yesterday I was on Holy Ground.
There was something about knowing the Campers by name that transcended their special needs.
Thank you Lord for giving me the privilege of serving
Rachel, Tiffany, Kevin, Gwen, Ricky, Tom, Richard, Chris, Mitt, Emily, Nikitta, Chase and of course... Sarah.

There were many more...whose names I cannot remember.
And here's the good news... God knows their names!

And He knows ours too...and maybe that's all that matters...

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine." (Isaiah 43. 1)

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

ps - And to the Counselors who have the privilege of serving these Campers all week long until another group shows up next Sunday... May God richly bless you and your life for your love and care for those that society so often forgets and pushes off to the side... Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you...

I can't go on...

In the Men's 45 Singles Championship match at the Quad States Open Tennis Tournament in Moline, Illinois I found myself matched up against a gentleman named Darren who wore a Superman shirt along with a Superman hat.

Before the match began at 10:00 am he said something to me that no other tennis player had ever said to me, "God bless you David..." I returned the blessing and the match was on.

He took the first set in a tiebreaker.

In the second set I was leading 4-1 when muscle cramps began to plague Darren. After every point he would freeze, bend over and put his hands on his knees or sometimes on the ground. This went on for four more games as I won the set 6-3.

His wife Ali kept bringing him bottle after bottle of Gatorade. He must have downed 15 bottles of Gatorade while we played in the 88 degree summer heat. After the second set was over Ali delivered another couple of bottles to Darren. As she passed by me she said with an easy going smile, "This is a really good match. You guys are playing great."

I looked at her and said, "Darren is a warrior..."
She stopped, smile and said, "Yes he is..." before walking off the court.

With his legs cramping during and after every point, Darren won the first two games of the third set. My strategy for the third set was simple... Make him run for every ball...

I won the third game easily.
We switched sides and as I walked past Darren with his hands on his knees,
he uttered,
"I can't go on."

We had been on the court for close to three hours...
We were both exhausted...
I turned to him and tears spontaneously filled my eyes and I uttered,
"Darren... you are a warrior."

He smiled and his faint voice offered, "Thank you..."
I placed my hand on his shoulder and offered these words,
"Darren, before the match you said, 'God bless you David.' Would you mind if I prayed for you right now."
The two of us embraced in our sweat filled clothes, leaning on one another and I prayed, thanking God for the opportunity and privilege to be on the battlefield of good competition, for God's healing hand to be on Darren's body and thanked God for Darren's wife and friends who were cheering him on.

I closed with, "I pray these things in the name of Jesus." I opened my eyes and his right hand was extended as high as Darren could lift it and he said, "Yes... thank you Jesus."

His wife quickly appeared with more Gatorade. (She didn't offer me one!!! Ha ha!!)
We stood around the net post and told our stories to one another for a few minutes with him explaining the "Superman" attire and then we went off to collect our respective trophies.

Great match Darren!
You are a warrior!
You are a Super Man!
It was an honor to compete against you.

My iWitness...

We have all had the same experience as Darren...
We have battled on the tennis court of life and the heat, the humidity, the competition and the score is such that at some point in time we fall to our knees and utter, "I can't go on..."

What happens when we "can't go on?"
I've said it...
You probably have too...

It's not that we are unwilling.
It's not that we are unavailable.
It's not that we are unbelieving.
It's a simple matter that we cannot go on.

What happens then?

I wish I had a great answer for you...

Here's my take though...

When I "can't go on", I do believe that Jesus sidles up next to me, places his arm around me and holds me right then and there with an embrace of incredible love, comfort and empathy.
He's been there too...
Jesus is a warrior!
Jesus revels in the competition on the battlefield of life.
He's only been defeated once and that was only for three days before he came back and kicked Death's butt all over the place.
Jesus is greater than Superman!

Our "I can't go on..." may last three minutes, three hours, three days or perhaps three years.
You are not alone...
You are a warrior...
You are a super man...
You are a super woman...
You will be back on the battlefield before you know it...
But until then...
Let the One who is not the "Man of Steel", but rather the "Man of Compassion" and great warmth and love infuse you with the living water (spiritual Gatorade) of the Holy Spirit to refresh your soul to prepare you for the next match...

Yes... there will be more battles....

And if I happen to see you on the sidelines please know one thing...
I will embrace you and we will celebrate the fact that we are warriors who will and "can go on..."

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"But God said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
(2 Corinthians 12. 9-10)