Trust That

Like a wave building two hundred yards out from shore slowly but powerfully growing into a wall of water, cresting, pausing and then crashing down into a rush of white foam, so too was the ladies' laughter from the utility company when I told her that I had filled out an order form online and was calling to check on the status of the order.

By the time she caught her breath from laughing, I was laughing as well and finally this little bit of frivolity ended with her saying, "Oh sir, I'm sorry. But you filling out an online order form with our company and you thinking that it actually went through... you can't trust that."

My iWitness...

Have you ever offered up a prayer to God and wondered:
"Did that prayer go through?"
"That online prayer order form that I just filled out in spiritual cyberspace...did it get to its intended recipient?"
"Is there some type of bureaucratic pipeline filled with twists and stops whereby my prayer request just got clogged up in the molasses type flow?"
Is there any way to bypass all of this and find someone who has a direct pipeline that can speed up the process?"

Those are just a few of the thoughts that have ruminated through my mind over the years.

Here's the good news...
Listen carefully:

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4. 14-16)

I love the last verse...

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need...

Going to God with confidence that God hears, listens and helps?
You can trust that!

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

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." (Proverbs 3. 5-8)

Not a Seat in the House

I moved into the house that I am renting over the weekend.
The owner is still doing some upgrades to the kitchen which is creating quite a mess downstairs.
That means that most of my "stuff" is in the garage and that most of my "time" is spent in the master bedroom upstairs.
Yesterday it hit me that outside of the three commodes there is "not a seat in the house."

My iWitness...

I have a good friend who has kept the same routine every night for the last 30 plus years.
Before tucking himself in for the night, he kneels.
He kneels beside the bed...
He kneels before his Maker...
He kneels in prayer...
He kneels as he lifts up in prayer his family, his friends, his coworkers, his life...
And then he gets up... it takes a little bit longer today than it did 30 years ago...and goes to sleep.

I was once told by a police officer friend of mine that when securing a suspect it is imperative to get them into a kneeling position. It is the most vulnerable and weakest position to be in. It's very difficult to do much harm while in the kneeling position.

With "not a seat in the house" I found myself doing that which my friend and others have been doing for centuries... kneeling in prayer. I feel very vulnerable and weak in this position. It's okay... I am in good company... If it's okay for Jesus to do it, then it must be okay for me to do it as well...
"And Jesus withdrew from them about a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed..." (Luke 22.41)

I'm wondering if you would join me in kneeling before God to offer up our prayers and praise...

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand. (Psalms 95. 6-7)

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

At The Top of My Lungs

I drove into the shopping center. All the normal eateries and big box stores had their signs that shouted their presence in the middle of this megalopolis they call Houston.
I parked the car.
Got out and started making my way toward the front doors of the latest church I would "check out" to see if this just might be the place where God wants me and my family to serve.
The greeters, who had big smiles on their faces were enthusiastically engaged with other visitors or perhaps friends as I walked into the foyer of this large church completely unnoticed and without a greeting of "Welcome to our Church." (Sidenote - As a pastor this drives me crazy when this happens. I wondered if I would make it out at the end of the service without anyone saying hello.)

I wandered around a bit looking at the various ministries and watching other people enjoy the joy of fellowship of knowing one another in the context of a church setting.
I went in and found a seat in the middle on the aisle about halfway to the front of the worship center.
No one else sat in my row of 15 chairs.
I felt quite lonely and quite alone.
Nothing worse than being in a large group of people where everyone else is laughing and carrying on great conversation and there you sit rereading your worship bulletin for the 5th time.

The five piece band started to play at the allotted time - 11:00 am.
And they were loud!
I mean really loud!
The bare, polished concrete underneath me and the unfinished ceiling above me created quite the echo chamber. The 1,000 plastic chairs only enhanced the reverberations.

The second song we sang is one of my favorites...

10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman...

The chorus goes like this...

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

When we got to the line: Sing like never before

I did just that!!

For the first time in my life in a church setting...
I sang
AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!!!
I mean...
AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!!!

My iWitness...

When was the last time you sang a song about God at the top of your lungs?

With the music being so loud, the invitation to sing at the top of my lungs could not have been more obvious. I took full advantage of it.

In the midst of feeling a little out of place in a new worship venue, stinging a little bit from not being greeted and my butt hurting from sitting in a flimsy plastic chair, I stood up and felt the presence of God fill me up with enough oxygen to blast His praise at the top of my lungs. God is worth singing to at that volume regardless of my circumstances, feelings and issues!

Rarely have I felt so liberated, so blessed, so full of joy, so uninhibited, so beside myself in singing as loud as my voice would project. Maybe it was a good thing no one else sat near me!!

I felt a new kinship to and appreciation for my namesake David as he writes in the Psalms:

Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre (or acoustic, electric and bass guitar!);
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. (Psalm 33. 1-3)

The church service was over after 90 minutes of singing, praying, preaching, more singing and then communion.
I walked out with no one saying anything to me...
It didn't matter...
My heart was too full to care otherwise!
I had done something with God I had never done before...
I shouted for joy...
I gave thanks to God...
I sang to Him a new song...
I sang "like never before"...
At The Top of My Lungs!!

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

Under the Covers

As has been my practice of late I woke up in the middle of the night and found it next to impossible to get back to sleep. I feel positive that I am the only one who has ever experienced this phenomena!

My body temperature felt a little on the warm side so I just laid there on top of the covers for over 45 minutes. First on my left side, then I tussled over to my right, then I wiggled over to my back and then I wrestled myself back to my left. Nothing seemed to work.

Finally, I resorted to get back under the covers and within minutes I drifted off into Mr. Sandman's soothing slumber...

My iWitness...

I have been especially moved to tears by a variety of songs lately. The latest being a song by Christy Nockels titled "Grace Flows Down"

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound
Amazing Love
Now flowing down
From hands and feet
That were nailed to the tree
As Grace flows down and covers me

It covers me
It covers me
It covers me
And covers me

Has life been a little on the rattling side lately?
Do you find yourself tussling, wiggling and wrestling with life lately?
Have you exhausted yourself by trying every avenue you know available to get life under control?
Me too...

Might I make a suggestion?
Get under the covers...

The covers of God's love, mercy and grace.
Let the weight of God's amazing grace slowly flow down and cover you, soothe you, calm you.
I do believe in no time you will fall into the relaxing, rejuvenating, restoring and restful arms of God.

I'm getting under the covers!
How bout you?

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

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions (wings)
and under his wings you will find refuge:
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler." (Psalm 91. 1-4)

Broken

I keep hearing the same song over and over again on XM  radio channel 63 - The Message...
The title of the song is "Keep Making Me" by the Sidewalk Prophets.

I hear the first line and my mind goes off into a thousand different directions and I never hear the rest of the song.
The opening line is... "Make me broken..."

My iWitness...

Why would anyone ask for that?
Pardon me, upon further reflection the phrase "Make me broken" is not a question.
It's a request...
It's a plea...
It's a desire...
It's a hope and a wish and a command all wrapped up into one bizarre bundle.

Why not start the song with...
Make me whole...
Make me funny...
Make me popular...
Make me powerful...
Make me wealthy...
Make me good looking...
Make me ripped with six pack abs like Zac Efron!

I guess there's a reason that the song starts off with "Make me broken..."
Because we have a God who does His best work with
broken pieces
broken hearts
broken dreams
broken lives

God is the master artist at putting the pieces back together again into a majestic mosaic that is made up of just that...broken pieces.

I heard the song "Keep Making Me" by the Sidewalk Prophets just yesterday and I heard the completion of the opening line for the first time...

"Make me broken...
So I can be healed."

I am broken!
How about you?

Let the healing begin.
I can't wait to see what God pieces together this time.

Maybe God will use some of my broken pieces to help heal you and just maybe God will use some of your broken pieces to heal me.
And together the Master will make us into a beautiful collage of interwoven broken pieces...
Maybe that's why they call us a Masterpiece!

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

"God, pick up the pieces.
     Put me back together again." (Jeremiah 17. 14 The Message)

Plastic Surgery

I went to see the movie "Heaven is For Real" the other day. I settled into my seat as the "previews" were streaming on the big screen.
These were not "movie trailers".
These were advertisements for local businesses.
A pastor and his wife appeared and invited everyone to come experience the love of God at their church.
Another pastor from another church showed up on the screen saying, "No... come to My church and experience the love of God."
And then...came the soothing "voiceover" offering the services of a local plastic surgeon. Scenes from the warm, comfortable doctor's office appeared with the doctor talking with a patient in a very caring manner. A very pretty bleached blonde woman (Actual Patient) began sharing with the audience her wonderful experience with this surgeon. As she talked a list was presented on the left side of the screen of the work the plastic surgeon had performed on her.
Rhinoplasty
Tummy Tuck
Breast Augmentation
Brazilian Butt Lift
The list continued for four or five more items...

The lady's interview, along with the advertisement closed with her saying,
"Dr. Smith (not his real name) makes you look the way God made you..."

My iWitness...

My mind raced in a thousand different directions when I heard the above quote.

How did God make you?
Are you pleased with the way God knitted you together in your mother's womb?
If you could change a few things about how God made you, what would you change?

More importantly, what would you expect to happen if the changes were made?
If some physical changes were made to your body, would it ultimately change you?

King David implores God to do some surgery on himself.
Not plastic surgery...
Not even angioplasty or a bypass surgery.
King David screams out:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51. 10)

Basically, David is praying..."I need a heart transplant!"
The verb "create" that David uses means to "create out of nothing."
David is not asking for God to fix his heart, mend his heart, or even give me someone else's heart.
David is pleading for a "brand new" heart created out of nothing by God's creative and imaginative hand.

And guess what?
God does!
David is known as a man after God's own heart! (Acts 13)

I have had the privilege of seeing the incredible results of many people receiving a new heart whose lives have completely changed.
On this day may King David's prayer to the Divine Physician be our prayer...

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

ps - Heaven is for real!!

Deep Waters

Sunday morning arrived this past week, as it always does and for the first time in many years, I had no idea as to where I would go to church.

I'm in a new town... Houston, Texas.

I'm without my family... They are still in Dubuque, Iowa (1116 miles away)
I have a new job... Assistant Tennis Pro at the Carlton Woods Country Club, thanks to one of my best friends. 

I'm without my traditional pillars that provide buoyancy to my life that keep me from sinking:
Security, comfort, family, church, house, neighborhood, neighbors, friends, space and routine.

To put it bluntly...

I'm in Deep Waters...

On Sunday I decided to go to a Mega-church where I knew that I would know no one except for God alone. I took my seat, texted "Welcome" to the number on the big screen and received an immediate text saying, "Welcome to our church!"

The opening song began and my mind and heart were critical and closed.
The second song began and I simply melted into a well of deep tears that only added to the volume of deep waters that surround me.

I'm familiar with this song but had never seen the lyrics written down. As they were projected on the big screen before me this song took on a deeper meaning.

Let me offer these lyrics to you... 

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

My iWitness...

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

I don't know about you but I love the SHALLOW END of the pool!!!

I can touch the bottom.

When the water gets rough I can touch the side.

When I need to, I can get out.

I am in control...

The DEEP WATERS do not offer such luxuries...

but rather incredible necessities...

Trust
and
Trust

and more
Trust

So, here is my mantra for the days ahead...

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

What I have discovered in the last couple of days is that there are many of us in the deep waters...
O Lord...

"Keep my eyes above the waves...
Keep my eyes above the waves...

My soul will rest in your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine."

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