A Life Story

Those of you who know me, know that I love story.  I love the stories of people.  I love to hear the story of Christ in the lives of people.  I want to share with you a story of a friend of mine written free from prose.  Please take a moment to read his story and feel free to share your thoughts....

"Some would say I have walked in darkness, I say, I have been led through it!"  Some would say that I gave up, I say I gave in, & this is what happens when one completely surrenders..." 

ABDUCTED

It has finally become a reality,
with some honest work, patience, love,
& forgiveness, "Change" is not an impossibility;

It finally became clear,
The "Giant's" in my life were,
"A Closed Mind, a Pharisee's Religion, & Fear"

Abducted by my own lusts & addictions,
No rules, no limits, no restrictions;

Much of my life lived in a panic,
criminal, chaotic & frantic,
Stranded, branded, & abandoned
on an "Isle" called "Manic"

Peddle,
To the metal;

Goin' nowhere fast,
Take "Hostage" & "Tormented"
by "Guilt" & "Regrets" of my own past;

Hiding from "The Son"
Prisoner on the un, because
I deserved to be the condemned one;

The only thing for me to confess,
"Was my utter hopelessness;"

"Bound:" no possible way to get loose,
"To be found dangling beneath
a belt & a noose?"

"Or swallowing just one bullet,
it would be final, quick & complete,"
As always, selfish & self-centered,
only thinking of me;

"Some of this for the purpose of shock
But most, actually not;"

"Addicted, Abducted,
Oh yes, a full blown junkie!"

At times,
the "Strain,"
the "Pain", the "Shame,"
the "Despair," was just too much,
But there was one thing I had to refuse to do,
"I could not, I would not give up!"

What's most important, what I think,
what I believe, or what I feel???
Or could it be all three,
that makes a "Spiritual life,
Fulfilling, Supernatural, & Real?"

For way too long I believed the lie,
"How could God love such a sick, damaged,
dented & demented man such as I?"

How little did I know, "Money Changer's"
of my past, wanted "Complete Control,"
As "Double Minded, Fork Tongued Slanderer's"
slung "Accusations" with "Stones of words & verb's,
shredding the very fiber's of my Tortured Soul;"

"Wearing the title of Shepherd,"
Treating me as a castaway leper;

Labeled me, a "Reprobate,"
Hell, "They don't even know
the difference between love & rape!"

"Prostituting my witness & profaining my name,"
As if through condemning me they would
have something to gain;

Yes, there once was a time,
I let the "Wolves" too close, it was as if,
their "Claws" were wrapped around my mind;

I have found peace by knowing that there is coming a day,
When "they" will "Answer," & "they" will "Pay"

Sometimes the change comes in "Degree's"
When no one else but "God" & "I See's"

In times past; why should I lie?
I begged God, I say I begged God,
"To please let me die!"

But today, I want alllll to know, straight up,
"I drink from the Fountain of Life,
so go ahead drink alllllll you want from my cup;"
&
"Of alllll the places in the Universe,
The Father to send His Son, "The King"
to heal my heart & to cure my curse;"

Through nakedness, on that Cross,
He bore my sin, He wore my shame,
'Cause even then, somehow, someway,
He knew my name;

The addiction, so deceiving,
Had me bleeding & believing;

It was "Fear" that "Paralyzed" me,
& made it "Impossible" to see;

"That I had been Abducted, by
True Love, Through Pure Blood,
Who
wears
my
scars
as
He
Reigns
on
His
Crystal
Throne
Somewhere,
"Somewhere"
above...

This Weekend's Incredible Opportunity

I am as excited about this coming weekend as just about any we have experienced at Skyline Church.  This weekend, we have the honor and privilege to share an incredible opportunity when we commission The Warren family as they embark on an amazing journey to the mission field.


At Skyline, we are passionate about our mission to reach the broken with the love of Christ.  We hold strongly to Acts 1:8 where it says, "you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."


We are passionate about reaching our community (Jerusalem and Judea) through our outreach ministry and personal evangelism.  We are passionate about reaching our nation (Samaria) through involvement in church planting.  And we are passionate about fulfilling this great charge given to the church through our participation in foreign missions (the ends of the earth).


This weekend is a benchmark as we send members of our own family out for not just a trip, but a long term mission to the island of Saipan.


I want to challenge our church family to make it a priority to be present and show our support for Jason, Annie, and their family.


Please keep in mind that there will be many guests who will be present for this special service as family members and friends join our church family for the commissioning service.  That said, I would ask that all volunteers park in the rear of the school this weekend to make more room in the parking lot and that we welcome them as we would any first time guest to our church.  


As we have cast vision for making a difference world-wide, this is the first of many more opportunities to come.  As we send the Warren's abroad, we prepare to send our short term medical mission team to Honduras this fall.  As we send our Honduras team this fall, we will continue to prayerfully prepare for more foreign mission opportunities in the future.


My prayer is that we will continue to pursue our passion for a broken world.  I pray that we will continue reaching into our community, investing in church planting, and raising up more and more missionaries to carry the Gospel to a world in desperate need of Christ's love.

Blessing and Tragedy Causes One To Think

I hope there is enough signal down here to upload this...Here goes!

This is the last morning at the campsite. Lucas is still asleep and I find myself in the company of a campfire and God's Word. It has been an incredible week filled with both wonderful memories and tragedy. Most things I wouldn't trade for the world, one thing I wish we're not reality.

Landen and Heath retired early to Grandma & Pa's leaving Lucas and myself alone for one last night in nature. It was a blessing because I was able to have some deep and timeless conversation with my son about manhood and being a man.

My boys are growing up to be men and I don't want to waste any time. Landen and Heath are still learning the fine art of trout fishing. Lucas is close to grasping the intricate details. Lucas got his first knife this week and learned the pleasures of whittling by the campfire. Landen and Heath are still a bit young for a razor sharpened blade, but their time will soon come....all be it to soon.

My children are growing up and this week was a reminder of that through both the memory of a camping trip and the tragic loss of a friend.

Yesterday morning the world lost a shining light in Sarah Roberts Hart. While it has been many years since I last spoke with her, I dare say she was still that same caring and loving person she always had been. As evident by the outpouring of praise for her on Facebook, I feel confident she was still a difference maker through her heart and kindness.

Her life was taken from her by someone else. Random and reasonless I can only think, but her murder certainly causes one to think.

Life is short. It can end at any moment. For some it may come in the end stages of life. For others it may be lost in illness or accident. Still for others, life can be snuffed out due to evil. Regardless, the fact remains that we are not guaranteed one moment.

With that thought in mind, we all should consider a commitment to make every waking second count. The world owes us nothing, but for those of us in Christ, we owe it the responsibility to make a difference.

That difference should be made in the hearts of every man, but even more so in the lives of our children. Sarah leaves behind a husband and three beautiful children. No doubt she imparted to them her heart in the short time she was with them, but let the living never forget to make the most of the time we have with them.

My yearly camping trips with my boys (and my dad) are always a blessing. But this year, the trip went from a blessing to high yielding investment. I am reminded how important times like these are in the lives of my children. More than that, I am reminded of the importance of the mundane.

Our investment can not be made a few times a year. It must be made in the daily adventure of life. I am not guaranteed one more moment with them, therefore I should make the most of every moment with them.

Prayers of thanksgiving for Sarah's life are going up right now along with prayers of peace and strength for her family.

Deut. 6:4-9