The Ghost and the Darkness

I had a dream last night that was a lot like the movie, The Ghost and the Darkness. The movie is based on the true story of two man-eating lions that terrorized a railroad crew over the course of several months attacking nearly nightly and terrorizing the workers. All in all, the lions are credited with killing over 100 men before they were finally killed. Interesting movie. I love movies based on historical events.



Anyway, in my dream, I was being hunted by these two lions. They were crazed and thirsty for blood... MINE. I was able to evade the killers throughout my dream right to the end when I finally got cornered behind a glass snack counter with a HUGE lion glaring at me from the other side. Then, I woke up.



As I layed in bed trying to calm myself from the nightmare, the thought that came to my mind was how awful it would be if that dream were true. I'm thankful to live in a part of the world where I don't have to give a second thought to man-eating creatures. The next thought that came to my mind was even more awakening for me than the nightmare.... The dream IS a reality!



I was reminded of this passage of scripture. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.



It's easy for me to forget that I have an adversary that is seeking to devour me. It's easy for me to coast on in my easy life and forget that I'm at war. Even when times are difficult and my faith is weakened, I sometimes forget that there is a lion lurking and ready to jump in for the kill. Peter tells us here to be Sober-minded and watchful. To resist him and stand firm in our faith. James said the same things... Submit yourself to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.



I'm not claiming that this dream was a vision or anything like that, but God sure used it to adjust my perspective on some things going on in my life. I don't think it's a good thing to see a devil behind every bush, but I do think it's a terrible thing to forget that we have an enemy at all. I'm guilty of this at times and I always pay for it. Usually when I do this, I find myself hunkered down somewhere caught off guard and trembling at an enemy that I forgot was there. NOT a fun place to be.



Stay sober-minded and watchful. We will prevail!!



Blessings to you

Ideals or Anchors?

Do you ever wonder at what point ideals become anchors?



In many ways, our ideals define us. They separate us from the masses and push us in one direction or another throughout our lives. They determine our friends, our families, our careers.



BUT, it seems that at times ideals can become burdensome for people. No job is just right. No church is just right. No potential mate is just right. The kids can't act right. No restaurant prepares the food just right. No school is good enough. Ideals can create "the grass is always greener" mentality if we aren't careful, or even worse, "the grass is never green enough."



I wish at times I could just release my ideals and fit a little better in certain areas. I have found that there are some arenas in which I am able to relax my ideals and achieve great satisfaction with compromise. In other areas a no-compromise-mentality seems to have set in and my ideals have become... Anchors!



This has become particularly true for me in my worship life. I've been in professional ministry for a large portion of my adult life in one way or another. These experiences have shaped my ideals and as of late my ideals have left me quite discontented with what the average American church has become, and I'm frightened by the trends that I see. As a worship leader, I encounter very few worshipers. As a teacher, I encounter very few people that are eager to learn the faith. American Christianity has become so obsessed with doing, that being seems to have fallen by the wayside. "Being" a believer is FAR more important than "doing" Christian things (Mat 7:15-22), and while being will ALWAYS lead to doing, doing CANNOT lead to being (Eph. 2:8-9). So, it makes NO sense to me why today's Christian world puts the lions share of emphasis on "doing" rather than "being". We live in the age of how-to sermons that are only a few words away from being a bad Oprah or Dr. Phil episode. I digress... This is one example of an ideal for me that has anchored me away from contentment in my worship life. Unfortunately, there are others.



What are yours? Did you ever stop to think?

Friendships

Is there anything more precious than a close friend?

I recently attended a fantasy baseball draft in Nashville in a league that I've been part of for several years now. A little more than half of this league is composed of a group of guys that have been friends for most of their lives. In this setting, I'm definitely on the outside looking in. There is a comradery there that I could never participate in. Not because I'm not a good fit or because the group is exclusive, but rather because what these guys have can ONLY be built by real life and time.

While I am not a part of this group of friends, I do have a group of friends like this. A group of 4 guys that I have laughed with, cried with, rejoiced with, hurt with, travelled with, and fought with over the course of the past 24 years or so (hard to believe!). Life has separated us now and we only touch bases a couple times a year or so, but there is still something there that can't be duplicated in other friendships.

I sometimes try to think of what my life would be like today if these guys weren't a part of it. I shudder when I do because nothing ties me to the past and brings my life together like these friends because they really know me. They know my gifts and abilities because they saw many of them come into being. They know my greatest successes and worst mistakes because they walked with me through them and in many cases contributed to them.

I have other friends that are like this group of guys that aren't connected to that group. They are friends that are a little more active in my life now, and I am most thankful for them, but there is still something missing that only time can create.

I think that success in this life could easily be measured by the number of close friends we may have. Remember the Proverbs tell us that He who has friends must himself be friendly. SO, get out there and open up yourself to the people that you know and see what happens. You can't manufacture a genuine life-long friendship. They are crafted by the happenings of life in the hands of God. He builds them and He sustains them.


Is there anything more precious than a close friend? Well, maybe 2 close friends!