Just a little vacation time coming up for me in the next few days - so I thought I would post a thought before I head out.

In the Trenches

I didn’t know much about the former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow.  I do know a little more about him than I did before.
I didn’t learn it from his funeral on television, I didn’t watch it. I actually learned it from Snopes.com and yes what they said was that the information about Tony Snow on the internet was actually true. So I followed a link that led to an original article that was published by Christianity Today © magazine that contained an essay that Snow wrote in response to the question – “How has this bout with cancer affected you?”
I am not going to pass the whole article along to you – you can find it at –
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/july/25.30.html
But suffice it to say that his words are meaningful and impacting. I do want to share an excerpt from his essay – and pray that you will take it to heart...


BLESSINGS ARRIVE IN UNEXPECTED PACKAGES—IN MY CASE, CANCER.
“Those of us with potentially fatal diseases—and there are millions in America today—find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence What It All Means, Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.
The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the why questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is—a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.
But despite this—because of it—God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life—and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many nonbelieving hearts—an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live—fully, richly, exuberantly—no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease—smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see—but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension—and yet don't. By his love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.”

"This article first appeared in the July 2007 issue of Christianity Today. Used by permission of Christianity Today International, Carol Stream, IL 60188." (parts in bold were added by me for emphasis)

I highly recommend you go to the earlier mentioned website and read the rest of Snow’s essay. Until then I simply ask you to think, to ponder, to meditate on your life and on the gift that is, bestowed by God.
Snow’s words said – “...we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.”
God is not a “puppet master.”  You choose the path that you will walk today, you choose how you will use this gift of life you have been given.


What are you doing with it? Will it take cancer or some other disease or incident that brings you close to the brink to make you consider your path?


Did you make a child laugh today?


Have you kissed your spouse for no apparent reason today?


Did you encourage your children with a word of confidence and praise?


Did you stop for a minute as you left the house today to listen to the birds?


Did you pause as you left the office thanking God that you had a job in this economy?


Do you see your current circumstance as a blessing rather than a curse?


Today - Did you tell a family member or maybe a friend of the loving grace of God and salvation in Jesus Christ?


Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”  James 1:2-6


In the trenches
DOUG

     I am one who absolutely believes that we have a Father God who listens to His children, that we can approach the throne of grace with great assurance that He will listen. SO – I believe that we can ask the question “Why.”      But let’s keep something in perspective – we are just like Job. When Job asked the “why” he didn’t receive the answer, nor did David through out Psalms. What they did learn was to trust God and to trust that He would work it out if they did.

      WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU A CURVE… AND TRUST ME IT WILL – WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT? None of us is immune from the ups and downs of life. Nor can any of us can escape the reality of physical death. Just as death is certain – so too is normal life, it isn’t what happens to you so much as what you do with it.

     Romans 8:28 reads – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

     One key here is that it DOESN’T say that all things are “good” BUT that God works all of life together for the good. If someone loves and trusts and accepts God, if they are convinced that God is the all-wise and all-loving Father, then they can humbly accept all that He sends to him.

So the question start with “Why God…” but leads to – “How would You have me respond to this?” “What would You have me learn from this?”

     Trust me when I say that sometimes when life happens to you and it happens FAST far too often; you might find it hard to pray, you might not be able to form the words with you lips. But I bet you could with your heart. Just before Paul penned that deep truth of verse 28 wrote -

     “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…” Romans 8:26 

     At this very moment there is a woman that has been thrown a curve in life, she is in a hospital bed. At this very moment another is facing a drastic life change that they didn’t see coming. Another was forced to make quick life decisions. Their groaning’s from weakness are being carried to the Father be the Spirit. Yes I am sure they may have thought of the question “why” but I would bet each must grow into the place where they question is asked – “ok, God… now what?” Not in a negative sense but one that asks – “What do you want me to do about it?” “How do you want me to respond to this?”     Sometimes the answer is a simple – “TRUST ME, I will work it out for the good if you love and trust Me.”

     I’ll will go out on a limb here and say that you have either been in a time like that, that you are going through a time like that – and if it is neither – you WILL go through a time like that… It isn’t, it won’t be good. We all know that not all life is cotton candy, unicorns and rainbows but that quite often can be rocks, goats and black clouds

     But in that moment… let me encourage you – PRAY. Pray straight from the heart. If you cannot form the words let the groans of you heart be carried by the Holy Spirit who will intercede for you. When you can’t pray, when weakness or tragedy overcomes your ability (physically or spiritually) to pray, when you are at a loss as to what to pray for – God’s word tells you – just pray from the heart.

 I promise you that God who hears you in silence will answer you. I know it to be true, I have seen the results of sincere pray avail much…(if it looks like I’m mumbling that just me praying)

We are all in this together –

See you – “In The Trenches”  

Doug

 

“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.”

John Bunyan

 

David Augsburg in his book “When Enough is Enough” wrote some sage advice…

“People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.    Love them anyway.   

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.  Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.  Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.   Do good anyway.

Honesty will make you vulnerable.   Be honest anyway.  

The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds.   Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.  Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.  Help them anyway.”

Life is “tough” – live it anyway (Doug Duty)

 

You have (you may have had) some impressive ideas, some daring dreams and powerful potential… It is my prayer that you never lose those – if you have I pray that you can rekindle them. You see if you do lose that, life takes on “mundaneness” – sort of just going through the motions.

 I want to tell you today about a great example of living in the Old Testament, in fact it is one of (if not the #1) favorites of mine in the Bible.    But first -

Think back to the dreams and hopes and aspirations that you had… what kept you from them, what kept you from reaching them? Sure life is difficult, sure life has its twists and turns BUT life can be lived with an upward calling… life can be lived with those “dreams” finding reality. 

Let’s look at one man in the bible that made those “dreams” into reality… my friend Nehemiah. I love the life of Nehemiah; what he did, what drove him, how he went about his calling… in his life you can see several aspects of a person living upwards…

At the beginnings of what was driving Nehemiah – In Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 4 it reads – “Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

You see, Nehemiah - Had heart – when he heard the suffering and demise of the people his heart was broken; he felt for them and that feeling lead him to do something.

I know that it is easy to get caught up in our own circle, our own limited world. In this day and age it is far too easy to become callous, jaded and removed. We are bombarded by television, newspapers and the internet until we are numb. And once that happens we pull inward – we no longer see possibilities – we only want to survive. That is when we lose heart and we lose the drive to strive for something bigger than ourselves. And then we lose our dreams and aspirations, our goals become only distant “has beens”.

What are we to do –

1. Don’t let today’s circumstance steal tomorrow’s hopes.

Nehemiah could have. While he was doing all right for himself as the king’s cupbearer he had dreams of going home, of being with his people and he saw more in his life than what was happening at the moment.

2. Don’t let today’s “stuff” harden your heart.

It is far, far too easy to get hardened by the world, to want to put a shield around your heart because you are tired of getting hurt. But when that happens you lose the ability to feel compassion and passion for something more.

3. Don’t let today’s activities keep you from going to God.

Nehemiah, heart moved, went straight to God, he talked with God and shared his concerns and his broken heart. We will find out later that Nehemiah did that a lot! When was the last time you took your dreams and hopes, you hearts desires to God and told Him how deeply you felt them?

 

Take a look – where is your heart, where are your dreams?

See you “in the trenches” –

Doug