Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Part II
Here's Part II to my recent article on Faith-contenders
http://www.faith-contenders.net/rick/07_20_rick.html
Best,
Rick
http://www.faith-contenders.net/rick/07_20_rick.html
Best,
Rick
Monday, July 19, 2010
New Website
Good Day All,
I've created a new website where I will continue to post God Thoughts . . .
The site is called Faith-contenders. The URL is http://www.faith-contenders.net
Be sure to read the content on the link "You Might Want to Start Here" as it lays out the reason for the site.
I've also posted a recent article under my name.
I'll continue to post elements of my story here on this blog as the opportunity arises.
Thanks,
Rick
I've created a new website where I will continue to post God Thoughts . . .
The site is called Faith-contenders. The URL is http://www.faith-contenders.net
Be sure to read the content on the link "You Might Want to Start Here" as it lays out the reason for the site.
I've also posted a recent article under my name.
I'll continue to post elements of my story here on this blog as the opportunity arises.
Thanks,
Rick
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Death and Adultery . . . hard lessons
Voter's remorse . . . church politicians using you to make calculated moves for their personal advancement . . . biting and devouring each other . . . not fun stuff to witness . . . but that was my life for the next year or so after leaving the Church plant. I'll get to that later this week. For now, I have to address something that happened recently.
I don't dream much . . . in my life there are only a small handful of dreams that I recall.
I do remember a reoccurring dream growing up . . . I was trapped in a tornado (I grew up in Oklahoma) running for the storm cellar. As I was scurrying across the front yard a burglar was just coming out of my grandparent's house. He picked me up and began to swing me around in circles in the front yard while I could see over my shoulder Grandpa closing the storm cellar door, leaving me to fend for myself in this storm with this scary stranger . . . I tried to scream but nothing came out.
Another dream had to deal with "Chinese Jumping Wolves" . . . don't ask me to describe them . . . because I can't . . . they were just there . . . stalking me in the trees while on a journey to who knows where.
I also dreamed very vividly in November of '92 that we would move to Moscow, Russia . . . which we did four months later.
One other dream I remember occurred a couple of years ago . . . I was in an African village and rebels were mercilessly massacring everyone . . . and my number came up. It really disturbed me . . . children were being killed right before my eyes and now it was my turn. I was scared stiff and woke up in a cold sweat.
Beyond that . . . I don't remember many dreams. That's why this past week was so troublesome for me. I dreamed two very real . . . and disturbing . . . dreams . . . early in the week . . . two nights in a row.
The first night I dreamed I was in a row boat in the middle of a large lake. No big deal . . . until I realized that I was in danger of dying. Suddenly I came to the knowledge that the water was extremely deadly and if any drop touched my skin . . . I would die . . . no getting around it. My challenge was to get to shore . . . and with just a bit to go I accidentally stepped into the water . . . and withdrew my foot just as quickly . . . but it was too late. I WAS NOW GOING TO DIE. The last thing I remember is confessing to God that I could not do anything about my dying and that I was to find out my eternal fate in the next breath or two. I was afraid . . . fearful of what God was going to do with me. I remember I yielded myself to him but there was a huge unknown . . . and the realization that I was going to be known . . . completely and totally . . . and the only thing I could do was to say, "Here am I Lord Jesus. I am yours."
I woke up in fear and dread . . . not of death itself . . . well, maybe the immediacy of it . . . but more than that I didn't know what to expect. In my mind it was really going to happen . . . I couldn't get around it . . . I couldn't cheat it. I was now going to know . . . and I feared I wasn't ready for it.
The very next night I had another disturbing dream. This time, I was there with my wife, Robin, traveling. Not a big deal . . . just moving around the Country . . . but all during this time I was committing adultery behind her back . . . having affair after affair with who I imagined were beautiful women. The strange thing is that Robin seemed to know it was happening . . . she wasn't happy about it to be sure . . . but she seemed to be patiently waiting for something to come to pass. She didn't get all hysterical and put a contract out on me . . . like I imagined she might do in real life. Weird, huh. After 28+ years I can say that I am 'affair-free'. I just don't think like that . . . and so to dream like this really bugged me.
Did I eat something spicy that stayed with me some two nights or was God trying to tell me something? Was there something deep-seeded in me that was telling me I was unfulfilled in some hidden part of my life or was God trying to show me something?
So, after several days, I took these dreams to God in prayer and asked Him to show me if there was anything He wanted to teach me about myself or Him through this . . . and if there was perhaps a connection with the two.
This is what He impressed upon me about my dreams . . .
They were connected . . . very connected. They were used to show me something about myself and my relationship with God.
God revealed to me that, yes . . . I was quite fearful of dying . . . of finding myself in His hands . . . and that while I could declare He was loving and caring . . . actually falling into the hands of the Living God was an experience I struggled with and could not put into words.
The marriage terminology when referring to our relationship with God is used in the Bible for a specific reason . . . it refers to complete dedication and commitment . . . it describes the intimacy that is shared with no other . . . it speaks of a relationship built on unconditional . . . and unadulterated . . . love . . . perfect love . . . it speaks of a transparency that happens when two become one. As Robin didn't immediately go on the offensive . . . but instead . . . seemed to be patiently waiting . . . God was actually describing Himself to me through this dream. God is really in love with me . . . and He utterly hates it when I demonstrate with my affections that I am toying with adultery. Thinking about it this way, I can more fully understand it when the Bible describes God as a Jealous Lover.
But . . . in the midst of His jealousy . . . He reminded me of the truthfulness and reliability of His Word. His Word says, "If we confess our sins . . . He is faithful and just . . . and will forgive our sins . . . and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I call that verse "God's bar of soap". So, once again, God is at work in my life . . . directing me through this process of continuing sanctification . . . which I describe . . . as the preparation needed in order to meet Him face to face and to enter into His Eternal Kingdom . . . which is being prepared for those who love Him.
"Lord, I confess to You that my affections have been mixed. I am so easily distracted from the eternal. Thank you for loving me and having the patience and the unswerving determination to do what is necessary to make known what You desire in me. Let me see that my future with You . . . meeting You face to face . . . entering into Your Kingdom . . . need not be filled with the unknown. I want to know You more and more each day . . . and you afford me that privilege. I don't want to continue dabbling in the strange fires of adultery . . . sharing my affections with the things of this world. I am declaring my wholehearted commitment to be Yours and Yours alone. Lead me on Your path . . . the path so many others have faithfully followed . . . that path that can be trusted to the nth degree because You faithfully revealed Yourself to be the God of all Creation and desire to save all who call upon You. I agree with Your Word, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.""
With God's grace . . . this is they way I will choose to live.
May you have a God-filled day . . . this day . . . and every day . . . from here to eternity.
I don't dream much . . . in my life there are only a small handful of dreams that I recall.
I do remember a reoccurring dream growing up . . . I was trapped in a tornado (I grew up in Oklahoma) running for the storm cellar. As I was scurrying across the front yard a burglar was just coming out of my grandparent's house. He picked me up and began to swing me around in circles in the front yard while I could see over my shoulder Grandpa closing the storm cellar door, leaving me to fend for myself in this storm with this scary stranger . . . I tried to scream but nothing came out.
Another dream had to deal with "Chinese Jumping Wolves" . . . don't ask me to describe them . . . because I can't . . . they were just there . . . stalking me in the trees while on a journey to who knows where.
I also dreamed very vividly in November of '92 that we would move to Moscow, Russia . . . which we did four months later.
One other dream I remember occurred a couple of years ago . . . I was in an African village and rebels were mercilessly massacring everyone . . . and my number came up. It really disturbed me . . . children were being killed right before my eyes and now it was my turn. I was scared stiff and woke up in a cold sweat.
Beyond that . . . I don't remember many dreams. That's why this past week was so troublesome for me. I dreamed two very real . . . and disturbing . . . dreams . . . early in the week . . . two nights in a row.
The first night I dreamed I was in a row boat in the middle of a large lake. No big deal . . . until I realized that I was in danger of dying. Suddenly I came to the knowledge that the water was extremely deadly and if any drop touched my skin . . . I would die . . . no getting around it. My challenge was to get to shore . . . and with just a bit to go I accidentally stepped into the water . . . and withdrew my foot just as quickly . . . but it was too late. I WAS NOW GOING TO DIE. The last thing I remember is confessing to God that I could not do anything about my dying and that I was to find out my eternal fate in the next breath or two. I was afraid . . . fearful of what God was going to do with me. I remember I yielded myself to him but there was a huge unknown . . . and the realization that I was going to be known . . . completely and totally . . . and the only thing I could do was to say, "Here am I Lord Jesus. I am yours."
I woke up in fear and dread . . . not of death itself . . . well, maybe the immediacy of it . . . but more than that I didn't know what to expect. In my mind it was really going to happen . . . I couldn't get around it . . . I couldn't cheat it. I was now going to know . . . and I feared I wasn't ready for it.
The very next night I had another disturbing dream. This time, I was there with my wife, Robin, traveling. Not a big deal . . . just moving around the Country . . . but all during this time I was committing adultery behind her back . . . having affair after affair with who I imagined were beautiful women. The strange thing is that Robin seemed to know it was happening . . . she wasn't happy about it to be sure . . . but she seemed to be patiently waiting for something to come to pass. She didn't get all hysterical and put a contract out on me . . . like I imagined she might do in real life. Weird, huh. After 28+ years I can say that I am 'affair-free'. I just don't think like that . . . and so to dream like this really bugged me.
Did I eat something spicy that stayed with me some two nights or was God trying to tell me something? Was there something deep-seeded in me that was telling me I was unfulfilled in some hidden part of my life or was God trying to show me something?
So, after several days, I took these dreams to God in prayer and asked Him to show me if there was anything He wanted to teach me about myself or Him through this . . . and if there was perhaps a connection with the two.
This is what He impressed upon me about my dreams . . .
They were connected . . . very connected. They were used to show me something about myself and my relationship with God.
God revealed to me that, yes . . . I was quite fearful of dying . . . of finding myself in His hands . . . and that while I could declare He was loving and caring . . . actually falling into the hands of the Living God was an experience I struggled with and could not put into words.
The marriage terminology when referring to our relationship with God is used in the Bible for a specific reason . . . it refers to complete dedication and commitment . . . it describes the intimacy that is shared with no other . . . it speaks of a relationship built on unconditional . . . and unadulterated . . . love . . . perfect love . . . it speaks of a transparency that happens when two become one. As Robin didn't immediately go on the offensive . . . but instead . . . seemed to be patiently waiting . . . God was actually describing Himself to me through this dream. God is really in love with me . . . and He utterly hates it when I demonstrate with my affections that I am toying with adultery. Thinking about it this way, I can more fully understand it when the Bible describes God as a Jealous Lover.
But . . . in the midst of His jealousy . . . He reminded me of the truthfulness and reliability of His Word. His Word says, "If we confess our sins . . . He is faithful and just . . . and will forgive our sins . . . and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I call that verse "God's bar of soap". So, once again, God is at work in my life . . . directing me through this process of continuing sanctification . . . which I describe . . . as the preparation needed in order to meet Him face to face and to enter into His Eternal Kingdom . . . which is being prepared for those who love Him.
"Lord, I confess to You that my affections have been mixed. I am so easily distracted from the eternal. Thank you for loving me and having the patience and the unswerving determination to do what is necessary to make known what You desire in me. Let me see that my future with You . . . meeting You face to face . . . entering into Your Kingdom . . . need not be filled with the unknown. I want to know You more and more each day . . . and you afford me that privilege. I don't want to continue dabbling in the strange fires of adultery . . . sharing my affections with the things of this world. I am declaring my wholehearted commitment to be Yours and Yours alone. Lead me on Your path . . . the path so many others have faithfully followed . . . that path that can be trusted to the nth degree because You faithfully revealed Yourself to be the God of all Creation and desire to save all who call upon You. I agree with Your Word, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.""
With God's grace . . . this is they way I will choose to live.
May you have a God-filled day . . . this day . . . and every day . . . from here to eternity.
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