Nobodies To Somebodies

We're in week 8 of "The Story" - a 31 week walk through the Bible, and this week finds us in the time of the Judges. There's lots of rich insight available in this part of the Scriptures. In preparation to preach it, I focused on Gideon. Personally, the story spoke to me about how God chooses the least qualified so that no one can confuse Who should get the credit when the victory is won.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the sermon ever got off the ground. It just didn't seem like it was connecting with the congregation. I'll have to do a better job of prayer and preparation this week and ask God to redeem my efforts today. This is where being bivocational is tough. You really have to manage not just your time, but your energy and passion.

Then too, it may be that what I thought were impactful points from the text did not hit the heart of the congregation today. So much of what we do as preachers is just trying to be faithful to the text and to the Spirit. I think I did that, so I guess I should stop whining and trust God. :)



Music - We have been enjoying a return to hymns at New Hope and have really done a good job bringing them to the congregation with our awesome praise band. But "On Jordan's Stormy Banks" never really came together because our timing was all over the board.

The rest of the music - How Can I Keep From Singing, O Praise Him, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands, and Amazing Grace really went well.

In closing, consider this - if God can use cowards, murderers, prostitutes, drunkards, and the like to do great things, why should He use us?

If we are available that is.

Pray for me as I go back to school tomorrow and seek to be God's instrument of grace to the kids. I'm excited to be teaching third grade and am ready to see them achieve everything they possibly can.

Sunday Recap - March 21, 2010

We're into spring break season now, and our friends and their families are coming and going. Two of our congregation  J.C. Roberts and Scott Marston, aren't headed on vacation though - they're deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. When I was preparing the message on Gideon earlier in the week, in contrast to Gideon's excuses, I was thankful that God placed me here in Valparaiso, among everyday heroes who never would call themselves that. But they are to me. Our congregation will be bringing J.C. and Scott to the throne every day until they return to us, and supporting Pam and Laura and their families.


The message began with a question - Who's your hero?

It's my contention that in today's society, we have purposefully diminished the study of our nation's heroes, and decided that children don't need to be shaped by the stories of those who have gone before. That's our loss, because it's by looking at those who stand out - warts and all - that we can see the potential for world changing lives in all of us - by God's grace and through His power. So we looked at Gideon, and his battle plan against the Midianites. It was actually God's plan. Gideon's was let's hit them with everything we can hit them with. God's plan was "I got this."

We see in the story God's attempt to shape the battle field - not the area where the Midianites were, but of the hearts and minds of Gideon and his people. God takes a 32,000 man army and shrinks it in stages down to just 300 men plus Gideon. A lot has been made over the years about the method God used. That really doesn't matter. The focus should never shift from God to the men. God could have accomplished His victory with whatever number of men He chose to. The key was not the 300.

The key was the one. Gideon.

Was he willing to obey God?

We face the same fears and doubts,just about different things. The deal for us is the same - heroism is optional, but obedience is an absolute requirement to see God's power flow through us and change the world. Had a great time all week with the message and in delivering it.



Music this week: "Lord I Lift Your name On High", "Nothing But the Blood", "Have Thine Own Way" with a video of "For the Sake of the Call" by Steven Curtis Chapman just after the message started. That man is so awesomely using the talent God gave him.

You Can Talk About Your Man Named Gideon...

And I will tomorrow.

Gideon's fleece is one of those incidents in Scripture that you can't seem to put in any category except weird. And yet compared to some of the crazy ways I have heard people try to justify making decisions that stood in contrast to God's Word and the counsel of godly people, maybe Gideon's "performance fleece" isn't so crazy after all. Add to that all the horoscope checking rabbit foot carrying Christians and you have a recipe for a mess.

I've really enjoyed examining the life of Gideon and the times in which he lived. Pray with me that God would speak clearly through His Word tomorrow.