I read a story in "HomeLife" (a Christian family magazine) about a father in South Florida who was working in his backyard. His 5-year old son was out back as well, and decided to take a dip in the lake behind the house. As the boy waded out into the cool water, the father moved closer to the shore, to keep a watchful eye on him. Suddenly, he saw movement in the water to the right of his son. Calling for his son, and splashing into the water after him, an alligator charged the boy, arriving at him the same time as the father. The gator clamped down hard on the boy's legs, but the father grabbed him too, and a death struggle ensued for the boy. A neighbor saw the emergency, grabbed a shotgun, ran out and killed the animal.
As the local media caught wind of the story, they visited the boy and his family at the hospital. In the room, as they prepared to put microphones and cameras in his face, the boy actually asked the first question. "Want to see my scars?" he asked. Expecting to see his mangled legs, the boy instead pulled up his shirt sleeves and declared, "These are the scars where my daddy wouldn't let me go."
That story hit me in the heart, and choked me up. I can't explain why exactly. As I thought about the desperate, powerful love of the father, I was reminded of two things- First, the desperate lengths I would go to save my own wife and girls. I would give my life and limbs to rescue them. Second, I thought of the desperate love of our heavenly Father, who did just that- sending His Son into this world, to rescue us from the jaws of sin, death, and hell. Only, in this case, He has the scars of the struggle, in His hands and feet. And He did not, and never will, let us go.
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can ever snatch them out of My hand." John 10:28
Rob

Last night as I left for church, the sky was gently raining, a cool breeze was blowing, and I saw 5 deer down my driveway, by the woods. They just stood there looking at me as I slowly drove past. Just beyond, a large rabbit popped out by the driveway, stopped to eyeball me for a moment, then scampered across into the fields on the other side. I drove to church in silence, feeling as though I was already in the presence of God.
At church, we had a quiet, prayer and praise-filled service, with peaceful songs of worship and corporate prayer times, both at the altar and at our seats. I felt the presence of God strongly there too, among His people gathered before Him.
I don't know which is more beautiful, more moving- the harmony of His creation, or the assembling of His saints.
God wants us to not just relegate our encounters with Him to once or twice a week, but to see Him in our everyday experiences, and commune with Him among His people, and in His creation.
Living & walking in His presence,
Rob

I recently bought a book called, "The World As I Remember It: Through the Eyes of a Ragamuffin". It is a collection of devotionals Rich Mullins wrote between 1991 and 1996, about a year before he died in a car crash. I always loved his thought-provoking music, and I am enjoying reading his thoughts on life, love, God, Jesus Christ, etc.
I read a section the other day that bears repeating here-
"I am a Christian because I have seen the love of God lived out in the lives of people who know Him. The Word became flesh and I have encountered God in the people who have manifested (in many 'unreasonable' ways) His Presence; a Presence that is more than convincing- it is a Presence that is compelling.
"I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to me, but because there were people who were willing to be the nuts and bolts, who through their explanation of it, held it together so that I could experience it and be compelled by it to obey.
"If I be lifted up," Jesus said, "I will draw all men unto Me."
Oh, that we who follow Christ would also love like Christ! Rather than accusing sinners, and withdrawing from them, if we would be more willing to be His hands & feet, His "nuts and bolts" so to speak, we (I) would have a much more positive influence and impact on people's lives, for His kingdom.
Rob

We recently adopted a new family member- or should I say, he adopted us! Dexter, as the girls named him, showed up on our front porch one morning, nestled among several bags of old clothes we had left out for the Kidney Foundation. We had spotted him occasionally over the previous couple of days, roaming our property and drinking from our little fountain pond. I tried to run him off a couple of times that morning, but by the afternoon, he was back on the porch. When the girls found him, they felt pity & fed him. Well, now we were stuck with him!
Dexter was malnourished & flea-bitten, with several sores on his body and a broken tail- meaning he had either been attacked by other dogs, or had been abused. Either way, he was convinced he had found a safe haven here from a cruel world. He didn't take long to warm up to us, and we brought him to our vet to have him checked out. He had intestinal worms, and possibly heart worms, and they treated him for all these, as well as fleas, ticks, rabies, etc. They bathed him, trimmed up his claws, and just gave him a complete check-up and cleaning. Good as new!
They estimated Dexter is about a year old, and he is very much full of energy. He is not yet an inside dog, as he is not house-trained, and he loves to chew things... anything! He has become very good natured and playful.
I've been asking God, "Why did this little outcast end up with us? What lesson is there here for us to learn?" I'm not sure completely, but I think this might be a picture of how God's people, the Church, should be. There is a world of outcasts outside our church doors, and rather than turn away in disgust as we often do, maybe what God has really called us to do is to love them, embrace them, and allow God to use us to help clean them up. Max Lucado once wrote, "God loves you right where you are, but He refuses to leave you there." Maybe His people should do the same, like we did with Dexter.
Rob