Psalm 2:4a "He who sits in the heavens laughs,"
I hear the laughter of heaven this morning. Do you? This verse is written amidst the context of nations and people conspiring against God...and His response: laughter. I'm encouraged today. My eyes aren't fixed on those that conspire against, but on Him from whom laughter flows. The Lord isn't worried today. He isn't surprised today. He isn't anxiously fearing what's going to happen next. The Lord sits, on His throne, and is laughing.
I believe it is the same laughter that I have when my daughter moans and groans that the 5 minute car ride is taking FOREVER! It is the same laughter that erupts when one of my little ones tries to explain to me how much they know and I don't. It is the same laughter that exists every moment I hold them and tickle them. It is a laughter of love. It is a laughter of knowledge. It is a laughter of a father.
He is laughing today because He loves, He knows, and He is dad.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
We are moving!
We are moving.
We have been walking through an extraordinary process. The process has been prayerful. The process has been painful. The process has been profitable. The process, I have come to realize, is what the process is all about. One of my friends said to me, "Ben, it's not about where you are going, it's about who you are going to be when you get there."
A couple of years ago, I began to sense God stirring my heart concerning change and transition. I wasn't sure if it was personal change, physical change, spiritual change, or what. I waited and prayed. I asked God for clarity. I waited and prayed some more. As I approached the fall of 2009, I was certain the Lord wanted me to pray about any open doors that may come my way, and a fresh door opened with Pastor Rick Sinclair and Christian Fellowship Center in Madrid, NY. I spent a few months pondering the opening. I prayed. I sought counsel and insight from my pastor and other pastors and friends. As I slowly walked through that season, I never had a "yes" in my heart, and I told Pastor Rick no.
2010 came and was a whirlwind of activity and life. Traveling to Guatemala, the discovery that baby #4 was on her way, and the vibrant ministry life of Gallupville Gospel dominated our thoughts and focus early in the year. Deep down I still felt the tug of the Lord towards change. In late summer/early fall, as I was on a run, a clear word came to my heart, "Come follow me." My heart began to beat with anticipation and certainty of the voice of God. Everything I did, wherever I was, I heard the same thing..."Come follow me." I knew the Lord was calling me to a new season and that my season on the team here at Gallupville Gospel Church was coming to a close.
My passion to wholeheartedly obey the voice of God began to drive my heart, and I knew I needed to take action. I needed to take a step of faith and obedience. This was an incredibly delicate and difficult season, navigating the waters of Godly order and lifelong relationships. If not for the grace of the Lord, the incredible honor and graciousness of Pastor Jim Wolford and the Leadership Team here at Gallupville, and the wisdom of Pastor Mike Servello, I may have burned some bridges in my passion. Pastor Servello spoke these words, that still ring in my ears, "Take it slow and steady Ben. Slow and steady wins the race."
In early October, 2010, Pastor Jim, the Leadership and Administrative Teams, and I agreed that January 9, 2011 would be my last day on the Leadership Team here at Gallupville. "Where was I going?" or "What was I going to do?" were two questions that I still didn't have an answer for. I knew God was calling me to come after Him, but where He was leading me was a mystery. I continued to submit to the process. Though doors like Pastor Rick or my brother Derek's church plant were open to us, we really wanted to hear the voice of God and do the will of God.
Anticipating the arrival of baby Giselle and because of the nature of the transitional season we were in, I took a part time job stocking shelves in November to "make ends meet". This was a miracle season for us, learning tremendous lessons of trust and provision. God provided for all our needs, even though the checkbook said it was impossible. We didn't miss a bill. Working at Hannaford was incredible for me, meeting some awesome people, and the hard physical work was refreshing. However, the overnight hours were a bear. I didn't feel I had the energy to hear anyone...my wife, the kids, or the voice of God. I remember Pastor Jim asking me at a meeting if I had any sense of where God was leading me. I was clueless as to the direction. There were a lot of good ideas up to this point, but I wanted the God idea.
It was around January 1st that I had a dream. God spoke to me. I can still hear the words even now. "I will give you your voice in Madrid." Waking up from my dream the Lord spoke to my heart, "I gave you your legs in Gallupville, I'm going to give you your voice in Madrid." I heard from God. It was clear and unmistakable. Several more confirming words and Scripture came to me and I submitted what I was sensing to Pastor Jim. He agreed it was the Lord who was speaking. On Sunday, January 9, my last official day on the team, Pastor Jim shared to the church what the Lord had been speaking to me. He blessed me. He honored me. He humbled me with his love and immensity of heart and vision. He spoke that as a church we "weren't getting smaller, we were getting bigger." He spoke that as a church we were "sowing me into another church and pastor who needed our help." He spoke of a future that was bright and hopeful for all of us. I was blessed. Waiting for the blessing is so much better than bolting with permission.
Over the next few weeks I met with Pastor Rick and elders from CFC. I shared with them my journey, my process, my ups and downs. There was confirmation in the room as they all encouraged me with their words and prayer. In the midst of this time Pastor Jim invited Pastor Rick to come and speak on my final Sunday here at Gallupville Gospel Church on February 27. So here we are. Two more weeks. After 35 years of calling Gallupville my home, He is leading me to a new place, for a new season, and I can only hope, as a new man. Gallupville will always be my home in so many ways. My mom and dad live here. My sister and brother in law live here. My spiritual dad lives here. My best friends are here. My children were born here. My roots are here. My memories, my tears, my laughter are all here. This is all I've known.
Now I step out. A new day. A new adventure.
We have been walking through an extraordinary process. The process has been prayerful. The process has been painful. The process has been profitable. The process, I have come to realize, is what the process is all about. One of my friends said to me, "Ben, it's not about where you are going, it's about who you are going to be when you get there."
A couple of years ago, I began to sense God stirring my heart concerning change and transition. I wasn't sure if it was personal change, physical change, spiritual change, or what. I waited and prayed. I asked God for clarity. I waited and prayed some more. As I approached the fall of 2009, I was certain the Lord wanted me to pray about any open doors that may come my way, and a fresh door opened with Pastor Rick Sinclair and Christian Fellowship Center in Madrid, NY. I spent a few months pondering the opening. I prayed. I sought counsel and insight from my pastor and other pastors and friends. As I slowly walked through that season, I never had a "yes" in my heart, and I told Pastor Rick no.
2010 came and was a whirlwind of activity and life. Traveling to Guatemala, the discovery that baby #4 was on her way, and the vibrant ministry life of Gallupville Gospel dominated our thoughts and focus early in the year. Deep down I still felt the tug of the Lord towards change. In late summer/early fall, as I was on a run, a clear word came to my heart, "Come follow me." My heart began to beat with anticipation and certainty of the voice of God. Everything I did, wherever I was, I heard the same thing..."Come follow me." I knew the Lord was calling me to a new season and that my season on the team here at Gallupville Gospel Church was coming to a close.
My passion to wholeheartedly obey the voice of God began to drive my heart, and I knew I needed to take action. I needed to take a step of faith and obedience. This was an incredibly delicate and difficult season, navigating the waters of Godly order and lifelong relationships. If not for the grace of the Lord, the incredible honor and graciousness of Pastor Jim Wolford and the Leadership Team here at Gallupville, and the wisdom of Pastor Mike Servello, I may have burned some bridges in my passion. Pastor Servello spoke these words, that still ring in my ears, "Take it slow and steady Ben. Slow and steady wins the race."
In early October, 2010, Pastor Jim, the Leadership and Administrative Teams, and I agreed that January 9, 2011 would be my last day on the Leadership Team here at Gallupville. "Where was I going?" or "What was I going to do?" were two questions that I still didn't have an answer for. I knew God was calling me to come after Him, but where He was leading me was a mystery. I continued to submit to the process. Though doors like Pastor Rick or my brother Derek's church plant were open to us, we really wanted to hear the voice of God and do the will of God.
Anticipating the arrival of baby Giselle and because of the nature of the transitional season we were in, I took a part time job stocking shelves in November to "make ends meet". This was a miracle season for us, learning tremendous lessons of trust and provision. God provided for all our needs, even though the checkbook said it was impossible. We didn't miss a bill. Working at Hannaford was incredible for me, meeting some awesome people, and the hard physical work was refreshing. However, the overnight hours were a bear. I didn't feel I had the energy to hear anyone...my wife, the kids, or the voice of God. I remember Pastor Jim asking me at a meeting if I had any sense of where God was leading me. I was clueless as to the direction. There were a lot of good ideas up to this point, but I wanted the God idea.
It was around January 1st that I had a dream. God spoke to me. I can still hear the words even now. "I will give you your voice in Madrid." Waking up from my dream the Lord spoke to my heart, "I gave you your legs in Gallupville, I'm going to give you your voice in Madrid." I heard from God. It was clear and unmistakable. Several more confirming words and Scripture came to me and I submitted what I was sensing to Pastor Jim. He agreed it was the Lord who was speaking. On Sunday, January 9, my last official day on the team, Pastor Jim shared to the church what the Lord had been speaking to me. He blessed me. He honored me. He humbled me with his love and immensity of heart and vision. He spoke that as a church we "weren't getting smaller, we were getting bigger." He spoke that as a church we were "sowing me into another church and pastor who needed our help." He spoke of a future that was bright and hopeful for all of us. I was blessed. Waiting for the blessing is so much better than bolting with permission.
Over the next few weeks I met with Pastor Rick and elders from CFC. I shared with them my journey, my process, my ups and downs. There was confirmation in the room as they all encouraged me with their words and prayer. In the midst of this time Pastor Jim invited Pastor Rick to come and speak on my final Sunday here at Gallupville Gospel Church on February 27. So here we are. Two more weeks. After 35 years of calling Gallupville my home, He is leading me to a new place, for a new season, and I can only hope, as a new man. Gallupville will always be my home in so many ways. My mom and dad live here. My sister and brother in law live here. My spiritual dad lives here. My best friends are here. My children were born here. My roots are here. My memories, my tears, my laughter are all here. This is all I've known.
Now I step out. A new day. A new adventure.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Imitate
Generation Church: June 7, 2009
Hebrews 6:12 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
We are all imitators. I believe this. We all imitate someone else. Whether it is a parent, an older brother or sister, a grandparent, an uncle, aunt, friend, teacher, pastor, movie star, music star, sports hero…you get it. We have plenty of choices, and we have all made the choice.
Who have you imitated in life? Can you actually name them? I can think of a few that I have purposely imitated: my brother, my pastor, my dad, Cal Ripken, and Jesus. I know…quite a list. If I listed everyone that I have imitated it would look pretty silly. I can remember the time I had watched the TV show, “Wonderwoman”…within a few minutes of the show’s finish, I was outside as “Wonderboy” trying to deflect bullets off my wristbands. I loved that show.
Sometimes I imitated other people because I didn’t like myself. I grew up with differing amounts of insecurity. I didn’t like the way I looked. I was too short. I was too stocky. I wore glasses. My voice was too high. And down the line I would go. However, most of my insecurities were there because when I was comparing myself to other people I loved and respected…and instead of imitating what was in their heart, I would be disappointed when I couldn’t imitate their appearance! How silly!
God made each of us unique…we need to embrace our uniqueness and imitate the traits in others that inspire us.
Imitation will only be positive if, as we imitate, we discover ourselves. Take sports for example. When you pursue a sport you enjoy, you want to learn the proper mechanics of the skill you are learning. I grew up loving baseball. I tried to imitate my favorite baseball stars like Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray. Today maybe you would try to imitate Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols. If I tried to swing the same way Cal Ripken did or Eddie Murray did, I would never have been able to hit the ball. They had a unique way that they approached their individual hitting…however in watching their swings I was inspired to find my own swing that made “baseball sense”. In imitating them, I found myself.
In the Bible are some amazing men and women that God wants us to imitate. The Bible clearly tells us to imitate Jesus first and foremost. He is the Son of God…of course we are to imitate Him. There are others as well we can imitate, and hopefully through imitation, discover ourselves. Take Samson…he was listed in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. He was an absolute beast of a man! He was ridiculously powerful! He had his shortcomings, that ultimately affected his life expectancy, but if we agree that we aren’t supposed to imitate his failures, how can we imitate Samson?
At one point, Samson literally shreds a lion with his bare hands!
Should we go to a zoo and jump in the lion enclosure?
Samson wreaked havoc on the Philistines by tying 300 foxes together and putting a torch in the knot!
Should we go and trap some foxes?
Samson killed a thousand men with only the jawbone of a donkey!
Should we start looking for donkey jawbones?
What set Samson apart from everyone else? Was it just his hair? That is what he told Delilah to cut…that was the source of his power he told her. Should we all grow our hair really long? Of course not! What set Samson apart is time after time the Bible says that, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson in power. If we want to imitate Samson, we need to spend our imitation on this point. We need the Spirit of the Lord to come on us in power.
Why? So we can beat up people? So we can catch tonight’s dinner with our bare hands?
We need the power of God’s Spirit so we can live our life for God, saying no to sin, and yes to His plan and purpose. In Samson’s day he was fighting against a group of people, the Philistines. Today, we aren’t battling against groups of people, against flesh and blood, we are battling against the Devil and evil powers that are trying to rob the hearts and souls of men.
We need to be God imitators. Look around, read your Bible, find other men and women who were God imitators and imitate them too...their faith, their patience, their endurance, their love, their passion. Go outside and start deflecting some bullets Wonderboy!
Hebrews 6:12 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
We are all imitators. I believe this. We all imitate someone else. Whether it is a parent, an older brother or sister, a grandparent, an uncle, aunt, friend, teacher, pastor, movie star, music star, sports hero…you get it. We have plenty of choices, and we have all made the choice.
Who have you imitated in life? Can you actually name them? I can think of a few that I have purposely imitated: my brother, my pastor, my dad, Cal Ripken, and Jesus. I know…quite a list. If I listed everyone that I have imitated it would look pretty silly. I can remember the time I had watched the TV show, “Wonderwoman”…within a few minutes of the show’s finish, I was outside as “Wonderboy” trying to deflect bullets off my wristbands. I loved that show.
Sometimes I imitated other people because I didn’t like myself. I grew up with differing amounts of insecurity. I didn’t like the way I looked. I was too short. I was too stocky. I wore glasses. My voice was too high. And down the line I would go. However, most of my insecurities were there because when I was comparing myself to other people I loved and respected…and instead of imitating what was in their heart, I would be disappointed when I couldn’t imitate their appearance! How silly!
God made each of us unique…we need to embrace our uniqueness and imitate the traits in others that inspire us.
Imitation will only be positive if, as we imitate, we discover ourselves. Take sports for example. When you pursue a sport you enjoy, you want to learn the proper mechanics of the skill you are learning. I grew up loving baseball. I tried to imitate my favorite baseball stars like Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray. Today maybe you would try to imitate Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols. If I tried to swing the same way Cal Ripken did or Eddie Murray did, I would never have been able to hit the ball. They had a unique way that they approached their individual hitting…however in watching their swings I was inspired to find my own swing that made “baseball sense”. In imitating them, I found myself.
In the Bible are some amazing men and women that God wants us to imitate. The Bible clearly tells us to imitate Jesus first and foremost. He is the Son of God…of course we are to imitate Him. There are others as well we can imitate, and hopefully through imitation, discover ourselves. Take Samson…he was listed in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. He was an absolute beast of a man! He was ridiculously powerful! He had his shortcomings, that ultimately affected his life expectancy, but if we agree that we aren’t supposed to imitate his failures, how can we imitate Samson?
At one point, Samson literally shreds a lion with his bare hands!
Should we go to a zoo and jump in the lion enclosure?
Samson wreaked havoc on the Philistines by tying 300 foxes together and putting a torch in the knot!
Should we go and trap some foxes?
Samson killed a thousand men with only the jawbone of a donkey!
Should we start looking for donkey jawbones?
What set Samson apart from everyone else? Was it just his hair? That is what he told Delilah to cut…that was the source of his power he told her. Should we all grow our hair really long? Of course not! What set Samson apart is time after time the Bible says that, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson in power. If we want to imitate Samson, we need to spend our imitation on this point. We need the Spirit of the Lord to come on us in power.
Why? So we can beat up people? So we can catch tonight’s dinner with our bare hands?
We need the power of God’s Spirit so we can live our life for God, saying no to sin, and yes to His plan and purpose. In Samson’s day he was fighting against a group of people, the Philistines. Today, we aren’t battling against groups of people, against flesh and blood, we are battling against the Devil and evil powers that are trying to rob the hearts and souls of men.
We need to be God imitators. Look around, read your Bible, find other men and women who were God imitators and imitate them too...their faith, their patience, their endurance, their love, their passion. Go outside and start deflecting some bullets Wonderboy!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Clothes
Generation Church: May 31, 2009
Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
Clothes. Duds. Sunday Best. Apparel. Frock. Garments. Gear. Get-up. Outfit. Threads. Wardrobe.
What are you wearing? What type of clothes do you like to wear? Where do you like to shop? What colors do you like wearing?
Clothes are important! (Tell me more...I'm captivated now.) They make a statement about who you are. This doesn't mean one set of clothes or style is more valid than the other, but only that we can agree that clothing is an important part of every day life.
David and Goliath. Familiar passage. Quickly: David shows up at battlefront with food for his brothers. David sees Goliath who mocks people of God. David gets righteously upset, gets permission from King Saul to fight Goliath, gathers five stones, battles Goliath and knocks him unconscious by slinging a stone, and then he cuts off Goliath's head.
How many times do you stop and think about what David was wearing? The Bible says that when David was with King Saul, King Saul wanted David to wear his armor. The armor didn't fit...they weren't made for David, they were made for King Saul. David chose not to wear the armor because he looked silly, and he wouldn't be able to fight in the oversize gear.
You won't make it if try and wear someone else's clothes! God has clothes specifically designed for you! What are some of the clothes talked about in the above verse: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. There are plenty of other garments that God has designed for us: praise, Jesus Himself, love, joy, peace, salvation, faith, word of God, etc. These are the clothes God has picked out for us.
The world though, has picked out some other clothes: bad attitudes, depression, anger, pride, shame, frustration, bitterness, etc. Regularly we are tempted to wear these clothes. We are told that we don't have a chance to survive if we don't wear these clothes.
Let's give God permission to dress us today. Let's put on the clothes He laid out. There are some Goliath's that need defeating, and we need not be weighed down by clothes that don't fit.
Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
Clothes. Duds. Sunday Best. Apparel. Frock. Garments. Gear. Get-up. Outfit. Threads. Wardrobe.
What are you wearing? What type of clothes do you like to wear? Where do you like to shop? What colors do you like wearing?
Clothes are important! (Tell me more...I'm captivated now.) They make a statement about who you are. This doesn't mean one set of clothes or style is more valid than the other, but only that we can agree that clothing is an important part of every day life.
David and Goliath. Familiar passage. Quickly: David shows up at battlefront with food for his brothers. David sees Goliath who mocks people of God. David gets righteously upset, gets permission from King Saul to fight Goliath, gathers five stones, battles Goliath and knocks him unconscious by slinging a stone, and then he cuts off Goliath's head.
How many times do you stop and think about what David was wearing? The Bible says that when David was with King Saul, King Saul wanted David to wear his armor. The armor didn't fit...they weren't made for David, they were made for King Saul. David chose not to wear the armor because he looked silly, and he wouldn't be able to fight in the oversize gear.
You won't make it if try and wear someone else's clothes! God has clothes specifically designed for you! What are some of the clothes talked about in the above verse: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. There are plenty of other garments that God has designed for us: praise, Jesus Himself, love, joy, peace, salvation, faith, word of God, etc. These are the clothes God has picked out for us.
The world though, has picked out some other clothes: bad attitudes, depression, anger, pride, shame, frustration, bitterness, etc. Regularly we are tempted to wear these clothes. We are told that we don't have a chance to survive if we don't wear these clothes.
Let's give God permission to dress us today. Let's put on the clothes He laid out. There are some Goliath's that need defeating, and we need not be weighed down by clothes that don't fit.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Misundertood
I hate being misunderstood. However, it is inevitable. Someone is bound to misunderstand something you said, did, or what you didn't do. If they haven't yet, you aren't breathing. Maybe it is me, but I don't do well at clarifying something, that in my opinion, was made perfectly clear the first time around. I usually end up diving deeper into a world of misunderstandings.
At least one thing is true, God never misunderstands us. He understands us...perfectly. He needs no clarification. He needs no long, wordy, hard to understand explanation of why we said this or why we did that. He knows why. He knows better than us why. And He still loves us. Cool.
At least one thing is true, God never misunderstands us. He understands us...perfectly. He needs no clarification. He needs no long, wordy, hard to understand explanation of why we said this or why we did that. He knows why. He knows better than us why. And He still loves us. Cool.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Here I Am Daddy!
Adriana, my 2 year old, is an incredibly intense young person. When she gets focused on something, it can take some work to pull her attention away. One area of interesting intensity surfaces when I arrive home after the office or being gone for a significant period of time. As I arrive I might find Adriana immediately at the door with these bright words, "Here I am Daddy!" I immediately sweep her up in my arms and we have our "moment". Or there will be other times I will arrive home and not find her at the door. As I begin to look for her, I might find her playing with the blocks over on the floor. I go to her and she will completely ignore me. I can kiss her, tickle her, talk to her, hug her...nothing will remove her from her focus on the blocks. I can lift her and she will bend her body like she is still playing with the blocks. Though I wish I would immediately gain her attention, I enjoy the game of winning her over, and do my best to open her heart. (This would always take about one kiss and a tickle with Elena.) However, the game can last for several minutes with Adriana, and she will usually barely let me in with a lean and a partial snuggle and then return to her blocks. The next moment is always very important, and repeats itself often. I will slowly stand to my feet, resolve myself to let Adriana play with the blocks, and slowly turn away. It is at this moment that Adriana drops everything she is doing and runs to catch me yelling these words, "Here I am Daddy!" My heart leaps as I sweep her up in my arms in a fantastic hug. I love those words and I love those moments.
It reminds me of our relationship with God. How often do we barely lean in to Him when He is trying to get our attention, we are just consumed with the "blocks of life". We need to make sure we turn to Him with these words, "Here I am Daddy!"
It reminds me of our relationship with God. How often do we barely lean in to Him when He is trying to get our attention, we are just consumed with the "blocks of life". We need to make sure we turn to Him with these words, "Here I am Daddy!"
Monday, January 26, 2009
Work Hard
It's not easy...but I'm trying. There are so many areas that require my attention, and inevitably my hard work. From church administration to letters I need to write. From working on Generation Church to planning for meetings. From doing the laundry to playing with the kids. From clearing the downed trees to working on the house. From my own expectations, my families expectations, to my work expectations...to the most important, the Lord's expectations. I hear the Lord's gentle voice guiding me through the moments. I know He is putting things in front of me at each point to accomplish...I just continually need to find His grace and work hard.
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