Friendship

He wakes and lifts his weary head off of the rock that was last night's pillow. His apprenticeship has begun and he is to meet with the fearless leader as the sun rises in the east over the mountains that seem to reach to heaven. He yawns and stretches and brings his garment together with his sash after taking care of his morning functions. It was difficult this morning because of the lack of hydration in his blood. It has been a long journey from Egypt and the journey has only just begun. But rise he must and rise he does, the nation and its mentor await here at Rephidim, which ironically means "support" in Hebrew. It gives him a tremendous sense of youthful anticipation to finally put his fighting skills to good use. He tires of walking and yearns for the freedom that the days battle could provide, if only temporarily. He fears no the death that the same said battle could equally provide, because eternall life with the Lord beats camping with all of these whining women, crying children, whaling animals, and prideful patriarchs. He is a man's man. He approaches his master who just yesterday gave him his marching orders. His men are in full gear, the best swordsmen and warriors that the nation can provide despite the lack of training in the bondage of her past. It is hope that sweats from the pores of their skin under their broken armor.

The trumpet sounds. The battle cry is deafening. The sparks of swords. The sounds of horror. The spatter of blood. The sky was bright, but turns dark. He looks to the hill where his master stands with his staff in his hands held up high for the soldiers to see. The pillar of fire in the distance provides the instant reflection needed to remind him of the necessary of this evil. "Keep those hands raised", he thinks as he sees them begin to fall. The man's hands start to go down. DOWN!...he falls to his knees just missing the potential for his ending at the hand of an Amalekite beast. His sword reacts to this movement with a thrust into the side of that rabid enemy and a huge surge of adrenaline pours through his veins with a power that is far greater than his own.

Time passes and the battle rages and he gazes again upon the hill in the west where, confused, he sees the silhouette of the aged man who leads this nomadic nation. The quivering body now sits on a rock. His hands are still high, but they are resting on the strength of his two friends, one on either side of him. Keep holding them up. For as long as they are up, victory is certain. The battle winds begin to blow and the stench begins to fill the air. The squall and attack of the vultures is one that haunts him in his nightmares for the rest of his days until his passing in that great land of milk and honey, Oh great Galilee!

Back up on the hill, the Lord God says to the once-timid-coward who tried everything to avoid confrontation with his brother-in-law the Pharoah...God said, "Moses, write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that you servant Joshua (the apprentice on the battlefield) hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven"

Moses was one of the greatest heroes of Old Testament lore, almost mythical infact, because of the great deeds that God performed through him and his staff. Even the chosen one, on that fateful day when he followed the Creator's instructions, needed his buddies (Aaron and Hur) to keep him "lifted up". He also needed his friend, Joshua, on the battlefield to wield his sword to victory. All of this friendship was necessary to fulfill God's purpose.

I was told of a sign in a locker room recently that said, "show me your three best friends and I will show you your future". Who are your friends? Would they die for you? Do they lift you up?

My prayer today is that I am thankful for the great friends that I have, especially the one who died on the cross 2000+ years ago for my sins...without even knowing me!

rs

Superstitious?

I am sorry it has been so long since I blogged!

When I ask you, "who wrote the song 'Superstitious'", inevitably your mind's ear will recall the bass guitar line from the song penned by Stevie Wonder. If you were to ask me who wrote the song, "Superstitious", my first reaction would be the more obscure 80's hair-metal band Europe. You remember Europe, they were the one's who first performed the stadium rock classic "The Final Countdown". Ever since I heard that song, I became a huge Europe fan. I remember that the Detroit Pistons started playing that song during their pre-game warmups. I always got goose bumps when I heard the first keyboard riff on the radio or in my cassette tape Sony Walkman.

Europe's first album was a huge hit. They had the coveted opening act spot on Def Leppard's Hysteria Tour. Like most bands, their sophomore effort, "Out Of This World" did not sell quite as well. However, the opening song on the album was a song called, "Superstitious". "I ain't supertitious, I have no doubt, that there's reason, how things turn out". I can hear it now. Seriously, I have their greatest hits (as ironic as that may seem) in the cd player right now.

Have you got any superstitions? Baseball players are notorious for them. If a major league player tells you they don't have one, they are simply lying. When I played baseball for one season it college it gave me great memories. We had a superstition on our team that you didn't wash your socks as long as you were on a hitting streak. That year I developed into a decent hitter. I started the year in the 9 spot and ended the year leading off. I had one stretch where I had a 12 game hitting streak. In the major leagues that would be two weeks. In college baseball it was three weeks without washing the socks. At that point a roommate of mine took the socks that had been draped over the desk chair wreaking more than just havoc in our room and unbenownst to me...washed them. He tried to smudge some brown and green crayon on them to make it look like they had not been touched...but I knew. The hitting streak stopped.

Did the socks have anything to do with the streak? No, it was practice. I could hit the curve ball (at least until that 13th game). Not many guys could do that at the level I was playing (or almost any level for that matter). I grew up playing tennis, stickball, and whiffle ball. I understood spins and could see the ball well. I had "faith" in my abilities because of practice. Confidence is said to come from the positive demonstration of a skill on a repetitive basis. What if I were to put my 9 year old daughter up against those same pitchers? I have "faith" in her as well. However, she doesn't have the skill set to be able to hit those pitchers (or even lift a bat very well)...

...Point #1 - Faith without action is worthless

Tuesday night, our basketball squad played a team that had similar athleticism to our team. They played very hard. Their actions were noble on the court and they "left everything out there on the floor". They lost to us by 40. Our team came in with confidence and a "faith" in their teammates and coaches to go along with their sets of skills and fundamentals...

...Point #2 - Action without faith is worthless

Point #3 - Faith combined with action is...
...what champions are made of.
...what develops successful organizations everywhere.
...WHAT GOD EXPECTS FROM US!!!

James 2:14-17
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?...In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

Like the band Europe says, "there is a reason, how things turn out". We just have to have that faith and their supported actions coming from God's word!

rs

The Silversmith

Do you see challenges as opportunities for growth or do you let them overwhelm you with stress and anxiety. These are perspectives that directly reflect on a persons physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

This morning in chapel, Coach Glenn gave a great story based in Malachi chapter 3 about a silversmith. Verses 2 and 3 state, "But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver."

Coach told the story of a lady that was at a Bible study who said that she was going to go watch a silversmith, just to see what all of this talk was about. She went and observed the silversmith putting the metal over the fire. She asked him, "Why do you put it over the fire?". He replied, "So that all of the impurities melt off of it and it can become pure". She said, "That's interesting, but how do you know when it is done?" He stated, "I know that it is ready when I can see my reflection in the metal.

What a great metaphor for our relationship with God. He puts challenges and tests in front of us to help us grow and eliminate childish impurities. He continues to mold and shape us with these challenges until the worldly impurities are releases and he can see himself in us. We were made in the image of God and that's how he wants to see us right now.

My prayer is that I see these not as situations that tear at me, but as opportunities to reflect my God on earth! Thanks God! Thanks Malachi! Thanks Coach!