Today is the anniversary of my spiritual birthday. Here’s how it happened. I was in another church service where my Dad was speaking. This one seemed like the rest. I enjoyed my church but I wasn’t paying a lot of attention that day. In fact I took a book with me to read and that is what I did; until we stood up to sing the invitation song. Between verses my Father talked about the love of Jesus and how He died on the cross for my sins. He had my attention.
It wasn’t just the words but it was also the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t describe. To this day I don’t know whether to call it a hunger for something more, an acute awareness of my own selfishness or a drawing to something very lovely. It was a mix of the three. I remember counting the verses thinking most hymns were four verses so if I could hold out one more I could go. Something deep inside wanted to go to the altar and pray but suddenly I felt claustrophobic.
We finished the song and I got out as fast as I could. I remember feeling a little foolish because I really had nowhere to go. Remember, my Dad was the Pastor and he would stay until the last person left so I was stuck there. I thought about going outside but the weather wasn’t good. So I went downstairs. There weren’t a lot of choices so I chose the men’s restroom. I went in and locked the door.
It wasn’t a big room, a one holer, and once inside I felt very foolish. I remember saying to myself, why am I running. If this feeling is from God I’m not going to be able to get away from it no matter where I go. And if it is God why am I running? Maybe there is something good here I need.
I didn’t know what to pray but I felt like praying was the right thing to do. I’m not sure why but I got on my knees. Of course the toilet became a convenient place to kneel. And yes, the lid was down. I prayed, Dear God. Please forgive me for my sin. Come into my heart and make me the person you want me to be. Amen.
The peace that followed was incredible. I felt clean from the inside out. Intuitively I knew that I was forgiven. I didn’t know what to expect but I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. Choosing Christ was as simple as beginning a relationship with Someone who already knew me better than I knew myself. That day I made what has turned out to be the best decision of my life.

I have a nearly two year old grandson named Landon. It is pure joy to keep him at Papa's and Nana's most Fridays. I actually regularly take my day off now! Recently he's taught me new insight about the gospel--the Good News of Jesus. He likes to stand in front of our curio cabinet and look at himself in the mirror. He sways a little to the right and then the left and says, "I cute!" Where do you think he's heard that before? I love it that he knows the truth. He is loved and highly prized and he may not know this yet not just by me but by God. And God wants all of His children to know we are so highly valued that He sent His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. In that act He made a way to pay for the sin of the world. You are so cute to Him that He offers to forgive you and redeem your life. You can trust Him. He loves you. Landon has another saying I've picked up on. When he eats he likes to wear his food. It will be in his hair, on his cheeks and up his arms. He looks at himself and then at us and says, "I'm a mess!" it is quite a sight. I smile and laugh at his wit and his transparency. Isn't it great that he can hold two truths in his head at the same time. He is cute and He is a mess? The other part of the Gospel is that the grace that comes from the cross to save us is strong enough to keep us. Yes we are a mess on a daily basis but once we accept the grace of God He relates to us in a whole new way. He invites us into a relationship not based on our actions but on His grace and love for us. It is not about what we can do for Him but about the relationship. I'm learning so much from hanging around my grandson these days. My love for him grows by the hour and it reminds me of how God loves us.

Celebrate with us the greatest day in history! 

Pass this on to your friends and invite them to come with you to Indian Creek for Easter. We ask the questions, What is your impossible? and What if you didn't have to do it alone? The service is an awesome celebration of the resurrection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZPBxxfTJng&feature=channel

The service times are 9:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the Olathe campus and 10:30 a.m. on the Garder campus.

Impossible is Nothing!

Over the next week or so I will give a thumbnail sketch of things God is teaching me especially through my last mission trip.

There are too many idols and not enough crosses. That’s the thought that went through my mind as I toured Lantau Island outside of Hong Kong. There is a huge Buddha on the island and the shops around there are full of his image. In addition there are shrines to ancestors in abundance. But I didn’t see one cross or church on the whole island.

That got me thinking about the U.S. We may not have as many images but we certainly have idols. We may have more crosses and churches but that doesn’t mean that we have what the cross represents and that is surrender.

I strongly believe we have what we need in resources to care for the planet in every way, physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually yet there is a huge disparity in the way the resources are distributed. We don’t have a resource problem as much as we have an allocation problem.

God trusts us to be his stewards of the resources. We are the managers not the owners. God told me very clearly that I’m not to go through life as a consumer but as a man on a mission to serve my Savior and do His will. I’m going to give myself to that knowing that it means displacing idols in my life and determining to carry His cross.