Haiti 2011 Trip Report

Hey, everyone,

Here's a link to the presentation I gave to my small group this past Tuesday on the Haiti 2011 trip.

Blessings on all'y'all,

Daver
  
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B2PfcXsRlkAJYmRhMmY2ZmYtZjFiZS00ZjM5LWJlYWQtY2VkMjRjNWU3YTYy&hl=en

A Surrendered Life

One is, I believe, on the road to living a surrendered life when he or she…

• Does not have to have a particular thing happen (for example, get THAT job or marry THAT person) to feel like his or her life will work out.
• Does not need notoriety; does not need to be noticed, esteemed, or, even, recognized by others.
• Is genuinely happy for a peer when such a one aces a difficult exam, is promoted, lands a fabulous job, wins the heart of the prettiest girl in school, gets in to grad school, gets married, etc.
• Lends without expecting what has been lent to be returned.
• Has fun helping others to discover their dreams, to live-in to their own unique happiness, or just to enjoy themselves.
• Gives back to God far more than just a tithe.
• Listens to the Whispers of God’s Spirit and is readily available to serve God whenever God says, "Now, My friend..."
• Does not have to be the best, the brightest, the most good looking, or the most talented.
• Has an almost unquenchable desire to please his or her Abba-Daddy.
• Speaks the truth in love, even when doing so feels incredibly unpopular.
• Would choose 100 out of 100 times to be the one stolen from as opposed to the one who steals from another…even if he or she were assured of never getting caught.
• Actively embraces a heart of gratefulness in most situations, and complains rarely, if ever.
• Forgives without a thought; has chosen to forgive even before anything has been said or done.
• Is not ashamed of Jesus or His gospel.
• Is comfortable with silence and stillness.
• Is an expressive and love-struck worshiper of God.
• Recognizes that everyone on earth is in the same boat:  and that is, that we are all desperately in need of God to do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves.
• Loves purely for the joy of loving "the beloved" and does not consider not being loved in return that big of a deal.
• Delights in inviting God to be a part of every thought, every feeling, every word, and every action.
• Always has enough to share with another.
• Endeavors to do the right thing—especially, when he or she is alone.
• Has been thoroughly tamed by God, is of a humble disposition, and treats others with the utmost kindness, respect, dignity, and compassion.
• Sees himself or herself as nothing more than just a conduit of God’s blessings to those around him or her.
• Is happy…pretty much all the time…even when he or she is feeling sad or broken.
• Loves language and words, but speaks infrequently.
• Listens without interrupting or without trying to think of what he or she would like to say while another is speaking.
• Is frugal, yet extremely generous, with his or her time, money, and resources.

Provided below are some old musical classics that I think speak to some of the more significant themes above.  Enjoy…

“More Power to Ya,” Petra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrBy-F0EWTE

“How Many Times (Seventy Times Seven),” Whiteheart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUZ4sPXoZCM&feature=fvsr

“Godpleaser,” Petra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrykNdFa_Rc&feature=related

“More of Jesus,” Mylon Lefevre and Broken Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqv1ezWAnRk

“Be Ye Glad,” Glad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfXqwIFwBAA&feature=related

“Fools Gold,” Petra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyfKftwozw4&feature=related

“Casual Christian,” Degarmo and Key
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylqCB3If54M

“Thankful Heart,” Petra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM8EhUpUDPQ

Free at Last!!!!

For those of you who know me well, you will, I think, more than understand the clips below.

It has been a lonnnnnnnnng, but FABULOUS, week!  I have much to write about, and shall, it is hoped, plunge right back in to the deep end tonight.  I'm thinking of writing a little more about heroes.  We shall see.

Peace out, y’all…

Daver

"Free at Last," DC Talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PaLNbQch4U

“Happy Day,” Tim Hughes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duLQ6d_BpLs

"Ocean Floor," Audio Adrenaline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y281553XUAA

Mourning the Loss of David Wilkerson

The Body of Christ on earth suffered a great loss, yesterday, with the passing of David Wilkerson (The Cross and the Switchblade, Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth, Times Square Church in NYC, World Challenge, Teen Challenge, etc.). 

It is my understanding that while Rev. Wilkerson was driving, yesterday, his car veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a tractor trailer.  It is unknown as to what caused his car to veer as it did.  While David was, apparently, killed instantly, his wife, Gwen, who was with him in the car, survived but was rushed immediately to the hospital.  The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital as well.

Please keep Gwen, the truck driver, their families, and all their friends in your prayers.

Thank you, and God's peace... 

http://www.worldchallenge.org/

Ending Well, Saying Good-bye, and God’s Redeeming Grace

People, things, experiences, and opportunities come and go.  Such things are not just a part of life; they are a key ingredient of it, would you not agree?

Today, I'm feeling a little sad, and so I want to write a little about that sadness as well as about saying good-bye.

Saying good-bye can be difficult…

ESPECIALLY, when it’s said to someone you love dearly who just went home to be with God in Heaven…

Or when it’s said to a friend, or to a group of friends, or to a job, or, even, to a series of experiences that have brought great enrichment to your life.

But, today, that’s not what I’m going to write about.  No…

Today, I want to write a little about saying good-bye to that which has been difficult.  To that, perhaps, which has been the stinging consequences of a poor decision made earlier in life.  We’ve all been there, haven’t we?  At least, to one degree or another.  It is, I believe, a part of the human condition.  Integral to it, as I wrote above.

Sometimes, when one is able finally to extricate oneself from something intensely painful or difficult, it is not uncommon for that person to feel great feelings of euphoria.  The euphoria, about which I write, reminds me of a story I once heard about a little boy named Timmy…

“Little Timmy Saunders and the Toy Hammer,” by Dave

In November of 1971, little Timmy Saunders turned six.

For Timmy’s birthday, his “Daddy” bought him a toy work bench and a whole set of toy tools (hammer, saw, screwdrivers, etc.).  And, wanting to be like his Dad, Timmy set himself up in his Dad’s workshop down in the basement of their home.  For hours, Timmy would bang away on his workbench with his wooden tools, wanting so much to do things just like his Dad.

After work, one day, Timmy’s Dad asked his wife, who was also Timmy’s Mom, where Timmy was.  He was told  that Timmy was, of course, down in the workshop “working.”  Not wanting to interrupt his little boy, Timmy’s Dad crept down the stairs slowly and just far enough so that he would be able to see his little Timmy “working.”  But what Timmy’s Dad saw startled him.  Little Timmy was hitting himself in the back of his head with his wooden hammer.

“Timmy?!” Timmy’s Dad asked sharply.  “What are you doing?  Why are you hitting yourself with your hammer?”

“Oh…Hi, Daddy,“ Timmy said as he turned to look at his Dad.  “Because it feels so good when I stop.”

 

That’s just like a little boy.  I never hit myself with my toy hammer, but I used to cut the circulation off in my fingers just to feel the relief when I unwound the string or rubber band.  If you’ve never been around little boys, believe you me, there’s nothing knew here.  This is just the stuff of childhood for little boys.

Anyway...have you not, at times, felt a little like little Timmy when you came to the end of something really difficult?

I’ve felt such things many times during my life.

But I didn’t last night—or, should I say, when I finished and said good-bye at exactly 4:09a this morning.

No.

This morning, I felt a deep, almost overwhelming sadness.

Even though there was some relief (and gratitude, too), mostly what I felt was sadness.  Sadness over what was definitely the end of an era.  Sadness over the loss (again) of the dreams I’d had several years before.

The sadness I felt was mine, of course, but I think, too, I may have felt (or had a sense of) a little of what God may have felt toward me over the last many years.  I know that the scriptures are replete with example after example of how much our sin incites God’s wrath.  I know they’re there, and I can quote many of them and, in some instances, site the book, chapter, and verse references.  The thing I’m discovering, though, is how much our sin brings great sadness to the Heart of our Daddy.  Especially when He sees how destructive our choices can be sometimes.  On the surface, would someone say that the choice I made seven years ago was a rebellious one?  Probably not.  The buying and selling of property is done all the time.  But….in doing what I did at that time, I stepped out of God’s best for me, and that, my friends, is a place to which I hope to never go again.  I probably will (just being honest), but I pray that, when I do, it’s only on very rare occasions and not for very long.

Seven years ago, I wanted property.  And, in a way, I “needed” it…or so I thought.  I thought it would help me to feel better about myself.  Over and over again, I remember hearing in my own heart the following quote from, O Brother, Where Art Thou?:  “A man ain't no man if he ain't got land.”  To many men out there, having land really does feel THAT important.

As important as it was for me to have property and a house, it was NOT important to God for me to have it.  So, it would seem, I stepped out of God’s best for me and went after that which I thought I really, really wanted (but came, in time, to realize that I never really did).

Within a matter of weeks of my purchase, another line from O Brother started to permeate my mind, and it was right on the money:  “Dang!!…we’re in a tight spot!!”  And I was.  And God was right there with me in those moments (because He’s always with me…even when I stray).  That “tight spot” lasted from April 20, 2004, until 4:09a this morning (April 25, 2011), when I closed up the property for the very last time.  Settlement is scheduled for 2p on Thursday.  To say the least, it has been a long, difficult, and very sad road.

And, while I am feeling some relief, I’m feeling, also, the sadness of it all…for the years I lost, for the opportunities I missed because of my lack of availability, for a host of other things, which, at this point, shall go unwritten.  So, yes, there is sadness there…felt by me, felt by God, felt by the both of us together.

But there’s a tremendous sense of gratefulness there, too, you know?  God saw me through some very difficult things:  the hamstringing of myself to things God DID NOT give me, the removing of most of those things from my life, and now, finally, the extricating of myself from a piece of property I was never supposed to have.

In and through all of this, I have learned some very valuable things about God’s grace and the redeeming work of His Spirit in my life.  Here are a few of them…

• Because of God’s grace, I can accept the FACT that the situation in which I find myself in the moment is my current reality and that no amount of energy can ever change my current circumstances into something different than what they are in this moment.
• Because of God’s grace, the sting of sin is NEVER as painful, as devaluing, or as devastating as it could be.
• Because of God’s grace, I have the power to choose to step back into the center of His present and perfect best for me and follow Him to wherever He wishes to lead me.  When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they had before them an 11-day journey to the Promised Land.  Even though they wandered around in the desert for almost 40 years, in the end, they did make it (finally!!) to the land promised by God to them and to their ancestors.
• Because of God’s grace, I have experienced (and will continue to experience) His active and unceasing pursuit to win back my heart, my life, my time, and my circumstances.  One of the greatest arenas of God's redemption in my life has been His removal from my "possession" that which I thought I wanted (but never really did) so that space and order would be created, wherein He could then give me that for which I’ve longed my entire life.  The removal of an unhealthy attachment, as painful as it might be as it's happening, is, in the end, one of the most liberating things on earth.  Not only does it provide relief from the weight and pain of that which has been "hitting me in the back of my head" for so long, but it creates an environment wherein the exuberance of God's joy can be allowed to express itself in and through me.

Honestly, my friends, even though I am so very hungry and thirsty and can hardly wait for God’s best for me, I will wait for Him and for it.  For I know He cares for me, and I know that He knows what’s best—at all times and in all situations.  I feel very grateful that God has seen fit to place within me an ability, now, to just let myself feel my deep hungers and thirsts and to stay right there with them…with the uncomfortableness, the edginess, and the ache all of it brings…until He sees fit to either satiate my desires or to remove them from me altogether.  God is my Source:  The Source of my hunger and the Source of that which satisfies it.  For all of this, I am so very grateful to my Father for letting me wander for so many years and for staying right there with me through it all.  It is all such a cool thing to me, you know?

“No Other Place,” by Dave

I made a decision once, and it was not in my best interests.

The pain of the consequences drove me to my knees.

And my Father, in His great compassion, got down on the ground with me, wiped away my tears, gave me the strength to stand, and granted me the courage to walk right alongside Him.

Together, we marched…one foot right after the other…left, right, left, right…and hiked it out.

The prayers of my life, while they may be many, are, essentially, summed up in this one simple request:  “Please, Father, please…just let me keep walking right along beside You….for there is no other place in all creation where I want to be.”

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret ambitions of your heart.—Psalm 37:4

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.—Psalm 63:5

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:11

I have loved you with an everlasting love.—Jeremiah 31:3

I will restore the years the locusts have eaten.—Joel 2:25

“And lo I Am and will be with you always,” says He, “even unto the very ends of the earth.”—Matthew 28:20 

For God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.—Philippians 2:13

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.—Philippians 4:5

For I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength and the power.—Philippians 4:13

Peace to all of you and to your families…

In Him,

Bling

Under a Glorious SONrise

Jesus is risen!!

HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

Jesus is risen!!

HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

My King is risen!!

YES…HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

Provided below is a clip that I believe is quite appropriate for this day.  If you’ve never seen it, give it a look and listen.  It's taken from a sermon preached by S.M. Lockridge more than a decade ago.  A friend of mine’s dad used to work in ministry with Dr. Lockridge some many years ago.  Dr. Lockridge was—and still is—an amazing man of God, and the legacy of His feelings for the One for Whom he lived so passionately lives on in these words.  "My King" is, perhaps, his most famous sermon.

Enjoy!!

I’m heading out, now, for the Sonrise service at newhope Church in Durham, NC.  

If you’d like to join me, the service begins at 6:30a.  Regular services will be held, also, at 8:30a, 10:10a, and 11:45a.  The address and contact info for the church is as follows:

Address:  7619 Fayetteville Road, Durham, NC  27713 (Within a mile of The Streets at Southpoint)

Phone:  919/ 206-HOPE (4673)

Website:  www.newhopenc.org

Directions:  Get Directions

Have a happy Easter, everyone!!

Bling

“My King,” S.M. Lockridge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUDgBNhKBME

Invisible Children

My high school youth pastor’s daughter, Jennifer Ling, made this video that featurs Invisible Children’s Project 25.

Jennifer's participating in the project, and you can help.  If, after watching the video, you feel a prompt from God to do so, please consider donating to this good work.

Thank you, and God bless you,

Dave

25 Campaign

http://vimeo.com/22241992

Responding to What Happened about Two Thousand years Ago

About two thousand years ago, a man said these Words…

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one can come to the father except through Me.

The man Who said these Words was a man by the Name of Jesus—Jesus of Nazareth.

This man claimed to be the only begotten Son of God and that He had come to take away the sins of the world.  He said that He came to give His Life so that the relationship between man and God, which had been broken through man’s sin and willful rebellion, could be restored—completely.

This man, Jesus, lived a perfect life of love and submission to God that ended in a bloody death on a cross.  But, after three days, He rose from the dead—just the way He said He would—and appeared to over 500 people over a period of nearly six weeks.  Then, according to eye-witness accounts, He ascended into heaven.

Today, this Jesus reigns in glory, as God the Son, over the entire universe and at the right hand of God the Father.  And, today, this Jesus offers you life and freedom from the bondage and enslavement to sin that you find yourself in right now.

I urge you to be open-minded and to consider this Jesus Who loves you, this Jesus Who wants to have a personal relationship with you, this Jesus Who wants to communicate with you.

My friends, this Jesus is the only One Who can meet the deepest needs in your life.  Give your life to Him, today, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and receive Him as your Lord and Savior.

If this is something that you desire, and I pray that it is (otherwise, I don't think you would have read this far!), I would like to urge you to do something—actually, two things:  (1) Tell God that you want Him to be a part of your life again and that you want the Life He offers through His Son, Jesus; and (2) Find a friend that you know is friends with Jesus, and tell that person what you’ve just done in asking Jesus into your life.

To help you with (1), please allow me to guide you in taking this really huge step.  In my life, I often call talking with God “praying.”  Let’s pray and talk with God, together for a couple minutes, okay?

Dear God...

I think You’ve been trying to reach out to me for a long time, and I think I’ve been resistant because I thought You were mad at me.  My friend, Dave, and some other friends have been telling me that you’re not really mad at me and that, instead, You love me exactly as I am.  Though it’s hard for me to understand, I’m choosing in this very moment to believe that You really do love me.

I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of, God.  I’ve hurt a lot of people, including myself, through the many mean, deceptive, and not-so-nice things I’ve done.  Right now, God, I ask that you forgive me of all these things—and they are numerous.  I am coming to understand that all these things have separated me from You and from the Life You desire me to have and to live.  In this moment, I chose to believe that Jesus came to earth and died in my place to pay the penalty of death that my sins require.  I believe, too, that He rose from the dead so that I might live.  And that is what I want, God:  TO LIVE!

I give my life to You, God, and I ask that You come to me in this moment, that You take up residence within my heart, and that You bring my soul back to life.  I believe that Jesus is my Savior from death and destruction, and I want to follow Him, God.  Help me to be me as You created me to be.  I believe that You know me inside and out, God, and I’d like to know You in that way, too.  I want your friendship in my life.  Help me to be a good friend to You, and please help me to love others the way you love them.

Thank You for loving me, God, and for not hating me like I thought.  And thank You, too, for forgiving me of my sins, cleansing me of its fifth, and saving me from the death and destructiveness my ways of living have brought about.

Amen.

If you prayed the above prayer and would like to speak with someone, and there is no one close right now, please call me on my cell (919/724-7935), for I would love to hear about what’s happened and encourage you in this new life God has given you.

Here are some additional passages from the Bible that I recommend considering:

Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity [sin] of us all.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gaveth His Only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

Romans 5:6-8

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, [Jesus] Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

2 Corinthians 6:2

For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation [of being saved from death and sin] I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Revelation 3:20

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

In Him, for Him, and by Him,

Dave 

"A Father’s Love Letter"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edl-2HUZYSQ&feature=related

I Am Those I Don’t Want to Be Like, and the One I Want to Be, I Am Not

I just got finished watching The Passion of the Christ.

And I am devastated.

Happens to me every time.

Found myself, as I was right there in the story, saying to myself, “Glad I’m not Judas.  What a fool.”

Glad I’m not Peter…gutless denier of Jesus.

Glad I’m not Abenader….

...or the Governor (Pilate)...

….or Herod…

…or the falling-over drunk guy (at 9am) in Herod’s cesspool…

…or the "toothless vermin" (quote from movie), who’d infested first century Palestine…

…or the High Priest…

…or the Jewish Leaders…

...or Barabbas...

...or the mob screaming for Jesus to be crucified...

…or the Roman guards, who, while at work one day, beat Jesus mercilessly and, quite literally, ripped the flesh from his body…

…and seemed to enjoy it…

...or the unrepentant criminal hanging on the cross next to Jesus...

Yeah…sooooo glad I’m not them.

Yeah, right.  Deluded fantasy, dude.

A mentor of mine once told me, “Dave, I’d rather be broken by the hardest of truths than lulled to sleep by the most treasured of illusions.”

That's still a good word, Jeff.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself:  ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance.  He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” — Luke 18:9-14

What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord. — Romans 7:24-25

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. — 1 Timothy 1:15-16

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.

"Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” He replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.  “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said:  “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” — Luke 10:25-37

Whenever I read the parable of The Good Samaritan, I want to be the Good Samaritan and play that part in the story.  And quite often, I am most humble to write (written with a touch of sarcasm), that is exactly the way I see myself.

But that is NOT who I am.

No...I’m the man lying in the ditch. 

The one who's been robbed blind, beaten, and left for dead.

Sometimes—and regrettably so, I'm the man who put the man in the ditch.  And, at times, I'm both the man in the ditch and the one who put him there.  The effects of sin are so far reaching and so devastating to us and everyone around us.

I'm in desperate need of Jesus and the redemption that only He can bring.

I’m going to go take a quick shower and then head over to Duke Chapel for a while and just spend some time thinking about all that Jesus won back for us when He issued forth that profoundly mysterious cry at the end of His life:  “It is finished.”