Thursday, August 28, 2008
Not Everyone Can Go, But Everyone Can Help
We talked last night at The Porch about Paul's words to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 1:8-11. As he and his companions traveled thru Asia, they feared for their lives as they advanced the kingdom, boldly sharing Christ wherever they went. He gives credit for their success/survival to two factors. The first is, of course, God. He says that they were in trouble so that they would rely more on the God who could deliver them. But the other factor he sites for his survival is the prayers of the Corinthian believers. He writes in vs. 10-11: "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." As we leave for Asia in just 48 hours, I know our success hinges on several things, but the two biggies are God's provision for us and YOUR prayers. You may not be able to go on a 12 day trek to Asia to share Jesus with people, but you can still help. Join our team by making a commitment to pray every day for our work. Specifically, every evening around 5 p.m. our time and 8 a.m. our time. Every morning pray for the people we are sharing a meal with, and every evening pray for the people we will be meeting in the local parks to just begin relationships and to invite to dinner. In doing so, you are helping just like the early church helped Paul as he traveled thru Asia.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Transplants and Gravity
Yesterday was one of those wonderful, wierd, awesome, awful days. I got a call from my mom about 8:15 am, telling me that they'd been summoned to Covenant Hospital from Amarillo by the Lubbock Transplant team - that they believed they had a transplant kidney available for my dad. He's been on kidney dialysis for 8 years and has gone through the gamut of emotions and physical ailments resulting from it.
All the crossmatches were good and by 10 am he was prepped and ready for the surgery. Then we waited. Hard stuff, waiting! It didn't take long to realize, from the posture of the staff, that the surgical suite was ready, the transplant team was ready, my dad was ready, we were ready...the delay was in the harvesting of the kidney. The elation of having our prayers answered after eight long years of struggle and hardship was tempered as we realized that somewhere else in the same hospital a family was making the decision to let a loved one go, and that had to happen before my dad could live.
All we were allowed to know is that it was an accident victim - 18 years old - from over in New Mexico. How do you pray for that? How do you pray selflessly? What do you ask our wonderful, Creator God to do? How do you approach the giver of life and ask Him to hurry up and take a life? Ummmm. How wonderfully awful life can be. How horribly beautiful can be death.
At 4 pm we were told the kidney was being harvested. At 5 pm the transplant surgery began. It is VERY rare, we were told, for someone in my dad's condition to receive a LIVING kidney. My mom and dad were even allowed to see the life sustaining organ prior to surgery. It was the perfect storm of healing technology. At 8 pm the surgeon told us that the transplant surgery was a success. And now we bask in the glow of a successful surgery and wait prayerfully to see if the body receives the transplanted organ, and we work feverishly to prevent infection and promote healing.
My emotions are sapped...crushed for a family who gave up their son or daughter so that my father can live "normally" again. All I can tell them is that they did the right thing. They did a great thing. They did a heroic thing. Their loved one's death saved a good man. In fact, at least two people are alive with new hope today because of this family's tragedy yesterday.
I'm elated for dad and look forward to the day when he can eat a normal meal and maybe, just maybe, enjoy the life that was been taken from him for most of the last decade.
But all this gravity makes me land in the knowledge that my Heavenly Father gave up His perfect Son so that I could have my heart transplanted and live again. I/we daren't miss the Jesus in all of this. So I listen to my beating heart and marvel at His life within.
All the crossmatches were good and by 10 am he was prepped and ready for the surgery. Then we waited. Hard stuff, waiting! It didn't take long to realize, from the posture of the staff, that the surgical suite was ready, the transplant team was ready, my dad was ready, we were ready...the delay was in the harvesting of the kidney. The elation of having our prayers answered after eight long years of struggle and hardship was tempered as we realized that somewhere else in the same hospital a family was making the decision to let a loved one go, and that had to happen before my dad could live.
All we were allowed to know is that it was an accident victim - 18 years old - from over in New Mexico. How do you pray for that? How do you pray selflessly? What do you ask our wonderful, Creator God to do? How do you approach the giver of life and ask Him to hurry up and take a life? Ummmm. How wonderfully awful life can be. How horribly beautiful can be death.
At 4 pm we were told the kidney was being harvested. At 5 pm the transplant surgery began. It is VERY rare, we were told, for someone in my dad's condition to receive a LIVING kidney. My mom and dad were even allowed to see the life sustaining organ prior to surgery. It was the perfect storm of healing technology. At 8 pm the surgeon told us that the transplant surgery was a success. And now we bask in the glow of a successful surgery and wait prayerfully to see if the body receives the transplanted organ, and we work feverishly to prevent infection and promote healing.
My emotions are sapped...crushed for a family who gave up their son or daughter so that my father can live "normally" again. All I can tell them is that they did the right thing. They did a great thing. They did a heroic thing. Their loved one's death saved a good man. In fact, at least two people are alive with new hope today because of this family's tragedy yesterday.
I'm elated for dad and look forward to the day when he can eat a normal meal and maybe, just maybe, enjoy the life that was been taken from him for most of the last decade.
But all this gravity makes me land in the knowledge that my Heavenly Father gave up His perfect Son so that I could have my heart transplanted and live again. I/we daren't miss the Jesus in all of this. So I listen to my beating heart and marvel at His life within.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Our Amazing Tech Guys
I've been serving on staff in pastoral roles for over 20 years now, and I've got to tell you that our Media/Technical staff is the best I've ever seen. From Austin, who can do anything, to Toby, who does a little bit of everything, we have an incredible media ministry. Justin keeps us up and running with all the latest cool server stuff, and Oscar redesigned an already great web site to make it amazing! Not to mention all of the camera guys, or Alan (who does the announcements). Allison, Mario, and now Jeremiah have a knack for camera angles and "quarterbacking" our live stream. All of our camera crew, sound crew, and visual crew round out a "Dream Team" that most churches would die to have. I can never say enough how much you guys impact what we do here at THF. But the coolest part is that every one of these folks does what they do because it is a ministry, and not in pursuit of a pay check. Take a moment this weekend and find a media crew member and thank them for their ministry. We have the best I've ever seen, and should let them know we appreciate them. Peace, Jase
Friday, August 8, 2008
Lessons From Broncos Training Camp
I was at a wedding in Denver a couple of weeks ago. It was a really fun time, as a former student was marrying the “girl of his dreams.” It was a pretty small affair, several hundred miles away from all of our home towns, but some of the old youth group came in to be a part of the wedding party.
One of those former students (who was serving as the best man) is now a grad assistant on the (football) coaching staff at a major football university a few hours south of Lubbock. While we were at the rehearsal dinner, he exchanged texts with another acquaintance who is now a pro scout. The acquaintance encouraged him to come out to the Denver Broncos Training Camp the next morning. The student mentioned it to me, and next thing we both knew, we were going to Training Camp.
The next morning we arrived at Camp and were directed to the “A” parking lot. When we entered the gate – just a hundred or so feet away - we were directed to the VIP table, where we received VIP passes and were personally ushered onto the field. I was taken to the VIP seating section (a choice patch of finely manicured grass about ten feet off the 50 yard line at field level, where I could see and hear virtually everything on that half of the field). My friend was directed to the Broncos offices where he met with the staff scouts and coaches for the Broncos and then got to be on the field with the coaches during the practice. He even had a meaningful conversation with the Head Coach, who – get this – KNEW he would be there (he’d been told by the Broncos GM). Incredible.
Don’t think for a minute I didn’t stick my chest out a little further as I walked around with my VIP pass prominently displayed. I loved it everytime someone tried to sit on “my” grass and the security people politely told them, “I’m sorry, but this spot is reserved for VIP only.” Several folks who were “shooed” away made some comment to the extent of “What? Don’t I look good enough for you? Aren’t I VIP quality?” I remember one guy even asking, “What would make me VIP?” He was told, “Most people in VIP know someone…”
Me, I just sat there on my cool patch of grass in the bright sunshine and basked in the glow of my VIP-ness and smiled!
Needless to say, it was a wonderful morning – something I never expected to get to do. It was a nigh perfect morning there in the foothills of the Rockies, in the glorious morning sunshine, just a few feet from all-pro, all-world athletes. The players, the staff, the people were amazingly pleasant as they went about their tasks. I kept thinking, “I can’t believe I’m here. I never could have arranged this! What a trip!”
Later, on the flight home, I reflected on the day – and it hit me – this is the Christian life! We’ve been given something really great that we don’t deserve because we know someone. It’s not ours to earn. There are a lot of people who may “look” good enough – who are probably VIP quality. But it’s not their awareness or their passion or any kind of deservedness that gets them in. They – we – have to KNOW someone (Jesus).
What a great gift! And then there is the most important part – because we know Jesus – we have the confidence to climb the mountain of God and the right to boldly enter into the very presence of Almighty God (Heb 10:19)! What a trip!
One of those former students (who was serving as the best man) is now a grad assistant on the (football) coaching staff at a major football university a few hours south of Lubbock. While we were at the rehearsal dinner, he exchanged texts with another acquaintance who is now a pro scout. The acquaintance encouraged him to come out to the Denver Broncos Training Camp the next morning. The student mentioned it to me, and next thing we both knew, we were going to Training Camp.
The next morning we arrived at Camp and were directed to the “A” parking lot. When we entered the gate – just a hundred or so feet away - we were directed to the VIP table, where we received VIP passes and were personally ushered onto the field. I was taken to the VIP seating section (a choice patch of finely manicured grass about ten feet off the 50 yard line at field level, where I could see and hear virtually everything on that half of the field). My friend was directed to the Broncos offices where he met with the staff scouts and coaches for the Broncos and then got to be on the field with the coaches during the practice. He even had a meaningful conversation with the Head Coach, who – get this – KNEW he would be there (he’d been told by the Broncos GM). Incredible.
Don’t think for a minute I didn’t stick my chest out a little further as I walked around with my VIP pass prominently displayed. I loved it everytime someone tried to sit on “my” grass and the security people politely told them, “I’m sorry, but this spot is reserved for VIP only.” Several folks who were “shooed” away made some comment to the extent of “What? Don’t I look good enough for you? Aren’t I VIP quality?” I remember one guy even asking, “What would make me VIP?” He was told, “Most people in VIP know someone…”
Me, I just sat there on my cool patch of grass in the bright sunshine and basked in the glow of my VIP-ness and smiled!
Needless to say, it was a wonderful morning – something I never expected to get to do. It was a nigh perfect morning there in the foothills of the Rockies, in the glorious morning sunshine, just a few feet from all-pro, all-world athletes. The players, the staff, the people were amazingly pleasant as they went about their tasks. I kept thinking, “I can’t believe I’m here. I never could have arranged this! What a trip!”
Later, on the flight home, I reflected on the day – and it hit me – this is the Christian life! We’ve been given something really great that we don’t deserve because we know someone. It’s not ours to earn. There are a lot of people who may “look” good enough – who are probably VIP quality. But it’s not their awareness or their passion or any kind of deservedness that gets them in. They – we – have to KNOW someone (Jesus).
What a great gift! And then there is the most important part – because we know Jesus – we have the confidence to climb the mountain of God and the right to boldly enter into the very presence of Almighty God (Heb 10:19)! What a trip!
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