The Giver of Life

It's only appropriate that on the first day of Spring, we consider and think about new life. The day after I posted my most recent article to this blog, I found myself in the delivery room preparing myself to see life. You may recall, my last post was about death. Death is not of the Lord. Jesus conquered death by raising from the death. John 10:10 says that Jesus came "that we may have life." Psalm 36:9 says that God is "the giver of life". I was about to see my son for the first time.

There is no way to prepare yourself for the birth of a child. For nine months, the anticipation builds. For some moms, pregnancy is a breeze, for others it is long and at times uncomfortable. For the uncomfortable, the delivery can't come soon enough. You can anticipate the arrival, but until your baby is born, there is no way to put yourself in that moment. With each of my children, at the moment they were born, the presence of God was very real. It was as if time stood still. It was if God was yelling at me: "I love life and I love you". Because, in that moment, I saw the power and creativity of God. Psalm 139 speaks to this, "You knit me together in my mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God is the designer and author of life. 

We had a great experience in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital. Those nurses love babies. They treated us as if we were family. They treated my newborn son as if he was their own child. I wish every pro-abortionist could spend the day shadowing one of those nursers. I have a feeling they would reconsider their position on life. Life is not for anyone to have the right to take. Life is of value. Each of us are created in God's image. Each one has value and should be given opportunity to live.

As I experienced the birth of a child for the fourth time, I was reminded of what Jesus said in John 3 when He said, "You must be born again." Everyone is originally born with a sinful nature and is separated from God. In order to be brought into a right relationship with Him, we must place our trust in Jesus and receive all that He died and rose to give us. At the moment we trust Jesus to be our Savior, we are "born again". Jesus gives us new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, the old is gone, and the new is here!" Praise the Lord. May God bless you with new life. May you walk daily in the abundance the Christ brings as you yield yourself to Him.

I look forward to the day my son is born again!

Here I am with my new son, Isaac David, moments after his birth.  
He was born March 14 @ 7:33am. He weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 19 1/2".

It's Spring-time

Spring is here!  Spring is a time of new beginnings.  In the winter months the ground is dormant, the vegetation is dormant, but Spring-time brings new life and growth!  The last six months have been a time of new beginnings for my family.  It has been fun for us to adjust to our new life here in Verndale.  We have enjoyed building new friendships, getting established in our church and getting settled in at school and in our home.  We praise the Lord for calling us here for such a time is this!

The student ministry, that I pastor, is also enjoying Spring-time and growth.  We have seen an influx of students over the last two months on Wednesday nights.  We have seen around 20 first-time guest come for the first time in the last two months.  Our attendance has doubled in the last six months.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!  We are currently seeking the Lord for wisdom in how to accommodate this growth.  Please be in prayer for our youth coaches as we make decisions about splitting the high school and middle school.  If we decide to split and meet on separate nights, we will be in need of more youth coaches as well.

On a recent Wednesday night, we saw several students launch into new beginnings as they gave their hearts to Jesus.  Our youth coaches planned a gross and messy games outreach, and we had six students give their hearts to Jesus that night.  The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  When a person admits the fact that they are a sinner and confesses their sin to Him for cleansing, that person is made new!  These students are experiencing a new beginning!  I will be starting a new beginnings Bible study with these who have trusted Jesus, on Wednesday nights before youth group.  Please pray for these students as they begin to establish a new relationship with Jesus.

This Spring, as we anticipate the warmer months, as we enjoy the longer days and beautiful gardens, let’s also be reminded of God’s faithfulness.  No matter how difficult the winter’s of life can be, there is always springtime ahead.  As long as God is on His throne, we can trust His sovereign plan for our lives.  The Winter may have been long, but Springtime has arrived!