No, God in all His mercy and love sent His Son to lift me out of the pit (and to add me to His team of lifters) so I would no longer have to live in that kind of greif.   In the new life I have greif that leads to life, that moves me forward in becoming who I am to be.

No regrets!

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death  2 Corinthians 7:10

The next time you feel like GOD can’t use YOU, just remember…

• Noah was a drunk
• Abraham was too old
• Isaac was a daydreamer
• Jacob was a liar
• Leah was ugly
• Joseph was abused
• Moses had a stuttering problem
• Gideon was afraid
• Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
• Rahab was a prostitute
• Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
• David had an affair and was a murderer
• Elijah was suicidal
• Isaiah preached naked
• Jonah ran from God
• Naomi was a widow
• Job went bankrupt
• John the Baptist ate bugs
• Peter denied Christ
• The Disciples fell asleep while praying
• Martha worried about everything
• The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
• Zaccheus was too small
• Paul was too religious
• Timothy had an ulcer…AND
• Lazarus was dead!

When I really take a look at the examples of who God includes as major players in His story in scripture and throughout history I become more and more convinced that I have a part too!

I am going to start with “attending” the “Hope of Prayer” seminar (via the mp3’s on my iPhone) and then journal my notes, thoughts, questions and revelations here.   I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences & insights.

If you would like to join me on this journey (or just have one of your own) you can get this “seminar” at the Daily Audio Bible Resource Page or at the Ramsomed Heart Website on CD (or as a download).

The other “goals” on my heart for this year are Grace, Health, Finances, resolution.

I think it’s gonna be a year of new . . .

New thoughts

New friends

New beginnings

Come on, it’s a whole new decade and God’s gonna do some amazing stuff!

Even though I may say he’s a God of grace, if I don’t represent him and show grace to everyone, I’m giving a distorted picture of God.

When I first heard that statement I thought, “right on!”  Isn’t this just what we, as followers of Christ need to be doing?  How many people do I know who have been turn off a path towards God by the church misrepresenting who God is?  Later that day I was discussing it with a friend and they brought up the issue that we can’t really do that – only God can, because of our fallen nature.

So, is it too much to take on, accurately representing God to the world?  Ultimately, yes.  We are all fallen and even at our best we do not give a true representation of God . . . whatever it is we do or say, He is so much more!  So what am I to do?

Pray!  Again, He can do so much more and He chooses to us in that doing.

Francis Chan is the Non-Staff Elder & Teaching Pastor at Cornerstone, Simi Valley, CA and author of “Crazy Love”.  Message podcasts are available at their PodCast Page.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed in childhood, affecting approximately 1 in every 3,500 live male births (about 20,000 new cases each year).  Duchenne results in progressive loss of muscle strength and is caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes for dystrophin.  The progressive muscle weakness leads to serious medical problems, particularly issues relating to the heart and lungs.  Young men with Duchenne typically live into their late twenties.  Duchenne can be passed from parent to child, but approximately 35% of cases occur because of a random spontaneous mutation.

What’s my stake in Duchenne?   In April of 2008 my 2nd oldest son was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  Caleb is 9 this year and an amazing boy!  He’s smart, dedicated, loves math & video games.  He really cares for the people around him.

Caleb goes to the MDA clinic twice a year as well as going to a pulmonologist  and cardiologist twice a year.  Last summer he got a wheel chair that he has progressively spent more time in as it has become harder for him to walk.  There are some scary prospects for the future that have to be address but he is also full of life and we are all about living. There are also amazing things happening in research right now.   Here are a few of the cool things going:

• ParentProjectMD – takes a comprehensive approach in the fight against Duchenne-funding research, raising awareness, promoting advocacy, connecting the community, and broadening treatment options.  This organization (the people) have had a deep impact on me and my family.
  • EndDuchenne – an offshoot of PPMD dedicated to raising awareness and money for research.
• Winheld’s World – chronicles Josh’s daily experiences in living with DMD and with a disability in general. He also uses the blog to promote his autobiography, Worth the Ride: My Journey with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (iUniverse, 2009).
• Scott Sands Alive – Scott Sands blog – a 43 year old man living with DMD.  Check out his FAQ.
• Darius Goes West – In 2005, Darius Weems, and his eleven best friends left their hometown of Athens, GA. They set a course for California, where Darius hoped to raise awareness for his disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), by convincing MTV to customize his wheelchair on the hit show, Pimp my Ride.  Buy a DVD . . . $17 goes to Muscular Dystrophy $3 makes more DVDs.
• MDA – provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.
• and now YOU!  Be the vehicle, tell everyone you know about DMD and how they can help through prayer, friendship, awareness and funding towards a cure.

Finally, “We will end duchenne, but we have to do it together.”  Pat Furlong, Parent Project MD.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  – 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

This was the key verse in a sermon on Resilience at Mosaic.

I was caught by this verse from the very beginning because I so often think on just these things…

I am pressed on every side

I am perplexed

I am persecuted

I am struck down

I am defeated …

Whoa!! Is that really how I see my life? Not always, but quite often, it is.  I must have a pretty hard life right?  No, I have a good job, I have great friends & amazing kids and family.  Is everything peachy?  No, of course not, I live in the same fallen world as everyone else.

It really comes down to where I focus.  Do I focus on the “bad deal” I’ve gotten or do I focus on the “amazing gifts” I’ve been given?  Do I focus on what I can’t do or on what God is doing?

With that slight change in attitude I find:

I am NOT crushed . . .

I am NOT in despair . . .

I am NOT abandoned . . .

I am NOT destroyed . . .

I AM NOT DEFEATED . . .

Even through all of the pain and hardness of life I have victory because of Christ and even more.  I have the privilege of carrying Christ crucified to the world, to all those within my sphere and even to be part of the “reveal” of Christ to those same people.

Not a bad deal if you ask me!

Mosaic is the church community where Erwin McManus (author of Soul Cravings & The Barbarian Way) serves as the primary communicator and cultural architect.

Mosaic is a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope.  Most of their sermons are available through their podcasts. I encourage you to spend some time at www.mosaic.org and related endeavors.

I’ve been listening to a Michael Knott song lately, “This is the Healing”. You can purchase it here. It’s on LSU’s “This is the Healing” album.

“This Is the Healing”

You’ve been seen with a stiff lip
It’s happening to the best when the pain grips
You’ve been beaten by the bell
In all that you do
You thought Hell was a place one goes to
But your Hell on Earth is true

This is the healing
Give me tears from all your bitter years
This is the healing
Salt the wounds, the healing will come soon

You’ve tried to philosophize your pain
But the hurts in your heart
And not in your brain
You could be hit by the Spirit
And be made new
You thought Heaven was a place one goes to
But this Heaven on Earth is true

Chorus

Open your heart

The work required towards healing wounds and walking the path God intends can be tiring, fearful and hard at times.  With all the rest of life:  family, work, friends, church, kids, etc., it can be easier to just look away and try to just make it through today.  The short sightedness of this attitude is not lost on me.  When I am exhausted and scared of what may be, it is an indicator that I’m attempting to climb a rock face by myself; without Jesus, without the fellowship He has put me in, without encouragement.  Often, it has been with great reluctance that I have stepped back into the fray alongside brothers and sisters.  Whether out of embarrassment or arrogance or fear the end result is the same.

I am one of those people that want it done now . . . I want to be done with this part of my journey (of walking into wounds and dealing with them) and on to the part that I am living out of wellness, taking my part in His story.  This distraction is, maybe one of the worst.  I get so caught up in wanting to be done instead of doing the work to be done, the work where I learn how to live.

Sometimes I just wasn’t ready for the next step.  This isn’t really a hindrance in the way other factors might be, but it can still be frustrating because I want so much to be in a different place.  I love that God has so much grace for me, that He does not want me to step out into what could be devastating for me and brings me along in His mercy.  As I come to realizations and ask the question, “Why didn’t I see that back then?” the answer always comes clearly that I was not ready.   This response is always acceptable to those walking with you and not being ready can become a hindrance for them.  I’ve found that it’s best to be honest about where I am and count that my fellow travelers will be given peace – if not, then, in many ways, they aren’t walking with me and they are not allowing grace for my boundaries.

That’s a nice segue to the issue of how pressure from others have been a factor.  The hardest part is I am where I am and just because others might want me to be in a different place doesn’t mean it should be.  The best I can do is to communicate as best I can, give as much grace as I can and rest in the hands of my Savior and God.  If those around me are working from their own expectations and can’t accept the path God has me on (and where I am on that path) there really isn’t anything I can do about that.