God Showing Off

It has been a while since I have blogged, I guess I just not that good at this whole thing. I digress, last week my wife, Gwen, and I went to the doctor for our first weekly check up as we awaited the arrival of our first borne son, Colton James. Doc said, "Whoa! You're already dilated 1cm, and I touched his head." She was put on everything short of bed rest to prolong the pregnancy since she was only 35 weeks.
Fast forward to our appointment Friday morning: we were so excited, it was our 3rd trimester ultrasound. We would get to see our baby! The tech let us know he was small, but everything looked to be okay. After about 45min of waiting after the ultrasound we were called back. Gwen's vitals were taken as I waited in the room for her. She came in and without me asking she said, "I failed." To preface this statement; she has been fighting high blood pressure all pregnancy. Her report was not good, 159/108! Doc said, "Go straight to the hospital."
We did as instructed and got settled into our room. They promptly hooked Gwen up to a machine to monitor her BP as well as the heart rate of our unborn son. The nurse then took several vials of blood for testing. We were instructed to rest and wait 24hrs until a specialist could come take a look at the ultrasound and determine if Gwen needed to be induced. Upon the preliminary exam of the in-office ultrasound, Doc said she was afraid Colton was not growing anymore.
As it turns out Gwen had preeclampsia, a condition that affects pregnant women by raised blood pressure, among other symptoms. Bottom line; the placenta was no longer doing its job and Colton needed to come out, and fast! Due to the risks associated with preeclampsia, we along with the medical team agreed it would be safest to deliver via c-section. This was a real disappointment for Gwen because she had her heart set on a natural delivery.
Doc informed us of some the issues we would face. Because he was now only 36 weeks and 3 days gestation, his lungs might have some developmental issues, as well as an inability to swallow, and because he was only measuring at 32 weeks gestation, he would not be able to regulate his body heat. It looked like a long, unwelcomed stay in the NICU was in our near future.
I was reminded of a story our of John 9, where the disciples ask Jesus why this man was blind? "Did he or his parents sin?" Jesus' response was beautiful, "Neither, but that the work of God would be shown through him." This man was borne blind so the Son of God could be glorified in healing him. I began to pray John 9:3, that God would be glorified in protecting my son.
We were preped for surgery, and were blessed with a fellow believer for a nurse, who even prayed with us! About 3:15pm they took Gwen into the OR to finish her prep. During the in between time I sat by myself and prayed. Just before then came to bring me into the OR I said "Lord give me something!" Just then it was as if a warm blanket was placed over me, and I heard "Caleb, its okay." I am getting goose bumps right now recalling the event.
Long story short; at 3:51pm on August 25th, 2012 my baby boy was born. All 4lbs. 8oz. of him! Here's how awesome God is, all the concerns the Doc had, all the things that were causing us such anxiety, all the things that were in place to allow God to show off. Yeah all those, GONE!!! Lungs are strong, he has been breast feeding, he is regulating his body temperature, everything we were concerned about is not an issue. Just like the blind man in John 9, God wanted to be glorified! And I think, He wanted to show off just a little. He said, "I love Colton more then you, so watch what I'm going to do just because I can!" On top of it all, the second Mama got her hands on him her BP dropped to 124/78!
Thank you Father for what you did today! Until next time...

Bible in a Minute?

Early on, this last term, I had a professor show a video in class called Bible in a Minute. In one minute two young men did a "white guy" rap covering creation to the rapture and everything in between. I recently have been challenged by a friend to read the Bible cover to cover in one summer. Because of finals I got a late start on the reading, but my goal is to finish by the time my son is borne in September, 19th to be exact.

Follow me as I read Gods word and comment on my readings fairly regularly. I even extend the challenge to you. Spend you "hour of power" reading through Gods word with me. No doubt we will all be blessed greatly from this sacrifice of time. Get to reading!

http://youtu.be/Ar_k8JjVWQA

Bro. Caleb?

Yesterday evening I was given the chance to deliver my very first "big church" sermon. I had a little over three weeks to prepare for it, and to my credit I did use the time wisely. Leading up to the Sunday evening I would wake up having dreamed that I really brought it and that I was a natural in the pulpit. I began to get a false sense of confidence. It downed on me that this isn't about me. I was horrified that I had given in to the temptation of greatness the Deceiver and placed in front of me. I immediately fell to my knees with deep sorrow I asked for forgiveness. I continued to prepare for the big day. As the time came closer now my nerves took over. I had spent hours studying and preparing what I was going to say. The Lord had really convicted me of some things and I was very excited to share them with my church family.

While driving to the church my wonderful wife could tell I was freaking out. She bluntly says to me "Caleb this isn't about you or your nerves." Woah!!! Again I was embarrassed, I had flipped the script from over confidence to non, effectively committing the same sin of "self." I looked at my best friend sitting next to me with a blank look as I realized what I had done. "Thank you," was all I could say. I got to the church, and after spending some time in prayer I went to get miced up. Then the time came, I stepped on stage as the choir was going to their seats then I see the head of the deacon board stepping towards me followed by the rest of the deacons. These men stood there in the pulpit with me, laid hands on me, and prayed over me in front of the whole church. As I am writing this remembering it still brings me to tears. They all hugged me, and the head of deacons whispers in my ear "go get em." At this point I am doing everything in my power not to break down weeping.

The deacons found there seats, and away I went. It was a bumpy road at places, and in others it was smooth. Needless to say it was a great learning experience. That aside, it dawns on me that all to often we are afraid of what could happen and get nervous, or we get over confident and fall prey to arrogance. Both take the attention off God and what He wants to accomplish. I had no reason to be scared because this church has done nothing but love on my and my wife since we came. I had been told countless times by countless people they were praying for me. Why was a scared? On the flip side, in the congregation there are retired pastors and men (even women) who are more spiritually mature then I am so what right did I ever have being over confident?

The Lord used last night in a two fold way.
1) He humbled me beyond recognition
2) He gave me the confidence to speak with boldness the truth that He has burdened me to preach.
I know this is nothing more then a rambling, I just wanted to share how the Lord can work on the person delivering the message to the people, while at the same time using the words He gives you to preach to work on the ones who are hearing it. Our God is great! Amen? AMEN!!!

Tebowing, Linsanity, and You

                Today's sports media is surrounded by the hype of players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Vick, and others. Until the last few months Christian athletes have not warranted much “hype.” That all changed in week 7 of the last NFL season when Denver quarterback Tim Tebow took over the starting position from Kyle Orton. Tebow, a second year player out of Florida where he won a Heisman trophy, led the 1-4 Broncos to the post season. If you ever were to like dramatic programs then the Denver season was a joy for you to watch. Tebow and his teammates rallied for several second half comebacks most of which occurred in the 4^th quarter or even into overtime. Tebow remained humble. Perhaps you are familiar with “Tebowing?” Similar to “planking” Tebowing was coined from Tebows one kneed, head bowed, salute to God before he steps on the field.

                Tebow, while an excellent college and High School player, had been a bit of a let down on the NFL scene. His throwing mechanics were awful, his timing was off, he isn’t a pocket QB. These are all criticisms Tebow faced on a regular basis. Even after winning 4 straight games critics were not ready to give the guy credit. Then Tebow came under attack from the media and even players saying he was too outspoken about his belief and just pull it back a little bit. Tebow was very gracious with his advisories, but it did not hinder his faith or how he spoke about it.

                Jeremy Lin has a very similar story to Tebow, a stellar basketball player in High School and at the college level where he played for Harvard. In his rookie year Lin was waived Golden State and Houston, he was demoted to the NBS’s D-league three times. All this happened before the start of this season when he got picked up by New York. Lin has stayed faithful and vocal about his faith just as Tebow has. Lins ability comes from the hundreds of hours he poured into the gym practicing his jumpers and ball handling skills; just like Tebows came from the thousands of 10yard out routs he has thrown in the span of his career.

                If you ask these young men the source of the success they undoubtedly will say its by the grace of God and tireless amounts of hard work. They have achieved “excellence” through dedication. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul is speaking on this very statement excellence through dedication.  He tells the church at Corinth to “Run in such a way that you may win.” Paul uses the comparison of an athlete to the Christian here. “They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we (believers) an imperishable.” Paul goes on to say he enslaves his body. What does this mean? What Paul is speaking on here is discipline. As athletes must discipline themselves to rigorous and intense training so must Christians, but our training is not only physical (although that does play a big role). How can we become strong in our spiritual discipline?

                What do all athletes have? A coach. Why? Because the coach is the ultimate authority on the particular sport. Now the drills the coach gives are what is being practiced over and over to make the athlete successful in winning that “wreath.” How does this relate? Christian, you are the athlete, the event is your life, the drills are scripture, and the coach is God; the Ultimate Authority. God gives us scripture to practice, and this practice is not a shot at Allen Iverson’s famous quote “practice? What’s practice?” I digress, scripture is meant to be studied over and over; meditated on day and night. A wrestler dreams about how he is going to counter the attack of his opponent, likewise the Christian should in a sense dream about how he is going to counter the attacks of the enemy. This is done through the study of Scripture that the Coach gives us.

 Both Tim and Jeremy would agree that they became excellent athletes due to the vast amount of practice they put in to their individual events, or disciplines. Furthermore, they would both agree, as the outspoken believers they are, that in order to “win the race” and “fight the good fight” the believer must practice what he believes both on the court and on the practice field. You don’t need a catchy moniker associated with your name to make an impact. Likewise, you need not be a public figure to have an influence on the people you come in contact with every day. Simply put, if you practice what you preach in a genuine way you will accomplish great things for the Lord both in the public eye and in private, which is where it really counts!

Let Downs

Yesterday I had the opportunity to enjoy lunch with some of my students at one of the local High Schools. I showed up just before first lunch began and waited in the cafeteria. The bell buzzed and shortly there was pandemonium! Students running wild everywhere; trying to get their food and the specific table that they sit at day in and day out. A short time passed and I was able to find my student, who was accompanied by one of her friends. She shared with me that her older sister had instructed her to text her and let her know if I "actually showed." I heard this and my heart was saddened. Still being new to formal ministry I understand that I approach with a sense of naivety, but it does not take a life long evangelist like Billy Graham or someone with doctorate to follow through with what he says he is going to do. I am not speaking ill of the youth pastors these students have had in the past at all, please do not be confused, rather I am speaking on how I want my ministry to be.

1 Peter 2:15 says "For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." Granted this passage in context is speaking on honoring God by submitting to authority, but the idea here is: by doing right you live in a way that is above reproach. This means living what you preach. Too often Christians are seen as hypocrites because we say one thing and practice another. Not only do we risk turning non-believers away with this attitude, we (the church) risk losing the young believers we already have, the believers the Holy Spirit has already saved. I am not saying by losing these young ones they will lose their salvation, rather my fear is they will see the faults of the church and say to themselves "what's the point?" and fall away.

For much of the last month I have challenged my students to live in a way that sets them apart. A way that will cause people to ask themselves 'what am I missing?' I have only been with this group for shortly over a month now, and I love them so much already! I see so much potential in them, and I feel the Lord working in this group already. I pray as they continue to grow not only will they begin to truly "practice what they preach," but that they will see me doing the same. What good am I doing if I fail to follow through with what I say I will do? Students are very observant, they watch extremely close and are looking for direction. I have an opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to work through me on behalf of these students. I pray I truly submit to His leading, and these students see that and begin to follow the prompting of His Spirit as well. AMEN

My First Post

I have always contemplated a blog, but never thought I would have the time to really devote to it (really I still dont but oh well). This blog will be a chance for the reader to follow me as I learn through experience as a new seminary student (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), a new youth director, and soon to be a new father. I will post papers, and other assignments as well as sermon notes; as I have time that is. I think this could be fun, so follow me and maybe you will learn something as I learn.