TD Wilcox

8 Days Until The Race Across America

2011-06-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you an incredible event that I am participating in starting next week. I’m on a team of 8 cyclists that will compete in the 2011 Race Across America – a grueling 3000 mile bicycle race across the country. It has been called the “toughest bicycle race in the world” by some. We are riding in an effort to raise money to start a Special Education Department at my daughter’s school, Arrowhead Christian Academy, in Redlands, CA. This department will serve high school students with learning disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy and others. Right now, the school does not have the staff or facilities to address the needs of these students. We are expecting 12 or more students that will be graduating from our Middle School (Redlands Christian) over next several years that will need the type of educational assistance this department will provide. This effort is nothing short of historic in light of the fact that less than 5% of Christian schools across the country provide special education programs. In order to start the program, the school will need seed money – that is why Team Learning4Life is going to ride in the Race Across America!

I started training for this race back in October of last year. Back then, I could barely make it around the 15-mile Sunset loop in our town of Redlands (a popular, hilly climb for local cyclists). Now I ride that loop a couple of times a week as part of my 125-150 mile/week training. I normally do 15 - 20 miles every day or so, either in the gym on the stationary bike or on the road and then a long ride of 40 - 60 miles on Saturday with the team. I accomplished my first "century" back in April when I rode 103 miles in one day in the Tour de Palm Springs (with Celeste!). I've lost about 20 lbs and have done the hard work to be ready for the race next week.

Starting next Saturday, June 18th, seven of my team mates and I will leave from Oceanside, CA on an 8 day trek that will take us through 14 states, descend to 140’ feet below sea level, climb as high as 10,800 feet over the Rocky Mountains, through 1000 miles of prairies, across the Mississippi and weave through the Appalachians as we make our way over 3000 miles of American roads all the way to Annapolis, Maryland. I'm also excited and blessed to have my wife along with me as part of our 13 person crew during the race. Our motivation is for these kids – and our partnership is with you!

We have an auspicious goal to raise over $150,000 for our cause and we’ve already raised about $75,000 so far. The funds will provide a full-time Special Ed teacher, aides, and resources until such a time that the program is self-sustaining. Your partnership will help to provide a historical and eternal legacy as ACA becomes one of the few Christian High Schools in the nation to provide Special Ed. This will benefit these special needs children, their families and all other students as they learn to live with and enjoy other people with disabilities.

My hope is that this effort inspires you in a way that will motivate you to sponsor me in the race. We’ve set up a secure donation page that is easy to use - http://www.gofundme.com/wilcox-teamlearning4life. You can also get more information on the team, our cause, our training and follow us during the event at the team’s website: www.teamlearning4life.org . Any amount you can donate will be GREATLY appreciated and will be used to positively affect the lives of these kids with special needs at Arrowhead Christian Academy in Redlands. I hope you’ll follow along with our progress on the website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or our BLOG while we are on the road and thanks for your consideration!

Blessings,

Tony

Chore Day and Acts of Worship

2011-01-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Every other Saturday is “chore” day around our house. My area of responsibility is cleaning the master bedroom and bathroom which, unfortunately, also involves scrubbing the toilet. Most of us have had this experience. Without going into the dirty details, the job is simply NASTY. NOT what I look forward to doing on a Saturday by any means.

I’ve recently been reading a book that deals with practicing “being present with God” or bringing God into our everyday, mundane activities and making them into acts of worship. (Present Perfect, Gregory A. Boyd)

So what exactly is an “act of worship”? In its base, general definition, an act of worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed to one or more deities. (NO, I AM NOT going to talk about worshipping the porcelain god!) The word “worship” is “derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.” (Wikipedia)

Evelyn Underhill, noted Christian mystic, defines worship thus: "The adoring acknowledgment of all that lies beyond us—the glory that fills heaven and earth. It is the response that conscious beings make to their Creator, to the Eternal Reality from which they came forth; to God, however they may think of Him or recognize Him, and whether He be realized through religion, through nature, through history, through science, art, or human life and character." (Wikipedia)

Paul noted about worship, “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2, TNIV)

So if acting “in worship” to God means “to ascribe worth” or value to Him and it involves offering my body “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”, then what does that LOOK like in my everyday life? Can the simplest, mundane acts become holy, sacred moments of worship? Can washing the dishes or taking out the trash or cleaning the toilet become acts of worship? I’m beginning to grasp the concept that these mundane acts can in fact become holy, sacred moments based on my attitude in doing them.

In Paul’s passage regarding worship (Romans 12:1-2), he expresses that true worship DOES have something to do with our state of mind: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” He is asking and expecting us to change our “state of mind” (attitude) while we perform these outward, physical activities (acts of worship). My flesh draws me to have an attitude of pride when I am faced with cleaning the toilet (“I should be PAYING someone to do this nasty job!”) because my default mode is to think that I am better than having to do it. NOT an act of worship. Just get it done, get it over with and wash my hands!

I think the argument can be made that, if I am cleaning a toilet for example (urgh!) and I do the mental and possibly emotional work inside and humbly ask for God’s help in changing my attitude about what I am doing and I allow His Spirit to work through me in it…am I NOT ascribing value and worth to God in so doing? Is the attitude that I am allowing to be transformed in my mind (in the face of this particularly NASTY task) NOT saying to God, “you are WORTH me taking the time, expending the mental and emotional energy into transforming my mind, my attitude so that I DON’T follow the pattern of this world (being PROUD in my attitude) you, Father, Lord Jesus, are WORTH that.” Have I succeeded in making the act of cleaning the toilet an act of worship?

Today is Thursday. I’m going to give it my best shot this Saturday. :)

Eyes Wide Shut

2010-07-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

- God to Adam, Genesis 2:16-17

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

- The Serpent to Eve, Genesis 3:4-5

The devil is a liar. If he is not outright flipping the truth on its head, he will twist it and weave it with half-truths to get us to swallow the bait.

“He is a liar and the father of all lies.” - Jesus, John 8:44

We know that the devil is capable of reciting truth. Consider his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness:

“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ “

- Satan to Jesus, Matthew 4: 6

What he said is true. That is a direct quote of OT scripture, Psalm 91:11-12. He used God’s truth to tempt even our Lord.

The statement he made to Eve in the Garden was in fact part lie and part truth. The outright lie was in his opposition to God’s statement that ‘you will surely die,’ which God DID in fact tell Adam (Eve had not even been created when God handed down this warning to Adam). This part of Satan’s statement (‘you will surely not die’) was a complete lie, because, as we know, once Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, death did in fact enter their world.

The true part of his seductive statement to Eve was that they DID receive the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ once they had eaten of the fruit. Satan revels in using truth to deceive. But why did Satan introduce the concept of man’s “eyes being opened” as part of his seduction? Where did THAT come from? God made no reference to Adam about his eyes in his warning to him about the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan seduced Eve with the lust of her eyes on his own volition. He proposed that God was hiding something from her, something that she currently could not see. Satan made her believe she deserved to see it. What if THIS is the part of his statement which was the outright lie. What if he told Eve that her eyes would be opened because he knew that what would ACTUALLY happen is that her eyes would be CLOSED?

Did you get that?

What if Satan LIED to Eve and told her that her eyes would be opened because HE KNEW they would actually be CLOSED?

Hold that thought for a moment and fast forward with me to the New Testament. One evening, Jesus is debating with Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, about being “born again.”

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

-and-

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Jesus to Nicodemus, John 3:3 and 3:5-8

There are several important things to notice in what Jesus is saying. First, let’s jump to the part of his statement where he mentions that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nicodemus didn’t get that at first pass, so he questioned Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. So Jesus elaborated to humor Nicodemus and said, “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Jesus point is that in order for someone to see the Kingdom of God, they must be “born of the Spirit”. So let me pose this question: How was Eve born?

We’ll come back to that.

Jesus leads off with, “I tell you the truth.” Christ prefaced many sayings in the New Testament with this phrase. Not only is it a sign post to the listener that the speaker is about to say something important, but it is a stamp on the validity of the following statement. What Jesus was about to say to Nicodemus was TRUE. It is much like someone saying today something to the effect of “Let me make myself perfectly clear.” So what was the TRUTH that Jesus wanted Nicodemus to fully understand? That he was MISSING SOMETHING. There was something at work that he could NOT SEE. He had NOT been born of the spirit and could NOT see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus did not have spiritual eyes.

The contemporary band, DC Talk, released a great song several years back on their “Jesus Freak” album called “In My Mind’s Eye”…

“Can you catch the wind? Can you see a breeze? Its presence is revealed by the leaves on the trees, an image of my faith in the unseen.”

In the middle of the song, there is a sound byte, a snippet of a sermon given by the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham in which he says,

“Can you see God? Have you ever seen him? I’ve never seen the wind. I’ve seen the effects of the wind, but I’ve never seen the wind. There’s a mystery to it.”

A mystery indeed. We want to see so badly the things that are hidden to us, don’t we? Dr. Graham poses an interesting question. Have you ever seen God? Doesn’t every believer long to see the face of God? Moses wanted to see God so badly, that he asked him point blank in Exodus 33:18 - “Now show me your glory.” But God told him that “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 33: 20) So he put Moses in a cleft in the rock, guarded him with his hand and passed by, only allowing Moses to get a brief glimpse of his back side. So here’s my next question; If Moses wasn’t allowed to see God and no one could see God and live, how was it that God freely walked through the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve and did not take the same precautions to shield their eyes from him?

We’ll come back to that one also.

The bible tells us that God is spirit and that we cannot see him. Scripture makes many references to our “sight” or our “eyes” and of being “blind”. Paul tells us that “as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:8) He also says that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (I Cor. 13:12). And John tells us, “But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Even Job confesses that he cannot see God in Job 9:11 “Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.”

The bible makes it pretty clear (no pun intended) that there is something wrong with our spiritual eyesight. We can’t see God. We can’t see the spirit world. We can’t see Jesus or the Holy Spirit or angels or demons. We are spiritually blind people. And yet scripture is also clear that we are to take it on faith that the spirit world; God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, angels, demons - are all very real – they REALLY DO EXIST.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1

…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. – 2 Cor. 4:18

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. – I Cor 2:9

Scripture is trying to help us get our heads around this: There is a whole other world out there, that WE CANNOT SEE, which is real and living and active and dangerous and eternal. Consider Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings chapter 6…

“When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

- 2 Kings 6:15-17

Let’s suppose for a moment – and I’ll do my best to back this up with additional scriptures beyond what I’ve already given – but let’s suppose that when Adam and Eve were originally created that they were created in a body that was meant for eternity and they could see both the physical AND the spiritual realms. They were created by God, in his image and therefore, seeing God every day (before their fall from grace) was normal, comfortable, safe. God was their father and they were his children. His face was the first thing either of them saw when they opened their eyes after God breathed life into them. They were with him and they saw him every day and they were not afraid. They lived in God’s light and they obeyed and trusted what he said. They had a perfect relationship with him and were destined and created to live eternally in that state. They were created with eyes that could see both the physical AND the spiritual realms existing together as one. Those two realms existing together was the only landscape they had ever known since their creation.

Now let’s go back to my question about why God freely walked through the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve and did not take the same precautions to shield their eyes from him as he did with Moses. Because Adam and Eve were born with spiritual eyes which allowed them to see God and to be comfortable with him from the first day they were created. Moses wasn’t born that way and did not have the spiritual reference point with which to accept God within the spiritual landscape. See God without that reference point would have blown his circuits. Literally, it would have killed him.

And if Adam and Eve could see God, who is spirit, then isn’t it plausible that they may well have been able to see other spirits including angels, cherubim and seraphim? They were probably comfortable seeing these angelic beings and may have looked upon them as respected beings also created by God. They may have seen them as their protectors, spiritual brothers (and maybe sisters). It was not out of the ordinary to wake up one day, after a good night’s rest in the garden of Eden, for Adam to pick some fruit, pet the horse, feed the dog and say “good morning” to Michael the archangel…or Satan, also an archangel. It’s obvious that Eve was not startled when the serpent spoke to her. She shows a tremendous amount of comfort in having a conversation with the serpent and did not for a moment think it out of the norm that an animal was speaking to her. Their spiritual eyes allowed them to see and be used to ALL of these things in their original, sinless state. I asked the question earlier about “how was Eve born?” Well, she wasn’t born by the flesh, but she was CREATED by God who is spirit. Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus? “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Adam and Eve were “born” (created) by the spirit of God. Therefore, they must have had a set of spiritual eyes that allowed them to see the kingdom of God.

Now let’s go back to Satan’s deception of Eve and my very first question: What if Satan LIED to Eve and told her that her eyes would be opened because HE KNEW they would actually be CLOSED?

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” – Genesis 3:1

Satan had set out to ruin God’s creation. That was his plan when he entered the serpent and spoke deception to Eve. IF Adam and Eve had 20/20 spiritual vision and could see the spirit world clearly (the Kingdom of God), then Satan would stand a much better chance of ruining their relationship with God if he could put their spiritual eyes out, so to speak. What if Satan’s trick on Adam and Eve CLOSED their spiritual eyes so that, after just one bite, they could no longer see the spiritual realm? One bite and they could no longer see the Kingdom of God and it’s heavenly inhabitants - their protectors, the other spiritual beings, the angels…which meant they would no longer be able to see God either…and they became scared.

Think about it. What was the first thing Adam and Eve did when the spiritual lights went out? They ran and hid. Adam says, “I was afraid because I was naked and so I hid.” What is it that we are most afraid of? The things we can’t see! We are afraid of the dark, the unknown…that thing that might be under the bed or in the dark closet. Maybe Eve took one bite of that fruit and she immediately went SPIRITUALLY blind. Maybe she could still see the physical realm and the physical creation (Adam, the animals, the garden), but she COULD NO LONGER see the spiritual realm. She became scared because she KNEW something was now terribly wrong. And instead of running to Adam and telling him that she could no longer see the spirit world, she passed the deception on to him, gave him the fruit and let him gouge out his own spiritual eyes in the process. Maybe Adam and Eve ate the fruit and gave up eternal life…AND their spiritual eyesight with it.

So now, Adam and Eve have children and pass on their state of sin and death to us all and with it, their spiritual blindness. They had seen God and then suddenly weren’t able to see him any more…and neither can we. None of Adam and Eve’s offspring would ever be able to see God, but for Moses, who was only allowed a brief glimpse of God’s back. Maybe that’s because, since we did not see God from the moment we opened our eyes and weren’t able to become comfortable with him as our heavenly Father, we would be absolutely frightened to death if we came face to face with him.

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. - Hebrews 10:31 (NAS)

And maybe this spiritual blindness is a secondary reason for Christ having to come to earth as a man. Yes, his sacrifice was necessary to reverse the spiritual death Adam caused, but what if his coming also was the beginning of a reversal of our spiritual eyesight? What if, by believing in Christ, we start to understand a little of the “mystery” that Dr. Graham spoke of. We start to “see through a mirror dimly.” What if we become like the blind man that Jesus healed in Mark 8:23-25…

“He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything? He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”

We put just a little bit of faith into what God says in his word and we surrender our lives to Christ and he starts to slowly, gradually give us back our spiritual eyes. We start to read and understand more and more of his word and suddenly a heavenly realm with spiritual beings becomes plausible. “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully.” When I look at scripture through this lens, these passages take on a whole new meaning to me. And when he returns, our spiritual eyesight will be restored and “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Amen to that.

Blessed Be Your Name

2010-05-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."¹⁶And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."

- Mark 10:13-15

I’ve been sitting playing my guitar this morning, learning Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name.” Not the straight-ahead, rock version you’ve heard on Christian radio or sang in church, but a revised acoustic version (iTunes – Matt Redman, Blessed Be Your Name (acoustic) (Bonus track). Same words, but a completely revised arrangement with a different, beautiful and haunting chord structure beneath the original melody. It wasn’t long before worship happened and I heard God and tears flowed. Wow.

What I heard was this: “You are my child.”

Not “You are my man,” or “You’re my servant,” or even “You are my son.” It was the realization that, though I committed my life to him almost 20 years ago and I am much older, I am still a child in his eyes. I fight this daily because the world is constantly trying to grind me into being what it calls “a man.” Whether that is through worldly success or sensual pleasure or physical strength or beauty or through a host of other avenues. It is in direct conflict with who God wants me to be and I feel that struggle and tension with every waking breath.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your name.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away. You give and take away.

My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name.

Those are Job’s words, from Job 1:21 after he learned of the destruction of his herds, servants and his family by raiders. When I sang those words of the song this morning, “You give and take away…” I felt God’s presence deeply and his voice to me saying. “I love you and you are my child.” To me, he was saying, Tony, “Just like you discipline and love your children, I discipline and love you. Just because I discipline you and it hurts, does not mean I stop loving you for one second or love you one bit less. I am committed to you. You are my family. I am your Father and you are my child.”

It reminded me of the passage I quoted at the beginning in Mark where Jesus says to his disciples, “¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." I think that is something I’ve had a hard time understanding all my life as a believer, especially in the face of what the world says it means to be “a man” today. A child? Give me a break. How can I become a child when I’ve been working so hard to become “a man”?

But God revealed it to me this morning. He is SO big and SO powerful that no matter how old I get, how much I learn, what experiences I have on this earth, how successful I am, how strong I am…I am still nothing compared to Him. Everything I have comes from his hand. The very breath that I breathe, the beating of my heart, the thoughts of my mind – they are all gifts from a loving God. At the VERY best…I am just a child. When I look at it that way, I say to myself, “I get to be a child of the Living God? I’ll take that!”

It also reminds me of the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus when he told him,

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” - John 3:3

Nicodemus was an extremely learned person, a Pharisee, one of the religious elite of his day and he had an EXTREMELY hard time with this concept. He even asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old?” He didn’t get it either (maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad?). Once again Jesus makes this reference to what has to happen in order to see the kingdom of God…we must be “born again.” That means we must start over…become “a child.”

So I am just beginning to understand that being born again simply means that, once I have been redeemed by faith in what Christ did for me, I accept the fact that as I enter into God’s kingdom, I really know nothing when it comes to spiritual things and to what happens after I die. I only know what he reveals to me. When it comes to these kinds of spiritual things, I am helpless, needy, dependent...like a child. Which, for right now, is exactly what he wants me to be. Amen.

Bishop, May 2010

2010-05-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend camping in Bishop with friend Phillip Naman. He ran the Bishop Ultramarathon 50K, finishing in 7 hours and 32 minutes. Not bad for his first ultra - nice job "Bossman"! I rode the mountain bike 15 miles before I succomed to the sandy, uphill trail of 4000 elevation gain - not much fun pushing a bike up that hill. This pic is our tent on Sunday night. The wind blew a howling 35-40 mph most of the night and was crushing Phillips side of the tent. We had to rig up a support system with ropes to keep it from completely smashing us.

This is an old bridge foundation in the upper Owens river with swallows nests attached to the supports.

We fished a couple of lakes on Sunday and the lower and upper Owens River. Didn't catch alot of fish, but defintely had a great time. Clear and warm on Saturday for the race, windy with cloud cover on Sunday night, snow in Mammoth on Monday.

Tough fishing on the Owens on Monday - lots of wind, overcast, low visibility in the water. I'm assuming the fish could see me because I never saw them - just the great landscape of the Owens valley.

10000 Pushup Challenge

2010-05-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

My friend, Chris Patterson, challenged me to do 100 push-ups in 100 days for a total of 10,000. I accepted and started yesterday and will be using Facebook as my accountability method. Arms are jello!

Already have three other friends that have committed. Want to join? Here's the details and inspiration from Chris: http://cjpatterson.blogspot.com/search/label/motivation

George Is Sleeping In the Rain

2010-04-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

For the past year or so, the Lord has been giving me a heart for the local homeless people in the town where I live, Redlands, CA. One night after one of my wife's typically wonderful home-cooked meals, we were cleaning up the kitchen and there was A LOT of food left over. I can't even remember what it was. I just remember watching her getting ready to dump the remainder of the dish into the garbage disposal and I just instinctively said, "Wait." I took the rest of the food from her before she threw it out...enough for a couple of people...and put it in an old tupperware dish with a few pieces of bread. We had some salad left over too, so I poured that into a big, plastic baggie and sealed it up. I scrounged up a few paper plates, plastic forks and knives, napkins and two diet sodas from the fridge in the garage and put it all in a big, brown paper bag. "I'll be back." I got in my car and just started driving...and praying. I felt guilty for how much food we waste when I KNOW there are people in town that are going hungry. I thanked the Lord for all the blessings he has given me...a beautiful wife, four wonderful daughters, a great home in a great neighborhood and great friends and a great church...and great home-cooked food. Then I prayed that he would lead me to the person or persons that needed this food the most. I remember driving around for ten or fifteen minutes until I found a homeless couple, Rick and Katie, sitting on a bus bench in the dark next to their grocery cart that held all of their earthly belongings. I introduced myself, gave them the food and drove home with tears streaming down my face. That was the beginning of a kind of ritual for me - feeding the homeless and hungry in my town.

I remember constructing a massive plate (a small feast, really) of leftovers this past Thanksgiving when we were in Fresno visiting my wife's family. I slipped out without anyone noticing and went for a drive into town, praying that the Lord would lead me to someone who was really in need and would be blessed by a big plate of food. That's when I met Ernie. He was talking on a pay phone when I pulled up next to him. He was standing up next to his wheel chair which was stacked with his stuff (a blanket, a Bible, a jug of water, and a hammer - more on this later). He was obviously crippled in some way - his legs and feet were deformed with some kind of birth defect and he had trouble standing, much less walking. His clothes were dirty and worn out. His boots were especially worn out. His long, black and gray hair pulled back in a pony tail. He turned to look at me when I pulled up and I asked him if he could use some food. He immediately burst into tears and I heard him tell the person on the other end of the phone, "Praise God, Maria! God just sent a man to me and he has a whole bunch of food! He did it! He did it! Praise Jesus!"

Ernie hung up the phone and told me that was his wife he was speaking to and he had been praying with her on the phone that God would send someone to help them. He had been begging for change all day long there at the corner and didn't have much to show for it. I asked him where he lived and he said out in Clovis.

"Clovis? That's like four or five miles away. Is she coming to pick you up?" I asked.
"No, I was just getting ready to start walking home. I do it every day."

So this crippled man had been pushing his wheelchair with his stuff in it, four miles each way, every week day to beg for change at one of Fresno's busiest intersections. That was how he made his money. My heart broke.

So I helped Ernie pile his stuff and his wheelchair into the back of my Suburban and I gave him a lift - four point three miles - to his home, a small little two bedroom house, in Clovis. He had been drinking and smelled pretty strongly of beer which he apologized for. "I know I drink too much sometimes. I used to do heroin and pills, but Jesus helped me kick that. But I still drink too much. I'm praying God will help me with that too." And in that moment, I completely understood why Ernie would want to drink too much and I didn't blame him. Who WOULDN'T want to numb the pain of hobbling four plus miles, pushing a wheelchair to his spot there on Blackstone Ave. every day to beg? I told Ernie that if I was in his position, I would probably be drinking too and that I thought he was a brave man.

When we arrived, his wife and teenage son came out to greet us and to thank me for bringing him home and for the small Thanksgiving feast I had brought. I prayed with them and we all shed tears together there in their driveway. What a Thanksgiving miracle to be a part of!

So tonight, here in Redlands, its raining pretty hard and its about 45 degrees outside. My wife cooked this great new recipe...pork chops with Hoisin sauce over a bed of angel hair pasta - delicious! And we had leftovers. Tonight the Lord led me to George who was already lying down in his makeshift camp by the railroad tracks downtown. He had constructed a kind of tent out of an old tarp and some sheets of clear plastic. He looked like he was hunkered down to weather out the storm. So while I'm sure George will enjoy the pork chops as much or more than I did, I'm not so sure he's going to sleep well. It will be a long, cold, wet night for him. My two youngest daughters and I will pray for him when I tuck them in and he will probably be the last thing on my mind as I drift off to sleep tonight...in my warm, dry bed...that I am so thankful for, but do not deserve.

Now I'm not writing this because I want to draw attention to myself or my good deed. On the contrary, I want to bring attention to our homeless friends. None of us has to look very hard around our town to find them. Maybe I can encourage someone reading this to start their own practice of saving some leftovers and putting together a meal for them. Maybe someone reading this will help another human being and be part of the miracle of compassion. That is what I hope. And I hope you'll say a prayer for Rick and Katie, and Ernie and Maria...and George...sleeping in the rain tonight. God bless them every one.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40

Everything Glorious?

2010-02-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

So it’s late summer the first time I heard this song, David Crowder’s “Everything Glorious.” I was in my Jeep, driving around who knows where, top down, the air was warm…you know that typical SoCal late summer afternoon. My mind was rattling with the issues of the day. But it has a catchy refrain that I started singing along with… “You make everything glorious, you make everything glorious, you make everything glorious and I am yours.” I liked it right away. An easy to remember chorus that I could relate to…at least in a distant sort of way. Doesn’t God make everything glorious? Of course he does…(whatever that really means. ) Anyway, it sounds biblical enough and it was well, you know…sing-able.
I forgot the song almost immediately…as the rush of the day’s demands swallowed me up. ‘You make everything…” Huh?

Fast forward several weeks later and my heart is in a different place. God has softened it, brought me low in humility…the place I need to be to really hear him speak. And here I find myself driving alone in my Jeep again, on the way home after a long, hard day. But this time, there is intention. I pop my iPod into my sound system and tune it to the song I had heard a few weeks back and liked enough to download on iTunes. And the bearded, skinny guy starts singing again…

“The day is brighter here with you. The night is lighter than its hue…would lead me to believe…which leads me to believe…”

And then I smell it. You know, that early autumn scent of burning wood, cool humidity and mown grass. And it smells good. Why do I notice that? I look into the rear view mirror as I round the turn towards my house and the jeep kicks up a swaft of orange, green and brown leaves behind me.

“You make everything glorious, you make everything glorious, yeah you make everything glorious…and I am yours…what does that make me?"

Yeah, there’s definitely glory in that smell. Where else can you get that smell than this time of year around here? I get it. And then my senses are aroused. If God can make a combination of seasonal smells “glorious,” what else is he doing that with that I’m missing?

“My eyes are small but they have seen the beauty of enormous things, which leads me to believe…there’s light enough to sing…"

“Enormous things?” Yeah, I guess there are those enormous things that God really does make so glorious. How do I miss them? Like the way my 6 year old smiles at me when I walk through the door in the evening or the way my wife’s eyes light up when she laughs. I love that. That’s glorious in an enormous way. Or the way I hug an old friend and hold on tight that extra second when we haven’t seen each other for a long time just so they know I’ve missed them. Enormous. Wow.

"You make everything glorious, you make everything glorious, yeah you make everything glorious,
And I am yours…

"From glory to glory, from glory to glory, you are glorious, you are glorious, you are glorious! Which leads me to believe why I can believe…You make everything glorious, yeah you make everything glorious, you make everything glorious and I am yours…"

Yeah, it's different this time. I feel the cool October air on my face as I look upward into the cloud filled sky and I feel just a few errant rain drops hit me inside the jeep and splatter around. And there are those smells again. Someone’s cozy wood burning fireplace casting off that unforgettable scent of autumn. Is it hickory? Orange wood? And the sun is setting behind those smoky clouds and shooting out unbelievable rays of orange and purple and yellow and for just a moment, everything feels…well you know…

Perfect.

And I smile….and start singing along with Crowder.

“You make everything glorious! You make everything glorious! Yeah, you make everything glorious…and I am yours!”

Colt McCoy...A True Champion

2010-01-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

“For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to
prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and
a future.”
--JER. 29-11

With apologies to our understandably proud and jubilant
Crimson Tide faithful, the University of Alabama , to me,
wasn’t the biggest winner in Thursday night’s BCS
national championship football game.

That distinction went to a young man from Tuscola , Texas ,
named Colt McCoy. Colt McCoy! Are you crazy, you say?
Yes, Colt McCoy, the Longhorns’ All-American quarterback
who suffered an injury on the game’s opening drive,
knocking him out of the remainder of the contest. The same
Colt McCoy who won more games as a starting quarterback than
anyone in the history of NCAA Division I football.

Yet, you may ask, how in the world can you argue that Colt
McCoy was the game’s biggest winner? After all, he hardly
even played.

In reply, I would reference the young man’s post-game
interview before millions upon millions of people who
watched the nationally-televised matchup. The reporter asked
McCoy, “How did you feel, watching the game from the
sidelines?”

Smarting from a shoulder injury that numbed his cannon-like
throwing arm after being hit by Alabama’s Marcell Dareus,
McCoy kind of gazed up in the night sky, cleared his throat
a couple of times trying to fight back emotion, and
couldn’t really respond for five or six seconds. Finally,
the recipient of the prestigious Maxwell Award acknowledged that
“it was unfortunate that I didn’t get to play” and
that he “would have given everything I had to be out there
with my teammates.” He then congratulated Alabama and
later called the Tide “a tremendous football team.”

But what he said next was the real clincher. Still makes me
a little misty-eyed. He told the interviewer, “I alwaysgive God
the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. I know
God is in control of my life, and I also know, if nothing else,
that I’m standing on the rock.”

Now, folks, let’s think about the profound nature of that
response. Here’s a kid who always seemed destined to play
in that national championship game. My goodness, with a name
like Colt McCoy, he was born to be the gunslinging quarterback
of the fabled Burnt Orange. His entire experience playing junior
high, high school, and college football had been vested toward
Thursday night, Jan. 7, 2010, in Pasadena , California’s Rose Bowl.

And he got to play one ill-fated series. One.

Now, the 6-2, 210-pound Heisman finalist completed over 70
percent of his passes and threw for 112 touchdowns and
13,253 yards in his storied college career. Just phenomenal.
Those accomplishments aside, in his post-game interview, the
Longhorn quarterback hurled the most important scoring pass
of his life - a real “Hail, Mary,” if there ever was
one. Despite his obvious and deep disappointment, Colt McCoy
came through like a true champion for his God, giving praise
and thanks even in bitter defeat. Notwithstanding religion,
he taught the nation a lesson in class and humility.
You know, as all of us progress through this life, we
experience what some call “defining moments.” It’s
those crossroads episodes that establish, for good or bad,
whatever legacy we leave on this Earth. Most of us will
never have a national television audience, like Colt McCoy,
when our defining moments come, but I have a feeling, in God’s
eyes, that a street corner ministering to just one other
human being might do.

Colt McCoy may never become a star in the National Football
League, although I suspect he will. Nonetheless, in
this age of professional athletes having well-publicized
extra-marital affairs, brandishing guns in locker rooms,
lying to grand juries, and using performance-enhancing
drugs, Colt McCoy is a star on a stage far transcending any
football field. No, he never got to hold that coveted
crystal trophy, but Thursday night he made a resounding
statement to the youth of America about what it really means
to be a winner.

And I know God will continue to bless him for that.

Prayerstreem...

2010-01-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

Check out my new Social Network of prayer called "Prayerstreem". It's a network of Christ followers committed to praying for each other and the world. I hope you'll join the network and jump into the Prayerstreem!

http://www.prayerstreem.com

Solomon and Abby Make A Startling Discovery in Quadrant 7...

2009-12-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

Coming Soon - "The Joseph Scroll", the sequel to "Nails"

2009-12-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a newspaper article that appears in "The Joseph Scroll". It should give you an idea of the storyline...

Zanheedran Society Unveils Scroll That May Disprove Christianity

AP Boston, MA - Vincent Zanheedran, Chairman of the Boston based Zanheedran Society, unveiled today an ancient scroll purportedly written by Joseph of Arimathea. The document is hand-written in the ancient Hebrew language and is in relatively good physical condition.
"The translation of the text of this document certainly casts doubt on, if not altogether disproves the resurrection and self-proclaimed diety of Jesus of Nazareth," Zanheedran stated in a press conference yesterday.
The complete translation of the text has yet to be released, but the initial fragments that Zanheedran has released to the public thus far tell a chilling story of Christ's crucifixion, burial and claim his resurrection as an intentional hoax.

Stay tuned! Hope to release this book mid 2010, God willing!

Ruthless Trust

2009-10-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Brennan Manning's "Ruthless Trust" is an intense, challenging and inspiring look at how to trust Christ...ruthlessly. Here are a few excerpts from today's reading...

Faith + Hope = Trust "Faith and hope work together to form a trusting disciple."

"Jesus alone reveals who God is. He is the source of our information about transcendence/divinity. We cannot deduce anything about Jesus from what we think we know about God, however we must deduce everything about God from what we know about Jesus."

"TRUST means the willingness to become absolutely empty of all terrfying and comforting images of God that we have held, so that the gift of God in Jesus Christ may come to us in on God's terms."

A friend said something yesterday that convicted me deeply. He said, "If I could just understand that all of this that I have, and I mean everything; my wife, my kids, my possessions, my job, my very heartbeat and breath of life...all of this is God's. It's not mine. It's when I try to hold on to these things so tightly and act like I own them or something that I start feeling fearful and insecure about life and myself. All this is His! He's just letting me borrow it to see how I will bring Him glory in it."

So I asked him, "But don't you get these flashes of brilliance when you feel like you got it? You know, like you hit the nail on the head?"

"Yeah," he said. "They last about a nanosecond."

So true. God, may you expand those nanoseconds of spiritual transcendence in our lives into seconds, minutes, hours...dare I ask for days, months or years...that we would bring you glory.

"Apart from me, you can do nothing." John 15:5

Redlands Author Publishes Christian Fiction Novel

2009-09-23T16:07:00.001-07:00

Redlands Author Publishes Christian Fiction Novel

Shared via AddThis

Introducing..."Nails"

2009-09-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here's an exclusive sneak preview of my original novel about an up-and-coming, hot shot archaeologist named Solomon Estes who makes a captivating discovery in the Middle East that will change the course of history. It could either prove without a doubt the truth of the Christian faith...or shake its foundations to the core.

Included in this blog is the book's prologue in its entirety. Watch for the complete publication of the novel soon available online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other fine booksellers.

NAILS - A Novel by T.D. Wilcox

PROLOGUE
Jerusalem-33 A.D.
It’s rare for it to rain in Palestine in April, much less for it to storm as heavily as it had the past few days. Tensions in Jerusalem were extremely high in light of the most recent political events between the Jews and the Roman government and neither the political nor the natural storms looked as if they would subside any time soon.
Night falls and the man exited the gardens of the royal palace, trying to go unnoticed. His pace quickened as he made his way down the massive travertine steps in the flickering light of the evening torches. He pulled his now wet cloak over his head, quickening his pace, slumping forward as he crossed the courtyard, trying to shield himself from the driving rain as he approached the Royal guard’s quarters. He skipped and jumped several broadening puddles until he was stopped abruptly at the door of the guard’s quarters by two uniformed Roman officers. The larger of the two held out his massive hand and kept it there, inches from the man’s chest.
“I need to speak with Semius.”
The guard on the right glared at him and paused, sizing him up. “What business do you have with Semius?”
“Maybe it’s the emperor’s business!” the man snapped. “Must I get his majesty’s royal permission to speak with Semius?”
The guard was a bit taken aback by the man’s assertiveness. He looked him up and down and reluctantly gave in. “Hhmmmph. Wait here.” He motioned with his head to the other guard on post. “Get Semius. Tell him…tell him that the religiously confused Jewish nobleman is here for a visit.”
The other guard left his post while the man and the head guard waited in the rain, staring at each other without words. Violent cracks of thunder shook the ground and lightning lit up the courtyard as the earth was showered with God’s vengeful wrath.
The second guard returned quickly, and smirked as he gave a grunt of quiet amusement to his commander.
Semius followed behind him, dressed in uniform as well, minus the bronze helmet. He was tall, stocky with massive forearms. But his most imposing characteristic was the six-inch scar that ran down the left side of his face, just next to his eye and down past his lip. The grazing of a sword tip? A knife? It only made him look all the more intimidating.
“I’m Semius. What do you want?”
“I’d like a word with you in private.”
Semius knew who the man was and shot a look at the commanding officer as if to ask permission. The commander gave him the nod. The two men left the guard post and walked quickly towards the wall of the city and stood under the portico beneath the Hippicus tower to shield them from the rain.
Semius rubbed the water from his shortly cropped, chestnut colored hair. “Jewish noblemen don’t associate with the Praetorian unless there’s money or a scandal involved, so which is it?”
The nobleman ignored his sarcasm. “I understand you are in possession of certain items related to the city’s most recent execution.”
He smiled…slowly. “Yes.”
“I’d like to purchase them from you.”
His devilish smile broadened. “Don’t you think your associates might have a problem with your possession of such items? I understand they are very upset about those that had allegiance to…the deceased. And besides…they’re not for sale.”
“Your concern is noted, but you need not worry about the views of my associates.” The nobleman wiped the rain from his face. “You are a member of the Praetorian guard. Do you think that I don’t know what the emperor pays for your rank and experience? It’s hardly enough to support yourself, much less your family…except for the little extra you take on the side extorting from the tax collectors. Am I right?”
Semius shrugged. It was common practice for the Praetorian to extort money on the side from the tax collectors under their jurisdiction.
“I’m prepared to pay you what you earn in an entire year for these items.” The man glared intensely at the guard, wanting to emphasize the seriousness of his offer. “I have it here with me now.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed. “If you have it with you now, what’s to keep me from simply taking it from you!?” he shouted. “You know if I want to take it by force, it’s mine!”
“And you know my status and reputation in the community!” The Jew shouted back. He wasn’t about to be cornered by a pagan Roman guard. “I’ve just come from the royal palace speaking with the emperor himself! The last thing someone like you needs is another political scandal coming down on your head for abusing a Jewish nobleman, especially after what this city has just experienced!”
Semius considered the man’s point. He was right, but he did not want to admit it. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the man.
The man breathed in deeply. “Come now. One year’s wages. How can you afford not to?”
Semius pondered the offer as the rain continued to beat down outside the portico. He looked away and tried to feign disinterest. “There may be a better offer yet. I’ll wait and see,” Semius replied smugly and turned to head back to the guard’s chambers.
The nobleman reached out and grasped Semius’ bulging arm with his hand to stop him. He spun him around and pulled the huge guard close to him by his outer garment and shouted at him, “An offer from whom?!!” The rich man was losing his patience with this ignorant imbecile. “Once the political intrigue of this incident has subsided, these items may well be worthless! Do you want to risk a year’s wages on that?”
The soldier paused. He was right about that as well.
“Two year’s wages,” he replied sternly.
“Two years wages? Ha!!” The Jewish nobleman laughed out loud. “I saw you gamble for these things! It couldn’t have cost you more than two drachmas!”
The soldier smiled and shook his head. “Actually, it was only one drachma.”
“You’ve said it yourself then! One drachma for a year’s wages? Are you really that dense? How long must you ponder that?” This guard must have been hit in the head one too many times, the man thought to himself.
The soldier paused again, seemingly confused, as the rain beat down incessantly around them. “Two year’s wages!” Semius shouted.
The nobleman didn’t have to think twice, as he could have paid ANY price the thick headed guard could have conjured up if he wanted. “Very well. Bring the items,” he responded.
“Wait here.”
Semius left the old man under the portico, the rain still pouring hard and the wind driving it in swirls around the square. He walked back past the two guards at the entrance of the quarters and disappeared for a minute or two. He re-emerged holding a covered package, trying to conceal it the best he could with his strong, war-torn hands. They made the exchange under the portico.
The guard turned and walked back through the rain toward his quarters with two small bags of gold coins in his hand. He held them up and smiled at the commander as he strutted back into the guard’s quarters.
“Religiously confused…and very rich,” stated Semius as he passed. The guards chuckled and nodded in approval.
The old man stowed his purchase under his cloak and quickly left the yard with the thunder booming above his head, the un-seasonal rain pounded the city with a vengeance from above.

* * * * *

On his way out of town, the man stopped at a nearby villa and knocked forcefully on its large, wooden door. There was no answer as he expected the occupants to be deep asleep this time of night. He pounded again, even more forcefully. After a few moments, the view slot finally opened to tired eyes on the other side of the door.
“Joseph? What are you doing out in the rain? It’s late. Do you want to come in?” The man unbolted the door from the inside and cracked it to let his wet friend in.
“No brother. Listen,” he held out his hand and paused. “I’m leaving the city. The council is already angry at me and once they’ve found what I’ve done now, they’ll want my head.”
“Why? What have you done?”
“I don’t want to get you involved. I may be gone for a very long time…at least until things blow over here. I’m leaving the city and quite possibly the country. I’ve made the final preparations to the body as best I could, but I need to leave now. I just wanted you to know that I’ve left on my own accord.”
“Joseph, don’t! Stay here! Let’s appeal to the council. I’ll go with you. If you speak with them now and renounce your views I’m sure they’ll pardon you. You are well respected here, my brother. Your life is here. Don’t do this!”
“After seeing what my own eyes have seen, I am all the more certain of what I believe. I cannot renounce my views. I have no choice.”
“Are you committed enough to die also? Joseph, please! They’ll hang you just like they hung him.”
“I know. That’s why I must leave. Because I AM committed enough…even to die.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t want you to know. I don’t want anyone to know. I’ll contact you soon.”
His friend’s eyes welled with tears. He reached out and touched Joseph’s shoulder, wondering if he would ever see him again “Shaloam, my brother. My prayers will be with you.”
“I covet your prayers, my friend! Mine will be with you as well. Shaloam.” Joseph turned and waved goodbye as he disappeared into the darkness.

* * * * *

Joseph guided the ass-driven wagon out of the city and across the countryside towards Beersheba, through Bethlehem. Normally, it would have been suicide to travel these paths alone, as robbers almost certainly would lie in wait for would-be travelers to murder and plunder along the roads leading out of Jerusalem. Tonight was different though. The storm was so heavy and had been pounding for so many days that even the robbers would not be out in it.
The trip was a difficult one and the two mules that pulled the cart struggled against the muddy road and the wind that drove the rain into their eyes like needles. Joseph was cold and wet and worse…alone. Not just in body, but in spirit. He had never felt so alone his whole, entire life. Deep sorrow welled up inside him as he guided the cart through the treacherous countryside, reviewing the events of the past few days in his mind. Heavy tears of sorrow fell from his eyes and mixed with the cold rain. It was a long, mournful trip and he wanted it to be over with.
He traveled fifteen miles or so along the muddy, rain-soaked road during the night until he reached his destination; a private hillside cottage just outside the village of Kiriath Arba, a few miles from the ancient city of Hebron. The cottage had belonged to his family for generations but he only came there once every year or so. Very few people knew where it was or that it was even his. It was one of several villas he owned in the regions surrounding Jerusalem and he felt relatively safe there. He planned to stay only a night or two and then to move on out of the country where he would be safer…where he would build a new life…perhaps.
After unloading his belongings and some supplies he had brought, he lit the candle by the door and started a fire in the cottage’s large, stone fireplace to warm the room. The crackling flames cast a warm, glow across the main room of the cottage as Joseph changed out of his soaking wet clothes.
Once he was dry and settled, he placed the package that he had carried from Jerusalem on the huge wooden table in the center of the room and lit the two large, partially melted candles that sat at the table’s center, further illuminating the room with a flickering light. He paused and stared at the table, considering the craftsmanship that went into its construction, how the wood was chosen, the beauty of the finished piece of furniture. He ran his hand slowly over the smooth, beautifully finished wood and a tear welled up in his eye. He looked away sharply and forced himself to move on to another task to keep the sorrow from consuming him. He had much to do before daybreak.
He removed a large iron pot from a rack beside the fireplace and hung it over the fire, pausing to warm his cold and numb hands in front of the flame. Fumbling through his bags on the floor, he removed a handful of black, shiny, objects, rock-like in shape and about the size of a loaf of bread each, several of which he dropped into the iron pot. He poured himself a cup of wine from a large clay jar and sat down at the table, staring blankly at the package. He sighed heavily as he unwrapped the outer material of the package, revealing a jumbled wad of bloody linen cloths which were wrapped around the heavy objects inside. He leaned back and surveyed the sight…the flickering candle, the cup of wine, the blood-soaked cloths, the beautiful wooden table-top…and then…he began to weep. He closed his eyes, covered his face in his hands and sobbed, deep and full of pain. “Dear God in heaven…”
Once the waves of emotion had subsided, he wiped his eyes and took out several fresh scrolls of parchment paper from a drawer in the cupboard and began writing at the candlelit table. He stayed up well into the night writing, thinking, crying, pouring out his thoughts, his story, onto the parchment, not knowing who would ever read his words…or when, if ever. He completed his text, in Hebrew, on the scroll early in the morning hours. He signed his signature, dated it at the bottom and rolled it into a cylindrical shape with two additional blank pieces of parchment on the outside for protection, then sealed the entire roll with his own personal signet ring pressed into the hot wax dripped from the candle that lit the room.
He had brought along with him his own ossuary, a box carved out of soft limestone, made to hold his own bones after he passed away. Most ossuaries were simple with very basic inscriptions carved into them denoting the name and heritage of the person whose bones it held. Joseph’s was much more detailed with ornate and beautiful carvings of flora and symbols related to his faith. He had commissioned its creation several years prior by a talented local craftsman in Jerusalem and had paid a handsome price for it.
He poured the remainder of the wine into his cup and placed the rolled wad of bloody linen and its heavy contents into the clay wine jug. Reaching into his purse, he removed one single, Roman coin…a denarius, and placed it also inside the wine jug, and then inserted the scroll as well. He sealed the top of the large-mouthed jug with another wad of clean linen cloths and then wrapped the entire jug, tying it off with some flaxen twine. He then placed it on the bed of clean linen strips inside the empty ossuary, closing it under its beautifully carved limestone lid. He was beginning to tire, exhausted from the long trip and becoming sleepy from the wine, but he was still not finished. After spreading rags across the entire table, he removed the smoldering, bubbling pot from the fire and placed it there next to the closed ossuary. The room smelled of the smoky fire and the acrid contents of the pot.
He removed the lid from the pot and dipped a large brush into the now thick, tar-like substance, stirring it to keep it from setting up too quickly. He wrapped the ossuary with more of the cloths he had laid out on the table and tied the entire package together with more of the flaxen twine. He then began covering the box with the black tar, brushing it over the entire exterior until it was completely covered. After the first completed coat, he wrapped another layer of cloth around the box and then brushed more of the black, tarry pitch over the object, more protection for his precious treasure. He then finished off the last sip of wine in his cup and retired for the night’s final few hours of darkness, exhausted.

When he awoke the next morning, the rain was still falling heavily outside and it was so dark that the day seemed as if it were still night. After stoking the fire, he placed the iron pot back into the fireplace to re-heat its sticky contents, which had now hardened. He then went to the corner of the room and picked up a large, wooden chest that he used to store linens in. He removed the linens and placed the chest on the table next to the coated ossuary, which was now dried, hard and heavy from the multiple layers of cloth and pitch. He carefully arranged a bed of cloth and rags inside the wooden chest and then paused, placing his hand on the ossuary…his own ossuary. He didn’t care now what happened to his own bones and saw no need to preserve them when he died. All seemed hopeless, lost. He closed his eyes, bowed his head and prayed. He prayed that someday, somehow, his story would be known. His heart burned with the desire to tell others what he had learned, but he feared for his life if he were to proclaim it. “Adonai, help me. Deliver me.” he prayed silently.
He lifted the heavy ossuary and placed it with its contents upon the bed of cloth inside the wooden chest, packing it away for a long storage. How long, he did not know. He closed the chest, locked it with an iron locking mechanism and then began painting its wooden surface with the same black, tarry substance from the now smoldering pot.
While the chest dried, Joseph went outside and found a small shovel near the cottage’s garden, which was now flooded from days of constant rain. In the wet, soft dirt, he began digging a very deep, dark hole. He struggled against the muddy water that continued to run into the hole, no matter how much he shoveled out. He worked feverishly in the pouring rain, his clothes soaked to his skin, digging deeper and deeper into the soft earth. He then gathered several buckets full of stones and rocks with which he used to line the bottom of the hole. The thunder continued to pound and echo off the adjacent hillsides like an earthquake as he worked on to create the place in which he would later bury the chest that held his treasured purchase, the items that had cost him the two-year’s wages of a Praetorian guard.
A few days later, as Joseph was attempting to leave the country to begin his new life, he was ambushed; brutally attacked and viciously beaten along the road that leads out of Kiriath Arba. The would-be robbers left his bloody, naked body in a roadside ditch and took all of his belongings. He died there alone, just as the rain began to subside and the sun was peeking through the retreating clouds. His body was found the next morning by some travelers on the way to Jerusalem.
The local townspeople attributed his death to the common thieves of the region. Common thieves who would quickly turn hired assassin for the right price…the price paid by the Jewish council to cleanse the land of yet another blasphemer.

Whoa. ALL Joy?

2009-08-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

In relation to my previous post...life just got HARDER! With ANOTHER series of trials upon me, I find myself STRUGGLING for joy. Without going into details, the trials just keep on coming to me and my family. Your prayers are appreciated. Help me find the joy, Lord.

Consider It All Joy...

2009-08-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

James exhorts us, "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials..." And so it has been for the past year or more in our lives. Struggles at work because of the difficult economy, financial challenges, five months of pain medication and then a serious surgery on my neck followed by two weeks of withdrawals from the pain meds, a blown motor in our Jeep, a blown ABS pump in our Suburban, a needed new set of tires for our Suburban, a ticket for running a red light ($491-ouch), a blown electronic brain in our Jeep, a needed new set of tires for our Jeep, broken out windows of our Suburban with Celeste's purse, my laptop and checkbook STOLEN, another electronic problem with our Jeep today (yes, I know - I should be driving a Nissan or a Toyota - DON'T START already!).

And its only August.

So how do we "consider it all joy?" Our friend Melanie Grochowski commented on our string of trials, "It's almost laughable, isn't it?" She's right. At some point, we have to just throw up our hands and ask for God's mercy. We're WAY past that point, BTW.

Right now, Celeste is at a meeting and Abby is at a pool party with friends, so I'm sitting here in the front yard, watching Terra and Mattea ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac and listening to Tori singing a song inside, the dog is barking in the back yard and I'm thinking - I've really got all I need. Actually, MUCH, MUCH more than I need...in them. Everyone is healthy, we're together, we're blessed with great friends and family and a loving, generous, forgiving and faithful Lord. What else could a guy ask for? In THAT I can truly find joy.

Trials? What trials? :)

Miss You This Christmas

2009-08-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

Worldliness 2

2009-08-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Phil. 4:8

Professional musician Bob Kauflin quotes this verse and sounds off on its application to the music we listen to. "It's not uncommon for Christians on Sunday mornings to worship Jesus for his substitutionary death on the cross, then sing songs, during the week that exalt the sins he died for. We sing, "My chains are gone, I've been set free," then remain enslaved to lyrics that promote fornication, profanity, anger, godless pleasure, sensuality, and materialism. "from the same mouth come blessings and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be se (James 3:10). James is right. These things ought not to be so. But when someone expresses a concern about song lyrics, we usually have a ready reply: "I don't even listen to the words. I don't know what they're saying." My response is, "Why not?" (Worldliness, ed. C.J. Mahaney, page 74)

I'm definitely guilty of that. I've had Sundays where I would sing those songs in church and then head out on a long bike ride with my iPod pumping Eminem's "8 mile" or the Eagles "Life In the Fast Lane," ignoring the lyrics and falling into a trance to the pounding rhythms and driving melodies. My bad. I need to take a look at my iPod and probably do some editing of the library. "Give me clean hands, Lord..." and eyes and ears as well.

Worldliness

2009-07-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a book called "Worldliness - Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World", edited by C.J. Mahaney as part of a study I'm in on Friday mornings with some guys. The current chapter is discussing our pre-occupation with media and how it affects almost all we do. It is constantly in the background of our lives whether it be from the radio, tv, iPod, movies, billboards, magazines, newspapers, (blogs!) or a host of other chatter - we cannot escape the media in our culture today.

One of the contributor's to the book stated, "Today, the all-pervasive glow of the television set is the single most potent influence and control in Western culture. Television has greater power over the lives of most Americans than any educational system, government, or church." - pastor Ken Hughes.

The book goes on, "Please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying it's wrong to watch television, rent a DVD, surf the internet or spend an evening at the cinema. The hazard is in thoughtless watching. Glorifying God is an intentional pursuit."

"Just because we don't instantly mimic all we see doesn't mean our hearts aren't negatively affected by the programs or films we watch. Tugging like a subtle undertow below the surface, the media can tempt us to drift toward love of the world."

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." (Gal 5:17)

Is the media contributing to keeping us from doing what God designed us to do? More to come on all of this.

The Summit

2009-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Celeste and friends made it to the summit of Mt. Whitney and back in about 14 hours without incident. Myself and friends/fellow dads, Wade Todd and Mike Andrews hung with the kids and took them fishing, hiking, napping, munching, lunching, etc. until the crew returned. We had multiple bear sitings in the camp and got some good pics (to come). All in all a great trip and fun times for all - except for Tori and Abby who described it as "torture" or something to that effect.

Mount Whitney

2009-07-09T04:13:00.000-07:00

Leaving this morning at 5 am to drive to Mt. Whitney for a weekend of camping with the fam. Celeste is climbing to the top with a bunch of her friends on Sat. Looking forward to some great time with her, the kids and friends.