Disturbing Story - Great Truth

   There is this incredibly disturbing story in Genesis 19 about Lot. It seems that after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was living in a cave with his two daughters. Since there were no men around, the girls decided to make their dad drunk and have sex with him so they could have children. As the story goes, two nights in a row, he got totally hammered and passed out. The girls took turns with dad and both got pregnant.
   Here is the punch line... the two boys became the fathers of the Moabites and the Amonites. These were the two most hated peoples by the early Israelite community. The animosity was so bad that in Deuteronomy 23:3, the command is given that: "No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation."
    Maybe I shouldn't ask such questions, but I wonder... did the total disdain for two groups of people influence the story as told in Genesis 19? The story is so succinct, so disgusting, so incendiary.

    I know, there are timeless things that we can pull from this passage, such as the warning towards drunkenness. But, think there is a much more redemptive message here. Ruth is from the line of Moab.... and her grandson (David) entered not only the "assembly of the Lord" but led that assembly. And, eventually, Jesus came from that same line.
    So, in God's plan, it doesn't so much matter where you come from, but where HE is taking you!

STOP

    This morning, as I was reading the scriptures, I ran across something that "stopped" me in my tracks.
It is in Luke 24. The resurrection of Jesus has just happened and the disciples are in dismay. They didn't believe the story that the ladies told. So, two of them travel to a city called Emmaus.
     On the way, they are musing about the happenings of the last few days. They are joined in the journey by a man who asks them what they are talking about. The next sentence "stopped me in my tracks." Really, that is what the Greek word means there. They were caused to stop and stand still will downcast faces.
     Have you ever been "stopped in your tracks?"
     Sometimes we need to STOP our incessant moving and listen. The same root Greek word is used later in verse 22 where the NIV says that the women "amazed us" with testimony of the resurrection. Another rendering of that word means, "knocked the feet from under us."
     What I am saying is that sometimes, we need to be stopped.
     This past weekend, I actually took a day off. It was the first one I had taken since my vacation and Robin and I looked at each other...  We felt odd because we felt we should be going somewhere and doing something.
      Most of the people are so busy that if God wanted to talk to them, He would have to chase them around. And since God doesn't call us on our cell phones, we wouldn't be listening, because that e-mail, text, call or game requires all our attention as we sprint to the next event.
      So... I stopped this morning, just to listen. It was wonderful.
      Why don't you STOP today and hear what the Spirit of God wants to tell you!

     A weird thing happened to me to day. It was a sunny Monday morning, and the power was out at the church, so I decided to go to my favorite hideaway to read the Bible and pray. After spending some time reading the Scriptures, I decided to walk down the path to the marshy area on the back of the property. There are some ponds back there, and there aren't normally any people, so I can sing and pray aloud without the risk of anyone thinking I am too nuts.

     So, I am a "look for deer" kinda guy. It comes from all those years of sitting in the freezing cold hoping to catch a glimpse of "bambi" so I could kill him and have deer steak for dinner. I wasn't very successful, but I wasted a lot of time watching the woods.

     Last fall, I was walking down this same trail and I saw one of the biggest bucks I have ever seen. He was in full rut and his neck must have been 2 feet wide. I stood there in wonder and delight as I watched him casually bound into the woods.

     This morning, I was walking down that same trail, praying for a list of people... calling their names out to God in prayer and asking for Him to bless them. Of course, I was looking for a big buck to jump out of the underbrush and astound me again. Instead, a Red Winged Blackbird cut across my path. 

     I have seen these birds for years, but this one was different. The color on his wings was bright red. As he flew past me, I thought about the passage about how God takes care of the birds of the air. You know, that He caused those colors to be vibrant and bright. That bird didn't spend an hour in the mirror making sure the colors were perfectly placed.

     Maybe it is time I trust God a little more. If He can make a blackbird beautiful... maybe He can take care of me too!!!

Spiritual Warfare

Below is a link from the opening song at Harvest Ridge on Sunday. We were talking about belief... and is there something better to believe in than what the world sells us.
Really, that was just an excuse to play a Journey song... man they killed it!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200209199691435&comment_id=5034341&offset=0&total_comments=5&notif_t=video_comment_tagged

I believe.... a lot of things. One is that "church' has been way too boring most of my life. If Jesus really is alive and we are committed to Him, then maybe we should live a little better!