Just as there are seasons in the environment, there are seasons in our lives. Just like the outside elements can be threatening or non-threatening, so also the elements in our lives. There are clear blue sky days and there are dark cloudy and stormy days.
When there is strong shelter around during a severe storm one can take refuge in it against the storm that rages outside. If the shelter is strong enough, a small tornado wouldn't even take it out. We people are blessed to be able to get out of the storm. Plant life is not so lucky. Trees, flowers, and grass have nowhere to go. The tiny oak sprout is planted where it is planted The Creator and will surprisingly take a good beating and keep on growing. They are pretty tough. I heard that as the oak tree grows larger and as the storms come against it over time, the roots of the oak tree grow deeper and the tree gets stronger. The winds blows and shakes the tree a bit and the roots go deeper.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we should observe the oak tree and learn to be like one during the storms of life. Financial hardship, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, etc. These elements that batter against us are to makes us stronger in Jesus. HE is the soil/foundation we have been planted in. Our roots must grow deeper and deeper into Him as we suffer trials. When my life is through, I want to be likened to the oak tree that stood its ground, was firmly planted, and withstood the stormed over the past couple of hundred years.
It's a generational thing I wish to pass on to my children and theirs.
May God remind us of the oak tree during a storm. May we dive into Him head first when we are being battered. May we find shelter in Him but also be found a BIG and STRONG tree.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Thanks be to God
Last week was a difficult week for me personally. Things were going alright on the outside but inside of me a significant part of me was experiencing death. Getting straight to the point...it was the death of a dream...a pursuit of fulltime vocational worship ministry and music/songwriting. It was a realization of a misplaced romance. I thought the music thing died a year ago in May 07 but it obviously was only a surface death....like killing the growth of a weed but the root is still alive. There will be new growth in a month or two.
This past week was an uprooting of a weed. It hurts. Dying to a dream is painful. However, the new life it brings is awesome and peaceful! It's a process of letting go. Surrender.
Well...God is good! He lifted a massive burden from my heart and has given me peace and strength to move forward to pursue only Him! I love the way He works!! Sometimes I think I am operating in His strength alone....then He helps me see that I am not. He wants EVERY once and milli-ounce (is that a word?) of "Don" stripped away in order to conform me to His standard and produce His fruit within me.
So I rest and delight in Him, knowing that He holds ALL things in His hands.
Then something happened this morning that brought to mind Psalm 37:4 -
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
I received a phone call from a Worship Pastor/Recording Artist friend of mine who shared with me that he recorded one of my songs that his church had fallen in love with 4 years ago. He's sending me a packaged CD with the song on it! God is SO good and gracious to me! I pray that God will breathe life into this song and let the words fall upon the hearts and minds of the listener like refreshing rain drops on a hot Texas Summer day.
Please join me in prayer as my friend will be leading worship at a conference his denomination is holding next week. He is sending the CD home with ministry leaders from all over North America and around the world. Pray that every song on that CD strikes the right chord with the listener to bring them under the love and passion of Christ.
This past week was an uprooting of a weed. It hurts. Dying to a dream is painful. However, the new life it brings is awesome and peaceful! It's a process of letting go. Surrender.
Well...God is good! He lifted a massive burden from my heart and has given me peace and strength to move forward to pursue only Him! I love the way He works!! Sometimes I think I am operating in His strength alone....then He helps me see that I am not. He wants EVERY once and milli-ounce (is that a word?) of "Don" stripped away in order to conform me to His standard and produce His fruit within me.
So I rest and delight in Him, knowing that He holds ALL things in His hands.
Then something happened this morning that brought to mind Psalm 37:4 -
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
I received a phone call from a Worship Pastor/Recording Artist friend of mine who shared with me that he recorded one of my songs that his church had fallen in love with 4 years ago. He's sending me a packaged CD with the song on it! God is SO good and gracious to me! I pray that God will breathe life into this song and let the words fall upon the hearts and minds of the listener like refreshing rain drops on a hot Texas Summer day.
Please join me in prayer as my friend will be leading worship at a conference his denomination is holding next week. He is sending the CD home with ministry leaders from all over North America and around the world. Pray that every song on that CD strikes the right chord with the listener to bring them under the love and passion of Christ.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Famous person photo share!
This is my family. Except one! The Sister holding Joseph on the left side of the photo is Rita Baloche, wife of Worship leader Paul Baloche.I looked and can't find one of Paul (I have a few) so I guess he gets left out.
Do you have a photo of yourself or family with a "famous" person? Do tell!
In-laws and Out-laws
Have you ever had a mother-in-law you didn't like? The sit-coms portray mothers-in-law as aweful, ugly intruders whose goal in life (since her daughter married "that idiot") is to pray to the gods and call down a thousand pleagues upon the son-in-law. I remember hearing that my mom's mother (who is now with Jesus since May 2008) showed up at the wedding wearing black in order to make a statement. The story has it that she hated my dad until the last 10-15 years of her life. I remember the turmoil our two families had growing up. I remember that was the reason dad moved us from California to Texas in 1976.
Growing up, I hoped that I would not end up in a relationship with my mother-in-law like the one my dad had with his. My grandmother use to tell me that "we are products of our environment". She was stating that to me is a negative way, implying that it had something to do with my dad. Anyway, if what she said is true, people should be able to tell what their in-laws will be like by getting to know the potential life-long partner and looking for these things. Watching them interact with their parents, etc.
As I was getting to know my future wife, I was also getting to know her parents and the family dynamics they have. The more I got to know my wife the better understanding I gained into the lives of my in-laws. I can honestly say with a heart of gratitude that I got a better deal out of our union. My in-laws are awesome loving people.
Although my in-laws are devoted Catholics and I am not (I am a devoted believer an follower of the Lord Jesus Christ that they would call a "Protestant") they loved and accepted me (they entire family did-aunts, uncles, cousins, and family priest!). It was for who I was and not for what I could become. They never imposed expectations on me that I felt I had to live up to or else I was an utter failure. They treated me and Tanya as an adult married couple with respect. They supported us in our ever-developing parenting style as we became parents. They allowed us to "grow up" and grow in our relationship.
They were there for us when the storms of life were battering against us pretty hard. They were FOR us and FOR our marriage. I've not felt a single ounce of condemnation from them...even though I've made mistakes as a husband, father, and Christian. They seem to have the understanding that there is only One who is worthy to sit in the judgment seat and it's not any of us.
Pictured above is Stephanie Gager (pronounced "gay-jer"). As with anyone, she makes mistakes and can get on your nerves at times (can't we all? - I love you Mimi!). What makes her special to me is that she LOVES to LOVE people and I am one of those people she loves. And although technically I fit into the "in-law" category, I've never felt like the typical "in-law". She's always treated me as she does her own son. I appreciate that and I am SO blessed to have in-laws who love and accept me into their family as one of there own.
I don't have a photo of my father-in-law but he's something else to. He and I have not crossed over the border together and become best buds (yet), but there is a love and respect for me that comes from him. Eventhough we disagree about the Apostle Peter becoming the first pope in catholic history (love you Paw-paw), we agree on so much more that helps hold the family together and positions us to build and leave a godly heritage for generations to come. Only LOVE does that! not man's love...God's Holy Love. God's love and take people with differences and mesh them together in untiy for the common good. He has done that with all of us! It's so amazing!
Karl Gager, Sr. loves his three children and all 17 grandchildren and his pride swells when we're all around him. He's awesome.
I know some in-laws have become more like out-laws...but when it comes to my wifes parents, even if the law had nothing to do with it, I'm IN! I'm one of theirs!
Thanks be to God for His glorious blessings!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Blue Berry Candles and Urine
Did the title spark your interest? It's about the OMNIPRESENCE of God! Yeah...I know...you think it's impossible to tie this into that. It may not be a great example, by hang in there with me...IT WORKED!
Last night during our short family devotions, there was a question asked: "Since God is everywhere, how can demons and evil spirits be somewhere?"
This morning, my son and I were sipping on java together reading the Bible, praying and talking about our vision as a family. He reminded me of this question and said it went unanswered. I was more awake this morning and thought of an example to help better explain God's presence being everywhere and the presence of a demon or an evil spirit. It doesn't seem that God's Holy Presence would allow an evil presence. So, I took a stab at it:
----
You know how awesome that blue berry candle smells? Well, let's say that there are blue berry candles in every room and every closet in this house. WOW what a smell...right? It is SO thick that you smell it everywhere you go inside the house.
Oops! One of the little ones peed in the bed overnight...soaked the sheet, pillow case and clothing. You know that if you are in the Kitchen and the overnight accident happened in the bedroom that ALL you are smelling is that awesome blue berry candle and that is what you mind is fixated on. On the other hand, the closer to the bedroom you get, the better you can smell "the accident". If you get right up to it...only centimeters away, you probably won't be able to smell blue berry any longer.
Does this "fact" mean that the blue berry scent is no longer present? No longer in the room? No. If my nose is only centimeters from the urine soaked sheet what have I fixed my mind on? You scored a 100% if you answered, 'the urine'. My mind is telling me that the blue berry scent went away. However, proof that it didn't would be evident by removing everything from the room that got soaked. Only minutes later, stick you nose in the same room and what will you smell? Blue Berry! it never went away. It was there all the time. We just allowed something else to "take it's place" in our minds.
so, whatever happened when we removed the soaked stuff from the bedroom? Well, as it was carried through the hallway, through the living and dining rooms, through the kitchen and into the laundry room...the urine smell left a trail. Again, did the blue berry leave? No...it is still there. In the laundry room, with a little water and laundry soap in a washing machine, that urine will be washed out.
The Presence of God is everywhere at all times. Sometimes an evil spirit (urine!) will lurk about. If I totally fix my mind on that evil presence, I minimize (in my mind) the presence of Almighty God. If I fix my eyes and mind on God, I can be aware of His Holy Presence at the same time I am aware of an evil presence and instead of devoting too much focus on the evil presence...I can just gather it up and send it through the washing machine (Word of God, Prayer, Singing) and be done with it. Some anoint their house will oil. We have done that and continue to do so now and then...but here again, if my focus is on the oil instead of on the almighty power of God, am I making the oil into a lucky rabbit's foot?
Anointing oil is another topic altogether. The point is, GOD is GOD and the power is in HIM. HE IS POWER. He has given us several places in the Scriptures where we can find hope and peace when it comes to evil spirits and God's holy Presence. here are a few below.
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you" (Ps. 139:7-12).
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:1-4)
OK...so this was my lame attempt to help my son understand how God CAN (and is) everywhere at all times....even when it doesn't "smell" like it.
And yet another topic - God is not present (contained) in "earthly space". See:
"'Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the LORD. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth?' declares the LORD" (Jer. 23:24).
"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27; see also 2 Chron. 2:6; Isa. 66 :1).
"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church) which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Eph. 1:22-23).
"For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts l7.28a).
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:17).
"Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey" (Deut. 26:15).
"From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth" (Ps. 33:13-14; see also Ps. 11:4; 115:3).
Last night during our short family devotions, there was a question asked: "Since God is everywhere, how can demons and evil spirits be somewhere?"
This morning, my son and I were sipping on java together reading the Bible, praying and talking about our vision as a family. He reminded me of this question and said it went unanswered. I was more awake this morning and thought of an example to help better explain God's presence being everywhere and the presence of a demon or an evil spirit. It doesn't seem that God's Holy Presence would allow an evil presence. So, I took a stab at it:
----
You know how awesome that blue berry candle smells? Well, let's say that there are blue berry candles in every room and every closet in this house. WOW what a smell...right? It is SO thick that you smell it everywhere you go inside the house.
Oops! One of the little ones peed in the bed overnight...soaked the sheet, pillow case and clothing. You know that if you are in the Kitchen and the overnight accident happened in the bedroom that ALL you are smelling is that awesome blue berry candle and that is what you mind is fixated on. On the other hand, the closer to the bedroom you get, the better you can smell "the accident". If you get right up to it...only centimeters away, you probably won't be able to smell blue berry any longer.
Does this "fact" mean that the blue berry scent is no longer present? No longer in the room? No. If my nose is only centimeters from the urine soaked sheet what have I fixed my mind on? You scored a 100% if you answered, 'the urine'. My mind is telling me that the blue berry scent went away. However, proof that it didn't would be evident by removing everything from the room that got soaked. Only minutes later, stick you nose in the same room and what will you smell? Blue Berry! it never went away. It was there all the time. We just allowed something else to "take it's place" in our minds.
so, whatever happened when we removed the soaked stuff from the bedroom? Well, as it was carried through the hallway, through the living and dining rooms, through the kitchen and into the laundry room...the urine smell left a trail. Again, did the blue berry leave? No...it is still there. In the laundry room, with a little water and laundry soap in a washing machine, that urine will be washed out.
The Presence of God is everywhere at all times. Sometimes an evil spirit (urine!) will lurk about. If I totally fix my mind on that evil presence, I minimize (in my mind) the presence of Almighty God. If I fix my eyes and mind on God, I can be aware of His Holy Presence at the same time I am aware of an evil presence and instead of devoting too much focus on the evil presence...I can just gather it up and send it through the washing machine (Word of God, Prayer, Singing) and be done with it. Some anoint their house will oil. We have done that and continue to do so now and then...but here again, if my focus is on the oil instead of on the almighty power of God, am I making the oil into a lucky rabbit's foot?
Anointing oil is another topic altogether. The point is, GOD is GOD and the power is in HIM. HE IS POWER. He has given us several places in the Scriptures where we can find hope and peace when it comes to evil spirits and God's holy Presence. here are a few below.
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you" (Ps. 139:7-12).
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:1-4)
OK...so this was my lame attempt to help my son understand how God CAN (and is) everywhere at all times....even when it doesn't "smell" like it.
It accomplished what it was intended to accomplish...he now understands how it can be true.
--------------------
And yet another topic - God is not present (contained) in "earthly space". See:
"'Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the LORD. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth?' declares the LORD" (Jer. 23:24).
"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27; see also 2 Chron. 2:6; Isa. 66 :1).
"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church) which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Eph. 1:22-23).
"For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts l7.28a).
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:17).
"Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey" (Deut. 26:15).
"From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth" (Ps. 33:13-14; see also Ps. 11:4; 115:3).
Monday, July 7, 2008
What I'm Blogging About
I'm not positive who all reads my blog so there's a certain caution I usually take when approaching blogging. I remember the old, "whatever you say CAN and WILL be used against you..." and tend to shy away from some real heart felt things.
So...I want to write about ministry, church, a business venture, music, songwriting and family but I guess the rest of the blog will go empty due to the possibility of saying something wrong! :) Maybe another time.
So...I want to write about ministry, church, a business venture, music, songwriting and family but I guess the rest of the blog will go empty due to the possibility of saying something wrong! :) Maybe another time.
I DO wish to thank our friends, Ben and Caci Newton in Colorado for your awesome card and gift. You are an encouragement to us. We love you guys!
Mistakes May Cost You
After crunching the numbers, it seemed wise at the time to go ahead and apply for financing on a 2008 Hyosung GV250 motorcycle. Even with the cost of the insurance and monthly payment the numbers revealed a savings of nearly $200 per month in fuel cost. Seems like a wise purchase.
After many discussions about safety, possibility of death or debilitating injury, life insurance, having 8 small children, survival of my widow wife, plus a phone call from my in-laws telling me that one of their young friends (whom we have met) was just killed on a motorcycle at age 30 and left behind a young wife and four little boys......ALL of this plus....I remember the "check" I sorta had in my spirit while going through the bike lot (I thought it was just because of where I was....it is an evil place (I'm not kidding)...not necessarily because I was making a purchase)...
So, after all the processing I did I now have the motorcycle up for sale. Problem is, unless God has another way...It will cost the family more to sell it than to keep it and use. To make it a fair price for the new buyer, I will be losing $400-$800 depending on what it sells for. We are not made of money so God will have to provide somehow.
It's difficult to act in faith. Faith is exercised when you can't see. I like to think of the old Indiana Jones...can't remember which one but Harrison Ford was at the end of the road and needing to cross a deep canyon. He stepped out *in faith* and - poof! - that was an invisible bridge to the other side. My situations often provoke the internal question ("how much faith do I really have"). My experience always answers that question for me (not as much as you should have had). God is always faithful.
So...any interested bike buyers out there?
After many discussions about safety, possibility of death or debilitating injury, life insurance, having 8 small children, survival of my widow wife, plus a phone call from my in-laws telling me that one of their young friends (whom we have met) was just killed on a motorcycle at age 30 and left behind a young wife and four little boys......ALL of this plus....I remember the "check" I sorta had in my spirit while going through the bike lot (I thought it was just because of where I was....it is an evil place (I'm not kidding)...not necessarily because I was making a purchase)...
So, after all the processing I did I now have the motorcycle up for sale. Problem is, unless God has another way...It will cost the family more to sell it than to keep it and use. To make it a fair price for the new buyer, I will be losing $400-$800 depending on what it sells for. We are not made of money so God will have to provide somehow.
It's difficult to act in faith. Faith is exercised when you can't see. I like to think of the old Indiana Jones...can't remember which one but Harrison Ford was at the end of the road and needing to cross a deep canyon. He stepped out *in faith* and - poof! - that was an invisible bridge to the other side. My situations often provoke the internal question ("how much faith do I really have"). My experience always answers that question for me (not as much as you should have had). God is always faithful.
So...any interested bike buyers out there?
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