Pastor's Perspective - International God of Mystery

King David wrote that, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it;”

In the last several months the Lord has proved as only He can, that He is truly an international God - sovereign and able to effortlessly cross borders and cultures and have His way – effortlessly. He alone is the international God of mystery!

Over six years ago a young man from western Kenya began attending the church I pastor with his dear young family. In my time with him, I quickly learned his extraordinary story. He had grown up in extreme poverty in a remote village. He was bright and ambitious and sailed through primary school. However, in his culture, secondary school was a luxury few could afford, requiring tuition, a uniform, boarding and travel expenses. Through the Lord’s graciousness, Anthony was sponsored! Not only did he excel in secondary school, but through the kindness of God and a gentleman from New York, attended university in Nairobi – a dream come true. It was while he was living in Nairobi that he met his precious wife Tricia, an American girl and wonderful educator doing humanitarian work there. They met, hit it off, and the rest is history! Anthony moved here to where his bride was raised, they married and began their family, and started faithfully attending and serving at FCC.

Anthony and Tricia shared with a few of us the overwhelming need back in Kenya; especially the plight of HIV orphans who were malnourished and unable to even attend primary school. We all agreed that something had to be done! With courage and love, they began a non-profit called Operation Orphans International. Over the years they have been able to feed, clothe, and sponsor countless orphans and be a blessing to Anthony’s former community at large.

Several years ago my wife Michelle traveled to this village with our daughter Emma. Last year I flew over and experienced it firsthand with several from the church. Seeing the sea of precious faces deeply moved us all. The task of feeding and clothing them was daunting enough – but how would they ever have the educational opportunities Anthony experienced? They didn’t have the funds. They didn’t have a secondary school nearby.

But God had a plan.

Several years ago Michelle flew to Brisbane, Australia with a few other women from the church to partner and serve with our dear ministry friend Bronwen Healy and the Hope Foundation. During a casual get-together one night, Michelle happened to meet one of Bronwen’s friends named Ryan Williams. Ryan heard Michelle mention the word “orphans” and lit up! He excitedly explained that he buildt dormitories and orphanages in his native Botswana, and has a strong burden for of all countries – Kenya!

Fast forward three years.

Michelle gets a message from Ryan that he for some mysterious reason unknown to him has a short overnight layover in San Francisco, and could we meet? I thought it was a stellar idea that could only get more stellar if we brought Anthony and Tricia. So we did. We all met at a restaurant near the airport, sat down and God did the rest!

So, as I type this, we have FCC people on the field in Kenya preparing the foundation for a secondary school right where the orphans live and go to school! In two weeks, a team from Australia led by Ryan will arrive and build it.

What I’m saying is – A guy from Kenya happened to be lavishly sponsored by a guy from New York. He happened to meet and marry an American girl and moved here. He had a passionate dream he happened to shared with some Californians. One Californian happened to meet a man from Botswana who happened to be in Brisbane who happened to have a heart for Kenya who just happened to have an unanticipated layover in San Francisco!

Did you get all of that?!

Bottom-line.

We honor, serve and worship an international God of mystery – and to Him be all the glory and praise forever!

Pastor's Perspective - I See Someone Else

When you look at the stars, what do you see?

Yesterday my family and I returned from another short camping jaunt up to Collins Lake. We were joined by two other families from the church for what turned out to be three days of great relaxing enjoyment. As I shared in a recent blog post, I’m the very last person I ever thought would be a camping enthusiast; but I think I’m getting the bug! We enjoyed nature, ate wonderful meals, fished, swam and made beautiful memories with our children and each other.

A few nights ago, our last night, we all did something that might have been the unanticipated highlight of the trip for me personally. After dinner and the mandatory smores fest, we all sat by the waning campfire in our camp chairs and simply looked at the star-filled sky above us. The view of the heavens far from the city lights blew our minds! We were able to identify the International Space Station lumbering by at a mere 17,000 mph, numerous satellites, shooting stars, and too many constellations to count. Our conversation in the darkness was peppered in simple awe at the expanse and the magnificence of it all.

I just read a study recently published online in the journal ‘Nature’. It suggests there are a mind-blowing 300 sextillion stars out there, three times as many as scientists previously calculated. How many is that you might ask? Its 3 followed by 23 zeros, or 3 trillion times 100 billion!

As we sat together in the darkness, verses from Scripture flooded my mind with commentary –

‘He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limits.’ (Ps. 147:4-5)

‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.’ (Ps. 19:1-2)

Then I thought of Romans 1:20 – ‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities  - his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse’.

I was vividly reminded that what I was observing was not the ultimate object of awe and beauty; that they were merely the celestial signs pointing to their Creator – that He is the ultimate object of awe and beauty. The creation is simply the infomercial for the Creator! That God’s existence and overwhelming attributes are clearly seen every day and every night, generation to generation, announcing that He is, He does, and He can.

Who can debate the words of King David? ‘The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”’ (Ps. 14:1)

And as I folded-up my camp chair to head to my camper to go to bed, I began humming the chorus of a song from the band Switchfoot appropriately titled ‘Stars’ – ‘When I look at the stars, I see someone else.’

When you look at the stars, what do you see?

Pastor's Perspective - Our Protector

Recently I was vividly reminded of one of the most beautiful and dramatic manifestations of God’s goodness - His protective nature and care. In a ‘suddenly’ event, my appreciation for His fatherhood and depth of love has been re-highlighted. Here’s what happened.

A few weeks ago my family and I fly back to central Florida for my niece’s sweet 16 birthday party and to reconnect with family and friends at one of the gulf coast beaches. It is such a rarity for all of us to be together, so naturally we jumped at this wonderful opportunity.

On my last day at the beach just before flying home, I walked down to the surf to spend my last few fleeting minutes talking with family members. Some were sitting by the edge of the water while others were playing in the warm churning water. I realized as I stood there enjoying this very special time that I had been at the beach several days and had never taken a walk. I was grieved that I was getting on a westbound jet in a few hours, yet, had not thought to take my wife or children on a stroll down the beach. At that very moment our 10-year-old daughter Lily was emerging from the waves. I asked her to take a little walk with Daddy before I left, which she gladly obliged. As we strolled playfully hand-in-hand, we talked and laughed and kicked water on each other’s legs. Good memories. Now I could head to the airport in peace.

When Lily and I returned to the spot where my family was camped, we only found sandy towels and empty chairs. Being around noon-time I assumed that they had all gone up to the rooms for lunch. However, it was at that time that I learned a far different story was taking place.

During the week, several family members had been talking about wading out to a sandbar within a short distance of the shoreline. Lily had voiced emphatically that she too wanted to be part of that experience. In the short period of time that Lily and I were walking, four of my family members, including my wife, decided to walk out to the sandbar. While treading out, a violent rip current associated with the approaching tropical storm Debby swept them all like rag dolls out into the Gulf of Mexico! As hard as they swam, they were growing tired and helpless against the aggressive current. The party began screaming for help, trying their hardest not to panic; however, they all knew that they were up against something far bigger and ominous than they could realistically handle. This ‘suddenly’ could easily have been the end for all four of them.

Although I had no clue what was happening; I was just enjoying a sandy barefoot jaunt with my little girls - Someone was watching, aware and able.

In what many would label a mere ‘coincidence’, a few random jet skiers showed up in the vicinity and a full parasailing boat was returning from an excursion far out into the gulf. In the nick of time, my family was rescued by these fellow vacationers, pulled into boats and ushered to the shore where paramedics were waiting to evaluate each of them. To the praise and glory of God, all emerged from the water deeply shaken and weakened, but healthy and exceedingly grateful.

As we comforted each other tearfully, we began to evaluate this very frightening event. For instance, was it a coincidence that I felt a strong impression to take my daughter on a walk at that very odd and random moment, just before I left? If I hadn’t, Lily would have been swept away with the rest, and would not have survived. Was it just ‘the stars lining up’ that the four who went were the strongest swimmers in the family? Or that the jet skiers just happened to be in the right place at the right time to execute a rescue? How about that parasailing boat?

Upon returning to my room to zip up my suitcase, I pulled out my travel bible and read Psalm 91. The words of the psalmist’s assurance in the protection of God mixed with what I had just dramatically experienced firsthand drove me to my knees in tears of gratitude. Life could have totally changed that day for all of us; yet God proved again His reliability, graciousness and never-ending goodness.

I was reminded of a story I had heard about the manhood training by native Americans in days gone by. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning the basic skills of hunting and scouting, he was presented one big final challenge. Blindfolded, he was led my male tribal members deeply into the dense forest where he was to spend an entire night alone. Imagine the terror! The boy was lost, disoriented, far from the presence and comfort of family and friends, and strangely and dangerously vulnerable. In his mind, every snapping twig was a wild animal ready to pounce! However, as morning dawned, the boy gained confidence and assurance as he began to finally visualize things around him in which he was familiar. Then, to his utter astonishment, the boy would see a figure standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there with him all night long.

Friends, God knows when you’re afraid. He knows that there are many dangerous things in your life – things that threaten you physically, emotionally and spiritually. Yet, through it all, He is that father who stands faithfully with you throughout the night, armed and mighty, more than able to protect us, and to fill our hearts and lives with the peaceful and matchless assurance of His presence.

Why?

Simply because He loves you.

And there is nothing you can do today to change that fact.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” – Psalm 91:14