I had a profound experience going on a long walk. Now I’m having profound experiences walking. What is happening? What is the Lord saying? I’ll try to explain.

This isn’t about exercising, weight loss, or being physically fit- although it all seems to happen as a byproduct. It isn’t about oxygenating, although that happens. It isn’t about being out in nature or observing the countryside, which of course happens every time. Our tendency is to try to make the walk mean something, and the effort of walking mean something more, when, in fact, the walk and the walking are mere vehicles one rides in for this wonderful discovery and adventure.

The walk of profound experience was the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile foot-path across Spain, known as a Christian Pilgrimage, accomplished by millions over the last 1100 years or so. In 2013, my year, about 225,000 pilgrims made their way to the cathedral in Santiago de Compestela for the Pilgrim’s Mass at noon, to celebrate physical accomplishment and spiritual discovery. Multi-generational, multi-faith, multi-experiential, and certainly multi-testimonial it was for all.

The end, however, seems to have been the beginning. What started as a pure and simple “unction,” (that which I try to explain but can’t do very well), was an actual “obedience” to the voice of the Lord to simply obey and do a thing. To “feel” God speaking, to “hear” Him whispering in your inner person, to “know” that you just have to go do this thing, amazing and exciting as it was, but not scary or intimidating, may boggle the mind even as it frees the soul! One does what one has to do.

So, it’s done, right? What was never even ON the ‘bucket list’ is now checked off, and life can return to normal. Ha. The end of the Camino, you see, unleashes the beginning of more wonder, more discovery, and more awe of God.

I’m almost 70 years old, so I’ve done a lot of walking. Walking has always been a way to get somewhere and is so common to all of us that talking about it seems a bit ridiculous. Except that now walking is no longer the act of getting somewhere, but rather the vehicle one rides in along a journey, a Camino, a path. That is, if one “gets it.”

Walking, you see, requires more than effort, calorie burn, oxygen exchange, etc. Walking requires perspective. Perspective opens the doors of wonder. Or not.

Walking to get from here to there is accomplishment all its own. No big revelation, and no real discovery; no wonder; no awe. It may be beneficial in many ways, but probably not very spiritual or transformative. But that’s what we seek, as people, is to get beyond the practical and TO the spiritual, because we know in our knower’s that something greater is happening, something more than we comprehend is all about us.

The new kind of walking I’m enjoying has nothing to do with getting someplace, but rather to BE someplace. The world gets shut out as I walk. My mind gets the chance to think and to “try thoughts” about all sorts of things. Walking this way allows the inner man, the soul, if you will, a vehicle to ride to a spiritual encounter. And God shows up! The Lord begins to speak. He leads the thoughts by discarding the trite ones and developing the deep ones. Jesus becomes real, as He uses His humankind understanding to reach even me! This IS transformative! This IS awesome!

I say “A” rather than “The” because there are other swings I’m sure we could look at, but this one is about “winning” souls, and what that might mean in Kingdom terms.

The pendulum I refer to is the Giant one that swings from “Fear” to “Love.” Over the ages the church has preached both to win converts, and cited quotes from the Bible, which certainly contains much of both. One might point to the Old Testament as a book of fear, especially the “fear of God” doctrine.

Then one might point to the New Testament as a book of love, especially the “love of God” doctrine. Obviously this is too simplistic, but it illustrates the point of the pendulum in doctrines. I think we should all agree we need both, because I don’t know how to eliminate one without peril. ☺

Fear of Hell, “going” to hell, being “lost,” and somewhat more gentle the urging to “get saved” are all connected to the reality of sin in our lives, the Great Fall of man, etc. Fear is easy to develop, even without Scripture to help, but all the more easy with it!

Love, at the other end of the arc of the pendulum, is very attractive, enticing, even compelling in a way fear is not. It contains the concept of Blessing, and appeals to our desire of not only being saved, but also enhanced, enriched, able to live “better” somehow. Blessed is far better than cursed, after all.

When the pendulum swings to the fear side, with all the truths of God the Puritans and holiness preachers teach, quite rightly, many seem to be “won” to the faith. Whether transformation is happening or not I don’t know, but confessions and baptisms are happening so the scribes of church accounting offices are kept busy and the tithes boxes are fuller.

When the pendulum swings to the love side, when all the truths of the promises of God are emphasized with glorious music, big screen projections, staging that rivals any professional show and a message of forgiveness that includes everyone, complete with ecstatic emotional responses, again I wonder about transformation, although the claimants of salvation increase.

On the fear side we may find people memorizing Scripture to quote to every possible occurrence in life while dressing up in the armor of God, while the love people are dancing in the Spirit and prophesying to any and all, quoting the Blessings of God instead of the Biblical obedience-to-God passages.

Can you see how we swing back and forth, almost rhythmically? Some of us moving to the one side, others to the other side, passing each other as we “discover” one another’s different understanding, all the while trying to understand the truth!

But I continue to ask the question, “Is anyone being transformed?” Are hearts being changed? Are the clothes of the old man being shed and the clothes of the new man being put on? Is there a difference in us? My prayer as a shepherd is for the protection of the sheep, of course, but even more for the LIVES of the sheep! That they may be those who manifest Christ, in all His Ways, to the Glory of God! “Change my heart, O God, make it ever new. Change my heart O God, may it be like YOU.” Amen.

The other day my wife said something startling to me, and I’ve been chewing on it ever since. Perhaps you’d like to chew along.

Women, you see, have sensitivity to some things that men do not, and when they share these things we men too often disregard them. One of the most basic of these is smell. Women use perfumes and lotions and all kinds of aromatic things to both enhance their attractiveness, and help cover up what we males don’t pay enough attention to when we are with them, especially when the person needing the cover up is us. Even if men don’t care as much about bad smells, they learn that good smelling women are indeed attractive; certainly more than poor smelling ones.

But this isn’t about the smells of people, which makes it all the more difficult for us men to grasp, being out of our “nature.” Being alert to spiritual things is beneficial to both men and women, and in order to be alert one must be aware. If we aren’t careful we will discount the very possibility of a thing and then not notice it when it’s right in front of us. This can be a problem, spiritually, as you will understand by what my wife said:
While reading the morning paper, with all the international news of conflicts around the world and at home, and then pondering the terrible horror of human beheadings by Islamic radicals, my wife said: “There’s a strong smell of Satan in the air.”

What a curious comment I thought. In fact, it’s completely beyond my observational practices, and probably yours. Sure, there’s trouble almost everywhere, and the news makes us almost numb to it after awhile; we become de-sensitized to it all just to get through the day. We get to the place where we don’t even notice the “bad” things going on all around us; and don’t get involved, because it’s “none of our business.”

In the realm of things spiritual this is incredibly important. When we stop noticing evil, stop being aware of it, then we stop being alert to it, and, ultimately, lose the ability to discern spiritual things. The Bible informs us that we are either walking “in the Spirit” or “in the flesh,” so the difference is profound in both mental understanding and physical practice and outcome!

The reality that a spiritual environment exists must be comprehended. We need to be more keen on the ability to discern it, even through the senses, like an aroma! How often have we heard someone say “That really stinks” when referring to something that didn’t go the way they wanted? It makes sense, then, that evil has an aroma, that stinks, and that we can smell the presence of Satan.

Go ahead, chew on this and let the Spirit teach you more on the subject. Perhaps we can get better at spiritual discernment, and then awareness, and then alertness, and then victorious defeat of the enemy!

America faces many challenges, and our government is so locked up in political disagreement that neither side can accomplish much. Why is this? Does history give us any clues, or answers? I think it does.

When a people quit depending upon the Lord and just do what they want to do, then the Lord allows them to decay. He withholds His Blessings, and the nation hurts or fails. When the pain is so great that the people call again upon God, He answers them and re-enters their daily lives to lead them, and to see if they will follow.

Nothing is impossible with Him, but He doesn’t seem to provide the miraculous power at His command until a people are surrendered to Him. In other words, He lets us do whatever we think we can do, until we get to the point where we recognize that we really DO need the Lord! I suggest that is the answer to the problems America faces today.

Providing for thousands of immigrants is no problem for God Almighty, and He can do it such that the nation absorbing them prospers instead of declines. Generosity, after all, doesn’t COST us, it provides the pipeline for God to pour Blessings.

It seems to me that the issues of the day, so hotly debated in Congress, are all being debated without any concern for God at all. No mention of Jesus Christ. No invitation for the Holy Spirit. So the Godhead waits.

The Biblical history of the Jews is there for us to learn from. It wasn’t the people who rallied to call upon the Lord to effect a deliverance, it was a King, who, in desperation sought the advice of a “man of God,” heard the call to repent, and did so. Time and again the record shows that a certain King “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” and bad things happened, until, after too many years and too much pain, another king “did what was pleasing to the Lord” and was blessed.

The argument that America is not a kingdom is silly. We are told in Romans to submit to our authorities, and the New Testament instructs us to honor and obey them. Why? Because if our “authorities” don’t seek and obey the Lord then God will remove blessings, and when the people figure this out they will call again upon the Lord and vote in Godly “authorities.” That’s where we find ourselves today, sort of.

We are beginning to see that it isn’t working, but who is calling out to God? Are Christians really doing so? I wonder. Are we voting for Godly people or people who claim a political view we like? How bad does it have to get? Can America survive that long?

My point here is that by removing Jesus Christ from the every-day efforts of the Congress and the Courts we have severed our very life-line. We’ve gone way past being faith neutral, to being aggressively faith denying, as far as government goes.

Skip Heiney, in Banks, Oregon, can call upon the Lord, and does, but I think the hope for America is for our President, our Congress, and our Courts to do so. They are our authorities. They are the ones who must lead this Nation back, and they don’t care! I will write them and share my advice, praying that God will give them eyes to read …

We at Dayspring Christian Fellowship are almost halfway through the Bible reading for 2014! This is tremendous! Do you realize that this book has ALL the answers to ALL your needs?

Last Tuesday evening, during the Ken Ham video teaching, I was “visited” by a wonderful memory. I can’t say I was “caught up in the Lord,” but maybe I was. It was like I was back in the 1970’s, the time in my life, as a 20-something, when the Lord was becoming so real to me! I had a hunger that I couldn’t satisfy. Has that happened to you?

We went to church 3 times a week, and often went to “special meetings” on other days. We just couldn’t get enough of Jesus! We couldn’t get enough of His Word! And of the Fellowship of on-fire believers!

As we read thru the Bible this year, the whole thing in one year, it’s obvious that we can’t do a deep study and mine the pages for what we need and seek. Not on Sunday mornings alone, and not with just a short sermon!

But we CAN spend the time, individually. We CAN cry out to Jesus and ask for His help in every area, and then we CAN listen for Him to speak. We CAN read His Book and search, every day, for His Ways and His Life, for us, to us, in us.

What matters isn’t whether you’re behind or ahead or right on task with this reading. What matters is that you get to God and let Him do what He wants! His Word, the Bible, can help in so many ways.

I encourage you to keep up the good work and fight the good fight of faith. I encourage you to read the Bible, every day, as much as you can or as much as He leads you. This could be dangerous. Wonderfully dangerous to the worldly ways of life and living.

In addition to my advice, consider Paul’s advice in Ephesians 6:18: “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me too.”

Blogs are supposed to be short and to the point, so here goes! For this to be of benefit, however, you will have to at least read Genesis 29, as we consider the age-old question of love, and the kind that endures. The kind you want.

Genesis 29 question to ponder: What kind of love is it, that 7 years would seem like a few days? Before you read further, take some time to answer this!

What is going on IN that relationship for those 7 years? In this culture, the woman was of lower rank than the man, and yet Jacob was captivated by Rachel. Why? Certainly not just her beauty, for he could have had others. Was it her skill as a shepherd? Is that what a man wants?

What kind of communication do you think they had? Was there any kindness, caring, sacrifice of self, or romance?
How did they keep the love alive? Do you really think it was just hormones? Of course not! Other pretty faces were there, and other handsome men! Perhaps even some seducers!

What has to happen to keep a relationship so fresh and exciting that 7 years seems like a few days? And, after 7 years, what kind of love is it that goes another 7 years??? Was it HIS love for her, or HER love for him, or did they BOTH somehow keep this love alive? Could the “commitment” made at the beginning sustained them?

Is “commitment” enough? Or is commitment just the evidence of their character, because of PROMISE? Can “promise” yield love, or did love come first and then promise? Strong love, then, yields a commitment to promise!

If we can’t explain WHY love happens, but CAN know when it does, what should we do? Do people really FALL into love?

If this CAN happen, shouldn’t we wait until it happens before we marry? Young people, listen to me!!!

This week is Holy Week, celebrated as such by Christians all over the world. We are divided in many ways, but we are always united in, by, and through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior.

Just to put things into perspective, and hopefully lift your spirits just a bit as we get through another week on planet earth, review the following Christian Calendar we follow:

• Nov/Dec: Advent- the 4 weeks before Christmas- a time of great expectation.
• Dec: Christmas- the celebration of the arrival of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The great battle heats up!
• Jan 6: The Day of Epiphany- the visit of the wise men to baby Jesus; their “discovery”. Their “a ha” moment!
• March 5: Ash Wednesday- the beginning of Lent, in preparation for Holy Week, with fasting and prayer. Not just a Catholic observance, but also by Protestants as well, albeit much less celebrated.
• April 13: Palm Sunday- the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem- things are about to change forever!
• April 14: This year, Holy Week begins on this Monday, which also happens to be Passover- ok, this one is celebrated by the Jews, but we would do well to remember it as well. Jesus IS our Passover Lamb.
• April 17: Maundy Thursday- the Last Supper is held; Jesus washed the feet of the Disciples, and established “communion” “…to remember me.”
• April 18: Good Friday- the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth- good for us!
• April 20: Easter Sunday- I prefer to call it Resurrection Day. Talk about triumph!
• May 29: Ascension Day- the last earthly appearance of Christ.
• June 8: Pentecost- the Holy Spirit is sent to Christ’s disciples, and the birth of the Christian Church.
• Oct/Nov: Hallows Eve and All Saints Day are not universally recognized as Holy Days, although many do.

Added to these dates are many Feasts and Festivals our Jewish friends celebrate. I suppose a Jew who has accepted Christ gets to use both calendars, and keeps busier than we Protestants. This may be a very good thing for them, as they don’t just have a party, they reflect on what God has done for them through the ages!

I do pray that this week you will be drawn closer to God through Jesus Christ. That you will be able to remember what He has done for you, even in the midst of any pain or trouble you face. It is only temporary, but Christ is eternal! I pray that this week you will experience an “a ha” moment of some kind, and that the fire of faith will burn deep within you, as Resurrection Day approaches.

Tuesday of Holy Week
According to 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” KJV

As we ponder the stones we will leave at the cross on Sunday, the promises of God are that He heals, saves, and delivers. Faith believes this, no matter what one sees with temporary eyes.

Perhaps, instead, you can lay a stone at the cross BECAUSE of a promise of God, fulfilled in your life, as a Thanksgiving! Hallelujah!

Thursday of Holy Week
The Promises of God, the Power of God, and today, The Humility of God. Humility? Yes. For it was Thursday, Maundy Thursday, that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, and led them in Communion. Even the feet of Judas! Humility defeats many enemies, such that the sword is never drawn!

As you think about laying a stone at the Cross, remember the Humility of God, and be honest with your prayers.

Good Friday
Good Friday, when the Promise of God was surely tested, and the Power of God was uniquely displayed, and the Humility of God was broadcast to all, through the Sacrifice of God.

On this day many questions remained to be answered, and many doubts had to be faced, as faith was sorely tested.

Laying a stone at the Cross may require a step of faith. Take the step.

Saturday
Saturday we think about the Patience of God, because today we wait to see what will happen. The reality of death is before us, and the hope of resurrection remains, tugging at our faith.

As you consider laying a stone at the Cross, let your faith arise. We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb, AND by the word of our testimony! Let that stone signal a testimony!

You are invited to bring a stone to lay at the Cross on Sunday morning during our celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The stone can signify anything in your life you wish to shed, as you lay it down, in Jesus’ Name. Or, it may be a ‘stone of remembrance’ of some deliverance you’ve already experienced, and thereby becomes a testimony. Hopefully it can be both, for surely both are needed in our lives.

There is a popular saying among Christians: “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.” We hear it a lot during this time of year. We try to comfort each other with the promise that suffering will give way to victory, and we try to apply it to our own particular situation of some kind of suffering. It’s appropriate, because we all have some things we can hope beyond, things we can try to put away from us as we look to a future of being with God. A subtle trap may lie before us, so let’s beware!

For us, I think, the real test is Saturday. What Jesus did on Friday was certainly amazing. What He endured confounds us, but still, it was what He did. It was His cross to endure. His pain. His agony. Man was a participant only to a small degree, but mainly a spectator. And, so many years later, man is struggling just to believe it all. For us, the trap was laid on Friday!

Saturday is all about what you believe. What you ‘really’ believe. What you believe enough to act upon and to live with and to hold onto in a permanent way. Saturday is about faith. Faith isn’t what you ‘think,’ it is what is at your core when all else is peeled away. It isn’t really our flesh that is tested, it is our faith! Think about it.

Saturday, then, is the Big Test of Faith! The prophets told us what was going to happen. The teachers of Scripture taught us the words. Jesus told His disciples what was coming. It was all laid out for all to know, and yet Peter proved how a weak faith responds! He let the threat of mere men cause himself to shrink in his faith! When the chips were down so was Peter. Peter! The disciple upon who’s confession the very Church would be built! Amazing!

Saturday is the day of testing, because on Saturday we are not yet “seeing” a risen Lord, but just a tomb. We assume the tomb contains Jesus, when, in fact it does not. Remember? He descended into Hell and led captive a host of captives! He led the OUT. He led them to Glory! He gave them Victory, just as He would all who call upon His name. The tomb was not just empty on Resurrection Sunday. That’s just when man rolled away the stone and made the discovery! What happened next is even more amazing, as Jesus Christ and many others previously in tombs were raised from the dead and walked again about their community! Are you serious? Yes!

Don’t be caught in the Trap of Doubt. Let faith arise! Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!

To: Men of the church
From: Pastor Skip
Re: What does it mean to be a manly man?

Hello men. I send you this letter in hopes you will actually read it.

You are
1. Moving into a crisis
2. In the midst of a crisis
3. Resolving a crisis
4. Repeating 1 thru 3.
5. Delusionally trying to avoid the whole thing, and failing! or
6. For a minuscule better-than-winning-the-lottery few, perhaps living in a period of peace.

Yeah, I know, you all picked number 6, in hopes no one would push it.

What does it even mean to “be manly”? The world is answering it with the ways of our culture, which isn’t working very well. God has given us much to learn about His design for being the kind of man He wants us to be. And, there are two kinds of manly men. The worldly manly man, and the Godly manly man. We would do well to figure this out, so we could make right(eous) decisions!

Help is available, and not just in the spiritual sense of “read your Bible and do what it says.” Practical help is available too, and it rests with each of us. I refer to shoe-leather Christianity, based on a sandal-clad Savior, Who wants men to be men, as they follow Him.

Over the years it’s been called Discipleship, Teamwork, Mentoring, Personal coaching, or Life coaching, and a host of other terms. The reality is that it is always based on relationship, man to man, beyond the level of “Hi, how are ‘ya?”

Let’s go there. Let’s be willing to let down the guards of personal protection, which aren’t working, and allow a little genuine vulnerability into our lives, together. We are soldiers, in a way, who need to know someone has our 6, and then be ready to BE that someone. We can’t do this if we won’t.

How?
1. By coming to the men’s breakfasts, and the men’s Summit next month, and asking the Holy Spirit to “connect” us.
2. By seeking one another out during the week for some fellowship.
3. By putting in the effort, which may take a little surrender of pride, and a measure of prayer! Wow.

What ARE the crises we face? Marriage? Of course. Job stuff? Probably. Physical issues? Emotional pains? Money? Kids? Go ahead, customize your list any way you wish, but let’s get some help! Let’s get some perspective from one another, as iron sharpens iron in the furnace of God almighty!

Let’s find out more of what it means to be Godly manly men!

Blessings,
Pastor Skip

“Put some gas in the car!”

“What? Don’t you understand my car won’t go. I don’t know what to do.”

“Why won’t your car go? What might be wrong?”

“I think I’m out of gas. I don’t know what to do.”

“Put some gas in the car!”

This is the kind of conversation happening all over the place today. Not just with cars, but with marriages, parenting, career issues, etc. It’s especially happening in the spiritual lives of almost everyone!

“My marriage just isn’t working. I don’t know what to do.”

“Is it on empty?”

“Yes.”

“I’d recommend a fill-up.” Put some gas in the car …

“I don’t know how to do that.”

“Yes, you do. But you won’t …”

“Well, my life with God isn’t any better. In fact, it may be worse.”

“On empty?”

“Yes.”

“Needs a fill-up.”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

“Yes, you do. But you don’t.”