Seeing the Wonders God has for us

As I posted the other day we have started the Bible study series "Wonderstruck" and it is very good. We sometimes get busy and don't slow down enough to see the wonders of God around us. Let me share a few of the wonders I have seen along with others from our family, friends, and church.

We have enjoyed beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The sunsets over the mountains in Colorado were fantastic. My cousin in Denver said that was one of the reasons he lives there is because of the sunsets. We also saw a red fox come into his back yard the morning we were to leaving. Now, I have seen foxes before, but not that close or in the yard. Our youngest son, Will, told my cousin that it was the most exciting thing to happen to him in his whole life. It reminded me that we are to have child like faith when it comes to our faith in God. Why do we sometimes not have the same excitement about living for Jesus who died for our sins to give us salvation and eternal life? I felt some of the same excitement as we drove into Denver and saw the mountains rising from the west. We could not see the city, but we saw the majestic Rocky Mountains. That was the site I had been anticipating for a long time. It was the farthest west I had been and I had not seen the Rocky Mountains in person before. It was impressive! To see mountain tops with snow in the middle of June was awesome. To drive over the mountain pass and see the snow along the side of the road was a complete wonder of God. To stop and be hit by snowballs thrown at you by your kids while you are in shorts and a T-shirt is a totally different experience! Then we saw where the Colorado River begins. To think of it meandering its way through the mountains and on through the Grand Canyon amazed me. I have always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. Now I want to see it even more and say, "I've been where this water started flowing this way." Some of the wildlife we have seen on this trip are buffaloes, foxes, turtles, deer, coyote, squirrels, a chipmunk, cows, and horses. We have seen windmills for pumping water for the livestock and wind turbines for producing electricity in different areas. We have seen lush landscapes with crops, deserts, mountains, and flat lands. We have attended a non-denominational church, a Reformed Christian church, a Catholic church, and a Southern Baptist church. While they have been different we found ourselves worshiping the same God together. I played golf with Pikes Peak in the background and an Anglican worship pastor as a playing partner. The next evening we met a Church of Christ youth pastor who was moving from NM to a new church in Texas. His car dolly hit our side van door while pulling out from the gas pumps at a truck stop in NM causing us to fix it in order for us to continue on our trip. Can I put auto body work on my resume now? You can do amazing work with a crowbar and sledge hammer. God protected Renee in that accident. The side doors closed on her and pushed her legs into the van, but it is just bruised. It has caused us to praise God for that while continuing to pray for the youth pastor we met. We also went to swim in the lake here in OK. The kids have found amazing rocks along our trip and continued to do so there, but with more help from the Smith kids. Rocks of different types, shapes, and colors along with fresh water clam shells were to be found in the water. To see the smaller kids' excitement over rocks and shells was awesome. To see the bigger boys swim to the other side and find big rocks to make big splashes and flat ones to skip across the water was fun too. Yesterday during church here in OK they had a prayer time to begin the service. I saw our oldest son (11) go up and put his arm around Pastor Mahlon to pray for him. at the end of the prayer they had their arms around each other. That is a wonder of God!

Now let me share with you about what has been happening at Shamrock FBC while we have been gone. On Father's Day there was a Hispanic man who spoke very little English was saved during the service. The lady who brought him to church interpreted for him and the pastor. Pastor Glenn had him read from a Spanish Bible that the Spanish pastor had in the pulpit. The Roman Road verses were already marked. He prayed in Spanish to receive Christ as his Savior. God through His Holy Spirit allowed this man to understand his need for salvation and respond to the gospel. That's a Pentecost moment. Yesterday the church prayed for a new baby who was born premature on Friday and was having trouble keeping food down and was on oxygen. Pastor Glenn asked the grandparents of the baby to text the parents to see how the baby was doing. About 5 minutes into the message the grandfather interrupted him to announce that the baby was able to eat and her oxygen rate was able to be lowered. God is good, all the time!

You see, God has created wonders all around us! Some are in creation itself and then some are in moments and memories of time. Look for the wonders around you and be struck by God's wonder! You will be surprised by what God will show you if you are looking for it!

Family Bible Study

While on vacation the past two weeks we have been doing a Bible study together as a family. We have watched the videos in the van as we are traveling and at a family member's home while staying with them. The study is "Christian" by Andy Stanley. You can find the 8 messages on his ministry website, www.yourmove.org. It has been a very challenging study. Let me ask you a question. Are you a disciple/follower of Jesus or just a Christian? Christian is a term that is never defined in the Bible. Jesus never called His followers by that name and the early church never referred to themselves as Christians. Jesus called them disciples and they called each other disciples. The disciples were called Christians first by other people in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) The term disciple though is very well defined and described in the Bible. They followed a Rabbi/Master and imitated him. Their goal was to be just like him. Are you being a disciple of Jesus or are you just saying you believe in Him and you are going to heaven? The Bible says that Satan believes in God. If you say you believe in God and are a Christ follower, but are not striving to be just like Jesus then you are not a disciple. Jesus commanded his disciples and us in Matthew 28:19-20 to go into all the world and make disciples and He commanded them also to love one another as He loved us. This is not about earning your salvation through works, but about working for Him through faith and showing the same love He has shown us to others so they will do the same. Our beliefs about Jesus are important, but our actions are what draws others to Him. They see Jesus in us and want the same thing in their lives. Our beliefs may change a few people, but our beliefs in action will change the world. What legacy do you want to leave on this world? One that believed in God or one that changed the world because you believed God? Let's try to be disciples of Christ and not just Christians! Check out the messages from Andy Stanley and see what love requires of you. Jesus said they will know you are my disciples by your love.

Tomorrow we are going to start the study, "Wonderstruck" produced by Lifeway. It is set in the Colorado mountains where we just left. Then we get to hear our former pastor bring God's Word on Sunday at Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel, OK. If you want to good reading about the Bible and different subjects for growing Christians check out his blog, http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com.

Check back here later, as I am going to try to post more often!