At the End of the Detour

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The weather was perfect for an afternoon bike ride. I set out on one of my favorite trails looking forward to the wide open spaces and enjoying God’s glorious creation.  Just as my legs were warming up I spotted a big orange sign: “Detour Trail Closed!”

Bummed at the disruption of my plans, I took a drink of water and assessed my options. “Where now?” As I turned around and pedaled back from where I came from I thought about the many detours in my life. How is it just when I think I know where I am heading-boom, a big orange sign jolts my plans.

The detours in life are a definite reminder that I am not in control. I am definitely not the God of my destiny. This truth often ends up being an internal wrestling match of my will. Will I surrender to the Spirit? Or will I fight against Him to press on through the detour and attempt to forge my own way?  As Proverbs 16:9 reminds us:

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD, determines his steps.”

As I was processing the “detour”  on my ride, I remembered another trail l I heard might be open. So I ventured out, found the trailhead, and sure enough it had just opened. This trail was a good workout with some hills and got my heart pounding. It was a whole new area to explore and was exhilarating!

If it wasn’t for the detour I would not have tried out this new trail! Over the years countless detours have resulted in new trails.  I am continuing to learn that our Good Father is in still in the midst of the unexpected routes of life.  It is good to make a plan, but how many times such paths don’t always go as expected and I am reminded He is still in it, perhaps even protecting us from something else.

So when a detour signs appears, I attempt to take deep breath. Step back. Wait and see what my Heavenly Father  wants to teach me. Usually it is the same point He makes again and again, “Tim, surrender and trust Me, I have the right path for you!” Perhaps one of the most important lessons in a detour is to show us at the end of the day: He is all we need. The greatest trail is one that leads to His glorious face of love. He is enough!

The well known verses in Proverbs 3:5-6 are a profound truth:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path.”

Trust. Don’t try to figure it all out. Keep surrendering each day to Him. Allow the detour to lead you to His heart for you. Life is filled with detours, and yet this may be the trail which will lead you to Him, the source of abundant life.

Whatever detour you maybe facing at the moment, remember Jesus is still with you and will be waiting you at the end of it.

Becoming a City On The Hill

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20 years ago a miracle happened which would not only grow our faith, but also teach us the rhythm of the Father’s heart. My friend recently sent me this picture of a prayer and dedication service for City on a Hill Ministries. Hard to believe this was in 2006. So many memories resurrected from this season.  Here are a few lessons learned from this God encounter:

A Vision Birthed in Prayer – When God is on the move you will always find prayer at the cornerstone.  The Holy Spirit will prompt people to pray into a God-sized vision which only He can bring about. This story began when four women from a church in Zeeland, MI learned the local Community Hospital was for sale. Together they committed to weekly gather to pray for God to have it turned into a ministry center.

These passionate prayers were birthed from hearts that experienced pain and loss and believed God could turn the hospital into a place of both physical and spiritual healing,  a place that would  touch many lives with Jesus’ hands of love. The prayers of these ladies ignited a fire within the church with many catching the vision to step out in faith and follow His leading.

A Father who Faithfully Provides – If it is God’s vision He will provide the people and the resources. I will never forget walking into the president’s office with my friend Steve to make an offer to purchase the hospital. The offer was 1.1 million-way below asking price. We knew the response could be a laugh and a polite decline. But to our surprise God had already been working on his heart and the boards, they were open to seeing a non-profit obtain the building.  An agreement was made.

The next obstacle money, we had none. Yet again as we moved forward in faith at just the right time God supplied the funds needed. Not only did He provide funds, but also the right people to make it happen. We saw first hand how the Holy Spirit anointed people to do the work with the necessary gifts and talents to make the vision a reality. It was a beautiful picture of the whole body of Christ coming together with the Father’s vision uniting as one.

A Cosmic Power Struggle – When you follow the leading of the Spirit there will be spiritual warfare. We saw this first hand from many different fronts and it reminded us how weak we are but how strong our Father is. Prayer again became the life line. Pastors prayed weekly in the building as a united front calling on God for protection and power to move forward. Many gathered for community worship in a local gym next to the hospital. Many prayer walks took place in and around the building. Truly the Father heard the cry of His children and He claimed the victory.

All Praise to the Father- When the Father moves through His children His glory will shine brightly.  20 years later there are 48 non-profits ministering out of the City on a Hill building. Physical and spiritual needs are literally being met all around the globe. The impact is mind boggling. This building is truly a standing stone for the glory and the power of what our Father God can do if we faithfully follow His leading.

The Father showed so many of us through this experience how He grows His Kingdom. Just as His Son taught and challenged us in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 5:14-16)

Where is the Father calling you to be His light today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other World

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Written by Mike Verkaik

This past week I quickly stopped into the administration office at Holland Christian. As I was walking out, I ran into the former principal whose granddaughter had gone on Oceans Kingdom Encounter the previous summer.

She stopped me and asked, “Did you read Bella’s writing in this year’s Scripta booklet? She won first place.”

Reading her writing carried me back onto the paths of Jim-Se-Bos, where I once again caught a glimpse of our Father’s heart in Bella — still captivated by her Kingdom Encounter almost a year later.

Other World

      Bella Hernandez

Walking through Jim-Se-Bos, and informal town in South Africa.

Mud soaked the ground everywhere we walked; it was

like walking through a sea of feces and dirt.

Flies swarming every house and every person.

Looking around at the metal shacks that housed

families of 6.

Feeling the hand of a child in mine.

How could their lives be like this?

I looked down; the little girl staring at me in the eyes.

With a smile on her face. How?

She has so little, but she has so much joy. She didn’t

see the troubles and the dangers she was living in.

She was excited to show me her home, to show me

where she slept and ate. I was trying to

understand how someone could survive living there.

She didn’t know any better; she didn’t care about her

circumstances.

When she looked at me again, I could see it. The Lord

gave her joy, and that’s all she needed.

After reading her published piece, I asked Bella what compelled her to write her story. She responded, “Because of how impactful this experience was for me and my faith. God really opened my eyes in these moments in Jim-Se-Bos and throughout the whole trip. He showed up to me through people and how they lived. This was one of the most impoverished places I have ever been. Right when we arrived I knew in my heart this was gonna be a difficult time and a difficult experience to be in. But God opened my heart and my eyes to enjoy the time with these people. He was able to show me when we don’t worry about the worldly things or the physical things around us, we can see him show up even more through his creation.  It also helped me see how in the States we care so much about our things and our plans. But the people in Jim-Se-Bos live everyday as a blessing and a gift. They give everything they have everyday and they take joy even in the hardest moments. This was super inspiring to me and it encouraged me to be grateful for everything I have and to put my full effort everyday to be joyful and to love like the Lord.”

Sing the Song of Pentecost

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It was 24 years ago and I still vividly recall spending the day in prayer by the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I was pondering Habakkuk 2:14, and felt prompted to write in my journal, “one day you will be part of a ministry called Oceans!”

I was reminded of that life altering moment as last week a good friend sent me a daily worship devotional by Shane and Shane. This musical duo was sharing how they had just been at a conference with missionaries from around the world. What grabbed the hearts of them more than anything was found in the hope and glorious calling of Habakkuk 2:14.

Shane and Shane were so moved by the passion of these believers that they wrote a worship song from the verse:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the King as the waters cover the sea,  for the church will be thrilled with the knowledge of the glory of the King, every nation gathered to sing.

Chorus:

Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb be blessing, honor, power unto Him, Amen!

Listening to the song from Habakkuk 2:14 and subsequent verses from Revelation 5, my mind lifted from administrative details and to the Father’s vision for His church. I found myself praying for His children all over the world  to be droplets of His love, flooding the nations with the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit given to us in Jesus- the now reigning King.

While in South Africa my favorite place to pray is a peak where I can sit on a rock and oversee the vastness of  both the Indiana and Atlantic Oceans disappearing in the horizon. God often uses the visual to remind me how small I am and How big He is. His big vision is to cover the entire world with His glorious reign of grace. And one day the whole earth will be gathered together to sing His praise.

A few days ago churches around the world celebrated Pentecost Sunday, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Father’s sons and daughters. I can’t think of a better vision statement for what started that Holy day than Habakkuk  2:14.  On that day 3000 droplets of grace started a river flowing from Jerusalem which is turning into an ocean of people touching the nations with true healing love and eternal hope.

Did you read the story of 2500 people being baptized last week in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida? This reminded me of those who have been baptized in the Indiana and Atlantic Oceans off the coast of South Africa. What a joy to witness such hope for those choosing the way of Jesus.

I was so thankful for my friend sending me this simple but powerful song last Thursday. It reminded me once again of the Father’s vision for His children. Each one of us is called to join in this ocean of His saving glory covering all the earth with His love-and  that it is happening all around us is such an encouragement!

May we keep singing and living out the Song of Pentecost believing in it’s powerful promise!

 

 

 

 

The Awakening

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A Great Awakening. This powerful movie portrays the real-life friendship of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin and the pioneering evangelist from England George Whitefield. Based on Whitefield’s personal journals, this movie depicts the spiritual revival of the 1730’s and brings to light how this revival impacted the founding of the United States.

One profound moment of this story goes back to a transformative time in Whitefield’s life while a student at Oxford. George Whitefield desperate to discern God’s voice and favor entered into a season of fasting. Truth be told without the intervention of his friend, John Wesley, Whitefield would have died in his religious fervor.

Wesley pleaded with Whitefield to stop the fast and used the story of Jesus’ Baptism as a catalyst. The Biblical words of truth clearly proclaim to Jesus that He is “the beloved of the Father” before he did any sort of ministry or good work.

“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” (Lk. 3:21-22)

The Holy Spirit used this exhortation to awaken Whitefield to the love of Abba Father. It is God’s GRACE,  not religious duty, obligation, or a list of accomplishments that brings each of us to Him. The same love of the Father which fueled Jesus ministry, became a Holy Fire in Whitefield’s heart, and the central theme of his preaching and ministry.

As a young pastor I was given the 2 volumes of Whitefield’s journals and spent many nights pouring over his reflections. His ministry was an overflow of the Father’s love and in God’s perfect timing Whitefield unleashed that message through the power of the Holy Spirit to throngs of people desperate for a message of the Father’s love.

Both in the UK and in the 13 colonies a Great Awakening was taking place as the Father’s love was experienced through the Gospel being preached with burning Fire. I won’t give any more scenes of movie away, as I hope some of you will watch on viewing platforms. I already watched it twice and each time could feel my heart being moved by the Spirit.

How each and every one of us needs to know and embrace this true and lasting love preached 280 years ago on American soil. Religious rituals seeking to earn God’s favor won’t do it, or money, fame, power, sex, not even the latest self-help program will fill the empty void. Ask the Father to open your heart to hear these precious words, “You are my beloved son/daughter whom I loved before time begin and will love you for all eternity through the gift of Jesus My Son.”

This Sunday the church will celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. On that day weak and broken disciples, who were filled with the knowledge of the Father’s love by means of the Spirit. Because of this amazing gift these disciples of Jesus preached with great boldness about with the fire of the Father’s love and the world has never been the same!

Jesus, the disciples, and Whitefield, all lived and ministered out of the Father’s love. Each of them made talking and listening to the Father’s voice in prayer their # 1 priority.  Prayer keeps us close to the heart of a loving Father and allows His Spirit to remind us that we are the “Beloved of the Father.”

May our prayer be for the Spirit to awaken our hearts again to the burning love of our Father!