I love Facebook because I’ve found it to be a great tool for keeping in touch with individuals that I’ve lost contact with over the years. The other day I tried to do just that, and looked up an old friend of mine from work. It had been a long time since we’d seen each other, but I remembered him to be a real stand-up, positive, Christian guy. But I quickly found that his profile pointed to a person that was a far cry from the friend I once knew. As I scrolled down and continued to look through his page, my heart hurt at the realization that my friend seemed to have lost his way.

The situation I described isn’t uncommon, but it strikes you in a different way when the person in question is someone you held in high regard and looked to as an example, as was the case here. I felt disillusioned, saddened, and let down.

Similarly, I once attended a church that was turned upside down when a staff member resigned amid rumors of an affair. This was somebody that people trusted and looked up to, and they felt as though their trust had been betrayed. Most recently, America watched a US senator and former presidential candidate own up to having an affair on his wife, while she was suffering with cancer.

I’ve come to find that if I place a human on a pedestal like that, I will be setting myself up for disappointment because we’re all fallen and sinful. My pastor will let me down, my parents will disappoint, my friends will have their indiscretions, but God will always be my unfailing hope, a rock that cannot be moved. His Word promises this in Hebrews 13: 8 where it is written, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

I must come to the realization in my own life, that people will stumble and sin just as I do, and I can’t let that cause me to become disenchanted with my faith, or hinder me from pursuing my relationship with Christ, but rather I must fix my eyes solely on Him, trusting that when everyone else falls, He will remain.

I have a wild imagination, so a couple days after seeing The Dark Knight I remained a prime target for a scare. It was about 11:00 p.m. and I was in my apartment when something caught my eye. I dismissed it as a mind trick but the hairs stood a little straighter on the back of my neck. Out of curiosity, I decided to check my window (it is the perfect size for a psycho clown to enter!) when a figure jumped from the shadows and pounded the window, shrieking at the top of its lungs.

Now, every man plans for a situation such as this. They dream of calmly defending the attack with expert karate moves while casually bantering with their foe over the death of their father until defeating the enemy and leaving him tied up and unconscious on the doorstep of the police station. Unfortunately, this is NEVER what happens.

After I pried myself off of the ceiling, collected my wits, and changed my shorts, I walked to the window to find my friends Michelle and Kristen. When they finally stopped laughing at me, we had a great discussion on the new Batman film. While we were talking, Michelle brought up an excellent observation. She pointed out the contrast found in the character of Harvey Dent.

In the beginning of the movie, Dent is a hero who stands for everything right. However, Dent’s life is altered by a series of tragic events, including severe burns to his face, and he becomes evil. Or does he?

Michelle pointed out to me that the evil was there all along; it was only exposed later. Dent had some serious character issues from the beginning, but he hid them well. However, trials have a way of bringing out either our best or our worst qualities.

When do we find out the most about ourselves: during easy times or hard times? I have found that the trials of life always force me to look long and hard into the mirror of my soul. These are also the times I am the most desperate for God. Psalm 66:10 says, “For You, O God have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.” Silver is put in the fire so that everything of no value can be burned off, leaving only the most precious material. God may allow us to go through hard times so that our true character is revealed. Although we may not realize it at the time, He does this out of love. He wants us to become beautiful silver, without all the unattractive rock surrounding it. Trials show what is keeping us from being all that God wants us to be. We are left with the choice of giving in to our dark side or allowing God to burn it away. So the next time God holds up a mirror to your character, don’t be discouraged by what you see; He is showing you a work in progress, and the response is up to you.

As most guys do, I continually seek to maintain a fairly high score on the macho-o-meter (although the fact that I’m only five foot six and embarrassingly scrawny doesn’t help matters). I like to give off the impression that I’m a pretty strong guy who’s got things together. However, these masculine ideals were tossed out the window last week when I caught a virus and completely self-destructed.

My family just moved into a transitional apartment in anticipation for our move to South Carolina at month’s end. I was excited! Living in such close quarters would be a great way of family bonding! I envisioned card games filled with laughter and movie nights with popcorn! However, I thought the rapture had come the way people started leaving! Mom – Saskatoon to visit sister, Dad – Alaska for work, Sister – off to summer youth camp, girlfriend – Vancouver to find apartment. Guess it’s just me and my dog, Chevy, bacheloring it up this week! However, this dream bubble popped as well when I was informed the apartment didn’t allow pets; he’d be staying at a dog-sitter.

Doing what any self-respecting man would do in a situation like that, I purchased six boxes of Kraft Dinner and set up camp in front of my Xbox. Things might not be too bad after all!

Then it hit me. It started as a mere irritation in my throat. Never filled with even slight ambitions for med-school, I couldn’t distinguish Tylenol from pop-rocks. So I decided to just ‘tough it out.’

It got worse. I devolved a fever so high I could’ve invited over some friends and roasted marshmallows over it. My throat had swelled out like a toad, leaving me unable to shallow or eat (which stinks when you’re use to eating every twelve minutes). The second night I woke multiple times to throw-up. Having not eaten for two days, it was so dry and violent that blood vessels in my face exploded and my eyes swelled to golf balls. Lying in bed, in too much pain to even roll over, I began to cry. I felt so alone and desperate.

However, God is good and sent me a much needed angel on the third day (one who also goes under the title of ‘my girlfriend’). Along with her came medication, chicken noodle soup, and rides to and from doctor’s appointments. I still feel pretty lousy, but it’s comforting to know that there’s somewhere here who will take care of me.

Have you ever found yourself in that place, desperate or alone? Several times throughout my Christian journey there’ve been moments when I was spiritually sick, and I felt completely helpless, like no one understood or cared.

I encourage you not to struggle through those trying times alone. It’s not weak to let God carry you through those rough moments. In fact, it’s probably one of the best places you could ever be. The Bible says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Having taken God up on the offer many times myself, I can promise you, He won’t let you down!

He stared at me from across the table, his eyes cold, his face expressionless. “Your mission,” he said, “should you choose to accept it, is to help the four of us eat this entire Black Forest cake.” The challenge was made, and four sets of eyes eagerly watched for my reaction. The suspense hung in the air like a cloud. “Waitress,” I called, “would you be so kind as to bring us five forks?” Five Friends…one cake…so it begins.

At first we ate with speed, driven by an inner force awakened in every man when food is involved. A crowd gathered as the continuous action of fork-to-cake-to-mouth whirled into a blur. With grim determination we ate; each of us focused only on the bite ahead. However, as time wore on, our original dreams of glory turned into questions of survival. One friend (apparently aided by the quadrupled sugar level in his blood stream) stood to his feet and shouted, “I can’t take it anymore! I qui…” He was cut short as a hand cracked across his head. “Pull yourself together man!” urged Jeff, the oldest of the group. Finally we came within sight of our goal as one piece remained on the plate. There it sat, staring at us in disdainful mockery. The sound of Jeff’s voice rang out, “Brothers, today we are faced with a choice. We can choose to let shame rule over our lives and be left wondering what could have been. Or, we can choose this day to look disgrace in the eye and defeat it. SO WHAT WILL IT BE?!” With a great battle cry we lifted our forks into the air and plunged them into our enemy. A thunderous applause shook the restaurant as the last bite of icing disappeared behind my victorious maw.

This goofy story illustrates what often happens in the Christian life. When we start our spiritual journey, the excitement is so great it seems like we can never get enough of God! Our friends are there to feed our excitement and we jump in with both feet, enjoying the bounty of our faith. However, as time passes, we experience hardships that shake our foundations. We allow ourselves to be separated from God. I have seen many Christians who come to a crossroad in their faith and choose to leave it all behind. Jesus never said the Christian life would be easy, but asks that we persevere until the end. In the book of Revelation (3:7-22), there is an interesting contrast between the church of Philadelphia and the church of Laodicea. The first church stayed faithful to God through the hard times while the latter sat on the fence and became lukewarm. God promised to bless the first church and carry them through the trials, but the second He would vomit out of His mouth. I find myself asking, “What church am I?” Which church best describes you? Will you keep going until the end or choose to quit when the going gets tough? Choose today to persevere.

How can we sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil? Psalm 137:4

When the psalmist wrote these words, he was with the exiled Israelites in a strange and hostile culture. In his grief, he had hung up his harp, sat down, and was weeping along the banks of the “rivers of Babylon.” In painful honesty, he cried out, “How can I sing, Lord?” Do you ever feel the same? Beaten down, oppressed, discouraged? I do, and let me tell you, the last thing I feel like doing is singing. But (and I bet you knew this was coming) when I do sing, I am amazed by what God can do with my broken heart. As I lift my voice, He lifts my head and gives me a new song to sing to Him (Ps. 33:3), one that isn’t dependent on my circumstances but rather comes from deep within.

An awesome example of choosing to sing despite the circumstances is found in Acts 16. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and thrown into prison. Their jailor “put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks” to make certain they would not escape. Can you imagine their dire situation? Bleeding, aching, locked into an uncomfortable position in the darkness of a dungeon cell. It really couldn’t get much worse. No one would have blamed them for “hanging up their harps” and weeping with their fellow prisoners.

Yet, that is the very opposite of what Paul and Silas chose to do. “About midnight,” the darkest hour of their dreadful night, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” It was weird! It was unexpected. It was a choice, and it caused others to take notice. Verse 25 tells us that “the other prisoners were listening to them.” I don’t know what their reactions were, but I can imagine that some mocked them, some were encouraged by them, and some probably even gave their lives to the God who could inspire and deserve praise in such a dark and terrible place.

How are your choices affecting the people around you? Are your “fellow prisoners” more likely to hear crying and complaining coming from your lips or have you made a choice to “pray and sing hymns to God?”

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; Proclaim His salvation from day to day. Ps. 96:122

Why? Because He is worthy. Why? Because others are listening. Why? Because it’s the best choice!

Father, may I choose to praise You in the gardens as well as in the dungeons of life. Let my voice be a joyful noise to Your ears and to the ears of those around me. Use me as a harp to accompany those who do not yet know how to sing in a foreign land, and let all of creation sing to the Lord! Amen.

The anxious crowd rose to their feet in hushed anticipation. The perfectly spiraled football soared over the field in a majestic arch. A titanic duel between rival teams had come down to an epic finish. Trailing by one, mere seconds to play, our quarterback had heroically marched his soldiers down field with pin-point precision and clutch execution. Staring at the end zone and an improbable win, it was all-or-nothing time…It was Daniel time…

The church college ministries from my city annually rent the professional football stadium and battle for the prestigious spray-painted golden football. The only problem is that, well, I’ll never be mistaken for Tom Brady. Football was not my sport as a child, and my body has failed to maintain its gazelle-like agility since then; having been quickly replaced by twenty “college-pounds.”

The day before the tournament, my brother offered to toss the old pigskin around for practice. I kindly thanked him but informed him I would prepare mentally instead, then proceeded to plop myself down, jumbo bag of stale Cheetos in hand to play Madden 08 on my Xbox.

The next morning I arrived at the field- my face covered in Akkadian warrior battle paint. The eyes of the opposition went wide. I sniffed the air…it reeked with the stench of fear…

Pre-game warm-ups began, but I elected to stay on the bench and guard the half-time snacks. A friend offered me a water bottle, just as two fan-girls skipped by. With a grunt I snatched it…and chucked it into the bleachers, “water is for the weak…”

We dominated game one. Our quarterback made perfect throws, our receivers made routine catches…I ran around aimlessly spouting off annoying trash-talk…

Game two followed the same game plan, but we fell behind. The opposition had opted to use double coverage elsewhere, foolishly leaving me unchecked, apparently realizing that in two games my quarterback had avoided me like the black plague. But on the last play, game on the line, the unthinkable happened…the ball was thrown to me…

Well actually it was thrown to Rob, but due to a combination of overthrowing and Rob tripping, the ball came sailing towards me. Unsure what to do, I went airborne, extended my hand…and…SNAP!

One sprained finger and fumble later the game was over….there’s always next game right?

Christians sometimes make the same mistake in their walk with God. They let their relationship with Him play second string while things are going well, but attempting to make it right again when a trial hits.

My pastor once said, “Crisis is not the time to be mending a relationship with God, it’s the time to already have one in place.” Unfortunately, I know for me this is not always the case. I am often too busy or preoccupied to say more than a rushed prayer, and I commit to just read ‘twice-as-much’ of my Bible tomorrow morning when I don’t have time today.

A crisis could be just around the corner. It will be game day again soon. Are you adequately prepared? Will your life make a difference? Will you be victorious?

But I discipline my body and bring it under subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Cor. 9:27

In 2006, God broke me—but I asked for it. I lost my job. I was poor—in spirit and my pockets. My grandfather died. I began to slip again spiritually. And God told me to leave my family and friends in Dallas—my comfort zone—and go to serve him at a suburban church just southwest of Houston. All within the first six months!

I remember my second interview with the south Texas church very well. I was resentful toward God for even asking me to show up. And afterward, in my hotel room, most of the rest of my evening was filled with wailing, weeping, rending of clothes, gnashing of teeth, and my frantic pleas, begging God not to make me go.

In my spiritual growth journey, one thing I have learned is: trust and obey. Yes, that’s the title to an old hymn you might recognize and words that I continue to live by today. So I did just that. In July 2006, I left my homeland and ventured, by faith, to a land unknown.

If you’re waiting for me to share a land-flowing-with-milk-and-honey kind of ending here, you won’t get it. That’s not exactly what happened over the next year. Without my dependencies, I was alone like never before, so the only person I had to turn to was God.

I thought: A-ha! I knew this was going to happen. He fooled me. He did all of this just so He could get me alone with Him?! Wait. He wants me all to Himself? He doesn’t want me to focus on anything or anyone other than Him?

This realization didn’t immediately cure my loneliness. I spent much of that year in the same position I was in at the hotel during my second interview. Countless nights, I lay facedown on the living room floor of my apartment and cried myself to sleep. But I soon realized that my sessions of sorrow had turned into intense times of praise and prayer. I still wept in a fierce way—but I never felt God’s closeness in a more real way than I did then.

I spent that year searching for Him, and I found Him. He didn’t shout out the answers. There were no clouds that parted or lighting bolts that struck me. There was no burning bush. But He was definitely present. I talked. He listened. He talked. I listened. The distractions in my life had masked His presence in my life.

After that year, God said, “OK. You’re time is over here. Let’s move you on to the next place.” That’s where I am today. I can’t say that I still don’t get frustrated in my walk or confused by what He’s trying to tell me. I do all the time. And I’m still seeking His kingdom and righteousness, but, over time, our relationship has grown into something spectacular.

My dad once said to me, “God is weaving the experiences of your life together into a tapestry. But you’re looking at the canvas on the backside. You can’t understand how it could make any sense when it looks like a mess. Just turn it around, and you’ll see that He’s working behind the scenes to create a beautiful work of art. Keep seeking Him, following Him, trusting and obeying Him—and, as time goes on, you’ll begin to see the big picture come together as He intended.”

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling man.” Hebrews 12:16

Crash! In one blinding instant, lightening struck a tree about 50 feet from our house. Peeling bark as it went, the bolt leapt from the tree to the fence post, splitting it into pieces, and then ran along the barbed wire at the bottom sending metal flying like shrapnel. At the gate post, the current dove into the ground finding the wire to our old, long-forgotten, electric dog fence. It followed that wire straight into the house, exploding the control box and frying the outlet, the security system, my laptop and printer, our garage door opener, and the light bulbs in the eaves. Naturally, at that moment, we didn’t know what had hit us. However, after careful inspection, we were able to recreate the scenario I just recounted and realized with dismay that if we had just gotten rid of that old, unused dog fence, we may have escaped with no more damage than a scarred tree and a broken fence.

Okay, I am not really a glass-half-full kind of girl, but, for some reason, I decided to see what good I could get from this experience. Also, my family gleefully pointed out that it was mostly my stuff that was hit—my laptop, my printer, only my garage door opener—so I thought I’d better sit up and pay closer attention. I didn’t want to miss anything important that would cause God to get my attention with something even more dramatic than a lightening strike. So, here’s what I learned.

First of all, things that are left to lie buried below the surface can be dangerous. Jealousy, anger, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness—all kinds of issues—can be covered over and even forgotten. Yet, when lightening strikes through stress or emotional turmoil, these unresolved areas can explode and cause damage not only to ourselves but to everyone around us. Sudden outbursts of pain and anger can fly like those electrified pieces of barbed wire and woe be it to anyone who finds his way in our paths.

Secondly, it is best to deal with difficult issues as they arise. Ephesians 4:26 cautions, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,” and Hebrews 12:17 says, “[Esau] was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.” Many times we wait for that perfect opportunity to come in order to reconcile with someone we have hurt or who has hurt us. That split second of high voltage illumination reminds me that today is the day to set things right. Who knows what tomorrow (or the next second) may bring?

Thirdly, there may be dangerous sub-surface sins and issues in my life of which I am not even aware. Perhaps I have forgotten all about them or I have never seen through God’s eyes how damaging these actions are. Negativity, self-criticism, and insecurity are just a few possibilities. Who knows how many of these potential pitfalls lie just below the surface? God does! We need to ask Him to reveal any “offensive ways” in us (Psalm 139:23-24), and then we need to cut off their power in our lives. If that old fence wire had been dug up or if we had even unplugged the control box from our now melted outlet, perhaps, we could have avoided the majority of the damage that occurred. I am sure there are even more truths to be gained by last week’s experience—“God is My New Security System,” “Life Can Change in a Flash,” “Jesus is the Only Reliable Insurance”—but I will leave those to another day. Right now, it’s time to start digging up old fences and mending new ones.

Father, help me to “pursue peace with everyone” and to rid my life of the destructive “root of bitterness” that can grow when I fail to dig up issues that are hiding below the surface (Heb. 12:14-15). Open my eyes to your truths and give me the willingness to walk where you lead—even if it is a brief, but difficult journey into the past. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

I hate flying. I have had opportunities to fly overseas several times, and the air travel has always been miserable. At first I thought this resulted from the severe lack of anything to do while in the plane, but I have recently discovered this is not the only reason. The real explanation is that I’m scared. It’s funny, because I participate in much more dangerous activities everyday (such as riding shotgun while my brother drives), but every time a plane hits turbulence I start to panic. I struggle grasping the fact that an unknown pilot is deciding my destiny while thousands of feet in the air!

Several years ago, my family was flying to a warmer destination during the cold Christmas months and I ended up sandwiched between my brother and sister. As I scrambled to get my surroundings somewhat in order, my sister asked if I would help her. Now, to my sister, “carry-on baggage” means “you-can-bring-it-on-if-you-can-lift-it,” and she needed me to make her massive suit case fit under the seat. I began to clear out any unnecessary items under the seat in order to make room for her “carry-on” (at least if they lost our luggage the five of us could live comfortably out of her provisions!). I started removing bags, jackets and magazines until I reached for something that seemed to be stuck and heaved with all my strength. I heard a groan in front of me. Oh, no, inorganic objects aren’t supposed to groan… In horror I realized what I had done. I had grabbed the foot of the passenger in front of me and had pulled him halfway out of his seat. What do you say to the man after that? I don’t know either, so instead I burst out laughing with my sister as the man got up and found an un-occupied seat far from us…

Not being in control is a scary thing. The thought of letting God direct my life often terrifies me because it means putting my life in someone else’s hands. However, I have also begun to realize why I need pilots: I need pilots because I can’t fly. If I were to fly a plane, it would not get very far! Flying with an unknown pilot may be scary, but not nearly as scary as flying myself! I have seen the lousy job I do when I try to play God. I try to take control of my surroundings and end up grabbing people’s feet and messing everything up. God says, if we trust in Him, He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5). It’s ok to have God in control, because He loves us. He’s not going to let us crash but will help us navigate through this life. I’ve seen where my own direction leads, and now I’m happy to let God be the pilot.

Isn’t it funny how the seemingly littlest things can change your life? I asked my girlfriend the other day how she decided to pursue fashion design. She responded, “Well, I watched the movie 13 Going On 30 and I decided what I wanted to do with my life….” After one quick laugh from me and a quicker verbal slap-to-the-face from her, I realized how much little things can impact our lives. For me, it was a bright pink, flowery piece of paper…

Last week we left off my story with me in a hopeless and lonely place. My insomnia had reached an all-time low, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Confused, I couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t answer my prayers for healing. On one particular night, June 8th, sitting alone in my basement I glanced towards the clock—3:15 a.m. I sensed another all-nighter looming.

Frustration swept over me; in despair and with watery eyes I collapsed to my knees and cried out, “God, why don’t you answer me? Do I have to carry this burden alone? Do YOU even care anymore? I need comfort and reassurance that You’re aware of what I’m experiencing. If You’re real like I believe you are, I need You to reveal yourself, because I’m having a hard time seeing You.” I finished my prayer, and then waited through another lonely and sleepless night.

Later that week I retrieved the family mail, and was surprised that there was a letter addressed to me. In an age of e-mail and text messaging, I found it odd to receive a written letter. Even more curious was that it was sent by my friend Kelley, who lived just down the street. Noticing it was dated June 8th, I quickly opened it, and pulled out a pink piece of paper:

Daniel, I just wanted to write you a note to see how you’re doing. I’ve been praying for you lots lately…God’s really laid you on my heart lately, and I don’t know why yet, but I felt like I need to continue to pray for and encourage you. God works in mysterious ways, so maybe me being inspired to write you a note is part of a bigger picture I can’t see…

In His service,

Kelley,

(P.S. Sorry the paper is pink!)

Matthew 11:28-29

What an answer to prayer! Full of emotion, I sprinted to her house. I asked about the note. She explained, “It was funny, I got home from a volleyball tournament totally exhausted. I flopped on my bed and was instantly asleep. But I woke up in the night and couldn’t get you off my mind. I’d never done anything like that before, but I just felt I had to write you that note.” “Out of curiosity,” I asked, a chill running down my spine, “do you remember what time you got up to write it?” She thought for a second and then nodded, “Yeah, I remember looking at my clock…it was 3:15 a.m.”

I’ve never been the same. As I was still praying, God was answering. That night God revealed that He never abandons or forsakes me, no matter how difficult life may be. Have you ever felt like maybe God isn’t hearing your prayers? Or feel like you’re facing the world alone? Be encouraged to know that God is always there, even if you can’t always see it.

That night God showed me that He was with me during my insomnia, but I still was without an answer to why He was allowing me to suffer. Next week I’ll conclude my story with how God’s purpose was fulfilled in powerful ways.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.