Soaring

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31


What is my strength?

...Is it my your youth? (Next Question!)

... my conditioning? ( OK getting Closer)

..my wisdom? ( this is not dependable)

... my friends? ( This makes a difference)

... my experience? ( Not always reliable)

I cannot can depend upon my human abilities. Health, wisdom, and wealth are all vulnerable to the fragility of life and circumstance. Only God can ensure that I can survive the unthinkable, thrive in the mundane, and soar in good times. Surrounding myself with loving caring people who also helps!


LORD, thank you for sustaining me through the hard times in my life. Thank you for helping me soar, doing things that I never dreamed I could accomplish and people you have put in my life. Father, thank you for blessing me during the everyday comings and goings of life. I depend upon you for help and strength. For every good thing and person in my life I praise you and thank you on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Do Gooders

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9






Doing good is falling out of fashion. Up to this recent economic crisis, many people would do good through charitable organizations. This made people feel good since they could feel they were doing something. Well, it must have not made them feel real good. Charitable giving is down this year almost 10%. It will continue to decrease as the stale economy continues this year.

What is the point of all this?

If people give out of a feeling that they need a tax break or it makes them feel good, it is a second priority in life if everything works out.

The giving God calls me to do good through times of plenty and times of want. I am not to do good only when it is convenient or I feel I need a boost. I am to do good at all times. I will get weary but this verse reminds me to NOT to get weary and to keep moving to Do Good For Christ.

Lord, help me to continue to work for your glory, not mine. Let me be one of the DO-GOODERS for you on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Pouring out Love

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:5



I keep coming back to Hope. As I continue to walk down the path I look to the leading of God. But, I really do not know what he is doing. As I have seen, I can make the plan down the path but God will put my next step down as he guides me. Sometimes my steps are directed in paths that are unexpected. What is the time period between lifting my foot and allowing God to put in down on the path?


It is the Time HOPE. It is the time of uncertainty and doubt. It is the time of restlessness and impatience It is the time of fear and darkness It is the time of loneliness and anxiety

It is the Time of HOPE Hope has lost it's punch in modern western vocabulary. It hardly qualifies as an adequate translation of the meaning in most New Testament passages.

Hope is the assurance that what we believe will happen. We could call it spiritual confidence. We have that spiritual confidence because more than just a wish, more than just an emotion, more than just a belief rests in our hearts; God himself lives in us through his Holy Spirit.

When we become Christians, Jesus pours out the Spirit upon us (Titus 3:3-7) as God's gift to us (Acts 2:38; 5:32) to cleanse us (1 Cor. 6:11), make us part of the same Body (1 Cor. 12:12-13), and live inside us (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Paul adds one more thing to that list of blessings from God's presence within us -- God's love. We don't just have it; God keeps refreshing it through the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised (John 7:37-39).


HOPE is not rubbing the magic lamp and asking the genie to grant my wish. Hope is a reliance on the Holy Spirit to work in my life and those around me in miraculous ways of forgiveness and healing.


Holy and Almighty God, awesome in power and majestic in holiness, thank you for not only coming to us in Jesus, but thank you also for living in me through your Spirit. Please pour your love into my heart so that the fruit of your grace may flow from me to those around me and everyone around me will know of your grace.

Let HOPE reign today as you plant my next step on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Crows Hold a Grudge

Colossians 3:13

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.(NIV)

On the way to Burlington VT to see some great friends on Sunday, I heard a story teaser that will appear on NPR today.

I had a great ride to Burlington.

More about this later this week. Something intrigued me about this story...

SEATTLE – Researchers at the University of Washington are proving crows are smarter than most people think. They may actually be able to recognize individual people and hold a grudge against them.

A year-and-a-half ago, UW researchers wore a caveman mask when they captured, tagged and released seven crows. Since then, they have taken regular strolls through campus.

Professor John Marzloff starts the experiment by walking around without the mask in plain view. The crows in the area seem to pay no attention to him.

But, once he slips on the mask and retraces his route, the crows start chattering. After a few steps, the crows begin scolding him. If he takes the mask off – nothing.

Crows remember and hold a grudge!

Wow!

Do I know alot of people who are like crows.

What is it about forgiveness that is so hard? I think it is the ability of humans, no matter what their position before God, to expect they are owed something in this life.

Something I have been learning each day is how much I am not owed anything and "how much" I need to rely on God for what he does in my life. Life's joys and contentment come from the most unlikely places and people. Life is too short to hold grudges and anger towards other people. Not only is it spiritually unhealthy, physically it eats away at people. Grudges are not good for people!

Don't be a Crow!

Lord, take away any traces of anger or ill thoughts I may have against others. Free me from all the junk that surrounds the entrapment and imprisonment of holding a grudge. Don't make me a crow while on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Luke 18:27, New International Version



Technology

Exploration

Intelligence

Research

All may make things possible.. but only God can make the impossible, possible.

Lord and this day, help make the impossible, possible as the Adventure in Middle Grove continues the winding path through life.

4 Lessons in Relationships

Galatians - Chapter 6:2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.




That is what Jesus said when he dealt with the people . He was trying to teach me something,

The woman at the well. Jesus was talking about relationships

The tax collector. Jesus was talking about relationships

The cripple. It was about friends and relationships

The critically ill woman. It was about relationships

It is about relationships.



The Bible is filled with stories about relationships. My pray is God would teach me to value the relationships I have in family and friends while on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Strangers

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2




I went out last night with some friends and had a great time. Some how we got talking about entertaining people. I talked to them about how many people have lived in my house over the past years. There have been about 100 people who have lived at the house for a few days to 1.5 years. There we single people and a family of 6. There were people just passing by and people who were hurting and needed healing. There we people who knew God and people who were searching. They were there in the Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall. They were young and old.

They were all welcome.


God has blessed me with a desire to have a place where people can stay and find rest. It was not always easy. 12 people in the house for 6 months was a bit taxing but I learned a great deal about myself. More importantly I learned about how important relationships are with believers and non believers. God show me hospitality in his love for me, I can only graciously return it out of gratitude for what he has done and provided for me.

It is hard for many people to understand how can I have people in the house and live with them. It is an opening for a great discussion.


How warmly do you personally welcome visitors at your church or in home? When was the last time you invited someone new in your congregation over for dinner or included them in a gathering of your Christian friends? While some have the gift of hospitality, all of us need to be warm and open to folks we don't know who join us for Christian worship and fellowship. In a cold impersonal world, we can make a huge difference in the lives of those seeking the shelter and grace of Jesus and his people.


Father, please help me to be more open and welcoming to people who are new and who are visiting. Please use me to share your grace and provide the needy with a Christian home on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

First Choice

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Ephesians 1:4-6 TNIV).


I have been thinking alot about the struggles of life and why would God choose me. Yesterday I was in this tug of war battle while on this side of eternity. My neighbor is a "meat man" He works for the company that does all the work on making sure Angus beef meets all the conditions for quality. We talk about this often and this lead me to look at how meat is graded. The Best Quality is Called PRIME. I thought about this....


Do I want to be prime?


This is the best without imperfection. It is usually sold in high quality restaurants. It is the best...

Do I want to be Prime?

Well the conclusion I came to is God does not want me to be prime. If I was, I would take credit since I would think I was good and I controlled the situation.

What I am is FIRST CHOICE. This is the grade that is good but has imperfections. This is me! I may think I am prime but I am FIRST CHOICE in God's eyes. He accepts me with my imperfections and all the junk in my life. He looks at the imperfections and still chooses me. He looks at these imperfections and puts them at the feet of Christ. Just as God chose Christ, who was perfect, he chooses me with the imperfections and anomalies.


I don't have to be perfect, but he stills looks at me as "FIRST CHOICE".



Lord, Thank you for making this choice not up to me! Thank you for loving me and taking me with all the imperfections of who I am as you put them at the feet of Jesus while on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Hold on!

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. "

Hebrews 10:23



Ok, I have to admit it. I was never on a winning tug of war team! I was small in Junior High School and at the end of the year we used to have field days. One of the highlights of field days was the tug of war. I think the teacher derived great satisfaction from pairing the bone head jocks against the little wet noodles!

Alright, guess where I was! I always thought big but, alas, I was the wettest of the noodles. I used to watch all those body building shows and wish I was like them but I never had the money to buy the super duper protein enhanced steroid laden shakes sold by the beautiful girls standing next to the guy with the well sculpted body..

OK, ADD moment, back on task.

My life is a constant tug of war between my humanity and my hope for the future. I guess this was already a problem. Holding on tight to hope is what is mentioned in Hebrews. Not only hold on tight but not wavering.

I don't think I am on the side that is winning. I think I am on the side that is holding on being pulled. I don't think this is a negative thing. If I was on the side that was pulling the other team over the line, I would take all the credit for the strength and effort. If I am on the team holding on, I need to rely on God and I cannot take the credit since I need to hold on with God's strength, not mine. I cannot take any credit!

Lord, Help me hold on as I know you will keep your promises of eternity as the path continues to wind on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Circumstantial Evidence

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Philippians 4:11

Circumstantial Evidence

Can we skip this verse? This is something I learn more about each day. This is an area where I continually need to be shaped by God and challenged by His people

The sources of contentment come from places and people who can soothe the soul. Contentment comes from the safety I find in God and the people who surround me who love him too. Contentment from money, pride, success, and power is short lived and does not produce the same results as the contentment derived from God and his people. I have experienced the false contentment in things and goals but have really experienced the contentment in the past year from the true source of contentment. The contentment that comes from the confidence I have in God and the look in to the eyes of the soul of people who really care for me and know they are there for me.

Paul tells Timothy that one of life's greatest treasures is to find contentment the areas where the contentment is long term. With this treasure, my physical and emotional circumstances become far less important to me than the character I display in those circumstances. My bottom line is less important than loving God from the bottom of my heart and loving those around me. Those who are wealthy or powerful and show godliness, a very difficult challenge according to Jesus, are those who have demonstrated that they are content to be godly and will be that kind of person with or without wealth. Those who are poor and are godly have demonstrated the same ability.

Contentment is not wealth or power but is the richness I have in grace! It is the contentment in the people who surround me who love and care for me as fellow believers.

Faithful Father, still my restless and weary heart and help me find my contentment in your presence and character in my life as the Adventure in Middle Grove continues.

YOU OWN ME!

But now, this is what the LORD says -- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1


When my daughter Lauren was about 15 years old she was having a tough time with her adolescence! She was very single minded and self absorbed. I guess this can happen at any time in your life!

Well Lauren being the confident teen and in charge of herself... stood at the top of the steps in the family room and announced that "We did not Own her and were not going to tell her what to do"

Wow, What a pronouncement! Well. I didn't own her but I did pay all her bills and provide a roof over her head.

Thankfully this did not last long and she is now a great parent of two wonderful children.


The Bible says we (I) are "owned"

I belong to the LORD, God of all creation and God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9-10). I am a recipient of God's grace and are blessed by his love for Israel's fathers. I do not
have to fear because God is in control of my future, just as he worked through the history of his chosen people to send the Messiah. He will accompany me through the difficult trials I will
face. He will make sure my redemption is realized.

Why?

Because I belong to him.

I am his.

He knows me.

He formed me.

He owns me

God's people are his possession forever. I am a child of the Almighty God!


LORD -- God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- I praise you for your faithfulness to your promises. I thank you for your work through many generations. I deeply appreciate you sending your Son and our Messiah to redeem me . Please know my deep gratitude for the blessing of belonging to you and knowing that I can trust my future with you. Please bless me with an awesome sense of your abiding presence and use me to bring you glory on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

NO VOICEMAIL NEEDED

"I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!" Isaiah 65:24,

NLT



Did you ever call someone or some place and to have to leave a message and wait for them to get back to you? Or even worse, did you ever get stuck in voice mail jail where all you do is loop around and never get to leave a message?


How about getting an answer before you even ask the question!

That is what God does for me every day. He answers the questions of life before I even have them figured out. I have been learning about life more and more each day and see the answers to my questions come from the most unpredictably places. While I am figuring out where the answer is coming from, God interjects, "Rick, why don't you look this way for the answer I have for you"

Good idea, I wish I would have thought of that!

Not a good idea to think ahead on my own! I might be missing an answer because I wasn't paying attention or was too busy listening to myself. Have I ever done that? Don't answer so fast!

Lord, Help me listen to the quiet in your voice. Let me rest in the assurance that you know what I need to do and already have the answers to the unanswered questions of life today on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Encouragement

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17 TNIV). ... What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32).

Everybody's a critic!


Including me. I want to judge people and their performance at work in personal situations.



...That is before God REALLY began to work on me and who I am before him. Why do I think I have the right to criticize? Okay, there is a certain legitimacy to it. People can't be paid who don't perform. Incompetent persons in critical roles mess up the works for everybody else.


Accountability is a good thing. But some things that are done in the name of evaluation and accountability are mean. Hateful. Destructive.

I am not at that place any more!

There is such a thing as a critical spirit that perpetually leaves in its wake a mound of wounded souls and countless damaged or destroyed relationships. Harsh criticism from people who enjoy dishing it out is like a battering ram against even the most secure, strong-willed people in the world.

I am not at that place any more!

The question is how I handle it and do I let it control me.

The truth is that God loves me so deeply that he will not love me less when I do something wrong.

I want to be an encourager, not a critic.

When I know I am loved by God, feel secure in his acceptance, and experience the peace that comes of that relationship, I begin to understand how to relate to other people. I need to build the key relationships of my life on acceptance rather than skepticism. That is, I need to assign worth to persons as persons and refuse to make others feel they must earn my love by measuring up. Lord do not let the vicious spirit of harsh judgment invade my world today.



Let me be an encourager, not a critic, today, on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Ministry on the ICE.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you (me) the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you (I) may know him better.

Ephesians 1:17


This week I am finishing up a week of hockey camp for Kids. Hockey Ministries International started in 1977 with the goal of reaching kids and professionals through Christ. I am with about 50 volunteers who give up a week of vacation to share the sport we love and the God who loves us. It is an opportunity for us to combine 2 of the things we like to do the most. I did not go last year because I thought God was leading me in a new direction but, AGAIN, I was wrong. How did I know! Sometimes I seem to be lead in one direction and, BAM, God takes me in HIS direction. One of the best things we do at camp is pray for each other, and for ourselves, so we might better know God and be an example for the kids we are entrusted with for one week.


The Holy Spirit helps us better know God (1 Cor. 2),


worship God (John 4), and speak to God (Rom. 8).

God use your Spirit to help me know you, not just know about you. God is not only the Almighty Creator of all things; he is also our Father who cares about me deeply. Thank you this week for your presence, my friends and the kids who make it all possible. Especially the goaltenders!


Holy Father, God of all mystery and glory, please open my mind and heart to know you better through the presence of your Holy Spirit within me. Please bless my physical and spiritual family
with insight about you, your love, and your glory. I want to know you more fully and reflect your character and grace more completely. Thank you for being with me this ,and AGAIN, on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Our Life Together

The REST of the Story...

There was a great quality of togetherness.

Because we are "in Christ," we are reconciled together forever to God.

That is where it begins with each of us. Essentially, it begins as we make the same responses they made when God harvested their souls during the greatest harvest festival of all on Pentecost.

An old writing called "The Seven Togethers" summarizes the completeness of our union with Christ.

This is where it all begins when we are willing to personally experience the Seven togethers:

When we are willing to

(1) become crucified together with Christ (Gal. 2:20);

(2) become dead together with Christ (Col. 2:20);

(3) be buried together with Christ (Rom. 6:4);

(4) be made alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5);

(5) be raised together with Christ (Col. 3:1);

(6) become sufferers together with Christ (Rom. 8:17);

(7) become glorified together with Christ (Rom. 8:17).

Let me use the example of the early church as I look to what God has in store for me today on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Our Life Together-

Continued...

The First Christians were Eager!


(Imagine the pioneer spirit of the first settlers in this country and the excitement of finding out more about the newness of the United States


It is here in Acts 2 that we catch a glimpse of the pioneering spirits of our spiritual forefathers.


They were not caught up into the charisma or personalities of the people proclaiming the message. The focus is on God and his message of salvation. Fear came upon them as they beheld the many wonders and signs done by God through the apostles. They never lost sight of God.


They were focused on the message of the cross. The breaking of the bread tells us the focus of the apostles' teaching and their fellowship. Breaking bread is a phrase that refers to partaking of the communion that Christ instituted during the Passover. It was a fellowship focused on God through the message of the cross.

All The Believers Were Together

Beginning a new life focused on Christ brought them together in a devoted fellowship. Listen to Luke's simple description of worship. "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone, as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." (Acts 2:44-47)

Togetherness is important because it is encouraging.

Too often church attendance turns us into iceberg Christians where we just float around and bump into one another. The first fellowship meeting had little to do with church attendance and everything to do with togetherness. Although fellowship can't be had or be exciting without a bodily presence.

There was an intense feeling of responsibility for each other.

This is one of the major drawing powers of worship. They were, "Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." These offerings were coming from those who had "glad and sincere" hearts. No one could bear to have too much while others had too little. They are not just giving money; they are giving up their possessions and goods; they are giving themselves. These offerings were coming from those who had "glad and sincere" hearts. It reveals the heart and core of worship as they responded to God by responding to each other.

A Worship Filled With Awe and Wonder

At The heart of their worship was the celebration of God. It wasn't the design of the service . . . contemporary or traditional . . . it was God. They understood God's love made their worship possible. His love and devotion made possible a new life. Their worship was a result of being drawn to God through the effect of the cross. They were confident that Christ lived and died so they could be free from sin. This was the drawing power of the occasion.

Luke describes the worship service in the simplest terms

"Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common." (Acts 2:42-45)
The first fellowship of believers was made up of those who had a sure knowledge of their salvation through Christ's death and resurrection and were now enjoying his living presence. They were sure of who they were because they were sure of Christ. They were thoroughly convinced, soundly converted.
It was an emotional worship filled with fear and awe. A worshipful response was forthcoming as they saw the miracles, wonders and signs that God was doing through the apostles. They have no doubt but what the apostles have God's approval. They were worshiping God because of their experience of God. They had experienced the reality of their salvation. They saw the one behind it all. They never lost sight of God.


"Praising God" was the natural expression of their hearts for the supreme blessing they had found in Christ. What would happen to this church today if we sought to duplicate the spirit of that first assembly? It would probably be scary to most of us today.

They were An Attractive Fellowship

A sincere fellowship is always attractive.

Attractiveness is the natural quality that flows from a genuine fellowship. People want to know the source of it all. This helps church growth more than anything does. There were no outsiders or insiders. It was there that others saw the attractiveness of the fellowship of the first believers. It was that attitude that brought others into a relationship with God. Deepening my relationship with God, today on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Our Life Together- Stories of Togetherness

Our Life Together

Acts 2:41-47




The experience of a POW and the prisoner is not unlike the relationship Satan would like to have with us

“The captor’s goals are important in determining how POWs are treated. Disrupting the POWs’ organizations and their command through the isolation decreases the POWs’ sense of unity and ability to buffer stress and develop coping strategies. Inducing dependency, debility, and dread (DDD)
These may render the prisoner more susceptible to the captor’s influence and demands”

These observations help me understand why Christians need the group experience of fellowship with other believers to help them sustain the new life in Christ.
To have a new beginning in Christ, I must understand the primary force behind Christian fellowship and the necessary ingredients for beginning life anew.

The first chapter of Acts showed the disciples dependent upon God's plan. The second starts to talk about the fellowship of believers


Acts 2:41-47

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and the apostles did many wonders and miraculous signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone, as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Here in the later part of the second chapter we catch a glimpse of the first fellowship of believers.
This is the first worship service of believers. However, it is not described by the order of worship, nor is it described as a ritual.

Luke describes it by describing the impact God had made in their hearts.
He describes it by describing the actions of the believers as they came together for the first time. It is here that we find another very important ingredient to begin life anew . . . the devoted heartfelt fellowship and worship of believers.


This should served as a model for all believers today.


They were devoted To Apostles' Teaching


This new fellowship was focused on the apostles' teaching.

What was happening was thoroughly rooted in the scriptures. It was biblical. The Lord guided them through the teaching and preaching of his word, just as he endeavors to do today.
It was the God- centered message upon which fellowship would be sustained and maintained.
They were moved and motivated by the Spirit-guided message of the apostles. The original language carries with it the idea of being persistent listeners. They weren't passive listeners; they were active listeners. There is a thirst to hear and learn more about their new found life of spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ. What they were being taught was impacting their hearts and lives. Teach me to impact lives who are hurting and need fellowship and love on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

The Left of the Boat

John 21

The Big Fish


Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish


“A Guy thing”
1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.[a] It happened this way: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
6He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[b] 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."
11Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.


Do we try to do things the easy way and not God’s way. Guide me to your way and your wisdom.


Lord sometimes I feel I am the last, the least or always on the left, Let me know that You have a great plan for me. Help me work the left side of the boat. All I need to do is keep my eyes on YOU as the Adventure in Middle Grove continues.

The Left Side of the Boat

The Second Story

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
17 Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah [d] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. [e] See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance [f] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines."
20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.
25 Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."
26 David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."
28 When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."
29 "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.
32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."

Do we Judge people before we really know what they can really do, even our relatives or people we know well.


Lord help me to not Judge people by first appearances or incomplete knowledge but help me rest in your decisions on the Adventure in Middle Grove

The Left Side of the Boat

Three vignettes about how God works not how we want him to work

Vignette 1

Judges 6

Gideon

1Yet again the People of Israel went back to doing evil in GOD's sight. GOD put them under the domination of Midian for seven years. 2Midian overpowered Israel. Because of Midian, the People of Israel made for themselves hideouts in the mountains--caves and forts. 3When Israel planted its crops, Midian and Amalek, the easterners, would invade them, 4camp in their fields, and destroy their crops all the way down to Gaza. They left nothing for them to live on, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5Bringing their cattle and tents, they came in and took over, like an invasion of locusts. And their camels--past counting! They marched in and devastated the country. 6The People of Israel, reduced to grinding poverty by Midian, cried out to GOD for help.
7One time when the People of Israel had cried out to GOD because of Midian, 8GOD sent them a prophet with this message: "GOD, the God of Israel, says,

I delivered you from Egypt,
I freed you from a life of slavery;
9I rescued you from Egypt's brutality
and then from every oppressor;
I pushed them out of your way
and gave you their land.

10"And I said to you, "I am GOD, your God. Don't for a minute be afraid of the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living.' But you didn't listen to me."
11One day the angel of GOD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, whose son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine press, out of sight of the Midianites. 12The angel of GOD appeared to him and said,
"GOD is with you,

O mighty warrior!"

13Gideon replied, "With me, my master? If GOD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, "Didn't GOD deliver us from Egypt?' The fact is, GOD has nothing to do with us--he has turned us over to Midian."
14But GOD faced him directly: "Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven't I just sent you?"
15Gideon said to him, "Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."
16GOD said to him, "I'll be with you. Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."

Gideon was the “LAST GUY”

The weakest guy in the weakest clan.

The RUNT of the litter.

God, use me?

He was the unlikeable human choice for leadership but God had greater plans for him!


Do we look in the wrong places for the wrong people to do God’s work. We really need to look to God. Look for greatness in weakness.

Lord be with me to help me look in the right places as the Adventure in Middle Grove continues.

In the Distance

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

Hebrews 11:13



For the past month, God was really putting something on my heart and it just won't go away. It is the aspect of faith and how I in the past wanted to to be faithful but the keyword is  I ! I wanted to put my faith in me. God has showed me how wrong this was. My faith was in him but I could get rid of the me part. He has shown me the me doesn't matter and it is all him . Our faith is in those things we cannot see and how God is "working behind the scenes " so we cannot take any credit for what is going on or put ME in the middle. It is God all the way and none of it is me.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see

I'm not good at waiting for much of anything. I am getting much better. I might have this problem solved by eternity! I'm like the kids who have seen the catalogs for Christmas toys and are anxious for the big gift day. God does have a great Gift Day ahead for me. On that  day, all my waiting will be over and my faith will become clear. Let me  live the example of these great heroes of faith, and welcome that day right now, right here, by anticipation, praising God for his victory through Jesus Christ in our lives.


Victorious King, Ruler of the Ages, I praise you for the resurrection that lies ahead for me. I thank you in advance for the day I get to see you face to face and join the great celebration of heaven.  I thank you for the end of me and the beginning of you. I thank you for this great example of faithfulness. I thank you for your love and for your son Jesus Christ who without him  all this would not be possible. I thank you for your mercy and grace and how you show it to me every day.

Until that day, please use me to help others glimpse the character and joy of your great victory on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Global Positioning System of Life

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his
household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is
right and just ... (Genesis 18:19 TNIV).

The Longitude problem

"Whereas, in order to the finding out of the longitude of places for perfecting navigation and astronomy, we have resolved to build a small observatory within Our Park at Greenwich...

- King Charles II

Until John Harrison came along, navigation of ships was a guesstimate at best. Egyptian sailors never ventured far from the land. Geographic landmarks guided them. Phoenician sailors shifted their eyes from the land to the skies and plotted their course by the North Star. In 1100 CE the Chinese created the first magnetized needle compass.

But it was John Harrison who solved one of the biggest maritime problems in history. In 1714 the British government established the Board of Longitude and offered a reward of 20,000 pounds -- about $6 million today -- to anyone who could create a device that would provide longitude within a half-degree, or two minutes of time.

Some of the greatest minds in Europe accepted the challenge. But it took Harrison, a self-educated clockmaker, to create the marine chronometer. The marine chronometer became a standard stowaway on ships and men on the Seven Seas were able to find their way home without
having to stop and ask for directions.

The modern version of this is the GPS system. the Global Positioning System is a series of 24 satellites in a pattern around the world. Originally designed to military use, it was opened up to public use for many applications from farming to transportation to personal use.

I have one for hiking. This is so I know where I am when I am really lost!

Well, just like walking in the woods, I might have thought I was heading in a particular direction only to find out it was not the right direction. Sometimes while walking in the woods, it feels like you are walking in the right direction only to find out you went in the wrong way. When you are walking in the woods, you cannot use the sun since you cannot see the sun.

A GPS will work in the woods to guide and lead out the confusion of the forest.

Lord, lead me in the right direction using the GPS of life as I continue on the Adventure of Middle Grove.

The Prize

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus

(Philippians 2:13-14 TNIV)






This is a great picture of a finish at a race. This is the picture God wants me to see as I continue the race in life, Notice how each of the runners are stretching towards the finishing line. It is hard to get a great idea of how much time separates the runners but they are all very close.

But Notice...

Al the runners are stretching towards the goal no matter what position they are in. Each person knows the stretch could make a difference.

This is a picture of what God wants me to do. I am not to stretch just because I know I am winning but to stretch and lean towards the goal he has set before me as I continue the race in life.

Also, notice the runners are not looking backwards. Of course they know where they came from but this is not critical now. Looking back when you are in a race has one constant. It slows the runner down and takes their eyes off the prize. It does no good as the prize is towards the finish.

Runners almost always survey the course before they run a race to get the feel of the track and to look at the lanes and any trouble spots that may hinder their efforts. They are acknowledging there are spots ahead that may be a problem in the race but they are looking out for them before the race.

Looking back while in the race does not help progress. It only slows down progress and insures a losing effort.

Lord,

Help me look forward to the prize you have in store for me as this race of life continues. Help me look forward to the spots that may be trouble or hinder my progress. Be by my side, as we run the race on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Boldly

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. "

Hebrews 4:16, NLT

“

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.

”

This was the opening of the original Star Trek for each of the episodes on TV. They announced they were going to Boldly go where no man has gone.

"Probably would be were no person has gone", if it started today!

Notice they were only going to take 5 years for their exploration.

God asks me to go boldly before the throne of my gracious God. There is no time frame or frequency for this to happen. Just go boldly before the throne of God.

I will not go on this journey to find unknown planets or alien beings.

I go before the throne since this is the place where I will find God's mercy and his grace. I am not going away, I am going home.

Lord, be with me today, as I go boldly were no one has gone before because each time I go before the throne of grace it is uncharted territory of my life. Thank you for your grace and mercy as the Adventure in Middle Grove continues.

Possibilities

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Luke 18:27, New International Version



I just had a great weekend with friends from NYC. People who love God and want to be in a position so their faith is lived out daily. We had a time of singing, a time of prayer and a time of fellowship.

One of the things I got out of the weekend is, I, too many times think the possibilities of what really matters or what really is going to happen depends on me.

The possibilities do not exist with me but are totally dependent of God's work in my life and with those around me.

It's not about me.

It is about God's work in me, as this week begins, as the Adventure in Middle Grove continues.

The Pearl of Great Price

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

Matthew 13:45-46

Yesterday was an important day in our country and in our lives as citizens of the United States. It got me to thinking about the real freedom I have in Christ and the price that was paid for my freedom.

In the picture we see the merchant on the sea-shore, where he has waited for the landing of these sailors from another country. He asks them if they have any goodly pearls for sale, and one man opens his box and takes out this "pearl of great price." It is just the kind of pearl the merchant had been seeking, so he quickly produces his two bags of gold and offers them to the man for his pearl. But the man smiles. "What! part with so large and so beautiful a pearl for two bags of gold?" He could not think of it. The pearl is again placed in its box, and the merchant has to go away disappointed. But the longing to have that pearl is too great. A thought occurs to him. He will go home and sell all that is his, and the money he shall thus obtain, added to his two bags of gold, will surely buy the precious jewel.

And so it is with me when I sought that pearl of pearls, the forgiveness of God. I will give up a great deal in order to obtain it, but I found that God required me to give up everything that is sinful or worldly.

Wow! That certainly is a tough one!

The Christian walk is not idealistic. Too often people are given the impression that once they accept Christ into their hearts, that life will become simple, free, and full of blessings. While Christ does indeed afford blessings upon His people and freedom from sin, the reality is that walking with Christ requires me to daily pick up my cross and follow after Him. I must be willing to make the extreme love-sacrifice that He made for me -- to be crucified unto myself -- so that I may truly understand what it means to rely on God alone and to find contentment in Him. In so doing I will be like the merchant who went out in search of the pearl of great price; and after discovering it, gave up everything in order to possess this incomparably valuable pearl.

And if my heart is really set upon obtaining it, I will do as this merchant did, and part with everything that would hinder me from coming to God, or walking in the way that leads to heaven while on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Work in Progress

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.


Psalm 127:1










Construction has been in my blood since I was young. I used to build forts out of scrap lumber and tree houses on abandoned land. I will never forget the feeling the first time I climbed in to the tree house and I was not on the ground!




I also did my first renovation job when I was 13 years old. I completely rebuilt a garage in the back of my house including the foundation and the roof. This was the beginning of my destiny with construction. Julie and I built houses renovated houses and fixed up houses. It was a passion we both shared. But building the house was only a part of the project. There was a part that could have used more thought and planning.




"It's all up to you!" That's the prevailing mindset for high achievers in our world. But it is wrong. My efforts to build and be a part of something greater are ultimately in vain if the Lord doesn't bless them. They flourished for a time under intense efforts, but the plans and the construction of great things need to be from the Lord.




If not, they will not stand the test of time.





It's tough to build the foundation after the roof is finished. The house needs to be rebuilt as the house is renovated from the top..down.




God needs to be in charge of construction from the beginning of building the foundation.




Time to re-look at those plans to make sure it is done the right way this time.




God's way!





Lord, forgive me for trying to make everything happen by my own efforts and relentless work. You can do far more to advance my work for your kingdom than all my worry and fretfulness could ever do. Please take the lead in every aspect of my life; defeat me in efforts not in harmony with your will and empower my efforts which will bring you glory on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Mustard Seed

Then Jesus told the people another story: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. A person plants that seed in his field. That seed is one of the smallest of all seeds. But when the seed grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes a tree, big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches."

Matthew 13:31-32 (ERV)




This is an experience you might not be able to relate to so I will give you a personal glimpse of what this means from my life's experience. At one point in my life, I had the bright idea of making my own horseradish mustard. It was going to be all natural and organic. So I bought horseradish starters and mustard seed. This was going to be "Take your breath away mustard"

People with heart conditions would be in distress if they ate it.

Killer mustard was my goal.

Well...

The mustard killed me, not really, but my garden.

You see the illustration of mustard see is very applicable in scripture. Once mustard seed is planted, it takes over the garden and chokes out everything else. The worst time is the next year after a million plants with a million seeds , re-sprout.

I finally had to let the garden grow over and mow it down.

Mustard seed 1, Rick 0

It just does not stop and keeps growing. It will grow in the cracks of the sidewalk.


From the selection of King David, God's people had been warned not to judge on mere appearances. We shouldn't be surprised if Jesus' Kingdom would start small and insignificant based on outward appearances. Yet living nearly 2000 years later, we can see how these small,
beginnings have been transformed into a powerful, world changing movement. When Jesus said, "The first will be last and the last will be first," he was right. What began in a stable now influences the world. What ended in death now offers life to all. We are part of a mustard seed people because our God is the only true and mighty Lord.


Master and Creator of the universe, thank you that your work does not depend upon my power. I offer myself and my meager resources to do your work in the world. But Father, I realize that the power to do this work, the resources to accomplish the tasks, and the time necessary to complete your ministry must all come from you. Today God, I confess to you my weaknesses and my sins, knowing that all that your power needs to work in my world is a willing heart and an available vessel. Please use me today on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Passion

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33


Yesterday I was discussing that God did not need my talent, MY WAY! He does desire to develop a closer relationship with me. How do I do this?

Rely on HIM and

Seek!

This is the focus word in this verse. This is not a "sit on your butt word and click the remote." It is a passionate pursuit of something to make it my own. The Kingdom, and the righteousness of those in this Kingdom, are not my wish, my hope, my dream.

They are to be my passion.

I will pursue God's Kingdom at all costs. I will pursue it with passion. This should be my consuming effort until it is my own!


Forgive me, Lord, for letting my passion for your Kingdom and your character get pushed to the side. Shake me each morning with a new scent of passion for your work and your will for that day. Father, I want to be a passionate seeker; please make me restless for your Kingdom as my home, today on the Adventure in Middle Grove.

Got Talent?

Matthew 6:19-24 (The Message)

A Life of God-Worship

^19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being


OK, I have a confession to make. I do not watch a great deal of TV. I watch the news and Law and Order but other than that, not much.

Except,

I do watch "America's Got Talent" Aside from being grammatically skewed, it is an interesting show. You know it is carefully scripted so the viewers see only what the producer wants them to see so they came back and watch advertisements.

Even with the carefully scripted snippets, I enjoy watching the good and the bad. I especially like watch the people who say this is their dream and they have waited their whole life for this opportunity.

Then...

The crowd is hushed...

Cue the music...

They stink out the place.

They have no talent !

This was me in my Christian walk until God "re-focused" my intents and "talent"

I thought I had talent. I was doing all the right things making all the right moves saying all the right things.

Then God brought me up on the stage of life.

Then...

The crowd is hushed...

Cue the music...

I stunk out he place!

X

X

X

All those things that appeared to be developing my "talent" didn't make any difference to God.

They had good intentions with the wrong intent.

Well...

We can talk about that some time.

God has me on a different stage now. He is preparing me for the "Talent Show Extraordinaire"

EXCEPT...

No Talent is needed

God is preparing me for his big show. One where the only thing that matters is He is honored by my life.

It's obvious, isn't it? The place where my treasure is, is the place I will most want to be, and end up being, today on the Adventure in Middle Grove.