Deliver Me

I was on a road trip the other day to go surfing off the coast of Vancouver Island in Canada and this song came on. It penetrated my soul so I thought I should share it with you all. It struck me as a prayer that could be for me or for you or even for our entire world. I think most people would interpret the song as a love song from a woman to man, as it was sung by Sarah Brightman. But the more I listened to it the more I realized that to me it was a prayer to GOD asking him to please deliver me. Life can be cruel and we can be overwhelmed at any time. It is so easy to look at people and think that everything is going so well and assume that all is good for them.

Read these words, download the song if you want to feel them, and then close your eyes and ask God to deliver you. Surrender to his love and grace. It is a safe and gentle place where there is no more pain, no more sadness, no more shame and no more reasons to hide.

Deliver me, out of my sadness.

Deliver me, from all of the madness.

Deliver me, courage to guide me.

Deliver me, strength from inside me.

All of my life I've been in hiding.

Wishing there was someone just like you.

Now that you're here, now that I've found you,

I know that you're the one to pull me through.

Deliver me, loving and caring.

Deliver me, giving and sharing.

Deliver me, the cross that I'm bearing.

All of my life I was in hiding.

Wishing there was someone just like you.

Now that you're here, now that I've found you,

I know that you're the one to pull me through.

Deliver me, Oh deliver me.

All of my life I was in hiding.

Wishing there was someone just like you.

Now that you're here, now that I've found you,

I know that you're the one to pull me through.

Deliver me, Oh deliver me.

Won't you deliver me.

I hope that you will listen to the song and let it move you as it did me! Ask and ye shall receive!!! It is finished! Jesus is real and he is here to take away all our pains. Accept him and what he has done then invite him into your life.

“Please God come into my life and be my personal Lord master and savior”. AMEN

You Are a Healer

I was on the phone tonight with a close friend of mine talking about helping people through painful events in our lives. One of our conversations was wrapped around why so few people show up to help when someone is clearly hurting. About two years ago a friend of mine asked for some personal time to address a character issue that he was dealing with. I was very sad for him because clearly he had deep remorse, shame and a sense of doom over his future. We talked for hours and discussed Gods sovereign grace and some things he could do to start building new habits that would take him on a new path for his life. It seemed as though the time was a good investment and I felt like he was definitely going to be off to a fresh start. Tonight we had another long conversation and it didn’t go as well. He had felt that I had somewhat abandoned him and not followed through on what I had promised him during his recovery stage. I felt really bad and realized that I had made an error in judgment of what he really needed from me. It was painful to hear but also helped me to realize how important our time and words are. What I learned tonight through both of these conversations is that we all really need to reach out a lot more than we think we do when it comes to people that are hurting. I had stated that it is really ridiculous and insensitive that so few people go out of their way to reach out and help the hurting souls of the world. I seem to often take this personally as I go through things as well. Have you ever heard the quote “you may think you are just one person in this world, but to one person you may in fact be THE world”. Well I think this is really the key to what my friend was telling me. We often think that we are really nothing important. We don’t realize how helpful our little comments really help the hurting! We think that “well, who am I” “I am just one little person in this big persons life. Surely my thoughts don’t matter and there is nothing I can do to help this person. I hope we can all deeply embrace the knowledge and discipline to remind ourselves of this fallacy. Every one needs to be loved and nurtured. You may be the only one that reaches out, or you may be the perfect friend they need at that time. You may finally find the reason for your testimony. To really be able to reach out and touch a sole as a result of the pains in your life is truly one of the most therapeutic things you will ever do. You really do count. Please take the extra time on a frequent basis to reach out to the hurting and fragile. Make the time and take them to lunch or find a way to bless them with love and kindness. As I was in the turmoil of my recent life change my good friend Phil Kirschenmann came up and took Braden and I to a Mariners game. That was actually the first time out in the public in 30 days. Amazing but true!! It took the prodding of a good friend to bust me out of the safe confines of my home. So I would like to leave you with a little advice and challenge. I want you to think for a bit about all the people in your life that are probably hurting for any reason and either give them a personal loving phone call or take the time to go be with them in a way that will help them heal. If you are the person that is hurting or feeling a bit forgotten then I would encourage you to not take it personally. My friend is right, and if not this is still a healthier way to think, your friends are either giving you space, making an innocent mistake or don’t realize how important they are and how healing your reaching out to them could really be. My challenge to you all is to make a list of your hurting brothers and sisters, post it in a private but visual space and take the time to either call them or be with them at least once a week until the issues have clearly passed. Thank you my friends you will save a life out there and it might just be your own. You are loved, you are forgiven and you are worthy!! “To one person you may think you are just one person in this world but to another person you may be the world”. please make that call!!

Persistence Pays Off!

For the past 6 years I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach baseball in the NorthWest. Many of our players are now getting the opportunity to play college ball and a few are getting professional offers. It has been really amazing to watch these boys grow up into fine young men. I have always believed that it is more important to learn life skills than it is athletic skills. However, sporting environments can be one of the best ways to keep kids attention while quietly teaching them about life.

One of the primary focus points of my coaching is that hard work beats talent when talent won't work hard. That talent is never enough! We have invested years into these boys teaching them that there work ethic will take them much farther than their natural abilities. Persistent and consistent work will always take over and carry you to your ultimate destiny.

One of the boys I have worked so hard with is my sons best friend Chris Clarke. He was criticized most of his teenage years for not being very motivated or willing to work hard enough to get the job done. He got a pretty bad rap and was treated unkindly by so many people. I watched and coached him for years and could never really understand why he was treated so unfairly. He never missed a practice, was never late and never left early. He may have lacked in hustle but I believe he was just a little afraid to fail as a result of the constant criticism. But this kid never gave up. He had a dream of playing quarter back for the Mt Si Wildcats football team. He went to every practice, every meeting, weight lifting classes, summer clinics and anything else that was ever available. He quietly worked harder and longer than anyone else. I don't think anyone but his family and few of us ever gave him a chance at being the starting quarterback for one of the best High schools in the state. A school with nearly 2000 students and talent from Senior to Freshman year after year.

Well, with great pride in my chest I am happy to announce to you the starting quarter back of Mt. Si High school is Chris Clarke!! I have tears in my eyes writing this message to you all because I remember all those years of criticism and frustration. I remember him battling injury after injury and standing on those sidelines for three years only taking a handful of late game snaps. Last night he carried his team to a 42 to 6 victory with nearly 400 yards of offense of which 52 of them came on the very first play of the game where Chris launched a bomb to strike first on the way to their playoff clinching performance. He is so humble and I am truly so proud of him.

I also had the opportunity to stand next to his Dad during the game where I was able to see that wonderful God inspired spark of love and pride well up in his eyes. Warren has always believed in him and has done everything a father could do to help Chris become the young man that he is! I cant even tell you how many times I have heard the echo of "CHRIS" as Warren would walk through my house yelling his name in order to pick him up and take him to another practice or training session of some kind. Warren is truly a great Dad that lovingly guided Chris to be the young man that he is today. After every play my ears would ring from the shreeks and shrills of Jennifer who has to constantly fight back tears when she watches him play or talks about his climb. I think there is a special place in Heaven reserved for the Moms of high school and college quarterbacks. They hold their breath every play and live and die with every success and failure. Thats her baby and she just cant help it! Even though chris is 6'3" and nearly 200 pounds he is still her baby and you will never convince her differently.

So here I sit telling you this story of a young man who never gave up. hope to encourage you to fight for your dreams. There is nothing you cant do if always do your best, be faithful to the process and never give up on your dream.

I am so proud of you Chris and honored to be able to watch you overcome, grow and now live the fruits of your persistence. We can all learn something from this young mans journey. Where are you now? On the bench, are you injured, are you overlooked, are you being criticized? Or are you in the weight room, training, studying, praying and working as hard as you can with the faith that dreams do come true to those who are willing to do whatever it takes?

I love you and I am willing to stand with you!!

Revenge Is a Trap!

I can only guess that you have all noticed the radical increase in tension in our society these days. Clearly the economic challenges we are facing today are adding up and we are reacting in ways that are not our true character. Fear is a powerful force in our world and causes many people to say and do things that they would not normally do. The unfortunate result of this is a huge increase in the amount of unfair and unkind conversations and actions taken toward our fellow brothers and sisters. This can be a trap because we can all be in bondage to human justice. All of us are susceptible to seeking revenge or justice when wrongs are done.

For those of us that share the Christian faith we are told in the book of Romans to not avenge ourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, ”vengance is mine, I will repay”. Now I am not clear on what that means God will do, but I am clear that we are not to seek revenge. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Rom 12:17 I think it is safe to say that Jesus removed any gray area about grudges. In fact he teaches that we are to be so far removed from avenging ourselves that we willingly risk being taken advantage of again. WOW. When we refuse to forgive we are carrying out a form of revenge. We are not to judge!

Now this is really easy to say but much more difficult to carry out! I have experienced that the justice/revenge double standard is the one that gets most of us. One of us could have failure in our lives or could be perceived to have failure in their lives and immature Christians choose to pass judgment or gossip and add to the pain. Then in return the one who is hurting and is being judged turns around and judges those that are passing judgment on them, consequently committing the exact same sin. We can all say it is wrong to judge but for some reason we allow ourselves to judge the judger. Obviously this is a trap and one we all want to avoid. James 4:12,5-9 “there is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door” WOW!! When we set ourselves up to correct the wrong done to us we set ourselves up as a judge! Be careful, judge not less ye be judged.

I will say it again “don’t put yourself into the bondage of human justice”. Our hearts are like soil and they will only produce what we plant into it. If we plant the seed of anger, resentment, unforgiveness or judgment the root of bitterness will spring up in the place of the love of God. If roots are watered and fertilized they will grow stronger and deeper to the point that they will quickly be very difficult to pull up. Then we run the huge risk of seeing the harvest of deep anger, jealousy, hatred, strife and discord!! St. Paul told the collosians “ even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” and to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as god in Christ forgave you”. I believe that if we do not pursue peace by releasing offenses we will eventually become consumed by anger and bitterness. Read the story of King Saul and David then his son Amnon and Absalom in the book of Samuel if you really want to see a very clear path to follow and avoid!!

Who is the judge- you or the Lord? Remember that if you sow strife you will reap it. Please, let’s all be willing to examine our hearts. Lets not be afraid to allow our own consciousness reveal any unforgiveness or bitterness. The longer we hide the stronger it will become and the harder our hearts will grow. We cant help to heal the soul of the universe if we are full of issues that sabotage love and grace.

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God forgave you” eph 4:31-32

I love you all and I forgive you all! Many great things are being thrown around these days and many hurtful things are being said by people. I love you! I forgive you! I hope you can do the same for me and all your fellow mankind!

Peace is found in grace!!