In the very journey I find my destiny

     The Holidays bring many things. Delicious food, wonderful sentiments, and time with loved ones. I'm a hopeless romantic at this time of year.
But, for me the last couple years it's brought something else. Questions and comments from former and current family. So as to not be surprised already this year I've found myself pondering on a comment made this weekend. Someone said "you've really held things together Dave". I gave my usual "thanks, I just did what I needed to do" answer. But all day and night I thought...and thought ...and realized this one thing, I can take no credit for "keeping myself together". Truthfully, I am no different than many dad's I've met who are much, much more heroic than me.

    You see, I was just like many. A "Christian Judgmentalist". You know them ...maybe you're one and won't admit to it. I'd see a guy who had a failing marriage and I'd think "what's wrong with him?" or "he's such a bad leader he can't even keep his family together". I judged. I scoffed. I never considered perhaps he was in a great spiritual battle ...and losing. And having his very soul crushed. Nope, I judged him as a loser and a failure. A failure to his departing wife, a failure to his children.

   Then it happened, I was that man.
 Utterly devastated, deeply wounded, feelings of betrayal, and abandonment came to live in my head.
My world was spinning ...I was faced with the greatest fear of failure...for my kids...and my future.
I certainly didn't "feel" like I was very together. No, I felt destroyed.

   So back to the statement "you've really kept it together" ....
No I didn't... HE did. I knew that only pressing on holding God's hand would get me beyond the hurricane. I'm not trying to over spiritualize here, but reality is reality.
Like a paratrooper dropped into Mordor I had to walk ...and walk ...and forgive. Ignore the lies being said about me, walk and walk. Ignore the selfish decisions of another and walk and walk.
I knew if I didn't I would drown in the pain. I would never be able to fight my way back from the dead if I stopped walking. My children needed that stability ...and I cried to God to help me show them that.

    Now please understand. I am not perfect. I made mistakes and I have learned so much of who I am because of it. My God have I learned. My destiny is not wrapped up in the bad decisions of others. My destiny is laying in front of me. For in the very journey I find my destiny. It's in dreams not yet dreamed. It's in love not yet realized.

So I won't be a "Christian Judgmentalist" ever again. It's not my job. It hurts others.
It's my job to be the bearer of truth. For my kids and my loved ones.
To be the giver of grace to those that don't deserve it...because none of us do.
I've been called an oak and an example to other people to press forward. But please hear me,
His Grace is better than I knew it could be. His healing goes deeper than I thought it could. His Love doesn't lose...it wins ...ALWAYS.
    It's doesn't get easier, it gets simpler.

Class Notes Repost:

...here are my main points from the lecture:

Regarding using video in your sermons.

1. Brief and to the point is best.

2. Quality matters (both audio and video).

3. Don’t rely only on the video (things go wrong).

4. Just because you want a video to supplement doesn’t mean you should have one.

5. Video should never replace a sound sermon.

6. Be engaging not distracting.

Tell YOUR STORY!

Nothing relates the message of the Gospel better than personal stories. The Bible is full of such examples.

“A generation ago the question was, “What is truth?” Today, the question is, “What’s the point?” -Billy Graham

Relating to the community on a level that matters to them is paramount to reaching a generation that is increasingly disinterested in all things church related.