The Rudder

I'm watching some hornet's build a huge hornet's nest about 100 feet up in a tree. It's amazing to me how they know how high up they need to be, where the opening needs to be for the correct amount of air to come in and keep to nest cool, and to avoid the wind and rain from entering. As I think about this process; this nest being framed by mountains behind, jazz music playing in the background, soft morning breezes. This moment in time, confirms in me that God uses His Word, the church, prayer, people and events and even experiences like this to speak to me. I might add as I experience God personally, it includes music, family, friends, my quiet time when I spend quality time in the word and in prayer. Every way is unique in how God speaks to each of us individually. He's that big yet that personal. Obviously if you try to get to know someone, you have to spend quality time with them, and our God desires us to choose relationship over rules.

I'm not trying to get all "new age" on you but, God doesn't just use one thing to speak to us. Last week I included a video by NOOMA/Rob Bell, and several well meaning people voiced their opinions on how they don't believe that guy is a Christian and how could I even think about putting his stuff in my blog? Last time I checked, those hornet's weren't Christians, nor the Jazz musicians, I mean, I have no idea if they are or aren't...even so I was ministered through that as God confirms what an awesome God he is as proclaimed through nature and noise...and Yep, even people who may or may not be Christians.

Remember when the religious leaders in Jesus day brought a prostitute to him. Jesus basically told them that if they themselves were without any sin to go ahead and condemn her. In another passage, several preacher's were teaching about Jesus, although some had ulterior motives, the Bible says, "As long as the name of Jesus is taught, God can still use it." I think if we get caught up in following man vs following God, there will always be issues with how they teach or what they believe. My San Diego church has a beer drinking, poker playing Pastor that some would say should not be teaching the Word of God. He only teaches on Sunday what you can use on Monday. He's real and I respect him for that. Then, I've heard other church pastors preach the rules of right and wrong on Sunday, only to see him exiting the adult video store on Monday. I'll let God make that judgement call.

I like an occasional glass of red wine, actually, I only like good red wine. This can be a divisive topic amongst religious people today. I find it interesting that Jesus first miracle was turning water to wine. Yet, when he did, it was equivalent to 100 point collector, cellar quality. He could have made Two Buck Chuck, but what he made was good, and Jesus doesn't make junk, or mistakes, or sin. How I use what God created and if anything becomes unmoderated, an idol, or causes harm, is when it can cross over to the sin side.

Prominent 20th Century Christians Moody and Spurgeon, were always causing trouble in church circles; one was a cigar smoker and the other a drinker, yet God used them mightily, some the great Hymns were bar brawl tunes set to Christian music. Sometimes in the evening, I'll have friends over, we'll have a glass of wine or port, maybe smoke a good cigar, enjoy the stars in the sky, the music of crickets, frogs, ciccada etc, as we sit around the fire pit. Guess what, God shows up and is in the midst of us, and we some some good times of fellowship.

As a new Christian I witnessed a guy handing out little Christian tracts at a parade. People were just throwing them on the ground for the most part. I was upset that he was doing that, didn't he see all the trash he was creating? People have come for the parade, not to get a tract. I tapped him on the shoulder and let him have a piece of my mind....Only to realize he was deaf and couldn't speak. I flushed up! He was spreading the Word to the best of his ability. Never again would I judge how someone preahes. I know God used him to talk to me through that experience. I once heard Bono of U2, preach at one of his concerts while dropping F bombs. Powerful. In spite of that, a lot of people got saved that day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OJk8SJ_FNQ

The Rudder

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%201:3-6;&version=51;

Remember back in the day when you had to go to triple A, to get a map, so to know where you're at...

Oh, c'mon, that was my Rap intro.

How times change, most new cars come with built in GPS. Phones? Got an app for that. But what happens when you find yourself in uncharted waters? When you get lost, wouldn't you turn on the GPS to get back on track? Would you have even gotten lost to begin with if you had it on from the start of the day? GPS is here to save the day!

It was an awesome balmy evening with thunderclouds off in the distance; so I thought I'd go the back roads for a stretch rather than straight freeway. Top's down, the fire flies are blinking seemingly to the music on the radio..Hmmm, I don't recall seeing this town on the route? Darn, I'm lost! Both my car and phone are old. No GPS, and buying one is not in the budget.

When it comes to life's GPS; God's Plan of Salvation is readily available to all who seek, no matter what life station you are at. For many, much grief might have been avoided had the GPS been turned on years ago. It's not too late and doesn't cost a dime. In yet it's priceless.
God's Personal System is customized for you and me, in yet all the programming has been done ahead of time, just needs a daily download.

The Rudder

Yosemite is one of those "must see" places with the huge waterfalls, massive outcrops of granite, and sheer cliffs. Three summers ago, it was a "quiet voice" that told me to pull over, moments before the brakes went out. Had I not listened, we would have taken out several families in front of us as we plowed out of control and cascaded over the cliff to our certain deaths.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in I kings 19. Elijah, had just called down fire from heaven and wasted all the prophets of Baal. That really piqued off Queen Jezebel, the Wicked Witch of the West, who told him she was coming after him. He ends up in a cave having a pity party; life sucks...kill me God! God says "What the heck, what are you doing here?"

So basically, God sends hurricane force winds, an earthquake, a consuming fire...and then a whisper. Elijah had to get to a place where he could hear the "quiet voice" of God to know what to do next. In order for a lake to reflect the glory of the heavens, it has to be still and quiet. It the midst of the madness and mundane, I know I have to take time, the very best time each day to set my rudder as I listen for that quiet voice.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%2019&version=51

The Rudder

This morning I was considering the Lord’s prayer. In particular the part that says “give us this day our daily bread.” That doesn’t sit well with me when I recall all the business books and business plans that tell you essentially, to plan your work and work your plan. Get ahead, be the horse that wins by a nose because that horse makes 10x what horse #2 makes.

Don’t get me wrong; planning is a valuable tool, but not a substitute for God. He wants us to follow Him, not just a plan, or it too easy to forget the need for a daily intimate relationship with him. Life is an opportunity to experience Him at work, but isn’t it true so many times we leave no room for Him and His protection.

My five year plan had us being debt free last month. Instead, in debt up to my eyeballs! What happened there? The plan was sound, the track record was a successful, sustainable and reproducible. I think it comes down to provision vs protection. I was trying to get so far ahead and to get to a place that would protect us up as well as our extended family, and friends. Noble cause right? Any room left for intervention by my Abba Father. Not really. ”Here you go God, bless this, thanks”

“Give us this day, our daily bread.” Manna.

Manna was the bread-like angel’s food that God sent to the children of Israel on their 40 year vacation tour of the Middle East. He told them to only take enough for today, that He would take care of tomorrow’s needs. What did they do? Instead, they grabbed as much as they could get, and by morning it was a rotten, Limburger cheese, rank smelling, worm eaten mess.

Thank God that in spite of the mess, He still came through each day with enough provision for that day!

The Rudder

Here’s a story sent to me by a friend who reads the Rudder.
Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on ground.The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. ”Leave me alone,” he growled….
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling — her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
“No,” he answered sarcastically. “I’ve just come from dining with the president. Now go away.”
The woman’s smile became even broader.
Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
“What are you doing, lady?” the man asked angrily. “I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. “Is there any problem, ma’am?” he asked..
“No problem here, officer,” the woman answered. “I’m just trying to get this man to his feet… Will you help me?”
The officer scratched his head. ”That’s old Jack. He’s been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?”
“See that cafeteria over there?” she asked. “I’m going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile.”
“Are you crazy, lady?” the homeless man resisted. “I don’t want to go in there!” Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. ”Let me go, officer. I didn’t do anything.”
“This is a good deal for you, Jack,” the officer answered. “Don’t blow it.”
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived…
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. ”What’s going on here, officer?” he asked. ”What is all this, is this man in trouble?”
“This lady brought this man in here to be fed,” the policeman answered..
“Not in here!” the manager replied angrily. “Having a person like that here is bad for business.”
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. ”See, lady. I told you so. Now if you’ll let me go. I didn’t want to come here in the first place.”
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. “Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?”
“Of course I am,” the manager answered impatiently. “They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.”
“And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?”
“What business is that of yours?”
I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.”
“Oh.”
The woman smiled again. “I thought that might make a difference.” She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. “Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?”
“No thanks, ma’am,” the officer replied. “I’m on duty.”
“Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?”
“Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice.”
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, “I’ll get your coffee for you right away, officer.”
The officer watched him walk away. “You certainly put him in his place,” he said.
“That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this.”
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. ”Jack, do you remember me?”
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes.. ”I think so — I mean you do look familiar.”
“I’m a little older perhaps,” she said. “Maybe I’ve even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry.”
“Ma’am?” the officer said questioningly. He couldn’t believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. “I was just out of college,” the woman began. “I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn’t find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat.”
Jack lit up with a smile. ”Now I remember,” he said. ”I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.”
“I know,” the woman continued. “Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble… Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right.”
“So you started your own business?” Old Jack said.
“I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.” She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. “When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons…He’s the personnel director of my company. I’ll go talk to him now and I’m certain he’ll find something for you to do around the office.” She smiled. ”I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet.. If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you.”
There were tears in the old man’s eyes. “How can I ever thank you?” he said.
“Don’t thank me,” the woman answered. “To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus… He led me to you.”
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways…
“Thank you for all your help, officer,” she said.
“On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,” he answered. “Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And..And thank you for the coffee.”
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.
If you have missed some of my emails, you might have missed a laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you have missed everything in the world.
Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always and don’t forget that when you “cast your bread upon the waters,” you never know how it will be returned to you..
God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart…
When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He’ll catch you when you fall, or He’ll teach you how to fly!
The power of one sentence!
God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.
If you believe, send it.If you don’t believe, delete it.
God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..If you need God to open some doors for you…send this on.
Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing…
You reap what You sow.

The Rudder

It was around 8 pm on a Sunday night. I was still on the phone talking with clients, when my youngest son, just starting to get around by walking and bumbling, pushed open the door, fell and started screaming. "Get these kids out of here, I'm on the phone." I had hit the mute button on the phone , but hadn't hit the mute button on my mouth and attitude. It was time for a major paradigm shift.

Mark 8:36 says "What does it matter that you gain the whole world but lose your soul." My life up to that point all about the dollar; I had three months in a row of closing six ot seven real estate deals and three more set to close next month.

Up to that point, every decision I made was based on what we could do to increase my income. My "quality time" with the kids was bringing them to the office or open houses to close more deals.
Looking back, I can see what God was doing in our lives. The love of money had clouded everything. It took my son falling down and screaming to realize what REALLY mattered. Our children were there, waiting for us to spend time with them, whether we were "successful" or not. God was there, waiting for us to engage in a relationship with him. We came to realize that success is not defined by the amount of money we make, it's found in the real relationships we invest ourselves in.