He was the greatest songwriter of his time. He had a gift for plucking the strings, adding deep lyrics, and impacting his audience in an extraordinary manner. His life began as outdoor worker, and through his time alone in the fields, he cultivated an intimate relationship with the Creator that was reflected in all of his songs. Many of his songs came from “unfortunate” experiences in his life. Because of his willing heart, God used him to do things that no others could do, and his fame spread over the entire region. We still sing his songs today.
As he rose in prominence and power, he began to set his own agenda in life, and disappointment followed. A long spiritual slide began, and his relationship with God suffered. He suddenly found himself in a place where he could indulge in adultery and commit murder, without any remorse. Heavy consequences resulted, and the people around him suffered. The final stages of his life were filled with sorrow, and most of it was self induced.
‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”
God describing David in Acts 13:22
(photo- Valley of Elah where David killed Goliath)
David was the greatest king of Israel. He was their most famous military leader. During his reign, the Kingdom of Israel occupied the land from the Sinai to the Euphrates River and included both sides of the Jordan River. God did mighty things through this lowly shepherd boy.
As a musician and worship leader, one of David’s greatest desires was to build a permanent home for the Tabernacle, and provide a place where all could come and worship Yahweh. In 2 Samuel 7, David asked God if he can build the Temple, and God said no. God had another plan for David’s life. He also had his reasons for not allowing this military commander, famous for the slaying of thousands of the enemies of Israel, to be the one to build a place of reconciliation for God and his people. At the end of the talk with God, David expressed thankfulness that God would establish his throne “forever”. He said nothing about his disappointment in not being able to build the Temple.
In the next three chapters, we see David acting out the part of great military leader and gracious king, yet something is not right in David’s soul. Chapter 11 opens with a revealing statement:
In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. 2 Sam 11:1
David decided to neglect his responsibility as the king, and let his general lead the war effort. What follows is his sudden interest in the wife of a noble soldier named Uriah. David impregnates Bathsheba, attempts to deceive Uriah, and finally has him killed in battle. He hides his actions from all, but then God appears, speaking through the prophet Nathan. Because he has brought reproach on God in a very public manner, David suffers the death of his son, and eventually the rebellion of another son Absalom, where David narrowly escapes Jerusalem with his life. Even though Absalom dies in battle and David is restored to the throne, his latter years were very different because of the choices he made with Uriah and Bathsheba. All this I believe came because of his disappointment in not being allowed to do something he felt he desired and was destined to do.
This historical account is in the Bible for a reason- that we may learn from others mistakes.
One saying from the famous book of cowboy wisdom, “Don’t Squat With Yer Spurs On!” is this:
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment”.
God gives us the opportunity to be content with our lives. It is a daily occurrence. We get to choose the things we do, and at the end of the day, we have a sense of peace and well being, or we sleep in frustration and disappointment.
When I volunteered to go on a “two week” trip to help the Miskito refugees in 1984, it was for two weeks. That was my plan. I was in the middle of a photography business in Maui, and life was good. I was part of a thriving church, and I had many quality people who were part of my life. My life was filled with most of the things I desired. Suddenly I found myself caught up in beginning and developing and then managing a school project in a far-away-corner of Central America. Yes I could see that God was doing truly amazing things, but in my heart, I was a reluctant participant. I wanted to get back to Maui and get my life “back on track”.
Two years into this adventure, on a flight back to Honduras the day after Christmas of 1986, the Lord tried to reassure me that I was not missing out on anything when he gave me this Scripture:
A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. Psalm 84:10-11
“No good thing?” But we were living in a muddy refugee village, eating rice and beans and then beans and rice, and with people who spoke a very different language than me. All my “professional goals” were impossible here. I had plans to go back to school or pursue my aviation career and become an airline pilot. None of that would be happening living in the Miskitia with people who didn’t even know that men had landed on the moon
Over the next years, I began to have a strong desire to attend the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, and get a master’s degree in Near East archeology. I got on their mailing list and regularly received their catalogue of classes. Each time I considered the possibilities of attending, my work with the Miskitos would simply not permit it. It was another “disappointment” for me that I was not fulfilling my destiny. And it happened again and again. Anybody out there listening?
I finally resigned myself that I was going to be where God wanted me to be, and do the things he wanted me to do. I think it was reading again and again Jesus’ words in Matthew 10 that finally did it:
If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Matthew 10:38-39
The secret of contentment is to do the things that God has planned for you to do. Have you noticed that often these things are very different than what we plan for ourselves? To “take up my cross” does not mean to simply wear a nice gold cross around my neck. In First Century Jerusalem, the only guys who were “taking up crosses” were those condemned prisoners where were on their way to their execution. They had no rights, no agendas. A modern version of Jesus’ command might be “Take up your lethal injection gurney & follow me”.
It’s funny what happens when we lay our plans down, and let God be God in our lives. He is God after all! That does demand a particular response on our part- one we are often reluctant to give.
Here’s how it worked out in my life. I threw away the catalogues from the Institute in Jerusalem. A few years later, miraculously I was in Jerusalem with my Miskito teammates and my pastor from Maui, traveling the country with one Doctor of Comparative Religion from Hebrew University with a specialty in Rabbinical Literature and Near East Archeology. His name is Randy Smith, and he has spent almost 20 of the last years working in Israel, leading study tours and training the Israeli Ministry of Tourism guides. How God worked out getting us to Israel is an incredible story. It was the start of a fulfillment of a desire in my heart that went much further than my simple plan to attend the Institute for a nine month course.
Since that first trip in 1997, Randy and I have spend hundreds of days working together and teaching Biblical culture in Israel, Greece, Turkey, Italy, and other places. In God’s humorous ways, we have even co-authored a book together called “Living In The Spiritual World”. I have had guides from other tour groups approach me on a site and tell us proudly that Randy was their professor and we have the very best teacher available. They are correct.
“The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right”
Don’t let disappointment or frustration from your own agenda keep you from the peace of walking in God’s plans and purposes for your life. Be vigilant in your attitudes. When you encounter disappointment, ask the Lord what His plans are – or were. Let God be God in our lives. David’s life gives us a good example of what happens when we do not guard our hearts, and commit our lives fully to God.
We are working together in a muddy, buggy, remote corner of Central America. It may not be our plan, but it is obvious that we are caught up in something much bigger than ourselves. Our efforts are impacting lives for the present, as well as for eternity. God always gives us the choice to stop, lay down the cross, and proceed on our own. Remember David if you get to this juncture. MB
Lamb Bleatings by Laura
The Trenches……..
Every once and awhile it becomes difficult to function and be what you want to be and act how you would like to act or even respond in the way you want to respond. I watch myself and others often go to the customary habitual “go to’s” and distraction that life is so full of just so we don’t have to deal with the present condition of our hearts.
Ultimately it is best to bring ourselves to the place of inspection and grace and seek the wisdom that God wants to impart to us in order for us to climb out of the trenches of our deep dark hearts.
Children are a gift from the Lord. They bring so much revelation and joy to our hearts by their ever present wanting to just be with us and play with us. They easily get into the moment and “make” fun happen. They are generally so carefree and innocent.
Moselle was working on the computer when my dad walked by and heard her laughing. He asked, “You’re pretty amused with yourself, aren’t you?” As she is looking at the video of her funny facial expressions, she agreed with her Grandpa, “Yeah…..I like myself, Grandpa.” She feigns no humility at all when she speaks. She just says what is on her mind. I encourage their pleasure with themselves. We should “enjoy” ourselves and others as our Creator enjoys us.
If I am not filled with that perspective in the process of my life with those around me, I begin a process of ”Trench work”. It is where the battle happens and victory is determined by our willingness to stand our ground and wrestle it out until the results are in. It is the victory that yields true treasure that causes our hearts to soar. Victory that leads to real forever freedom, enjoyment and security.
It takes a lot of enduring and simply waiting. It demands us standing our ground….seeking higher ground to stand on so that our perspective would be altered from darkness to light. It is imperative that we learn the art of wrestling…
...not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers , against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm. Eph 6:12-13
To fight for the higher ground…..obtaining the wisdom of God in our situations and understanding ourselves and our hearts and coming to the place of yes, “liking the creation of who we are and not just tolerating ourselves or others.”
God is love.
Love endures all things, hopes all things, believes all things…..
AND Love never fails. I LOVE THAT PART!
We are all so lost and need so badly to be found by the only One who can really “find” us. The One who knows us intimately and saw the past, to the present to the future and still loves us. He died to redeem it all for us and declared that “it is finished”.
Our only job is to work through with Him to see the end point for ourselves…to be willing to do the “work”, to be open to being knocked around a bit and engage ourselves on the battlefield. We risk being shoved, shot at, wounded, and ultimately “killed” in the battle, but the reality is in the death, we find true life. When we come to the end of ourselves and our way and thinking we find Life, the Way and the Truth.
It is always a painful process, but imperative in our sanctification.
Along the way, many stop the process because the pain is too great to bear and the battle too intense. Many live in that place of mere survival and mediocrity because of unwillingness to volunteer themselves for the field of engagement.
Life is full of opportunities to engage ourselves and we learn from our responses and reactions to life, situations, and people.
Are effectiveness is determined by our willingness to engage and conquer and so much of that battle happens in the trenches…. Laura
The Bagby Bunch Corner
We are busy this week preparing for our trip north to Virginia and North Carolina. We plan to spend the weekend of May 7 thru 10 in Leesburg, where we will spend time with our long time friends Kathy & Bob Rexroad, and hope to see many of our friends at Christian Fellowship Church. The following weekend, we will be in Cary N.C. visiting our ministry partners Alice & Mike Remedios, along with many of our friends at Hope Chapel Apex.
In June, we will be attending the wedding of our long time team mates Kirsten Melrose and David Nickish, both of whom have spent considerable time with us in Nicaragua. They will be married in Bozeman Montana, and we will be speaking at their church, Real Life Christian Center on June 6th. We hope to see many of our friends during the week that we are there.
Our vision for the “church disguised as a coffee store” on Utila in the Bay Islands of Honduras is taking shape! Our first two team members, Jeanne and Jill, have arrived in Vero Beach from their churches in Seattle area, to prepare for the summer launch of this “out of the box” project. For this coffee store, we are in need of equipment, and building supplies. We will also be needing a few builders to help us put it all together in these next few months. For the ministry, we will be needing some video projection and sound equipment, and You may follow our progress at seekthelamb.org/utila. Please let us know if you are interested in participating with us in helping with these materials, or desiring to be part of this team. Read the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8:26-40 for the inspiration of this mission. We feel like we can send people back to their homeland to begin works, just as that Ethiopian did. The work he started in the First Century is still in existence!
We thank all of you who have been praying for our financial needs. Your prayers are working! Please pray as we ask God to supply us with many more child sponsors. Pray for open doors as we travel this month and next!
And finally, on the 2nd, our eldest daughter Mikaela turned 19! A great joy for us all! Laura & Michael
Project Ezra Nicaragua
In April, we conducted two meeting with our teachers downriver. On both occasions, our leadership team spent hours helping our teachers prepare Bible lessons, and focusing in on personal spiritual issues. In the photo, Tom Keogh is teaching a practice lesson to some of our students in Sawa.
You will find the link to Tom’s personal description of this event on the home page of www.seekthelamb.org. It is labeled “Spiritual Physics” and is full of cultural insights to the challenge of our work to train and disciple our teachers and students.
You may help this month by using the enclosed envelope and making a difference in the lives of our students along the Rio Coco. If you would like to make a secure donation online, simply go to our home page (www.seekthelamb.org) and click on the “You Can Help” at the top of the page. Thanks for standing with us.
Random Notes
2011 Israel Trip
We are planning our next study tour to Israel in May of 2011 with our friend Dr. Randy Smith,. Many of our friends have joined us for a life changing experience with one of the best! Our focus will be understanding Biblical culture and how that helps our study of The Word.
Living in the Spiritual World
We have copies of our book which we co-authored with Dr. Randy Smith available here at our Seek The Lamb office. This resource will help with understanding the basics of our Christian faith and practical applications of Biblical principles. Use the enclosed form for your order.
Rio Coco Bean Coffee
Our new web site is in service and awaiting your order. We will accommodate your church or Bible study group so that you can serve our 100% Humanic Coffee Ò. Please join us at Rio Coco Beans Coffee
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