Merry Christmas!!

It has been a year of new things.

Tristan and Kelly moved to a new apartment.

Jessi started a new job at a daycare.

Tracy went on his first camping trip.

We remodeled two leaky showers.

And discovered termites.

I wrote two new books (that will be coming out soon).

Kevin, Tracy, and Jessi have taken up rock climbing

(in a rock climbing gym).

And most importantly, we got a new kitten.

Twix is sweet and adorable and wild and crazy and

tenacious and cute and makes us smile.

God always knows what we need.

Stand Firm 2

"Stand Firm. Be still."

Spoken by Moses at the edge of the Red Sea to a people fleeing an enemy. Their obedience resulted in one of the greatest miracles of all time as that sea split and they escaped that enemy on dry land.

Thousands of years later, Jesus was in a similar position. The Enemy of Enemies was determined to take out the King of Kings. He had him cornered in a garden, where Jesus was praying much the same way those Israelites of long ago must have prayed. "Is there any way out?"

We don't have God's answer, but we can extrapolate from Jesus' response. I believe the Father said, "Stand Firm. Be Still."

He could say that because, just like long ago, he was doing the fighting, and he would bring the victory."

Where the Egyptian army never caught up to the Israelites before they were swept away with the collapsing sea walls, this Enemy got his hooks into Jesus.

And he thought he'd won.

But not every victory looks the same. While the Israelites' victory split the sea and led them toward the promised land, Jesus victory split the veil that had separated mankind from the Father since the first promised land was called Eden.

But let's not rush past this. Standing firm was painful. It was bloody and awful, and Jesus didn't have to take it for a second. He stood still and let them whip him. He let them smash a crown of thorns on his head. He let them beat him and spit on him and pull out his beard. He let them drive nails with painful blow after painful blow through his hands and feet... How could he do it? How could he be still through all of that when he could have stopped it at any time?

Hebrews 12:2 says he did it "for the joy set before him."

And that joy is you.

Nehemiah 8:10 says "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Did you ever consider that the joy of a people redeemed was Jesus' strength in his greatest hour of need?

Jesus endured because he looked through that veil with the eyes of faith and saw you. He fixed his eyes on you in that dark garden, so that you would be able to fix your eyes on him in your long, dark night of the soul.

His eyes locked with yours. That's how standing firm begins.

Stand Firm

Are you feeling pursued? Is there an angry dog snapping at your heels? Is there something you can't outrun threatening to take you down?
Maybe it's depression and anxiety. Maybe it's a lousy job with a horrible boss you're stuck with at the moment. Maybe it's a loveless marriage. Or maybe it's a terminal illness.
There was once a people pursued by an army. They'd fled for days down a valley road between rough hills that would vie for the name "Badlands." And at the end of the road was a large body of water. If it weren't for that pesky army that wanted to kill them, it would have been a nice place to rest. The only place left to go was along the water's edge, and although they were exhausted, they would have taken to the beaches had their leader not told them something that was two steps beyond ridiculous: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm."
Huh? What? Did Moses just say what I thought he said? No, Moses there are only two responses that make sense in this situation: fight or flight. There is no "stand," firm or otherwise. Standing, when someone wants to kill you, leads to death. And since we have no weapons, well, we'll be seeing you. B' bye.
But Moses didn't stop with a command, he made some big promises: "Stand firm, and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you: you need only to be still."
Can you imagine the faith it took to actually "be still" in that moment? Yes, it took faith. And a whole lot of it. FAITH in the one who promises deliverance. FAITH in the one who promises the destruction of the enemy. FAITH in the one who says that he'll do the fighting.
So what will you need when the enemy is nipping at your butt?
Those plagues back in Egypt weren't just judgment on Egypt, they were also a show of power to a people who had completely forgotten that God is powerful. They showed His favor to a people who had forgotten that they were favored. They were proof of his word that never fails and his provision that is abundant and his protection when the storm is raging all around. It was "Who I AM 101." And you'll need the same thing--a steady diet of who He is.
And I love it that God was still showing them who He was when the angel of God and the cloud pillar moved from in front of them to behind them. He placed himself between them and the enemy.
And whether you can see it or not, he's done that for you.
"Still" is the new "fight." "Rest" is the new "battle." The new wine for the new wineskins is praise.
"I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and the rider he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
It's hard to worship when you're running. It's nearly impossible to praise Him when you're swinging a sword. Stand firm and sing.
He's got your back.