Mike Fisk & Built with Grace

Peace on Earth?

December 7, 2015 in Uncategorized | Tags: doubt, fear, God Can't Fix This, grace, Hope, is god dead, Peace on Earth, trust | 2 comments

“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:13-14

I heard the bells on Christmas day, Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet, their words repeat, Peace on earth, goodwill to men

I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along in unbroken song, Peace on earth, goodwill to men

The Christmas season always has a bit of a romantic, nostalgia to it. I love the atmosphere artists and musicians have portrayed of warm cozy fires, family celebrations and kisses under the mistletoe. Traditionally Christmas, followed by New Years, is a time of new beginnings and hope.

And in despair I bowed my head, There is no peace on earth, I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song, Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

Reality hits hard. We’ve lost a sense of innocence and security over the years. That truth has come harshly in the past couple weeks with the tragedy in Paris, San Bernadino and London. School shootings have become so common place that if we aren’t careful, we see them as the norm. Families are in trouble. The economy is in trouble. It seems like everyone either has cancer or knows someone being attacked by this disease. It’s no wonder it’s easy to get discouraged by what we see and hear daily on the news and in our circles.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, goodwill to men.

A recent headline in an Los Angeles paper screamed, GOD CAN’T FIX THIS! It’s easy to understand the author’s frustration. The fact of the matter is, God didn’t break it. We did. The Psalmist expresses similar feelings in several places in the Psalms. My favorite is Psalm 13:1-2 where he pleads with a seemingly absent God. “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” And we echo the question? How Long?

While we may never be able to understand why God allows tragedies in our lives, I’m reminded of what the Apostle Peter said just after many of Jesus’ followers left him. Jesus asks, “Will you leave too?” Peter’s response is classic. He says “Where else do we go?” In other words, what other choice do we have.

Throughout history man has found new ways to destroy the peace Jesus came to give us. But too often we fail to realize that inner peace is available to us now through faith in Christ. Can God ‘fix this?’ Yes, some day every knee shall bow. Every single knee of every religion, every ethnic group, every denomination, every political party. Every knee will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.

PRAYER: Lord, there are so many times when I get discouraged by what I see around me. Fear and doubt set in assisted by anger. Help me to move on knowing you are with me and will strengthen me no matter how bad the battle becomes. In Jesus name, Amen.

When Winning Well is Worth the Wait, and Hard Work

November 22, 2015 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The View From Another World

Winning State Winning isn’t everything…granted it is awesome, no one will ever deny the powerful emotions that come with victory. But it is just one moment in time, one that is a simple reflection of everything that came before it and sets a course for greater victories to come. What made Thursday night’s State Football Championship win so sweet, isn’t just that it has been a long time in coming, but that it is also a reflection of what winning well looks like. It is a reflection of the countless hours and dedication of professionals, volunteers and support from the community to build a worthy program, instill a sense of dedication, hard work, and commitment to the sense of team. The deep Chieftain pride we feel doesn’t happen overnight and certainly doesn’t happen in a vacuum. I think we all know that. I think it is what makes our team and community…

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The Original Shock and Awe

November 16, 2015 in Uncategorized | Tags: defeating the enemy, fear, grace, Habakkuk 1:5, national despair, trust | 2 comments

The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. Habakkuk 1:5

20151017_152407 A friend tells the story of his encounter with a bear one fall day. He’d gone to his hunting land and walked the quarter mile trail into the forest. He climbed his stand and sat quietly waiting and watching for a deer. He made mental notes of which shooting lanes should be trimmed.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rustling leaves. At first he thought it was a deer, but quickly decided the sound was too loud for a deer. It sounded more like human feet and this angered him. The land was clearly marked as private property and with NO TRESPASSING signs. It was approaching dusk, so he decided it was a good time to climb down, confront the intruder and head home.

He stood up and saw a dark form approaching his tree. This was the noise maker. This was the ‘intruder’. However, he immediately decided confrontation would not be wise since the trespasser was a black bear that he estimated to be 500 pounds! He hollered at the bear hoping to scare if off but the opposite happened. The bear got closer to the tree and once at the bottom decided to climb up and investigate this noise-maker!

Needless to say, my friend was terrified as the huge bear began to climb the tree effortlessly. His screaming grew more intense and he began to jump on the floor of his stand hoping to make as much noise as possible. Whether it was the noise, disinterest of the prayers being offered up in fear we’ll never know. But just below the stand the bear decided he’d had enough. He lowered himself down the tree and wandered into the woods.

My friend made record time getting down the tree and back to his car!

There are times in each of our lives when we may feel trapped by our circumstances. Like my friend we come face to face with things in our lives we aren’t prepared for and seem way beyond our ability to conquer. It’s during those times we need to remember who we serve.

The prophet Habakkuk served Israel during a time of national despair. The enemy surrounded them and they were without hope. It was during this dark hour that God spoke to him, as he does today. “Don’t be afraid! Wait to see what I have in store! Your enemy will be completely subdued by my power” (my paraphrase, obviously).

The military has a doctrine they refer to as shock and awe. Simply put, Shock and Awe is defined as “the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight.”

Whatever enemy is attacking you; whatever fear is rising up within you, remember this. We serve a God who will one day conquer our enemies. They will be so overwhelmed by what they see that their will to fight will be destroyed and they will bow their knee in submission.

Don’t fear the one who can take your life. Align yourself with the one who determines the destiny of your soul.

PRAYER: Father God, creator of heaven and earth. There are those who threaten to destroy us. There are those who seek to weaken our resolve to rely on you. Help us, through the power of your Spirit to rest in the fact that one day you will reign over evil. Until then, keep our minds stayed on you and our hearts at peace. Amen.

Sticky Note From God 10.30.15

October 31, 2015 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

CHRISTian poetry ~ by deborah ann

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Excuse Me?

October 28, 2015 in Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Kings 3:14, forgiveness, grace, Hope, king david, repentance | 2 comments

“And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” 1 Kings 3:14

“Why can’t you be more like…”

Remember how much you hated hearing that? Maybe it was comparing you to a sibling, a relative or the class valedictorian. It’s fun to compare ourselves to others when we have better gifts and skills. It’s not so much fun to be compared to someone who obviously has their life together better than you do. What would it be like to be compared to someone who lived a life that was below your standards? How would it feel to not only be compared to them, but encouraged to be like them!

That was the situation Solomon found himself in. His father, King David had just died and the kingdom was now securely in Solomon’s hands. God came to him and offered him whatever he wanted and Solomon wisely chose wisdom.

Then, God says to Solomon, (look out, here comes a personal paraphrase), “Ok Solomon, here’s the deal. I want to bless you more than you can imagine because I love you and you love me. So, what I want you to do is to follow the example of your father, David. He was a man after my own heart who followed all my rules.”

I have to wonder if Solomon didn’t take a momentary double-take on that.

“Wait! Like my father David? Most Holy God, do you remember how his affair with mom and how he killed her first husband? Do you remember when his daughter was raped by his son and he did nothing about it? Do you remember how he constantly did his own thing and had to come to you time and again, repent and ask you to forgive him? Wait. That’s it isn’t it God. Dad made plenty of mistakes but he always came back to you. I get it now.”

Maybe it didn’t happen that way for Solomon, but it certainly does for me. If you feel like a failure. If you wonder if you’ll ever get it right? Remember there are many examples in the Bible of men and women who failed miserably and yet, they were used mightily by God.

PRAYER: Lord, I’m constantly reminded by others and my own conscience of my failures. I’m weak, stubborn, rebellious and selfish at times. Yet, even then, I love you. Thank you for always waiting with open arms to welcome me home. Amen.