personal

February 13, 2013

Heaven is real – I know folks there

My dear friend Brother Elmer T. entered heaven tonight. He has gone to be with his Savior, his wife, and so many others. I saw him earlier today, said goodbye, but I miss him already. He is breathing deeply in heaven’s atmosphere, but I miss him on earth. I struggle, unable to find the appropriate words to communicate my sadness, my hope. I know where he is. I miss him.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15 NIV84)

February 5, 2013

Connect With Kids So Kids Can Safely Connect

Abraham was chosen to be a blessing to the whole earth, but his calling began in a simple way. Abraham was charged by God to lead “by parental authority as well as by personal example” (The Pulpit Commentary: Genesis, p. 246). Abraham was called to teach his own household, who again would hand down the truth to their households. Abraham’s being a blessing to the world depended on his being a blessing to his own home.

“For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” Genesis 18:19 NASB

COMMAND = to “command,” “order,” “direct,” “instruct” his children.

One BIG reason God chose Abraham to bless the whole world was the fact that Abraham would instruct his children. As parents, we can not afford to shirk our duty to train our children. Christian Parenting Today (Jan/Feb 2000) shared a story that made me laugh:

While listening to the song “Train Up a Child,” my daughter Emily asked me what “train up” means. I explained that it means to teach children about God and the difference between right and wrong.

“Are you and Daddy training me up?” she asked.

“We’re trying to,” I said.

Emily turned back to the stereo and muttered, “We’ll see about that.”

One area where adolescents need parental insight is social media. Even if you think your kids know more than you about “all that internet stuff” – you are still called by God to be a PARENT! We must connect with our kids so that our kids can safely connect online.

Two years ago my daughter Kimberlyn agonized over some of the information she encountered via social media. Her concern prompted a research paper for English class and ultimately resulted in an open letter which was published in the January 2011 Ignite magazine. I thought the message needed to be highlighted once again.

An Open Letter to My Parents By Kimberlyn Simon

Mom and Dad, I feel pressure to connect to social networking – most kids my age are active online and I don’t want to be left out. Actually, I really enjoy getting online, reading the posts from friends, and catching up with what’s going on in my world. But, Mom and Dad, some of what’s happening is scary. Most of the discussion happening online is silly or nonsensical or normal. However, I think some of it is unhealthy and some of it is very dangerous.

Without any hesitation and with little thought, millions of teens daily use social networking to greet friends, to get information, and to post status updates. Teens are in jeopardy because they exercise little caution with the precious particulars posted on social networking sites. Vast numbers post personal info without even considering the vulnerability such honesty exposes, and many teens are ignorantly accepting harmful advice.

Please, keep on talking to me. I recently did a research paper on the dangers of social networking and I discovered some astonishing facts. Mom and Dad, did you know that forty percent of teens tell almost nothing to their parents about what all they do online? Keep on asking me what I am doing online. Thank you for not just asking but looking to see what I am posting. Thanks for reading what I am posting!

I go to worship services every week, pay attention in youth meetings, and attend a Christian school. Online, I am friends with lots of kids who go to church. I really don’t think that some of their parents are keeping up with what is happening. Some of the profile pictures I see from kids are dark, as if they are crying out for help. Some the status updates I read really shock me because I have never heard my friends use that language in person. I have friends who use cuss words in their status updates. Online teenagers seem to be free to complain, to rebel, to curse, and even to take God’s Name in vain.

I read posts from lots of people. Most are real friends, not just people I have friend-ed on facebook. But there are posts discussing disgusting material. Abuse has twisted social media into something that puts real dangers in the short reach of teenagers like me. You are my parents. I am reassured to think you are pleasing God when you train me. Thanks for doing your job. Guide me. Help me filter out the junk and hold on the good.

Sometimes I struggle to sort out the large amount of information available online. There is lots of healthy advice, but some groups actually encourage destructive behavior like anorexia, cutting, and even suicide. Social networking might be helpful, for some, but discussing suicide via social sites keeps destructive thoughts fresh in the minds of young people. Teens debate reasons for suicide and even exchange information on how to do it.

Insecure teens are especially vulnerable to networking sites that reinforce negative self-image. Some teens struggling with thoughts about the inadequacies of their own body, visit pro-anorexic sites to somehow be accepted and understood, but instead discover how to adopt and to hide this life-killing lifestyle. Some sites display pictures of deathly-skinny girls and extol this unhealthy image as the ideal.

Social networking supplies a lot of helpful communication; but, some groups do not give wise counsel. I learned from my research that social networking also puts me at higher risk for burglary, identity theft, pedophilia, and unhealthy exposure to pornography and gambling. The potential for harm is real.

Mom and Dad, I am so fortunate that you are my parents. Social networking can be a helpful thing but I seriously profit from your honest maturity and practiced wisdom. I want to exercise critical thinking skills but I benefit from your watchful adult supervision. Mom and Dad, I don’t want my friends to be hurt and I don’t want to be in danger. Thanks for talking to me. Thanks for looking at what I am posting. Thanks for praying for me. Thank you for connecting with me so that I can safely connect online.

February 1, 2013

Don’t Mess With Me; My Angel Is Right Here!

During the 1970’s, as my family lived as missionaries in Uganda, East Africa, we experienced God’s supernatural protection. Frequently during three years under the cruel dictatorship of Idi Amin, the Lord supernaturally protected us. The house in to which we moved in Fort Portal was 200 miles away from our nearest American neighbor, but God showed Himself to be very near. I have many great memories from those years in East Africa. Below is a picture of me, my brother Barry with glasses, and Dad standing in front of Toyota Land Rover we used for so many tasks. To the right is Dad with a warthog that would soon become good eating!

One memorable episode from those years, involved my Dad trying to establish a work with a pigmy tribe not too far from where we lived. This particular tribe stayed high on a weed similar to marijuana and had dangerous mood swings. As Dad was learning the language, he became accustomed to leaving before the tribe would become violent. Unfortunately, on one visit Dad and another missionary were unable to leave in time. The tribe demanded an exorbitant payment or else they would kill them. Dad knew he was a goner! The tribe circled around them, not letting them return to their Land Rover. At that moment, a tall very-dark-skinned man dressed in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and black polished dress shoes stepped out of the jungle and walked over to them. The tall man spoke to Dad in cultured British English, “Sirs, what is your problem?”

Frantically, Dad described that they were about to die because they did not have money to pay. “No problem,” the man said as he turned and began speaking to tribe in a dialect Dad didn’t understand. The tall man turned back and said, “Sirs, you may now go.”

Dad raced for the Land Rover. As they jumped in and started down the trail, the tall black man turned, walked into the jungle and disappeared. Later, Dad realized the man HAD to be an angel. This was the jungle! People do not wear suits in the jungle! Even if they did, shoes would not remain polished. He spoke English and the pigmy dialect fluently. Dad would later say, “I don’t know what the pigmies saw, but it obviously wasn’t the same thing I saw! If so, they would have killed him along with us. I am just thankful that my black angel was with us on that day.”

Many years after this incident, Dad maintained an uncommon degree of courage, even in the face of arduous challenges. Sporadically Dad would testify, “Don’t mess with me. My black angel is right here with me!”

Angels still guard today. We can walk and live in peace knowing that God has His angels watching us. Angels, as God’s servants, guard and deliver. The Lord surrounds us with His security force. Scripture reveals God’s care 100% of the time. Protective angels have been charged with our personal care. Are we assigned a personal guardian angel? I believe so!

When Peter was miraculously released from Herod’s jail and stood knocking at Mary’s door, the disciples praying inside did not believe that Peter was knocking – “It must be his angel.” (Acts 12:15 NIV) Apparently, the early disciples accepted that Peter had an angel charged to keep him. Jesus warns His listeners to “not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10 NIV) I think it’s proper to see personal guardian angels in the wording “their angels”. Oral Roberts assures, “Every child has a personal guardian angel. This means a great deal to those of us who have children and grandchildren.” (The Angels that Help Us, 1980, p. 7) My Dad accepted he had a personal angel and drew great courage from that fact.

The angelic protective covering might be more appropriately compared to a zone defense, than to a man-to-man defense. Angel-to-man or zone? Conceivably, two accounts in Acts chapter 5 and 12 suggest a prison-zone defense! Ultimately, I don’t have to know for certain. The way in which God chooses to protect us is up to Him. I’ll trust the Lord’s supervision.

Before the people of Israel entered their promised land, God promised to send His angel to prepare the way. “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I’ve prepared.” (Exodus 23:20 NIV) Two angelic responsibilities are mentioned:

to guard and
to bring to the place that God had prepared.

God assigns angels to do the same thing today. We have proof of God’s angelic protection in the past. The Lord sent an angel to protect Dad, to deliver Peter and Paul, to rescue Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the Lord can do the same today. Believers’ bodyguards are on assignment.

I wonder – did God reassign Dad’s angel to me? I think he might be here in my office with me, so don’t mess with me!

January 27, 2013

3 Points to Expand Your Perspective

Perspective too often is limited by our personal experience.

In 2011, I traveled with a Valley Fellowship mission team to the Amazon. We connected with George and Idelma Gonzales and the Amazon Expeditions crew for a variety of ministry in Columbia, Peru, and Brazil.

I enjoyed teaching the God’ Word in three languages at Escuela Biblica, Umarirazu, Brazil. In one of the sessions, I shared of the Battle of the Longest Day (Joshua 10). I am still laughing about how long it took to translate “hailstones” to people who have never experienced frozen precipitation of any kind! Unbelief was ALL over their faces until I made the statement, “It was a miracle from God!” Immediately their expressions changed as if they were thinking, “Oh, okay, it was miracle.” The students at the Bible School didn’t have first-hand knowledge of hail, but apparently they did have first-hand experience with God’s power.

A group stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon and paused. An artist thought – “What a beautiful scene to paint!” A prayer warrior meditated – “What a wonderful example of God’s creative handiwork!” A rancher mused – “What an awful place to lose a cow!” What is your Grand Canyon perspective?

The Message paraphrase of Romans 12:3 has advice for all of us: “The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us.” I am pondering my own perspective today as I meditate Numbers chapter 13. Three things ringing in spirit are:

#1 Nothing is too difficult for Almighty God.

Sovereign Lord, you made the earth and the sky by your great power and might; nothing is too difficult for you. Jeremiah 32:17 GNT

#2 He’s the boss; I’m His servant.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NIV

#3 I am not a grasshopper; God empowers me to do His will so I can do what He tells me to do.

To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them. Numbers 13:33 HCSB

January 7, 2013

Ministry Like Jesus Did

I am challenged to live like Jesus and to MINISTER like Jesus. Anyone who claims to lives in relationship with Christ is commanded to live, to “walk” (KJV), as Jesus did. “Walk” is metaphor for “lifestyle” or “a way to live life.” John’s command to “live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6) is NOT just wishful thinking, an unrealistic goal, or an impossible achievement. The empowerment resulting from personal connection with Christ is what makes this possible.

As a pastor, an under-shepherd of the Great Shepherd, shouldn’t I focus upon the ministry pattern presented by the life and leadership of Jesus Christ? The Gospel accounts provide an excellent picture of how Jesus lived and of how Jesus ministered.

Jesus’ earthly ministry is a display of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ preaching ministry is radically different than the teachings of the scribes. The Gospels tell of Jesus teaching with authority. His words penetrate truth and His miracles testify the power of God. His listeners have reason to believe that the Kingdom is at hand. Power encounters mixed with public proclamation certainly help to communicate the message of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew describes the unusual nature of the teaching ministry of Jesus. Matthew 7:28-29 NIV records, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Unfortunately, I can relate to Pastor John Fyre’s admission, “Sometimes I feel that my congregation is more dazed than amazed when I get done speaking” (Jesus The Pastor, p.33).

Amazed! The people recognize the strength of Jesus’ teaching ministry even if they do not comprehend fully what Jesus says. Jesus’ words probably carry a tone that is easily distinguished as authoritative. Perhaps, a limited example can be seen in my wife. Patti is a gifted teacher and God has certainly given her a special ability to bring discipline within a classroom. Even in the earlier days of her student-teaching at Victory Christian School (Tulsa, Oklahoma), a few kids referred to her as “The Law.” Patti speaks with strength and carries herself in a manner that encourages respect. There is something different about the way she organizes a teaching session, and Jesus’ teaching ministry clearly reveals something different about Him.

However, I do not reason that Jesus’ teaching was simply authoritative in tone. The crowds surrounding Christ witness more. The authority of His words exceeds anything that Patti displays in an instructional environment. His words carry their own power, their own influence, their own jurisdiction, their own command, their own strength.

Some teachers of Jesus’ day may rely heavily upon the recognized credentials of Jewish rabbis, but Jesus does not depend on the commentaries of others to validate His words. Jesus speaks with authority (Greek – exousia). He speaks in the power of the Holy Spirit. He speaks the message of heaven with the inspiration of heaven. He teaches with authority, and miraculous power-encounters follow his instruction.

The preaching/teaching ministry of Jesus naturally flows into His healing ministry. Jesus certainly ministered the full Gospel. While a student at Oral Roberts University, I hear Richard Roberts (then president of ORU)summarize Jesus’ ministry as: “Jesus came to take off you what the devil put on you, to take out of you what the devil put in you, to put back what the devil took off, and to put back in what the devil took out.” I am inspired as I consider Jesus’ ministry of preaching, teaching, AND healing. As a pastor, sometimes it is easy to get focused on the preparation of the oral communication of a sermon. I need Holy Spirit sensitivity for full Gospel ministry, expecting God’s total salvation (and healing) to show up.

After illuminating the astonishment of the crowd, Matthew underscores Jesus’ exousia by recounting the cleansing of the man with leprosy, the releasing of the centurion’s servant, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, and the calming of the Galilean storm (Matthew 8). Matthew chronicles the extraordinary miraculous power of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Power encounters mixed with public proclamation communicate the message of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I must maintain close, intimate relationship with the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ in order to be effective. To live and to minister like Jesus did means collaboration with Christ Jesus in Holy-Spirit-empowered pastoral ministry. I am expecting God to move in 2013. I pray that I may see God’s power released every time I communicate the message of the Kingdom.

January 2, 2013

Patti’s Christmas Letter 2012

My wife Patti wrote a Christmas letter that I thought pretty well summarized our2012 year. Here it is:

Dear Family and Friends,

We experienced a 2012 filled with God’s goodness, answered prayer, some tension and lots of rejoicing. Greg and I celebrated 25 wonderful years of marriage and 24 years of ministry at Valley Fellowship Church (VFC). I love Greg’s preaching and you can listen to many of his passionate sermons at valleyfellowship.com. Greg has moved into the techno-world; follow Greg’s twitter @GregLovesPatti. I greatly enjoyed teaching Bible studies for ladies and mentoring high school student leaders. I serve as VFC missions pastor, Valley Fellowship Christian Academy (VFCA) administrator, and as an ICAA/SACS representative, spurring academic and spiritual improvement in Christian schools through the accreditation process.

Rozy, an Oral Roberts University junior, is only one semester from student teaching. She joyfully serves as a student chaplain and directs an ORU student prayer movement team. Kimberlyn is a high school junior at VFCA. She plays basketball, heads the youth worship band, prays as a student leader with the Children’s Prayer Network, and spends countless hours playing guitar – her passion.

Our family experienced God’s healing power in multiple ways. On July 7^th, God spared Kimberlyn from serious injury when she crashed a four-wheeler off an Idaho mountain trail. The emergency room visit uncovered a bone tumor on her right shoulder blade. After months of uncertainty, countless tests, multiple trips to St. Jude’s in Memphis, and successful surgery in September, we greatly rejoice the tumor was benign. I felt the flood of God’s grace resulting from the prayers of so many people. Prayer and God’s promises carried us through. Praise the Lord!

In November, Kimberlyn and I enjoyed a tremendous Guatemalan mission trip, and our whole family is preparing eagerly for a 2013 summer mission trip to Tanzania. We anticipate God’s move in 2013 in our family, our ministry, and our nation. Our world appears in turmoil, but He’s got the whole world in His hands, hands able to hold all of us together too. We pray that you and your family will be blessed, healed, and filled with expectancy for God’s presence.

Expecting Miracles in Your Life,

Patti Simon and the Simon Family

January 1, 2013

I Was In Over My Head

My mom cooked; I ate and sometimes cleaned up. That was the extent of my expertise. But Gilbert High, the small rural public school in northeast Louisiana from which I graduated (and which no longer exists), required every male senior to take a session of Home Economics before graduation. I was in deep. It wasn’t the first time, wasn’t the last, but it’s one imprinted in my memory.

Right now, I don’t recall the name of that teacher, and I’m not sure Mrs. HomeEc expected much from us as we stepped into her kitchen classroom, but her southern drawl made it clear – we WERE going to learn to make biscuits. I’m not sure she enjoyed our company, but she figured even a male should know how to make biscuits for breakfast. I don’t recall how many days she spent reviewing the process, helping us mix ingredients, lighting up the ovens, and examining our results, but I do remember she wanted us to know how to make biscuits. And with each day, I gained a sense of confidence as I ate biscuits that I had a hand in making.

My “attempts” included a lot of her hands in the job. She never just watched from the side. She corrected my measuring, my stirring, my rolling, even my stance. She could have done the job much more quickly. She could have made much better biscuits, but she involved me in the process. I did become more comfortable in the kitchen – maybe that’s what she intended.

Today, I can make biscuits without an instructor grabbing the rolling pin from my hands, but I cannot make life work without connection to God. To have a great 2013, I need God’s hands in my life everyday. Many years ago, mathematician and Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal suggested Heavenly Father allows His child to cooperate with Him in Kingdom work to give us the dignity of causality, the feeling of being the cause that produces effect.

Jesus Christ made it clear I cannot accomplish anything apart from Him (John 15:5). I am mistaken every time I attempt something while letting God just watch. In Deepening Your Conversation with God, author and pastor Ben Patterson highlights this faulty omission with a story from a baseball legend:

Great baseball catcher Yogi Berra played a game in which the score was tied with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The batter from the opposing team stepped into the batting box and made the sign of the cross on home plate with his bat. Berra was a Catholic, too, but he wiped out the plate with his glove and said to the pious batter, “Why don’t we let God just watch this game?”

That is good theology when applied to the outcome of a baseball game. It’s terrible theology when applied to the way we live our lives and carry out the work of the church . . . But too often that is precisely the outlook we bring to our vocation as Christian elders, deacons, and pastors. God attends the game, but only as an honored spectator. Our prayers are merely ceremonial functions, like asking the President of the United States to throw out the first baseball at the beginning of baseball season, they are tips of the hat, verbal recognition over the loudspeaker between innings. He may even be in the dugout, but he rarely, if ever, gets on the playing field.

Heavenly Father isn’t content with a good seat in the stands; He wants His hands touching every work of our lives. Through the years, I have given up on biscuits from scratch (store-prepared taste great), but I remember that strong sense of satisfaction from eating biscuits I made by hand. Somehow I learned to make breakfast. I can whip up a good omelet and have my own secret ingredient (pulled from Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking). This morning, I prepared pancakes, bacon, eggs, and even made Patti some pretty good cream of wheat! But every time I start to cook, I feel in over my head.

I was certainly deeply in over my head when I became a pastor. I was a very young 27 when I stepped into role of senior pastor. As a young pastor, I said and did more than a few things I wish I hadn’t. I was in over my head, but God’s grace kept me. I am still walking the path, and I am expecting God for growth. Actually, as a 46-year-old pastor, I am still in over my head. Apart from Jesus, I will accomplish nothing. That’s a lesson I should never forget.