Christiansailing

We have lots of favorite places to visit but one of our heartfelt favorites is a little-known place called Dataw. Dataw Island is sandwiched in between Beaufort, SC and Hunting Island. This year’s visit was another wonderful memory created as we enjoyed a Low-Country meal, walked the docks and sat on the porch and relished the beautiful sky during sundown. The journey of life can offer some incredible detours. Dataw Island is definitely on our “keep” list.

I've taken a hiatus (again) from writing in lieu of starting a new book, "The Autobiography of George Muller". For those unaware of Muller, he was a preacher in the mid 1800's who established orphanages and Bible schools and funded them only by praying; never asking for money from men. The book is actually his journal entries and are at the very least, remarkable. Makes me ashamed of the few minutes a day (if that) that I pray. A common theme that seems to reoccur to me as I read is there's so much more to our relationship with Christ and this life but we probably only experience a very minimal fraction of such. Sort of like this picture I took while we were dining at Sweet Grass Restaurant on Dataw Island. The sun was setting and no one was stirring much on the docks. I peered eastward toward Morgan island and the cut to the Atlantic which then leads to thousands of other places. However, for now, I'm here as are the boats in this picture and as long as I'm "here" the scenery won't change very much. Now bringing this thought toward prayer and truly seeking to live a life of prayer, as long as my prayer life is as shallow and non-engaging, the scenery for me will not change much. Psalm 66:18 is a good place for us to start.

"The Champion is your best friend." This is one of the many lines I'm hearing as I sit in a coffee shop and eavesdrop on some poor schmuck being bombarded by a couple of "20-Somethings" about their business and if he joins their team, "the sky's the limit", "unlimited potential", "lots of resources will be at your disposal". The banter reminds me the "rope-a-dope" Muhammad Ali used to dole out whereas he would just keep on pounding until his opponent either fell or quit. "Be sure to name-drop". (Sorry, as I'm hearing this fecal spew, I want to add it as a fun portion to my entry.) Although I can't purely say I've always had a disdain for self-promotion and a life of decadence, what I'm hearing now is almost the things Seinfeld would parody and it is worth me sitting here, freezing from the AC blowing on me and borderline starving....but I'm afraid to move as this is HILARIOUS. I almost want to go over and encourage the guy their talking at (certainly not talking to or with him) to run and don't look back. "We don't discount our services. We're worth our price." Atta girl.....go for the kill!

Okay, so let me pull back for a moment and rectify a couple of things. 1. I'm fine with capitalistic enthusiasm. I've done more than my share so to eschew other's efforts to better themselves would be the height of hypocrisy. 2. King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 5:18 tells us it is good to enjoy the fruits of his labor which G-d gives us. Liking and being passionate about what you do to earn a living is fine, maybe even great. 3. Our days are numbered and we need to be aware of such so we don't waste what Our Heavenly Father has given us. This is a big one for me personally, as I'm most likely closer to my death than my birth. Got to make it count; More importantly, I must make "it" count for Him! Some will do so through ministry, others through plumbing, AMWAY, Krogers, etc.... 4. Finally, As I stare out the window and see the white clouds move eastward as the trees seem to wave goodbye to them, I sort of see my own life just slowly moving toward a setting sun which will harbor rest, peace and finality. Sounds morbid but as a Christian I'm really just getting closer to home. Until then I'll purpose my life for His Glory.....not mine.

This journey for us has been a good one in many respects. One of the most enjoyable portions of my time of transition has been the people Our Heavenly Father has placed in my path. One such person is a guy who left a significant income stream to dedicate himself to international missions. The difference in his story to me is he didn't leave the US to do so.....He and his family are reaching the international community in East Tennessee. He sold his home and scaled-down their lifestyle to self-fund the ministry. He sends a monthly newsletter with updates and financial transparency unlike any other missionary I've ever met.
I had the opportunity to speak with him via a teleconference and must say, his courage and confidence in the sustaining power of Jehovah Jireh far exceeds what I though I had. In essence, he and his family are taking the Bible literally and focusing only on the mission of spreading the gospel of Christ. His "cushy" income and corporate benefits are all a thing of the past. They rely on a part-time job he holds down while also ministering to those he believes needs to hear the Good News we have to share. Much like a lone sailboat with no engine, only sails, he and his family are waiting for the wind to blow and then utilizing what they have to make their way. That total reliance is very scary but I'll assure you when you're humbly seeking G-d's will, your reliance will become a passion you will not easily compromise.

If you would like to know more about him and his ministry, send me a message and I'll email his info to you.

Mark 6:47-52. Over the last few weeks I've spent a considerable amount of time on the subject of fear. I think it's easy to to be overcome by fear as I know plenty of stable, rational people who have expressed their concerns regarding ISIS, income, family, etc.... I'm no stranger to fear as a sailor, dad, husband, and so forth and I, like many of my Christian counterparts tend to migrate to the words from the prophet Isaiah (chapter 41) "fear not for I am with you..." but a statement or directive to not do something seems to become passé once we've heard it so often. A couple of things occurred last week that caused me to look more deeply into the issue of fear and what we can do to combat.
First, the situation:
A friend of mine called me wanting some sailing lessons for a 14 foot Barnett as well as assist him with rigging the vessel. I gladly accepted and jumped into the project with little regard to my friend's knowledge of boating, sailing, safety, my skills and so forth. So within a few minutes, I had the mast up, the outhaul, downhaul and running rigging all in place along with the other items needed. We hooked the trailer to his truck and drove less and 2/10ths of a mile to the launch. We got the boat in the water and I noticed some water in the cockpit, identified the source, bailed the water and tied off to the dock so we could prepare to hoist the main. During all of this, my friend was asking multiple questions regarding the rigging, the water in the cockpit, the possibility of a storm, how would we get to shore once we picked up the mooring and other questions which should have clued me into the fact that he wasn't knowledgeable and/or tenured on the water and therefore was somewhat apprehensive. As I began to realize what seemed to be happening, I then started to be more explicit with my explanations of what we were doing, how we would execute a gybe or tack and what the expected result should be. I spoke more about the good qualities of his purchase and how much fun this would be for him and his children. We made it to the ball, waded ashore (5ft depth) and then checked the boat the next morning and found all was well.
Now the lesson and Christ's example:
If you take the time to read the passage of scripture I listed to begin this entry (Mark 6:47-52), you'll notice a couple of similarities: boating and fear. Although these are central to the theme of this message, one thing really stood out to me which served as a massive reminder of how we can overcome fear. In verse 49 when the disciples saw Him, they "cried out", not because the knew it was Christ but because they thought He was a ghost and they were fearful. When they cried out, in verse 50, Christ acknowledged them and we know what happened thereafter. What's really interesting about this scripture is that in verse 48, the Bible says Christ saw them struggling and was coming toward them with the intention of passing them but when they saw him, they cried out and then he assisted. Does this mean Christ sees us in our turmoil? Yes. Does this mean He's waiting for us to cry out? Probably. Did Christ want them to feel the shock of seeing a ghost and then calm them? Maybe. Why would I answer these questions with a little ambiguity? Well, the last verse of this passage clues me to the intent. V52: "for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." The disciples had just witnessed a massive feeding of thousands from very little food and in verse 51 of this passage they were utterly astonished at the power of Christ. The lesson I've derived from this and multiple other passages in the Bible is we are not very adept at learning and practicing the truths in His word. Even when we say "I'll believe it when I see it" we really don't. The disciples are proof of this. However, I realize some who read this blog don't "buy" what Christianity is selling so I'm okay with saying I'm also in the camp of the disciples.....I've seen myself cry out in fear and experienced G-d's gracious supply to my need. I've been the person struggling in the middle of life's sea and when Christ's provision came, I didn't recognize it/him. I will admit, I'm a slow learner and need to record the times when I needed money for a bill or assistance to complete a task or wisdom on how to proceed with a situation and somehow the blessing came without me knowing how it was gonna get done.
Summary:
For those who are Christ followers, here are some (not comprehensive) basic points we must grasp and practice. 1. Prayer is a conversation, not a petition of wants. We need to listen as much or more than we speak. 2. Scripture is critical to understanding who He is. 3. Nothing, and I mean Nothing, should ever leave our mouth, hands, heart without bathing it in prayer and sometimes fasting. 4. If He sends you out into the middle of the sea and you encounter turmoil, don't forget His past faithfulness. You may have to dig for it but I've definitely experienced it and can vouch for such. 5. Trust Him....You can! 6. Don't forget to cry out and don't ever be ashamed to do so.

So we arrived back home after our trip and have settled back into a reasonable routine. I expected the meetings I have this week and partially some of the other items that occurred but are not really worth mentioning. I knew I would be preparing for Christmas Music, two concerts on Saturday, Church on Sunday Morning, Labor Day Weekend, College Football (YES!!!!), sailing lessons for a friend and so forth. Then I received my standard, daily update from The Baptist Press that David Platt had been appointed to the International Mission Board as President. If you're not familiar with David, check out this link www.RadicaltheBook.com.
I watched some of the chatter online and the next day dug out my copy of his book which my wife and I purchased in 2011. I reviewed some of the things he wrote and then thought.....is Platt's ideology that "Radical" if we're true believers? The quick answer is "yes" if we're comparing his philosophy to the American Christianity Model but wasn't Christ a Jew? Hmmm.



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