God Uses Our Pain

God Uses Our Pain

 
Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is by Tony Evans, and it can be found in Joe Gibbs book Game Plan for Life, and the Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
 
Maybe a huge mistake taught you a lesson you might never have learned otherwise.  Though God never authorizes sin, and sin carries consequences, He still uses our failures to help fulfill His purpose for us.
 
It was Moses the murderer whom God used to lead Israel out of Egypt.  It was David the adulterer whom God used to write many of the psalms, and it was the same Peter who publicly denied Christ that God used to help found the early church.  The key is that these men repented of their sins, turned back to the Lord, and began to follow Him obediently.
 
God also uses those negative experiences that were not our fault.  Maybe a tragedy in your life has helped mold you into a compassionate counselor.  Maybe you grew up fatherless, or were discriminated against racially, or were treated unfairly on the job.  Those experiences, painful as they are, can shape you into a sensitive, caring person.
 
The story of Joseph is a classic illustration of how God can redeem the ugly events in our lives.  Joseph was rejected by his jealous brothers and left for dead in a pit; he was sold as a slave, unjustly accused of rape, and forgotten in prison.  But the Bible is clear that, each step of the way, the Lord was with Joseph.  God used all the negatives realities in his life to direct him to his destiny.  Joseph would become second in command in Egypt and be used by God not only to save the life of his family, but also to help fulfill God s purpose of founding a nation.
 
God knows how to take your good, your bad, and your ugly and use them for His purpose in your life.
 
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

The Great Paradox

 The Great Paradox

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Chuck Colson and is found in Joe Gibbs book Game Plan for Life.  Early in his career Colson was special counsel to President Richard Nixon, and he served prison time for obstruction of justice related to the Watergate scandal.  Colson founded Prison Fellowship Ministries after he was released from prison, and the Scripture is Luke 9:23-23 Then Jesus said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
     
Looking back, I can now see clearly the two great lessons from my life.  The first was the paradox I discovered in prison: If you really want to find your life, you have to lose it for Christ s sake.  After years of success and power, clawing my way to the top, I ended up empty and desperate.  But when I surrendered my life to Christ, I found it in prison, real peace, joy and purpose.

The second great lesson is also a paradox. God did not choose to use me when I was at the top.  He used me when I was broken at the bottom.  What I did not understand was that nothing is beyond the power of God.  In fact, God chose me precisely when I was weakest and most broken.  Why? Because then my own pride was out of the way and I could never glory in anything I did in the future. And I have not. God has used my life for His much greater purpose-to spread prison ministries around the world, far beyond anything I could ever dream of.  Indeed, he uses the weak and broken to shame the wise and mighty.

This former Marine captain and powerful White House aide thought he did not need God; the convict washing socks in a prison laundry knew how wrong he was.  The great paradox is that God will use your weakness, not your strength.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Works or Grace?

Works or Grace?

 
Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.
 
The symptoms of sin are breaking the rules, but the essence of sin is taking a good thing and making it more important than God.  It is taking good things and making them ultimates and living for them and being defined by them.  That is the reason why in the Ten Commandments the first commandment, the primary commandment, is to have no other gods before me.  Everything else, all of the other, the cheating, the lying, the murdering, the stealing, and all of that awful stuff, it all flows out of the first one. 
 
No one is righteous, not even one; no one seeks for God (Romans 3:10).  There are bad people who mug you and cheat and hurt people, and they, of course, are not looking for God.  But here is what is scary about good and religious people.  Good and religious people think that they are looking for God, but they are not. They both are taking things and making them into idols; but some idols lead you to be obedient to the law of God, and some idols lead you to be disobedient to the law of God.  But no one is righteous, not even one; no one is seeking God!  Good people think they are seeking God, but they are seeking a god that they can control through their good works-a god who owes them.  Religious people say, I give God a record of righteousness, and then God owes me a blessing. But a Christian says, God through Jesus Christ has given me a perfect record of righteousness which I receive by faith, and now I live for him.
 
If you are a Christian, grace has come in and grabbed a hold of you and shown you that you can only be saved through the works of Jesus and not your own works.
 
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining
 

Joy in the Midst of Pain

Joy in the Midst of Pain

 
Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is from the heart of two moms that were gotten off of the CarePages.  The first is from Katie Dowlen.  Her son, Sam, received a spinal cord injury after his second day of his freshmen year at Tennessee Tech this past August 29th.  The second is by Cindy Landis who lost her precious 12 year old daughter Connor in her fight with cancer this past June of 2009. 
 
From Katie Dowlen:  One of the most precious parts of this whole deal has been the opportunity for us to reconnect with Sam in a way we could not possibly have done otherwise. Is that not just like God? One of those for the good parts that He talks about in Romans 8:28 (We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.).  Thank you so much for not growing weary in bringing Sam and our family to the feet of Jesus. We see Him everywhere. And in every step of this journey. I continue to pray for Sam s complete healing and recovery. As his mom, I am simply unable to pray for anything less. Yet while I pray for his body to return to what it was before August 29th, I pray his heart and his soul never will. Nor mine. We know that God never wastes pain. And that He uses everything to grow us up into who He has for us to be. Everything.

From Cindy Landis:  God has blessed us through our tragedy. Your love, support, and many acts of kindness have overwhelmed our broken hearts.  My heart has not only been broken though, it has been shattered....shattered into a million pieces that will take time to piece back together. And once it is back together, it will remain forever altered by the chips and cracks that could not be repaired. Perhaps, with time even the remaining rough edges of my mended heart will be smoothed away by the many of hugs and mountains of love poured over and into my wounded spirit. My heart will never be the same but God will enable this abiding heart to help others see the miracle of HIS amazing, unconditional love. The miracle that allows me to see the million and one twinkling stars in the sky and smile because I know Connor is among them....even through the darkness we are experiencing now.

We are sad and sometimes afraid. We are mad and sometimes very angry. Yet our God loves us. He loves us and He knows our pain…. pain that only comes from loving and losing a child. He cries with us. And He knows our despair. And we know it is through our despair by which we have come closer to Him. I have never felt pain so intense, yet I have never felt joy so immense. Pure, inexplicable joy in the midst of pain and grief that could only come from the loving arms of our Lord Jesus. The arms cannot remove the pain but they will give us peace and comfort. They will lift us and mold us into servants of HIS great love. In our pain we seek him more and by doing so we are held a little tighter and lifted a little higher. We thank our God for the pain that has brought us closer to Him.

Jesus said in John 16:33 . . . in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Where To Run

Where To Run

Dear Champions,
The short excerpt was sent to me by Elise Glasser and is from the August 21^st edition of The Tennessean in Nashville, TN, and the Scripture is in the excerpt. 
 
19 year old Josiah Berger was driving along Del Rio Pike on Aug. 11 when police say he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree. He was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where he would spend the next four days on life support.  While Berger s family stayed around the clock, prayer warriors, as they are now being called, also stood by. Despite their prayers for a miracle, Berger did not recover. He passed away Aug. 14, 2009 on his 19th birthday. His organs and tissues were donated to 77 people. Five of them had been on their deathbed before receiving the transplants.

Berger s father, Steve Berger, senior pastor of Grace Chapel, will tell you he has laid out on the floor many times shedding uncontrollable tears and has had sleepless nights since Josiah s death. He will tell you how his family has joined hands, prayed together and wept together behind the private walls of their home in one of the darkest moments of their lives. But then he will also tell you about the inexplicable joy and peace that has settled in and has turned their grief into a testimony and opportunity to help others.

The specific miracle that we were praying for was not answered, but other miracles were answered and they continue to be answered. Those five families ­ one man was praying for a heart and another vital organ to sustain his life. That prayer was answered that day. Can you imagine the prayers that those families were praying for that day? Those miracles came that day.

Berger continued, There were times in the first few days where you cannot imagine that this is happening; but I have 25 years of passionately following Christ in my heart, so I know where to go and who to cry out to and where to run. I know He is my strong tower, my shepherd, my banner of hope, my strength, my deliverer, and my healer. So because I know Him, when I need what I need, I know where to go.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

P.S.  During Josiah s memorial service Berger asked those in the crowd wanting to turn their lives over to Christ to stand. Nearly 100 people stood up and answered the altar call.  You can read the whole article at http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200908210210/COUNTY090101/908210320

How Are You Going To Live

How Are You Going To Live?

 
Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is part of a devotional given by 6th grader Max Casey on November 16, 2005 to the entire middle school at McCallie, a prep school in Chattanooga, TN.  Max went to heaven in August of 2006, and this is a look back.  The scripture is Psalm 18:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
 
In April of this year, right after I was accepted to McCallie, I started to have double vision.  After a visit to the eye doctor and getting an MRI, I thought everything was clear, but my mom said that I had to go back to see another doctor.  I sat down in his office, and he said that it looks like you have a brain tumor. 
           
I was in a situation where I did not think I deserved to be.  And I know you have probably experienced this before, and it made you mad.  At the time, I had no faith in God and was a full-blown atheist.  During the first couple of months, I was dead-set on not believing because I did not think that it was fair to just start believing when you are in a time of need.  After a while, I decided that maybe God did this to me to teach me that, at any time, I could love him, and that He would forgive me.
 
About three months after my conversion, my uncle was told that he had cancer.  Well, my aunt started to become angry with God and did not see how this was fair that the people she loved all had bad things happening to them.  And when I found out about this, I thought, if God did not love us, then my uncle and I would not have a chance.  And, even if this did turn out for the worst, the world is not perfect.  If it were, Jesus never would have had to give his life for us, and Adam and Eve would never have eaten the fruit from the tree.
 
No matter what happens, God always loves you.  That is why he looked after Adam and Eve after they were banished from the Garden of Eden.  That is why my uncle and I do have a chance, and that is why Jesus did give his life for us.  Even if my aunt was rightfully mad, and even if everyone on earth was going to die tomorrow, the question I have for you is, How are you going to spend your last day of life?  Sad and angry with God?  What a way to spend your last day of life.  Earl Nightingale once said, Our attitude towards life determines life s attitude towards us.
 
You might ask what my attitude really is now.  It is mostly positive, because I cannot be mad at God, just like I said earlier.  I do not think that is what he intends for me to do.  I also try to keep a good sense of humor and laugh whenever possible.
 
In closing, I am to going to use a quote from folksinger Joan Baez: You do not get to choose how you are going to die or when. You can only decide how you are going to live… NOW.
 
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining
 

Against All Odds

Against All Odds

Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is in honor of the start of college football, and it is written by Larry Williams from TigerIllustrated.com.  The Scripture is Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
 
When I see these guys, I see more than just football players, Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney said.  I see a lot of myself in a lot of these guys.  Lost kids trying to find their way.  Scared.  They do not know what the future holds.  Problems at home.  Financial problems.  Whatever it is.

Swinney endured all of that and more starting at age 8, when he began to notice the effects of his father s drinking.  I started seeing things that kids should not see, said Swinney, the youngest of three boys.  There were times where my dad would be gone and would not come home, and I did not know why and mom would say this or that.  There would be big fights and arguments, police called to the house, windows broken.  I can remember praying to God to keep my family together and make things OK and protect my mom and my dad.  My dad was a great dad.  But when he would drink, it was not a good thing.

Were Swinney given an opportunity to change anything, he would change nothing.  Because all the strife, the heartache and heartbreak have shaped him into who he is today; a devoted Christian, a loving and committed father and husband, a successful coach.
 
When Swinney was 14, his fathers appliance business began to flounder and the family lost the home it had lived in for 10 years.  The slow deterioration culminated in his parents divorce when he was in the 11th grade.  He remembers sitting in the field house at Pelham High School crying like a baby after he heard the news.  To that point, he had tried to keep everything from his friends while painting his family as happy, sober, and normal.  I was playing three sports and in the Honor Society and all of that, but it had really taken a toll on me.  Swinney and his mother moved out and began renting a condo; but her job at the mall could not pay all the bills, and the eviction notice was nailed to the front door after just three months so they moved in with one of Swinneys high school buddies.

He says that he would not have been able to get through it without his relationship with Christ.  He remembers the day he was saved (Feb. 3, 1986), remembers what he wrote in his Bible that day (I dedicate my life to the Lord, and my life will never be the same.).
 
After mine and his mothers marriage broke up, we had some hard times for a while, his father Ervil Swinney said.  But he was just always an inspiration, and he was definitely an influence on me getting sober because I realized I wanted him to be as proud of me as I was of him.

It is just amazing how things work in your life, Coach Dabo Swinney said.  I know how to be successful, and that is:  You put your eyes on the Lord in everything you do, you believe in yourself, and you never quit.  If you do those three things, you are going to be successful. 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

P.S.  The entire article may be found at this site: http://clemson.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=882281