The Righteous Prevailed

Auburn defeated Alabama by ONE point yesterday - 28 to 27.  It was probably the greatest comeback in the history of the Iron Bowl (the annual match-up between these two teams).  It was sweetest because of the poetic justice, as Alabama fans had been mocking Auburn and Cam for weeks - not only because of the allegations swirling around Cam Newton, but because they were convinced Auburn could not win this year in Tuscaloosa.  It must be short-term amnesia for Alabama fans, because Auburn's come out on top  5 out of 6 times the two teams have played in "Tusca-loser". 

We put off our Christmas tree hunt yesterday because we needed to finish preparations to have the whole Journey team over for lunch, so maybe I can get the girls out this morning to find a tree.  It's still hard to believe we live in the mountains and we can cut down a Christmas tree on our own property.  There's no snow on the ground, so it should be easier to get a tree back to the house.  Speaking of snow, this has been a strange winter; we've had one (1) snowfall so far, and we're almost to December.  I haven't lived in Colorado long enough to know if this means we'll have a dry, cold winter - or if we're going to get dumped on when the snow finally comes.  We've got enough firewood to last us for a month or so, but I need to get out and cut down some more dead trees before the snow starts to pile up.  I love being outside working, but I don't have the stamina I used to have - and cutting firewood is an energy-intensive activity.  A couple weeks ago I finally decided to rent a hydraulic wood-splitter for the morning, and we split up all the cut wood we had around.  Sure beats the heck out of swinging an axe for 10 hours!

Me helping our quarterback off the field w a ruptured Achilles

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each Thanksgiving morning our church organizes the "Turkey Bowl" - a game of flag football for all the men and boys in the church.  In past years they've played with snow on the ground, but this year is was just plain cold - I think it was 20 degrees outside when we started the game. Around 35 men and boys showed up, so we did a lot of substitution so everyone got some playing time.  Our team lost our quarterback after only three or four plays when he ruptured his Achilles tendon (someone gets hurt every year), and we didn't have anyone else who could throw the football worth squat - so we got hammered 24 to 0.  While the point of the game is to have fun, some of the guys take football (even flag football) VERY seriously. There was one play that really made me laugh: one of the guys on our team who is not big but who is extremely competitive got knocked on his butt hard by Sterling - who's the only black guy on our staff, is very large, and who's just as competitive.  Our guy got up and called Sterling a name (edited out for the more sensitive readers) - and Sterling shot back, "It's time to put on your big-boy pants!"  By the end of the game everyone was laughing, and we had a great time.

_________________________

Last Wednesday evening I taught from John 14 and 16 about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  When we're done with John I think I want to teach a series on the Spirit, or maybe teach through the book of Acts.  I've often asked the question - to myself and to others - what would happen if God suddenly removed His Spirit from the earth?  How long would it take us to notice that He isn't around anymore?  It's a hypothetical question, I know, because the Spirit isn't going anywhere.  But I guess my question springs out of both longing and confusion; longing, because I believe in my heart that God wants to do so much more among us than we're willing or have faith for Him to do, and confusion because it so often feels like we're satisfied to settle for so little of His presence and power today.  In preparing for Wednesday's message, I found myself reading excerpts from the life of George Muller (1805-1898).  Muller led an extraordinary life that was characterized by unbelievable faith - but he is often seen today as an eccentric man, or somewhat of a Christian "mystic".  I personally believe otherwise: I think Muller's faith and the dramatic (even unbelievable) answers to prayer he received are a model for all believers of what an intimate walk with God can and should look like.

This is how Muller described his experience in prayer:

"I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
"Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impressions. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
"I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also.
"Next I take into account providential circumstances. These plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
"I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.
"Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters and transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective."