Posted in General Posts by Tom Herder on 5/19/2012
I am sitting in the living room of a couple of my dear friends on this beautiful Atlanta morning. I'm sitting at a desk, in front of a screen, in an office chair with my cup of coffee and I'm quite content. The creatures are beginning to stir and awaken. Liam the toddler and his dad, Micah are searching for his sippy cup and I imagine that the miniature kangaroos in the backyard are nibbling at leaves.
It's a typical morning here in the States, and the last one before I set out to meet my squad, the other squads and the world race staff at training camp. I am filled with anticipation. As much as everyone advises to NOT go into this with expectations, I have to admit, I have expectations.
I expect to smile and laugh and have a lot of fun. I feel like a little kid going into this, as if to say "Oh, boy! What is this new thing that awaits me?" I guess to a little kid, everything is new and every day is filled with anticipation and expectancy. Maybe the caffeine and sugar from this coffee are contributing to the heightened sense of expectation, but I leave you with this verse which ought to fuel your expectations:
"...that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
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Posted in General Posts by Tom Herder on 4/27/2012
As I am preparing to leave the country, I am trying to make sure I don't miss anything before I leave. I am especially concerned with all the relationships I will be leaving behind, and I have been anxious to spend quality time with everyone before I finally do depart. The only problem with this is, not everyone seems interested in spending quality time with me. When this truth hits me, my immediate response it to think, "Why doesn't this person respond? What have I done to alienate them?" So, as you can imagine, I've been quite agitated because I really want to make sure I don't leave with unresolved issues in relationships.
In putting forth the extra effort to make contact and reconcile with everyone, I began to become frustrated since I wasn't making any headway. I was striving to make everything right, but there are just some people I couldn't even begin to talk to, let alone spend quality time with. Yet, I was determined, and I continued in this pursuit until my repeated failures began to pile up and consume my thoughts constantly. More and more I realized I was failing to achieve the things I most earnestly desired, and it was exhausting.
Through a series of events and conversations, I began to understand that it's not good to be anxious like this, striving all the time. Go figure. I wasn't accomplishing anything, in fact I was just making the situation worse. So, I abandoned it. I gave it all to God. I confessed that I was just making a mess, was unable to 'fix' these relationships, and if anything was going to happen, God would have to do it. I gave up all responsibility for my relationships to Him - the One who is the relationship expert. On top of this, I believed that God would actually take what I gave Him - responsibility for my relationships.
As a result of all this, something wonderful has happened. No, the people I have been anxious about haven't contacted me. But perhaps something more wonderful has happened - the people that I spend time with every day are telling me things that leave me wondering what is going on. Complete strangers have been telling me their hurts, hopes and dreams. Coworkers have been pouring the mess of their lives out before me, telling me things that they keep secret in their hearts. I have no idea what to do with this. I don't know what to say, or how to react. So, I just say whatever normal, boring thing comes to mind. Then, I'll talk to God about it. "God, so-and-so told me this amazingly vulnerable fact, it's heartbreaking. Is there any good news for this person? How do I share it with them?"
I've been pondering why this is, and I suppose since I've cast my burdens on the Lord, I have an uncluttered mind and a quiet spirit. Somehow I think people just sense this, they are able to approach me unguarded and unload on me. There's probably a lot more to it than that, but in all of this God is teaching me how amazingly powerful it is to simply wait on Him. When there's a problem, don't think about it - don't address it immediately, tell it to God and then wait.
The bible has some amazing things to say about waiting:
From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:49
Christians always seem to talk about the power of prayer, but what about the power of waiting? Seems like waiting is packed with spiritual dynamite. I think this is because, when we finally get over ourselves and admit our nearsightedness and inability, and instead choose to allow God to take care of the things we are unable to even touch, then waiting gives God more honor and glory than any other action we could accomplish. And this is true too - waiting is an action, it is something we do, it is a choice we make, to be still and direct our eyes expectantly to the God of all power and wisdom, and then simply follow His lead. Wow, what a privilege to sit and wait!
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Posted in General Posts by Tom Herder on 2/22/2012
One passage in Scripture that has been tugging at my heart lately is the covenant God made with Abram in chapter 15 of Genesis. This is the chapter where God tells Abram to number the stars if he can, because that is the number of Abram's offspring. And Abram believed God, and God accounted it to him as righteousness. Abram believed God for the impossible.
The part of the chapter that has been drawing my attention is later in the chapter though. Abram has prepared an array of animals by cutting them in half and laying the pieces out. God affirms the covenant he has made with Abram and after the sun goes down, behold: A smoking furnace and a burning lamp pass between the pieces. This might have been a confusing scene to me, if someone had not explained it.
In ancient times, when two people made a covenant with each other, they would slay an animal and set two halves of the creature apart from each other. Then, both parties of the covenant would pass between the pieces as if to say, "Should one of us break our part of the covenant, let them end up as the carcass - torn into pieces." So, this is what God does with Abram, except there is something strikingly missing from the picture here. Abram never passes through the halves of the animals. In essence, God is saying that he has made a one-sided covenant with Abram and that God is the only party responsible for fulfilling the requirements that the covenant demands. God never takes into account Abram's ability to fulfill anything, all he asks is that Abram trust him to fulfill what God has spoken.
Wow.
God gives Abram an unconditional (not one condition relies upon Abram) promise that he will have a great inheritance and reward. God is determined and committed to accomplish what has been promised, and there is nothing that can keep him from doing it! Amazing grace! Never once does God think to himself, "Well, I guess I'll keep the covenant for now, and see how Abram performs. If he doesn't measure up, then I'll ditch him." No, sir! God has sworn an oath and it will be kept.
So, there are two things that challenge me here. One, I am challenged to believe in a grace that is pure and complete - a promise that has already had it's fulfillment in it's infant origins. Second, I am challenged to give people the same thing God has given me - unconditional grace based upon contractual obligations that have already been met. In other words, I am free to love people because Jesus Christ has already met the requirements that have been placed upon that person. Because Jesus died for their sins, I have no right to require anything else of that person in order to lavish favor upon them.
So, on the one hand, I am a recipient of the full force of God's love and grace in Jesus Christ - and I have already been qualified to receive it. I have been irrevocably sealed in God's perfect loving favor. On the other hand, so has everyone else. Oh, to have eyes open to the incredible reality of God's grace and to live out of it! All it takes is faith enough to believe that God is that amazingly great! Look at the stars! So will be the abundance of blessing that God has stored up for you. It is in tenaciously holding on to this promise that a person is able to endure life's trials.
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Posted in General Posts by Tom Herder on 2/12/2012
It's unavoidable in studying the bible that a teacher will give an improper reference to a verse that they intend to support their point. I've seen it happen quite a bit lately, where we will be studying for instance, a teaching about biblical leadership and the teacher will reference Luke 4:27, which reads, "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." I guess someone with a very creative mind can make a link between that verse and biblical leadership, but most people are going to wonder what page you're on and sorta stare off into space with a puzzled look.
That's where I'm at right now with the World Race, because I feel that I'm on a very different page than most everyone else in the process. I'm finding it hard to identify with what everyone is going through, because it doesn't seem like I'm going through the same thing. Maybe it's obvious, I'm most likely in a very different phase of my life than a lot of the other racers, but let me give you some examples.
1. I'm nearly 31 years old and I've been debt-free for a couple years now. I've always been very good at saving money and over the past couple years I've been saving up for a new car or a down-payment on a house or something to that effect. Every winter, I expect my car to kick the bucket, but the ingenuity of Saturn engineering continues to exceed my expectations. Last I checked, I have over 265,000 miles on the thing, and it won't quit! I expected it die about 50,000 miles ago, but it's purring along like it's got a mere hundred grand on it. So, you could say I'm financially in a better situation than I thought I would be in and I'm able to finance the entire year on the World Race without having to raise any support. In addition to this, my employer promised me a position at my company when I come back. Unexpected favor! Financial peace!
2. Everyone I've spoken to has been at least interested in what I'm doing, if not outright supportive. My parents are supportive, my sisters are supportive, my friends are supportive, my enemies... well, maybe not. I have gotten only positive feedback from my decision to go on the world race. The owner of my company encouraged me to go. Surprisingly, the people I thought I would receive the most resistance from have been the most encouraging to me. Unmerited favor! Peace that surpasses understanding!
3. The entire process of application has been natural and almost effortless. I didn't have to wrestle my way through anything, the few anxieties I have experience have subsided. Every reason to fear or doubt has been wiped clean. The interview went surprisingly well. The rest of the process has been more of a checkers game than a chess game, no need to agonize over strategy, just make the next obvious move. My passport took twelve days from the time of submitting the application to receiving it in hand, without having to expedite. I have had offers of housing post-race, unsolicited offers for financial support that I don't need, multiple offers to provide storage for my belongings free of charge. Every reason to worry, fear or be anxious has been thrown into the ocean and plunged to the very bottom beyond recovery. I have known nothing but grace and peace from step one until now. Has every moment been absolute assurance? No, but every time I have worried or doubted, I have soon understood that it was very foolish to do so.
At this point, my mind's starting to play tricks on me. If this is all so easy, isn't it probably your will and not God's, hmm? If you're not experiencing spiritual warfare in the form of great anxiety and doubt and opposition, then something's gotta be wrong. My response is just to smile and shrug. Yes, I want to go on the World Race. It seems like a great idea! What better than to travel the world to eleven different countries and live out of a backpack for a year? And look how things are lining up! Isn't that the stuff dreams are made of? So, I do have a lot of selfish reasons to go, perhaps. But throughout the whole process I've been careful to ensure I have a pure heart in the matter and not to go for selfish reasons.
There are more things I could add to the list, but what it comes down to is I feel decidedly distant from the current experience of my teammates. But, I suppose the truth of the matter is, I ought not allow that perceived distance to cause me to become introspective and to put myself in a category other than the one I constantly find myself in: A little child who is perfectly loved by a holy God. That seems to be the conclusion of everything that has happened over the past year; that despite circumstances of life, trials and temptations, my own sins and shortcomings; despite decisions made by other people, failing relationships, and the whirlwind chaos that unravels around me every day, there is an overruling authority that makes all these things secondary. That authority is the truth of Jesus Christ. In his words, "Take heart, I have overcome the world." Though I am inconsistent, though every day is inconsistent, though nothing makes sense, yet I take comfort in the truth that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and that these passing trials are merely opportunities to prove how great God's grace is. So, no longer does it matter that I feel horrible, that I've had a bad week or a good week, that I am running the wrong way or walking the right way. I have found the freedom that allows me to take myself out of the equation which decides whether or not my current venture in life will be successful. The solution to that equation is that Jesus Christ is all, and in all. Not only has he overcome the problem of the world, he has overcome the problem of me and I can joyfully walk forward knowing he is faithful to bring to completion everything he has begun.
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