The Shade Of The Damning Tree

I love hammocks. Almost every time that I go to the Mexican market in Cuidad Juarez I look at them and desire to get one, but both the times that bought one for myself it was donated to the Mexican Fiesta. Looking back I remember my Nea (my mothers mom) and Bepaw (my mom’s dad) had a hammock in their back yard. It was the kind that had the green metal frame that needed some paint with the canvas type rope netting that you lay in. getting into it was always a challenge and once you did, well it was a little slice of Royal Oak heaven. When I was young and it was hot out, I wanted to be on that hammock. Lying in the backyard shade of an plum tree, drinking a cold lemonade.

That was the life. That was then.

Today, unfortunately, there is little time for lying in the shade. Most of us need to take more time and do that whole bunch of nothing, except enjoying life for a while. But many of us, in the midst the hyper busyness of our lives, are lying in the shade of a totally different kind of tree, the damning tree. This tree offers no comfort or rest it only condemns, it only indicts us. It always lives to make the past our present. Our mistakes and rebellion are forever on its wrinkled critical lips.

“You are loser.“

“You’re such a sinner.”

“How could God ever love you?”

“He may love you, but he’ll never forget what you did to her!”

“You’re unqualified for everything.”

“That sin that you constantly engage in, that proves he has rejected you!”

On, and on, and on, the damning tree drones. As you lay in its shade you are never refreshed, constantly exhausted from guilt, regret and shame.

It’s time to move out of the shade of the damning tree and into the sunlight of God’s truth and as we bask in that certainty this cool refreshing reminder whispers in our ear:

“Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

In Christ, You Are Free, and that is way better than a hammock in the shade.

The First Time I Killed Me

I was looking forward to the hunt with all of the eager expectation a twelve year old could muster. I had loaded the pristine weapon with 25 rounds of brand new ammunition. The shinny bronze balls glittered in the mid morning sunlight as I placed each one in the loading tube. These were brand new .177 steel balls of death, not at all like the plastic wimpy balls of today. I was now ready to do as I pleased as I sought out some prey of the flying variety.

I must admit that in my daydreams I was a much better shooter that in reality. So over the years I contributed many pounds of steel to the environment around my parent’s property near Onaway, Michigan in the attempt to see what it was like to hit a live target. On this particular sunny June day I went out seeking a mark, knowing that my grandmother had purposely told me over breakfast not to kill any birds. Hiding behind the barn, out of site from my grandmothers prying eyes I sought my prey. To this day I can see the dark blue barrel lowered toward the branches of the old twisted apple tree. With my trigger finger poised to release the compressed air that I had pumped ten times in the barn out of earshot from the birds, I drew down on a lonely sparrow perched on a branch. I picked out a feather on his chest and released the steely little messenger of death from its prison. Out of the barrel with a whisper and a pop to my amazement the bb struck the bird exactly where I had aimed and it fell over dead onto the ground.

At that moment I felt several things at the same time. I felt like I had closed my eyes while batting and hit a double in the all star game after never having a hit before (which I had experienced a couple of years previous to this occasion) and then when I saw the bird up close and personal I knew what I had done was totally unnecessary and pointless. Then, immediately, like the voice of God himself, I heard my grand mothers voice cry out “Craig your not shooting at those birds are you?” I don’t remember if I answered her or not, but I know I ran and got a shovel and buried the little guy beneath that apple tree on that sunny day in June and with it a little piece of me died too.

We want so many things that on this side of getting them, seem so attractive and exciting, but in the end, leave us guilty and empty inside. I don’t know what you are seeking today but I have a question for you: Is it Jesus? Do you need the Holy Spirit more and more to touch you, guide you, and move in you? I do. Come Holy Spirit revive this dead life again!

Obedient Believers

A picture of Carson my Grandson sleeping taken by my daughter Jennifer>>>>>

In the context of a church where everyone was accepted and freedom was strewn about by the boatload, regardless of how one lived, one young, brave, German Pastor spoke into the wilderness of an impenitent people, these words:

“Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in the concentration camp at Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945 for his participation in the small Protestant resistance movement about one month before the Allies won the Second World War in Europe.

http://www.dbonhoeffer.org/node/3 for more on DB.

"Parentalness"

A thought raced through my mind the other day and today I hope to spend a few moments concentrating on it here…

Most of you probably know from the last post of this blog about Carson, our cute and cuddly grandson that was born a week ago today. Holding him has caused me to reflect on the difficulties of parenting. Seeing my daughter Jenni and Greg, her husband, adjust to the demands of having a newborn in the house, (the sacrifices of sleep, convenience, money, priorities, to name a few) has me asking, and wondering, and trying to remember the time when our children were young.
You see I was just 18 when we were married and Connie was only 16. We were in High School and we were pregnant. We married in March, two months after finding out about our coming baby. It was the right thing to do for us, we confessed our sin and then adjusted our lives to the consequences of our actions. We also loved each other very much, so on a rainy March 7^th, 1981 we promised before God and family that we would be committed to each other for the rest of our lives. That was a great day. In the months that followed I finished high school, then we bought our own place in Harrison Township, MI and then on July 11^th, 1981 our daughter Jennifer Lynn was born, She was beautiful and full of life and so tiny! I loved the idea of being a father, that I was responsible for a little human life was cool. Then the stark reality of being a parent gripped me and I failed. The reason that our children were loved and nurtured was primarily my wife. I look back and don’t remember too much involvement. Yes there were some sleepless nights and the like, but I worked. There was no FMLA. Connie now 17 was alone most of the time to care for our child. In those early days we only had one car that worked so she was stuck. I can’t explain how we made it other than the hand of God so firmly gripped us even before we recognized it.

So my thought the other day was this:

My wife Connie really amazes me and I almost never tell her about it. My selfish way of life always gets in the way of me reminding her how much she means to me and how much she has done in the life of our children. She pours her life into others and it began with little Jennifer over 25 years ago. Connie, I cannot begin to thank you enough for all that you have done in our lives.

Carson Matthew DeGlopper!

What an amazing day for the Coon clan! At 3:42 p.m. little Carson Matthew DeGlopper was brought into the world. He weighs in at a robust 7lb 13oz and is a whole 20" long. He is really cute and seemingly very content, which is a huge bonus for mommy and daddy. The birth process was long and somewhat harder than expected primarily since the epidural didn't really work for Jen. But they got through just fine with the help of many prayers along the way! We certainly Thank God for his provision and protection in bringing Carson to us. New life truly is miraculous. I was reading Psalm 139 while in the waiting room:
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be".

Slow Death

"When Christ calls a man he bids him to come and die."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Death is painful. The older I get, the more afraid of death I become. Not the general idea of dying and going to heaven - that sounds great and will be awesome beyond compare. It's the avenue that we travel in death that will often scare me. The method of the dying that gives me pause. Even harder still, is this dying to oneself. The older I become the more I realize what a hopeless scumbag I am. The things that need to die in my life seem to be growing like a "honey do" list of a vengeful wife. Dying sucks. Most days I'd rather be comfortable with how I've always been, rather than going through the death of me, but alas, that is our call.

God, today, help me to see the part of me that must die, not so I can have a funeral for it, but so I can rejoice in the knowing that you are still moving in my life as you tear this old selfish me from my heart!

Resurrection Work.

"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live,
even though he dies;
and whoever lives and
believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?" Jesus

In the middle of grief over the loss of her brother, Jesus asked a young Jewish woman this question. At the appex of her pain he wanted to expose what she really believed and to her credit, even though racked by waves of emotion, she says "Yes, I believe you Jesus." Do we believe this in the midst of our comfortable lives? Has the resurrection done it's work in you today? Has it dealt a death blow to the old you so the new you, now empoered by the living Christ, can spring forth? May we all live in it today.