I WILL LIFT MY VOICE!
Yesterday, as I was perusing all the new posts by my friends on Facebook, I came across a blog by a college acquaintance of mine. His name is Brandon Thomas and he pastors Keystone Church in Keller, TX. In his blog for March 15, he writes about losing his voice on a Saturday night. There is never a great time for a Pastor to lose his voice, but especially not on Saturday night. He lists three truths about losing your voice. “Losing you voice is painful. It hurts! Losing your voice is frustrating. You can’t communicate. Losing your voice in unfair. You begin to lean on others to communicate for you.” It is the time of year when trees are budding, flowers are blooming and pollen is scattering. For those of us who have allergies, this time of year can be a very frustrating time. One day you may be fine, and then you wake up the next day with a sore throat and no voice. For those of us in worship ministry this can be very devastating. Without our voices, we can lose the very tool we use to proclaim His Glory! As Thomas points out in his blog, losing your physical voice is not good, but even more frightening is losing your spiritual voice.
What are some ways that we can lose our voice spiritually? The first way to lose your voice spiritually is to use your physical voice in the wrong way. We read all through the scripture that God does not like a gossip. This is not only because it hurts the person being gossiped about, but it damages the influence of the gossiper. When you gossip, you tend to ruin your reputation and your ability to be trusted. In turn, this can greatly impact your ability to proclaim God’s glory and have people listen to you. Second, you can damage your spiritual voice by not using your physical voice. When given the opportunity to stand up and speak out for what is right, and you refuse to do so, people recognize this and begin to question where you stand on issues. Then when you do speak up for something, you have lost the trust of those listening. Third, direct disobedience to the Lord’s commands can also make you lose you spiritual voice. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, people are watching you and looking at how you behave. The Lord expects us to live a certain way and treat people a certain way. When we disobey this perfect way, we have a negative impact on those watching. As Thomas states in his blog: “You must protect the voice of your ministry. Otherwise, there WILL be pain. There will be a loss of influence. There will be a loss of opportunity and you will find yourself leaning on others to do God’s talking.”
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies,
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.
O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is Your unfailing love!
Psalm 36:5-7a
If His unfailing love is priceless, then our voice which proclaims that truth should be protected!
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
SHIPWRECKED WITH HOPE
Shipwrecked with Hope
On December 7, 1941, shortly before 08:00, Japanese aircraft from six fleet carriers struck the Pacific Fleet as it lay in port at Pearl Harbor, and—in the ensuing two attack waves—wrought devastation on the Battle Line and on air and military facilities defending Pearl Harbor. Onboard the USS Arizona, the ship's air raid alarm went off about 07:55, and the ship went to general quarters soon thereafter. Shortly after 08:00, a bomb dropped by a high-altitude Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bomber from the Japanese carrier, Kaga, hit the side of the main No. 4 turret and glanced off into the deck below, starting a small fire but causing minimal damage. At 08:06, a bomb from a Hiryu "Kate" hit between gun turrets No. 1 & 2, likely penetrating the armored deck near the ammunition magazine located in the forward section of the ship. The cataclysmic explosion that resulted destroyed the forward part of the ship. A widely accepted theory is that the black powder magazine used to power the aircraft catapults detonated first, igniting the smokeless powder magazine which was used for the ship's main armament. A 1944 United States Navy's Bureau of Ships report suggests that a hatch leading to the black powder magazine was left open, possibly with flammable materials stocked nearby. The Naval History & Heritage Command explained that black powder might have been stockpiled outside of the armored magazine. However, it seems unlikely that a definitive answer to this question might be found. The blast that destroyed the Arizona and sank her to her berth alongside Ford Island, took 1,177 lives of the 1,400 crewmen on board at the time, over half the casualties lost during the attack. (Report from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
In Acts 27, we find the story of another shipwreck which could have ended very badly, but instead ended with everyone safely on land. Paul was a prisoner at the time. Against the advice of Paul, the Roman centurion in charge decided to sail to Phoenix. On their way they were confronted by a very big hurricane-type storm. The storm tossed the boat around so badly that they had to take ropes and wrap the boat to hold it together. Soon into the storm, the crew of the boat had to throw all the cargo overboard. When all looked bleak, Paul let them know that the “God whose I am and whom I serve” would not let anything happen to them. The Romans, not being persuaded yet, even went so far as to plan on killing all the prisoners so that they would not escape. But by God’s providence, the centurion wanting to spare Paul’s life, let everyone on the ship swim safely to the shore of the island of Malta.
So what do we learn from Paul’s trip? We learn that we have the answer to the storms of life. That answer is Jesus. We ought to be the people that the world looks to for help in their time of need. Are you being a Paul in someone’s life? If so, share with them the truth that God is in control and that all things end on a safe shore for those who trust God. I am not saying that we who are God’s children will never face storms. What I am saying is that even in the storm we can have a peace that passes all understanding.
Look around and see all the people who are in a storm and unable swim. Toss them the life rope of Jesus and pull them into His safety!
Praising Jesus for saving me from the storms,
Aaron Hodges
On December 7, 1941, shortly before 08:00, Japanese aircraft from six fleet carriers struck the Pacific Fleet as it lay in port at Pearl Harbor, and—in the ensuing two attack waves—wrought devastation on the Battle Line and on air and military facilities defending Pearl Harbor. Onboard the USS Arizona, the ship's air raid alarm went off about 07:55, and the ship went to general quarters soon thereafter. Shortly after 08:00, a bomb dropped by a high-altitude Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bomber from the Japanese carrier, Kaga, hit the side of the main No. 4 turret and glanced off into the deck below, starting a small fire but causing minimal damage. At 08:06, a bomb from a Hiryu "Kate" hit between gun turrets No. 1 & 2, likely penetrating the armored deck near the ammunition magazine located in the forward section of the ship. The cataclysmic explosion that resulted destroyed the forward part of the ship. A widely accepted theory is that the black powder magazine used to power the aircraft catapults detonated first, igniting the smokeless powder magazine which was used for the ship's main armament. A 1944 United States Navy's Bureau of Ships report suggests that a hatch leading to the black powder magazine was left open, possibly with flammable materials stocked nearby. The Naval History & Heritage Command explained that black powder might have been stockpiled outside of the armored magazine. However, it seems unlikely that a definitive answer to this question might be found. The blast that destroyed the Arizona and sank her to her berth alongside Ford Island, took 1,177 lives of the 1,400 crewmen on board at the time, over half the casualties lost during the attack. (Report from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
In Acts 27, we find the story of another shipwreck which could have ended very badly, but instead ended with everyone safely on land. Paul was a prisoner at the time. Against the advice of Paul, the Roman centurion in charge decided to sail to Phoenix. On their way they were confronted by a very big hurricane-type storm. The storm tossed the boat around so badly that they had to take ropes and wrap the boat to hold it together. Soon into the storm, the crew of the boat had to throw all the cargo overboard. When all looked bleak, Paul let them know that the “God whose I am and whom I serve” would not let anything happen to them. The Romans, not being persuaded yet, even went so far as to plan on killing all the prisoners so that they would not escape. But by God’s providence, the centurion wanting to spare Paul’s life, let everyone on the ship swim safely to the shore of the island of Malta.
So what do we learn from Paul’s trip? We learn that we have the answer to the storms of life. That answer is Jesus. We ought to be the people that the world looks to for help in their time of need. Are you being a Paul in someone’s life? If so, share with them the truth that God is in control and that all things end on a safe shore for those who trust God. I am not saying that we who are God’s children will never face storms. What I am saying is that even in the storm we can have a peace that passes all understanding.
Look around and see all the people who are in a storm and unable swim. Toss them the life rope of Jesus and pull them into His safety!
Praising Jesus for saving me from the storms,
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I SMILE
I SMILE
“All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?”
Paul McCartney, 1966
Too often I get the opportunity to go with my wife to the mall. It is always a lovely time with my wife, but a dreadful time at the mall. I really despise shopping. I know that most of you women don’t understand this; it’s just a guy thing. Shopping to me is knowing what you need in the store, going in and getting it, and then getting out as soon as possible. I know that is not my wife’s idea of shopping, so when I go with her, I spend a lot of time people watching. I could and do spend many hours just sitting in those big comfortable chairs in the mall walkways watching people while my wife shops. I start out looking at the height of different people. Are they tall? Are they short? Then I look at what they are wearing. I sometimes ask myself what they were thinking when they left the house that day. I often ask what the parents were thinking when their kids left home that day. Then I look at all the different hair styles. Is it straight or curly; short or long; spiky or flat; traditional or wild; neat or messy? I could spend almost all my time on this one area! I look at who they are with. Are they with friends, family, or by themselves?
I finally get to all the faces. What are their eyes saying about them? Are they smiling or are they frowning? Why are they smiling? Why are they frowning? I think about what could be going on in their life right at that moment that makes them look the way they do. I have to be totally honest, the more I look at people, I see a lot of lonely, sad people. Too many people go around with a long face. As I people watch, I see very few people with a smile on their face seeming happy to be alive. All this watching makes me think about my face. Am I showing to those that are watching me that I am happy and that I serve a God who brings me joy?
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
When you smile at someone, that person can’t help but return the favor. It’s like turning on a bright light in a world threatened by darkness. Besides, you have good reason to walk around all the time with a smile on your face - not because of something you have done, but because of the undeniable truth that God loves you. As a result of His great love for you, God acted through Jesus to give you free and eternal salvation. That alone should certainly make you smile!
I smile when I think about
The way You've turned my life around
I smile when I think about
The happiness in You I've found
I'm so amazed at what Your love has done
And when I think the best is yet to come
I smile!
I smile!
Aaron Hodges
“All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?”
Paul McCartney, 1966
Too often I get the opportunity to go with my wife to the mall. It is always a lovely time with my wife, but a dreadful time at the mall. I really despise shopping. I know that most of you women don’t understand this; it’s just a guy thing. Shopping to me is knowing what you need in the store, going in and getting it, and then getting out as soon as possible. I know that is not my wife’s idea of shopping, so when I go with her, I spend a lot of time people watching. I could and do spend many hours just sitting in those big comfortable chairs in the mall walkways watching people while my wife shops. I start out looking at the height of different people. Are they tall? Are they short? Then I look at what they are wearing. I sometimes ask myself what they were thinking when they left the house that day. I often ask what the parents were thinking when their kids left home that day. Then I look at all the different hair styles. Is it straight or curly; short or long; spiky or flat; traditional or wild; neat or messy? I could spend almost all my time on this one area! I look at who they are with. Are they with friends, family, or by themselves?
I finally get to all the faces. What are their eyes saying about them? Are they smiling or are they frowning? Why are they smiling? Why are they frowning? I think about what could be going on in their life right at that moment that makes them look the way they do. I have to be totally honest, the more I look at people, I see a lot of lonely, sad people. Too many people go around with a long face. As I people watch, I see very few people with a smile on their face seeming happy to be alive. All this watching makes me think about my face. Am I showing to those that are watching me that I am happy and that I serve a God who brings me joy?
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
When you smile at someone, that person can’t help but return the favor. It’s like turning on a bright light in a world threatened by darkness. Besides, you have good reason to walk around all the time with a smile on your face - not because of something you have done, but because of the undeniable truth that God loves you. As a result of His great love for you, God acted through Jesus to give you free and eternal salvation. That alone should certainly make you smile!
I smile when I think about
The way You've turned my life around
I smile when I think about
The happiness in You I've found
I'm so amazed at what Your love has done
And when I think the best is yet to come
I smile!
I smile!
Aaron Hodges
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