.A HUNDRED HUGS.

.A HUNDRED HUGS.

Sometimes, when my kids are sick, I just feel helpless. And when I see them miserable, it hurts so deeply to not be able to do more for them. I just love them so much, my heart aches.

Sarah, the younger of my two angels, is getting close to 4 years old. And last month at this time, she was sick with a cold. It went through the house, we all got sick, we all got better… then just a couple weeks later, Sarah got sick again. And she was just miserable. Every time she coughs, I'm reminded that she is not well, and there's nothing more I can do…

And now today, Ruthie is starting to cough more. SIGH. I know things could be MUCH worse, but even the slightest ailment makes me want to do everything I can for them. Which never feels like enough.

While Sarah was sick, I prayed with and for her, and told her I would give her a hundred hugs to help her feel better. She has improved much, and before they went to bed tonight, we were at 39. We're both keeping count.

I love them with everything I've got. They say being a father gives you some insight into what God is like. Into how He loves us. I can't imagine how much it hurts Him when we are sick. When we are physically ailing, emotionally distressed, spiritually troubled… God loves us and does not want that for us. In fact, the most obvious evidence of his love was that he let HIS Son Jesus die – though that unquestionably hurt Him very much. He let Jesus die so that we could see His love! So that we could KNOW His love!

Maybe you need to read a love story from God to you. Check out First John chapter 4, beginning with verse 7.

This month's project? Soak in God's love. Perhaps your heart is hurt, and you need God to begin to heal it. Just be assured that the healing begins with the realization that God loves loves LOVES LOVES you. A hundred hugs' worth.

Aaron

.THE LORD PROVIDES.

Welcome back to SEVENS, a once-monthly devotional thought designed to help us think about God and DO something about it. This month...

.THE LORD PROVIDES.

Deuteronomy 8 begins:

1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. God delivered them from that slavery. Yet even as they traveled from slavery to the promised land, they grumbled about it. They even wished they were back in Egypt. So on the way to their destination, He caused them to wander through the wilderness for 40 years. Forty years!

But even God's punishment came laced with blessings. He provided for them everything they needed. Their food, their water, their protection from the elements, their direction... they couldn't get any of it anywhere else but FROM GOD HIMSELF!

The Israelites needed to be reminded that God had provided for them. They also needed to be reminded that they should return the favor by living by His commands. And we would do well to remember the same: God provides, protects and guides. Just look around and see all that He has done.

I want to show you something...

I got these shoes on the day of my wedding - in October of the year 2000. And they were already used when I got them. I've worn them every Sunday since, and on countless other occasions when I needed something nicer than tennis shoes. But through all this time, they haven't worn out. I've taken to calling them my "wilderness shoes" because they constantly remind me of those verses in Deuteronomy. As I get ready each Sunday morning for worship, for teaching, for fellowship... they remind me of one simple truth.

The Lord provides.

Tomorrow we gather for the very first time to worship at our new location: 321 Log Cabin Road! Some have drawn parallels between this relocation and the stories of the Exodus to the promised land. It's certain that God has provided for us, and has guided us, over the last few years. He has led us to move to a new place.

I'm guessing it's about time to get some new shoes. But I'm glad to see God's blessings all throughout my life. As I type this, my wife is singing bedtime prayers with my two beautiful children. They are blessings, indeed! Tomorrow, I will teach the Word to middle school students. Blessings! I have a warm bed and toilets that work and two cars and I can read and I have a nice office with a brand new love seat… and… well, the blessings are everywhere!

May such commonplace things as these remind you of God's love for you. In fact, that's what this month's project is. Go on and comment below about something that reminds you of God's provision, protection, guidance… and His love.

Aaron

.LIFE or DEATH.

Welcome back to SEVENS, a once-monthly devotional thought designed to help us think about God and DO something about it. This month, I just want you to pray as you read...

.LIFE or DEATH.
This one is dedicated to DeeDee and Agnes.
I love you and I hope these words help in your sadness.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:21

That's a heavy verse. Why? Well... because it means that there are only two options - live or die. (well DUH, Aaron!)

The first is elaborated on in this verse:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
Galatians 2:20

So when we say "to live is Christ" we mean "Hey, if I'm gonna live, It's gonna be so I can give Christ my hands, my feet, my heart, to be used however he wants." Our life is to be a fulfilling of Christ's purpose, his cause here on Earth. Whatever time we are given should be used for God's glory. It should be used to further the cause of worshiping our Maker and telling others about Him so they will yearn to worship Him just like we do.

Then there's death. When Paul said "to die is gain" he just meant "If I die, I get my finial reward." There's a song that says, 'everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.' I agree. Sure, we all want to get to heaven, and maybe get wings and fly all over, and oh yeah - see JESUS face to face... but we don't want to have to die to get there. It is a rather scary thing. But you know what?

I believe with all I am that Jesus will be there to grab me the moment this body fails.

And I believe there won't be even a moment where I'm wondering what's happening to me. I have assurance from I John 5:13 - it's a lock for me! Sure, not everyone has that assurance, but you can if you refer back to that first verse: TO LIVE IS CHRIST. So a new thought comes out of it: Live for Christ, and dying is gain.

So there it is. If God chooses to give us this day to live, we must use it to serve Him, and to fall more deeply in love with Him. And if God chooses to take us to Heaven, then everything else fades away, and there is just HIM. Wonderful, beautiful, glorious Jesus.

So spend time getting to know Him NOW so that when you meet Him face to face, you'll recognize Him! :)
Aaron

REMEMBER: This thought, along with all the previous SEVENS devotions, are available on the SEVENS blog. Let's discuss how you're putting these thoughts into action. Read 'em... and then comment at http://sevens-devo.blogspot.com/

.ACTIVATE.

This thought occurred to me this morning: I write this sentence every month in the introduction to SEVENS: "It's a once-monthly devotional thought that is supposed to help us think about God and DO something about it."
Well then... let's DO something.

.ACTIVATE.

I want to know what difference this devotional project has made... to know if this stuff is getting done. Please take a look at the different "assignments" through the months, listed below. Find something you can do. Click on it directly or go straight to http://sevens-devo.blogspot.com/ and read about it. Go do it! Then maybe you can talk to someone else about it, and go out and accomplish it together. Then to back to the blog and comment on how you lived it out - helping others accomplish it too.

I don't write so you can say "Hey Aaron, nice thoughts" (although that does help, haha). I write so that you as a follower of Christ will be encouraged to live out your beliefs in a lifestyle of faith. Activate. Activate.

Here are all the previous assignments:
Oct 07: Pray with scripture as "conversation starters."
Nov: Write out all the blessings you can think of.
Dec: Make the best of every breath you have.
Jan 08: Consider those all around you with needs - and help.
Feb: Love the unloved.
Mar: Serve the Lord with gladness - it's a privilege.
Apr/May: Write devotional thoughts of your own and share them.
Jun: Love with your hands and feet - to love is to serve.
Jul: Do the most spiritual thing - though it might seem "unimportant."
Aug: Pray for salvation to come to a dark world.
Sep: Read and study the Word of God more effectively.
Oct: Disengage from the routine and spend time alone with God.
Nov: We need to be on our knees in prayer.

and TODAY: GET UP AND DO IT FOR HIS SAKE!
Aaron
(Originally published on December 7, 2008)

.PRAY.

Volume 14...

.PRAY.

Yep, that's pretty simple. In fact, that's where we started SEVENS, over a year ago. And last month, I was kind of getting at this point too, when I commented on how I kept seeing the scriptures saying things like "Jesus went off to a solitary place to pray."

But really, isn't this where we need to be? On our knees in prayer?

As I type this, we are about 3 hours into a 24-hour prayer vigil at Northridge, where I serve as youth minister. You probably know how it works: people in our church family have been asked to set aside 30 minutes, to peel away from our busy schedules and forget everything else... just for 30 minutes... and pray. There's even a sheet that has been put together with plenty of things people have brought to our attention - from the salvation of loved ones, to cancer, to financial difficulty, to depression... and so much more. People often say they wouldn't know what to pray for, but then they give it a try, they see this list we've made, and during their time in prayer, they think of so many more things that are on their heart... and they come out 45 minutes or an hour later saying, "Oops, I 'went over' a bit. I didn't even get halfway through my list!"

So what happened in there? I guess God wasn't watching his clock. He had a little more in mind than our 30 minutes.

Looks like maybe we could spend more time in prayer if we just ALLOWED it to be as important as it REALLY IS... I don't want to belabor the obvious, but we're talking about spending time alone with the Creator and Sustainer... our Savior and our Lord...

He wants that time. And we just have a thousand things that get in the way. Well, push them out of the way tonight. No matter where you are, have your own little vigil. Make an appointment to open your heart up and talk with YAHWEH SABAOTH - the LORD ALMIGHTY.

You'll find He's been waiting for you.
And you may also find he wants more than 30 minutes.
Aaron
(Originally published November 7, 2008)

.DISENGAGE.

Hey, check it out! It's the SEVENS Anniversary Issue. Yep, SEVENS started a year ago. Maybe it's time for a new look. Maybe I should add a shiny foil cover and double the price! But seriously - let's keep this one short. You and I don't need to be sitting in front of our computers typing and reading. We need to get up and get outta here. So if you're getting this for the first time, give it a read and let me know what you think. It's a once-monthly devotional thought that is supposed to help us think about God and DO something about it. So here goes.

.DISENGAGE.

Been reading Matthew, and I noticed a lot of talk about Jesus retreating off to a private place. Usually it's something like "at daybreak Jesus went off to a solitary place to pray." Jesus withdrew. This is supposed to be this super great guy! Why does he want to be alone?

He often did this kind of stuff right before (or right after) meeting with a crowd of people. Try to read the gospels without noticing the phrases like "the crowds followed him" or "the crowds were amazed" or "seeing the crowds, he had compassion..." This guy's constantly being surrounded by the people he came to save. The ones he loves. He even hopped into a boat and backed up into the lake to give himself some space to teach!

So what's he doing? Praying and fasting (Matt.4). Gathering the courage to achieve his purpose (Matt.26). Listening to the encouragement of His Father (Matt.17). Once he even withdrew because he was sad (Matt.14).
Hmmm... so now I'm thinking... if Jesus had to do it, WHY DON'T WE?

Literally and figuratively speaking, crowds can be overwhelming. Who or what is crowding you? Or do you even notice? Ar you so used to the "daily grind" that you can't or won't escape it?

When was the last time you separated yourself from the routine, retreated from the "crowds" of work or bills or worries or running errands or TV or just whatever tasks seem so pressing... and went to a solitary place to just BE with the Lord?

It's been too long, hasn't it? I'm gonna say yes for me. How bout you? Make it a point to get away and spend time with God. Make it a point to disengage.
(Originally published October 7, 2008)

.READIT.

Volume 12:

.READIT.

When I was a young kid there was a commercial that showed a bunch of frogs, and one of them was offering books around to the others and asking them to "readit." Of course it sounded like a ribbit. This had to have been over 25 years ago, but I still remember it. So the frog is offering these books, and they are all taking them and enjoying them... and that commercial played its small part in helping me fall in love with reading. The rest is history, haha.

Okay... "illustration two." For the last couple months, I have been encouraging the students in our middle school class to simply read their Bibles. We've gotten journals and the purpose is to give them an opportunity to read something, write a little about it, and bring that back to class, so we can discuss what we've seen from the Word each week. We started by discussing a few things that would help them make their reading time more effective, and came up with a list of nine TIPS (so far). I would like to share those "TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE BIBLE STUDY" with you now, and then ask you to shoot back at me with some additional tips if you have any. Some of them may only specifically apply to our class, but perhaps you can see the spirit with which they were intended, and make the best of it.

1. UNDERSTANDING: Always pray before you read.
- Simply ask God to help you understand what He's teaching you through what you read today.

2. REINFORCING: Take some notes!
- If you don't have a Bible journal, get one. The more you involve yourself in the reading, the more you will remember.

3. PERSEVERANCE: Stick with it!
- It's not always going to be immediately gratifying. True discipleship takes time. Good habits take from 21-30 days to form.

4. ACCOUNTABILITY: Always bring your Bible and journal to class.
- Showing others that you have spent time studying really helps keep you honest.

5. CONSISTENCY: Use a Bible that belongs to you - buy one if necessary.
- It should be worth it, in order to have the tools necessary to grow with God. And it makes it easier to do #6.

6. PERSONALIZE: Underline the stuff that hits you.
- Your Bible should look like you use it. When you come back to a passage you have read, you can see the places where God really spoke to you, and it will remind you that you have been on a journey with God!

7. CONTEXT: Finish whatever book you start, no matter how long it takes.
- The best understanding of the Word comes from taking things in the proper context, and you will get the best of that when you read books, not random chapters.

8. FOLLOW-THROUGH: Participate every time you're in class.
- The whole purpose of doing this is to grow in community, and we intend to discuss the scriptures we've read each week. Tell your peers (in whatever class you attend) something that really struck you. Ask a question about something you might not have understood. And that also means getting yourself TO class each week. Some weeks that will be easy, other weeks you will need to drag yourself out of bed; but God rewards discipline.

9. BITE-SIZE: Read whole chapters.
- With very few exceptions, you can read a whole chapter of scripture in less than 5 minutes. Just as tip 7 speaks of context, you really can't get a good idea of what you're reading if you don't at least read a chapter a day. For some of you that will take some discipline. But you can do it.

(10. more to come...)

Okay, so there it is. I would love to write much more on each of these, but I have always tried VERY hard to keep these things "blessedly brief."

And I know some of you may be beyond these basic tips, but I would especially like to enlist your help in making my class more effective with your added insights... your thoughts on how you have fallen in love with the Word, how you study, how you find nourishment in it. And to those who may not be reading their Bible, I hope to provide some encouragement to you. For HIS sake, for YOUR sake, get up from the computer right now, and go read your Bible! All I can say is what I've said to my class... when I teach, my ONLY goal is to create disciples. And disciples, by definition, must spend time with their master. If you aren't praying and reading the Word, how are you a disciple?

Let’s READIT.

SEVENS: Do not merely listen to the word... do what it says. James 1:22.
Aaron

NOTE to PARENTS: If you have a middle schooler in your house, and they are a part of the Northridge family (or could be), ask them about it. Give them a little reminder once in a while. Get involved in their growth. It can only help. [PS we're still doing this in our class in December! Keep asking your kids to read!]

(Originally published September 7, 2008)