Sabbatical Ends

We ended our sabbatical together in the mountains of Tennessee. Our family stayed at Fairhaven Ministries, which is a Christian ministry that houses Pastoral families and Christian workers. We spent time together as a family and invested time in each other. We went canoeing, blackberry picking, hiking, played board games, reading, and much more. It was a wonderful time for our family to renew and refresh together. The last day of my sabbatical (this last Wednesday) was spent hiking to the top of Roan Mountain on the Appalachian trail. You can see us in the picture above. It was a fun hike. I told the Lord I could spend days upon days up there with Him. It was a beautiful and wonderful place to be. Thank you for checking in on this blog. It was good to hear from you and it was good to be able to connect with you while I was away. We are now in vacation mode. We are looking forward to coming home soon. I told Amanda that I can't wait to come home and buy some freshly picked sweet corn! Take care and we will see you soon!

Pastor Paul and Family

Timely Advice

Thoughts from Exodus 18.

Moses was in the thick of it. It had only been a couple of months since Israel had left Egypt and he was working non-stop. He did not sign up for this. He did not realize that he was going to be settling disputes for the whole nation of Israel. Every night he would collapse in his bed with a bad headache. He may have thought these thoughts: “These people need help! They are a bunch of overgrown children! They have grown up as slaves and don’t know what to do on their own. They can’t even settle their own disputes!” Although Scripture does not say this, I am positive that Moses cried out to God. I would have. “Help me, Lord. I am lost. I am not sure what to do. I have never led a group this size and this dysfunctional. I am over my head here and I am sinking fast.”

God heard Moses’ cry. So what does God do? He sends out Moses’ father-in-law. I know what you’re thinking, but God can use in-law’s. :) Not only does He bring out his father-in-law but he sends out his wife and kids. God knew that it was difficult for Moses to be all alone; it was time to reunite him with his family. What a reunion it was! Moses put his work on hold and had a spontaneous family day. There was much to celebrate and to catch up on. Moses began telling all the stories and the amazing miracles that God had performed. His father-in-law was very excited! He began ascribing to God the glory due His name! Jethro became a believer.

Jethro ran out and gathered together an offering for the Lord. “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods!” Moses called Aaron and all the other elders of Israel and they joined in with Jethro and celebrated the work of the Lord. What an act of worship!

The very next day, work came knocking on Moses’ door. The family reunion was short lived. The brief glimpse of happiness was gone under the cloud of overwhelming duties that needed to be accomplished. Moses worked for the next 16 hours straight. People lined up to speak to him. Jethro took note and watched in amazement. He noticed how overwhelmed his son-in-law had become.

When the exhausting day was over, Jethro took the opportunity to speak to Moses. “What are you doing? Why do you do this alone? Why do you do this all day and barely take time to eat meals?” Moses explained to Jethro that it needed to be done and the people came to him to settle disputes and discern God’s will.

Jethro listened graciously and decided it was time to pull out the father-in-law card. “That is stupid!” Well…he did not say it this way but Moses may have felt it. “The work is too heavy for you; you are not able to handle it alone.” Yeah…tell me something I don’t know! I am sure Moses was beginning to be annoyed. Jethro then proceeds to give Moses some advice on how to do his job.

Timely advice. Morsel of wisdom. God brings wisdom and advice to us from the most unlikely people at times. The temptation is usually to write them off and cast them aside. Moses out of all people had every right not to listen to Jethro. After all, who had a face to face encounter with the great “I AM”? Who was it that led the nation of Israel across the Red Sea on dry ground? Who was having mountain side chats with the Creator? Why should Moses take Jethro’s advice? “Who does Jethro think he is? Why is he telling me how to do my job?” These could have been Moses’ thoughts but he was a wise man. Therefore, he would “heed correction and gain understanding.” (Prove. 15:32) This is exactly what he did. Without argument and without hesitation, Moses knew that God had spoken to him through his father-in-law. (This may have been a greater miracle than speaking through a mountain or a burning bush!) Moses listened and did everything his father-in-law told him he should do.

I love timely advice! You never know where it will come from or what it will be. However, it will usually hit you square between your eyes. What you decide to do with it will determine your outcome. If Moses would have ignored this advice, it is very possible that he would have burned out. He would have neglected his time alone with God because he was too busy. What would have happened to Israel if they had a leader who was too busy to walk and talk with God? I am sure that the outcome would be much different today. Listen to Proverbs 21:1: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Then Proverbs 19:20 says it all, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”

Are you taking a fool’s path or the path of a righteous man? Receive correction and love discipline. In the end you will be wiser.

Check out these follow-up verses:

Proverbs 9:8-9; 10:17; 13:18; 15:31-32; 28:23; 23:12; 25:11-12; 29:1; 12:1; 15:5; 21:11; 19:20; 19:25

Screaming Baby

Sleep has been really difficult for Amanda and I in the past week. We are staying at Amanda's parents house and we are staying in one room. Amanda's brother and family are in the room beside us and they have a young child. Then across the hall, her sister and their family are staying for a week of vacation. It feels like we are in a crowded motel. Let's just say that when one child cries, the rooms next door hear it. Our little Autumn has just started teething. What a great time for it! I thought part of the reason for a sabbatical was to rest from the normal routine. (Normal Routine = lack of sleep) Well, let's just say that Autumn has not helped with the sleep factor. Every night she wakes up crying. How do you sooth a teething child? There are many ideas and remedies...but sometimes none of them work.

The other night Amanda had enough. She was not able to sooth Autumn and the screaming was driving her bonkers. The worst part was thinking that we were waking everybody in the house up. It was my turn. I patted Autumn's back. I scratched her back. I said nice calm words to her. I stuck the pacifier in her mouth. I laid her head down. Nothing worked. The screaming intensified. My eardrums were buzzing because it was so loud. I could feel my blood boiling inside. A screaming child can cause the worse to come out of you. It can reach in to the depths of your heart and pull out all the evil it can find. This particular day in my sabbatical was a time of worship and thanksgiving...what a way to end it.

I redirected my focus to the Lord and rebuked Satan. Through the blood curling screaming, I began singing worship songs. I started thanking the Lord for all the beautiful things I see and love in Autumn. (Her huge eyes. Her loving smile. The way she bounces her arms when she is happy. How she has warmed up to me. The great day I had with her this week bouncing her in my arms.) The screaming stopped...not. It was louder and even more piercing. Amanda was laying on the bed with a pillow over her ears. But, there was peace in my heart and a smile on my face. Eventually Autumn ended up on my chest in bed and she fell asleep. It was a beautiful moment for me. She was sleeping and I was still praising the Lord...at 4 a.m. Maybe God wanted me to continue in worship. Maybe He wanted me to learn patience. Whatever it was...God gave me what I needed and it was a wonderful moment with Creator, Father and child.

Ascribe to the Lord the Glory Due His Name

God desires for us to praise Him and to give Him glory. Has God ever set the stage so that He could overcome a great obstacle before your very eyes? Wait. You didn’t think that God would set obstacles before you? God deserves all of our worship. He deserves to receive praise. He deserves to be ascribed glory and strength (Ps. 96:7). But, we so quickly forget about His greatness…and the worship ceases.

Look at Exodus. I would like you to walk through Exodus chapter 14. God decides to put Israel in a bind…by His own doing. He set the stage for there to be a check mate for the Egyptian army. He made the Israelites take a u-turn and head straight back the way they came and then He had them camp next to the Red Sea. He did this so that Israel would look confused and would seem like sitting ducks before the Egyptians. He then proceeds to harden Pharaoh’s heart and allows Pharaoh to gather up his entire army. Pharaoh takes off like a jack rabbit towards the Israelites. We are talking about all the chariots in Egypt, horses and troops.

The stage is set. Talk about having to face all odds. This is better than any movie. This was a David and Goliath. God set this whole thing up. God placed the Israelites in a location where they would be boxed in. God caused Pharaoh and his troops to give chase. God set-up this entire showdown! You see, God was sick of hearing Israel’s whining and seeing their lack of faith. God was disgusted at the great and mighty Egyptians exalting themselves and feeling self-sufficient. Why does God do all of this? In order to receive the glory due His name! Don’t believe me? Read for yourself. Exodus 14:4, 17.

You should know the rest of the story. The angel of the God and the pillar of cloud came between the Egyptians and the Israelites and they did not allow any approach during the night. Then God decided to split the Red Sea. Why not? He is God. The Israelites, one million strong, walk to the other side. The Egyptian army then decides to give chase but God throws them in to confusion in the middle of the Red Sea. They finally realize that God is battling for the Israelites (duh!) and begin to flee. Too late! God’s magnificent display is not over yet. God allows the Red Sea to close in and crush the Egyptian army before the eyes of Israel! Wow! Amazing! Doesn’t this story send chills down your spine? What a display of power! If there was any doubt about the power and strength of the great I AM, it was dwarfed by holy fear and the Israelites placed their trust in God.

Where are you placing your trust right now? Are you in a pickle? Do the odds seem to be stacked against you? Do not be stubborn like the Israelites. They needed this great display of glory in order to ascribe praise to God. We have God’s written Word displaying His glory. “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.” (Ps. 96:8a) “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” (Ps. 100:4a) Take a few minutes and worship the Lord right now. Read Psalm 96 to the Lord. Allow this Psalm to resound in your heart!

God's Awesome Creation

Oh Lord, my God. The beauty of your creation astounds me. Your creativity blows my mind. You have created a world in which no man should be able to ignore your power and greatness. You have created a world in which everything points to a magnificent and awesome Creator. Who can fathom Your depths...Oh God? Who can know all about You? The wonders of Your creation point to your attributes.

Angel Falls in Northern Georgia. (Points to your attributes.)

• Breathtaking.


• Huge, yet peaceful.


• Awesome, yet humble.


• Awe inspiring, yet gentle.

I am so glad that you are my God. I am thankful that I am your child. Thank you for lifting me from the depths of sin and giving me life. Not just any life, a full life. A life walking and talking to You.

Lessons from Sally on Stillness

Why is it so hard to be still? I am on my sabbatical and I have a list of to-do's popping up in my head. The worst part is that I am 700 miles away from my office. What is my problem? I tried singing worship songs...but that is not being still. I started to read some Scriptures out loud...but that is not being still. Oh Lord, help me...I want to be still!

The Lord sent Sally. Well, that's the name I gave her. Sally is a salamander...I think. You see, Sally greeted me when I first came to this scenic overlook spot. I took over her rock and she scampered away. Not a good way to start a friendship. As I sat on Sally's rock; I could hear the birds singing, I heard the sounds of insects and I heard the lull roar of the river below. The scenery was magnificent. I was staring straight over a huge river gorge and there was a huge sheer cliff on the other side. But stillness, my one and only goal today, was not coming to me. My heart cried out to God and He sent Sally back out.

I really don't know where she came from. One minute there was just a rock and the next...there was Sally. She was a picture of stillness. She would only move her eyes and sometimes she turned her neck. I decided there was much I could learn from Sally. She was sent out to teach me...so I was all ears and eyes.

She didn't move, so I didn't move. She didn't make a sound, so I didn't make a sound. The stillness soon rushed over me. How beautiful it was. A smile came to my face. I was hearing sounds that I was not hearing earlier. I was seeing things I did not see at first. Thank you Sally. Thank you Lord for hearing my cry.

She moved! Yes...I won! Then I noticed that my lesson from the Lord was not over yet. Sally was hunting food. Stillness was her way of surviving. Stillness and patience was her recipe for survival. We live in a society that is exactly the opposite. Busyness and restlessness is the American way of reaching the American dream. But, it doesn't seem like much of a dream. The Lord is calling out to us! His command...Be Still! You want to survive life? Then you need to learn stillness. God is in the stillness and He is waiting for us to find Him there.

I found You! You were there all along!

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth." - Psalm 46:10

*** Elijah found the Lord in the stillness as well. Check out 1 Kings 19:10-12.

The Joys of Travelling

Well...if you have ever travelled with children, you will understand what I am about to talk about. It can be such "bliss" when you are travelling with young children. Our goal was to leave by 3 p.m. We left Grove City at 7 p.m. I tried my best to keep a positive attitude and a smile on my face. After all, we only had about 700 miles ahead of us. There were so many memorable moments.

The best moment was when Autumn was screaming and she decided that nothing was going to console her. She was in the seat directly behind my driver seat. (How exciting.) At the same time, Josiah was acting like a monkey and yelling at the top of his lungs. Lets not forget the two older more "mature" kids in the back seat. They decided that they did not want to be outdone by the screaming so they chose to have a knock down fight over what DVD to watch. I looked over at Amanda and noticed that she was feeling car sick. So I decided to do what any good father and husband would do in a situation like this, I cranked up Toby Mac and prayed that ear plugs would fall from heaven. :)

The joys of travelling. I wonder what our Father in Heaven feels like sometimes. Screaming baby-like Christians. Bickering in the back pew of the church. Fighting among believers. God's children acting like monkey's. Does God crank up the music in Heaven? Does He roll His eyes and ask the angels to please sing louder. Does He have a giant mute button? I am consoled by the beginning of Romans 15:5 in the NKJV: "Now may the God of patience...". He is a God of many things, but I am so glad that He is a God of patience. It takes much patience to put up with me.

Let's not forget this verse: "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry." - Psalm 40:1. I am so excited to be waiting on the Lord right now. I know that He will hear my cry. I am so looking forward to this first week of my sabbatical. It is going to be a week dedicated to stillness and silence. I have my sights set on some scenic trails in the national forests of Northern Georgia. A time to "walk" with the Lord. Tomorrow will not come soon enough!