He is For You

Jeremiah 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

As a parent, there are many times I have to tell my daughters no. Do I like to? No. I am doing it to be mean? No. Am I trying to punish and control them? No. Do I have their best interest in mind? Yes! When my one-year-old thinks it may be a good idea to brush her hair with a hot iron or test to see if the light in the fridge really does turn off if you close the door from the inside, I tell her, “no!”. It’s not that I’m being a dictator and taking the flavor and fun out of life. Well, maybe a little. I often wanted to test the fridge light when I was young as well.

Everything I do for my children is out of love. Believe it or not, parents really do know best sometimes. Don’t ever let mine hear me say that, but it is the honest truth most of the time. It’s not just that I’m a few inches taller than my baby girls, I’m actually a wee-bit wiser as well. The combination of these two factors allows me to see a little further down the road, as decision making and consequences are concerned. For them, not me of course… I’m still working on that part of the puzzle.

Is it any different with our heavenly Father? Does He tell us no in order to hurt or punish us? Is the end of a road for us the beginning of one of His punch lines to Gabriel? No! Does He (being omnipotent) posses the ability to see further than our immediate circumstances? The Bible tell us God knows the beginning and the end. I think I can trust His opinion as to whether I should move to L.A. and take up acting or stay in Oregon to live the humble life of a God follower.

Believe it or not, God is for us. There have been plenty of times in my life that I have stopped dead in my tracks as yet another door has been slammed in my face, dropped to my knees and cried out, “Why?!”, at the top of my lungs. Just because I don’t understand the reasoning of the One who, with three words created light, doesn’t mean that His intentions are bad. Not understanding doesn’t mean that God is out to get me or harm me. For all I know, He’s probably saving me from a life of certain pain and misery; saving me from a life I would have, if I did not listen to Him. Looking back, He’s been doing just that all along.

God is for you,
Like the Spring is to re-birth.
His love fills the heavens,
Spilling over to the earth.

Our receivers set to transmit,
Not listening to the source.
Self-righteous desires fill the waves,
And forever set the course.

The test is if we’ll listen,
Or on our own path keep on going.
His answers not always pleasing,
But faith comes not from knowing.

Psalm 40:2,He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

Father Hold Me

Psalm 120:1, I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.

My greatest joy comes from being a father. I have the two most beautiful little girls on the planet (every father thinks this, right?). I can watch them for hours. One of my favorite things to do is watch how they react to different situations. Seeing their little faces light up just before an uncontrollable laughing fit comes on has to rank at the top. I also find joy in the expression when they don’t quite understand just what is going on around them and they reach up and cry out, “daddy hold me”. It’s not that I like them to be frightened or confused, this actually breaks my heart a bit. I find joy in the fact that they know when they call out for me, I’m there.

I sweep them up and hold them close to me. Wrapping my arms tight around their little bodies, I whisper, “daddy’s got you”. I can feel the tension dissipate as they melt into me and I rock them back and forth and pat their back. “Daddy hold me,” has got to one of my favorite things my daughters can say to me. Next to I love you or I missed you, of course.

My job calls me to travel every month. Being away from my little angels is one of the hardest things to do. I travel so often that my oldest thinks I’m a pilot. Every time we see an airplane in the air she asks if that’s my plane or if that’s what I fly. Then she usually asks when I’m leaving again and if she can come with me. I hate that part.

On my last business trip to Virginia, I was gone for a week. On a packed flight headed home to Portland, OR, I could think of only one thing: my girls. I was picturing the homecoming and the flight seemed to be taking forever. The seat belt light came on unexpectedly as the aircraft hit some bad turbulence. Two seconds was not an adequate warning period to take your seat and buckle up. The plane felt as though it dropped 200 feet in a second and began to bounce as if we were 4-wheeling through the back woods of Wyoming.

With the voice of a child I cried out to the Lord, “Father hold me!”. My hands reached out expecting Him to pull me from the plane. People screamed, some fell, and even the flight attendants ran for their seats. The hum of a contemporaneous prayer filled the walls of the airborne coffin. Sitting in an aisle seat, I witnessed people joining hands from across the rows.

The airplane found calm air as quickly as it was thrown into a raging sea of turbulence. The passengers and flight attendants calmed and resumed to normal activity as if nothing had happened. A few thanked God and wrapped up their prayers aloud. Me, I held on to the hand of God tighter than the seat belt held on to my waist unit the aircraft touched down in Portland.

It’s interesting to look back and see the events as if I am watching it on television. I can see my face when panic and uncertainty struck. I can see the blood stop pumping and my chest quit rising for a whole minute as I waited for the nose of the plane to drop straight down. I can give witness to the calm that swept over my eyes as I called out to my Father to hold me. I can attest to the knowledge that when I called out to the Lord, He was there to protect and hold me. With voices, hearts and faith as children, may we all cry out to the Lord and find Him waiting with open arms.

1 John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

Me, the Mountain

Matthew 17:20, … Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

When I wait on the will of God I don’t stop the trajectory He has me traveling. I don’t wait for an audible answer as to how I should proceed. If you’re waiting for God to send you a text message, Facebook, or smoke signal I’d suggest grabbing a Snickers bar.

There was a time when I used to sit around waiting for God to move me. Oddly enough, kicked back on the sofa watching reality T.V. did not move me closer to the dreams the Holy Spirit was whispering to my heart. I would go to church on Sunday and tell people how I was waiting on the Lord. Being the hands and feet of Christ does not mean that if you stand in place long enough He is going to move your hands and feet like a puppet, walk you up to a stranger and work your vocal cords to speak the Good News. It’s my belief and experience that God will put the desire in your heart to make a move. It’s up to us to take the step.

I have experienced that God puts people in our path who need to hear from Him. I may be sitting on the train home from work when the person next to me makes a comment about being lost or lonely or whatever. When this happens, I’m probably in the middle of a God appointment. Although He’s not pulling the strings, He is calling me to move. It would be easy to just nod my head and say, “I hear that”, or, “yeah, life sucks dude.” But if you speak with conviction about why you don’t agree with their negative outlook, if you vocalize exactly how you find peace and happiness (hopefully this is a story about how God has touched you), then He will bless that appointment and move you in a way that will speak to their heart.

Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalm 37:24

God Major

Psalm 37:24, Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

I’m currently taking my last class at community college and am gearing up to move on to university. As I look to the future, I see two paths before me. On one side I have an opportunity to have my current employer reimburse me for classes in business project management which will further my career status and pay. I have two baby daughters: Olyve Rose (2 ½) and Posie Violet (1) and a wife who depend on my support, both financially and as a leader of our family. Making more money is always a good thing when you calculate the cost of diapers, clothes, food, etc. It’s obviously not everything though because on the other side, I have an opportunity to serve God as a Christian Counselor. Counseling is definitely on the other spectrum of employment compared to what I do now in the corporate world, but I truly feel like it’s what I was called to do.

Ever since I was a little kid I knew that I wanted to be a counselor. When I was in elementary school my mother dropped my brother and I off early at school so she could make it to work on time. As far back as 7-years-old my teachers would spill their guts to me about their lives as I sat wide-eyed listening intently to every word. I gave simple advice as I did not have worldly experience. I possessed the heart, mind, and faith of a child.

When I first began state college I enrolled to become an addictions counselor. I knew that God turned the tides of the sub-prime market which lead me to the open doors of re-education. I was very enthralled in my studies. Passionate is the only way to describe the way I felt when I sat in lecture and read books on counseling practices. One of my instructors even gave me a part-time job at one of the boy’s homes oversaw. At first, people I worked with thought it was strange I was working in a social service position that required a bachelor degree. In fact, most the employees there either had, or were working to get, a master’s degree. After my first month working with the boys who lived at the center, everyone was pushing for me to become a permanent full-time staff. I was told by more than one person, “this is what you’re supposed to be doing”. I was serving the Lord through a ministry He was building through me and I was on fire for it.

After the first year of school my wife became pregnant with our second daughter. I panicked and quickly switched majors to a career path that would lead to more money, which to me equaled more stability and security. I left the boys home and ran from God’s plan. I sprinted down my own road to the paralegal studies program through the same community college God walked me to on my first day.

God didn’t lose hope in me though and I never lost the desire He whispered to my heart. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about being a counselor. Helping to heal broken hearts in the name of Jesus would be the greatest job I could possibly ask for. So, as gear up to continue my education I am again presented with a choice: God’s plan or my own. I can create a pro’s and con’s list for both, but when they’re filtered by level of importance, God’s plan would still come out as #1 pro to move down His road.

I thought it may be a good idea to major in project management and minor in psychology. I could get my master’s degree in Christian counseling with either BA. But then the question struck me, should I minor in God? Should I keep my plan and second guess His design for me? What will it look like if I take away utter dependence on Him? It’s scary for me to think about putting all my eggs into the counseling basket. It will force me into a master’s program. Getting a job with a BA in psychology is pretty hard to do now days. But then again, God did make the basket, the eggs, and the chickens for that matter. If He wants me to work as a Christian counselor, He will make it happen if I only trust Him and follow His lead.

So, to get to the moral of the short story gone long… I know that God put this desire to be a counselor on my heart; the path was created before I was. I know that I want to teach my kids to listen to and follow the voice of the Spirit. I know that following His path may be more complicated for my life. I know that God will provide. I know I’m a little scared. I know that this process requires an act of faith.

2 Peter 1:10, My brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.

Out On My Own

Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I’m begging to realize,
These God-sized dreams,
Are not plan-able,
But they are tangible,
In His own time,
Not mine,
Less He would shine,
For all to see His ways,
Because these days,
His glory,
Is missing more than a little too much.

‘Cause we pray,
That we’ll stay,
Just a little more true to what we know.
As He shows,
Us that we are a little more than what we know,
But He grows,
Our patience and spirits,
And sometimes it’s a little like the hard way,
When we stay,
A little too close to what we tried to do before.

What’s in store,
Is a little more than what we’re deservin’,
For certain,
But He keeps on reaching out to wipe our tears away.
He’ll save the day,
Just like He did before and every time we need Him.

So I reach up,
While He’s reachin’ out,
While I’m on my knees,
And I’m beggin please,
God don’t forget your promise.
You are my fortress,
In your lap I rest my weary head,
Instead of relying on my own understanding.

For I have seen,
What it looks like to do it on my own,
And you’ve shown,
Me what it feels like to depend on you.
You follow through.
You never stop loving me,
And I’ll never stop loving you.

John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Pick it Up

Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What does it mean to surrender? What do you picture when you hear, “take up your cross and follow me”? I used to think that I had to give away everything I own, less a small bag of clothes, and begin walking the earth spreading the Good News. Being a bit melodramatic and a black-and-white thinker, following Jesus was all or nothing. If I could not give up everything from this world that made me happy, then I was doomed. Not very good motivation for taking up the cross on a daily basis. I would rise in the morning and think, I can’t do it so why try.

I’m happy to say that now days I see things a bit different. I no longer feel that I must build an orphanage in Africa or save persecuted Chinese Christians on a daily basis to do the work of Christ. Here’s how it goes for me: I’m driving down the street and see a woman waiting for the bus in the poring NW rain. Knowing that I have an umbrella in the back seat of my car, I slow to a stop while rolling down the window and hand her the umbrella. An explanation of why I’m stopping and giving up my umbrella is not necessary. The woman understands and realizes why I stopped and what just happened. I had something that I did not need and saw someone who did. Being moved to reacting on situations like this can be the hand of God in someones life.

Looking for opportunity to serve the Lord does not necessarily need to be a full time job. In fact, I’m at my full time job right now writing this blog post. ;O)

When we keep ourselves open to serving the Lord, He presents situations that allow us to surrender ourselves in order to be His hands and feet. It’s easy to keep on our way, with our heads down and blinders on. We’re all busy doing very important things, right?

I have come to realize that if I act on part of Jesus when situations are put before me, I am all in. I’m not building churches or orphanages, I’m not raising money or awareness for the child trafficking epidemic, but I can do something. Even the acts that appear small and trivial to one person can brighten the world to another and show them there is still light and love in this world.

Being the hands and feet of God is the ultimate surrender. To put aside your own trivial stresses and focus on the needs of someone less fortunate, is to pick up the cross and follow the will of Christ. So pick it up and see where it takes you!

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Child of One

From my overgrown nails,
To the tips of my hair,
I am aware…

Of the light within me,
In all things;
In the green grass under my toes,
To the sky so blue,
Over head.

I turn to Jesus instead,
Of a life of pain,
Choices without gain;
A life of truth.

Swallowing hard,
I stand between a rock,
And this place.
No disgrace,
When I turn it over to Him,
I win.

A guiding hand,
A shinning light,
Through the dark of night,
There is still fight within me.
You will see:

A new man,
A found cause,
But it’s for and because,
Of His plan,
For me.

Hard to say,
But I have faith,
I’ve seen enough,
To have a taste,
Of His will,
Within me.

As I give up to Jesus,
And his father,
I’m filled with grace,
Yet I bother,
To hold on to slight reservation.

Yet this sensation takes it,
From me,
For me,
Through me,
And towards me,
Until I can see…
He is holding me,
Because I am His child.

Our father in heaven,
The one,
In three,
He’s filling me,
With honor, trust, faith, respect, and grace,
At my pace,
What I can take,
Process and understand.

Through faith,
That He died for me,
Yet He has risen;
Ascended,
Never ended;
Is at home,
Guiding,
Loving,
Waiting,
For me to listen.

Chad Phillippi