I have decided to move all my "stuff" to one place, and the best way to do that was to combine my blog with my web site. So in order to be more efficient and to have more control over what I can do with the blog, I have moved everything to;

www.drewboswell.com I hope to see you there and let me know what you think about the move.

God bless and thanks for reading.

A Path Toward Making A Difference
Nehemiah 1

Let’s go through the first chapter of Nehemiah as a quick devotion together. First go ahead and read the text.

1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king. (ESV)

Nehemiah receives word from his brothers that Jerusalem was destroyed, and his response was brokenness over its condition. But this was not a new occurrence; it had sat this way for over a hundred years. His brothers bring him the news (again this was not “current events.”) and they also seem to upset – so our first question is why are they upset about something that has been that way for a long time and doesn’t really affect Nehemiah?

His response to the news is brokenness over the condition of the land, his own sin, and the sin of the people as a whole. He goes on to quote Scripture (vv.8-9) that says , if they turn from their sin their land could be restored and they could return. So what’s keeping the land in it’s current condition and their own exile was how they viewed their own sin.

He begins with consistent prayer, and the prayer is one of confession (v. 7). He recognizes that his sin (and the sin of the people) have caused them to be “scattered” v.8. He prays specifically for the meeting with the king.

So what do we see here? Nehemiah (and his brothers) is aware of his own sin and then repents. Then his eyes are opened to the spiritual condition of things around him. He can then “see” the condition of how the people are living, and it then breaks his heart. So what keeps us “blind?” – our sin. When we deal with the sin in our lives, we are then able to see the world in a different way.

What was the spiritual condition of Nehemiah’s brothers? They “see” the issue first, and they bring it to their brother’s attention. God then uses Nehemiah to lead an effort to rebuild the city (and it’s walls in 52 days!)

So let’s look at it graphically: (because I am a visual learner):

(1) Information Received (visit from family)

(2) Broken (made aware of his own and other’s sinful condition)

• Recognition of who God is (v. 5)
• Confession of sin – the condition of man (v.6)
• A trust/reliance upon God’s Word (v. 8)

(3) Praying in faith the truths from Scripture

(4) Development of a plan (over days of praying)
• Nehemiah’s plan begins by talking with the king about his condition and the condition of his people.

(5) The (first) meeting
• God works in the king’s heart to assist Nehemiah in the rebuilding project. It is always God’s heart to “rebuild” people’s lives and restore them to a proper relationship with Him. But we have to go through a process of dealing with our sin, and realizing that His ways are always best.


Big Idea from Chapter One: It is God in His grace that makes us aware of our sinful condition and the need for change. He promises us in His Word that if we change, he will put us back on a redemptive path (see Psalm 51, and Ezekiel 18). When we deal with sin our eyes will become open to things we have never “seen” or cared for before. When we pray and fast God will show us what to do. Then we step out in faith.

May javascript:void(0)God bless your journey with Him, step out and do something great today.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

A couple weeks ago Kimberly lost her camera. She had taken it outside to the garage during a yard sale at our home but she was sure that she had brought it inside and had taken it with her to the basement. We both looked all over the house but had essentially given up. I was sure that once we cleaned the basement we would find. So we went on with our lives.

A few days later, Isaac was sitting on the couch and had pulled it out from one of the cushions and was playing with it – but was not able to hide it again once we saw him with it.

While we were not looking he was going around and taking pictures, and then hiding the camera again. He did this with peanut butter m&ms a few months ago. He kept breaking out with a rash (because he is allergic) and we could not find out why – until we found his stash of candy.

So the pictures above are his photos, enjoy. He definitely has his own style.

Kimberly went to Orphanage Emmanuel last year and I could tell it really was a meaningful and spiritually revitalizing time in her life. Upon her return she said that I had to go next year and I was very reluctant to say the least. I did not want to take away from her experience but I had no desire to go – I was dealing with comments in my mind like, “it just about broke us to pay for her trip, how could we both go?” and “How would we take care of the kids?” and on top of all that I knew that if I went, I would probably be “hooked” too.

The last thing I wanted was to fall in love with hundreds of children, and then have to leave them. So I stuffed the thoughts deep in my brain, and Kimberly started praying. Well a year rolled around, Kimberly started raising money so she (we) could go and sure enough, she raised her amount so that it didn’t break us for her to go again.

Then the dreaded phone call came – the pastor who had planned to go had backed out for personal reasons and all eyes seemed to roll on to me. I said, “I couldn’t get my passport soon enough (I did). I couldn’t afford to go (turns out it was already paid for.) Great, they needed a pastor, it was paid for, and Kimberly’s prayers had been answered.

So I went, and the trip was amazing. I had never traveled over-seas, so I was introduced to the Honduran poverty and corruption, but far more importantly I was introduced to a ministry that is truly making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children and has done so for over twenty years.

I could have “knuckled-down” and refused to go, but that would have been going against all the evidence that God had worked it out for me to go (in spite of me). I also, would have missed a spiritually rejuvenating experience that comes once every decade or so. God wanted me to “go,” because he was going to use me to minister in His name, and he wanted to move in my heart; to change a piece that was beginning to grow cold and hard.

After over a decade of pastoring God in mercy would not let me become bitter, hardened, cold, and sarcastic. He renewed my hope (not in Him, for He is always faithful) in myself. When the world falls down around us, we begin to feel crushed, that is when God reaches down and pulls us from the rubble and says, let’s build. And he begins the building process in our hearts. If this is how you feel, then look around; there is more than likely someone praying for you, and His hand may be reaching out to you. I am thankful for the gifts of God, my wife and His providence.

I have had several people ask me about Kimberly and my recent mission trip to Honduras. I had intended to journal while I was there but due to poor internet connection and a busy schedule I was unable to do so. And to be honest the experience was so emotionally overwhelming that my entries would have been trite and dishonest (only because I would be writing something just to get something out). I was asked by others on the team what I thought about the experience while we were on the field and I honestly could not adequately explain in a few words the emotions and feeling I was experiencing. I really can’t describe (this coming from a person who communicates for a living) what it was like, but I can put the feelings into the form of a few stories. So the next series of entries will be me trying to share a life changing experience with you.

I will begin by telling you of my experience of the toddler house. The children at Orphanage Emmanuel are divided into age groups and gender, but the youngest children have the boys and girls together, where they live in age graded housing. Kimberly and I on this particular morning were serving in the clinic (due to an outbreak of chicken pox) and because of fever and diarrhea the clinic was running low on diapers. So I was sent to the Toddler House to get some more and bring them back to the clinic.

As I approached the Toddler House I was first amazed at how orderly and clean everything was. All of the clothes were folded and sorted by color, and then stacked into cabinets. There were about six older girls from the orphanage who were helping a staff member. I approached the woman in charge of the home and explained why I was there and she began to talk with the other girls about where to get the diapers, and was giving them instructions. It was at this time when the children there became aware of my presence.

They all began to rush me, hugging my leg, pulling on my hands, pulling on shirt, and all speaking Spanish. I couldn’t understand their words but I understood their hearts. These children wanted me to hold them, hug them, touch them, just love them. I began to think about my three year old son Isaac. What if he were here, and had no mother, no father, no one to tell him how wonderful he is.

It was as if the air around me began to get thick, and I felt my heart in my throat. As they were pulling me I began to weep. All of these children, and all they want is someone to hug them, smile at them, hold their hand, and tell them that they are loved. The staff love them, but they are only a hand full in comparison to 415 orphans, and their focus is on clothing, preparing meals, organizing their day, etc. . . They need volunteer teams to come in and to love the children. So, my job for 10 days was to simply love children.

The first thing that I came to realize was that I went to Honduras to simply love, hug, smile at, and hold hands with children. My background is that of an organizer and “fixer.” I work at the executive level of a church -- I put out fires, and deal with problems. In Honduras there was nothing for me to “do” but love children. This filled my heart with joy like nothing I have done in a long time. We make life so complicated, there it became very clear and uncomplicated. God said to me, “Drew, just love the children.” Even now this brings tears to my eyes. Just love the children.

I had some PC friends as they left the church service today just shook their heads with disgust. Not only have I switched from PCs to Macs but I am quickly becoming zealous. After all, if you are going to do something then be obsessive about it, right? My friends were shaking their heads in disgust because not only have I purchased an ipad, but I was actually preaching from it. So this is a quick blog entry for anyone out there who gives presentations and is considering using an ipad for that purpose.

Out of the box it quickly connects with a wi-fi source and everything (just about) has to be done through itunes wirelessly. So in order to get my word documents from my Macbook Pro to the Ipad I had to set up a Drop Box account (online data storage) and pull it down when I need it. The drawback is that you can not edit it, only view it. But it automatically resizes the document to fit the screen and you can do some fine adjustment with your fingers on the screen. So today it worked really well. There are other apps available -- Evernote, for example. But after looking around I like Dropbox the best. Also, you can not store Word documents on it (as far as I can tell), so you have to have internet access at the location where you will give your presentation. This is becoming less and less of an issue as time goes by.

My immediate issue is that after about 2-3 minutes of me talking (and not touching it) it cut off. This is nerve wracking for a presenter (or preacher) who is heavily dependent upon notes, only to lose them. No amount of touching the screen will turn it back on. You have to touch the "on" button and go through the process of opening it up again. This happened three times while I was preaching. So this week I will see if there are any apps (like Caffeine), that will keep it awake.

I also have seen some nice looking ipad "pulpits." But instead of spending the $600-800, I am going to attempt to make one myself.

9-7-10
I have discovered on the "settings" and under general you can set the power down time to "never." this should deal with the lost notes mentioned earlier.

Today in our church service at Daybreak Community Church we introduced a new sermon series entitled “Consequences.” It is a journey through the book of Lamentations. The book of Lamentations is not a warning not to sin, but it tells us how to deal with the consequences of our sin once they lay upon us as “a yoke.” It was written by a person (I believe it to be Jeremiah) who had gone though “the Day of the Lord,” and lived to write about it.

We discussed how God’s people became aware of their condition and how it was brought upon them by their sin. We also said that they were remembering what life as like when they had the favor of God and His blessings) which were now distant objects in their rear view mirrors. How many times have we ever asked the question, "Why did I do that?" So in Lamentations 1 they begin to cry out to God and recognize their condition was brought on by their own rebelliousness and that their only hope of a different life was God and his grace poured out upon them.



Everyone has sinned in such a way that they have some consequence that they now live with. Sometimes this consequence is more readily visible than others. Some may not be able to readily hide their consequence. For others, they may dream horrible dreams, have panic attacks, or some other condition brought on because of the consequence they carry.

We discussed how God’s people were broken over their sin. In Lamentations 1:20 they say, “Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my stomach churns;
my heart is wrung within me,
because I have been very rebellious.”

So what does it mean to be broken over our sin?

1. To stop playing games with God. There are so many games that people play with God. False repentance, emotional outcries that are void of any heart change, asking for forgiveness knowing that in a matter of hours the sin will be repeated, etc… But in this passage the judgment has fallen upon them and they are done with playing games. Read the passage and see if there is any hint of being “religious.” They are far from playing religious games with God, they desperately want the weight of their sin to be lifted and for something to be done about the condition they find their lives in.

2. They are crying out to God and have stopped trying to get help from other places. In chapter one they go to their false gods (called “lovers”) and those false gods rejected them. They have fallen so far that no one around them respects them or in any way wants to help them. The “gods” they had left God for, now reject them. Their only hope is for God to have mercy upon them. We are truly broken over our sin when we realize that there is no help anywhere but in God alone.

3. They acknowledge that their hearts are broken over their sin, how they have grieved God and now cry out for His mercy. In the story of Jacob in Genesis 32:22 ff helps us to better understand being broken over our sin. (go ahead read it). Because of this encounter with God, Jacob would always walk with a limp for the rest of his life. Every step would remind him of how he had seen God face-to-face and God had spared his life.

This handicap would always remind him, with every step he took, of his rebellion and God’s grace. Jacob had broken his life to pieces – he betrayed his father, his brother, and left his mother. He had several wives and they hated each other. His life was a mess. So God meets him in the desert, and wrestles with him.

Jacob recognizes that God has met him there, so he refuses to let God go, until he blesses him. Jacob’s life forever changes in that all night wrestling match because he was broken. Do you realize how you have broken your life to pieces? (We all have, it’s not a secret). Do you know that there is a gracious and loving God who loves you enough to break you?

God’s people in Lamentations one, when they say “I have been very rebellious” are agreeing with God over the condition of their sin and they are crying out for mercy and grace from God. They are not playing game (asking for forgiveness knowing in a few moments they would do it again) – instead they were broken over what they had done, and were pleading with God for His grace.

I am testing my iPad to see if I can write entries from anywhere, even without my laptop. Let's see how it goes.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

We dropped the kids off at McDonald’s at the FSK mall today and the boys and I headed home. It was an intense week of Camp (Centrikid) and we are all very tired. But it’s a “good tired.” You know the kind after you have helped the old lady across the street fix her porch and it took you all day, or serving in a soup kitchen and it emotionally drained you, or swimming to save a child from drowning in the ocean and you struggled to keep your own head above the water.

Anyway, the kids are tired and the leaders are tired (especially me) and the staff of Centrikid are tired. They have traveled all over the southeast for thirteen weeks, and this was their final week. They didn’t show it, and they gave all they had for the kids – but even twenty-somethings get tired (and sick – right Daniel?).

In ministry there are several myths that I have seen that smart and hard working people tend to buy into. Let’s look at three real quick:

1) You should always be tired; you can rest when you go to heaven.

These are the people who are up at 4am (without coffee), work constantly all day, are constantly beginning new initiatives, and have to force themselves into bed in the early hours of morning. They feel guilty if they take a nap or even a vacation. After all, there are still mountains to climb, souls to save, revolutions to begin, etc. . .

The truth is that if you don’t rest and sleep properly then you will go to meet your Creator sooner as opposed to later. Tiredness directly affects your ability to make the best decisions, your emotional quotient, and your health. If you allow your body to rest, then you are able to accomplish more than if you make a series of mistakes that you have to “fix” because you made them while you were exhausted.

2) You should keep the same pace as the leader across town.

Let’s face it, there are some people who only need four hours of sleep and can stay mentally focused the other twenty hours that they are working. But, that’s just not me. I am thirty-six and have come to realize that I need eight hours of sleep, and I need mental breaks through out the day. My kids also need me to spend time with them, oh, and my wife really appreciates it when I spend time with her as well.

The guy across town who is keeping a “break-neck” pace may be on the verge on a mental break-down, his marriage may be falling apart, and his kids may hate him – but man look at what he’s getting accomplished! When we compare ourselves to the guy across town we will never know all the information we need to make a proper comparison. Even if he/she has managed to keep it all balanced shouldn’t we celebrate what God is doing with them, instead of trying to show ourselves better than they are?

Wisdom tells us to know ourselves, and to obey Christ in the position and place that He has placed us. It’s ok to slow down, spend time with your family, and still be able to work hard. The work you accomplish will be of better quality and you will still have those loved ones around you as you go.

3) You should keep the same pace your whole life.

Ok, I already mentioned that I was thirty-six, so when it was time for the campers to go to bed at 10pm – I made them go to bed at 10pm. I was tired and grew increasingly grumpy as the minutes winded past 10pm. In the years past, I probably would have lead an expedition to the Coke machine, a secret splash in the pool, or just to run around in the open fields, finding my way into a bed way past midnight.

But I’m not twenty-something anymore. But who cares, I have much more wisdom now, then in my twenties (at least I hope so). At each stage of life there are pluses and minuses. Wisdom is knowing what your weaknesses are and leveraging your strengths. As you get older it’s ok to slow down and rest – but make sure that you use your rested self in pursuits that are of value.

There was no one on the Centrikid staff over twenty-five (as camp pastor he was the elder). But it was their youth that added exuberance and excitement to the camp that the children fed on like the sugar coated “Nerds” sold in the camp store. But if you looked through the crowd most of the adult leaders who brought the kids were over thirty-five. So there was a good balance of generations using their giftedness and abilities to minister to children. One was not better than the other; both played a very important part.

So I’m going to try and get some rest before my next big adventure. So if you call you may get the machine, and if you facebook it may be a couple of days before I respond. Just know that I may be getting geared up for the next ministry opportunity.

Tuesday's highlight was the cardboard ship regatta. Churches working together built a ship out of duct tape, cardboard, and as much engineering as nine-years-olds can muster.

The Daybreak kids are at Centrikid this week. This is a Southern Baptist Camp that is designed just for kids and is a five day experience that encourages children to live for Jesus and asks them the question, "In light of who God is, how should I then live?" In the pictures to left, Elise P. was chosen from our group to participate in the "Party" which is a large group game time. She did awesome, but was scared to death to be in front of hundreds of kids performing a cup relay.

Joshua and Caleb made a new friend (Sam) who is from another church that joined us for the trip.

The day included checking in, swimming (76 degrees – brisk baby!), eating burgers off the grill with all the fix'ns, a short hike, settling into their rooms, Party Time, small group Bible study, and church devotion time. My boys are not used to such a past paced schedule but they love it.

During an adult meeting the leader of the time asked, "What do you want your kids to get from this experience?” Which is a fair question, after all it cost $260 dollars per kid, and many groups traveled from as far as North Carolina. In the break neck speed of life we move from experience to experience, duty, obligation, family stuff, and on and on we go.

Planning and evaluation, even expectation of things to come are very important concepts to consider. The leader above may have been trying to fill time with the adults while our kids were having their “group Bible Study” but I believe she has had asked a very deep question.

With Joshua and Caleb, I want them to have a blast at a “church event.” I want them to see older teens and college aged students leading and living out a solid Christian life. I want them to hear about Jesus to be taught solid doctrine, and to grow to love Jesus more. I want them to be changed – no small task for a camp experience.

Today is their first full day of Centrikid, let’s see how it goes.

The Storm

The opening of day four of Cub Scout Day Camp was like all the others, a flag ceremony, a thought for the day and announcements. On this day there was a call for rain and potential thunderstorms. We were given instructions to follow in the event there was lightening – but I was not listening because several of the boys were wrestling, some were talking, and one was just having a rough morning and was crying for his mother. So I tried to comfort him, stop the wrestling, and maintain control of twenty eight year old boys. Needless to say, I completely missed the announcements – besides right then it was hot and there was no cloud in the sky.

Two hours later, a storm blew up within minutes and all the boys were corralled into a large pavilion to wait out the storm. But before we discuss the storm let me go back to the beginning of the day. Before we leave for our first station all the boys are to line up two-by-two and hold up their buddies hand, and in the other hold up their water bottle. They have to go everywhere with their buddy, and they have to drink water constantly (it was hot).

So let’s back to the storm.

As we huddled into the pavilion the light rain turned into a thunderstorm. Lightening cracked, and thunder boomed – and it was a solid sheet of heavy rain that blew through the open air building. The rain on top of the tin roof drowned out the Camp Director’s shouts as she tried to give instructions. The parents who were with our group, and myself made the boys sit down – next to their buddy. Several of the boys began to cry, all were afraid, and one was even praying. So here we were, cold from the rain, huddled together, hearing the cries of our friends, and surrounded by noise that was terrifying (for an eight year old boy).

The boys began to put their arms around each other comforting and telling each other that it was going to be ok. I held the clipboard and was going through our group trying to make sure we had everyone and that no one was missing. We had everyone, and now we just had to wait out the storm. I was amazed at how the boys who came from different neighborhoods, schools, and walk of life put aside the childish fun making and joking – and began to truly care for each other. There are always a few in any group that seem to just be mean toward others because of how they dress, look, act, etc. but not then. Every boy was scared and sought comfort from and helped out his buddy.

We all have storms that come into our lives – sometimes slowly, often times quickly. But what makes the difference is that we can hold up our buddy’s hand and tell each other that “it’s going to be ok.”

Buddies are important.

H.B. London, head of pastoral ministries for Focus on the Family has disclosed “at least 70 percent of pastors in the United States claim they have no friends.” That means that most pastors who teach on fellowship and community don’t have these things within their own lives. They see the need in the life of others, but aren’t willing to take those steps in their own lives. Why don’t we have a buddy’s hand that we can hold up?

First, many leaders buy into the myth that as the leader they can not show favoritism toward others or it will seem “cliquish” and upset others. Some feel they can’t truly be themselves and relax because they still remain to be “the leader.” For a pastor this means that they are always the spiritual leader and always feel as though they set the example for others to follow. Whatever the reason (true or false) many people find themselves in a storm alone. The thunder booms and the lightening strikes, and they are sacred to death – and there is no comfort.

As a pastor I am supposed to tell you to read your Bible and seek comfort from Christ – but we are also designed by God to need other people in our lives. God created “woman” for “man” in the Garden of Eden. The apostle Paul describes the church as a body – and there is a need for all the parts to work together and to present. There are many more examples of Scripture of where men/mankind need friendships, family, and meaningful relationships.

How Do We Find A Buddy?

1) Assign yourself to a person and stick with them all week.
At Cub Scout Camp all the boys chose a buddy and some (for various reasons) were assigned a buddy. Glen was assigned to Jared. Glen took this responsibility very seriously, but Jared would run off from the group, disrupt the “quiet times” during the flag ceremonies with (let’s just say boys sounds), and it was all around very difficult to be his buddy. On the second day I asked Glen if he wanted to make a buddy group of three with another group of two and I would assign our older Scout helper to be Jared’s buddy. Glen said, “no” he wanted to stay with Jared. And he did all week. Glen put up with a lot of grief – but when the storm on day four hit both were comforted. Jared and Glen needed a buddy. Perhaps, as adults we don’t have one because we bounce from person to person, group to group, when they prove to be difficult to be their buddy.

2) Always stay with your buddy.
The reason why Boy Scouts of America pushes the buddy system so strongly is because of the numerous accounts of where a scouts got lost, drowned, hurt, etc.. because they got turned around and there was no one there to keep account of them. We all need someone there to make sure we are on the right path, going in the right direction, and following the safety rules. Buddies keep us safe, it’s as simple as that. The only way for the buddy system to work is that we have to always stay with our buddy.

3) Be a Good Friend.
It is amazing to me how eight-year-old will go all week playing with and being friends with another boys and never stop to ask their name. There have been several times where my children will go to an event and have a wonderful time, and make several friends. But when I ask them what the other children’s names were, they will typically say, “I never asked.”

But if you watch them play together they are good friends. They share, pat each other on the back, cheer when they do well, say “that’s ok” when they don’t do so well. They open up their hearts and share moments in time together as friends. Adults seem so guarded, and focused on what they get out of the relationship – but kids are there to make a friend and have a great time.

The storm passed and we went on our way. It quickly was forgotten about as we went to Scout Skills and swimming. Parents showed up at the end to pick up their kids, and it wasn’t the storm that they talked about with them, it was the activities that followed.

The last three days of camp included sling shots, dissecting owl pellets, swimming, performing skits, playing games, even more archery, knot tying and much much more. They don't want to admit it, but they are tired. They learned so much and had a great time. It also gets them ahead on earning their "Bear Rank."

This week Joshua and Caleb have been attending the Cub Scout Day Camp. The theme for this year is "Jungle Book" based on Rudyard Kipling's book (Not Disney's). If you want to read about it click here. Activities include archery, crafts, BBs, sports (kickball, swimming, etc.), sling shots, nature, and "Scout Skills." They have enjoyed the camp, but are really looking forward to earning their "whitl'n chip." This is an award that allows them to carry a pocket knife on their uniforms. The temperature has varied between hot and slightly hot -- but overall "bearable." (They are Bears, sorry for the Cub Scout humor). The boys have made some new friends, learned some new life skills, and are having a blast.

Thank you parents for allowing us to share a few evenings with your children. They are so precious and we had a great time. Thank you volunteers for helping, we could not have done it without you.

So today’s my birthday and Kimberly completely surprised with a wonderful gift. She set up childcare and took me on a surprise “date.” After we finished breaking down and putting away church, dropping the kids off, and grabbing a quick bite for lunch we found ourselves at the Frederick airport.

She had arranged for me to take my first flying lesson (and only lesson

unless we can come up with $8,000). The lesson began with pre-flight training. We went around the plane and checked everything from the air pressure of the tires, to fuel levels, to instruments and various buttons and gadgets.

I learned how to “taxi” the plane to the runway, and the flight instructor actually let me take off, and (almost)

land the plane. Kimberly screamed when we felt the feeling of actual flight upon takeoff. She told me later that she couldn’t see who was actually flying – all she could see were my hands on the yoke. We flew around the Frederick area but to be honest I didn’t do much sight seeing. I was focused on about five things at once (keeping the nose and wings lined up correctly to the horizon, controlling the thrust, and watching for other planes in the area . . .etc. We saw our old town home in Spring Ridge and the Lake Linganore Lake.

Never put the words “uneventful” in a blog/facebook entry before the trip is completely over. On the way back from vacation one hour south of Roanoke, VA (where my wife and her family are from) the van began to spew red liquid, smoke, and would go no further than the gas station we limped into.

The van had begun to make some funny noises that to the untrained mechanics ear sounded “a little funny” but nothing to be concerned about – boy were we wrong. We went into the gas station and asked if a mechanic’s shop was close by and within 20 minutes there was an elderly gentlemen looking under our hood. His news was not good and the quote he gave was $1,500.

We opted to pay him $200 to tow us to Roanoke, VA for Kimberly’s uncle David (aka “Hoo Pop”) gracefully agreed to help us. This kind man also saw our family of six and figured very quickly that we were not all going to climb into his tow truck. So he graciously and without charge offered to let us borrow his brand new extended cab (which I drove) to lead him to Salem, VA where David’s shop is located.

“We”[1] originally thought it was simply low transmission fluid levels, but after changing it and filling it back up as we headed back the next afternoon it began to spew fluid and smoke again. So we headed back to Roanoke and spent the night. David ended up completely pulling out the entire transmission, fixing a leaking “grey seal” and “overdrive belt” located inside.[2] I needed to go back home to work, and Kimberly and the kids stayed for several days until the work was completed (a total of eight days).

Our family is so thankful to God for getting us all back together in one piece and not having to take out a second mortgage on the house to fix Ole’ Blue. Also, we are thankful for family that came to our rescue. David took eight days from his summer vacation to fix our car and we are so thankful for this gracious act of love towards our family.

So the uneventful vacation became eventful -- but what would vacation be if it were only calm, relaxing, and peaceful.

The Boswell's headed out on vacation about two weeks ago and it is beginning to come to a close. We began our journey by spending time with family in AL, celebrated Joshua and Caleb's eight birthday. We then headed even further south to Port St. Joe, FL and stayed at my parents beach house. We went to the beach, went fishing, watched movies, ate seafood a couple of times, and traveled to Panama City, FL to Shipwreck Island Water Park.

It has been very uneventful and rest was had by all. Having been away from the deep south for over 15 years I see things that make me laugh that I perhaps would not have seen otherwise. For instance, an Exxon station had put their pickled pig lips on sale for $1.99 and the church we visited was very traditional (but worshipful).

As the time of vacation begins to come to a close I am beginning to feel the itch to get back to work. I noticed during my morning walk this morning that I had put my cell phone on again (which was off until now). I also have avoided wearing shoes but I guess those have to go back on now. sighhhh. The family had some much needed extended time together and have had some wonderful bonding time.

Staying unplugged has been difficult. Where we stay there is no internet except at a local coffee shop. So I would make a daily early walk to check e-mail, write, and have my devotion. So I was not able to post pictures on facebook as I would have liked -- but perhaps it was for the best.

I am thankful to my church that allows me to have this extended time away every year, and for men who God has brought to Daybreak that can preach and cover the services while I am away.

I am thankful for my family that truly loves me, my wife, and kids. So I am leaving this trip somewhat rested, a little tan, and a deeper feeling of thankfulness for the blessings from the Lord.

In his book Total Church Life, [1] Darrell W. Robinson tells the following story;
“The next morning I sat across from Eddie’s father, Leroy Meek. He looked like a bum. His beard was long, his hair was matted, and his eyes were red. He had been fishing the bayou for his son’s body all night. Leroy began to tell me his story.

‘I am a foreman for a large construction company. I did not go to work yesterday due to the flooding. We have eight children. I told them not to go outside to play. But while I took a nap, three of the boys slipped out and made a raft of Styrofoam material and began to float down the bayou. The raft broke up. Two of the boys were able to get out, but Eddie could not get out. The other two raced home and awakened me. I jumped into the pickup truck and sped to the bayou. I tried to reach Eddie, but the concrete sides were steep and the water was rushing and I couldn’t get to him. He was screaming, ‘Daddy, help me! Help me, I can’t hold on much longer!’ ‘I ran back to the pickup truck and grabbed a rope. Eddie screamed, ‘Somebody help me! I can’t hold on much longer!’ I threw him the rope, but the rope was too short!’

As I listened to Leroy, a chill went down my spine. I chocked back tears as I visualized the scene he described. It was like God was speaking to me and showing me the multitudes of hurting people near our church. Like Eddie, they were clinging to whatever they could hold on to. They were crying, ‘Help me! Somebody help me! I can’t hold on much longer!’ And Christians and churches were throwing out ropes, but the ropes were too short to reach the world.

I made arrangements for the funeral and set an appointment to visit the family in their home that afternoon. Dan, our minister of music, and I were the first Christians to enter the Meek home. They had never allowed our bus ministry workers or others from the church in. That afternoon the Meeks were open to Christ. All of the things they were confident in had failed. What Leroy wanted and needed from me was to know his Creator. Our best ministry at this point was to respond to their spiritual need for comfort from God.

Leroy said, ‘Pastor, I have done all kinds of things with my boys. I have taken them fishing, hunting, and camping out, but I have never sat with them in church.’

‘When the funeral is over, if it is OK, I would like to come back and visit with you about Christ,” I responded.’”

As Christians I am assuming that we are throwing ropes to help people (to ignore the plight of a drowning society would be monstrous), so what are the ropes that we are throwing? Are these ropes too short? How would we know one way or the other? Do the cries of those being swept away saying, “I can’t hold on much longer!” keep us awake at night? Do tears of the Father and seeing him trying to help his loved ones stir us to want to help? Are we content with just doing funerals that may have been prevented?

We can change the world around us and make a difference right where we are by throwing a rope that saves – it is not too short. We have been given the “ministry of reconciliation” where “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.[2]” Christ saved us from drowning in sin and despair, he lifted us onto a solid foundation – he saved us. But he did not send us into the lighthouse to dry off and get warm. Instead he handed us a flotation circle, and a rope and said go and throw your rope.

As long as we throw out the gospel to people, it is the only means of salvation that will not fall short. If we throw programs, buildings, fellowships, come as you are, health and wealth, faith healings, your best now, etc… we will continue to see hands slip below the surface.

[1] Darrell W. Robinson. Total Church Life (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman, 1997) 11,12
[2] 2 Corinthians 5:18

Yesterday was Field of Day at Brunswick Elementary School and I volunteered as a station leader (the water sponge relay). Kids would line up in groups of three or four and stand behind water buckets as teams. The goal of the game is to take your team’s sponge (filled with water), run to a cup with a fill line on it, and wring all the water out of the sponge and run back. The team who filled their cup first won the game. Seeing kids do this for over two hours I noticed that in many ways this was a metaphor for life. So here are some “real life” observations.

1. Make every drop count. Many of the kids would loose most of the water in their sponge before they got there, or when they squeezed the sponge, they completely missed the cup altogether.

• In life we get so caught up in the game, running the race, that we lose focus of what life is really about. In the game ultimately nothing matters if the water is not in the cup. We work so hard, but if Christ is not the primary focus and source of strength, then it’s like running through life with an empty sponge – we are just going through worthless motions.


2. Take the hand off seriously. Many of the boys about half-way on their return run would throw the sponge to the next team mate. It would inevitably go flying off in a wrong direction and the second runner would have to go run after it, wasting precious time.

• How we relate to other people is so important. People are important. We tend to take people, relationships, and time with those people for granted. When we fail in our relationship “hand offs” become difficult and so much time is wasted. How many years are wasted when dads take their children for granted, and when he finally reaches out to them they resist and are “busy.” How many hand offs are fumbled because somebody thinks its funny to play around with other people.


3. Don’t take too long wringing the water out. Squeezing the water out of the sponge over the cup is a critical part of the game, but several students would stand over the cup and wring with all their might, and continue to do so, even when the pay off is a single drop of water. Other students could have returned with a full sponge of water.

• Wringing too long deals with obsessing. Do you tend to dwell too long on something even when it is obvious to others that it is time to move on? Do you have to always be right? There is a point in making decisions when to stay with something is no longer worth the pay off.

• Also, the student who squeezes too long doesn’t realize that there are other people on the team who can come after them with a full sponge of water. It is ok to let someone else to be next on the team. Run back to the line and quit working so hard. Trust your team.

4. Don’t kick the cup over. Twice during the games a kid in their excitement of playing the game would kick the cup over. This happened because they were more focused on getting the water in the cup, and would lose focus on where their feet where.

• I saw both of the students when they kicked over the cups, but you know what I noticed? The team didn’t get upset, they were content to put the cup back upright and keep playing the game. They knew they wouldn’t win, but they didn’t seem to care. When we kick the cup over in life, it’s because we have allowed our lives to get out of balance. We focus on one thing too long and with too much energy so that we are not aware of what the rest of our body is doing. Do you have systems, alarms, or people that will let you know if you are beginning to obsess?

5. Have fun! Life is not always about winning. You have friends on your team, play the game and have fun.

• The weather was beautiful on Field Day; the kids were excited to be outside and to play the games. The teachers were joyful to be outside with their students, and the parents enjoyed helping the school. Life has its’ difficulties and rainy days, but when the sun shines and the people are in your life whom you love – then smile, enjoy the sun, and play the game.

Words of John Bunyun in Bedford England are carved on a statue of him that state;
A very great person hung against the wall;
And this was the fashion:
Eyes lifted up to heaven,
the best of books in his hand,
the law of truth was written upon his lips,
the world was behind his back;
he stood as if he pleaded with men;
a crown of gold did hang above his head.

He describes the preacher as being God’s gift to the world. While I do not consider myself in the same high esteem, I do know many gracious men who I could say this about. The position of the pastor is of utmost importance to the church, as well as his role as leader and representative before God.

The preacher is sent on a heavenly mission (as are all Christians). He is to declare the message of God to the world, “Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear” (Ezekiel 2:5; 7; 3:11). Preaching was recognized as a gift from God in the Old Testament. Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) by those whose testimony the primitive world was condemned (Hebrews 11:7). The psalmist and the prophets delivered their messages of truth in pleading, exhortation, prophecy, and promises from the Lord. The prophets were preachers of their day and the predecessors of the New Testament heralds of the gospel.

After the exile the reading and exposition of Scripture were from the beginning the chief feature of the synagogue service, and is frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Jesus, “as his custom was,” went to the synagogue service on the Sabbath day and there delivered the wonderful message of hope recorded in Luke 4:17-22. In Acts 13:5, “after the reading of the law of prophets” the rulers of the synagogue invited the two preachers, Paul and Barnabas, to deliver this message of exhortation. In Acts 15:21, James the pastor of the church at Jerusalem and the presiding officer over the council in Jerusalem, spoke of the fact that “Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.”

The New Testament church, likewise, moves on the feet of those who, “preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things (Romans 10:15). It was Paul that declared that faith in Jesus as Lord will save all who call upon him (v. 9), but “How . . . shall they call on him in whom they have believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (v. 14)” This preaching of salvation that Paul referred to is the proclamation of the Word of God recorded in the Holy Scriptures and centered in the redemptive work of Christ. It is a summons of men to repentance, faith, and obedience before the Lord Jesus. It is God’s appointed means for communicating the gospel of hope to the unbelieving world for communicating the gospel of hope to the unbelieving world and for the strengthening of the faith of those who have found refuge in our living Lord.

The apostolic message (kerygma), the preaching of the men who first heard the Great Commission of our Lord, consisted of these seven things:
1. It was a definite body of facts; it was “propositional truth.”
2. It was not speculative philosophy but an announcement of the intervention of God in human history for the salvation of those who would hear and accept.
3. It was centered on the redemptive work of Christ, in his cross and atonement, and glorious resurrection.
4. It was witnessed to and confirmed in the human heart by the Holy Spirit.
5. It was historically and organically related to the Old Testament.
6. It imposed a stern, ethical demand upon men.
7. It was a vast eschatological dimension. It looks forward to a triumphant forever in Christ.

In God’s plan, there is no such thing as the delivery of this glorious message of truth without a preacher. In the elective purpose of God his will and work are made known to us through a living personality. This is the essence of preaching and is the first, primary calling of a pastor. Each generation must experience falling in love, building a home, rearing children. So each congregation must have a living pastor. The truth of God must be made to live again and again.

That is the calling of a preacher-pastor. It is preaching the Word of God that people desperately need. And it is preaching that feeds the souls of Christians. Paul wrote about the services of public worship in Corinth, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

The verse concludes a lengthy discussion of disorder that marred the meeting of the Corinthian Christians. The worship of God ought to be worthy of his glorious name. Therefore, the pastor has been called to preach God’s Word and to lead the church. He should be allowed to do this so that order and appropriate worship may take place, and the message of the gospel may be preached.