It was 1985 and I was excited to begin the next step in my educational and career journey. We had just recently moved to Virginia Beach, VA, to pursue our first ministry work. I was serving as a youth pastor and my wife was teaching kindergarten in our Christian school. We were full of expectation, wonder at what God was going to do, and finding our way in the world. We wanted to follow God's plan as a newly married couple...having just just celebrated our one-year anniversary. After about a year there, I decided it was time to take the next step in my education. You see, I had determined that God was leading me to pursue a graduate degree in counseling to better equip me to engage my calling to help others find peace, healing and fulfillment. I considered the local graduate school options...a state school that was very close by, a Christian graduate school that had a connection to a well-known religious leader and a somewhat exclusive college that was in the historic town of Williamsburg. After visiting campuses, gathering information, and prayerfully considering the options, I settled on The College of William and Mary in Virginia. I knew that this was the most challenging of the three, regarding admissions standards, but I believed it was the right place for me. Long-story-short, I was accepted and started pursuing my Masters of Education in Agency Counseling.
It was a great experience. I was introduced to many new things and challenged with learning all of the theoretical and technical aspects of mental health therapy. I was impressed with many of the professors. Although it was not a faith-based university, the faculty were always welcoming of my integration of biblical principles and thought into my work. I did not have a scholarship or internship, and my financial resources were meager, therefore, I had to go part-time, taking only one or two courses at a time...as I could afford to pay for them. This would mean that my completion time would be longer than normal, but I was okay with that. I had my plate full with the ministry responsibilities and my wife. Things went along well for a while, until something happened that changed the timeline...
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It was our first time in Arizona. My family and I had stayed in Flagstaff the previous night and arose bright and early that morning for the next leg in our journey. We had packed up the Aerostar and set out across the country, on a journey of discovery and fun. Our daughter was 11 years old and my mom and stepfather traveled with us as well. We can recount many memories from that trip in 2000...laughs we had, funny things we teased one another about, seeing landscapes that we had never seen before. The beauty of New Mexico was amazing. The heat and barrenness of the Mojave Desert were awe-inspiring. We have talked of this trip many times over the intervening years with fond memories and laughter. This particular day, however, stands out in my mind with special significance. Having left I-40, we were making our way up highway 64 toward our destination. We passed through the little town of Tusayan. By area, it is the smallest town in the state of Arizona, with only 144 acres, or .225 square miles. The town boasts a population, according to the 2010 census (when it was incorporated), of 562. I mention this little town because it stands in stark contrast to the destination to which we were traveling. As we rolled into the national park, the foliage and terrain of the area were unique in this high desert Kaibab Plateau. Our anticipation of our destination made our hearts beat a little faster in our chests and we searched for glimpses. Traveling along a park road, we caught a slight glimpse, but the full view of this, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, would elude us until we had disembarked from our vehicle and walked the trail among the trees. Then it appeared. As we approached the rim of the canyon, the immensity of this vast river gorge overwhelmed me. My emotions caught in my throat and my eyes scanned the view to try to take it all in. Frankly, it was difficult to fully grasp what I was seeing. The Grand Canyon is grand indeed. That day, as we walked along the rim, stepped out onto an observation point with a clear floor, looked into the vast 6,000+ feet drop from rim to floor, I immediately thought of the greatness of the God who created the earth. We drove to the east, around the rim of the canyon, until we came to a place where there was an observation tower. From that vantage point, we watched a thunderstorm, lightning and all, make its way across the canyon in the distance. It was truly an awesome sight to see. No words can do justice to what I experienced. You had to be there...I was...and I worshiped. Have you ever been in that kind of situation...an experience that was so moving and impactful in your life, but, as you tried to describe it to others, you were at a loss for words? You have probably said, "You just had to be there." I think I've had several of those experiences over the years. I've found myself in experiences that have moved me to turn my eyes to the God of the universe and...worship.
What do you think of when you hear the word, "Worship?" For many, it may bring images of Sunday gatherings at church, singing in a congregation, or maybe rituals that are meaningful in turning our hearts toward God. I would challenge you to consider a much broader and, frankly, more biblical view of worship. The Scriptures teach us that worship begins with a presentation of ourselves to God in service...a daily abandonment of our will to His and a seeking of His will in each of the moments of our day. The words of Romans 12:1-2 put it succinctly.. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 So...we are taught that the true way of worship is to give ourselves as an offering to God...daily. As we do so, our "living sacrifice," made holy by the blood and sacrifice of Christ, is received by the Father as worship...the kind that really matters. It matters because it leads us into the process of transformation...in our actions and our thinking. It opens our hearts and minds to know and follow the perfect will of God...that which is good and pleasing to Him. In turn, we explore the journey of His purpose in our lives and that brings great joy to us. I know because I've been there, and I've worshiped. So, the next time you find yourself in a place that captures your attention...something about God's creation, a critical turn in life's road, or maybe just a conversation with a friend over coffee...abandon yourself to God in that moment, worship Him, allow Him to work in you and through you to fulfill His "good and pleasing and perfect" purpose. You will be there...and you will worship. “I have one desire now – to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.” ~Elisabeth Elliot Have you experienced one of those "You had to be there" moments? Where was it? How did God speak or impact you? What did you learn about Him, and about yourself? Comment about your experiences. Like and share as well to get a conversation going.
![]() I stood at the end of a road that used to lead to one of the most popular resort areas on Mindanao, Philippines. This road was well traveled because it led to the mountain resorts that Filipinos and international tourists would flock to in search of relaxation, leisure and escape from the heat, in the mountains near New Bataan. But, this day, the road was not traveled by tourists and people on holiday. Instead, it was a dead end, as the roadway literally disappeared into a sea of boulders (some the size of an automobile), tree trunks, mud and debris. There was an earie quiet as people stood, or slowly milled around among the scattered items that had been left in the aftermath of the raging avalanche of water that had devastated this region just a month earlier. On December 4, 2012, Typhoon Bopha, nicknamed "Pablo" made its way across the southern Philippines island of Mindanao and left a path of destruction that wiped out coastal villages, flattened banana plantations and destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos. After the storm had passed, and days of search and rescue, and weeks of recovery efforts were made, this category 5 storm had killed over 1,000 people and displaced more than 400,000. Standing there in disbelief at the destruction I was viewing, trying to imagine this massive river of water, a mile wide, that had swept boulders, trees, structures and people from the mountains into the valley, two filipino men walked up to talk with our team (I was with a Christian humanitarian aid team from the U.S.) and share their stories. With them was an older man, who was blind, being led by his grandson, a young man in his twenties. As they told the story, they described the impact of the storm, the chaos of its violent force as 160 mph winds ripped through their house and uprooted trees. They talked about loved ones who were swept away and never found. The elderly gentleman, who spoke no English, shared with us through a translator, how he had been swept from his home and family and carried by the flood waters for miles before being rescued, along with his grandson. They were the only two surviving members of his family. As we stood in awestruck silence, listening to their stories, we were astonished at their survival. Because we were obviously not Filipinos, they knew we were there as a part of recovery and support efforts and they thanked us for our work. In a bit of a spontaneous response, we stopped to pray aloud for the victims and their families in the aftermath of this catastrophic experience. When we uttered the final "amen," one of the young men picked up a small smooth stone and handed it to me. "Take this with you to remind you of the people of New Bataan," he said. I smiled and assured him I would do so, and to continue to pray for their healing and recovery. We shook hands as he smiled and thanked me once again. They're called "the smiling Asians," I'm told...Filipinos. Typhoon season is an annual experience in southeast Asia, and especially among the Philippine islands. Every year they brace themselves for the storm systems that make their way through this region of the world. It is a part of life in this country that ranges from remote primitive villages to sprawling, modern cities. If there is one word I would use to describe the Filipino people, it would be resilient. My job as part of the humanitarian team was to do crisis counseling with the people who came through our mobile clinic. After receiving medical care, they would meet with me and (usually through a translator) I would explore their support network, provide mental and emotional processing for grounding and spiritual counseling of hope and the gospel. I always offered to pray with them, and I don't recall anyone refusing. But, one thing struck me through all the hundreds and hundreds of people I met over those days of ministry...it was the HOPE that they held in spite of immense odds against them. The experience taught me what hope looks like and, because many of them found their hope in Jehovah Jireh (The God who Provides), that lasting hope comes from the One who has us in His hands. It was a beautiful intersection of purpose...I was living out my purpose in serving the needs of the Filipino people, and they were living out their purpose in demonstrating the powerful hope of the Savior in the midst of trials! What a lesson in God's sovereignty! Though this storm was the most powerful to hit the Southeast Asian islands to date, they had no idea that, just a few months later, on November 3-11, 2013, super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) would strike further north in the islands of the Philippines bringing destruction. Haiyan resulted in over 7,300 casualties and over 28,000 injured. Yet, the faith and hope of the Filipino people remained strong. Take a moment to watch the video below and note the hope that is expressed by those who were in the midst of suffering! I'll wrap this up on the others side. Without hope, all is lost. It is hope that has kept people strong and resilient through the most difficult of circumstances. Prisoners of war survived their captivity because of hope of rescue. Cancer survivors have persevered because they had hope of healing and recovery. The greatest obstacles we face in life can be overcome because of hope. This is no surprise to those who have experienced the redemption of Christ. The good news of Jesus Christ...Messiah...is a story and message of hope. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:18-20 You see...God has made a promise and, as the scriptures tell us, He cannot lie. In Him...that is in Jesus Christ, we find refuge, hope and access to the Father, therefore, His eternal life. That is the hope that anchors our souls. Perhaps a quick acrostic will help to drive it home for us. We have hope, no matter our circumstances, because... Honesty Opens the Door to Hope In the video clip above, and in my experience in talking with the Filipinos I met in 2013, I realized, if anything, they were brutally honest with themselves and with God. They didn't sugar coat their situation, or try to explain it away, or live in denial. They faced their situation head on and were honest enough to say, "This is how it is." But, those who followed God (or at least acknowledged Him) were also honest enough to look to Him rather than blame Him. That's a huge lesson for us...when tough times come, honesty with ourselves and God is the first step to seeing our situation through eyes of hope. Openness to God's Plan God is always working out His plan in our world. He desires that all people come to Him and receive the salvation Jesus purchased (2 Peter 3:9). God is also working out His plan in and through you as His follower. Our hope is predicated upon the reality that we are in His hands and we are a part of HIs plan. Knowing that He is in control and is working all things for our good, provides hope in the bleakest of times. Perseverance Through the Tough Times Perseverance is both learned and enabled. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that we do our children a disservice by "rescuing" them from every tough moment that comes their way. When the going gets tough, parents sometimes step in and remove the struggle or remove the child from the struggle. That is the worst possible thing to do in those moments. Our children need to learn to persevere through hard things and to learn to wait, push through, figure it out, and ultimately, trust God in those circumstances. Paul recognized this value when he wrote the message Jesus gave him about persevering, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Hope enables us to persevere, and perseverance sustains our hope. Entrance is Made Possible by Jesus Christ The writer of Hebrews 6 (above) informs us that when Christ died for us, He tore the curtain that separated the Holy Place, from the Holy of Holies, in the temple. That area (Holy of Holies) was the most sacred place in the temple. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, atop of which was the Mercy Seat. This was the place where God exhibited his presence and where, twice a year, the High Priest would go in to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice to atone for (seek forgiveness) the sins of the people. This most holy place was so sacred that the priest would wear a bell on his garment so that those outside would know that he is still alive, and would have a rope tied around his ankle so that, if he went in without having been cleansed from his sin through repentance, he would die and they would have to pull him out with the rope. Suffice it to say, going into the presence of the Most High God was a serious matter. However, when Jesus paid the final sacrifice, doing away with the animal sacrifices that had only pointed forward to His ultimate provision, that curtain that separated all people from the presence of God, was torn down. He made it possible for all of us, through His redemptive work, to have access directly to the Father. We no long have to have another man go to God for us. This Hope we have in Jesus has delivered us directly into the presence of our heavenly Father and we can communicate with Him directly. So, in life...through all of our ups and downs...no matter the situation...we can go to God with our needs and our hurts and our failures...we have hope because we have access to the One who gives abundant life through Jesus Christ. That is a hope that endures...the anchor for our souls! If you haven't done so, hop over to our podcast and listen to the latest episode as Christian Hip-Hop artist, Kyren Monteiro, shares his story of "Hope for the Broken." How has hope sustained you in the dark times? Where did God show up in life to bring hope for you? How have you had the opportunity to fulfill your purpose and share the Hope of Jesus with someone? Share your stories in our comments and let's get the conversation going!
A man and his wife, from Holland, sat down in the workshop of skilled craftsmen to share their story. The place was filled with the tools that fit the skilled hands of women and men who have spent decades studying and refining their craft. The couple opened a small box and carefully unveiled a gold pocket watch. The timepiece showed the age it carried and reflected the story they unfolded for the interested clock maker and his associate. The watch was discolored by years of grime, the second hand and crystal were missing, but there, in the fob on the end of the watch chain, was the picture of the grandmother, holding guard over the treasured keepsake. The Hollander told the story of the grandmother from Indonesia who had been taken from her home and family, during World War II, and imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp. Having been taken quickly from her home, she grabbed the only thing she could that would represent the connection to her family, uncertain what the future would hold. Taking the watch, she sewed it into the hem of her dress, where it remained, undetected, for four years until her release after the war ended. She then passed it down to her son, who had left it to his son, as the only family heirloom that connected them to their family history. The grandson left this precious piece in the capable hands of the craftsman to do his magic. In the following days, the expert clock maker and another craftswoman who restores clock faces, meticulously, and with care, brought the watch back to life. They restored it to working condition with cleaning and repair that was just enough to give it the life it once had, while preserving the integrity of its history and age. When the day came for the reveal, the grandson, his wife, and his mother, were moved to see the watch once again working...as if each tic of the second hand represented the heartbeat of the grandmother who had survived such tragedy and miraculously preserved this artifact that would connect her generation to the many to come. (You can see this story on the BBC program, The Repair Shop.) ![]() Photo by photo-nic.co.uk nic on Unsplash This BBC program is a new discovery for me, but I'm intrigued by it. Taking something that is old, broken and no longer useful in the eyes of the average person, and turning it into something of restored beauty or usefulness, is a joy to watch! I wish that I had been a master craftsman. To have studied a craft for decades, honing my skills and developing myself as an expert who has the ability to bring items "back to life;" to be able to restore things to their former beauty, to be able to bring joy to someone when they see the history come to life in that heirloom that connects them to their own history; that would be such a satisfying process. God Restores Broken People Watches and antiques aren't the only things that deserve to be restored. Something is of value when it is desired enough that someone takes care of it, cherishing and utilizing it in their life. Sometimes we may get or send the wrong idea in our realization that without Jesus, we are nothing...we can do nothing. We acknowledge that He is everything that we need...He takes us from the realm of death and hopelessness, to life and eternal hope. However, that does not mean that before we come to Jesus, we are worthless or not of value. The opposite is actually true! Consider what gives us value:
...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 God Uses Broken People Somehow, there can be this image in the church world that a person has to be perfect before God can use them...that we have to have it all together or God has no use for us. While I'm not suggesting that we give ourselves a pass for sin, I am declaring that being sinless, free of hang-ups or struggles, is not the prerequisite of being useful in the hands of God. The fact is, that the Bible is full of examples of how God uses imperfect and broken people. For example...
And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God... 1 Corinthians 3:3-5 Spend Time in the Master's Workshop The watch that spent four years in the hem of a prisoner's dress had to undergo a transformation to be restored to its usefulness and beauty, and to fulfill its purpose to connect the generations of a family. This transformation required extended time in the workshop of very skilled craftsmen. They painstakingly worked to carefully bring the watch to life...giving joy to those who were connected to it. The Father has a workshop where he does His masterwork in each of us. He is working to make us that masterpiece that brings glory to His name. We are freed to fulfill our purpose and to see Him work through us to accomplish the things he has planned for us in this world! How does He accomplish this? Again, Paige gives us some insight...
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 |
AuthorWith over forty years of ministry experience, Randy Kinnick continues to live a life of pursuing the purpose for which he was created. Whether teaching God's Word to adults, coaching youth and young adults in finding their purpose, or caring for the hurting and abused in Southeast Asia, the adventure has taken him around the world in ways he could have never dreamed. The adventure continues! Archives
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