Balancing Ministry N' Work

Last week we started Daniel chapter 7 and only went through half of the verses I had originally planned. We may get stuck in the weeds now and again as we work through the second half of Daniel, but I think it is important that we understand what it means. 7 verses and 4 beasts that line up with the statue from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The dream, the beasts, and the creation of each of the kingdoms they represent were brought about by the one and only almighty God. He is the one that rules over all earthly kingdoms and He is the one that elevates one to rule when the time is right. The first beast that looked like a giant lion with eagle’s wings, the statues pure gold head, was Babylon under the leadership of king Nebuchadnezzar. The second beast that looked like a bear that was told to gorge itself on flesh is the silver chest and arms from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. They represent the Mede and Persian Empire that grew by conquering nation after nation. A leopard with ...

The second half of Daniel has a lot of meat in it. We will talk about history, the weak kings of Babylon, the persecution in Jerusalem, and the coming Messiah. I encourage you to spend some time each week reading and re-reading the chapter we are going through. Daniel chapter seven is the start of the apocalyptic section of the book and it contains the first of the four apocalyptic visions. This chapter is said to provide the clearest picture of the coming of Jesus that is found in the Old Testament. Daniel said: Daniel 7:13 “ 13  I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.” Jesus said: Mark 14:61-62 “ 61  But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62  “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right h...

In chapter six we have seen Daniel proving himself to be someone that king Darius could count on and trust. The king was thinking about placing Daniel in charge of the entire kingdom. Daniel’s peers and those that reported to them did not like that idea at all. So, they dug and dug to try and find something that would knock Daniel down a notch or two in the king’s eyes. They came up with a plan to make Daniel choose between serving the king and serving his God. They convinced the king that it would be a good idea to pass a law that required everyone to pray to the king and only the king for the next 30 days. The law was passed, and the trap was set for Daniel. Daniel continued to pray to his God, not as an act of defiance to the king but as an act of faithfulness to his God. He did not bow to man’s wishes but honored God above all else. The trap was sprung, but the king was not happy. He tried to find a way out of this, but the law of the land was solid. The king had no...

Here in the 6 th chapter Daniel is essentially running 1/3 rd of king Darius’ kingdom. He is responsible for forty satraps or governors and the king is pleased with his work. Daniel has exceled at the job and the king is considering placing him over all of the kingdom. His peers and the satraps did not like that idea very much. They dug and dug for a way to knock Daniel down a peg or two. They did not want him to oversee them and expose anything they may have been doing wrong. They looked and could not find anything that would make the king think less of Daniel. So, they hatched a plan. A plan that would put Daniel in the position of choosing between following his God or following the king. They rightly believed that Daniel would honor his God over anything else. They went to the king, they played to his ego, and suggested something that would seem reasonable to most pagan kings. They convinced the king to pass a law that required all people to pray to him, and him alone, f...

Today we are starting the 6 th chapter of the Book of Daniel. It is the last of what are called the historical narratives of the life of Daniel, the nation of Babylon, and the 70-year exile. We have seen Nebuchadnezzar rise to power, make a bunch of mistakes, and ultimately be judged by God and then restored after he recognized that the God of the Heavens, Daniel’s God, is over all earthly kingdoms. In chapter 5 we see Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, essentially challenge God and loose. Daniel entered captivity in his teens and now is in his eighties and if you have read ahead, he did not get to ride off into the sunset and a peaceful retirement. After Darius the Mede conquered Babylon, Daniel was thrust back into leadership and trials came. Daniel is one of the books of the Bible that has some controversy surrounding its historical accuracy. We have seen this before and it is always neat when we here about how things in the Bible are confirmed by archaeologica...

My heart aches when I see all the darkness in this world. George Floyd did not deserve to die at the hands of those cops. Without knowing what was in the hearts of those involved, I cannot say if it was racism, a power trip, or something else… but I can say it was absolutely wrong. Does racism exist, yes in many forms. Does hatred exist, sadly yes. Is murder wrong, absolutely it is. Taking the life of another person is one of the worst acts any person can commit. Colossians 1:16 - “For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through him and for him.” Everything here includes every one of us. It includes every person that was ever created. From that unborn child to the loved one that is about to take that last step into eternity. It does not matter what color of skin we have, if we are male or female, or what profession we have....

Over the last couple of weeks it has slowly been hitting me that it has really been 10 years since I had my Acoustic Neuroma Brain Tumor (AN) removed. Last week I had what is now my last AN follow up MRI. Was able to read the report on Friday and saw that there is still no regrowth, so per my original surgeon and my current doc there is no reason for me to have another scan!!! I wish I could say it was all great, but I still have balance issues.  I was one of those who initially had a great recovery. I returned to work after 8 weeks and while it took me some time to fully recover, their was very little I could not do. For several years the only thing I had to be careful of was if I got to tired as it would trigger mild headaches, fatigue, and balance issues.  In 2013 I drove over 2,000 miles on a road trip we took to see family and was riding a bike 80-100 miles a week. Late in 2013 something changed and I was having a hard time driving 20-30 miles and it was no lo...