There’s Work to DO!

My belief

I had a pretty amazing trip this last week. I always pray that God will use me in some way, and it often amazes me when he does. I usually have most of my focus on trying to find ways to share my faith in Jesus with members of my crew each trip, but this time God snuck up behind me with a job to do.

I felt that this trip was going to be a bit of a loss for talking about my faith. I had a couple different First Officers and a particularly nasty flight attendant. The 1st First Officer I flew with was a new guy that was not interested in matters of faith. He humored my attempts at discussion a bit, but the conversations all dead ended quickly. My 2nd First Officer was a very good looking young guy who was more interested in himself, partying and girls than anything else. My Flight Attendant was for lack of a better term a DIVA. I had no chance to talk about anything with her much less faith. So, I sort of felt like this trip was just going to be one of those where I do my job and go home. Boy was I wrong!

We were flying a flight from Florida to New York on one day of this trip and we took an extended delay. NYC was a mess as usual and they scheduled us a departure time several hours after our original time.  This flight was our first flight of the day and my Flight attendant was a lesbian who had brought her wife with her. I did not think much of it because homosexuality is common in the airline industry.  My crew and I were relaxing on the plane without any passengers during the delay. I was sitting on the flight deck updating some of my manuals when I realized my FA’s wife was onboard and had wondered up to the flight deck. She was amazed by all the lights and buttons on the flight deck of a Jetliner and I invited her up to take a look. We had a pleasant conversation about airplanes and then she asked me what I was doing for Mothers Day. I told her some of the plans I had made with my family and then I asked her the same question in return. She told me that she was spending all of Mothers Day at CHURCH. I was instantly surprised!!! I told her that was cool and very interesting. She could see my surprise and said, “it is because I am gay right.” I told her that I was a little surprised since most of the gay people I know do not attend church or go to an unusual version of the Christian faith. At that point she just started opening up and pouring out her life to me. She explained how she knew her homosexuality was wrong and God does not approve and how she is in a constant struggle between the two.

WOW!!! God had a job for me to do and He snuck it right up behind me. I told her that God loves her. That God hates her sin, but loves her. I told her that the struggle she has is the Holy Spirit working in her life to free her from her sin. To draw her close to Jesus and help her to let go of her destructive nature. I shared with her some of my own sin that God has helped me to overcome and told her that I would pray for her. We had a long and wonderful conversation and I did not get a single one of my manuals updated. At the end of our chat I could see something in her eyes. The start of her conviction to turn to the Lord. She had an appreciation for our time together and I think she had a bit more clarity of where she was and why she had such a struggle in her heart. I have had the chance to share Christ with a few gay people in the past and there has always been a hardness that was impossible to penetrate. This is the first time I had ever seen the Holy Spirit actively pulling someone away from the grip of homosexuality! WOW!!! what a mighty God we serve.

Scripture

Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Application for Life

This was a pleasant reminder for me that God has work for me to do all of the time. Even when I don’t think there is something to do, I must remember that God is in control. He has tasks lined up well in advance that I have no idea about. I feel very blessed that I was given the privilege to share my faith in Jesus with this woman and very encouraged that God has overcome sin! He can break the grip of sin in anyone’s life who will seek His face. Thank you Jesus for the job you have given me to do.

Best Sermon Ever!!!

My Belief

I just heard the best sermon of my life and I did not even know I was hearing it when I was hearing it! It was sort of like when you watch an artist design something, draw something, sculpt something, whatever… You watch very intently as they do it trying to figure out how the finished product will look, but you can never quite see it until they step back and go “Vuala”! The message today by pastor Solomon directly addressed one of my deepest darkest fears/sins/concerns. It is the fear that somehow my own sin will mess up my life.

I believe in Jesus and I know I am part of God’s family, but I always feel like the “black sheep” of the family. I always tell my wife that if the rapture comes in my life time and we are all standing around on a cloud with Jesus, I think I would position myself at the back of the crowd and sort of shuffle my feet, raise my hand, and say “yes” Lord it’s me. I believe I am covered in the blood of Jesus and I have grace, but I also realize the evil in my heart and the sinful nature that exists inside of me. That is why I call myself “Captain Dirty” on this blog.

In this sermon Lon gave a powerful example of how God operates. He has a plan and He is faithful to us, even when we are not faithful to Him. The message centered around Abraham and his journey to Egypt to buy food during the great famine of his time. Lon explained how Abraham did not trust God to protect him and lied about his wife. He said she was his sister and allowed her to be taken by Pharaoh. Even in this act of unbelief, the one true God of Israel protected and blessed Abraham regardless of his disobedience. Abraham did it all wrong and still left Egypt extremely rich and blessed. God had a sovereign plan for Abraham and He has a sovereign plan for each of his followers. Even as bad a sinners as we are, we are not BIG enough to mess up God’s plans.  We can not forfeit our salvation and we can not void the plans that God has for us. This gives me a powerful reassurance to walk boldly in my life knowing that God has laid the way! 

Scripture

Gen 12:12-13

¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

http://mcleanbible.org/media_player.asp?type=large&messageID=122375 (Lon’s Sermon)

Application for Life

I do not have fear of death because I know Jesus is just on the other side, but I also do not have fear in life. No matter what happens to me or how bad I sin I know that God will forgive me and have HIS WILL for my life. I don’t need to worry about jobs, safety, finances, health, or my future. I need only to do “MY BEST” to keep my eyes on Jesus because God has already work out all the details that lay ahead.

 

In the END, we are OK!

My Belief

My family had a bit of a brush with death this week. As you all know, I am an airline pilot and from time to time my wife does this wonderful thing where she drops me off at the airport so I don’t have to take public transportation. She did this very thing for me this week. After I had gone through security and was waiting for my plane to arrive she gave me a phone call and told me that she had just had a horrifying experience. As she was driving down the road away from the airport a massive deer charged toward her car on a direct collision course to smash through the passengers side window. My wife was terrified! She said there was nothing she could have done. There was no time to speed up, slow down, or swerve. Miraculously, the deer stopped only inches from hitting the car. My wife told me in our conversation that God was really watching out for her that night and we both prayed to thank God for His mercy to our family.

In light of this, I think of several other things I have heard about this week. The mega million lottery took place with the winners sharing an estimated half a billion dollars.  While this seems like an awesome positive thing to happen to a person, I find it amazing that the Word of God says it is not. I have read countless stories by simply “googling” lottery winners who say the money has wrecked their lives. In many cases the winners go broke, are killed, commit suicide, or are cheated by all their family and friends.

During Easter services my pastor talked about famous people who have reached the height of earthly success only to end in tragedy. Hollywood is full of these stories. Elvis, Lindsey Lohan, Michael Jackson, and on and on and on… Madonna has been quoted as saying, “Being rich and famous is NOT all it is cracked up to be”.

My point in all of this, is that in this world it is easy to get on the treadmill of success. The thought that if I could only get this, do this, be that, or have it all, then I WOULD BE HAPPY. This is the mindset in our world today and the evidence is quiet to the contrary. If you had it all how much of it would you trade or give up on your last day to continue living? There is nothing in this world that will bring people peace, joy and happiness. The only thing that has been proven to do that is a relationship with Jesus Christ. No one knows when a deer is going to come smashing through the window of our cars, but if we embrace Jesus we will be ready when it does.

Scripture

Matthew 16:26

²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Matthew 6:25-27

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

Application for Life

I struggle with this same dilemma in my own life at times. Being a pilot is a very competitive business and we are all trying to become the Captain on the biggest jet at the best airline. Well regardless of what jet you are on, or what airline you work for, we all fly in and out of the same airports, stay in the same hotels in the same cities, and ride the same employee shuttle busses. The guys with the best jobs in the best jets, at the best airlines are no more happy than anyone else. All the stuff they have does not satisfy their lives. Only Jesus brings that contentment and joy that I need and have in my own life.

Annoying People

My Belief

There are a few people in my life that really annoy me! For example: I find it annoying that some of the people at my church act like they are performing INSTEAD of leading worship. I find it annoying that some people in my life seem like they are playing church INSTEAD of having a heart for people and I find it annoying how many people in my job are just nasty and bitter about everything. In my mind I am GLAD I am not like those people!

Obviously this attitude is not inline with the mind and heart of God and He has convicted me about these thoughts. He is helping me to bring my thinking in line with His will. I had a thought a few weeks ago while I was at church one Sunday. I was  watching the person on stage put on a SHOW and leave the audience sitting quiet while continuing to loudly wale on. I thought to myself, no matter what they are doing, Jesus loves that person the same as he loves me. It is just wrong for me to think badly about that person because they are a sinner the same as me. I am a sinner and Jesus loves me. Instead I need to pray for them and pray for myself. Jesus came to serve people who eventually stuck him on a tree. I think I can change my thinking to serve people instead of letting them annoy me.

Scripture

1 John 2:2² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Application for life

People are all that matter to God. All of creation is set up for his glory and in the Bible He says we are the apex of that creation because we are created in His image. I'm praying the Lord helps me see people the way He sees them. He sees past my flaws and has covered me in the BLOOD of JESUS and so I will try to see past everyone else's.

Struggle

My Belief

I find it amazing and encouraging that so many powerful men of God in the Bible could screw up so bad! For example: David was the "man after Gods own heart", Noah spoke directly with God and watched the entire world perish, and Moses was given a direct command by God to lead Israel. Each of these men had an important connection with the creator and each of them failed in a big way. David had sex with a married woman and indirectly killed her husband on purpose, Noah and his family were the only ones left on earth and he got drunk and performed some sort of debauchery in his tent after the flood, and Moses willfully disobeyed a direct order from God after being delivered out of Egypt.

Even the best men alive STRUGGLES with a raging sin to rebel against God. This evil Sin lives in every Christian or non Christian alive and it is definitely alive and well inside of me. The difference between believers and non believers is  Struggle against this sin. This struggle is a wonderful reminder to me! This is proof of the Holy Spirit in a life engaging a conscious and pushing a person against their natural desire to turn from God. Paul described it best all through out Romans when he said he does what he does not want to do and his sinful flesh rebels against God. His heart desires to obey God but he finds himself battling to stop himself from doing wrong. This gives me great hope because I know God is working in my life. I fight sin every day and my heart breaks when I fail. I am happy to know that I am in good company though when I do fail. Better men and women of God than me faced the same sin. It also saddens me to know some of my friends who profess Jesus have no trouble sinning at all. They are the first to delight in jumping into drunkenness or a bed with just about anyone and does not appear to bother them at all. They are proud of their sin. There is no struggle because there is no Holy Spirit, and without the Holy Spirit there is no salvation.

Scripture

Romans 7:15

¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

Application for Life

Just like Paul I continue to evaluate my walk with the Lord and war against my own sinful flesh. Just like David I continue to study Gods word so I may not sin against Him. Thank you Jesus that you have given me the helper to convict me of my sin that I may continue to be refined. I pray to overcome my flesh and look forward to the day that I will trade my sinful body for a sinless one!

Watching

My Belief

I find myself watching the news all the time. I feel a strong need to stay informed on current events and global politics. The reason I feel this way is simple. I'm watching for Jesus. It is amazing how the worlds story is unfolding exactly as the Bible has said for thousands of years. This last week alone it appears that Russia is forming an alliance with Iran which is what most Biblical scholars believe is spoken about in Ezekiel 38 & 39. Our own US secretary of defense Leon Panetta said he was fearful that Israel is backed into a corner and may preemptively strike Iran in the next coming months. This was further confirmed by Israel's defense chief, Ahude Bayrak, who basically said they are seriously considering Military force. The European Union told America that if Israel strikes then the US needs to condemn Israel! This is exactly what the Bible talks about. It says that Israel will be a cup of wrath for all the nations. Israel will be isolated and attacked. I feel like every time I turn on the news I am watching the Bible unfold before my eyes.

It is also amazing to see that there have been so many middle east dictators fall in the last few years. The vacancy of power is everywhere. There are now no strong governments in control of Libya, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, or Tunisia. That is perfect for the Antichrist to come as a charismatic leader and consolidate power quickly.

Barrack Obama declared that America is no longer a Christian nation and according to the Bible we do not appear to play a big role in the events of the last days. Our economy is failing, our Military is shrinking, and our people are deeply divided against one another. We have departed from our original Judeo-Christian values that made us strong and now it is obvious that there is an all out war in this country on the Christian faith. Atheist are destroying everything for crosses on graves to Christmas trees in December. The Obama administration has issued policy that the catholic church must go against its Biblical values and provide abortions and contraceptives to all in its ministry.

Scripture

Matt 24:42-44

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Application

I watch the news in amazement of the times that I live in. I believe the Bible and know that things are going to get much worse... The beauty of it is that I also believe the Bible that it says the amazing days of Jesus return are just beyond the storm. I pray God makes me a powerful tool in his hand to share the Gospel with many so they too will see the storm and the light just beyond. Thank you Jesus for your warnings in the Bible and your Love to come  very soon.

Complacency Kills

My Belief

As a pilot I know that complacency is one of the biggest safety concerns we have facing us. When you fly to same cities multiple times in a month, run the same checklists every day, and essentially do the same things over and over again things are bound to become a bit routine. Things can become so routine that normal safe procedures begin to be over looked. Many times guys have said the same checklist so many times that the have it memorized and start reciting it from memory. At times people have taxied or flown the same procedure so many times that the feel that referencing the charts are no longer needed. This can become dangerous and set pilots up for big mistakes. This type of behavior can result in missing an important step on a checklist or route. We discuss cases of this happening in recurrent training every year. There is a good diagram that depicts this behavior. It is 3 circles inside of one another. The smallest circle in the middle is the green safe zone where complacency is held at bay and safety is at its highest point. The middle ring is where the pilot has drifted away from safety into the amber colored caution ring. When he continues to get away with his complacent behavior it becomes “safe” in his mind. This has become his new normal and his future drifting will be from this point. The last ring is the red danger ring. The pilot has drifted from his deviant behavior to a point where a big mistake is now imminent and safety will be compromised.

These 3 rings apply perfectly to my walk with the Lord Jesus. My green middle ring is where I am walking closely with God. I am taking time each day to read the Word, pray, and worship God. As life becomes hectic I tend to drift to a point in the outer caution ring where I don’t read regularly and I give God a “quickie” prayer. I tell myself in my head at some point later in the day I will “get around” to God. It is almost inevitable that I will drift into the last danger ring with this type of behavior. I will drift into a ring where I don’t pray, and I don’t walk with God and I am set up for failure. A failure where I will SIN against my God. In doing so I am sure to hurt myself and the ones around me. This will be a painful process that could be avoided if I would just stay on the straight and narrow in the safe center ring.

Hopefully when pilots make mistakes they are not so big that there can not be a period of reprimand and retraining. This will root them firmly back in the green safe ring. God does the same thing with me when I fail. He humbles me and brings me to my knees. I have no where to go but the foot of the cross and ask for forgiveness. God has always been faithful to pick me up and dust me off. He brings me back into a safe “green circle” walk with him. Thank you God that you are Faithful even when I am not.

Scripture

James 4:8⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Matthew 7:14¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Application

I strive to be faithful to God. I want the Holy Spirit to continue leading me into better and better habits. Habits that will keep me out of dangerous sin and into a healthy walk with the Lord. I am trying to surround myself with Godly people who will help me stay firm in my walk so that I may be a powerful tool for the Lord. I think of so many people in the Bible like David and Samson who drifted into danger and paid a painful price. Lord please help me to stay in a safe walk with you.