A Family Seder ~ 2011

The Passover Table is set!

Oh No! Leaven! Let's get it out of the house!

When are we ever going to eat!

Bitter Herbs aka - romaine dipped in horseradish sauce - sin stings Samuel

Parsley dipped in salt water-life in slavery to sin brings many tears

Daddy tells the story of God's covenant faithfulness to His people...Past & Present

I'm not drunk on Passover wine...really I'm not. Breaking the Afekomen

Enjoying the choroset dessert - Apple salad that looks like the mortar used in the bricks
It represents the sweetness of God's deliverance
Lots of Wine for everyone (Fruit of the Vine - in case my Mom is reading this)

Clean Hands

Pure Hearts

God is up to something. Seems that so many of us 'Gentiles' are being wooed back to God's holy days & festivals. As a father I find myself forever trying to 'clean up' the holidays for my kids. Ever get tired of trying to strip the holidays of meaningless fable, carnivoristic consumerism, & theft of God's characteristics bestowed upon Scandinavian saints who break into homes, leave gifts...and steal the glory of Jehovah?

Well, I feel your pain. God has a much better idea. Imagine a holiday that still has much fun & story for all ages to look forward to it months in advance. The whole idea of "Spring Cleaning" comes from preparing for Passover. The Jewish Mommas would deep clean the dwelling to get every trace of 'leaven' out of the house.

Then, just before the Passover Seder could begin, the Jewish Papas would take a candle & search the house with the little ones. Momma would leave a little bit of "Chametz" by the stove. One child would have a wooden spoon & the Dad would sweep the leaven onto the spoon with a feather. Another child would wrap it in a linen cloth & then they would take it outside of the house & burn it. You don't have to be a biblical scholar to get the symbolism: Candle - God's Word, Wooden Spoon - the Cross, Feather - the Holy Spirit, Linen cloth - grave clothes, Fire - Christ's sacrifice - a burnt offering.

We retold the story of God's delivering the Children of Israel with an Outstretched arm. When God stretches out His arm - you don't want to be on the receiving end of it...just ask Pharaoh.

We talked about the bitterness of life, the wages of sin being death. We remembered our baby who we will see in heaven one day. Salty tears still flow at the thought of him or her. But out of that sad valley came three beautiful babies - Samuel Isaac, Benjamin Robert Anthony, & Emma Grace. The blessings & the bitterness - through it all God is faithful.

We've never done this at home before. I've wanted to for years. We almost didn't do it this year but I felt an urgency to celebrate this 'Moed' with my family.

We're going to do it again this Friday with our Church family. The Seder at home was a bit of a dry run. We're going to scale things back & loosen them up a bit for Friday. But we are still going to remember, recount & retell the story of God's covenant faithfulness to His children.

Let me encourage you to give it a try. God knows how to have a holy holiday. It beats the fire out of thinly veiled pagan festivals. Let's get back to the book & back to Celebrating the feasts of the LORD.

The Gospel Stairs

Our Church, Lake Wildwood Baptist, began a journey through Romans this past Sunday. I came across this poem in my studying & I have to confess that I wept when I read the last line. It is my story & that of any & all who have been drawn by the Father & effectually called by the Holy Spirit to Justification by faith alone - vacant of ANY work on my part. May we all be reminded that God has done it all...We are merely the blessed recipients of the His gracious gift through our Lord Jesus Christ. Enjoy...

The Gospel Stairs

O long & dark the stairs I trod

with trembling feet to find my God

Gaining a foothold bit by bit

then slipping back & losing it

Never progressing; striving still

with weakening grasp & faltering will

Bleeding to climb to God, while He

Serenely smiled, unnoting me

Then came a certain time when I

Loosened my hold & fell thereby;

Down to the lowest steps my fall,

As if I had not climbed at all!

Now when I lay despairing there

Listen...a footfall on the stair!

On that same stair where I afraid,

Faltered & fell & lay dismayed

And lo, when hope had ceased to be,

My God came down the stairs to me!

Ellicott Wilderness: A Great Teacher

Drying my shoes by the fire Going fishing the second day

My 'barely one person' tent

Beautiful Waterfall

My pack complete with crickets for fishing

A Black Bear track right outside my tent!

Necissity is the Mother of invention

Smoking Trout...Its what's for dinner!

I caught the big one & 2 of the smaller ones! Panther martin spinner knocks em dead!

I recently had the opportunity to take a hiking trip with some fellow Pastors. We went to the Ellicott Wilderness for a 3 day 20 mile hiking/fishing/camping trip. I've shed, by God's grace-the moringa tree & Zija, 60 pounds since July of last year. I figured the 40 pound pack would be no problem! I may have lost weight but I have yet to gain cardio shape! The 3,000 foot elevations really challenged me to the max. My partners gave me the 'trail name' of 'Grunt' because I made noise with every step.

We hiked 7 or 8 miles the first day. By the end of that hike I figured out how to & how not to wear the backpack. It is supposed to rest on your 'saddle' aka top of your butt. Let me tell you, my 'saddle' was sagging by the time we made camp that afternoon!

The second half of that first day found us in some very steep mountainous country. Nearly vertical ravines on a foot & a half wide dirt trail made for some hairy hiking. At one 'hairpin' turn there was a tree growing up over the path & a 300 to 400 foot drop off on the outer edge. I watched my partners grasp the trunk & 'swing' under the tree. No problem. I didn't factor in my 40 pound pack. In the middle of my swing my left hand slipped off the tree trunk & my swing started swinging down & not over! That was a wake up call to be sure!

The hiking wasn't so fun at first...or in the middle...or on the last day really. What was fun was looking back & realizing you did something hard & you persevered!

We camped along the Chatooga river where deliverance was filmed. I kept a sharp ear out for banjo music!

We caught 6 trout the first afternoon & I caught 3 more the next day. Nothing like fresh trout smoked over a fire. The big trout bumped my spinner on 3 successive casts. On the 4th cast I reeled that spinner as fast as I could & instead of 'tasting' it - he inhaled it!

After our trip I figured out why my Pastor buddies so enjoyed this kind of get away. It is the polar opposite of what we do every day. No cell phones, people, or problems other than physical ones to be overcome. No dressing up, meetings, or fires to put out - only ones to start.

It was so quiet except for the sound of the river which lulled us to sleep each night. We carried everything we needed to sustain us right on our backs. We were miles from civilization & we not only survived but we thrived.

I can't wait to go back & take Paul Jr. with me. He would love this kind of adventure!