DAYS OFF ARE SO COOL

I love being at the place in life where I can start enjoying days off.  I enjoyed waking up with my granddaughter on my head and getting to play with her and before I had to take her to Child Town.  I enjoyed getting to work in the garage and on the driveway.  I enjoyed helping Kim purge things from the house (wait until she gets back from Romania, haha).  I enjoyed visiting with a two new special people in our life.  I enjoyed going to Lowes to buy some more stuff to work on the deck and other parts of the house.  I enjoyed getting to spend the evening calling a basketball game on the radio with one of my best friends in all the world.  I enjoyed coming home to my wonderful wife after the game.  I enjoyed laughing at the fact that the last thing she said before going to walk was "I promise I'll turn you on".  She meant the game on the radio .... what were you thinking?  I enjoy the fact that some of you including Kim can't believe I just wrote that.  It makes me smile and I am trying to do that more and more.

I just enjoy that God is slowly teaching me, or better said that I  am slowly learning, to enjoy life and not sweat the small stuff.  Because in fifty years this body and this life will be nothing but dust to me, but what's inside of me, the part that enjoys things, will be enjoying worshipping Jesus 24/7/365 for infinity. 

That's real talk for my young readers and nothing but truth for those who don't understand real talk.

Days off are so cool, because I have time to think and write about random stuff!!

Peace, remember the shepherd loves his sheep and keep on reaching!

FCA JUST KEEPS ON REACHING

One of the greatest joys I have had over the last two years is the opportunity to get reconnected with FCA and serve as chaplain to the 2009 Shelby County Rockets and the 2010 Collins Titans.  I thank Todd Shipley so much for bringing me on in 2009.  He is a great coach and person and we definitely had an "Uncommon Season".  The move to a new school this year was fun, but I sure miss Ship and the Rockets.  We have two great high schools and two Christian coaches, not too many communities can say that.  I love Coach Lucas and what he is allowing me to do with a group of young men that goes far beyond the football field.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes is all about life. Sports is just the arena in which its leaders teach life and most importantly teach a life with Christ.  This morning I got to spend some time in my office with Steve Wigginton, the state director of FCA and Scott Long, the great wide receiver from University of Louisville.  Scott had a great career at U of L, and after a stint with the San Franscisco Forty-Niners is back in Louisville trying to give back by sharing Christ.  While at U of L Scott became close to FCA campus chaplain Chris Morgan who poured himself into Scott, discipling him to be a true follower of Christ.  Scott is now an area representative with FCA.

I encourage you to keep up with local FCA opportunites by reading their blog at http://www.fcalouisvilleky.blogspot.com/ .  There is an annual golf scramble in the summer and auction in the fall that I encourage you to get involved in and help out.  FCA is just Christ extended arm of the church to young people through the arena of athletics and it just keeps on reaching.  Let's help them out!

Great Morning on the Hill

Twenty-five guys gathered on the hill this morning at 7:00 to start our study on 1 Timothy.  It was a great time.  Join us for chapter 2 in two weeks.  See you on the 26th. Here is what we studied.


1 Timothy 1


1-2I, Paul, am an apostle on special assignment for Christ, our living hope. Under God our Savior's command, I'm writing this to you, Timothy, my son in the faith. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!


Self-Appointed Experts on Life


3-4On my way to the province of Macedonia, I advised you to stay in Ephesus. Well, I haven't changed my mind. Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience.


5-7The whole point of what we're urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven't the remotest idea of what they're holding forth with such imposing eloquence.

8-11It's true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It's obvious, isn't it, that the law code isn't primarily for people who live responsibly, but for the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever! They are contemptuous of this great Message I've been put in charge of by this great God.


12-14I'm so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn't know what I was doing—didn't know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.


15-19Here's a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I'm proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever. Deep honor and bright glory to the King of All Time— One God, Immortal, Invisible, ever and always. Oh, yes!I'm passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we're in. 19-20There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.

That stuff at the end about letting them go to Satan to be taught a lesson or two is some heavy duty stuff!

What Do You Want To Do

Samuel Johnson, the famous British author, once said, "Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first be overcome."  What is it that you want to do, but you are afraid to try?  Is something in your private world, like sky diving or scuba diving?  Is it something in your financial world like starting a new business or who knows maybe even tithing to God?  Is it something in your work world like suggesting a better way of doing things or maybe even switching jobs?  Whatever it is, it will never happen if you don't try.

Now we have to be careful not to do things on impulse just because it is something we want to do.  Jesus warned us of this in Luke 14 28-29 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you." Yet many people today do not count the cost before the do things and end up paying a huge price financially, emotionally and spiritually.

However,  many more people seem to spend enormous amounts of time figuring out why something won't work rather than investigating what will make it work.  Then there comes the time after all has been evaluated and maybe there are some questions unanswered that you just gotta JUMP!

When I was six years old my Uncle Sam was helping to teach me to swim.  I kept watching the big kids jumping off the high dive and I wanted to jump so bad.  Finally, one Sunday afternoon he said let's go.  Now the ball was in my court.  I wanted to go jump so bad, but I knew that once I climbed that ladder and left that board there was no going back.  The really cool thing that I'll never forget is that when we got to the deep end and it was my turn to go off the board he jumped in the water and swam to the middle and then said, "alright now go ahead and jump."  Suddenly I knew everything was going to be alright because he was right there where I was going to land and if I had trouble he was there to save me.  He is still swimming into some deep waters with me today and I will always love him for it.

Now what about you and me and the other decisions that we have to make.  We don't always have an uncle out in the water waiting for us.  But wait there is someone ...

Jesus said in Matthew 17:28 "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”   In Matthew 19:26 he said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Before Jesus said that God reminded His followers in Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So what do you want to do that seems so BIG?  Spend some time evaluating, praying, seeking advice and wisdom.  Then at the end of the day, even when all the questions aren't answered, go ahead and jump and know that your heavenly Father is there to catch you!

What do you want to do?

I Gotta a Feeling

I just finished watching the Black Eyed Peas rock Texas Stadium at the Super Bowl. Musically not the best, but that is typical of most Super Bowl halftime shows.  The outfits were weird, but hey they all stayed on and there were no wardrobe malfunctions.  They did bring a lot of energy and excitement, so to that extent it was a "good good night".

I am sitting here all alone now watching the rest of the Steelers and Packers Super Bowl. Far too much yellow on the field for me, but it is a pretty competitive game. So I guess that makes it a "good, good night" for us football junkies. 

I am not a real fan of the Black Eyed Peas, or the Steelers, or the Packers, but I can't get that song out of my head. You'll know that "tonight's gonna be a good, good night". 

Here's what I am thinking.  What would it take for me to believe that everyday is gonna be a good, good day?  I don't seem to have that feeling much anymore.  Four years of trauma have caused me to expect the bad in life more often than the good.  I am working really hard on changing that this year.

I have been constantly telling myself that it is great to be alive, that God is in control, that grater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.  I know this is the day that the Lord has made and I am supposed to rejoice and be glad in it. I know that the great thinker Henri Nouwen said, Joy and resentment can't co-exist."

I gotta a feeling that the problem is deep inside of me and rest in my inner spirit.  Wait that Spirit that lives inside of me is the very spirit of a Living God.  A God that created the universe in six days, regardless of what Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking have to say.  A God that covered the entire earth with rain, parted the Red Sea, closed the mouths of the lions, that's the God whose Holy Spirit lives in me.  A God who dramatically ambushed a guy named Saul and changed his life in a flash.  A God who let His Son come to live among us for awhile, then let Him die on a cross for my sin and three days later brought Him back to life to prove to Satan that there was no power he had over us that He (God) could not overcome.  That is the God who allows His Spirit to live inside of me and every other blood brought believer!

So guess what ... I gotta feeling that tonight is gonna be a good, good night and tomorrow is gonna be a good, good day!!  I don't know I just got a feeling ....to God be the glory ... great things He has done.

Talk About Overcoming Adversity - WOW!

I have been writing about dealing with adversity and a great guy from our church has had adversity thrust on him in a mighty way over the last six weeks. I asked his permission to share a letter of testimony and thanks that he wrote for our church this week. Enjoy and be encouraged ...




I was scheduled to have gall bladder surgery on Jan 3rd of this year. On Dec 29th, I began having a sore throat and congestion. Because of my job, I was unable to see a Dr until Jan 1st. A strep test came back negative and I was put on a z-pack of antibiotic to kill whatever was going on. I was told to call the surgeon's office first thing Monday morning to let them know what was going on. They called the Operating Room and we were given the green light for the surgery.
I arrived at Jewish hospital in Shelbyville Monday morning for my surgery at 11am. As we were sitting in the waiting area, I looked up, and here came Jason Haggard (my first warrior). I was really surprised to see him. They took me back and prepped me for surgery. My wife, Nikki and Jason then came back to lead me in prayer. I was pretty anxious about the surgery (this was the first time that I had been really sick in my life) and don't really remember all that Jason said. Basically, he said "Here is your Shield!".
The surgery had lasted longer than they thought it would because my gall bladder was 8 cm long with a 5 cm stone in it and they had to widen the opening mid-surgery. After surgery, as I was coming to, I saw my second warrior, Mary Beth Eades, one of our great singers, who works in the recovery area. The first thing I remember is her in my face saying "Hey, Ken, wake up!" I went straight home and back to bed.
On Tuesday, I awoke with numbness in my feet and hands and thought that maybe it was the pain killers or from the anesthesia. Wednesday and Thursday were the same. On Friday, I went off the pain killers to see if that was the issue. It wasn't. On Friday night, we went to the ER. After 7 hours, we had no answers and were sent home.
On Saturday, the 8th, I awoke with double-vision and the numbness was now throughout about 90 per cent of my body. I couldn't feel my mouth, my mid-section and my arms and legs. The condition had crept up my body to my stomach, then jumped to my head, skipping my lungs and throat. I was unsteady on my feet and needed help just to walk from the living room to the bathroom. I guess that we should have been more concerned, but every time that Nikki and I talked about it, we always came to the same ending; God's got this!!
We met with my family Dr the following Monday and he immediately sent us the the Neurologist in Shelbyville who ordered an MRI of my head. We had to wait until Friday to get into the MRI in Shelbyville. The MRI on Friday showed no stroke in the brain stem, so another one was ordered for my neck. He was sure that it was a stroke somewhere. 41 years old and a stroke!! We were scared! The local Neurologist also referred me to the UL Neurologists because of the severity of my condition. The second MRI was done in Louisville on Monday the 17th. We met with the UL Neurologist on Wed the 19th. Again, no stroke. What was it?
The Neurologist from UL was 95% sure that I had something called Miller Fisher Syndrome, an autoimmune condition where my body was attacking my nerves and causing paralysis. It affects 1 out of 100,000 people. Normally, people who contract this condition have to be put on a ventilator because of paralysis in the lungs. The Neurologist was amazed that never happened to me. He couldn't understand why or how it crept up my body, got to my mid-section, then jumped to my head. We know, don't we?! Because of the length of time it took to get a diagnosis, there is really no course of treatment to take. I had already started to get better by the time that I was diagnosed. If the paralysis had hit my lungs, I would have died! By the time an ambulance could have gotten to our house, it would have been too late! That is probably the scariest part of this whole thing, how close I came.
I want to give thanks to all who have helped us through this ordeal. YOUR ARE MY PRAYER WARRIORS!! Our entire LIFE Group; someone was calling or e-mailing everyday to check on us and many dinners were brought by. To everyone in our church who lifted me up in prayer!!! ALL OF YOU ARE THE REASON THAT I AM STILL HERE AND CAN ENJOY MY WIFE AND 5 AND 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTERS!! THANK YOU!! And last, but not least, my beautiful wife, Nikki. You carried me through this and I owe you big!!
As I have been contemplating writing this e-mail, I have been trying to come up with a way to express how I feel about how serious this was. As I stated before, for the entire time, Nikki and I knew that God would provide. I feel that your prayers were a huge part of keeping us calm and safe. It felt like we were in a huge field and you all sat me down, circled around me facing outward with your swords and shields and defied anything to come after me!! I know that sounds corny, but to me that has alot of power to it.
Aside from the double-vision, I am now almost completely healed and have been cleared to return to work on Feb 6th. It can take up to 6 months for all of the effects to wear off and only a 3% chance that it will happen again.
I ask for one more prayer from you all. Please pray that God will show me why he saved me. There is something that He wants me to do, and I pray for the wisdom to know what His plan is.

Also, please know that any time that you need a prayer, I am honored to be considered YOUR prayer warrior!

We have seen so many examples in the past couple of years how God takes care of us, I just wanted to add my story.
Again, sorry if I rambled, and that this was so long!
Thank you,
Ken Canterbury

Does God Have Faith in You?

I heard a really interesting comment this week at a funeral that I haven't been able to get out of my mind.  The pastor at the funeral said, "When God takes your troubles away it develops great faith in Him.  When He doesn't take them away it shows His faith in you." Wow! What an idea?  Could it be that God might have faith in us to be able to handle some of our own troubles.  It is easier when He simply takes the troubles away, but maybe it is more beneficial when He allows us to go through them because He believes we are ready to deal with them.

I remember hearing Dave Dravecky, the great pitcher who broke his arm throwing a pitch and after a comeback eventually lost his arm.  Dravecky said that after he lost his arm he went on a trip to the middle east and found Christians who didn't pray for God to takeaway their troubles. Instead they prayed that he would give them the strength to endure.

On my way to the funeral I heard an interview with Chance Anthony, a young man from Breckinridge County, Kentucky who won the high school "Rudy" award for overcoming adversity.  We played them this year and he was incredible.  This young was born with only one full arm and hand.  His right arm stops just below the elbow.  At 5'10" and 160 pounds he bench presses 235 pounds and get this plays wide receiver.  In the first quarter of our game this year he made an amazing diving backhanded catch ... did I mention he has only one hand.  It was incredible to watch his young man get hit and bounce right back up, but it was inspirational to listen to him talk about overcoming adversity!  God must really have faith in him.

My wife and I have lived through the hell that many parents do of having a teenager that is struggling in life and there is nothing yo can do to help.  We pray and things are still a struggle.  Does that mean God has faith in us to be able to deal with it.  It sure doesn't feel that way most of the time.  Many a day I have cried out O.K. God enough is enough.

I want to be able to go through the storm everyday and say "Still I will praise you."  Is God letting me down by not answering my prayer?  Or is He answering by saying "I have faith in you", "You can handle this", "I've got your back", "Just keep going." 

Sometimes I think I am a pretty smart guy and I think I understand what faith and trusting God is all about.  Then like a climber trying to scale Mt.Everest every time I think I have gone as far as I can go, He says, "No we have to make the next summit."  I respond I am so tired of climbing ... could He be saying, "I know, but I also know that you have a little more in you ... let's keep on climbing ... let's keep on reaching."