Experiencing Bill

Battle Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:00:00 +0000

WAKE UP!

You are in a WAR ... whether you want to be, or not.

This war you are in can not be ignored. And it will not go away. You are on the front lines of a fierce battle, where the victor claims a valuable commodity ...

... your soul.

The battle you fight is against the forces of Satan. Your battle started when you were born and continues today. Skilled soldiers launching their daily assaults against you. Haven't you heard the bullets whizzing by you, or the whistling of incoming artillery? Haven't you seen the smoke and the signs of battle?

No?

What about thoughts of envy whizzing through your head, or the voices of friends inviting you into mischief. Inappropriate Internet advertising that draws your eye or maybe the fog of hatred caused by unmet expectations. Do any of those attacks sound familiar? Tailor made temptations purposefully launched at your weak points to cause one thing... separation from GOD. All from Satan, the enemy.

Make no mistake, Satan has a well planned campaign against you. What are your battle plans? What is your plan when Satan brings the fight to you?

Miguel de Cervantes said, "To be prepared is half the victory." I agree! So let me offer this divine battle plan to you. It is broken into three parts:

TRAINING: I think we all agree that a well trained soldier is better than the untrained one. Weapons training is at the top of that list. The soldier's weapon should become like a part of their body. The Holy Warrior's weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Know this weapon intimately and train with it as though your life depends on it ... because it does. Jesus himself used this weapon to fight off Satan in desert. It is battle proven.

PRE-BATTLE PREPARATIONS: Fortify your weak points. In the days of Joshua, the cities without walls were easy targets, but the cities with walls were protected. Even the generals of modern times see the benefit of fortifying weak areas to protect them against attack. Where are your weak areas? Lust, greed, pride? Build fortifications around these known areas and guard against inevitable temptations. Not only fortify but have strategies in place to counter-attack temptation.

COMBAT: When the battle comes, have your strategies in place and follow them. Have your prayers ready and unleash them in battle. Have fellow Holy Warriors in place and go to them for strength. Endure to the end of the battle. Combat is hard and draining. Wounds are inflicted on the front lines. Know when you are wounded and need healing. Remove yourself from the front lines and find faithful first-aid. Go on a retreat, take a sabbatical and heal yourself. Then return to the battle.

I don't know about you, but I've read the last chapter in the book and I know how this story ends. The battle belongs to the LORD. Assured victory empowers the army. Don't be intimidated by Satan. When your feet hit the floor in the morning, make Satan shutter and say ...

... "Oh no, he's awake!"

Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:27:00 +0000

I have something you need to hear, but sinners only please.

If you are not a sinner, just go ahead and skip to the ending. This chapter does not apply to you. If you are a sinner, keep reading.

My mother believed in keeping EVERYTHING of mine when I was a child. Toys, clothes, pictures and school work occupied multiple containers in my parent's garage. In the summer of 2009, My parents decided to clean out their garage and, you guessed it, all that stuff of mine was returned back to its original owner (whether I wanted it or not). As I filtered through the boxes of artifacts, I found an ancient masterpiece. A picture I had colored when I was in kindergarten. A white page with a thick black outline of a puppy in the middle. The puppy was colored with a red crayon. I use the term "colored" loosely, because it appeared I had a seizure while coloring that page. The technique was anything but neat and it was clear I did not understand the concept of coloring within the lines.

A simple concept really, here is the line ... do not cross it. Is it really that simple? Especially when the lines apply to our lives. Move the lines from the sheet of paper and they become things like the trust of a friend, vows in a marriage, care for our bodies and honoring GOD. Coloring a picture has now become life's major decisions. But I want to point out that the concept is still the same. Here is the line ... do not cross it.

The trust of a friend ... do not soil it.

The vows in a marriage ... do not break them.

Caring for your body ... do not misuse it.

Honoring your GOD ... do not disgrace HIM.

Hear this. Crossing the line is a choice. You choose to stay within the lines or cross over them. That choice can mean the difference between blessings and banes.

A very emotionally broken drug addict sat in my office, confessing to burglary and prostitution. She blamed her situation on family, friends, the economy, even her lack of a job. But her situation was a result of her own choices. She knew where the line was and chose to cross over it. She chose to associate with friends who abuse drugs, she chose to abuse drugs, she chose to steal money instead of earn it. She could have made a different choice anywhere along that path and changed the direction of her life. But she chose not to change.

"I choose to sin." That sounded pretty bad, didn't it. It's true. When temptation or situation knocks, you choose whether to open the door or lock it.

Is it really that easy? Choose not to sin?

I'm going to try it. I'll let you know ...

So Help Me GOD

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

"So help me God."

Have you ever said those words?

The words that follow every oath taken by a person when called upon to perform a duty. It follows a soldier's oath to fight for his country and a policeman's oath to serve his community. If you have ever served on a jury or testified in court, you made a promise to do your best, speak only the truth and then asked GOD to help you do it.

Makes sense to me ... to invoke the help of the ONE who created everything and can do anything. If any could help you, HE could, right? Tragically our country seems to be moving away from this line of thought. For the worst of reasons ... compromise.

Trijicon, Inc. is a Michigan based company that produces state-of-the-art combat targeting systems for small arms weapons. Their equipment is the best of the best, and that's what you want when your life depends on it. I know! I'm a cop. I use their equipment every day. I'm not the only one, Trijicon has a $660 Million dollar contract with the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army to provide the same equipment to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. those troops deserve the best of the best. But that relationship was in jeopardy this past week.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council's director Salam Al-Marayati called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to withdraw from combat use all weapons of the U.S. Military that used a Trijicon sighting system. It was discovered that Trijicon was inscribing biblical references next to the serial number on all their sighting systems. Immediately following the serial number, in letters no bigger than two centimeters, where "2COR4:6" or "JN8:12".

Al-Marayati said, "Allowing religious references to be placed on U.S. weaponry, which are bought and paid for by U.S. taxpayers, is unacceptable. Such inscriptions not only run afoul of the Constitution and U.S. military rules, but they also feed into the violent extremists' narrative the the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are a 'crusade against Islam.' "

2 Corinthians 4:6 reads, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

John 8:12 reads, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "

The Department of Defense was considering termination of the Trijicon contract over the complaint. Trijicon was forced into a difficult decision. In order to keep their state-of-the-art sighting systems in the hands of the guys who need them, Trijicon voluntarily offered to stop inscribing the references on the sights and offered free modification kits to remove the inscriptions from the systems already in the field.

Trijicon CEO Stephen Binder made the statement, "As part of our faith and our belief in service to our country, Trijicon has put scripture references on our products for more than two decades. As long as we have men and women in danger, we will continue to do everything we can to provide them with both state-of-the-art technology and never ending support and prayers of a grateful nation." (emphasis mine)

I applaud Trijicon for placing scripture references on their products. They are truly doing everything they can to help us fight the battles we fight. Not only are they making reliable and hi-tech equipment, they are also calling on GOD to shine his light in the darkness we are fighting in. By placing those references on their equipment, they are saying ...

"So help me GOD."

"People will hate you, shut you out, insult you, and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be happy. Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. Their ancestors did the same thing to the prophets." (Luke 6:22-23 NCV)

Lost and Found

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:46:00 +0000

Parents ... Raise your hands in confirmation if you agree that your children teach YOU more about your relationship with GOD than any other person. If you are raising your hands right now, you're in good company. Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Mary, all can relate to that experience.

I can too.

While exploring the yard, my youngest son Brady (5) found an old toy police car. I remembered the toy car from when I first gave it to him. I'm sure every parent could relate to the story. Brady and I were in a local retail pharmacy store and he saw this key chain with a toy police car dangling on the end. The toy was small , shiny and had a real LED light on top that flashed red when you pressed a button. This toy quickly became his temporary obsession. You could imagine the ordeal that followed. Brady's sole survival depended on me buying that toy car for him.

So I did.

He loved that car and took it with him everywhere. Until one day, it was gone. Lost. Probably devoured by the black hole at the bottom of the toy box ... with my spare set of car keys. We searched for it, but came up toy-less.

Time passed until one day ... the toy car was found in the yard

Time and the elements had their way with the lost toy. It no longer resembled the small shiny toy we remembered. It was rusted inside and out with dirt where the windows used to be. The LED on top was broken and the rubber was completely gone from the tiny wheels. By definition, it was BUSTED.

In fact, the only thing that remained intact was Brady's love for that toy car. He brought it to me with the same excitement he had when he first saw it in the store. "Dad, look what I found!" It was hard for me to find the same excitement, looking at the rusted carcass of the once functional toy.

"Daddy, can you wash this off for me?" It was an odd request for sure. Did he really want to play this rusted car? It looked more like a health hazard than a play toy.

"Lets throw this one away," I said to Brady. "It's broken and dirty."

Brady was insistent with his request for a car wash. "No daddy, you just need to wash it off and it'll be better." Brady sincerely believed the toy was repairable, even though I didn't see it that way. He saw that toy with a different set of eyes. His argument was strong and passionate.

I washed the toy.

The reunion was grand. It was like the toy was brand new, at least in Brady's eyes. Boy and beloved toy together again. Just like it used to be.

In your mind's eye, picture this scene in a heavenly throne room. GOD and JESUS, Father and Son, are troubled. Their most-loved creation, skillfully made in their image, has become lost. They glean a smile, remembering the day they created man and woman. But tears fall as they realize that sin has taken it's toll on their loved creation and it has become dirty and broken.

Then JESUS brings you to GOD saying, "Dad, look what I found! This one just needs to be washed and it'll be better." Jesus seeks you and when He finds you, He sees you through a different set of eyes ... the eyes of a savior. Jesus sincerely believes that you are repairable. His argument to the Father is strong and passionate.

So, GOD washes you ... forever. The reunion will be grand!

Just like it used to be...

The Terminator

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:14:00 +0000

My team of four arrived on the scene of a home invasion gone bad. The officer in charge briefed us on what he knew: an unknown number of heavily armed bad guys were inside the house. The condition of the home owner and his family was unknown. The larger tactical team was enroute, but due to the sounds of active gunfire inside house, my team needed to make a dynamic entry into the house NOW in order to rescue any surviving hostages. To make things worse, it was night time.

This was probably the WORST report that you could possibly receive in a briefing. You want to know as much information as you can get before you go charging into a building full of bad guys. How many bad guys are inside, where are they located, what are they armed with, where are the hostages ... all answered with, "Unknown."

Fear thrives in the unknown.

Our survival now depended on our training. Luckily we didn't skimp in that area. We had training for everything. Physical fitness training kept us in shape. Weapons training developed an intimate relationship with our weapons. Tactical training transformed our team into one fluid unit instead of four separate men. Defensive tactics training taught us hand-to-hand combat.

"Man, I wish I would have paid a little more attention in that hostage rescue training class," I thought to myself.

GEAR UP ! It's time to do what we do ...

As we stacked up on the front door, the entire house was black as night. We heard gunfire inside. Time to move. The front door swung open and in we went ... into the unknown. We moved smooth and quick through the darkness, as well trained team. Three rooms were cleared quickly. We made it look easy, until ...

I heard a noise behind me. It sounded like gunfire ... loud gunfire ... close gunfire ... OUCH! I felt the painful burn of rounds striking my back and arms. Two of us were sprayed with rounds from a Glock handgun. I turned around just time to see the bad guy firing off rounds as fast as he could pull the trigger. "Where did that guy come from?" As flashlights were concentrated on him, I could see the bad guy smiling. He had out-smarted us. An attack from the rear. What a JERK!

The remaining two team members reacted quickly and ended the fire-fight with a volley of precision placed bullets until the bad guy was covered in blue ....

Blue? Did you say BLUE?

Blue paint bullets.

Remember? We don't skimp in training. The fear, the courage, the pressure, the building, the bad guys, the pain ... all real. The situation and the bullets ... training. We called it The Terminator. A building specifically designed to train officers in tactical manuvers. A bloodless battle to hone our skills in preparation for the real thing.

As a faithful believer, has your faith or beliefs ever been challenged? Not the simple, "Do you believe in God, " question. I mean a complicated, scripturally based, well-planned and rehearsed challenge that comes from an educated challenger. The kind of challenge that blows holes in your Galilean boat and sets your Bethlehem manger ablaze. Terminator questions!

The next question is even scarier. Did you survive?

Have you ever thought the battle for your soul requires training? Consider that every challenge against your faith is a battle. Is your sword of the Spirit (God's Word) sharp? Have you studied it and trained with it? Can you wield it proficiently?

A close friend of mine just returned from such a battle ... wounded but alive. For three straight days his Bible knowledge, faith and beliefs were severely attacked by a well educated challenger. You could hear the scriptural steel clash as both used God's Word to disprove the other. To hear my friend describe the experience, I envision two titans in epic battle. My friend was not as well trained as he could have been. He survived, but a lesson was learned.

What did I learn from my wounds in The Terminator? Always look underneath the sofa, no matter how small it looks. What did my friend learn from his wounds? Know what your beliefs are and where they come from. Eliminate the unknown. Train with your Bible so when your faith is challenged, you'll be properly prepared to defend it.

Your battle is coming ...

Thaumastos

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:34:00 +0000

How many amazing people do you know? Not just good or great. I'm talking knock your socks off, jaw dropping, standing ovation, how did they do that ... amazing.

All but two of the New Testament writers described Jesus as amazing. The actual word they used was Thaumastos. When the Greek writer used the word Thaumastos, it was used to describe someone worthy of pious admiration. An extraordinary person. A marvelous and excellent person. Let me tell you a story about such a man...

At a US Marine boot camp in 1959, cadets were preparing to take their final physical fitness exam. After weeks of grueling work, the class was ready to get this test behind them. But one cadet was nervous ... David. David was a great Marine cadet, full of enthusiasm, intelligence, and desire to serve his country. So what made David so nervous about this test?

The chin-up bar ...

David was a "large" Marine and lacked the upper body strength to complete the required number of chin-ups needed to pass the fitness test. It had been an ongoing challenge for David since the beginning of boot camp and the whole class knew it. All through boot camp, his brother cadets encouraged and pushed David to be his personal best. But he still could not pull out the required number on his own. And the day had come when David had to face the drill Sgt and the test ... alone. Failing the test meant failing boot camp ... David would not become a Marine.

One of the cadets in David's class saw the inevitable and was determined not to let his brother cadet fail. This was the cadet's plan ...

The drill Sgt grading the test didn't know faces. Therefore, every cadet wore a t-shirt with their last name and serial number printed across the front. Cadets were lined up and pushed through tests in efficient assembly line formation. The drill Sgt would read the name and number on the t-shirt and record the grade in the appropriate blank on the score sheet. "Next!" would advance the line forward.

Our Thaumastos cadet's last name was near the top of the alphabetical list. David's last name was near the middle. When the Thaumastos cadet's name was called, he did his required number of chin-ups without breaking a sweat. The drill Sgt looked at the name and number on the t-shirt, recorded the grade, and yelled "NEXT !" The line advanced, but this cadet, unnoticed, strangely moved to the middle of the line.

He found David and switched places with him, putting on David's t-shirt. The line advanced and soon David's name was called ... But it wasn't David stepping forward. It was the other cadet. That cadet pulled out another round of the required number of chin-ups. The drill Sgt looked and the name and number on the t-shirt, recorded the passing grade, and yelled, "NEXT !"

David passed the physical fitness test and became a US Marine. All because of an amazing, Thaumastos, cadet that did his own and David's required chin-ups. Twice the work! Is this cadet worthy of admiration? You bet. Extraordinary? I think so. Worthy of the Greek adjective Thaumastos? Without a doubt.

That cadet went on to become a great man. He has inspired me my whole life and still continues to amaze me today. His name ...

Bobby Aycock, my dad.

I am truly blessed to have an earthly father with such compassion, heart, and dedication ...

... on earth as it is in heaven.

(SIDE NOTE) Three years ago, that 67 year old Marine (my dad) cranked out more chin-ups than the Marine recruiter AND the gathered cadets at a Marine recruiting station, much to their embarrassment. HUA!

Consequence

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:07:00 +0000

I'm a cop.

By the nature of my exsistence, I deal with consequence ... usually dealing it out. My exsistence has a devine pupose and ordination according to Paul (Romans 13). I am a servant of GOD, commissioned by HIM to bring evil-doers to justice. To resist me is to resist the very ordinance of GOD (Romans 13:2).

But that doesn't stop some poeple.

I was recently assigned to a US Marshal's fugtive task force that was tasked with tracking down and arresting several felony fugitives. Bad guys on the run ... a game I've played alot. We tracked one fugitive to a neighborhood home and knocked on the door. Before our team of seven could surround the house, the fugitive jumped out a back window and sprinted off through the back yard. By the time we reached the back fence, he had already cleared the neighboring back yard fence and was quickly progressing to the next fence in line.

Keep in mind that I am 15 years senior to this fugitive and 35 pounds heavier because of all the gear I'm wearing. To get a mental picture, imagine a moose chasing a gazell.

The fugitive finally lost steam and hid in a back yard storage shed a few streets over. This well built 10x10 shed was a miniature house, with one window and one metal door, which he quickly dead-bolted upon entering. Seven (tired) cops quickly surround the shed and announce for the fugtive to come out.

No answer.

We knew he was inside the shed. He knew ... we knew he was inside the shed. Yet he refused to come out or even talk. He was caught. No escape. Did he hope that we would just give up and leave? Maybe he thought we would forget he was in there? Did he reason that if we could not see him, we could not know that he was inside?

When it comes down to it, there was no reason or logic behind his actions at all. His destiny with consequence awaited him outside that door and he did not want to face it. Worse, it would not go away. He was going to jail whether he came out ... or we went in. There was no escaping consequence.

After short "aggressive" negotiations, the fugitive came out of the shed and was arrested. All that running, fighting, and avoiding his destiny with consequence was useless. In the end, he went to jail.

We are all sinful, broken, unclean. And although there is a bandage (Jesus) for it, there is NO CURE. The damage has already been done and we all face a consequence ...

Death.

There is no escaping GOD's consequence. You can't out run it. You can't hide in a shed and hope it goes away. It is GOD's agent of justice. (Romans 5:12)

Want some advice? DON'T RUN!

Turn and stare death straight in the face, with courage. Follow in the footsteps of the MAN who stared down death couragously and was victorious over it. Live your life according to HIS guidlines. Accept the after-death pardon HE is offering. Eternal life (Romans 6:23)

Consequence - unescapable

Death - unavoidable

Jesus - unstoppable

Patience

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:12:00 +0000

The big movie in 2007 was Transformers, a live action sci-fi film based on the popular 1984 cartoon series of the same name. As every parent can testify, along with a big box office hit comes all the merchandise to go with it. This movie was no exception. Everything from bedsheets to birthday cakes was Transformers. It goes without saying that the bulk of movie merchandising came in the form of .... you guessed it ....

Toys.

I mean come on, how can any red-blooded adolescent boy NOT want a toy car that turns into a awesome robot!

I wanted one too!

My eight (8) year old son, Brandon, was no exception. He wanted a Bumblebee toy. Bumblebee was a hero character in the movie that was a racy yellow Camero AND a magnificent robot. Shopping online, I found three versions of the toy: Toddler, Basic, and Ultimate. Of course, Brandon picks the ultimate version. It has all the gadgets and details that make it ... Ultimate. But he doesn't want to order it online and wait for shipping. He wants it now.

"No problem," I say. Brandon even offers to pay for it using a Visa gift card he received as a birthday gift. "Even better, a teaching event," I think to myself. So we are off to Walmart, where you can buy milk, a pair of dockers, gun ammo, and get your oil changed - all at one place! Inside we find the toy section dedicated to the Transformer toys and ...

No Bumblebee toy!

PANIC !!

The isle is a toy ghost town of empty hooks and blank shelves. There were a few Transformer toys there, but very few and definitely NOT the ultimate Bumblebee toy. Brandon's panic turns to desperation as he digs through boxes and clear plastic packaging looking for ... what? Anything.

I quickly surmised that Brandon's money is burning a hole in his pocket. He was looking for ANYTHING to buy. Even though he had set his sights on getting this specific toy; even though this specific toy was all we talked about on the drive to the store, he had given up on getting his ultimate toy and was desperately seeking a quick alternate. He brought me a pair of Transformer walkie-talkies.

"Dad, I'll take these." he says.

I shook my head and he dug deeper into the boxes of left-over toys. He came back with a box of Transformer Lite-Brite pegs (just the colored pegs without the Lite-Brite itself).

"Dad, what about this."

I shook my head and he frantically went back to digging. Searching. Wishing he could find something "as good as" what he had set his sights on. But its just not there ... at least not where he was looking.

I made the suggestion to go to another store, but this caused a deeper panic. Brandon completely abandoned Transformer toys and started grabbing ANYTHING. He could not leave the store without buying something. Immediate satisfaction.

To see Brandon in this scramble for satisfaction was painful. I knew what would satisfy him and I knew that if we just went to another store we would find what he was looking for. But Brandon's mind was screaming for satisfaction, drowning out my pleas for patience.

It was a fight, but I eventually got him out of Walmart without buying anything. Crying, he tells me, "I'll NEVER get a Bumblebee!" Oh, just wait son ...

We went to another store. I had a hard time containing my excitement, because I KNEW this store would have what Brandon was looking for. His eyes were so full of tears that he could not even read store sign ...

Toys-R-Us.

That's right! The ultimate toy store would definitely have the ultimate toy. As we walked in, I could see his face begin to brighten. A huge sign signaled the way to an entire section of Transformers. Like a lion chasing prey, Brandon bolted out ahead of me and cried out, "Dad, LOOK!"

An entire wall of ultimate Bumblebee toys!

"Take your pick, son."

As we travel the road GOD has placed in front of us, we sometimes impatiently chose to compromise for temporary joys or we search empty wells for satisfaction. Its painful for GOD to watch. HE knows the things that give you true joy, lasting joy. HE knows what will satisfy you and HE knows where to find it.

Have patience and let HIM take you there. You'll hear ...

Take you pick, child.

God's Original Masterpiece

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:54:00 +0000

I am adding a bedroom to my house. It will be Madison's (daughter) bedroom when finished. In true do-it-youself style, it has taken over a year to complete.

I needed a fully customized bedroom door. Not customized for beauty or originality - customized because the door frame I built was not quite "normal" (imagine that!) . Ronda found the perfect door sitting on our back porch. It was one of the original doors hanging in the house when we bought it. It would fit perfectly, but there was a problem ...

The door was older than me by about 20 years. Its condition showed its age. It had been weathering on my back porch for 5 years. It also had 50 years of paint, one layer on top of the other. The upper layers of paint were peeling. The very top layer was falling off. Add to this the filth of sitting unprotected outside for 5 years. It looked like terrible ... unusable ... JUNK.

Luckily, I had the perfect tool for the job, a flap sander! The flap sander is a drill attachment that works by striking the surface horizontally, sanding off the paint without grinding into the wood beneath. I attached the flap sander to my drill and went work ...

As I worked, I discovered something amazing underneath all that paint and grime. A beautilful antique solid wood door. They don't make them like that anymore. The wood grain was magnificent. The smell of the wood was a pleasing aroma. A masterpiece created by a skilled craftsman.

As I continued to work, I realized something ...

I was that door.

A GOD original, covered with layer upon layer of paint and filth. Paint not of GOD like guilt, anger, pride and comparing myself to others instead of HIM. Filth that says I am nobody and unimportant ... unusable ... JUNK. But with GOD'S perfect tool, HE works away all the layers of paint and filth that cover me. HE removes everything not of HIM, until all I see in the mirror is ... HIS son.

HIS masterpiece.

You are a GOD original. There is no other person like you. You are a unique work of art, created by a skilled craftsman. Not junk - GOD doesn't make junk! Allow your creator to work on you, removing everything not of HIM, until all you see in the mirror is ... HIS child.

HIS masterpiece.

Talent Show

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Recently I was a guest judge at a local talent show. Because of my honored status, I was treated very well. I had a very comfortable chair, a cold beverage of my choice, and my own bottle of mosquito repellent. I felt honored to be judging this year's event, but I felt I was chosen only because of my connection to the venue - my backyard! The participants (the only participants)were none other than my children Madison (11), Brandon (8), and Brady (4). My children frequently showcase their talent in these backyard talent shows.

They spent a majority of the morning and afternoon preparing costumes, setting up the lawnchair audience seating, and constructing the scrap/leftover 2x4 stage. Then it was showtime. An audience of teddy bears and stuffed animals filled the available seats. And the guest judge, with a fresh coat of mosquito repellent, was in his place of honor.

Brady, wearing last Halloween's ninja costume, showed off his Kung-Fu moves. Madison, in full Cinderella attire, sang a song as Brandon provided the sound effects. At the end of the show, thunderous applause could be heard from the audience. I gave all the participants a "10" for showmanship and heart. They were all smiles. They had given their very best and I was pleased.

Not good enough for Broadway, but good enough to please a loving father.

Decide to give GOD your best offering. Do something for Him. Fast on His behalf. Dedicate some time and talents to pleasing Him. It may not be the best in the universe, but you'll hear thunderous applause from heaven as GOD sits back and enjoys the performance...

... not good enough for Broadway, but enough to please a loving FATHER.

Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:13:00 +0000

On January 15, 2009, less than two minutes after take-off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 sent out a mayday. The airbus A320 carrying 155 passengers and crew had struck a flock of birds and lost power to both engines. This airliner was going down. To make things worse, it was going down in one of the most densely populated areas in the world - New York City. All the lives on board that airliner and the lives of people down below were suddenly in the hands of one man ...

Flight 1549 's Captain, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III.

No fatalities in this accident thanks, in large part, to Captain Sullenberger. Not to minimize the work of his well trained crew who performed their parts flawlessly. The crew gave their credit to Capt. Sullenberger. Capt. Sullengberger guided a powerless 75 ton aircraft over New York City and crash landed in the Hudson River. The first time in 45 years that a major aircraft crash landed in the water and every person on-board survived.

A similar landing in 1996 was not as fortunate. On November 23, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked by three armed men. Circling the Comoros islands, the airliner ran out of fuel. With nowhere to go but down, Pilot Leul Abate attempted a crash landing in the Indian Ocean. The left wing and engine struck first, causing the airline to spin violently and break apart at 200 mph. 123 of the 175 passengers and crew were killed, as well as the three hijackers.

Ask any pilot, a water landing has to be perfect. Sullenberger told about all the things that have to be considered: air speed, angle of attack, wing balance, trajectory... no place for mistakes. And what a perfect man for the job. Sullenberger had 40 years commercial flying experience, teaches emergency flight procedures, investigates airliner accidents, and was a safety board chairman.

In an interview, Katie Couric asked Capt. Sullenberger, "Did you think 'How are we going to get ourselves out of this?'" Sullenberger's reply, "No ... I had a job to do ... I knew I could do it." During his interview, Sullenberger said something that I have experienced in my life. Maybe you have too? Sullenberger said, "It's like my whole life, up to that point, was preparation for that one moment."

Amen, Sully ...

It was no accident that Capt. Sullenberger was on that flight. Far from coincidence that Capt. Sullenberger had years of training and experience in accident investigation and emergency procedures. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberg III was there on PURPOSE ... For a PURPOSE.

Paul explained to the church in Rome that GOD causes things to happen for the good of His purpose for them (ROM 8:28). Did you catch that? GOD causes things to happen for His purpose. So all the schooling and expertise you have ... hero training! All the experiences (good and bad) that you've gone through - hero training! God's got a plan, and YOU are the hero part of it.

Maybe your part doesn't involve landing an Airbus A320 in the Hudson river. But I guarantee that what ever it is, you've been training for it your whole life.

You've got a job to do ... It's HERO time.

Holes

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:12:00 +0000

I recently met Martha (name has been changed). She was in my office giving a statement and having some pictures taken. No glamorous photo shoot or media frenzy. I'm a police detective. I was taking pictures of the wounds inflicted on Martha the night before. The statement she gave would put her current live-in boyfriend in jail for assault and unlawful restraint.

12 hours before I met her, Martha was in her boyfriend's car ... held captive for 4 hours, being beaten. Her attempts to escape were met with an enraged fist. Her screams for help went unheard in the vacant lot they were parked in. A nightmare out of her control. He finally let her go when he ran out of beer.

"I thought I knew him?" Martha kept telling me.

"How long have you known him?" I asked.

"Four months," she says.

"How long have you been living with him?"

"Four months," she said so matter-of-factly. "It all started when we went to the bar to get drunk."

Do you see the pattern there - the hole? I did.

Martha had a hole in her heart. A critical piece needed to complete the person was missing. This piece was a nagging mystery to Martha. She didn't know what was missing. All she knew was the emptiness she felt and the need to fill it with ... something. So Martha's life to this point was spent looking for anything to fill the hole. She was never told where to look, so she naively followed where Satan (the world) told her to look for some hole-filler. Drugs, bars, and live-in boyfriends gave some temporary hole-filling satisfaction. But eventually these fleeting-fillers led to more emptiness. Which led to more searching, which eventually led to a chair in my office and her name filling the blank entitled "victim."

The incompleteness that Martha was feeling was the lack of God in her life. A hole in her heart created by sin's separation. Martha was created to have a relationship with her Creator. But that relationship was missing, leaving an empty space - a hole. Martha's natural instinct was to fill the void. She searched for anything to lighten the heavy feelings. But without a relationship with God, she was only forcing a square peg in the round hole.

Martha is not a unique case. All man-kind has the same heart-hole.

Only a relationship with God can fill this hole. Once that hole is filled, your created purpose becomes reality.

Are you are felling empty, lonely or unfulfilled? Maybe you should trade in your bondage-bondo for a little divine purpose. Travel the road, and at the intersection of divinity and ability ...

... you will find your purpose.

Snow

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:11:00 +0000

It snowed at my house !

Only in my living room though.

A reality in my world is Ronda and I both have to work. It creates a problem. The kids get home from school at 3:30. Ronda sometimes goes to work at 4:00. I get off at 5:00.

Therein lies the problem.

One hour of unrestrained chaos, having its way with my house. I guess the best way to visualize it is imagining a category 5 hurricane contained inside four walls. I think I qualify for FEMA relief.

Madison (the oldest) is old enough to babysit her younger brothers. So that was the solution to our problem. Madison will babysit the boys until I get home. It's only one hour ... what can happen?

I underestimated the destructive force of my children.

I came home from work and as I am unlocking the front door, a sweet aroma hits my nose. It's strong! Wait, I recognize that smell ... "Spring Fresh". That's what Glade calls it. I open the front door, step into the living room, and immediately reach sensory over-load.

Visually, I am blinded by the thin layer of white powder covering every inch of the carpet. Olfactorily, my nose is burning from the Spring Fresh-ness.

Brady (4) decided the carpet in the living room was stinky. So he spread Glade carpet deodorizer - over the entire living room. I didn't know the box could hold that much!

Where are the other two (older) kids? Good question. Brandon (9) is playing the Playstation 2 ... sitting on the carpet ... in the living room. He is totally zoned and unaware that he sits in the only un-deodorized area of the room. Brady just worked around him. Madison (11) is in her bedroom listening to her MP3 player. She noticed the smell and thought, "Wow, that smells good," and just kept listening.

Daddy to the rescue. I open ALL the windows and give the vacuum a good workout - chuckling.

I can't count how many times I've made a mess in my life. Not spills or kitchen disasters. Those messes are easy to clean up. I'm talking about mistakes, choices and pathways in my life. Things that are not so easily fixed... by me. Some of those messes were made with good intentions. I thought a choice was a good one, or a pathway was God chosen for me. I'm only trying to help God out. And thinking I'm doing the right thing, I make a mess. Trying to make the stinky carpet in my life smell Spring Fresh.

"Father, can you fix this ... please?"

God breaks out the Divine vacuum cleaner, chuckling. "Next time, let ME handle this, " He says.

Back to the living room. Luckily, I got it all cleaned up before Ronda got home. I even got an "atta-boy" for vacuuming!

Madison was FIRED !!

Broken

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:51:00 +0000

My son Brady (4) brings me his favorite toy ...

Broken!

This toy has seen a lot of action, but is now action-less. "Daddy, can you fix it please?" How can I deny that! Especially since the fix is so easy - at least for me.

Brady has already tried everything he knew to fix the toy. But at his level of fix-it, nothing worked. Now compared to his level of fix-it, I'm a fix-it SUPER HERO! So when the lifeless toy is brought to me, I know exactly what needs to be done. You don't get to fix-it SUPER HERO status by merely changing batteries. A few twists of the pliers and this toy will be back in action.

"Daddy, can you fix it please?"

"I can, " I reply. "I just need to get a tool."

Brady smiles wide and ... runs off. Not what I expected, but ok. He returns with the "tools" he thinks I'll need. He wants to help fix what he broke. He hands me a crayon, a pair of tweezers, and a Darth Vader light saber. Now at Brady's level of fix-it, this stuff will fix anything. But this broken toy requires more.

"No Brady, " I speak softly, "A pair of pliers will do nicely." He watches in amazement as, with each magical turn of my wrist (and pliers), the toy is fixed. "Wow daddy, you fixed it." Was there any doubt? Not on his part.

Our lives are broken. Heartaches cripple. Tempers flare. Temptations prevail. Something happens that shakes the bolts loose and we break. All attempts at repairing ourselves are childsplay. The solution is above our level of fix-it.

When it comes to humanity, God is the fix-it SUPER HERO. He knows exactly what needs to be done. And He's got an AWESOME set of tools! A few turns of His Unconditional Love will heal a wounded heart. A few splashes of His Peace will extinguish a temper flare-up. A lose sin can be tightened with His Grace.

We get to a point in our lives when we realize that we can't fix what is broken. We try, but we can't. And out of frustration, we grab our crude tools (crayons, tweezers, and light sabers), take our brokenness to the LORD and say, "Daddy, can you fix it please?"

His reply, "I can."

Hopelessly ....

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Read the latest headline.

We are in an age of trouble and despair. Unspeakable acts of mass violence are on the rise, making no place safe. Violence is no longer in its sanitary and safe place on the big screen. It's playing out in our churches, nursing homes, grocery stores and schools.

If that wasn't enough, global terrorism is buying airline tickets for North America. The Mexican drug cartels are kidnapping and killing people along our Texas border as a show of force and coercion. The economy is in a slump and claiming victims everyday through suicide and foreclosure. And to top it off, there is talk about the end of the world!

No relief in sight.

It seems like things are pretty hopeless.

I want you to remember a story. I know you've heard it. 600,000+ Israelites were sitting on the muddy west banks of the Red Sea. Panicking ! 10 miles of salty sea in front of them and a charging Egyptian army behind them. 24 days of marching from Goshen to the Red Sea, only to be trapped ...

Hopelessly?

Moses tells them, "Don't be afraid! Stand still and you will see the LORD save you today. You only need to remain calm ... the LORD will fight for you." (Ex 14:13)

A nation was delivered. An enemy was vanquished. And the rest is history ... or is it?

The LORD speaks the same promise to you today. Hold your ground and don't panic, because I (the LORD) will fight for you today. He is not asking us to forcefully take ground, convert Mexican cartel assassins, and single-handedly thwart terrorist attacks. In the noise of chaos, His is the soothingly calm voice saying, "Stand still, remain calm, the LORD will fight for you today."

In Hopelessness ... is where God works best.

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Aycock) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:30:00 +0000

We are all broken.

Flawed ... damaged goods.

Immediately after birth, we spend the rest of our lives trying to fix our birth defect of .... ready? Loneliness.

From newborn baby to neanderthal old-timer, every one of us seeks a relationship with someone else. It's a hole in our heart that is constantly seeking fulfillment. Be it a group, a spouse, or a dog, we are constantly seeking relationships. This hereditary defect can be traced back to our ancestors, Adam and Eve. Adam was created to be in a relationship with his creator. When sin separated that relationship, his purpose was flawed.

We naturally seek relationships to remedy our flaw. It's what we were created for. Cell phones keep us in touch, Blackberries keep us connected, Facebook keeps us updated, and blogs keep us informed. All revolving around our need for relationships.

Jesus Christ repairs the broken relationship between God and humanity. He seeks a relationship with each of us to complete our purpose. He asks us to do the same.

I seek a relationship with you. To share my stories and experiences along my journey as I seek a relationship with my creator. I hope to educate and encourage you as we travel this road ...

Together.