FOREVER!!!

Here is a thought for you this morning. Last Sunday at church we sang, "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever" and as we sang that song, I was consumed with the glory of that thought in a way that I had not known recently. Later on as I was continuing to reflect upon that song and its message, I began thinking of the things I could do forever. My first thought was I could golf forever... But then I remembered the golf outings in North Carolina where I golfed 36 holes for 3 days straight and 18 holes on the last day, and I remembered how tired I was and how nice it was to get home and take a break even from golf. Then I thought I could sit on the beach and enjoy the ocean forever, but the truth is even our 2 week vacation in Hawaii on Maui got old after a while. Don't get me wrong that vacation was fabulous but coming home was equally great. Eating ice cream seems like something I could do forever but even my nightly love feasts with that frozen stuff can only last so long before I am full. And even as much as I like Taco Bell - 2 combo burritos, 3 tacos and a nachos supreme can make anybody...well you know what I mean.

No matter how great the things of this world are, you can only do them for so long before they loose their lustre. To do something forever would require that thing to be unending in its attraction. It would have to have an increasing power to draw us into its greatness. It would have to be able to grow moment by moment in its enticing magnificence. People spend their entire lives frantically searching for that thing. Every generation thinks they have what it takes to find it. But the truth is no amount of money or fame or mistresses (just ask Tiger Woods) or drugs or activity or effort can fulfill that forever yearning within us.

There is one thing, however, that does have the ability to fill the forever void within our hearts. The Apostle Paul found it. Actually I should say it found him. In the midst of all his brilliance and striving, God poured out His love upon Him and he was changed...forever. The more he became overwhelmed by God's love, the more he realized that life was not really about the things he accomplished, the churches he started - it wasn't about his earthly resume. His writings reveal that life for Paul was about one thing - living every moment basking in the love of God. This thought so consumed him that he became convinced that nothing could separate him (or us) from that love. "Neither death nor life, angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

King David understood that as he proclaimed in Psalm 27 that there was only one thing that he really wanted in life. There was only one thing that he sought. That was to, "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life." John also understood it as he wrote about God's love in 1 John and as he concluded his life by telling the churches over and over, "little children love one another..."

The question this Christmas season is do you understand it? Do you understand with all your heart, mind, soul and strength that there is nothing in all of eternity like the revelation of God's love? God did not send His Son so we could become exhausted in our lives and even in the church celebrating His birth. He sent His Son so we could experience without question His gracious and abundant love, not just once a year, but forever... May that incredible revelation consume you this season both now and always.

Living with you in the glory of God,

Dave Hampson

Wow! God truly is Amazing...

Sorry to be so inconsistent with this blog. If anyone is still reading it, here is an amazing thought about God's heart for each of us. The initial idea comes from the book The Sacred Romance which I highly recommend. In the Bible our relationship with God is described by using a variety of metaphors. Starting at the very bottom we are the clay and He is the potter. Then we are called sheep and He is the shepherd. That may sound good in Psalm 23 and John 10, but remember that sheep are not known to be the brightest lights on the block. Next we are called servants of the Master, which gets us in the house but does not give us the freedom to relax and take our shoes off. Many Christians never get beyond that point but the Lord has much more in store for us. We know that because He calls us His children and reveals Himself to be our Heavenly Father. This parent/child relationship with the creator of the universe is an amazing picture of love and care but the Lord was not even content with that. He takes it up a notch and actually calls us friends. That opens a level of communication that no child can know with their parents. But as good as that is - there is more. In God's Word He reveals His heart to be in the most intimate relationship of all. He actually calls us lovers. This "courtship began with the honeymoon in the Garden and culminated in the wedding feast of the Lamb." God says, "I will take delight in you as a bridegroom rejoices in His bride, so I will rejoice over you." Therefore we can say with Solomon, "I am my beloved and He is mine."

If those thoughts do not give you goose bumps and stir the depths of your heart, read that paragraph again and again until it does. The God of the universe calls us into relationship that is consumed with passion and joy and life at its absolute best. To make sure we did not miss His intention, He sent His Son to deliver the message personally. Every year at Christmas we celebrate the arrival of this message and yet so many, even in the church, miss it. We become so consumed with the little stories of life that we often miss the headline news that God offers us love and grace and intimacy that is designed to lift us beyond the insignificant stories of this world. Those stories of daily life loom so large and seek to drown us in their consuming details, but the truth is those stories are small if you can just see them in light of the incredible revelation of God's love and provision. Oh to have hearts that are connected to the intimate love of God.

My prayer for you in this Christmas season is that your heart would be open to the Lord like never before. That you would let your eyes look beyond the daily grind and gaze upon God's goodness and love for you. That is God's Christmas gift and it is personally addressed to you. May you open it with joy and excitement in this wonderful season of life.

Celebrating the Glory of God with You,

Dave Hampson

The Present Reality of Jesus...

Well, it has been a long time since I sat down to write a blog. We have settled in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and things are beginning to calm down a bit. This morning I was reading in Matthew and I came across the story of the sheep and the goats in chapter 25:31-46. In that story Jesus speaks of the times when He was hungry and thirsty and a stranger and in need of clothes and He was sick and in prison. The main point of the story is that the sheep cared for him and the goats didn't. Of course neither one knew He was in need because if they had known it was Him, they would have reached out. Usually when I read this story I am challenged to see Jesus in the midst of the needs around me. But when I read it this morning the thought that stood out to me was that when I am in need and I am feeling low and I am struggling and I don't know what to do - Jesus is there with ME in the midst of it all. Now I know that is not a new or profound thought, but it was a great revelation to me because I can so easily get caught up in the thought that for God to be active in my life I must have faith, I must be praying, I must be standing in the Word of God. This story shouts another message to me. That is that when I am not the man of faith and trust and vision and power that God has called me to be - Jesus is there with me in the midst of my life. Jesus is going through the struggles with me and what I really need are the eyes to see Him and the heart to rest in Him. I believe that is what Paul is referring to in II Corinthians 4:8 when he says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed." He could say that because when he was going through those things he did not beat himself up and tell himself he needed more faith - he simply recognized that he was not alone and rested in the reality of Christ in him.

As I continue to press into God for His direction, He continues to press back and show me things in my own life that He wants to refine. I am beginning to see that one of things He is doing is teaching me how to cease striving and rest in His ever present reality. The world is so much into doing, but God is really into being in Him. Therein is the true joy and hope that He has for us. That alone will enable us to go through whatever this world brings our way.

Yes there is a place for faith and standing on God's Word but it is not to get God to do things - it is in response to the truth that God is already with us. May you rest in that reality in a greater way today.

Joyfully Yours,

Dave Hampson

Devotion and Practice...

This morning as I was finishing my reading of Ezekiel, the Lord jolted me with several verses from 33:30b-32. It says, "The people say to each other, 'come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.' My people come to you as they usually do and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but not do put them into practice." I read that as I was going through my devotions - I had just asked God to speak and I was sitting before Him to listen to His word. As I read those lines I had to stop and ask myself if I was just like them. Do I proclaim to want to hear God's Word and do I even express devotion, and yet lack in the practice part? I had to admit those verses related to me more than I wanted to acknowledge. A major part of this journey has been to face that reality and begin to do life differently. I am slowly learning what it means to come to the end of myself. What it means to really means to die to self. To come to the end of my strength so that God's strength can be manifested in me. I am not there yet. But I am learing how recognize quickly which thoughts and actions that are about to come out, are not God's. As a result I am beginning - just beginning - to do life differently. There is nothing like the small confines of an RV to reveal and expose things in my life that had been able to remain hidden behind my own rationalizations. Thank goodness God never gives up on us. May you too come to the end of yourself so that Christ can truly be glorified in you. Bless you!!!

Never Gives Up!

God that is - He never gives up on us. I know that because of His heart that is expressed in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. I have just finished reading both of those books and I was so blessed with the heart of God that is expressed there. Over and over again the children of Israel were disobedient and they turned away from God. Over and over again God said He was going to pour out His wrath upon them and the other nations that deserved to be judged. But in the midst of all that disobedience and judgment and wrath, there is another theme that pops up again and again throughout those books. That is God's heart to restore and to pour out His love to those who absolutely did not deserve it. Even though God had reason after reason to give up on the people of Israel - He never did. That means He will never give up on us. Never, ever, ever. You can not sin enough to make Him love you less. He loves you more than you can ever know. You can rest in His love. You can rest in His grace. You can trust Him!!! I just thought I should share that with you before I go to bed. Ah there is nothing like Walmart when it comes to good parking lot sleeping. Bless you...

Worry and Faith...

On Saturday night at 2:30 am I woke up with an anxiety attack. Actually I am not sure if if was a full blown attack as defined by the American Psychological Association, but I sure was filled with fear and worry and I definitely could not sleep. As I lay in bed trying not to think about my struggle to finish the DMIN paper and our yet to be determined future and some other things that have been on my mind, I was reminded of Philippians 4:6 which says, "Do not be anxous about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." And then verse 7 says, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." As I refected on that verse, I began to pray and put the paper and our future in the Lord's hands. I must say that I did not immediately go back to sleep. It was not a little battle - in fact the impetus to worry kept raging for a while. But I asked God for faith to trust Him (do not forget faith is not something you conjure up, it is a gift from God) and I continued to thank God for His faithfulness and give everything to Him one thing at a time. Well in time I did get back to sleep. Not only that but I woke up in the morning with fresh ideas for the paper and I had renewed peace that God had not forgotten about our future.

I share this just to remind anyone who reads this, that God's Word is true. He will give us the faith to walk in the fullness of His promises if we will just ask Him to give it to us. In fact He will do it right now if you will just ask Him and keep asking Him until He has done it. So why not do it right now? Why not ask God to give you His gift of faith to be able to trust Him with the details of your day? The Bible says we do not have because we do not ask - so ask Him and wait to receive what He has for you. Blessings upon you as you live for His glory...

Dreams and the Real World

Yesterday we hiked to Hanging Lake. It was a 1,000 foot elevation climb on a 1 mile trail. As we were just beginning the trail we heard a loud noise like a sheet opening in the wind. We looked up just in time to see an open parachute and 30 seconds later the guy was on the ground about 200 feet in front of us. We hiked right by him. Moments before he had done a free fall off the clift and opened his chute which we were able to see coming down over our heads. It was amazing. So was the lake and the water falls that we hiked to. When we arrived at the top there was something called the spouting rock. It was a water fall coming right out of the rock. It too was amazing. The whole hike and the parachute thing reminded me of a song from the Sound of Music. "Climb every mountain, forge every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream." The cliffs, the water fall, the lake, the parachute guy all seemed like a dream. As you can see from the pictures it was an amazing place.

Oh if we could only live life in a dream world. But the truth is we all have to come down off the mountain out of the dream. That is the story of the disciples as they came down from the Mount of Transfiguration. Do you remember that Peter wanted to live up there with Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But they had to come down and when they did there was someone who was sick and needed healed. There were disciples there praying and believing God that little boy was going to be healed - and yet nothing happened. As I was reading that story this last week I thought how similar that is to the church. In the church we live in the real world where people need help. They need healed, they need restored, they need a touch from God. And just like in the story there are people praying and often we don't see the results that we are praying for. The story only ends well because Jesus showed up. In fact the story not only ended well - it kind of ended like a dream because everything worked out perfectly. The thought that comes to me through all this rambling is that while we can not live life in a dream world, we can experience the stuff that dreams are made out of if we come to the end of our self and wait for Jesus to show up. That is what the disciples did. They gave it their best shot and then they waited for Jesus to show up and He did and He will - if we will do the same. Truly Jesus is the stuff that dreams are made of. Keep trusting Him - He is faithful...

Are You Listening?

The more I am on this road trip and the more I study about hearing God's voice, the more I realize how much I need to hear it. Actually I am beginning to notice the times He was speaking to me and I did not listen. As I seek to know more about His voice, I have come to the conclusion that one of the main reasons I personally struggle to hear His voice is because I am too busy doing my own thing. When I hear something that conflicts with what I am doing or want to do, I too easily ignore it and continue on. As I complete my Doctoral Project on God's Voice and Pastoral Care I would ask you to pray for me that I would become more aware of what God is and more willing to stop what I am doing and respond to His way. I do not want to write something that has no relevance to my life.

One big revelation to me lately is that one of the ways God is speaking most to me right now is through Kathy, my wife. I must confess that I am not very good at hearing Him speak through her because her comments often hit too close to home. The truth is my pride and self centeredness tend to keep me from hearing God through her. I hate to confess that, but if I am going to grow beyond it, I have to face it.

Well let me close with this thought. I have been reading through Jeremiah and Ezekiel and in the midst of all their prophecies about judgment and doom, God over and over again speaks about His heart to redeem. He does not get any joy out of judgment. He is always looking for the good that He can and will bring out it. That has been important for me to hear as I struggle to get it right in life. So the next time you feel like you have failed again and you are never going to get it right - just know that God is working to redeem. Listen carefully for His voice and trust that He is working for your best. Bless you!!!

Fence Post Living?

Recently in my reading I came across the following statement. "I was in great need both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, 1 thought I was saved, but was really sort of on the fence, having too much of the Lord to enjoy the world, and too much of the world to have real joy in the Lord." When I read that I thought that is something that needs pondered. "Too much of the Lord to enjoy the world and too much of the world to have real joy in the Lord." Whether or not the person who wrote that was saved, I do not know. What I do know is that the last part of that line describes many Christians I know - including myself at times. Oh how easy it is to try and walk with the Lord as close as we can to the world. That is not the path to true joy. The key is to move into the Kingdom at far as we can. To leave the world behind. Trying to combine the love of the world and the love of God does not work. What we need is to realize that Christ in us is the hope of glory. Not the world in us and not a combination of both. That is why Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ in me." He knew that He could not live for Christ in his abilities. It was only as he came to the end of himself - when he admitted he was helpless - then Christ's strength would be manifested in him.

The reality in life is that we have all been raised in the love of the world. We have been taught the strength of the world. We have experienced the peace and joy and hope of the world. When we become Christians we naturally take what we have learned in the world and try to live our Christian life using those things. The bottom line is that you are destined to fail to really enter in to God's life if you do that. Daily acknowledge your lack of ability and ask Jesus to live through you. Ask Him for the faith to love with His love, the faith to have His strength be yours, the faith to live in His joy. Trust Him to give you the gift of faith so that His life can be manifested in you and wait for Him to prove faithful. It is time to get off the fence and get into the Kingdom. Bless you!!!

Own or Loan...

This morning (9/8/09) I was reading in Ezekiel 14. God speaks about idols and how that they hinder people from even inquiring of Him. As I was reading that I began to reflect and wonder at what kind of idols I have allowed to come between me and God. I am embarrassed to say that many things began to come to mind. Things like the RV and the car and the way I deal with the things "I own." Even as I say that it sounds so foolish for the truth is I do not own anything. Everything I "own" is really only "on loan" from God. Most importantly that includes my (and your) life. Yet how often I have allowed "my life" which includes my desires and my ways and my wants and my agenda and my things to become an idol in front of the one who owns it all.

God says He will deal with our idolatry. In Ezek. 14:5 He says, "I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have deserted me for their idols." What an incredible blessing to have a God who loves us enough to pursue us even in the midst of us turning away from Him. It is amazing for me to think that God blesses us with everything we have and we use what He has given to us for our glory - robbing Him of His glory and God continues to seek us and our best. WOW! I do not have it within me to understand that kind of love. I need more than my love. I need God's love to fill my heart. How about you?

Faith - Real Faith...

We are now in Colorado visiting Stephanie and Jeremy. It has been nice to stop traveling for a while and have time to read and reflect. I am reading a short book called Real Faith and it has been eye opening for me. The main point is that faith is not something you have in your mind - it is within your heart and it is a gift from God. On the surface that seems obvious since that is what God says in His Word in Ephesians 2:8, but faith is often not thought of in that way. Faith seems to very easily be turned into positive thinking, where we try to convince ourselves in our minds that we really do believe the promises of God. That is more belief than faith. According to the Bible faith is a powerful thing. Only a mustard seed is needed to move mountains. Throughout my Christian walk I have always wondered why we see so little being done by those who proclaim to have faith - including myself. I am beginning to realize that what I had in the past considered to be faith was not really faith at all. Faith is not something I can force to happen in my life. Faith is something that is received from God - it is a gift. When God gives it to me then I can believe for healing and wholeness and restoration and on and on. The key is that I must call out to God and rely on Him and wait upon Him to give me faith for the moment to accomplish what He has for me to do.

The bottom line to all this is that faith is not about me and what I can conjure up in my mind. Faith is about God and what He can do in and through me for His glory. I am still processing all of this but I think there is something great to be had here. May the Lord bless you as you seek to walk by faith - real faith that God has placed within your heart.

Since we left Franklin, we have been to the following National Parks. Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Glacier, Redwoods, Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon and presently we are at Zion in Utah. We have driven down the beautiful Oregon coast, we have walked with the stars in Hollywood, ridden the waves at Newport Beach in California and we have relaxed for a week in Phoenix, Az. But today we went canyoneering in a slot canyon and it just about topped everything that we have done so far. We repelled down a 100 foot cliff and we chimmeyed (hands on one wall and feet on the other) down many tight places. We even went into and got out of a keeper hole. It was an amazing day with much adventure but it was also a great reminder that life is so much more than just enjoying the great outdoors.

My reminder came by the name of Greg. He was our guide. He was a great guy who was very good at what he did but it did not take long in talking to him to realize that he was lost. He knew there was a god but that god (whoever he was) was not personal and not knowable. He reminded me of another person I met in Montana while we were staying at Kathy’s mother’s home. He too was a rock climber. He spoke to me about the spirituality of nature and about how you can connect with the trees and the rocks and the spirituality of the great outdoors. But again there was nothing personal about his god. Nothing to relate to on a intimate basis. It is one thing to know there is a god out there who created this incredible place where we live and quite another thing to know that God in our hearts on a daily basis. To know Him in such an intimate way that we can trust Him with our lives. It is an incredible privilege to have access to that revelation in our hearts. What a mighty God we serve. May we continually pray for the wisdom to be able to share that hope with others.

One other thought I have had on this trip is how much we are created to live for and serve God. I have truly enjoyed seeing the incredible world God has created for us - the hiking and sightseeing and touring has been simply amazing but in the midst of it all I have a yearning in my heart to be doing something more. Just living for me, for what I can do and what I can see is not enough. Just doing what I want would seem like life at its best, but in the end it is not fulfilling. In other words just living for the weekend is not what life is all about. We are created to do something more than just meet our own needs. We were created to live lives that glorify God by serving Him and fulfilling His will. I have always known that but now I am more convinced of it than ever before. We covet your prayers as we seek how and where God would have us to do that in the future.

I have been so poor at keeping up this blog I thought I would try something shorter. So here is a quick thought for you. When we were in Oregon we stopped off at a Bible School where friend of mine from Seminary is the President. At dinner that night he shared with us that they had a new chancellor named Wayne Cordeiro. When he said the name I recognized that he was the person who wrote the Life Journal that I had been using as my devotional and I had passed many of them out at Galloway Church where I had been pastoring. He said they were using the Life Journal too and then he added that Wayne was in town and that he was meeting with them every morning at 6:30 am to do the journal. So the next morning I went and did the Life Journal with Wayne. Before we did the journal he shared a short thought that really struck me and I believe it will bless you as well. He made the point that when a baby is first learning to walk they must go from a secure position of standing on two legs to an insecure position of standing on one leg and leaning onto the other one. Only when they are willing to leave the secure position and take the risk of stepping out into the unknown - to a less secure position - will they ever learn how to walk. Of course walking opens a whole new realm of possibilities. As he shared that I thought that is what we are doing. We have left a secure position of ministry and stepped out into the unknown believing that God has great things down the line. I must admit I was somewhat fearful to leave that secure position but stepping out has truly opened up our lives to many amazing experiences. Every day has proven to be an adventure as we take one step at a time.

I do not know what God has in store for each of you but I do know that the "steps of a righteous person are ordered by the Lord." So I encourage you not to be afraid to take that step that the Lord has placed upon your heart. Living in the security of the past and the present is ok but taking the risk to leave the secure and step out - is really the way to greater things. May you never become emtombed in the security of the moment. God has more for you than that. Bless you as you prayerfully seek each day to walk by faith!!!

The Things We Will Do

Sorry for not posting anything recently. While we were driving our laptop with the wireless modem fell off the table and killed the modem. So we have been offline for a while. There is not a lot of internet in National Parks. I guess you are supposed to be looking at the trees and the rocks... Yosemite and Sequoia are as beautiful as ever.

We just finished a few days in San Francisco and let me tell you it is an amazing place. Yes we did drive down the twisting and turning road that you have seen on tv and the movies (not with the RV but with the car). The real story from our visit to San Francisco was our trip to Alcatraz. We went to get tickets when we arrived and found out that they were sold out 2 weeks in advance. Since we were only going to be there 3 days our hope of going was dashed. But as we were walking down on Fishermen's Wharf we passed a visitor center. As I was talking to the guy he asked what we wanted to see. I said Alcatraz and he said he had 3 tickets that we could have for free IF we went to their 90 minute presentation. The problem was the tickets were not until 3:20 pm the next day and we were supposed to leave that next morning and head to Yosemite. If we stayed for the presentation in the morning and the trip that afternoon, we would have to drive our 31 foot RV towing our 11 foot car across the Golden Gate Bridge during rush hour in the morning and we would have to find a place to park it in downtown San Francisco and we would have to drive it out during rush hour at night and we would not get to Yosemite until midnight. Not only that - Tiffany did not want to do it. So there Kathy and I were - trying to decide what to do. The sales guy first said he would pay for our parking. When he found out we driving an RV and pulling a car he said there was a parking lot down the street that would take us for $30.00 and he would cover it. Tiffany was still saying NO NO NO and so the sales guy said he would give her a $25 gift card to Macy's. He also threw in a bus tour of San Francisco. The total value of the deal he was offering was over $300. That was too good to pass up so we said YES. Before I left I walked down to the RV parking place and discovered it was actually $45 for the RV and $28 for the car. I went back to the guy and he said he would cover the $45 and if we unhooked the car we could park it in another garage for free. The next day we drove our 42 foot RV and car rig over the Golden Gate Bridge and around the twisting turns and hills of San Francisco during rush hour and got to the parking place. After unhooking the car - Kathy drove it to the other garage and we headed to the presentation. When we got there they were an hour behind so they gave us $50 to go out to breakfast. Now the deal was well over $350. After breatfast we heard the sales pitch and politely said NO. They were very nice and I felt a little bad, but we didn't think $16,000 one week a year condo was the right deal for us. Because of the lateness of the appointment we missed the bus tour but we did get to the Alcatraz tour (we actually left the tickets in the RV and I had to run a mile to get them before the boat left). It was all worth it - the tour was great. We even survived getting out of San Francisco (Kathy drove in and I drove out).

As I reflected on all that had happened just to get a tour of a prison - I thought about ALL the things that we are willing to do just to get what we want. That made me wonder if I go to half of that length to follow God and serve Him. So often going the second mile or spending time listening to Him through His Word or in prayer seems to take such an effort when in reality the effort we go to for ourselves and our wants is massive compared to the effort we often give to God. The whole experience was a great reminder to make sure I do not get lazy in living and serving the God of all glory and honor. He is worth everything we have to give and more.

Well we are off to see the largest trees in the world. They say they are almost immortal. They certainly are another amazing reminder of the awesomeness of God. Bless you!!!

The Joy of Dung

This morning I took a shower in Lowes parking lot. Well not exactly in the parking lot. I actually took the shower in our RV that was parked in the parking lot. There were people walking by on their way to the store and there I was soaped up and getting refreshed (sorry if I grossed you out with that picture) . Now you may think that is just one more reason that you are glad you are not travcling around the US in an RV, but from my perspective that is life at its best. Being able to relax in the midst of no matter what is going on around you.

The power of perspective is especially evident when it comes to things like dung. Yes that is dung as in that which is referred to by children as number 2. Did you know that you can tell a lot about an animal by their dung. You can often tell what they ate and you can even tell what type of animal they are by simply looking at their dung. The same is actually true of people. When "dung happens" to them you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle it. You can especially tell about their faith in God. When things go wrong do they fall apart, do they get anxious, do they get mad or do they (or do you) trust that God is able to bring good out of ALL things. Just what is your perspective about dung?

This afternoon we pulled into a parking lot in Oregon that was too small for us to turn around in. So we had to take the car off the tow dolly. The only problem was that the strap had come loose on one side and the car had actually gone over the front of the tow dolly and was on the verge of falling off. When tried to get it back on the tow dolly we scratched the door and made our predicament even worse. We ended up having to call a tow truck and Kathy and I were not happy with each other over the situation. As the tension begin to escalate I recognized that I was letting dung have its way in me instead of letting God use the dung for His greater purpose. Once I gained that perspective the whole thing became another part of our adventure and in the end everything worked out.

It is truly amazing what God can do with dung if we will just let Him have it and trust Him with it. That which seems to stink up our lives can actually become a great thing if we will bring it to Him. God actually reminds us of that in the midst of His creation. Did you know for instance that a compost pile of dung in people's gardens actually must be turned over to work best. As it mixes with oxygen in the air, it turns into something which can cause things to grow. Guess what is the optimum number of days you should let compost sit before you turn it and expose it to the air? 7 days. In a very real sense that explains what we have the chance to do every Sunday. On the 7th day we bring our dung before the Lord and expose it to the wind or the Spirit of God. As you do that He can take it and do something good in you that can cause great growth.

Well there is a lot more than can be said about dung. Pioneers used it for fuel. People in Africa use it to build houses and places of worship. I just want to encourage you not to miss out on the benefits of that which seems to be stinking up your life. God is always able to take it and use it for good if you will bring it to Him and trust Him in the midst of it. For there is nothing that He can not redeem if you will keep your life focused on Him.

Tomorrow we head down the coast of Oregon and are looking forward to the new things God has to reveal to us. Bless you!

Travel Sense

Well this is my first posting on my blog. We have been gone from Galloway for over 2 weeks. Kathy and I spent the first week traveling to Montana while Tiffany was on a mission trip in Texas. Our trip out to Montana was incredibly relaxing. We stayed over night in the Grand Tetons and at Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful was faithful but the best geyser was the Beehive. It was amazing to watch the boiling water shoot 200 feet out of the earth and comical to watch the people who had gotten too close run for cover as the wind blew the steam in their direction. God's creation really is awesome and beautiful.

Our time in Montana was wonderful. Every time we are with family, it is a gift from God that I treasure. Christina, Stephanie and Jeremy are all doing very well in their jobs and Tiffany had a fantastic time on her mission trip to Texas. We all went to the lake for a few days and I did my yearly attempt at slalom skiing. Yes I still managed to get up at 52 years of age although I must say I was whipped when I was done. I am still jogging 3-5 miles every other day (Snickers our dog usually gets in a mile or so with me). Last Sunday they had the Missoula marathon and I ended up running part of their route as a part of my run (I did not do it intentionally, it was just that they were running right in front of where we were staying). As I rounded the corner near the end of my run I was joined by the leaders of the marathon. The only difference was they were on mile 16 and I was finishing mile number 3. So there I was getting the praise and applause of the people right alone with the leaders of the race. On the one hand I felt terrible because I knew I did not deserve it but on the other hand I can not fully explain how empowering it was at the end of my run to have that kind of encouragement. It was a good reminder to me not to miss opportunities to encourage those around me.


As I have been getting up between 6 and 6:30 and spending quiet time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, I have been reminded over and over from God's word in Isaiah and Hebrews that trusting God is key to life. This morning I was meditating on Isaiah 30:15 which talks about how our salvation and strength come from repentance and rest and quietness and trust. The people of that day would have none of it. They chose instead to go their own way and wear themselves out. How true of us as well. In the midst of whatever you are facing today I encourage you to not miss what God has for you. Be still and know that He is God. if you will get quiet enough and trust in Him He will prove faithful.


Have a great day!!! The God of the mountains bids you blessing and hope...


Dave Hampson