ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

3 - EDITOR's CORNER

Dear Friends, Wow! 5 ½ months since the previous ECHO edition! So much has happened in that time span, and I am certain a lot has occurred in your life as well. The Lord took me through a journey in the wilderness – literally, in some ways, I feel a bit closer to Moses & Joseph. To share with you “everything” would be way too lengthy, and as you know, I already like to carry on a lot, as it is, so I will try to share a few highlights and keep this as short as possible. Let’s see… where to begin? Well, the first grand experience I had occurred right off the bat. My initial flight departing from Sea-Tac, Intl was delayed… the problem that arose with this is that there were a couple more connecting flights I had to try and reach before stopping at my final destination. The entire journey from that point on was hustle, bustle, and run like crazy from one terminal to the next with each lay over in progress. Fortunately, I did finally arrive at my final destination as originally scheduled; however, my luggage did not. Realize now, that I had been traveling for a good 25 – 26 hours since departure from Sea-Tac airport. My clothing was starting to take on a personality all of it’s own. 24 hours after arrival, my luggage did actually make it, and I believe my co-workers were happier for me than I was as I could now put on fresh clothing.

The challenges only got better from there…. We had to turn in our laundry to have some local's tend to the cleaning. The normal turn around was 3 days after handing in the soiled items. My first laundry experience took 6 days before receiving everything back. I was beginning to wonder if my clothing items were supposed to come with my on this trip as they appeared to be getting lost ion the system everywhere I turned. Praise the Lord… my laundry experiences were much better than that for the rest of my tour! J

When I arrived at my base, the room I was initially placed in had 3 other men in it as well. The room was about a 12 X 12 foot area (basically a large walk in closet). There were 2 bunk beds, and very little floor space. I ended up having to sleep with 2 of my huge military bags in bed with me (realize now, the bed is a twin size bunk… when adding huge duffle-type bags, the sleeping area becomes even smaller yet!). While I was blessed to sleep in this arrangement for 2 weeks, others who arrived a day or so after me was tortured with the experience of going straight to a two-person room, same size closet as mine but with ½ the people and wall lockers to store their possessions.

During my 2-week stay at this Ritz, a co-roomie was placed on quarters with bronchitis. He did not tell us what was going on… and as a result, for my next 3-½ weeks I was coughing and hacking and trying to stay on top of my health as best as possible. All this, while learning a new role in how to work at my current location and living ½ a world away from everything and everyone I knew. I was not all that excited to be where I was at to say the least… but God placed me there for a reason…. Who am I to question HIS plans?

Thanks to the many prayers and encouragement that came from home… life did get better after about a month (or so)…. I finally lived in a 2-person room, and was blessed with it being private for almost 2 weeks before my new roomie invaded.

The new roommate, Stephen, was a redheaded, self centered, arrogant 22 year old that was going on the age of 12. My own 12-year-old son has more common sense than Stephan does… but again, a time to learn and grow, and to allow God to gain glory and honor.

I lived with a theme with Stephen. That theme was “What would Christ do if HE was Steve’s roomie?” I want to say I did my best to be a Christ-like example with this redheaded young man. I held my tongue, and kept my anger under lock and key as best as possible. But it was only by God’s grace I did not explode and return fire with this individual.

Stephen’s cleanliness was lacking in huge proportions. The first month to month and ½ he would fill the trashcan, but never empty the garbage. In fact, Steve would fill the trashcan to an overflowing status, then leave it for me to remove. I tested him to see how long he would allow the filth to remain before he would remove his own garbage… it was bout 4 –5 days of stench and misery. But I learned something about him, he can live with the filth, but for only so long. I was amazed how quickly trash was dealt with after that time. Steve also had a unique way of sleeping at night. His thought to life appeared to be as such: If he could not sleep at night, then why should Daniel be so fortunate to rest? And so, Steve would kick the bunk, toss & turn vigorously, sigh extremely heavy, and even took a turn at playing his Heavy-Metal CD with the volume on his head phones as loud as possible.

I never said a word to him, not even when I departed the base. As my work day began about 2 hours before his, I would quietly roll out of bed, prepare myself for the day in as quiet a manner as possible, and show as great a respect as possible.

About a month before leaving, Steve stayed up until about 3:00 a.m. with 2 of his buddies playing Dungeons & Dragons in the room. They did this every night, even though they knew I was trying to sleep. After his friends left, Stephen asked, “Did we keep you up too long?”

I responded. “I’m fine. I will be getting up at 8:00 a.m. though.”

Steve worriedly asked “Why!?”

He knew that I would have to set my alarm, and this would cause him to wake up earlier than he wanted to.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday.” I calmly explained, “And I want to attend chapel service.”

After that moment, Steve began to calm down around me, almost as if he realized what he was doing and tried to return some respect. But this lasted about 3 weeks before his old nature return even stronger.

The whole time in the desert, God spoke to my heart. HE revealed to me my nature, my character, and what I look like on the inside. This was a most enlightening and frightening experience, nearly taking my breath away while being stunned with wonder. Instead of returning to 1 John this issue, the devotional will be in regards to some of what the Lord taught me.

Finally, my return home took place. The flight out was delayed 12 – 14 hours. Before departing, I was supposed to be issued some airline tickets to fly home from Norfolk to Sea-Tac. The individual responsible for this task informed me near the last minute that he was not able to do this, and instructed me to use my Government travel card to purchase my tickets when I reached Virginia. When I finally returned home… and filled my financial affairs with finance office, at first I was given notification that I was to pay the government some $352.00. After inquiring a bit, I was told that I did not purchase my airfare properly and did not go through the right channels & offices to obtain the tickets, and as a result, they would not reimburse me this expense…. After informing the Chief in my office, he took the situation by the horns and got right in touch with finance immediately. There was a few discrepancies found in the whole process, some with how I filled the voucher, and some with how they did their job (or didn’t do it). Eventually the matter was resolved, and I no longer owed my own money for this deployment and experience.

All of this to say what?

God touched my heart in these past 5-6 months. HE revealed HIS love even when I felt lost and alone. HE never once betrayed me, nor forsook me. I had to deal with what I faced… and when I failed – HE never once gave up on me, HE never threw in the towel and called it quits… it was then HE took even more time and worked with me, molding me, shaping me, teaching me that no matter where I exist in this world… here, in the states, or ½ way across the world in the desert… HE was there! He was still loving, caring, protecting, and guiding. What a small world this is… HE’s every place at every time, and best of all, HE’s in my heart and life to stay!

In “Service” for HIM,

Daniel
Philippians 1:6

4 - PICTURE of the DAY!!!

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UNDERSTANDING
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Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.

Proverbs 20:5

Photo by Daniel
Persian Gulf - Doha, Qatar December 2005
Barnabas Ministries (E.C.H.O.)

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Should you have a picture you have taken (not copyrighted) you would like to share in PICTURE of the WEEK!!!,
please e-mail a copy in .jpg or .gif format. Feel free to suggest a verse/verses you think might go well with the image.
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5 - DEVOTIONAL

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(Proverbs 27:19)

THE HEART WITHIN

Look in the mirror What do you see? Is there a reflection Of you or me? Look deeper yet Look past the skin, Look at what’s In the heart within. Why do you do The things you do? Why do you go Where you travel to? Why do you speak The words you say? Why do you think Or act that way? Is there a motive, A reason or rhyme, For what you do All the time? Are you good? Are you bad? Are you happy? Are you sad? Who is this person Deep within? Who is this one Who was born in sin? How does God Look at me? Is HE pleased Or sad to see? Who am I? Who should I be? Should others follow And mimic me? The Lord has come And shown the way How we should think And act and say. HE has taught us What to do He has shown us Through and through. In the mirror I want to see A reflection of God’s love in me. I want the world To know the way, I want to share HIS light each day. But I must set Aside my will, My own pleasures, My own thrill. I must let Him Guide the way, Seeking HIS will I must obey. I want the Lord To look inside And find my heart Empty of pride. Filled with love, And joy, and peace, By HIS grace Which’ll never cease. I want the world To see my heart As a reflection of My FATHER’s heart! I want this heart That’s deep within To be empty Of all sin. I pray that God My heart might make, Gentle and kind So it won’t break, Strong enough To do HIS will, And meek enough To say it will, Filled with love From Heaven on high, To do HIS will Not mine, oh my. -= Daniel Dec 01, 2004

Proverbs 27:19 NKJV
As in water face reveals face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.

(For some of you, this will be a repeat – as I shared this from the desert a month or so ago)

This is a poem I wrote today (Dec 01, 2004). Since my deployment to this sandy land, the Lord has opened my heart and placed it square in front of my eyes. I have seen both the good and bad within. The frightening part is realizing how much the heart can sin, even unconsciously or without purposely trying to sin… Jeremiah 17:9 KJV “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Revised Standard Version: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?”

Darby: “heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it?”

Verse 10 goes on to say: “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (KJV)

The LORD has indeed been trying my reins. Considering the horse … loose rein allows the horse to travel freely, in any direction, all over the place… but tighten the reins and what happens? If the horse responds well and properly, it yields to the master’s command and direction… but if the reins were loosened for too long, it will fight and struggle before yielding itself to the master.

The LORD has loosened and tugged on the reins of my heart. HE has tried and tested me. Have I passed? Have I failed? Humbly I must admit I could do better… but I have learned and greatly consider, what is my next step in life? What is the next thing I must do… go… be….?

I pray that God
My heart might make,
Gentle and kind
So it won’t break,

Strong enough
To do HIS will,
And meek enough
To say it will,

Filled with love
From Heaven on high,
To do HIS will
Not mine, oh my.

-= Daniel, Philippians 1:6

(Dec 20 2004)

A while back I shared a poem titled “The Heart Within.” This little rhyme was written to express an experience that God has been taking me through. The words were penned after reading through some of the proverbs. Proverbs 27:19 was the key verse that inspired this poem. “As in water face reveals face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.”

We are known by the actions we accomplish and from the words we share…. And all of that is spawned from our heart within, many times one will find that our words don’t reflect our actions – that is, we might say one thing but do the exact opposite (that’s often known as being two-faced). It all boils down to what is genuinely in our heart? That which is in the heart will be revealed in our life. Prov. 23:7a “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he….”

This past Sunday (19 December, 2004), the Lord allowed me the opportunity to attend the protestant chapel service here on base in the Southwest Asia area. Due to my work schedule (and not being able to leave work to attend services), this was my 2^nd service I was able to attend in nearly 2 ½ months. The Chaplin shared from 2 passages (Lk 1:18-25 & Rom 10:9-10). The Chaplin shared how he especially wanted to share from Rom 10, as he felt the Lord laying on his heart to speak to someone in the congregation from that passage. I consider greatly the possibility that that someone was me. While this portion of scripture is geared more towards salvation…the message had a profound experience on my heart.

“For with the heart on believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Rom 10:10) Veers 11 goes on to say “For the Scripture say, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’”

In the past there were times I found myself embarrassed to allow the public to see me carry the Bible. It’s sad, but basically I was ashamed to show my faith for fear of what others might say. When I was getting ready to attend service, I knew I had to walk all the way through the compound from my dorm to the chapel. I determined before even leaving my room that I would carry my Bible with honor, holding it firmly and with confidence. I believe it was with that attitude that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

When walking back to the dorm after the chapel service, I began to consider my past when it struck me that we are in a race… (2 Tim 4:7). During a run, one should never, never, never look back to examine the distance between themselves and any other opponent. Races have been lost due to this very action. The runner should not look back to where they once were, rather look ahead to where they are going, striving for that finish line. Living back in the past is an easy thing to try to do, and to say things like, “If I only knew then what I know now…” The past is done, gone, behind us. The past is over, and nothing can be accomplished to change our history. We can; however, live from this point forward, knowing what we know now, and using that knowledge in a manner to bring glory and honor to God. Instead of dwelling on/in the past that cannot be undone, live in the present – don’t look back, look ahead. Live a life from this point forward in a manner that will bring honor to God, not shame.

Consider the words in Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” I cannot ever recall once any time my dad was ever sad or disappointed that I was his son. He has always loved me, and has been pleased to call me his son; however, I know there have been times I have done things that displeased him, brought him sorrow, grief, pain in his heart. Yet through it all, I know my father still loved me. In many ways, our Heavenly Father is the same. HE loves us in spite of our selves. HE loved us before the world (John 17:24; 1 Jn 4:10, 19), HE loved us while we were lost in sin (Rom 5:8). And it pains me greatly to consider the possibility of having my Heavenly Father and my Savior ashamed in my actions.

This all boils down to what exactly is in my heart? Is there sin… selfishness, pride, anger, lust envy, hatred, jealousy, etc? If yes, then turn away, repent, be purge and replace these things with faith, hope, & (God’s) love.

So, where does this leave me? Romans 6 is the path that needs to be traveled, to be dead to sin and alive to God, to be a slave of righteousness. And how do I accomplish this? Col 3:1-11 tells me to set my mind (my thoughts, my desires, and my affections) in the right place, on (godly) things above, not the destructive, sinful desires of this earth. “For as he thinks…” (Prov 23:7a) “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he….”

What greater gift can I give back to the ONE who has given me my life, my breath, and all that I posses… than to give back my mind, my heart, and my will over to HIM! It starts in the heart… and blossoms from there.

However…. Reviewing my past I am reminded of a time in high school, my senior year at Lockport Township High school. Sitting at a round lunch table, I was minding my own business, eating lunch and sorting through some homework. I had my Bible sitting on the table along with my schoolbooks. An African-American grabbed my bible, became charismatic, and began to mimic preaching to his friends nearby. He loved the praise his fellow comrades gave him. I cautiously watched to see where this would unfold, and after about 5 minutes the young fellow returned my bible back to me and questioned me in a sarcastic manner, “Are you going to be a preacher?”

I stood firm with my response, not allowing his jesting to confuse or embarrass me. I was not ashamed of my Lord and my God, and with confidence, staring this boy in the eyes, I replied, “Yes.”

His returned comment was, “When?”

After doing some quick math in my head, figuring time for schooling and training, the response I gave was “Within ten years.”

That was 20 years ago. So much has happened since then. And now, I examine myself and wonder why I did not peruse that avenue to the fullest? Why have I faltered in not completing that plan? And now, with an examination of my heart and my thoughts, I again consider the possibility of perusing that path in life. Not sure of what tomorrow will bring… I consider… I pray… I ask the Lord to guide my ways.

Proverbs 27:19 NKJV
As in water face reveals face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.

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“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands… and purify your hearts…” James 4:8

6 - NEXT ISSUE

We will pick back up in 1 John where we last left off!

ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you,
Sincerely yours,

-=Daniel
Philippians 1:6

ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO

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