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May the Lord bless you!!  See you at the new address!

I have two quick glimpses of my past I would like to share with you.

Easter morning, March 1986.  I’m only 11 years old but I have wisdom far greater then my young age.  Today isn’t going to be a “normal” Easter Sunday for my family.  I reluctantly left my Daddy’s hospital room to get dressed for the day.  A few short minutes later my Aunt comes to find me and tells me that my Daddy has gone.  Gone where?  Down the hall, to work, on vacation?  No, he’s gone to heaven.  I’m only 11 years old but I already know that this is not something I want any other child to have to deal with and I know that some day I will do something to help that!

Late January 2001.  It’s been 9 months since Marcel & I said; “I do” to spending the rest of our lives together.  Here we sit, speaking with the Hospice coordinator, our Oncologist, and a nurse.  Everything has been done to stop the tumor from growing, but now Marcel has a blood infection, there is simply nothing more any doctor can do.  It’s up to our Great Physician to heal Marcel according to His will.  Not two weeks after setting up a hospital in our small home, Marcel is no longer in pain.  Our Father has decided that Marcel has served the purpose he was put on this earth for.   Praise the Lord; Marcel has been healed, but certainly not according to this world’s hopes or prayers.

Why did I need to share this with you?  Talking about the trials God has brought me through is therapeutic and healing.  But I have realized that talking about it is just not enough for me.  There is much more healing to take place.  After many years of thoughts and several months of prayer, I know my Father helped me find another way to help heal me.  That is why I am training with Team In Training and raising money to help find a cure for blood related cancers.  Thank you for joining me in this journey I am taking.  Every penny raised is a blessing to so many!

Running for the Eternal Prize,

Jessica Stevens

My answer…

No.  We decided to stay put.  We did not come to this decision easily.  A lot of prayer and consideration went in to this decision.  As my dad always taught me, “put the pen to the paper”, and that is what we did.  In my last post, I tried to make very clear that we, in no way, were testing God in this process.  In fact, we felt as if our reliance upon Him has grown even stronger and stronger in this.  We’ve seen His Hand at work in our lives and it’s abundantly clear what He is doing in and through us.

At one point while Jess and I were discussing this potential move, she told me something that a dear friend and colleague of hers shared.  “Sometimes, God picks you up, shakes you around, and places you right back in the same place He had you.”  It seemed odd to me that God would do this, but as I pondered this  statement for awhile, it became very evident that He had done just that.  I envisioned a snow globe.  In life, we let ourselves settle down so much that we forget God’s Love, Grace, and Mercy all around us.  It is very necessary that God pick up our life, shake us up, and set us back down so that His Love, Grace, and Mercy can once again envelope us.  So much so, that no matter what direction we turn, where we go, or what we do, we see Him in all things.  I fully believe, with no doubt in my mind, that is what my Heavenly Father did for me and my family.

We are extremely blessed, happy, and content with where we are.  We are very excited to see what God is going to do in the next chapter of our lives.  To God be the glory, forever, and ever!  In the words of one of my favorite worship songs:

“How can I keep from singing Your praise.  How can I keep from shouting Your Name.  I know that I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing.”

For a quick moment, I’m going to go back to 2008-2009.  For a time, I was teaching in the classroom, involved in my Master’s program, head football coach at my high school, and making a transition to leave the classroom and go into administration (oh, and trying not to let my faith, marriage, and children fall by the wayside).  It seemed as if I was barely keeping my head above water.  I can point to a specific time when I became aware that I was drowning and needed help.  It was August of 2009 and I was giving my first devotional, as a new Principal, to my faculty.  I didn’t even get through my opening prayer when I broke down in tears and started weeping.  I even remember the words I spoke before I couldn’t go on…”Jesus, I need you.  I can’t do any of this without your help.”  I fully believe that the Holy Spirit, at that moment, enveloped me in His love.  I was at a point when I knew that my reliance upon God and His Word is what makes me who I am, and guides me in what I do.  In time, I had stepped away from coaching and finished my Master’s program.  Everything seemed to  slow down and get to a pace that was comfortable for me.

Fast forward to May of 2011…Another moment in my life when I’ve had to completely rely upon God and His Word for guidance.  My school has gone through some rough years due to our nation’s economic struggles.  I came to a point where I felt a “nudge” to be pro-active and test the waters (important note: in no way was I testing God).  This is where it may get a little confusing.

Did I feel that my job was in jeopardy?  No.  So why go out and look for a job (especially when times are tough, and finding another job in the Christian school “market” would be extremely difficult)?  I wasn’t looking for a promotion.  I wasn’t looking for more money.  I didn’t even fear that I would lose my job had the school continued in it’s decline in enrollment, and subsequently, limited teaching/administrative positions.  What was the “nudge”?  To be very honest, I don’t know.  My wife and I prayed together, and as we have done before, stepped out in faith, and sent out my resume to a school in Oregon.  I only sent out one resume, to one school.  We continued in prayer in the following days.  Our prayer consisted of our Heavenly Father opening and/or closing doors on either side of the California-Oregon border.  We want to live our lives according to His ultimate plan for our family.  Should we be open to move again, to another state, again?  In just a few days, I was contacted by the school in Oregon and asked to fill out their application, and set up to have a phone interview with their school board and search committee.  So much had happened in just a few days time.  What my wife and I had to do was slow down, pray, and search the Scriptures for God’s guidance in this situation.  Do we stay or go?  The questions started to fly!!  Pros, cons, what-ifs, maybe this, maybe that, holy schmoly we could be uprooting again and moving to another state!  However, in this time of confusion, our Lord gave us the scriptures that we needed to seek His will for our lives. In fact, the most profound scripture that God gave me to settle my mind and spirit, came to me while I was in the bathroom.  I know, that’s a little weird, but hang in there.  In the bathroom that I was using, there is a wallpaper border with scripture references on it.  I’ve read them lots of times, but this time the Lord said, READ THIS CAREFULLY!

“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10

I’m going to rephrase this passage in the way that I heard it…”Cameron, shut up and listen.  I’m the Creator of the Universe.  I know what I’m doing.  Just read my Word, meditate upon WHO I AM, and I will give you the desires of your heart.”  Wow, the desires of my heart!  Now I gotta go and figure out what those are.  I have God’s breath in my lungs, a roof over my head, a Beautiful wife who loves me, supports me, and would follow me to the ends of the Earth, three amazing kiddos, food in the fridge, a wonderful job, and colleagues and friends that I can truly call my “family”.  Should I go on?!  However, I have an overwhelming desire to serve my God in any capacity,wherever He may want me to go.

So hear is the “end” result.  What I’ve learned in my adult life as a Christian is that God will speak to you through many different ways; His Word, a pastor, friends, family, wallpaper in the bathroom.  For goodness sakes, He used a donkey to speak to Balaam in Numbers 22!  If we allow ourselves to just slow down, or even STOP, and listen, God will provide us the the direction we need to make the proper decisions in this life.  He knows exactly what we will do in life, but allows us to make decisions so that we can understand how much we need to rely upon Him.  He provides us all we need to know in Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message):

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

Thank you Jehovah Shalom!  Amen and Amen!  SELAH!

So, you’re probably wondering, “Well, what did you decide?!”

My answer…

It’s been a super-long time since I last blogged.  Too long.  Is there a reason?  Not really.  I could say that things were pretty busy at school.  We were in an accreditation year.  Those that know what that means, it’s a bad word in the educational world.  However, can produce a wonderful harvest of retrospect and communication between your staff and school community.  But, now that that’s over, let’s move on.  There have been many other “big” things happening that I don’t need to go into detail about.  That’s not why I’m here.  I’m here to continue my commitment to this blog.

Today is a special day.  In this year, April 22 represents Good Friday.  The day that we commemorate Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.  One of the most gruesome, torturous punishments ever devised by man.  Crucifixion rips the human body and mind to shreds.  What it’s really about is suffocation and humiliation.  This is the process by which my Savior, Jesus, Prince of Peace, died for me.  Isaiah 53: 4-5 tells us,

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. “

For me, as a “little Christ”, a follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian, I take this day very seriously, as it is essential to my faith.  For in Christ’s death on the cross, my sins were forgiven.  In that, I do not, and will not take advantage.  For my Lord laid down His life for me.  The very least I can do, is commit my life to him, and live a life pleasing to Him.  On this Good Friday, I remember the death that saved my life.

Truer words have never been spoken, considering where we are as a nation today.  I could very easily change the date on that quote to 2011, and it would read just the same.  Simple enough, our nation is in such disarray because we have taken our eyes off of the One who governs in the affairs of men.  We have fallen so far from where we started as a country.  Someone please tell me why, when we study our history, we place the founding fathers upon pedestals?  Why, as a fledgling nation were we able to rise above all odds and establish one of the greatest nations based upon one of the greatest documents ever written by the hands of men?  I firmly believe it is because of statements like the one above.  Benjamin Franklin’s faith is under scrutiny by many historians.  Not too many believe he was a man of faith.  Whatever the case may be, even Franklin recognized God’s hand in the making of our nation.  The evidence was too overwhelming for him to believe that every event that helped shape our Independence could have happened by mere chance.  No sir!

The funny thing is, we respect, admire, revere, and study our founding fathers as the creators of our nation, HOWEVER, we won’t listen to them?  What makes us think that we can’t apply their wisdom to our nation today?  Do we have that much pride? Are we so beyond crying out to God for help that when we’re hated, attacked, and are falling apart at the seams, we’re surprised?!  Everyone get’s upset because this Congress, this President isn’t “saving” us.  IT”S BECAUSE WE’RE PLACING OUR FAITH IN MEN!!  A nation without a firm belief in the faith of our heritage and the Creator of this world, is a nation gone under.

Every year in February, Calvary Murrieta takes their students on a historical tour of the East Coast.  Locations include Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Washington DC, Gettysburg, Amish country, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and so much more!  With a focus on our nation’s Christian heritage and foundation, our travelers are exposed to our history that has been lost and forgotten in today’s historical texts.  Talk about change!  According to many state standards, studying the foundation of our country is not important.  To those revisionists, I say, “shame on you!”

Romans 15:4 states, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

There is a biblical mandate to study the things of the past, so that we may learn from those that have come before.  Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying, “History, by apprizing them [students] of the past, will enable them to judge the future.” And Daniel Webster said, “History is God’s providence in human affairs.” Far be it from me to place my faith in some historian whose opinion about what MAY have happened in history, from HIS perspective.  I would rather look to those who lived it, experienced it, fought for it, and wrote it.  That is the history of the United States of America that I want to know.

God bless you and may God continue to bless America!

First of all, I would highly recommend seeing this production if you get the chance.  Secondly, there are some who think that spiritual warfare is reserved for the insane, possessed, non-Christians, or movies like The Exorcist.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  People often forget that the smallest, most minute thought can keep one from drawing closer to Christ.  Christians don’t want to believe that there are demons out there that are battling with all their might to keep one from experiencing the greatest gift of all, an intimate life-long relationship with their Savior.  What I am saying is that there is a constant spiritual battle going on, and as a Christian I need to be “battle-ready”.

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[c] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— ¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

In my last post, this is EXACTLY what our enemy wants.  A load of Christians that are content, and NOT living to draw closer to Christ.  As long as they are NOT reading their bibles, NOT having devotions, and NOT doing anything to deepen their relationship with their Heavenly Father, Satan is victorious.  In an excerpt from “The Screwtape Letters”, Screwtape addresses the next graduating class of “tempters”:

“I hope, and believe, that each one of you have the same uneasiness tonight.  Your career is before you.  Hell expects and demands that it should be – as Mine was – one of unbroken success.  If it is not, you know what awaits you.”

My challenge to myself and all Christians is to NOT let that happen.  The moment you become distracted with ANYTHING that is taking your focus away from your faith in Christ, you are in a momentary battle against those spiritual hosts of wickedness.  FIGHT!!  Fight with all your might and power that you have in Jesus to resist that influence and focus your eyes on Christ.  BE VICTORIOUS!!

photo courtesy of http://richblessings4you2.com/

I had a friend back in high school say, “I’m not going to follow the Lord right now, cause I want to experience what the world has to offer and build up a good testimony.”  My exact words to her were, “Ummm…What the what?!?”  She was telling me that she desired to live the life of the prodigal son.  This was my only experience with a person who purposefully set out to do the wrong thing, with full knowledge of their accountability to the Lord and His word, knowing it was wrong, in order to please God later on in life, without knowing if they would live to see the day when they could share a testimony of the depths of their sin, in the hope that God would honor that decision.  Did you follow that?  If not, go ahead and read it again…I’ll wait…

The whole point of me telling you that story is to tell you a little about who I have a become at this stage in my life as a follower of Christ.  I don’t have what some would call, a “powerful” or even “inspiring” testimony.  I grew up in a Christian home my whole life.  My parents are still married.  My brother and sisters are all married to wonderful Christian spouses.  I was never physically or emotionally abused.  I have gone to church my whole life.  I attended my youth group, bible studies, summer and winter retreats.  I have never taken drugs.  I went to Christian schools, you guessed it, my whole life.  I even received my B.A. and M.A. from a Christian university.  Oh, in case you were wondering where I work…in a Christian school with Christian teachers, students, and families.  I have been extremely blessed, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Now for the “down side” of this short story.  I’ve allowed myself, at many different times throughout my life to be too content in my walk with the Lord.  Especially when I was in school.  I became too content because I was surrounded by 300 other people just like me.  I never felt as if I had to speak up for what I believed in.  I never felt like I needed to share Christ.  My faith was never challenged in the classroom.  I didn’t feel like I needed to be an outspoken Christian in a Christian school.  Let me make this very clear.  My silence was not due to my circumstances and surroundings.  My silence and contentment was a choice I made.  Like a lighthouse on a beautiful day.  Does it serve a purpose?  Does it shine it’s light when all is calm and peaceful?  The purpose of that lighthouse is to be a beacon when there is no other light for the ships to find their way.  When it’s too foggy or when the sea gets a little rough.  A point of reference when needed.  I’ve allowed myself, all to often, to only shine my light when it’s convenient.  Rather then what God calls me to do.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). And let me add…ALL OF THE TIME, TOO ALL PEOPLE!  

Now, don’t get me wrong, I consider myself to be a very optimistic individual.  I constantly remind myself to see the Lord in all things.  Am I a “glass-half-full” kind of fella?  Sure, why not.  I’m not a honker. However, I like to see the glass just as it is.  It’s been filled to a point, yet there is more room for the Lord to do His work.  There is always room for more.  Matthew 5:6 states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” I want to constantly seek the Lord and His will for my life.  You know what that means?  I should NEVER be content.  In a conversation over the difference between being an optimist and a pessimist, I stated, “A pessimist will live by the world’s standards.  An optimist will always live by God’s standards!”  And you can quote me.  A good friend of mine said, “If you are currently experiencing adversity in your life right now, remember it will pass and is often a great way to deepen your relationship with God.  If your not experiencing adversity, enjoy your time…it will come.”  No matter what your circumstances in life, good, bad, or ugly (enter the greatest movie tune here), you can raise your eyes to the sky and know that the Creator of all things is right there for you.  You never have to run to Him.  He knows right where you are, and exactly what you need.  He’s right in front of you.  Open your eyes!