the nights, the dangerous nights

Just me, now, and my thoughts.

I've had some really seriously supernatural occurrences of encouragement, this week.

I know they're super-natural.  and I know it even more, because the accuser / the adversary, or a worker of such deeds, likes to get in my face and say it was all coincidence.

"And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?" ZecharIah (3:2)
זכריה

1. Friday morning I was feeling pretty awful.  Honestly.  I walked into our store and it didn't help at all.  It was quiet - just me and the Lord...  and I was pretty vocal.  about everything.  and my groaning, as immature and raw as they were, was graciously considered by our gracious God.  A man walked in, and I got this feeling from him.
   
   And it's a weird feeling.  Like something inside me doesn't want to connect with this guy.  Why?  Because I'm in a rutt, and he's a believer, and I knew it.  I just had to look at him, look into his eyes and he looked in to mine.  There was fellowship, there, that I can't explain.  He asked for two stamps.
   
   I told him how much they'd cost - I knew that he had pulled out $1.00 thinking it was enough.  most customers get upset, because a typical stamp costs, oh... $0.40 or so cents.  Not ours, though.  $0.60, baby.  So you do the math - 2 stamps at normal price would land under a dollar, but 2 stamps with us was going to be $1.20.  And so, most customers get upset, as I was saying.  And usually I try to explain to them that we aren't really a post office and how we have to charge a mark up cost.  Sometimes customers walk out.  But I knew he wouldn't.  He handed me a 20, I broke the change, handed him his stamps.  He asked me:
   
   'Are you a man of faith?'
   
   We talked, he prayed, I cried, he joined his family outside, I fell to my knees when it was just me and the Lord again and uttered something from a posture that I need to take up more often.
   
2. On the way to school from work, I put my wife's hillsongs CD that's been in my car since most of our pre-engagement relationship into my CD player and blasted THIS song.  While I was waiting to make my left turn on to the main road, I noticed there was a man in a car next to me - and in particular, I noticed that he was an older gentlemen... AND from what I knew about older-gentlemen, sometimes they don't like younger-gentlemen blasting music in a neighboring car.
   
   So I pulled up ahead of him a little bit to deaden the sound.
   
   Out of my peripherals, I noticed at first what seemed like hand gestures coming from the car next to me.  I thought for a second.  "He probably wants me to turn it down."  So I looked over, already reaching for my analogue volume knob, when I was rather surprised to find that...
   
   Not only was this man unsatisfied with the level of volume that I currently had my music at... HE WANTED IT TURNED UP.  So I turned it... gave him a thumbs up... and we sang together.  right there.  in the intersection.  About how
   
   Salvation is here!  Salvation is HERE and it LIVES IN me.
   
   I made it to school and probably bombed my Hebrew test, and then got blind sided by an Econ test (haha oh well).
   
3. I had a very, very encouraging phone conversation with a great friend from rockHARBOR... Paul Ireland is planting a holostic, Bible teaching and, consequently, Gospel-driven, church multiplying church in Minneapolis in the old armory building.  We talked.  It was great.  He challenged me on many levels.  He read IsaIah 55 to me and I went on to read it again last night, today, and to my wife.  "I thought you could use some encouragement," he said, or something along the lines of that.  God directed him to call me.  It was the best phone call from an old friend that I've had in years.  It challenged me to follow Jesus even more.
   
4. I dated the church today.  Kind of.  No one from PBC reads this so I can say it here, anyways (haha): I went to Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, today (Erin stayed home and slept, etc), and was very encouraged by the message.  I took note of a few things, in particular:
1. Francis Chan preaches heavy messages from Scripture
2. God doesn't 'alway's listen to my prayers
3. My sin can INDEED hinder my prayers, as well as the body
4. The church doesn't readily teach that
5. If Francis Chan is emergent then so am I
6. God keeps bringing me back to Isaiah
   
5. While I was at Simi, I ran into a guy who I think I'd literally been thinking about recently - an old friend that I'd just barely got to meet and talk to before he moved away last summer while I lived down the road.  we talked about ENCOURAGEMENT of all things.  we had a good solid talk.  we laughed, we challenged each other, we encouraged each other, we went our ways and made sure we had each other's phone numbers.

At any rate - it's been an encouraging few days for me as a gear up and head back in to the grind.  Thanks for praying, thanks for reading.  I just wanted to post this here and remind you guys that God has us, if you've trusted in Jesus.  God has you, God listens, God answers.  your sin is real - as real as Christ's death that atoned for it.

a lot of prayer needs to go in to this week.


'Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments." '
Zech. 3:3-4

'you died on a tuesday'

and on that note...

I'll be the happiest father ever if my child feels safe asking me questions.  if my child feels safe enough with me to be raw, to confess, to boldly live in the reality of the love I have for him or her... and it's unconditional nature, because I know God, so I know His love and that love can't stop but flow out of me.




I don't care how smart or how fast or strong you are.  just know my love.  maybe you'll read this one day.  maybe, if things are just right, you'll be old enough to read, old enough to care, young enough for blogger to still be around, you'll be reading this right now.  know that I'm thinking about you, it's 2:14 am, it's 2010, we're married, you've been baking in the oven for two months now (two technical months) since the day before my birthday.  and your dad is terrible at hebrew because he can't learn the vocab!  and we aren't making a lot of money and we don't know where we're headed or why we're here right now, and that there are a lot of things that make me uneasy.

and know that your mom's last name is STILL augustson (we're driving down to LA to work on that tomorrow, though), but yours will be Howard from the day you're born.  and that means the world to me, and to my dad.

and know that God is as real as your need for a savior, Jesus died for my sins, your mom's sins, your grandad's sins, and his old man's sins, and you can know the grace of the very Spirit of the One that created the entire world like we all did.  and know that this isn't the first time I've written you.  and also that I'm sorry for the times that I've failed you.


love,
dad

'but most of all... I thought about Jenny'

forrest gump has become my favorite movie of all time.  it's been on AMC a lot.  I think when I think back on our first years of marriage, and maybe even when I think about the first time I've been in my own place with cable tv...  I'll remember forrest gump.  and the matrix.


I take a little while to read comments, these days.  I'll just confess that, now.  because honestly, I'm working through a lot of fear right now.  yeah, I'm afraid.  I'm afraid of what people think for the first time in years.  everybody's so smart.  everybody's got it together.  maybe writing is my attempt to confess to someone, somewhere, that I really don't.  that's what it's all about, right?  grace.

yeah, grace.  it's humongous.  but I feel like I'm living in between two realities, sometimes.  that reality where my Lord is my Shepherd - His load is easy, His burden is light.  and there's that one with darting eyes, pointing fingers. 

where I'm supposed to open my shirt, peel back my skin, crack my ribs, and expose my heart to people who are supposed to love and understand the struggle.  but I never feel safe enough.


I never really said I had it together.  I only said, hey - I'm working.  I'm finishing school.  I have job skills.  that's been enough for everyone that I hardly see - the people's whose opinions, whether they're real or just in my head, dictate how hard we'll all try to hide.  and it's not the way thing should be.

I don't know if it's reality.  I dunno.

these last couple of years have been the hardest.  I was the chaplain at a great Christian institution and it was the hardest and most discouraging thing of my life.  I'm not blaming anyone.  honest - it was what it was. 

I came out here with a lot of drive, one dream, one mission.  it's not gone.  but it's not here.


it's a struggle.  I don't know how I got here.  there were a lot of people who's council or shoulder or hand that I wanted desperately.  there were people that I sought out.  there were people I looked to and looked up to.  there was a job, a mission, a task.  I wanted someone to come along side.  I've wanted help.  I've just wanted someone.  I look around and I don't really know who's here and who isn't.



now to clarify, if you're reading this - this isn't about being 'dissatisfied with my wife.'  I know at least one poor soul out there who might want that.  and I know my God would still show him mercy, and even know shows him kindness that ought to lead to repents - nevertheless (which is one word), he's storing up much wrath against himself on the day of my Lord's return.




I am incredibly excited about being a father...  I love our child.. and I'm so proud of him or her already...

once my dad told me, on the phone, that I'm his son.  that he loved me even before the day I was born.  maybe I'm starting to understand that.  I'm fighting, inside of me...  I just want to take our family and run, sometimes.

be seein you

friends come in all shapes and sizes.  they come at different seasons, different times of life.
we have old friends, we have new friends.

very seldom, though, do friends emerge and prove themselves over time to be true friends.

and I've been thinking about that, recently.  among other things.  in fact, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately but I've been having a hard time finding anyone to tell any thing to.

maybe it's juvenile.  I don't know.  maybe it's just growing up.  maybe it just happens.

but there were friends.  old friends.  quick friends.  at one time, yes, new friends.

yes, you were friends.  we drove far, we stayed a long time, and part of my heart broke there when everyone left.  I took some of the pieces with us when we left.  I tried not to make a scene, make a fuss.  time moves on, I suppose.  and me - I'm out of sight, out of mind.  it only hurts so bad because I missed all of you, though.  so much.  I don't want a fan fair when we come back down the free way, I don't want to force any of you in to doing anything that you'd rather not do.  maybe all I wanted was to spend an evening with you.  because we drove far.  because I've missed you.  because gas cost money.



but now I'm finding that, part of growing up is realizing how many people really didn't ever like you as much as you thought you did.  and part immaturity is connecting the dots, wondering what was real, wondering what wasn't real.  part of being human is being hurt. 

part of knowing God is knowing the comfort the Lord brings.

nobody's honest

but what can be said about that statement?  is it euphemistic?

everybody's a liar.  because if someone isn't being honest, they're lying.



sometimes I don't feel like I have friends.  I feel like I have more people to lie and hide from.  once a week, especially.


my heart is full and heavy, my soul stinks and I don't want to waste any of this grace, anymore.

adam howard, etc

when I was single...


there were times when I wanted to run as far away as I could from everybody that I knew.  and not just that - but I would be running away from every thing I'd ever said, every thing I'd ever did, every place I'd ever been.  every idle thought, every reminder of my failures, every place I'd ever fallen into sin of some kind.

now that I'm married.

there are times when I want to run as far away as I can, still, from everyone, everything, every incident, etc.

I just want to take my wife with me, now.

I hope my son reads this, if God gives me a son

well I'm useless with out a seminary education. even if I had an MA (or a 'minimal ability' as they call it in our accademic circles - something I found out recently much to my dismay) I just feel utterly at the bottom of the barrel. at least, that's where I'm at right now...




sometimes you learn how to play the game. people like to know in their hearts that you know where you're going in order to take you seriously. we've gotta have it figured out better than God does and THEN people know that we're serious.
 
psh.  gimme a break. 
 
SO - what's going on in my head right now?
 
newhall outreach center
shepherds theological sem in north carolina
jackson hole, wyoming
boulder, colorado
washington or oregon church plant teams
 
and GETTING MARRIED bam.
 
 
 
I guess part of growing up is deciding whether or not you're going to hold fast to your dreams, though.  sometimes older men who've let go, or older men who are 'wise' old sissys will talk down on you, and you've gotta decide whether you're going to keep hanging on to that thing.  you gotta decide, if it's from God, then you can't let go.