Lessons in the 42nd Year

Today is my birthday, I'm 42 years old. This morning I reflected over the journey of the last year and compiled a list of the 10 principal lessons I've learned (and continue learning) this year.

Top 10 lessons

1. Practice listening to the Lord and He will direct you. (Psalm 46:10 and Proverbs 16:9)
2. Take care of the "little/insignificant" incongruences (sin) in life, don't rationalize their existence if you want to go further and deeper in your spiritual journey. (Acts 17:30)
3. Depend upon the godly people in my life. Allow them to speak into my life, which will mean initiating the conversation with them. (James 5:16, Hebrews 10:24)
4. Take the steps of faith necessary in God's plan for me when convinced of his leading. (Hebrews 10:35-36; 11:6)
5. Be empowered rather than enslaved. Take time to focus on the product of faith rather than being consumed with the process. (Philippians 2:9-11 and Revelation 5:9-10)
6. Seek peace, do not be the source of further disunity. Know when to walk away. (Micah 6:8, Psalm 34:13-15 and Luke 10)
7. Practice benefit-of-doubt perspective when understanding others. (Ephesians 4:29)
8. Learn to encode my passion in a non-aggressive communicative manner. (Colossians 4:6)
9. Be incarnational. Strive to meet people where they are and show them love. (Philippians 2:1-5 and 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
10. Do what I know is the will of God and He will bless me in it. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM!

Missions Project Update

If you would like more information for this project you can contact me using the response link below this blog entry.

Thank you for your support, we are team.

Missions Project

In August, Karen and I began working on the Nyack College campus for our one year home assignment. While here we are interacting with the students in the classroom, chapel, our home... basically anywhere we can make a connection. We do this with the desire of transmitting our passion for God's mission to all people the world over.

We have been given the opportunity to continue our ministry to Paraguay by developing a project with which the college campus and those beyond can become involved. You'll be hearing more of this project throughout the year as well as what lies ahead for the Spurlings. All you need to do is check back here. Take time out today and learn what this project called Group Coverage is all about.

To learn more about this project, contact me by responding to this blog post.

Thank you for your support, we are team.

What is Worship?

This is a question that someone has asked me to think about for a panel discussion here on campus.

Since coming back to Nyack I've been trying to run again. The process hasn't gone as smoothly as I anticipated. The first day that we arrived in Nyack I put on my shorts and headed out the front door while telling Karen I would see her in about a 1/2 hour. I then attempted to run 3 miles around the mountain, a run I would frequently complete without difficulty ... 18 years earlier. Three weeks later I gingerly made a second attempt to run, this time on the flat hoping that I would not pull the groin again; that was a first-time experience. I am noticing that first-time experiences tend not to hold the same sense of adventure and anticipation they did before the age of 40?

It was Homecoming at Nyack College this weekend. One of the events I had been looking forward to up until the night before was the "Fun Run" that the cross country team was sponsoring. I had figured it would be a good benchmark goal to set, so I have been training "vigorously." I even told several people on the team that I was going to run the race... which would be why I wasn't looking forward to the race the night before. My preregistered self-proclamation made me get out of bed Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m.

The course is not easy. It is a 5k (3.1 mile) course that goes around the campus twice. The campus is on a hill/mountain. As I headed up the hill for the second half of my race and saw the first place runners heading towards me as they were finishing their last 5 hundred yards, I prayed, "Oh Lord, I'm dying here. Give me the strength so I can soar on wings like eagles up this hill" (Isaiah 40:31).

Somehow I did make it up that hill and headed down the last mile towards the finish; I believe I was in third to last place. It was at that moment that I ran past my house and my family stepped out on the front porch cheering me on saying, "GO DADDY! YEAH DADDY!"

This is what came to mind in that moment

What a perfect example of true worship; when the child is so in awe of the Father that he comes out on the front porch and does what is most natural to him--He celebrates the Father. There were individuals along the path that cheered me on and I appreciated their good will. But nothing brought me more joy than to see my children cheering me on as the hero. The fact that I was bringing up the rear did not matter to them, because I am their father.

True worship is when we occupy our lives in the act of celebrating God the Father no matter the situation in which we are found.

Later, the Father gave me a neat reminder of His worthiness to be praised as I walked home from the race. As I came in sight of our front porch, two eagles flew overhead and I realized He had answered my prayer.

"What can we bring to the Lord? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" Micah 6:6-8.

Thank you for your support. We are Team.

It's Been a Good Day

It's been a while. Since last updating we've transitioned from Paraguay, spent time with my folks in Florida, visited Karen's family in Trinidad and settled in on the campus here at Nyack. Hopefully, I'll be able to update soon some of the new adventures God is leading us towards.

I wanted to make a quick update concerning a particularly exciting piece of good news. While visiting family in Trinidad I began talking to Jeffrey every night about the relationship that Jesus wants to have with each of us. I began asking him "where does Jesus live?" To which he would reply "in your heart Daddy." I would ask him if Jesus lived in mommy's heart and he would tell me yes. When I asked him if Jesus lived in his heart he would say, "No, I haven't asked him yet... I'm going to do it later." Every night I asked him that question until I went away for a week-long seminar a few weeks backs. Last evening I thought I would check and see if Jeffrey remembered our "theological" discussions. I asked him "where does Jesus live?" Jeffrey smiled and immediately said "In my heart!" "Jeffrey, why do you say that? Why is Jesus in your heart?" I asked. "Because I asked him to come in Daddy!" This evening we were talking to grandma and grandpa and I asked Jeffrey if he wanted to share his news from last night. Jeffrey told them, "It's my heart... Jesus lives there."

Tomorrow we are going to do something special to celebrate August 13. I'm not sure if that was the day that Jeffrey initially asked Jesus into his heart... but it will be a happy day that I will always remember. I thank and praise the Lord for his great goodness to our family.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8

p.s. Jeffrey began riding his bicycle without training wheels this evening. I took off the training wheels, took him to a parking lot, ran 10 yards with him and that was it... he was off and running.

Thanks for your prayers and support. We are TEAM!

Jasmine and Pop Culture

At ten o'clock a few nights ago we heard Jasmine singing in her room. We put Jasmine to bed around eight o'clock every night. However, many nights she lies awake and talks and sings. Ten o'clock was extremely late so we listened in on her. She was singing a song that sounded like "perferator" or "operator," it wasn't clear. The next day as we set out in the car Jasmine asked for music (the radio) as she always does. This time she was more specific saying she wanted "perferator." We couldn't figure out exactly what she wanted, we figured it was probably a song she heard at church and probably was in Spanish. You can imagine our surprise when Britney Spears' new song "Radar" was played on the radio and Jasmine exclaimed joyfully, "PERFORATOR!" She could have only heard this song one time before on the radio as we don't listen to Britney Spears. Aye, yie, yie! She's only two and a half years old and we already have to be careful as to what she is listening.

I downloaded "Radar" for Jasmine and play it for her once or twice a day. No matter where she is in the house or what she is doing, she comes running and begins danicing (twirling in place) as she sings "perforator."

First morning at the Gym

Today was the first day that I was not officially the pastor of the church here in Asunción. I've handed the baton off to Pastor Marcos Bernardini. Our mission gives us the last month of our work in country to prepare for our departure, which includes packing, selling, cleaning and saying our good-byes. I decided months ago that I was going to use the month to get back in the habit of exercising (which for me is running). So this morning, I put the theme to Rocky in myipod and went to the gym to begin my aerobic training.

My mind typically has been consumed with the church for many months... I don't feel like I have had much time to think about anything else. So, I thought it might be interesting to journal my first thoughts away from the church.

Thoughts
1. I searched for a bike in the corner away from the crowd. (Thought: Ohhhh, bikes in the corner are in the corner because they are in need of repair. I'm feeling a little embarrassed after having tried each of the three bikes before realizing that).
2. Spandex is the clothing of choice. (Thought: The only other person not wearing spandex is the janitor. Everyone probably thinks I'm one of the janitors).
3. The stationary bike has different courses. Unfortunately, I don't know how to program it and have to pick a course from the "mountain" category. (Thought: Why did I choose the 1996 Olympic mountain course? Atlanta obviously is not flat).
4. Feeling the burn. (Thought: I never realized I had an inner buttocks).
5. Macho in Latin culture. (Thought: Why couldn't I just tell the trainer that I was tired and that I couldn't do another 30 minutes on the stationary bike).
6. Just because I used to run doesn't mean that I still can. (Thought: This inner buttocks sensation seems to kick in at the 8 kph pace... but when I go any slower I look like a wimp).
7. My wife doesn't want a minute-by-minute update via the cell phone. (Thought: When I retire Karen is going to kick me out of the house).
8. Heart Beat monitor. (Thought: That's neat. Oooo, I don't think the red zone is where I want to be... is 190-200 bad?).
9. Two older women on either side of me while on the tread mill. (Thought: Are they going faster than I am? I'm going to go over the 8 kph mark... hey, my butt doesn't hurt. Woohoo! Ouch! Dab nabit... just you wait old ladies, I'll get you yet).
10. I dropped my keys. (Thought: I'm just going to walk home because I'm certain that once I bend down to pick them up I'm not going to stand up again).

Conclusion
I need to get back into ministry as soon as possible. Left to myself without purpose, I really don't have anything worth sharing.

The good news is that I did accomplish more than I thought I would. I worked out for well over an hour and burned over 600 calories. My initial goal is to burn over 1000 calories a day inexercise and lose 20 pounds in a months. My wife thinks I'm crazy. After journaling my thoughts I'm beginning to think she might be right.

Thanks for your prayers and support. We are TEAM!