Gene Ort

A mountain man in India. This man has only heard the name of Jesus in his village for the first time just recently.

This word is for him and for me, for we were all created in His image…

Luke 10:27 “Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.”

Heart: From the deepest place of truth expressed in the inner part of man.. resulting in care of the richest kind with the purest emotion.

Mind: The place of intellect, wisdom and understanding. The place that hungers to learn more about who God is and what He has done and what He has planned. Where we ponder His mighty deeds, the creation and wonder at His beauty, innocence and holiness.

Soul: The sum of your eternal self. The part of you thats hardest to understand because it’s not your flesh, but the image of God in you. The part of you that knows you were made for more than this world has shown you. The part that lies awake in the middle of the night and prays to the Father for all of life to be restored to what it was meant to be in the garden. The part that longs to walk with Him in the cool of the day.

Strength: The hands of action and movement. Putting love into motion.. for the things that God loves, His children. To love Him with all your strength is to let His love move you. It’s to lift the burdens.. and move the obstacles out of way for you and others.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Exodus trek for this important message.

A close friend sent me this video yesterday.  It stopped me in my tracks. We are a handful of days away from recognizing the most important event in human history. God, in the form of man, allowing sinful man to murder him without cause and without resistance. There can only be one reason. Our God loves us beyond what we can comprehend.

Luke 9:43 Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Treasure and ponder each of these next words: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into human hands.”

Luke 9:48 “Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me, accepts me,” he said. “And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your spirit, not your size, makes the difference.”

Dean Pickering is a musician and composer. He supplies my little company with his wonderful music, featured in this video. He is also a video producer, he produced this video. He is a staff video editor at Willow Creek Community Church. He is also a Man of God and a father. His heart comes through in his art. He is a Child of God.

Dean is right now in an intense battle with cancer. He knows who his Saviour is and where his healing comes from. He is a Man of Faith.

Please join me in prayer for my friend, Dean.

I am not a historian and certainly no expert on the evolution of trade, but I do understand commerce. Here and abroad. From time to time I travel in other countries and there is always a ritual upon entering another nation, I exchange my American currency for the currency of the country I am visiting. It’s fun. I try to make sense of the system and look carefully at the artwork and usually I try and keep a little of it in my wallet to take home for a souvenir. In India, it’s all about Rupees. In England, it’s mostly about Pounds or Euros. Recently I was in Cambodia, there it’s Riel, but they were very happy to accept American currency.

It was not that long ago in American history when it was common to pay for goods and services with a chicken, goat, bushel of apples or what ever you had access too. It’s amazing what you can buy with some beads..  New York for example..

The point is value. To some degree or another, value is measured in two ways. Either your the buyer.. or the seller. Almost all of us are both.

Last fall I had the opportunity to coach a girls 4th grade volleyball team. It was a two month commitment. Three events per week. What was I thinking? My life was already to busy. At first I was fine.. then I started to feel the pressure. I started asking myself questions and really began to wonder if I had made a mistake. Is this the best use of my time ? A question of value.

Then something happened. I was struck by the diversity within the group of girls.. The range of personality and skill level mirrored many of  the people in my everyday life encounters. There were girls who were clearly athletic stars and girls who lacked basic coordination. There were confident high achiever types and timid insecure types. Strong, weak, mouthy, pouty, they were all there.  A significant change in my awareness came when I yelled at one of the girls for kicking a ball and nearly smashing another girl in the face with it. She shut down completely. I had been oblivious to the the damage I could do even though I was clearly right to protect the other girls from this potential source of injury. It took me several minutes to talk this little girl back into “being ok”. Up to that point I had been treating all the girls pretty much the same regardless of their individual personalities or skill levels. But not anymore. I got real intentional about understanding each one better. My wife, Mary was also co-coaching with me and she helped me a great deal with this. In the weeks to follow I got significantly better at interacting with each girl with better understanding.

I was loving these girls. Each one in a different way.

Grandma & Granddaughter in Remote Cambodian Village

During the time I was coaching this volleyball league, I was also prepping for a two week trip to India and Cambodia. These mission trips are a very big deal to me. They are a significant part of what I think God has called me to do. It’s important! Really important! A very high value in my way of thinking.

One morning in prayer.. I believe I got a little revelation… about value and currency.

God’s currency.

He does not need money, He owns everything.  What does God value ?

Love.

God’s currency is love. And it has the same value everywhere. No need to exchange it at the border.

When we are sharing God’s love, it has the same value no matter to who or where you are sharing it. In India, Cambodia or the 4th grade girls volleyball team.

So what does God want ?   Who has something of value for Him ?

We do. He wants us. He wants to spend His love on us. Lavishly.

Jesus is God, spending His love on us.

The Cross, the symbol of God’s love and payment in full for my sin and the sins of all His children.

Jesus, the embodiment of God’s love for us.

In this final video, Part Three of The Tale of Two Kingdoms, An Eternal Kingdom, we visit the the villages where the Kingdom of God is growing rapidly. 

Only a few short months ago the church planters completed their training and went out into the villages and jungles of Cambodia with the good news of Jesus Christ. This message of hope for today and eternal life was received with incredible enthusiasm. Soon the new believers began baptizing each other in the name of Jesus. Now several of the church planters have begun planting additional churches. This is truly the definition of “going viral”. This is the body of Christ in action. Men and women, children of God being the hands and feet of Christ, bringing His Kingdom, from heaven to earth. 

While visiting these villages, many practical needs became evident. Clean water, healthcare, food, sanitation and educational needs. Now we have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives of these new believers by sacrificing some of our blessing to help meet some of there most basic needs.

This video documents and celebrates the work of God through His people being obedient to His call:

Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 
40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Part 2 of Tale of Two Kingdoms moved Jack and I from Seim Reap and the jungles of the north to Cambodia’s largest city, Phnom Phen. Along the way we stopped by to witness a baptism service by some of the brand new churches began by One Prayer church planters.. but more on that in the next post.

Just saying the name of the city, Phnom Phen raises childhood memories. I grew up during the height of the Vietnam war. Nearly every day I would hear Walter Cronkite reporting on the number of young men who had died in the war that day. I often imagined that could be my fate. Many of these reports would come in from Phnom Phen.  I will have more to say on that in another post as well.

But nothing could have prepared us for what we saw in and around Phnom Phen.

The killing fields, as it’s commonly referred too, is just outside of the city. For a full historical account, google will give you all you could ever want to read. The atrocities performed by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge cannot be overstated. We also visited a school that had been converted into a place of torture, interrogation and murder.

When men falter and submit to the god of this world, satan builds a kingdom… and this is what it looks like.

However, there is a different kingdom, The Kingdom of God. And on the thrown sits Jesus Christ, the lamb slain for the sins of man. His Kingdom has no end, and there will be no place for evil. His subjects are His children and fellow heirs.

“2 Corinthians 4:16 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.17 These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.18 There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

Part three will address God’s kingdom being built in the hearts of new Christ followers in Cambodia through the One Prayer church planting efforts.

Coming soon..

Steven Curtis Chapman’s new CD “Beauty Will Rise” just became available yesterday. I have been waiting for this for along time. Somehow I knew that God would give him the songs that would speak to my heart in a way few others could. I am only part way through it and I already have been blessed beyond words. It is so comforting to hear someone who has so closely experienced what I am living. I am so thankful that Steven submitted to God to reveal this much of his heart, the pain and the hope.

This kind of grieving forces you to view all of life in a different way. For me, it caused me to look up. I have a loving Father who knows me infinitely better than I know myself. His plans for me are good. His perspective is eternally good. His arms are not weak nor His arms too short to save me. He is good. I have seen Him.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Beautiful Fall Day, I must Confess

Recently someone I know pretty well came to me with a confession. They had lied to me. The lie had taken place about seven years earlier.  They were nervous as they explained the circumstances and confessed their lie and how it made them feel terrible. They had been holding on to this for years, unable to forget it. It was a weight.  Once they “got it off their chest”, I told them that it did indeed hurt my feelings but I forgave them completely. We spent several minutes sharing other stories of past sins confessed and how God had used those confessions for personal growth. It was a meaningful time.

In a book I am studying through, Richard Foster’s, Celebration of Discipline, he addresses a connection between what Christ did on the cross, redeeming mankind through His sacrifice followed by confession and forgiveness.  Confession and forgiveness are realities that lead to true inner transformation. Without confession, there is no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no transformation. Confession sounds pretty crucial. We don’t run after confession like it’s ice cream or chocolate. How do we get to confession? There are more than a few obstacles.

Relationship…

Confession without relationship is nearly impossible. If you are unsure of the outcome of your truthfulness, you’re not sure your safe.

I once confronted someone who had stolen something significant from me with a witness at my side. No matter how much proof I had presented, the person would not confess. After several minutes I excused the witness and moments later and confession followed. The relationship was with me, not the witness. The witness posed a unknown threat. What followed was a wonderful time of confession, forgiveness and restoration. It remains in my mind one of the most graphic examples of the restorative power of God’s love and forgiveness.

Perspective..

How do we view our traveling companions in life?  Are they fellow saints or fellow sinners ? If you view them as saints, you are much less likely to share your heart for fear you will be standing alone and exposed. If you view them as sinners, you may feel more free to share your story and seek true community. If we view each other as saints, we will tend to hide ourselves from each other.

I have lead a few bible studies and small groups and noticed a predicable trend. If you ask a question, you had better be prepared to be the first one to answer it and break the ice or your will hear a chorus of crickets. That initial risk can be terrifying if you are unsure of the relationships. Are they saints or sinners. This is true in a room full of mature adults.

The Grace of God….

Romans 2:4  Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

It is God’s heart’s desire that we confess our sins and turn toward Him in repentance. It is a kindness of God to us to grant us confession and repentance. The more you seek to know Him, you discover that He is truly loving, kind, good, true, safe and Holy. He cares more for us than we care for ourselves. Jesus is the face of God to us. He showed Himself to be God in the flesh so that we could see who God is. He is safe to hear our confession and promises to forgive us and help us to be transformed into the image of Christ. Pure and Holy in Him.

The Heart of Man…

I am aware of times in my life when I have resisted God’s call of confession. I view those times with heart break and distain. I do believe if we continually resist the opportunities that God gives us to confess and repent we in essence harden our own heart’s to hear God. That to me is a truly terrifying proposal.

Now, my prayer is different.. Father, soften my heart to hear Your voice, calling me to confess and repent. Let me see my sin that I can confess it and be free from it’s deadly effects. It is your mercy that lets me discover it and bring it to You for forgiveness. Let my heart be transformed into exactly what you intended for me.

Rachel Maggie Michelle Ort Leazonby

A couple weeks ago I tuned in the local christian radio station just in time to hear the announcer guy say.. here is a new song from Steven Curtis Chapman.  Before I heard the first chord, the first word, I knew what the song would be about. “Heaven in the Face of my little girl”. My heart hangs on these words. Like everyone I know, I was so heart broken for Steven and his family when the news of his daughter’s death was announced. My Rachel and I had talked about it. We loved Steven’s music and had gone to a couple of his concerts together and often listened to his tunes in the car together. The irony of the “cinderella” song was not lost on us. “The clock strikes midnight, and she is gone”.

Not long after, my little girl would be gone…

Several months ago I started looking around for articles and stories Steven might have written to get a glimpse of how God might be speaking to Steven and his family through the tragedy. I found nothing. That makes a lot of sense to me, I can barely say my Rachel’s name without crying still.

Those close to me know that I have undergone a complete heart reconstruction that began the night Rachel died. The changes are a daily reality for me. When I became aware of what God was doing, I thought, “Father is now really the time to make me face all these ugly realities about myself ? My daughter is dead… not now”.

One of the things I learned was God will and does use everything that happens on this planet to it’s fullest potential. Even the death of my daughter.

The Gift.

Before I had even left the accident scene, I knew that God had a purpose for Rachel “going home” when she did. When I say I knew, I am speaking about a knowing that came from somewhere other than myself. I had a choice, God was either in control of this planet and life in ways I did not understand or it’s all a terrible lie, cruelty and tragedy are all that is left.

I chose God. ( or He chose me )

From that heart breaking moment on, I have witnessed and experienced a number of personal miracles. These moments when I am completely sure God is letting me see Him in unusual ways. Mostly its been people. Unexpected people. People I don’t know. I now operate on a sort of “high alert”. Where is He going to show up next ?

There is a constant in all of this. It is His wonder & beauty that I now see. I am finding much of what I have experienced difficult to describe but God seems different to me now. There is this tenderness, almost childlike innocence and Holiness that I never experienced before. The mere thought of disappointing Him breaks my heart again.

Everything that God does is purposed to draw us closer to Himself. To pull us out of the burning building that we now experience as life on earth. There is little if anything that distracts Him from this goal. Once we’re out, He allows us to join Him in pulling our brothers and sisters out. This is also a gift. He wants to lavish on us a heaping pile of  treasures we have stored up in heaven for when we get there.

I believe Rachel’s treasure chest in heaven was full to overflowing, running over. My Father in heaven knows why now was the right time to take her home. I trust Him with that. He was not surprised when she arrived. There was a celebration and a “well done my child”.

2 Corinthians 4:14-18  -   5:1-7

14 And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. 15 Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!16 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.17 These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.18 There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

1 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade2 —and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!5 The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.6 That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead.7 It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.

Finding your way to the back of the line might just be the most important thing you can learn. My wife has told me that the first thing kids are taught in kindergarden or maybe even pre-school is to stand in a line. I remember years ago seeing my granddaughter, Emma learning this at a tumbling class. There were tears of frustration as she experienced that first great realization that the world does not revolve around her. I am not sure things change much as we get older.

If you want to get a rise out of an adult, cut in line… anywhere. It doesn’t matter where. On the highway.. you get road rage.. in the grocery store.. a nasty look and maybe a” hey.. you cut in front of me”. I have personally seen someone ram another person with a grocery cart. What about the parking lot at church?  People behave better there, right? Maybe not.

For much of my life I thought it was cool to try and find a way to get to the head of the line. I was proud of my ability to “maneuver” my way to the front row seats at concerts, unauthorized upgrades at football games etc. It was a little like a competition. Strategy.

The line.

I used to hate lines. I am not sure they are my favorite thing to do even now. It seems like such a waste of my valuable time ( sarcasm ). Traffic jams are the worst kind of line. You can rarely just give up and leave when the frustration makes your head explode.

What makes me stay in a line? Want. I have got to want something. A lot. I think I wait in line for food more than any thing else. I stay in line to get the prize ! A sandwich. Then I run off to some remote location, usually by the river and eat it. If  you remove the sandwich out of the story, I’m gone.

First century Jewish religious leaders were at “the head of the line”. They had historically removed any threat to being moved to the back of the line. They had an inside track to God and liked it that way. Or so they thought. Jesus was not shy about confronting them. This made way for some serious grocery cart ramming. Elijah was quoted regarding the historical conflict:

Romans 11:3 God, they murdered your prophets, They trashed your altars; I’m the only one left and now they’re after me! 4 And do you remember God’s answer? I still have seven thousand who haven’t quit, Seven thousand who are loyal to the finish. [msg].

Seven thousand, standing in line, waiting on God. What are they waiting for, what’s “the sandwich”?

Romans 11:6 They’re holding on, not because of what they think they’re going to get out of it, but because they’re convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing them. If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago. [msg].

“Convinced of God’s grace and purpose”.   This is what will make you “loyal to the finish”.  Being ”Convinced of God’s grace and purpose” is knowing who He is. What is He like, what does He love, what does He Hate, why does He do what He does?

How does He feel about me?

Everything else is just line jumping to get what you want for yourself.

Luke 15:17 msg ” That brought him to his senses”. The Prodigal son.

What awakening do I need to fully be brought to my senses ? What would that even look like? Fully conscience, fully alert and aware. I long for that kind of clarity.  I am pretty convinced we all have ” blind spots” of rebellion that keep us from fully surrendering to God. His grace is ever present but His desire is for us to be fully transformed into the image of Jesus and free from all such bondage.

A recent teaching (from Tim Keller) on the prodigal son revealed to me a few realities about the older brother, the one who stayed home.  I have heard the story often, and from several different perspectives over the years but the version I heard at the Leadership Summit this year was by far the newest and best for me.  Most people focus on the younger brother who squanders half the family fortune on wild living. It’s not a hard thing to relate to. I, after all was a child of the 60’s. I had always assumed the older brother was “the good brother”.  I have always had issues with ” the good brother”. My adopted father, a victim of abuse himself was abusive to me and my mother in numerous ways. Not the least of which was to continuously remind me of the fact that I was not “the good brother”. Actually I have no real brothers, only step brothers I have never met. But I was continually being compared to ” the good brother” types.

In my case it was the “all american athlete”, wonder boy version my dad was looking for and I was not it. So, when I heard the older “good” brother had a problem, I was all ears. The older brother stayed on the farm while the younger brother partied. What I had realized is the the older brother should have been off trying to rescue the younger wayward brother. That was the cultural norm as well as the loving response.  Instead the older brother stays put and has contempt for the younger brother. The story is so rich, I don’t want to hack it up in a shortened version but I recommend getting Tim Keller’s book.

The older brother is self righteous. He is doing the work and is sure he has “earned” his father’s stuff! He doesn’t love the Father anymore than the younger brother. They both just wanted the Father’s stuff. Not the Father himself.

My painful realization. I have been both brothers. When I came to Christ, way back in the early 70’s, I was in the “younger brother” camp. I “got saved!” I am convinced that was real. I got the authentic experience. But, as a “younger brother” type I was an egotistical “bad boy”. I had something to prove. I was pretty intent to compete for the extreme bad boy title. That characteristic came with me into my “saved” life. The competition for acceptance in the “older good brother” club was fierce. But I had trained for this my whole life. I had learned how. I learned the rules quickly. What you can do, can’t do. I was a master of jumping through the hoops. I had never heard of image management, and was not even aware it was going on, but it was the driving force of my life .  The damage I did to myself and the people around me in this destructive state is immeasurable.

In the story, the “younger brother” came to his senses when he got hungry, serving corn cobs to swine. What a picture. Not to hard to be disgusted with that.

The “older brother”, in this story never actually comes to his senses. The Father clearly is pursuing both brothers. He even leaves the party for the younger brother to pursue the older, trying to reason with him, but in his self righteous contempt, he rejects his Father’s instruction and remains outside the celebration.

The younger brother is awakened by hunger and saved. The older brother remains in his deceived state. For me this is an emotional and heartbreaking awareness. Not only because I lived so much of my life in this deception but also because I know so many people who are still living that reality.  It’s like a club! The self righteous club! Many of these people are winning awards for their disguised self righteousness. They can justify their actions based on how much they are doing for God.

My Big Question:

What will bring the older brother to his senses? If hunger was the tool leading to salvation for the younger brother, what tool works for the overfed, self righteous do gooder who thinks in his heart he is not only fine, he is “the good brother” and in no need of salvation ?

I am convinced that there is always a sign being given to everyone by The Holy Spirit that lets them know internally that all is not well. We just don’t listen. We blast through life in blind rebellion, choosing to lie to ourselves which leads to even deeper deception. But I think there are many clues that God is leaving everywhere for us.

For the “older brother” I believe it was “contempt” or maybe better said, anger.

Anger is the hunger pains of a hardened heart.

I am sure, in his daily life, the older brother carefully disguised his anger so as to not upset his perceived righteousness with those he was trying to impress.  And surely having disgust for the younger wayward brother would appear acceptable because of the obvious sinfulness.

It’s this inner anger and disguised hatefulness that is the alarm going off. But we condition ourselves to ignore it.

It’s the same kind of inner anger and hatred possessed by the Pharisee’s that nailed Jesus to the cross. It was also present in the non-repentant thief next to him at the crucifixion.

This is very sobering to me. I hate the concept of deception. The mere fact that we can be deceived makes me more than a little uncomfortable. Self deceived or otherwise.

So what is left? The Father is reaching out to both son’s. The self righteous in their sin and the wayward in his. The prodigal son chose wisely. He returned to the Father with a repentant heart, asking only to be a servant. No arrogance or expectation just a cry for mercy. Surrendered! He was accepted. The “older brother” remained lost. With booth fists clinched in self righteous indignation. How incredibly sad.

What kind of event would need to take place in the “older brothers” life to jar him from his self deception?

I have been on a path for years that was preparing me for what I believe was my defining moment. God had been working, as He does, behind the visible to prepare me for a choice. This I believe is what a loving Father does. What is the choice? Choosing Him and surrendering to Him, not His system or His promises or His stuff. Stuff and systems and promises won’t help you when the realities of eternity hit you at 70 miles per hour. You need a real Savior. Not an organization or an occupation.

As a parent, how hard would you be willing to push your child out of the path of an on coming car? Most answer hard enough to get them to safety. But what if that required injuring them to save their life. How much injury? Tough questions, not pleasant to ponder.

How hard is our heavenly Father willing to push us to get us to safety. It’s pretty well known that He was willing to sacrifice His own son that we might be saved, but we have still have to choose Him. I think the answer is: Pretty Hard

Just like a child who is injured being shoved out of harms way might protest, we often view each difficult circumstance that enters our life with the same kind of objection. That’s not fair, why me? etc. You can fill in the blank.

I don’t want to pretend for a second that I have any kind of full understanding of tragic events or grand orchestrations that may or may not be guided by our Sovereign, Father God with the intention of moving us toward himself. But for me, what is viewed by most to be a family tragedy became the shove that injured me and saved me at the same time. I will “limp” for the rest of my days at the point of injury and at the same time mark the moment as the beginning of my surrender to my Heavenly Father. This was a moment for me “to come to my senses”.