Hebrews 5:9 (NIV)  ...and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…

I’m not sure we give enough thought to an eternal, transcendent, immutable God and what it means for Him to insert Himself in self-imposed confines.  God doesn’t change.  There is no variation or shifting of shadow about Him.  The essence of God will never change.  But, from a human perspective, God does make changes around Himself.  For instance, “before” creation, God was not Creator of Heaven and earth.  Once He did that, there were some changes.  God obligated Himself by creating man and being involved in that creation.  God made promises, promises He didn’t have to make, but now that He has to keep.

Then we get to places like Hebrews 5:9, and there are words applied to our unchanging God that you don’t use about unchanging beings – “…made…became…”  Ponder the mystery with me.  Jesus was “made perfect.”  Jesus “became” something.  My understanding is that this whole concept is tied to the incarnation.  God “became flesh” and lived among us.  The unchanging God not only took on a different form, but took on a form and journey that would require Him to be “made” and to “become.”  Before His suffering and death, Jesus’ earthly status was not complete.  For 33 years, from the manger to the cross, Jesus was becoming the source of eternal salvation.  He wasn’t until it was finished.

Jesus became.  How shallow and pathetic my own nature sounds next to these words.  The Lord calls me to grow up, to make and keep commitments, to be transformed by the renewing of my mind.  And what do I do?  I resist.  My flesh resists the change.  My flesh, in this transitory, ever-changing world, resists becoming the better things the Lord has for me to become.  I don’t like to have to adjust my tastes and comforts.  I don’t like to change my plans.  I don’t like to give up bad habits, or to add new practices and disciplines for growth.  My mind doesn’t like to be stretched.

I plan, one day in Heaven, to praise the Lord not only for Who He is, but also for what He deliberately became for me.  God made Him, Who had no sin, to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  Turns out that not all change is bad.

I keep a journal. It’s now over 13 years old, nearly 600 pages long; a running account of my life, my conversations with God, praises, struggles, ponderings, occasional whining, and moments of “Aha!” No one else reads my journal. As long as I’m alive, that’s not what it’s for. For now, it’s a part of my pursuit of a God Who is always pursuing me.
I guess one of the things I like about the book of Nehemiah is the way it reads like a journal. I can read it and know some historical details, some of Nehemiah’s feelings, the spiritual climate around him, and even the way he relates his life to God. It’s all there – highs and lows, deep and shallow, fascinating and blasé. And near the end of the book especially, there is this chronicling of actions Nehemiah took. The details given are actually pretty brief when you study them. “I also learned…So I rebuked the officials…Then I called them together…I put [them] in charge…” (13:10-13) In a few words, Nehemiah is accounting for hours and hours of work, some of it pretty intense and taxing. You can tell this when he follows it up in v14: “Remember me for this, O my God…” That phrase occurs a few more times before the end of the book, and it also ends the book. Remember me, God. It’s almost like he’s writing it to make sure that there’s a record of it somewhere. Nehemiah doesn’t want his hard work to just be forgotten.
What, does God need reminding? Of course not! But I can relate to the sentiment behind Nehemiah’s words. It’s the same line of reasoning in Ecclesiastes that has Solomon gravely reviewing life’s futilities. What’s the point of it all if I throw my effort and emotion into doing what’s right only to find that it means nothing when it’s all said and done? O, God, remember! Remember! Make a note of what I’m doing here! Don’t let my life be in vain!
Sure, there are a lot of things about me that I rather wish God would forget. He says He will. I’m not exactly sure how he does that, but I’m thankful for it. On the other hand, there are things between Him and me that I want Him to remember. The good news today is: He will. The writer of Hebrews wanted to encourage his readers not to give up: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6:10, NIV)
Don’t lose heart, even if no one else remembers “that good thing you did.” God saw it, and God remembers it! Keep living the kind of life that you want God to notice, and keep praying the kind of prayer that accompanies that.
O, God, remember!
 

My friend Greg is a godly man. He is a husband, and father of 4 girls. Greg not only serves in the church, he’s also a servant to his community. He has leadership qualities, and is well-trained to put them to good use. My friend Greg also has inherited a disease that for the past few years has begun to rob him of his health. In the past year, it has become serious to the point where, without a kidney transplant, he would have to start dialysis treatments to stay alive. The need for a live kidney donor for Greg was made known in his home church and through other circles of acquaintance. Christian brothers and sisters all over began to pray for Greg’s situation, and continued to pray, which is the only explanation for how Greg is doing as I write this.
The number of people who added their name to the list of potential donors and underwent preliminary testing was a number that, according to the doctors, “doesn’t happen.” Greg’s ability to continue to work and function over the past year, though with difficulty, was another thing that “doesn’t happen” with someone in the condition to which he had degraded.

A donor with an excellent match was found – a young lady named Trish who had been a student of Greg’s in law enforcement school. Not only was she someone whose life was influenced by him, but she was also a sister in Christ and a member of a Christian family. The surgeries were “textbook,” taking far less time than everyone in the waiting room expected. The recovery rate for both of them was ahead of schedule. Trish’s visit to Greg’s room in ICU, the evening of their surgery day, was something that the ICU nurse had “never seen” in her 15 years of doing this. 3 days after her kidney was removed, Trish attended church services back home. 4 days after his transplant, Greg is headed home too, with the prospect of health that he hasn’t had for some time now.

The hospital in St. Louis does some 245 of these surgeries every year. They don’t all go like these did. There were some other things that “don’t happen” around this surgery too – like a circle of prayer by gathered friends the night before in the lobby of the hotel. There were the 37 people in the waiting room, and the rest of a huge network of prayer warriors who lifted Greg and Trish to heaven’s throne. There was the Family of God, providing emotional, financial, and practical support of all kinds, to help both these families through this amazing journey. The number of “not happening” things that happened is far from coincidental.

Greg could choose to question God and bemoan all he has had to go through. Instead, he and his wife Cindy have worked to take the teachable moments and spoken about the obvious work of God in all this.
As for me, I just sit back in wonder at the way God works. This Household of God, of which you and I are a part, is truly amazing. How blessed I am to be a part of it.

To answer the questions:
 

Yes, we’re moved in. No, the boxes are not all unpacked, but we’re getting there. Yes, we do like Rockford. That’s the short version. Let me elaborate now…
Our move involved a lot of people giving us a lot of help. On the Joplin end were some 16 or so of our friends who helped us in getting our house in selling shape, packing, and loading up. Then there were 4 dear friends from Central who traveled to Joplin just to help us drive everything up here. Before that, there was a crew of volunteers who gave the Guilford house an extreme makeover. I won’t guess how many hours went into that project. On the 21st, more people than I could number showed up to unload 2 truckloads of stuff. Along with all the unloading, there were cards, food, and a lot of warm welcomes. Our first Sunday night here we were helped with groceries and gift cards to fill our pantry. After the heavy rains, the “A Team” came over to help keep the basement dry and move things around for us. Oh we’re very moved in, and we’re very thankful to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ for all your help without which we couldn’t have done it. For whatever part you may have had in any of that THANK YOU!
 

Every day we’re managing to make the Guilford house home. The number of boxes keeps going down. Until that’s over, it’s like Christmas every day – never quite sure what you’re opening! Still, it may be a while before I can bring myself to watch any boxing (sorry, I had to say it).
 

And Rockford – yes, this is a new culture for us. Being 3 times bigger than where we’re coming from, it will take us some time to figure a few things out about life here. We’ll adapt. We’re glad to make this our hometown along with the rest of the gang here, realizing that all of us are actually waiting on a city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. No, that’s not Wal Mart, by the way. I just notice about this city that there are plenty of people in need of Jesus. We have our work cut out for us, and we have job security as the Church.
So, our experience of moving here so far has been a very positive beginning. It’s humbling to be on the receiving end of much sacrifice and obvious effort. It serves to remind me that the family of God is a wonderful, functional variety of members when it works according to its design. Our family is enjoying getting to know this family a little at a time. That will take a while, but it will be well worth it.
 

Thanks be to God for the way He cares for His people. So often that’s through one another. Today, I’m thankful for the “anothers.”
 

As if it weren't bad enough that 25 years of preaching can fit onto a little stamp-sized chip, now I'm reminded how a lifetime of collecting "stuff" can pretty much be fit into boxes - a lot of boxes, but into boxes none the less.  And, I am hoping, all of those boxes will fit onto a 26 foot truck.  That doesn't sound very big really.  (Before the invention of boxes, did people ever move?)  In a week, all of that "stuff' will accompany us to our new home in Rockford.  I am so glad that the real substance of our lives doesn't really fit into those boxes.  Those material things each stand for something much more important - photos of important events, souvenirs from trips, gifts because of birthdays or anniversaries, clothing from a special occasion.  Ultimately, the value of all those things points to relationships.  This past Sunday, we were reminded of the number of relationships that have formed between us and the people of Villa Heights Christian Church over the past 11 years.  We have been blessed with many good friends and were reminded of that through tearful goodbyes and kind words.  Relationships.  Distance will separate us now.  Death will probably separate some of us before we have a chance to see each other again.  But beneath all of that is the fact that our relationships aren't box-sized.  They're as permanent as forever.

We're looking forward to adding to the pool of relationships that are a precursor to Heaven.  Sure, we'll miss our friends who remain in Joplin, MO, but we won't discard them.  We simply get to increase the size of the circle we call "friends."  I guess that's what's on my heart this Monday.  As my sister often says, "God is good, and that's that."

We have only one Sunday left at Villa Heights Christian Church.  We are realizing that many of the direct contacts we have with people here now may well be the last we share this side of Heaven.  We are also realizing that over the past 11 years here we have formed many deep and lasting friendships.  That's the way it should be.  The connections we make because we serve the Lord together are some of the greatest and strongest of all.  I am reminded of my dad, who loved going to the North American Christian Convention just to stand around and see people he knew after years in the ministry.  As difficult as it is to realize we'll be putting 600 miles between ourselves and many people who are dear to us, we also realize that we have many new friends to make now in Rockford, IL.  We also realize that no relationship in the Family of God is only as long as this life.  These connections are just the start of forever together.  As we arrive at Rockford, Lord willing, on the 20th, we already anticipate some deliberate work to get to know and be known by the Church family there.

Thank you for your prayers and your contacts.  Knowing that we're "moving to something good' is not only a great help to us, but a fact we're glad to share with our friends in Joplin who are also looking out for us.  Just for the fun of it, I'm including another photo.  The wedding provided a great opportunity for photos that we rarely manage, including this one of my 5 older siblings and my mom.  I'll let you sort through who got the good looks and all that.

On the list of life's most emotional experiences, I'll now add walking your only daughter down an aisle and then giving her away to another man's care.  Wow!  I've seen only one other bride more striking.  It was also fairly amazing to see Andy in a tux.  Carrie and I are so proud of our little girl now turned grown woman.  At the same time, we felt so humbled by the outpouring of love and help that made this past Saturday so memorable.  My mother, my five siblings, and many of their children were there.  That was just the Nichols side.  In addition to over 80 family members who came, there were dozens of our dear friends decorating, running errands, taking care of details, cleaning, and providing support of all kinds.  Some of those prayers and good-wishes came from new friends there in Rockford.  Thanks for helping to make a wonderful day for our favorite daughter and, gulp, son-in-law.

On to the next thing.  From here, we are setting our sights towards the move to Rockford.  We are saying a lot of goodbyes, checking off a "Joplin Bucket List," and working on our house to make it marketable.  ("Marketable" must be different than "liveable" because somehow I have a lot of things to fix that we've lived with just fine!)  We expect to be present and started up at Central by July 25th.  So, we are experiencing some major transition right now.  That's code word for "change."  I'll reflect more in the future on change.  For now, let me just say that it's exciting, interesting, tiring, and stressful.  As change comes charging toward us like a stampede of wildebeests, I am so thankful that God does not change.  He tells us that, in part, for moments when every other thing seems to be in flux.  While we look ahead to change, we're also looking at the loving and gentle Father, Who will be the same today and forever.

Take a picture. With this entry, I am now a "blogger." It's not that I deem my life any more interesting or important than anyone else's, just that Carrie and I thought this would be a good way to quickly become acquainted with the church family at Central. This may be your first time reading a blog, for that matter. You will notice it is a 2-way street - you get to read, and you get to reply too. Everyone gets to read it, which means everyone gets the benefit of your thoughts right along with everyone else's. So, this blog will probably look like an electronic refrigerator door, full of sticky notes, notices, and randomness. But have you noticed how we tend to leave things on the refrigerator door? Ours is "cluttered" with old team photos, Christmas photo cards, certificates of achievement from school, and magnets from places we have visited. That old refrigerator may have actually corroded and vanished under all that stuff and we just can't tell. But all that stuff serves to remind me that life is precious, relationships are priority, and we don't want to forget. Already, the relationships we are making and the welcome we are receiving from our new best friends in Rockford are things we never want forgotten. Thank you. Go ahead and put your sticky note on the door here. There's plenty of room.