Psalm 40

40:1 For the choir director: A psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing,a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.

4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,who have no confidence in the proud,or in those who worship idols. 5 O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us.Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7 Then I said, "Look, I have come. And this has been written about me in your scroll: 8 I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart."

9 I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O LORD, well know. 10 I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking about me right now. You are my helper and my savior. Do not delay, O my God.
Psalm 40:1-17 (NLT)

Another Devotional Thought

This was my devotion for this morning:

Stay there until I tell you (Matt. 2:13)

O restless heart—beating against the prison bars of your circumstances and longing for a wider realm of usefulness—allow God to direct all your days. Patience and trust, even in the midst of the monotony of your daily routine, will be the best preparation to courageously handle the stress and strain of greater opportunity, which God may someday send. (p. 118)

Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowmen, Edited by Jim Reimann.

"Thy will be done, Lord" - Amen

Devotional Thought

I read this in my devotions this morning. It spoke to me:

Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited and still you see no evidence of an answer? Are you tired of seeing no movement? Are you at the point of giving up? Then perhaps you have not waited in the right way, which removes you from the right place—the place where the Lord can meet.

“Wait for it patently” (Rom. 8:25). Patience eliminates worry. The Lord said He would come and his promise is equal to His presence.

Patience eliminates weeping. Why feel so sad and discouraged? He knows your needs better than you do and His purpose in waiting is to receive more glory through it.

Patience eliminates self-works. “The work of God is this: to believe” John 6:29), and once you believe, you may know all is well.

Patience eliminates all want. Perhaps your desire to receive what you want is stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled.

Patience eliminates all weakness. Instead of thinking of waiting as being wasted time, realize that God is preparing His resources and strengthening you as well.

Patience eliminates all wobbling. “He touched me and raised me to my feet” (Dan. 8:18). God’s foundations are steady and when we have His patience within, we are steady while we wait.

Patience yields worship. Sometimes the best part of praiseful waiting is experience “great endurance and patience…joyfully” (Col. 1:11). While you wait, “let [all these aspects of] patience have her perfect work” (James 1:4) and you will be greatly enriched. (p. 83-84)

Taken from “Streams in the Desert” by L.B. Cowman, edited by Jim Reimann.

Stuck in a moment I can't get out of

Why I have not been blogging?

Good question, I wish I had a good answer. Here are some of my thoughts. I am stuck in a moment I can't get out of to borrow a line from U2. Since I completed my dissertation, I have been on a journey with God. This has been a very personal journey and not one I can share in this blog, but it has been taking up most of my creative energy. Since I am still on this journey, I will be disconnecting this blog from my facebook page. I want to make this blog more private and keeping it linked to facebook will defeat that purpose. I am also wrestling with deleting the blog all-together. Maybe it has served its purpose. Maybe, I have nothing left to share or maybe I want to share more through my twitter and less in blog posts. Twitter has replaced a lot of my blogging, because all the mundane things I used to blog about, I now Twitter. Blogging seems to be a place for deeper thoughts and right now, I am not having many deep thoughts. All of this is to try and explain why I have not been blogging. I wish I had a better answer. Maybe if I have time, I will share some of the books that are speaking to me on this journey with God. I have read some good ones.

Thanks for reading (to the 3 people who have read my thoughts before).

Here is the U2 video:

My Faith in Word Pictures

I used this program to turn my statement of faith into a word picture. I like it.

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Whew - what a ride

I have not been blogging the past few weeks because of some big events. First, I graduated on May 9/10 from Regent University with my PhD in Org. Leadership with a major in Human Resource Development. Here are some pictures from the days.

Dr. Carr (my dissertation chair) and me.

Dena, Andrew and me



Being hooded


After graduation, Dena and I flew to Paris for a short 4-day celebration. It was a big "thank you" to Dena for getting me through my PhD, plus we celebrated her birthday in Paris. Here are some pictures from the trip.





Thanks for all your prayers and support as we completed this amazing journey.

Phillies Baseball

My friend Tim took me to a baseball game on Tuesday night. It was the Phillies vs. the San Diego Padres. It was a pitching duel between Greg Maddux and Cole Hamels. Phillies won 7-4 (most runs were off relievers).

Here is a picture of Tim and a view from our seats.

Dissertation Dedication

One of the last sections I wrote for my dissertation was the dedication page. As I wrote the dedication, I was very thankful to everyone who supported me throughout my whole life. Since very few people will ever read my dissertation, I wanted to post the dedication here for everyone to see.

This dissertation is dedicated to Jesus, my Savior, my Lord, my friend and my salvation. It is hard to find the words to express my gratitude to my God for all good He has given me. There words from Psalm 9:1-2 summarize my feelings:
I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. (NTL)

I would like to thank my amazing wife, Dena. Dena, you have been my biggest cheerleader. You believed I could do this program before I even started. I would not have completed this journey without you by my side encouraging me every step of the way – Thank You! I would also like to thank my kids, Rebecca, Catherine and Andrew. It has been a joy to have you walk with me through this adventure. Now the daddy dates can start again.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Paul Carr. Dr. Carr, thank you for not teaching me anything, but for facilitating my learning. Your unwavering support and belief in me kept me in the program. You saw my potential and always called me to live up to it. You modeled to me how to create colleagues instead of teaching doctoral students. I would also like to thank Beta Phi, a judicious literary society. Joining Beta Phi while at the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford is a memory I will never forgot. I would also like to acknowledge all the Beta Phi fellows, particularly Dr. Mike Ponton, Dr. Jim Coe and Dr. Gary Confessore for enhancing my academic pursuits especially at the Autonomous Learning World Caucus.

I would like to thank the professors of SGLE for their non-stop encouragement. Dr. Mike Hartsfield and Dr. Gail Longbotham, thank you for serving on my committee and pushing me to create a document, I can be truly proud of writing. Your calling as professors were evident with every conversation at residency, over the phone or through the dialogues. Thank you for your love, compassion and prayers that surrounded me throughout this academic journey. To the other professors who read my papers, taught the classes and were available for all my questions. Thank you for your time and for believing in me. Thanks to our Dean, Dr. Bruce Winston, for creating an environment where our degree is worth more each year. You push everyone to be their best, and because of your efforts, you have the best group of professors.

I would like to express my appreciation to Cohort 2004 for all that you have done to make this very difficult pursuit, a little easier. You have become more than classmates, you have become my friends. Words cannot express the love I feel for each one of you. We embraced the concept “that we all rise together” and we pulled each other along on this journey. I could write volumes about the ways each one of you have supported me through Yahoo, phone calls, residencies, conferences, prayers and unconditional love, however, for the sake of space, your names will have to do: Rusty Ricketson, Jamie Swalm, Greg Lewis, Frank Christopian, Ann Solan, Katie Buvoltz, Jason Carthen, Jay Gary, Jeff Guichard, Dan Lawson, Brian Duhart, John Hale, Tim Rahschulte, Anita Stadler, Dan Novak, Mark Rennaker, Dee Dee Kramer, Freda Powell and Melissa McDermott. Each one of you has touched my life and my soul.

I would also like to thank Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell for your love and support. Thank you to George, Barbara, Trish, Bob, Betty and Don, Ed and Becky, Ed and Kristin, Adam, Tim, Bob S., my small group and many others who have supported me in this crazy dream of mine. I would also like to thank all the students who allowed me into their lives and have become friends. Without the love, support and prayers of each of you, I would not have been able to complete this journey. Each of you holds a special place in my heart.

I would also like to thank my circle of friends who held me accountable, prayed for me and listened endlessly to me as I talked about my PhD. Thank you to Todd and Julie, Andy, Brant, Tony, Chris, Dan, Joe and Shawna, Alan and Sharon, and Jeff. A special thanks to my spiritual director, Dave B. Dave, your compassionate listening and attentiveness to the Spirit, was invaluable to my completing this program.

I would like to thank my family, Lois, Sandy, Jim and Billy, and Mike and Jan. Thank you for believing in me when I was younger. Finally, I would also like to thank Dena’s parents, Clyde and Joyce. You have been a constant encouragement from listening to my endless PhD talk, to watching your grandchildren so I could study a little bit longer. Your support of our marriage and ever willingness to watch your grandchildren allows our marriage to flourish. Thank you for making me feel like another son.

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
Eph. 3:20 (NLT)

Correction - I spent 244 hours (14,626 minutes) on my dissertation, not 300. I added wrong. :)

Twitter - I do

I am now twittering. Following me at twitter.com/davewinner. For those who don't know, it is like a text message journal of what I am doing. Very fun.

Dissertation is Done

I am happy to type that I have finished my dissertation and successfully defended it. I completed my dissertation on Monday, April 14 and defended on April 17, 2008. My chair was awesome to rush everything along. My official degree is a PhD in Organizational Leadership with a major in Human Resource Development.

Here are the numbers (since I am a geek):
Final word count - 29,182
Time spent (according to word, only included time at the computer) - 308 hours
Pages - 104 (1 1/2 spacing with single spaced block quotes)

All that is left for me to do are the final revisions with the proofreader and then submit it to ProQuest Dissertation Database.

My graduation is May 10, 2008 with my hooding on May 9. Here is a blurb from Regent:

Celebrating 30 Years!

The largest class in its 30-year history will graduate from Regent University on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Among the 1,095 students who will receive bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees are two who will receive the School of Divinity's first Ph.D.s ever awarded in Renewal Studies. The Regent School of Law will also award its first Master of Laws (LL.M.) in American Legal Studies.

Bob McDonnell, Virginia's 44th Attorney General, will deliver the commencement address. McDonnell holds a master's degree in public policy and a law degree from Regent University. Click here for full bio.

For those who want to watch online - click here

What Super Hero Am I

I wanted to be Batman or Ironman:
Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 100% Spider-Man 85% Robin 70% The Flash 70% Supergirl 68% Green Lantern 65% Wonder Woman 58% Batman 55% Iron Man 55% Catwoman 45% Hulk 40%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test


Thanks to the Deadly Viper for this link.

Mr Rogers

I loved Mister Rogers as a kids (and adult with kids). Here is a great blog posting about Mister Rogers. Thanks to Kristin for forwarding this to me. Click here to see it.

Twitter

As my dissertation is winding down, I am thinking about joining twitter. This little video explains it.



So do you Twitter? How do you like it?

Thanks to Andy for this video.

I am going to Mars

Join me in going to Mars with Google. Click here and read all about it. In 100 years we will be living large on Mars.

Sign up today and join me.

Yes, Google does one of the best April 1 event announcements.

Dissertation update

Here is the latest update on my dissertation. I have passed my proposal defense, which means my committee approved my first three chapters, with only minor revisions. I am now collecting data and hope to write my final two chapters in the coming weeks. My deadline for completion is April 15. This will allow me to participate in commencement, May 9 and 10, 2008. I am praying for a miracle.

Here is some useless data from my proposal:

It is 71 pages long with appendices. It contains 17,973 words. I have spent roughly 8623 minutes working on it at my computer, which is about 143 hours. This does not include research time or writing away from my computer.

Please pray for me to finish everything by April 15. Thanks.

How Many of Me

Here is a fun website about names in the USA. Here is my name - David Winner

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 76 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The rest of my family:
Dena = 1 in the USA
Rebecca = 14 in the USA
Catherine = 12 in the USA
Andrew = 17 in the USA

Holy Week

Here are some amazing thoughts on Holy Week from Ben Witherington. He writes:

A crucial part of the entire story is the story of the Last Supper, involving a meal that likely transpired on Thursday night before Good Friday. The later Christian celebration of this night came to be called Mandatum, and then Maundy (for short) Thursday. Mandatum is the Latin for mandate, or commandment. The ‘mandate’ in question comes from the Johannine account of things--- ‘a new commandment I give you, that you should love one another’. This is where the name of the day ultimately derives from.

How should we celebrate this most holy of all church seasons? One way historically the church has done so is by fasting. And one way to do that is to follow the line of the story. Jesus at the last supper in essence says about the cup he was partaking of after the meal “I shall not drink it again, until I drink it new in the Kingdom”. I have followed this lead by fasting from Thursday night until Sunday morning, rising early for an Easter breakfast. I tend to do a solid food fast, though some do without beverages or even everything during this period. What is the point?

The point is to force yourself to slow down, and focus on the story of what happened at the end of Holy Week, and what Christ has done for you. Instead of eating, you spend the hour (or however long) praying, or reading the story, or going on a spiritual walk, or the like. When you get hungry, you simply drink water. By Friday night you will go to bed hungry, and by Saturday night you may well need some Advil to go to bed. But this spiritual discipline will remind you of the things that Jesus went through to bring us redemption. It will remind you of his last meal, because you have had your last one for a while. It will remind you that you are called to die to self and live to the Lord. As Paul puts it—“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Are you ready to take up your cross and follow the Master? One of the benefits is that as Paul says in Phil. 4, you learn how to be content, and to live without, as well as to live with. It reminds you of your mortality, but also of your fragility. This body keeps needing air, food, water to prop it up day after day. It reminds us of those who often go without these basic necessities many days of the year. It reminds us to pray “give us this day….”

How do you celebrate Maundy Thursday? At Grace, we have a sacrificial supper (bread, water and soup) and a service. I am intrigued by the idea of fasting for the weekend. I will be pondering how to slow down this weekend and "hear" the voice of the Lord.

Hermeneutics Quiz

Scot McKnight and Leadership Magazine have developed an online Hermeneutics Quiz. Here is the introduction:

The Hermeneutics Quiz ran in the winter issue of Leadership Journal, and the response has been strong. We're excited to now give you the opportunity to take the quiz online for the first time. The survey is 20 multiple-choice questions designed to reveal how we read, or fail to read, our Bible. It then plots your score on a scale between conservative, moderate, and progressive. You may be surprised at how you rank, or the inconsistent way you interpret the text. Have fun!

Take it here and see where you are on the scale. My score was 51, which is were I guessed I would be.

Larry Norman Died

One of my all time favorite Christian Musician died this morning. Larry Norman passed away. Here is the email.

Hello everybody.

Our friend and my wonderful brother Larry passed away at 2:45 Sunday morning. Kristin and I were with him, holding his hands and sitting in bed with him when his heart finally slowed to a stop. We spent this past week laughing, singing, and praying with him, and all the while he had us taking notes on new song ideas and instructions on how to continue his ministry and art.

Several of his friends got to come and visit with him in the last couple of weeks and were a great source of help and friendship to Larry. Ray Sievers, Derek Robertson, Mike Makinster, Tim and Christine Gilman, Matt and Becki Simmons,Kerry Hopkins, Allen Fleming and a few more. Thank you guys.
Larry appreciated your visits very much. And he greatly appreciated the thoughts, wishes, support and prayers that came from all of you Solid Rock friends on a daily basis. Thank you for being part of his small circle of friends over the years. Yesterday afternoon he knew he was going to go home to God very soon and he dictated the following message to you while his friend Allen Fleming typed these words into Larry's computer:
________________________________

I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.

My brother Charles is right, I wont be here much longer. I cant do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.

My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.

I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.

Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.

Larry
________________________________________

Thank you to all of you who were so nice to my brother over the years. Kristin and I will post funeral information in the next day or two. Right now we're not able to function very well, but the whole family is here... our mother Margaret, our sisters Nancy and Kristy, Mike Norman and his new wife Tiffany, and Silver.

We miss him beyond words. Thank you for everything.

Peace to you all in Christ,

Charles Norman

I once spent a weekend with Larry when I was a college student (it was 1990, or 1989). It was an amazing weekend, he was doing a concert at Eastern. I remember taking him to Denny's for dinner and in the middle of dinner, he start writing a song on a napkin.

Felon Alert

Here is an interesting website I found on Matt's blog. It is a felon search for your address to see what felons live near you. Click here to visit.

Hint: Change your address to your neighbors address and the felons change, so you might want to put in various addresses from your street to get a more complete picture of who your neighbors are.