Ant Hills & God

When someone kicks over an ant hill you see thousands and thousands of ants; and what are they actually doing? They are immediately rebuilding they're home and the place they truly belong. They work together to repair the damage to their home, to their lives. 

As Christians we all go down sometimes, we are all knocked over and we are all scattered, but what many don't realize is that we are not like the ants. God thinks we should act like ants and He wants us to start rebuilding our faith immediately, He wants us to turn back to him.

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This was written by my son, Noah Nelms. I was tempted to add to it but I didn't because he said what needed to be said very well. He came to me last night with this idea that had hit him and I asked him to email it to me so I could post it on my Blog. I am so proud of the Godly young man he is becoming. Plus he makes me laugh like no one else. :)  
Leave some comments!!! 

Travel Like Tarzan

When I was a boy I loved watching Tarzan movies. There has never been a Tarzan to measure up to Johnny Weissmuller, who was the original and also a 5-time Olympic gold-medalist swimmer. I used to love to watch him call the animals, swim across the river in fast speed, and fly through the jungle as he swung from vine to vine. No one could get through the jungle faster than Tarzan. 

Back in the day, way before they built the new high school in Olive Branch, there used to be some vines around a creek on that land. We would go over there as kids and swing from one side of the creek to the other. Of course I would yell the Tarzan yell until my sister would threaten to beat me up if I didn't shut up. It was so much fun for us and we even got our Mom to swing across once, talk about funny. I loved swinging on those vines and it didn't matter that we didn't really go very far, it felt like I was flying.

The difference was that I would always swing across the creek and land on the ground. I never was able to swing from one vine to the next and keep going. Tarzan... Now Tarzan was the man! He would grab a vine from high up in the tree and swing to the next and to the next and so on until he landed where he needed to be. Maybe Johnny, in the '30s and '40s couldn't do flips like the cartoon Tarzan, but he was really impressive  in his travels through the jungle. Always arriving just in time, at just the right place, to save the day. 

In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

I was reminded last night that in order to move forward to where you want and need to be, you have to let go of the past. Had Tarzan not let go of one vine as he grabbed the next he would have come to a sudden, and probably painful, stop. If he had held on to the first vine without reaching out to the next, he would have simply returned to a place behind him and eventually stopped in mid-air with no where to go and no way to get moving again other than falling to the ground. It was very important that he grab the next vine as well as let go of the vine that had so faithfully gotten him this far. Any other act would end in disappointment or even catastrophe. 

Trying new things is not a problem for me. Starting a new adventure is fun and exciting. The only thing that holds me back from moving on from one adventure to the next is simply funding and the love I have for my family that requires me to actually make an income and provide food and other needs. I love traveling. I love experiencing new locations, peoples, foods and cultures. I love taking on new tasks that seem difficult. The excitement of the new is motivating and exhilarating to me. But I have realized that as much as I love going into something new, I have problems letting go of certain things in the past. I don't have it all figured out yet, but I am learning that some things that we want to hold on to are really holding us back, keeping us from becoming what we should be or from going where we need to go. 

This morning Beth Moore tweeted, "If God has pulled us from something recently - something we wanted & thought was good - He may have plucked us from a net. Trust & thank Him" That spoke to me in a big way. Sometimes even the good things of the past can hold us back. Sometimes what we view as good is actually a hindrance to what is best. I know for me, I must to let go of the vine that brought me here, regardless of how comfortable it is or how much I want to hold on to it, and grab hold of the vine that is before me that will take me to the destination where I am most needed; the place I need most. Reaching out to the next vine is scary, but once the journey is complete, it will have been worth it all. It's time to Travel like Tarzan!!

The Past, The Present and The Promise

This morning on Facebook, I saw this quote from Dave Ramsey on the wall of a friend. It has been occupying my thoughts ever sense. I keep going back to read it and thinking about where I am in life, where I've been and where I'm headed. 

"Be Proud of what you do, if you aren't, then change something!" Sounds simple enough doesn't it? 

A few months ago a teenage girl asked me what my job was. I told her that I'm a Quality Manager. She asked if I sit at a desk a lot to which I replied, "Not all of the time but yes, much of the time." I was then challenged on why I work this job. Why don't I do something outside or something that would help people or make life more enjoyable? My immediate thought was, "One day you'll understand when you have to pay the bills." But I tried to justify and explain why I do what I do as an occupation. However, it was difficult because I knew my job was nothing more than a job for me. Her questions have haunted me ever since. I have not been happy with or proud of what I do. Then today I read this quote which brought it all back.

We tell our children that they can achieve anything. They can be anything they set their minds to be. Then we often squash their dreams by telling them how difficult it will be should they choose certain paths. We tell them to "Think Hard" and to choose a career that will provide for their future families and one that can be mapped out with the proper college degree and post-graduate degree, etc. How often do we tell them to choose a career path that will make them happy? One that will bring them satisfaction and pride? Believe me I understand the need for money, but I've also learned the hard way that the amount of money you earn has nothing to do with happiness because you can use it wisely and be content or use it foolishly and be miserable regardless of the amount.  

I had the great privilege of being a Pastor to local churches for 10 years. As a young man, when I told my Pastor that I felt God was calling me into the Ministry he warned me that it would be difficult and he let me know that if a person can be content and happy doing anything other than Ministry as a profession, he should do it. I felt that I had no choice but to become a Pastor. It was my calling, my desire, my passion. Sure it was hard at times, but it ended up that the ministry was not what knocked me down it was my own weakness and taking my eyes off of the goal and off of Christ. 

After resigning as Pastor I went from job to job trying to find something that I could do well and that would bring contentment to me. I assumed God was through with me as far as full-time service but I still served in the local church, taught Sunday School and helped in other ministries. If I were not going to provide for my family through ministry I was at least going to be faithful to serve as a volunteer in any way God would allow. The occupation where I found the most success was as a Quality Manager in the Medical Device Industry. I never felt it was my calling, but I learned it quickly and was rising up somewhat in the industry and  had given in to the idea that this was my lot in life. Then something amazing and totally unexpected happened. My wife and I went on a one week mission trip to Nicaragua. 

We couldn't afford this trip but felt led to go and true to His Word, God provided what we needed. That one week changed my life. I had not planned to tell my life's story here so I'll shorten it by saying within less than a year my wife and I had been approved to become missionaries to Nicaragua. What an amazing God we serve! I had given up all hope of ever being a missionary long before this time. When I least expected it, God showed up, gave me some awesome opportunities and before you know it, we're in Costa Rica learning Spanish and then in Nicaragua doing what I believe to be the greatest job on earth. I, Dwyndl Nelms, was an actual , full-time, living in a different country, speaking a different language, spending time helping people, working long hours and loving every minute of it, International Missionary!!! It was almost too good to be true.

Once again, after some time, I took my eye off of the goal, off of my Lord and I found myself going through the darkest, saddest, most depressing time of my life. I left Nicaragua with my head hung low and less than a year later I was divorced from my wife and I was running from God faster and more fierce than I had ever run away in my life. I still tried to hang on to a certain appearance for the sake of family and friends who once believed in me, but I had given up on myself. I felt un-useable, unforgivable and unlovable. I had taught many people through the years that God's love never fails and He is always ready to forgive and restore, but in my mind that was not true for me. I knew my heart. I knew my failures. I knew I didn't deserve another chance. Not to mention I had Christian Leaders whom I trusted tell me that I was done. I had brought disgrace to my family, my church, my mission board, my Christian Family and worse of all, to my God who had loved me, redeemed me, gave His Son for me and had called me to serve Him. 

A little over a year ago, my son talked me into attending a worship service at a local church he had been attending on Wednesday nights. I wasn't impressed at first, other than the friendliness of several of the members, but I had no desire to be in church and felt very uncomfortable sitting through a worship service. I went for my kids and I am so glad I did. In a short amount of time the Youth Pastor became the Lead Pastor and God used him to speak to me in a very clear and powerful way. I finally repented, made a new commitment to Christ and began to grow again in my relationship with Him. I can't say I've been perfect, but what a difference a year makes. I'm married again to the same wife I had divorced. My whole family is active and serving in the church and God is steadily teaching me new things as He challenges me with new circumstances and people in my life. 

Well, I've talked about my past and some of the present but let me touch on my present job and where I'm headed in the future. I once was a visionary. I looked ahead at where I wanted to be and had big dreams, now I just live day to day and try to survive in the state where I have felt stuck. My job is OK, but it's just a job. How can it begin to compare to the incredible satisfaction and joy of serving God and people as a Missionary? My volunteer service at church is very rewarding and I look forward to where our church is headed. Some areas of my life are good, others are in total disarray and I have no clue what will happen in the coming weeks or months. But I am finding contentment in the fact that God is charge and I am not. When I went to Nicaragua for the first time I would have never guessed that God would give me the great honor of living in, and loving the people of, that wonderful place. I had no idea what He was up to nor do I know now exactly what He has planned now. He told Abram to "Go... to the land that I will show you." (Gen. 12:1) No explanation, no map, just "Go." I am finally, yet slowly, learning what Paul tried to teach the church in Philippi when he said, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation," (4:13).

What about the quote? "Be proud of what you do. If you aren't, then change something!" Well, I think it's time to make some changes. I don't have all of the answers yet, but I know what it's like to live my dream and I know what it's like to simply endure. I've let my past failures and the fear of what others might say keep me from chasing dreams and I don't want my sons learning from me that you shouldn't go after your dreams. There are many stories of people who found success late in life; I'm in my 40's starting over. I am persuaded that it's not too late and God still has a purpose for me. I am declaring Jeremiah 29:11 as a verse for my life, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And for those who believe that God can forgive, restore and still change lives; I'm asking you to pray with me and for me that He will give me wisdom, guidance and courage to simply follow His plan and stop trusting in my own. I don't know how long it will take, where this journey will lead or what this purpose will look like, but I'm going to the land that He will show me. The Past won't stop me, the Present will prepare me and His Promise will guarantee that the future will be something I, and He, can be proud of. 



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“Be not the slave of your own past - plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with new self-respect, with new power, and with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t Take It Away!

Reaching out to take a chance when fear has gripped your soul
You overcome and fill with pride as you've change to become bold
Never have you been so brave, no one thought you would step out
The world you’re showing what’s inside while most will watch with doubt
To fulfill your dream, the time has come, nothing can deter
With confidence take the final step, then deafening silence heard
Swiftly and brutal confidence flees as fear his muscles flex
Hope lies bleeding, faith now fleeting, worry speaks, “What’s next?”
So long it took to build the strength to act upon your dreams
When one you trust takes hope away, it’s gone in just a blink.