CrossTrainers

Date: March 17th 2010

Speaker: Mike Swaim

Title: Trail Markers

Mike started by asking every guy to pray for 2 military couples that will be coming to the Military Marriage Conference as they get in their cars after CT.

Erecting a Marker as a Remembrance: 1 Samuel 7

1 Samuel 7:3 The children of Israel had been worshiping other gods. God said that if you put away the symbols of the foreign gods and remember who the God of the universe is God will deliever them.

There are plenty of foreign “gods” in our world today. There are probably a few guys here who need to lay down their “god” and receive deliverance.

1 Samuel 7:10 – How many shots were fired? How many shots were fired? NONE!

1 Samuel 7:11 – What happened here? Bloodbath! The philistines were their enemy, who is your enemy? The devil. What does a fight against satan look like when the Lord fights for you? Bloodbath.

1 Samuel 7:12 – What did Samuel do after the battle, he set up a marker.

What markers are in your life?

“Last week I heard about a marker in the life of my friend Bob Stouffer. He was awarded the Excellence in Education Award at Drake. Upon receiving his award, Bob referenced a marker in his life, coming to Christ at age 36.” (Read the full acceptance speech here on Bob’s March 10, 2010 blog post.)

Picture the Timeline

“Whenever we become aware of a situation where God, who is above and beyond time, steps into time on our behalf, we ought to place a marker on the timeline, even if its only a deep scratch in our memory”

What is the significance of the marker that Joshua put up at Mizpah?

It was permanent and it was there for everyone else to see.

Do your kids and grandkids know about the markers in your life?

Some of Mike Swaim’s Markers:

• Memories of early life in Panama running around the military base
• Memory of first prayer, at 5 years old crying about going to school, sitting at a small table with Dad. Prayed to be able to go to West Point one day. 5 years old
• Memory of a church in Fort Wayne, Indiana (Emmaus Lutheran Church) at third grade. “I didn’t realize that my grandfather had planted the church, but all of my extended family was there. I remember sitting there looking at this little red candle. I thought a lot about God as I looked at that candle.” That is a marker.
• Memory of memorizing scripture in California. Trying to memorize more than the other girl in the class. Remembering
• “You can drive by my marker in Des Moines. When you drive by Rosevelt High School, under the walk way that goes over 235. That spot is where I used to live, the first house I lived in Des Moines, where I started to grow in my faith”
• I remember when I was nominated as choir director, that meant that I had to be at church on the Sunday morning when this guy gave his testimony. He said that he had met Jesus Christ that week and he had been so impacted by it that he bought a bible for every person in the church. He said, ‘I don’t know about you but if you haven’t met Jesus Christ I want to help you do that today’ On that day I came to Jesus Christ. I still have that Bible, it is a marker in my life.”

What are the markers in your life?

Turn to one guy and talk about those markers, particularly those markers of redemption in your life.

The marked doesn’t do us any good if we don’t tell someone.

The marker is only significant if you share it with succeeding generations.

How we engage the past identifies our present and shapes our future

Have you placed any markers on the time line and would succeeding generations understand their significance?

Click HERE for the Full Audio for this message.

(pj’s notes for Crosstrainers 3/17/2010)