A Trail of Altars

     Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to Yahweh there, and he called on the name of Yahweh. (Genesis 12:7-8 HCSB)
     Many years ago, one of my professors remarked that you could tell where Abraham had been by the trail of altars he left behind. Abraham marked his journey through life, and especially all of his major "God-events," by building an altar (See Genesis 12:7-8; 13:4, 18; 22:9). A quick look at Genesis will also reveal that his son Isaac and grandson Jacob did the same. 
     I believe there is something good and healthy about building altars in our lives, spiritual altars that mark major God-events in our lives, altars that remind and encourage us when we revisit them. The New Testament's frequent admonition to give thanks is encouragement to look back at God's faithfulness, to build and maintain altars of remembrance and gratitude. And today, 8 days into a remarkable marriage to a remarkable woman, I want to show you some of the altars in my life in the hopes that you will be encouraged to look at your own.
     My altars mark points in my life when God's always-present hand was more visible to me than at other times. He is always working in our lives, of course, but there are times when He intersects our lives in ways that change the course of our lives forever. So take a peek with me at some of those moments where I have built an altar and be encouraged to look for your altars as well.
     I was too young to know that I was building an altar during my first God encounter, but I came to realize later that when I was about 2-3 years old, I had a hugely impacting God encounter that set the course of the rest of my life. It happened as Papa awakened a "God longing" in me as I listened to a song my grandmother had given me, "God's Little Candles," by Hank Snow. I can still remember my little heart beginning to long for God (and His angels) as I would listen to that song over and over again. It's truly amazing to me to think of this, my first altar, the altar I call the altar of First Longings. What wonder is this that God would begin to call me to Himself before I even knew who was calling!
     The next altar I mark today is the altar called the altar of Awakening, and it was "built" in my first semester at Johnson Bible College when I was born from above (born again) after hearing a professor (Dr. David Eubanks) teach on 1 John 5:13 and explain that we can know that we have eternal life. To this day I can take you to the spot I was standing when "my heart was strangely warmed" (to quote John Wesley) as I placed my trust in Jesus. (Yes, I "got saved" in Bible college while training to become a pastor!). 
     The third altar I remember today also happened during my Bible college days when Dr. David Eubanks (now president of the college) lovingly confronted me about the terrible way I was treating my wife. Dr. Eubanks was as gentle as could be, but he was also firm as could be in calling me to repentance. God's intervention through this gentle but fiercely courageous man literally saved my marriage, my future, my ministry, my life! Yes, I pause and weep with tears of gratitude as I build this altar, Repentance, with stones of thanksgiving and awe-filled worship.
     Another altar I mark today was built when I was 22 years old as God in His kindness filled me with His Spirit, my first overwhelming encounter with Him. This altar I will call the altar of Overwhelming. And it was His kindness that caused Him to hold off answering my prayer to be baptized in Holy Spirit until I fully surrendered my marriage to Him. Again, God's intervention (this time directly) was life-altering and future-shaping, not only because of the infusion of power that came into my life but also because of the deep repentance that He (again) brought into my life.
     I have many more altars, of course: the births of my two sons, their marriages, the births of grandchildren, so very many altars! But I close today with just a few more that I have given names to.
     There is the altar of Father's Embrace. When I was 33 years old, in the midst of what I thought was total failure as a pastor, God came near to me as I was rehearsing my failures to Him and simply said to me, "I will be a Father to you." And He persisted in saying this, even in the face of my protests about failing Him, until I grasped His "Fatherness" for the first time. (I had never been able to call God "Father" before that time because of "father wounds"). Again, I can take you to the very spot on the beach at Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island where I felt Father's embrace. There is an altar there...
     Another altar was built during this same season of failure (I had split the church twice in one year!). I call this altar, the altar of Faithful Wounds. Proverbs 27:6 says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend," (NKJV), and my friend Steve loved me enough to confront my pride in a way that changed the course of my life. My repentance in response to his words transformed the way I treated everyone, especially those closest to me, and set me on a course of wholeness that continues to unfold to this very day.
     But there are three more altars I will list today. I have written much about the face to face encounter I had with God on July 2, 2004. On that day God called me into realm of intimacy and supernatural empowerment that will continue to unfold all the days of my life. There are no words to describe how deeply changed I am because of this encounter, marked today as I look with wonder at the altar of Intimacy with Abba. 
     Another, more recent, altar is the altar of Joy and Pain. I have written long and often about the painful journey that my family embarked on during Jettie's illness and departure, so I won't elaborate on it at this point. But I want to honor Father God for His unmistakably felt presence, His unshakeable grip on me, His indescribable redemptiveness, His infinitely persistent pursuit of me and so much more during the journey. I am filled with awe and endless wonder as I gaze upon this altar, dear ones. In the midst of unexpected and un-endurable pain God arose in power and love, and I will never be the same because of His blinding Presence in my darkest night!
     Finally, there is my most recent altar, built with wonder as I reflect on the joy, the amazing future, the abundance that stretches out before Charlie and me and our family. The altar of Beauty from Ashes glistens with grace and pulsates with power. God has redeemed and transformed that which the adversary meant for harm (in all of our lives!), and the beauty that rises from the ashes testifies to His infinite wisdom and never-changing goodness. I am undone... and there's so much more I could write!
     So there you have a few of the altars along the trail of my life. I trust that you will realize that these altars are about Papa, not me. Every follower of Jesus can look back and see such altars. My prayer is that yours will glow a little brighter today in response to my own trail of altars. 

Tom, One of Abba's grateful childen