CoreyLandreth

Google Privacy Policies Forcing Biblical Ideals?

2012-01-24T20:25:00.001-06:00

So I read through an article on Gizmodo that discussed Google's new privacy policy which basically force links all your accounts on Google (Google+, Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube). What that means plainly is that if you look up a place on Google Maps that info may show up when you're on your Google+ account or an email you send or read in Gmail that contains a name or song or comedian, may show up the next time you log onto YouTube as a suggestion. Google will essentially store all your activity from every method you access so they can further tailor your user experience to the things you like or are interested in. It basically means it's harder for you and I to be anonymous when using Google.

Now, don't freak out. If you're a Facebook user or really, do anything online, your activity is followed, stored and available to someone, somewhere at sometime.

The Bible teaches that what a person does in their private life and what they do in their public life should be the same. There are some who want to hide their lives from others and so probably would not like this new privacy policy. Honestly, I don't want everyone knowing the things I've viewed online. But it is a reminder to us that if we wouldn't want anyone to know what we're looking at or saying or doing on any given sight then we probably shouldn't be there in the first place.

Christians are often called hypocrites for this very reason - being one person out in the open and another person when the doors are closed. While this is damaging and has damaged the reputation of Christ over the years it is not the reason we should strive to be the same in every situation. We should seek to be the same because God is watching us and the Holy Spirit lives in us, so whether we are walking in the light or at home or the office in the darkness, we should seek to live the same life.

So, bring on the new Google policies, maybe they will actually help us to live by this Biblical ideal.

Pushing a Nice Paint Job.

2012-01-19T13:36:00.000-06:00

I like cars. I've had more than a few - don't get excited none of them were "good" cars. I had a '71 VW Square-back once, I liked that one. When I was younger I remember spending hours washing and waxing on a warm summer day. I would clean the wheels and tires and carefully apply Armour All and make everything sparkle and look shiny and new. Then I would push the car out of the grass and back into the driveway.

Do you treat areas of your life like I treated my car? Have you spent time polishing and shining something that just didn't work? I recall a not-too-old episode of Mythbusters where the co-hosts tried to polish dung. And it worked! But guess what, it was still dung! It had a nice shine to it but I wouldn't use it as a table decoration!

We can spend so much energy, both physically and mentally, trying to shine areas of our lives so we look like everything is okay. My car looked really nice, but it was a fraud. A fake. And after awhile someone wanted to see under the hood. And the outward show I had worked so hard to maintain was proven to be worthless.

And we don't just do this with our lives. We do it in our churches as well. There was a day when the goal of nearly every Christian (at least that I knew) was to make everyone "think" that their lives were perfect. They pretended that God was providing for them and giving them the "desires of their hearts." Somehow they thought no one would listen to their Gospel presentation unless they thought that slapping the name "Christian" on their lives would make all their dreams come true. So they polished up their messed-up lives real good. But they were still a mess. And out of that culture we get statistics like 50% of all Christian marriages end in divorce.

Guess what. Marriage isn't about what everyone sees; a clean home a well behaved child, a spouse who laughs at all your jokes, it IS about what happens when the door is shut. Christianity isn't just about what people see "Christians" doing, it's about what happens when no one is looking. It's about how treat our family. Our children's teachers at school. How we handle the person who cuts us off in traffic. It's how we talk to our co-workers and what place Jesus Christ holds in our hearts.

Jesus tells the story of a gnat and a camel as it relates to the religion of his day (Matthew 23:23-25). He says that there are religious people who work so hard to rid their lives of a sin or a problem that He represents as a gnat that they end up neglecting the sin/problem He represents as a camel. And I think we do the same. How we look on the outside (to others) is the gnat. What is going on in our hearts and private lives is the camel. Jesus tells us that our outside should match our inside. He says it this way, you don't get good fruit from a bad tree. You can fake it for awhile, shiny and new looking, but eventually you're gonna have to turn the key.

A car with a fancy paint-job and tailored interior sitting in your driveway without an engine is not worth nearly as much as a piece of junk that gets you to work every day. Don't spend your life polishing the paint when you need to rebuild the engine.

And Jesus wasn't just a carpenter, He's a mechanic as well, really a handyman, if it's broke, He can fix it.

Check out this post (Think Napoleon NOT Uncle Rico) if you want some help getting your life right with God or if you think you're beyond help!

Welcome readers from El Dorado Times!

2012-01-18T14:25:00.001-06:00

Let me say Welcome to anyone who might be reading this blog through the El Dorado Times blog pages. I am happy to be sharing, through this new expanded audience, what God is showing me in everyday life and through His Word. I hope that you are blessed and encouraged by what you find here and that ultimately it either strengthens your relationship with Jesus Christ or that you begin a relationship with Jesus. I believe that Real Life happens when enter into relationship with Jesus - not with a certain church or certain group or even belief structure - but when you encounter Jesus and begin to know Him as He knows you.
You won't find super-spiritual dogma here, I'm just another guy on the journey who has found the Light to help me along. I hope that God uses me to share that Light with you!

Does God Owe Us Blessing?

2012-01-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

As I was thinking through a verse in Exodus 15 a strange thought came to my mind. I wondered why the Israelites had complained to Moses and God about the waters at Marah being bitter. After all, the word Marah means bitter. So why would the people of God get upset that the waters at Marah (bitter) were bitter? They apparently knew that the place was called Marah. Moses grazed his father-in-law's sheep in this area, surely he or some of those with him knew of this spot and that the water here was unsuitable to drink. I wondered why they would be upset.

At first it seemed to me that the Israelites had simply not yet learned to trust God completely. Surely not too much time had passed since God turned the water in Egypt to blood. The Israelites knew God could do that, no problem. And it was just three days ago that He did the impossible and pushed back the waters on either side so the Israelites could walk on dry ground. But this was a small body of water in the middle of the desert! There was no need for God to part these waters. The Israelites had experienced God doing some pretty amazing stuff with water, but not turning salty water fresh. This would be a whole new miracle they hadn't seen and because they hadn't seen it they questioned whether or not He could do it.

But maybe there's even something more to this then just a new miracle. If they knew the place was called Marah and that the water was bitter and they STILL complained that may mean that they were already beginning to think they were something special. And because they were special they expected God to make the water sweet just because of who they were! Because God had rescued them from Egypt and delivered them from Pharaoh's army through the water they assumed He was just going to do everything for them. Make their lives a bed of roses. So they didn't even ask Him to change the water, they just assumed He would!

Some believers today live like this. They expect that just because they go to church, put a few dollars in the tray or "believe" that all their hopes and dreams will come true that God is just walking in front of them organizing the events and circumstances of their life to be just the way they want so they never have to suffer. They expect that God owes them somehow. And there are quite a few preachers who foster this belief, though maybe not intentionally, by telling us over and over how special we are to God and how His greatest desire is to show His love to us by meeting our needs and fulfilling our lives with all the wonderful things we can imagine.

But have ever heard or talked to a believer from a third-world country? Hungry. Persecuted. Broke. Without hope for a better tomorrow. But with a hope in eternity that will not die and a thirst for more of God that can not be quenched. We sometimes whine to God because we ONLY have 1/4 tank of gas in the car. They walk for days just to share or to hear the Word of God. We get upset if we have to chose which bill to pay the cable tv or the heating bill. They sleep on the dirt floor with no heat or entertainment and read their bibles for hours at a time.

Paul had every terrible thing happen to him you could think of and he considered himself blessed. So before I complain to God because He didn't do something I expected Him to do I think I'll remember the Israelites and the bitter water. And I'll thank God for putting me in a position to see His glory.

Come to Know, So You Can Learn to Trust

2012-01-09T12:55:00.000-06:00

Have you ever felt like God got it wrong?
You thought He was working things out (and you were excited) but they fell apart and left you wondering what in the world He was up to. Maybe you've asked God, "Wasn't I following/doing/saying what You wanted me to? Why did this happen?"
Ever been there?

The Israelites were in that exact spot three days after they walked through the water on dry ground. Exodus 15:22 says that for three days the Israelites followed the pillar of cloud/fire, that represented God's presence with them, into the desert without finding water. When they finally saw water at a place called *Marah they thought they were saved, but the water was bitter/salty and they couldn't drink it.

I think one of the greatest challenges to faith is unmet expectations. You think God is going to do something and He doesn't meet your expectation and leaves you questioning His presence or effectiveness or interest in your situation.

But let's take a deeper look.

For 430 years the Israelites had been a captive forced labor work-force for the Egyptians. Then Moses shows up and they get a front-row-seat to God's power as He "motivates" the Egyptian government to let His people go. The Israelites began to understand that God cared for them but they didn't really know Him first hand and their faith was only in it's infancy. They watched God do things, but you don't develop faith from the safety of your living room or front porch. So God sets them free and they leave Egypt. Now they get to know God a little better, after all, He's personally leading them out of Egypt in a "pillar" of cloud during the day and fire at night - pretty impressive. So they know that He is personally involved in their release. But He leads them to the sea where they soon realize there is no escape from the approaching Egyptian army (um, they changed their minds about their free-labor friends). They expected God to deliver them but it looked like they were going to be killed. So they question God. Then God parts the waters and the Israelites get away from the Egyptians! They come to know God as a protector and they begin to trust Him more.

Every step of the way God had to help them know Him a little more so they could trust Him a little more. Knowledge and trust are close friends.

So the Israelites are now passed the point of no return. They will be held responsible for the death of hundreds or maybe thousands of Egyptian military personnel if they return to their forced labor duties. And, they are three days out in the desert without enough water to make it home even if they wanted to go back. And waters of Marah, which they thought would allow them to refill their jugs and water their animals is unsuitable for drink. What to do now?

What would you do in a situation like that? They complained. They expected God to meet their impending water need. But He didn't. So they complained. Then God tells Moses to take a stick and throw it in the water. When Moses obeys (obedience is the part we play in coming to know God and trust Him) the water turns sweet. A fresh water source from a salt-water pond. That's called a miracle. God did it (not the stick or Moses) and the people came to know Him a little better.

You can't learn faith from the comfort of your front porch or even from down the street. You have got to be three days out with too little water and no hope. That's a whole new level of trust.

The next time you think God has got it wrong, consider the alternative. He knows exactly what He's doing getting you farther from home so that you come to know Him in a new way so that you can trust Him at a new level.

Pack your bags.

*Marah means bitter - fitting isn't it.

Is God's Will Revealed In Circumstances

2012-01-05T14:49:00.003-06:00

I've been watching comments on Facebook and blogs and listening to conversations about how God works in our lives lately. Many people talk about God opening doors or closing windows as a way for us to determine His will. You've heard it, I'm sure. I was going to do this or that but God closed the door. Or perhaps it works out this way. This must be God's will because it worked out. I was talking to someone the other day who said that they were sure God wanted them to make a big move because He worked out all the circumstances.

I'm wondering if circumstances are a good way for us to determine what God's will is for us in any given situation.

Look at it this way. If Noah would have considered his circumstances would he have followed through with the Ark? Or what about Moses? Or Joseph? Surely had he considered his circumstances he would have determined God had abandoned him! After being sold into slavery by his brothers. Thrown in jail for doing nothing and then after accurately interpreting the dreams of two other prisoners he's forgotten about. Or consider Paul. Here's his list from 2 Corinthians 11:
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

Do you think that after all this Paul would have concluded that He was doing what God wanted? Would he have considered the doors in his life to be open or shut? If you would have faced this same set of circumstances would you have given up?

Here's what 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Regardless of your circumstances if you are loving God and loving others you are accomplishing God's will. Don't ever think that your circumstances determine whether or not you are on the right path with Christ.

Get A New Calendar - If You Want A New Life

2012-01-03T13:14:00.001-06:00

Well it's the first few days of 2012 and that means it's time for many people to get started on their list of New Year's resolutions. I hear the gym is more crowded than usual and people are showing up to work on time. It seems like more people are reading their Bible, three days in to the New Year and I'm guessing that prayers are on the rise. The New Year is always a time of hope, expectation and even excitement! At least for the first few days. Then it seems our schedules get the better of us. Time gets tight and we get lazy. By March the good parking spots at the gym will once again abound and Bibles will again become dust collectors.

But maybe that isn't our fault. I mean, I would be much more willing to go to the gym if every time I finished another 5k on the treadmill the scale proved that I had actually done something! And Bible reading would be much easier to accomplish if God did something incredible every day that I read. But that's not reality is it. Physical training and spiritual training both utilize delayed gratification. If you really want your gym membership to pay off you need to reorganize your calendar to maximize your efforts. You have to make your workout time a priority and plan your meals so they benefit your goals instead of your waistline. And the same is true for your spiritual health. You need a new calendar that puts God in control. Instead heading out every day letting someone else, your boss, spouse, kids, bills, control your schedule you need to plan your days around God. When you do, He begins to organize your daily events on His timeline.

Here's how it worked for the Israelites. For 430 years Pharaoh kept their calendar full with his plans and desires. So every day, 7x365, they got up and made bricks. Now, they needed to make bricks to support their lifestyle. If they didn't go to work they were not given food. Worse yet, they might get punished, lose their job or even their life! Making bricks provided them with lots of good things, food, shelter, clothing. So when God called them to something new He knew He had to get a hold of their calendar first. He needed to reorient their lives to His timing and schedule, instead of Pharaoh's or even their own.

In Exodus 12:1,2 God talks to Moses and does something that hadn't happened since the beginning of time and wouldn't happen again until the birth of Jesus, He gave them a brand new calendar.

Because of what God was preparing to do with the Israelites He needed them to be on His time and following His schedule instead of Pharaoh's. So God gives them a new calendar to follow. Nothing changed immediately, few things do, but God needed the people to be on His schedule so they could see that He not only knew what He was doing, but would Himself see that it was accomplished.

So for the first 10 days on God's schedule the Israelites got up and made bricks. Everything seemed to be exactly the same, except that now they were told in advance what was coming and to be ready. On the 10th day they were to pick out a perfect yearling lamb. Then back to brick making. On the 14th day they killed the lamb, made up some bread without yeast and painted their doorposts and lintels with some of the lamb's blood. And on the morning of day 15 they walked out of Egypt - free. Free to follow God on His schedule and in His time.

The Israelites needed to have a new calendar because they were going to have a new life. They needed to be following God's timeline and schedule because, let's face it, their old one just wasn't working for them. And once they Got on God's time they were able to see His plan unfold and they were able to join Him because He had cleared their calendar, made room for Himself and created space for them to grow into their new life.

Maybe this year what you need, instead of a bunch of new items added to your old calendar, is a brand new calendar. I'm not talking about a new 2012 kitten calendar. I'm talking about a calendar that gives space and precedent to God. A calendar that allows Him to organize and schedule your days around His perfect plan for your life. You could continue to make bricks every day. Or you could begin to see what a life lived on God's time for God's purpose really looks like. Once the Israelites got on God's calendar He was able to use them to glorify Himself and prove to the Egyptians (and others) that He was the One True God.

If you want to change your life, start with your calendar. God has to get you using His calendar BEFORE you get to see His plan.

Before You Make Your Next Decision - Read This.

2011-12-12T14:15:00.000-06:00

I think I will start adding Daniel to the characters in my Nativity scene. Weird you say? Heresy? "Daniel wasn't there the night Jesus was born" you yell. Well, neither were the wise men. In fact, I would say that Daniel plays a larger part in the Nativity story then the wise men do. Now, I can't be 100% sure because the Bible doesn't spell it out for us, but it sure makes sense to me... Follow the trail for a minute. How did the wise men get to Bethlehem? Well, Matthew 2 says they came from the East. What was East of the Holy Land? Only one of the largest nations of the world at the time, Babylon... Persia... or we could call them, Chaldean.

Six hundred years before the birth of Jesus Daniel was taken as an exile from his home in Jerusalem to Babylon under king Nebuchadnezzar. He was taken along with those three fire-proof guys, furnace testers, I think they were. When they got to Babylon they were placed among the kings wise men. But Daniel refused to eat the food the king ordered, instead, he asked for vegetables and water. After a short test Daniel and his friends were found to be in better physical and mental shape then the men who had been eating the kings food. And it began there...

That one choice to remain faithful to God in the midst of a crummy set of circumstances set a chain of events (directed by God's own hand of course) and resulted in Daniel being placed in charge of the province of Babylon AND head over all the kings wise men. The fiery furnace causes the king to issue a decree that anyone in any nation who says something against God be cut into pieces and their houses destroyed because, "no other god can save in this way."

Later, under king Darius, the king is tricked by some fellow wise men of Daniels and Daniel is thrown into a den of lions. The next morning Darius goes to the lion's den and shouts down to Daniel to see if he is still alive. After a moment of panic, Daniel responds that God sent His angels to shut the mouths of the lions and he is fine. Which causes king Darius to proclaim, "in every part of my kingdom people must fear the reverence the God of Daniel. 'For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and saves; He performs signs and wonders...'" Even into the reign of king Cyrus Daniel found favor and God was honored through his life.

Six hundred years later, because Daniel refused to eat the kings food and instead trust in God, the pagan Babylonian and then Persian kingdoms came to know God. These Chaldean wise men probably were from the same group that Daniel led so many years before. And because of Daniel's faithfulness they believed and were willing to make the journey to find Jesus and salvation.

Are you willing to follow God even when it might be difficult? Are you willing to trust him even if what is going on around you doesn't make sense, maybe isn't even your fault? Just think, trusting God today, on your journey no matter that finds you, could be the catalyst that causes people hundreds of years after you are gone to seek Jesus for themselves. And isn't that what we are called to do? To point to Jesus through our lives? Only GOD could make your legacy stretch over hundreds of years, but only YOU can decide to follow Him in your next decision... perhaps the one that leads to a nation acknowledging Him.

What Happens When God Lives Here

2011-11-07T17:52:00.000-06:00

I'm reading in the Old Testament this year and LOVE some of the prayers that King Solomon and his dad, King David prayed. Reading in 2 Chronicles 6 today as Solomon dedicates the Temple to God and I can see that God did indeed give him incredible wisdom. And I long for Real Life to inspire as the Temple did, not because of the architecture; the gold and dressed stones or the sheer size of the structure but because of God presence in what we're doing.

Let me give you some background on what is going on so you get the full-effect. King David stockpiled massive amounts of dressed stone, lumber, gold, silver and bronze for the construction of the Temple. Then right before he died he gave massive amounts from his personal wealth to the cause. Then when Solomon began construction he gave even more and the people of Israel contributed as well. Think of it like, Fort Knox meets the Taj Mahal. Yea. Impressive. Solomon was building a place for God, The God, to dwell so he knew it had to be the best. And now he is dedicating it to God in the presence of all the people of Israel who have come to see and to worship.

But Solomon didn't just dedicate it to God as His residence on earth, he dedicated the people TO God in this place. And I think, as incredible a moment as this is, I love Solomon's vision and heart for God more than the pomp and circumstance the day required. Let me quote the part of Solomon's prayer that I am just digging today so you can see what I mean.

"...And don't forget the foreigner who is not a member of your people Israel but has come from a far country because of your reputation-people are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonderworking power-and who come to pray to this Temple.

Listen from your home in heaven and honor the prayers of the foreigner, So that people all over the world will know who you are and what you're like, And live in reverent obedience before you, just as your own people Israel do, So they'll know that you personally make this Temple that I've built what it is."

In the midst of dedicating this great Temple to God Solomon was looking forward to what this place would mean to people who were NOT Israelites. The foreigners who would come from great distances because of, "Your reputation." He knew that people around the world would be attracted to Jerusalem, in part because of the magnificence of the structure, but also because a God that would warrant such a great home must indeed be a GREAT GOD! He even asks that God "listen" and "honor" the prayers of the foreigners so that, "people all over the world will know who You are and what You're like." And then, because of God's Greatness they would, "live in reverent obedience" before Him, just like God's chosen people.

But the last line is my favorite... "so they'll know that YOU PERSONALLY MAKE this Temple that I've built what it is."

It's not the brick and mortar, or the fancy band or the preaching or the nursery or restrooms or even the volunteers and people (sorry) that make a church great so that people from around the world would want to come (if it is then it will result in nothing). It is the very presence of the God of the Universe.

God, may people be attracted to Real Life because of YOUR reputation, not ours. May they come here because of YOUR wonder-working power. May they know who You are and what You're like and may that knowledge change their lives like it has ours. May the people of Butler County and the whole world know that You personally make this church what it is.

Reminder to Parents

2011-11-04T11:29:00.003-05:00

Just had a simple reminder today from Deuteronomy 31:9-13 I thought I'd pass on to those of you with children or if you're expecting children some day.

Children believe what we tell them as their parents. We have the ability, through what we chose to say, to totally destroy their self-image, by being negative. Or to build them up and encourage them to be the best they can be. But this also works with our faith. Moses told the people of Israel just before he died to, "make the children listen so that they will learn to live in holy Awe..."

Have you talked to your children about your faith? Have you told them how God has worked in your life? Do you share stories with them in the car or at dinner about how God is working in your life or what you learned about Him in a Bible study or prayer time? The more comfortable you are in sharing your faith with your children the more they will see faith as a benefit and privilege instead of a boring or dead part of life that could be tossed aside.

If they see God working in your life, they will begin to look for Him working in their lives as well! Don't assume that they "get" it at church or in Sunday School. You have the power and the responsibility to instill faith in your children's lives, the earlier the better.

Here's how I have tried to remind myself to be conscious about this issue. If I am instrumental in leading hundreds, even thousands to faith in Jesus through my ministry and life, yet see my children far from that faith I will have failed as a father and as a pastor. My first faith responsibility is to MY family, then yours. I will not trade their souls for any others.

Have you talked with your children about Jesus? Next time you see a beautiful sunset talk to your kids about the God who spoke that into being. At the first snow discuss with your children how no two snowflakes are alike and while super tiny, each one is beautifully created and nearly perfectly symmetrical. God set that plan in motion thousands of years ago. When God answers a prayer or works a miracle, no matter the size, in your life, let the family be the first to know!

By doing these simple things you will teach your children to live in holy Awe of the creator and lover of their souls.

There is Hope (Think Napoleon, not Uncle Rico)

2011-11-03T10:01:00.002-05:00

I am generally a pretty critical person. I think that we should pay for our mistakes and not just expect that God will get us out of the situations we get ourselves into. God is not a genie who will appear and grant a wish every time we get in a tough spot. I guess I've thought of God more like Uncle Rico, who constantly points out the stupid decisions I've made. He may offer me a job selling DuPont woven fiber bowls door to door, might even let me drive his van, but he's always gonna make out a little better and I'm always gonna be counting my change on the kitchen table. That's kind of the God we see in Deuteronomy 29 where Moses is listing the curses that will come on the people if they do not follow God with their whole heart. It's a depressing chapter and kinda makes we want to throw grapefruits.

Then today I come to chapter 30 and maybe my view of God is not quite accurate. See, in chapter 30 Moses tells the people what will happen if, while they are serving others and laboring and dying in other countries under the oppression of other nations, they turn back to God with their heart and soul. He says God will restore EVERYTHING they lost, He'll have compassion and get them out of those nations and bring them back to Jerusalem and make them more numerous than their ancestors!

See I have this view of God sometimes, like He's just watching me suffer because I was the one who messed up and He wants to teach me a lesson. But if God always let me suffer for the stupid mistakes I've made and the pain I've caused Him and others He would never respond to me again. But He doesn't do that! He doesn't let me suffer the full-extent of my own stupid actions. See, even if I go off on my own and do things my way, if I realize my mistake and come back to Him He is faithful and just and will forgive and save me! THAT MEANS THEIR'S HOPE!

But look at what else! God will not only welcome me back into relationship, verse 6 says He will, "cut away the thick calluses on my heart and on my children's hearts, freeing me to love God with my whole heart!" He not only forgives and welcomes, He actually makes it easier for me to love Him, cutting away all the crap I've let build up.

And the end result is that I am able to "make a new start, listening obediently to God..." (verse 8).

Here's the bottom line. If you've messed up there is no point at which God ever says, "that's enough, I'm done with him/her." He not only waits for you to come back to Him, He's watching for the exact moment so He can jump in and save you. Maybe you've been burned by religion and so have left God. The reality is that there are lots of religions out there that claim God - but He doesn't claim them. Don't let what someone else said or did mess up your relationship with the God who loves you and died for you. And if you're a believer but have made some bad choices, God is there to restore you, if you return to Him with heart and soul.

Do you need a new start? Are you tired of being so grumpy and irritated and mad at the world because you think it's out to get you? Turn (or return) to God, my God, He'll not only save you, He'll restore you! He's full of compassion and love and one of His greatest loves is rescuing those who have messed up and come to Him for help. So, if you're sitting in your truck and reading this - it's for you. Open up a little and God will do the rest. He hears you, knows you and loves you.

Turns out, God is a lot more like Napoleon then Uncle Rico... He's waiting until you realize you can't do it yourself. That's when the music starts and He dances for you.

What's Your View of Church?

2011-11-01T11:17:00.004-05:00

Has the focus of Church changed over the years. It seems that church used to be about church. Now there are social activist churches. There are Pro-Life churches. There are churches that take on current political issues. There are churches that focus on self-help or self-improvement. There are even sports or activity churches. There are coffee churches and family churches and singles churches there are even churches that spend their time on the homosexual agenda, either fighting to promote it or to squash it.

I'm not saying that all these things are necessarily bad. I think the church should have an impact on social, political and personal issues. But too often these areas the church is supposed to impact end up being the main focus of our gatherings. I personally know of a church that had a pro-life focus and the preacher actually got up in the pulpit and celebrated the fact that he had been arrested and spent a night in jail during the week. (I thought we were supposed to obey the law of the land - like as a command from Scripture. Romans 13:3-5). In many cases the church no longer influences society as a natural expression of changed lives through the Holy Spirit, but makes a social issue the focus and uses it to teach some truths about God.

In my Bible reading yesterday I came across this passage from 1 Chronicles 29:1 (Great stuff in this chapter about humility; vs 14 and parenting; vs 19). In this chapter and those leading up to it, King David is preparing to hand the reigns of the kingdom to his son, Solomon. He's is talking to all Israel about God's decision that Solomon would build the permanent Temple for God, for which David has prepared most of the materials. But it's in David's presentation about this building that got me thinking about how we view church today.

Here's what David said, "This place (the Temple) is NOT just a place for people to meet each other, but a house for God to meet us." Profound. Simple. Perfect. This building is not about getting together and catching up with those you haven't seen for six days. It's not about fundraising or social/political conversations. Those things may happen at church and that's fine, but that is not what church is about.

No, church (not the building, but the gathering of God's people) is about a place for God to meet us. It's where God's children come together to hear from Him. To worship Him. To honor Him as the beginning and the end. To surrender to Him. Confess their sins to Him. To seek accountability so that we might receive more of Him. To raise the call of holiness and righteousness that can only be found through Him. It's not about us, but about Him. So church should be a place where the heart of God is made known. Where God's commands to love Him and love others are evident by actions. Where people serve because He served and left us that example.

How would your view of church change if you really saw it the place where God was going to meet YOU? Would it cause you to prepare for church differently? Would you be more expectant when you entered? Would you listen more intently? Would your attitude be self or others focused? Tell me how it would change your Sunday morning routine if you KNEW God was going to meet you in church...

...And then expect Him to meet you this Sunday.

Let Nothing Hold You Back

2011-10-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

Deuteronomy 20
Moses is about to die and is addressing the Israelites before they cross the Jordan river and begin the assault on the people of Canaan to posses the land God had promised them. He's talking about a whole bunch of important issues and how they are to be handled by people who follow the One True God. He's talked of their Holy Days and how they are to worship. And in the previous chapter he reminded them about the Cities of Refuge. Now he deals with the subject of war.
The Nation of Israel was constantly at war. Everything from full-out call all the troops, to little skirmishes that only took a division. Somebody was always messing with them. That somebody was Satan. Satan owned the people in the neighboring cities and he is always looking to take out some of God's people. There were periods of less peace and more peace or less war and more war, but it never completely came to an end. Satan doesn't give up that easily.
So why do I fuss about the battles in my own life? Satan never left the Israelites alone, why should he leave me alone? I feel like I am constantly at war, even today, during a fast that is supposed to draw me closer to God I find that Satan is constantly trying to distract me. He uses things that make me angry to get me angry. He uses things that make me frustrated to frustrate me. He uses this pretty severe hunger pain as a way to tell me, you're too weak, you can't do it and God doesn't care anyway. I find myself wondering and asking, "God, where are You? I'm struggling here where are you?"
Take a look at what the priests - God's spokesmen - are supposed to announce to the entire army of Israel as they line up and prepare for battle.

"Attention, Israel.
In a few minutes you are going to do battle with your enemies.
Don't waver in resolve.
Don't fear.
Don't hesitate.
Don't panic.
God, your God, is right there with you, fighting with you against your enemies.
Fighting to win."

When Satan comes after me he often tries to get me to weasel out of whatever I've told God I would do. Like this fast, I really want to eat but I've resolved to finish out the day and break this three day fast at dinner tonight. But a whole bunch of times I have almost had something to eat and thrown in the towel.
He also says the craziest stuff to us about what "might" happen. He plays on our fears constantly especially the fear of the unknown. What happens if I can't make my car payment or rent this month I'll get kicked out of my house and then what will I do? Where will my next meal come from? What if, what if, what if... all fears that Satan throws at us to try and get us to conclude that the risk is just to much greater than the reward.
And because he is so good at what he does we often hesitate and you know what happens then... yep. It's all over. So often I tell myself, get up now cause if you hesitate you won't do it. When we hesitate it gives us the opportunity to quite and lets the enemy advance against us unchecked.
And finally he wants us to panic. I've panicked before. You freeze. Unable to move. You can't think straight and you become a very easy target.

The priest of God would cover it all - all the tricks of Satan, every angle that he uses to get us to withdraw and hide and freeze and fear and wait. But God wants you to know something.

He's right there with you. Fighting against the same enemy you are! And He's not fighting a loosing battle, no he fights to win! If God is for us, who can be against us? No weapon that is fashioned against us shall stand! Put on the full armor of God so that you can "take your stand" against the Devil's schemes. I will not be afraid because YOU are with me, Your rod and staff they comfort me.

Jesus said, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age. Let's stop standing on the battle lines and get in the fight, God is on our side, whom shall we fear?!

A Giant Slayers Manifesto

2011-10-18T11:35:00.002-05:00

When David was a young man, before he was king of Israel, maybe 16 or so, he killed the giant Goliath with a stone and a sling. Goliath was supposed to be unbeatable at least that is the way it appeared as he faced the entire Israelite army - men trained for battle - and not one stepped up. Goliath was surely a great warrior, his size alone made the enemy run. Countless times the Philistines had marched him out to face their enemies and countless times Goliath was victorious. Goliath made that famous wrestler, Andre the giant, look like an elementary school bully. But David didn't fear the outcome of his battle with Goliath. He knew God would come to his rescue, not because he was such a righteous young man, but because he believed God would not stand for this godless Philistine mocking His Great Name or the people God had chosen as His own. And he was right.
Years later, Saul is dead along with his sons. David has been made king of Israel and once again the Philistines want to start something with God's people. This time though David doesn't have to do the fighting, three of his mighty men (one his own brother Jonathan) defeated three giants themselves. One was the brother of Goliath whom David had killed. The one Jonathan faced was a "hulking giant" who had "24 fingers and toes - six on each hand and foot."
The Philistines continued with their same old tricks; Find the biggest baddest dude you can to fight for you. It had apparently worked well for them because they kept doing it. But what would have happened if David had not fought Goliath all those years ago? David had already been promised the kingdom so he would surely have still been king. But I wonder if David or his men would have been so eager to fight the giants had David not gained that victory years before. David may have been king but the Philistines would have no-doubt remained the big kid on the block.
What giants are facing in your life today that your children or grand-children may have to face years from now? Satan is kind of like a one-trick pony. He sticks with what works or has worked. Perhaps your giant is addiction - in whatever form that takes, drugs, drink, food, television, porn, games. Maybe it's abuse, having been passed down to you by the generations before you. Perhaps your giant is anger or jealousy or hatred or bigotry. Whatever name your giant has, he's been kicking you around long enough. David didn't fight Goliath in his own strength or wisdom he fought Goliath knowing that God would fight with him. Maybe your faith is small - use it. Maybe you only have one person who will help you - tell them. Your will may be weak, your struggle long, but with God's help your giant can come crashing down and when you cut it's head off it will not mock you again.
And years from now when Satan tries to bring another giant to control and belittle and make slaves of your children they will stand and fight because if you could beat him they can too.

So take your rock and your sling and run you're not just fighting this battle for yourself you're fighting for your legacy, for the strength of your children's children and in God's Name and with His help you will leave a legacy of faith and victory instead of defeat and slavery. Let's be giant slayers who grow giant slayers.

Who's Fault Is It, Really?

2011-10-06T12:39:00.001-05:00

1 Chronicles 9:1
Someone a lot older and wiser than I once pondered the dash (-) between two numbers chiseled into a headstone at the cemetery. The thought was that there was a whole lot of life captured by one small, insignificant grammatical symbol that is used to connect one thing to another.
In this post I'd like to steal that dash and insert it into the passage referenced above and then look at what really lead from "this" - (to) "that".

"This is the complete family tree for all Israel, recorded in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah at the time they were exiled to Babylon" (-).

What we know right now is that the nation of Judah (after Israel split into the Norther tribes (Israel) and the Southern tribe of Judah) has been exiled to Babylon. Which seems weird because these were God's people! God's chosen Nation! How could... how would God let them be destroyed and taken captive?! This was the tribe from which Jesus would later come and they are nearly destroyed and the city and Temple left in ruins. We might consider all the reasons for such devastating trouble... in fact, this is what I thought of (from experience with trouble of various kinds).
Reasons God would allow the people of Judah to be destroyed and exiled:

He didn't love them anymore.
He was just no match for the Babylonians and their gods.
He was busy taking care of some other pressing matters and just didn't have the time.
He was vengefully getting back at them for their sin ("I'll show them!").
He was tired of listening to them and thought they deserved a little butt-whooping.
He was angry for the way they treated Him, they hadn't called much and were too busy for Him.

Maybe this is not how you handle trouble. But when it comes into my life but I'm pretty sure I've considered each of the above as viable reasons why God was letting me go through some painful experience. And I usually combine several of these into one massive, "I told you so!"

Maybe He just doesn't love me anymore because I looked at that picture on my computer too long?

Perhaps He's angry because I haven't talked with Him in a while?

Satan is really after me, maybe God's having a hard time defeating him in this area of my life?

I'm sure I deserve this God - after all, I am the worst of all sinners.

But let's look at what we're told about who God is and why He does what He does.

God NEVER stops loving us, not matter what - 1 John 4:16, John 3:16, Psalm 136:1-26

God is not weak or powerless - Deu 3:24

God does not get back at us for some sin we've committed - Psalm 78:38-39

God is never too busy or tired or sleepy - Psalm 121:3-5

God does not grow tired of us - Isaiah 40:28

That was the dash, here's the rest of the 1 Chronicles passage, "this happened, "because of THEIR unbelieving and disobedient lives" (emphasis and capitalization mine!)

Our problems come from two sources.

Our own desire for selfishness and sin.
The very real presence of Satan working in the world and in our lives.

Satan we will always have as long as the world turns he'll be working to steal, kill and destroy - that is what he does. So deal with it. Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to take your stand against him.

But Romans 6 tells us that we are not longer slaves to our own desire for sin!

So we need to stop blaming God for every bad thing that happens in our lives. Truth is, God didn't do it, He doesn't want you to have trouble or pain or struggle (had sin not entered the world through man's selfishness we'd all be living in perfection just as God placed the first humans). So, it's NOT God's fault that you and struggling it's Satan's and sins. Now, if you are in Christ you must believe that the Holy Spirit working in you will lead you out of sin and into righteousness so that should be improving. But Satan will always be there trying to work evil in your life. But God even uses the naturally occurring consequences of sin (which Satan knows but doesn't understand, he thinks it's gonna work out every time) as DISCIPLINE so that we might be "taught not to sin" again. This discipline helps us put to death the desire to sin and grow the desire to please God.

I need to stop blaming God for my problems and recognize that God is my rescue and my strength and Satan is my pusher. Get behind me Satan so that I might be wholly and holy Gods.

Just a reminder.

2011-09-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

No other gods, only me.
No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever...
No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter...
No working on the Sabbath; keep it holy just as God, your God, commanded you...
Respect your father and mother-God, your God, commands it!
No murder.
No adultery.
No stealing.
No lies about your neighbor.
No coveting your neighbor's wife. And no lusting for his house...nothing that belongs to your neighbor!

Truth comes when we're open to it - not when we're prepared for it

2011-09-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

Here's just something to ponder.

Here at Real Life we've been doing a series called Carbon Copy that has kind of taken on a life of it's own, at least for me. We just finished week 4 and I have no idea how long we're gonna hang out on this series idea, I just feel like God is using it somehow (again, maybe just for me) to grow and draw us closer to Him. The foundation text is 1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. And we're talking about how we ought to be Carbon Copies of Jesus in our daily life.

Last Saturday I attended Ozark Christian College's Building Stronger Teams conference with a friend from Real Life and I heard a guy say this, often the story on the inside doesn't match the story on the outside. Isn't this the character flaw that Jesus called out in the lives of the religious leaders? We need to be the same person on the inside and the outside. This is not as easy as it seems though, I get that more than others. I'm a goofball, I often say the wrong thing at the wrong time (which would be right, right?!) so me being the same person outside I am inside sometimes gets me in trouble! Being a Carbon Copy means we avoid the issue of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy only exists when we say one thing and do another. But if our inside and outside match up, hypocrisy looses it's power.

While preaching this Sunday I was getting this point across and while I was rolling this stuff out there was a little boy who got so excited during the music and stuff he just couldn't get all his wiggles out. So while he danced around right in front of me God just spoke to my heart and brought a great truth to us all through this little boy. Remember that Matthew 18:3 says, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Right there in the middle of the teaching I'm doing some theological thinking... Why did Jesus say that and what does it mean? Well, I've heard a lot of things said about this passage and I'm sure someone, a lot of "ones" probably knew this already but it meant something to us right there on Sunday morning.

Children are the same on the outside as they are on the inside. Take your young child shopping to check out some of the "people of Wal Mart" and listen to what they say. "God left them in the oven too long..." beep, beep, beep, "watch out mom, their backing up!"

How do we get to heaven? We become like children, being the same on the outside as we are on the inside. Carbon Copies are children - trusting completely, being the same on the inside and outside.

Try telling your fish to think outside his tank

2011-09-14T13:42:00.001-05:00

Preparing for last week's message on love from the Carbon Copy series I'm doing I included this statement, GOD'S LOVE DOESN'T ALWAYS FIT OUR FRAMEWORK. I was talking about how strange it was that the text could say, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that Lazarus was sick He stayed where He was two more days." Does that make sense to you? If you know the rest of the story it shouldn't, because it then takes Jesus even longer to get to Lazarus and once He does, Lazarus has been dead for four days. How could Jesus love them and still wait? I mean, it just doesn't make sense.

Here's the gist of the point. God's love is so huge it's outside our framework for it. Here's the love of our Savior. John 3:16, for God so loved the world that He GAVE His only Son... and 1 John 3:16, we know what love is... Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. THAT'S God's love. Here's our love. We say, "I love you" to our spouse and children and the family dog and the pizza on the kitchen counter. We say, "I love you" to our spouse and then cheat on them in various forms. Every child is born innately knowing that mom and dad love them, and then Dad beats them or sexually abuses them and Mom yells and tells them they had it coming and not to say anything or the bad people will come and take them away. In Jr. and Sr. high schools its, "if you love me you will...(fill in the blank)" and then they say horrible things about the other whether they give in or not. Is it any wonder we are messed up when it comes to love?

Our framework for love is so jaded, so skewed, so messed up that we can't possibly fully understand a love that is so all-encompassing and unconditional that our actions and attitudes have no bearing on it whatsoever. God is the only person whose love is not dependent on what we do, what we say or how we (or He) feels. No one... NO ONE else can say that. Our love is absolutely affected by how we are treated by the ones we love- there are at times glimpses of incredible, supernatural love (as in the book, If I Perish) but we'll show this incredible love one minute and think something hateful the next. God doesn't do that.

So there I am, it's Sunday morning, I'm preaching - in the middle of this point and it hits me... Doesn't this principle fit every other aspect of our lives? How we view and interact with the world is affected by the framework through which we see it. Our experiences and successes and failures and understanding of love, forgiveness and kindness are all affected by what HAS happened to us. How others treated our failures and successes. Whether or not we experienced true forgiveness or unconditional kindness. If someone has been abused by another person who was "supposed" to love them, do you think they ever truly experience love without that memory creeping in?

Now, we're told to think outside the box if we want to succeed or be innovative (huge word in church leadership circles right now - see, I'm hip to what's happening) in our lives or business ventures or churches. The problem is, we can't. We absolutely can NOT think outside the box, outside our framework for viewing the world around us. We CAN, however, enlarge our box. We can move our box to cut out less of this and let in more of that, (think of your box as a window frame. If you stand directly in front of it, through your frame(work) you can see stuff, if you move one direction or another you see more of one thing and less of something else, get it?) but we're still looking at the world through the same framework. Trying to think outside the box is like telling your fish to think outside his tank. The only thing you can do is give him a bigger tank - he still won't be able to think "outside" it, but you've given him a larger framework in which to deal with his own fishy world.

God is infinite. We are not. God is perfect love. We love imperfectly. God is creative as part of His makeup. We have flashes of creativity.

I don't want to leave you depressed here. The Bible tells us that we see the world, God and others like we're looking in a mirror that is all foggy. We can see shapes and movement but it's hard to make out the details. But when we get to heaven we will see clearly - just as we are clearly seen (1 Cor 13:12). But don't get discouraged while you're here. Work to enlarge your framework, through study, through a deep awareness of the Holy Spirit's working in your life, through putting aside the deeds of the flesh and living a life of Christ with intention and purpose. The Bible says to, "pray for wisdom" which will enlarge your frame. Shift your focus so that you see more of Him and less of the world. But don't feel too bad if you can't "think outside the box," remember, no one can - except God. Here's to enlarging your framework and shifting your view (I'm memorizing Psalm 145 as a means to help this process!).

By the way, in the story of Jesus loving and waiting I mentioned in the opening, this is the same place where Jesus calls the four-day-dead Lazarus out of the grave and he listens and obeys - back to life. Bringing dead people back to life doesn't fit in our framework, so I'm really glad that God's work has no frame. And that He lets us participate in what He's doing, not because He needs us, but because He loves us.

How quickly our opinion can change. Opposition vs. faith

2011-08-26T15:04:00.001-05:00

How many times have you changed your mind about something? My cousin bought a cool foreign car that he hadn't seen anyone else with. It should have been a show stopper, you know, the only one of its kind around. Instead, what he thought was going to be this great car turned out to be a lemon. Constant electrical problems and being towed. Your excitement about a new car quickly turns to disgust and frustration when it doesn't work like it should.

Seems like our opinions of our situation in life can change pretty quick too. I must confess that I've had days (more than I want to publicly admit, though I'm pretty sure my Mom is the only one who will read this...) when what started out great soon took a turn just because it took a few extra minutes to find my keys. Or, I had to go back to the house after I had left to get something I forgot. Neither of these minor annoyances was any big deal but I have had bigger issues. I have worked hard to prepare for a meeting or a move or change or new plan at church and was really excited about it only to face a relatively small amount of opposition and my whole demeanor just tanks. I go from really excited and looking forward to the future to depressed, angry, annoyed and, well, just ready to throw in the towel.

The Israelites opinion about their situation changed pretty quick too.

Over the previous weeks or maybe months, they had seen incredible sights. Lighting bolts shoot to the ground and then roll around. Hail stones that killed cattle and people. A black sheet, completely cutting off the sun, drop on an entire nation without affecting anyone around them. They had seen that same nation filled with frogs and gnats and locusts but no one else was touched. They had seen some incredible sights. And then, on their way out of Egypt, after all 10 miraculous plagues, they went to their neighbors and asked for whatever they could give them - they plundered Egypt and it was all just given to them (I can't even get a neighbor to help me load the moving truck - let alone give me money, gold, or some cattle!).

Now they are camped at the edge of the sea, just like God told them to do, waiting for direction from God through Moses as to what they were to do next. And all the sudden they see the dust storm from the chariots of Egypt coming their direction and they complain to Moses, "didn't we say 'leave us alone. let us serve the Egyptians?'" Now, here's what I find odd. In verse 8 of Exodus 14 it says that the people of Israel were, "marching out boldly" (NIV). Imagine, all the people, done with their slavery, done with making bricks AND having to gather the straw to meet their quota. Done with nothing but fish and onions every day for dinner. Done with Egyptians killing their children, raping their women and beating them if they didn't perform. All of it was over and on top of that they are loaded down with gold, silver, livestock, flocks and herds, clothes and everything they could carry. Of course they were marching out boldly! Their God had just unleashed incredible plagues on Egypt and left Goshen (a border area) untouched! Amazing!

All of this and then someone sees a cloud of dust and their day goes south in a hurry. What changed? What happened between boldly to "leave us alone!"? Opposition happened. Isn't it easier to say, "God is great!" when life is great? But when we face opposition from the enemy pretty soon it's, "leave me alone, God!" Even the evil king of Israel blamed God when his city was under siege and his people dying (2 Kings 6). When opposition comes we quickly forget all that God has done and wonder what God IS DOING. And if He's not acting fast enough, or doesn't get us out of trouble before it really hits then we're upset with Him.

But what would have happened if the waters would have parted when there was no fear? Well, God would not have had opportunity to once again gain glory for Himself through the Egyptians (honestly, any one of the plagues or the parting of the sea could have caused Egypt to repent) who He certainly wanted to save. The sea was just another chance for the Egyptians to believe while proving God's providence and power once again to the Israelites.

Look, without opposition there can be no strengthening of faith. If you knew everyone would accept your invitation to attend church and would be saved and thank you profusely you invite everyone, right? But there is opposition so that our faith might be built-up. If you knew God was going to heal every person you prayed for, even strangers in the street, you'd stop everybody who had a problem and pray for healing. If the enemy totally left you alone once you accepted Jesus how would your faith be built.

Without opposition there is no increased strength. Without opposition our faith would atrophy, wither and die. If I knew God would always provide, always heal, always do everything I asked I wouldn't need faith, it wouldn't exist. Faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do NOT see. Faith says, this opposition is fierce, this mountain steep, this river wide, this problem consuming... but God is stronger, tougher and bigger than any opposition we may face. I just need to remember that.

I'll take option #3

2011-08-25T14:36:00.001-05:00

Recently my family and I were watching the first National Treasure movie. There's a part in there where Benjamin Gates has been arrested by the FBI and is talking with one of the agents who gives him two options, go to jail for a very long time (for stealing the Declaration of Independence) or help them catch the guy who has the Declaration now and then go to jail for a very long time. Ben doesn't like either of those options so he asks for option three. The agent, unamused tells him, there is no third option. Well, later, while trying to get the Declaration back, Ben says, "I've found option three and I'm taking it." He then jumps off the top deck of an aircraft carrier into the Hudson river - OUCH! The two agents refuse to jump and Ben gets away.

Why the recap of Nation Treasure? I want to live my life looking for option 3. Here's what I mean, let me use Numbers 14 and Exodus 14 to explain.

When the Israelites leave Egypt God tells them to, "turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon" (Exodus 14:1). They were to do this because God had a plan that would, "gain glory for" Himself through Pharaoh. When the Israelites were right where God had told them to go they were caught between the sea and the Egyptian army who were coming after them. They cried out to God and asked, were there "no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?" It seems to me the only saw two options: stay in Egypt and be slaves or die in the desert.

Then in Numbers 14 the Israelites are once again exactly where God wanted them, a place called Kadesh, South of the promised land. Moses sent 12 spies to scope out the land God had promised to give them but ten of the spies said it couldn't be done - and the people believed them. They said, "Why didn't we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness?3 Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don't we just head back to Egypt? And right now!" Once again they see two options: Die in the desert or trying to take the promised land from it's inhabitants, or go back to being slaves in Egypt.

In both of these cases the Israelites only saw two options - but God saw another way... option three. I think we often get so caught up looking at the realities of our lives that we fail to realize God is not limited by our reality. In fact, Romans 14:17 says that God, "gives life to the dead and calls things that are NOT as though they WERE" (emphasis mine). In both of these cases, Exodus 14 and Numbers 14, God wanted to do something else that the people couldn't see - and option they didn't catch. God wanted to display His power to accomplish the impossible among them. In Exodus He parted the sea so they could get to safety and then drowned the entire Egyptian army in that same sea. And in Numbers He was going to supernaturally drive out the inhabitants of the land so that His chosen people could poses it. But they didn't see it.

I think that I will live the rest of my life looking for option 3. Perhaps I'll call it the God Factor. Whenever I get in a position that I think is hopeless or where my sight it limited to only the realities I can see - I'll chose option 3 and believe that it's in that precise moment that God wants to know if I'll chose Him and His ways over what I "think" will happen. Instead of choosing the lesser or two stinky options, I'll pick option 3. I'll go with the God Factor and trust that He wants to do something through me that is beyond me and above me but completely within the realm of possibility with God.

Are you in one of these situations where all you can see are bad options? Either you do this one stinky thing or that other stinky thing. Are you stuck between a rock and a hard place or maybe between Egypt and the Sea? Well, why not determine to chose option 3. I mean, if you're gonna die anyway what have you got to lose? I'll tell you what you could lose. You could lose the reconciliation of your marriage. You could lose the career that you were perfectly suited for in Christ. You could lost your child for good. You could lose being a part of some incredible move of God. Simply because you refused to believe that He could and that He would act on your behalf. You refused to see the God Factor in your situation. You refused to take option 3.

As for me, I'm gonna be an option 3 man of faith.

God overheard their talk

2011-08-24T14:19:00.000-05:00

When my kids were younger they would often get together and come up with schemes. Schemes to trick dad. Schemes to get to go swimming. Schemes to get a trip to Wal-Mart. Schemes to get desert before dinner (which actually comes first in alphabetical order!). The problem they always ran into was that they would scheme, in their whisper voices, right near me! So, I did what any good dad would do, I squashed their hopes and dreams and schemes - I was an equal opportunity squash-er. Now, once in awhile I let them get through with their scheming and then, because I heard their plans, I could do the opposite of what they thought I would do and I would confuse them so much they never got around to what they really wanted. Overhearing their little talks was very helpful in combating their schemes.

Aaron and Miriam were apparently scheming something while Moses was looking or listening. It had something to do with Moses' wife, she wasn't an Israelite, so they could have been a little upset about that. Why does he get to lead when he's got this foreign wife? People come up with the dumbest reasons for scheming against someone when their trying to accomplish some agenda. My father, a pastor for more than 30 years, was once told he shouldn't be a preacher because he was color blind and had a hard time telling the difference between the hot and neutral wire when working on the church wiring (btw - hot and neutral don't matter much, its the ground that you have to worry about!).

Anyway, Aaron and Miriam are scheming against Moses who is out of ear-shot, so it's called gossip you know... when all the sudden God gets involved. He calls the three of them to come meet with Him at the tent of meeting (aptly named) and begins to get after the two schemers. And I just love this last sentence in verse 2 that says, "God overheard their talk." Wow.

I started thinking about the things I've said... the things I've thought, since God knows them too... No matter where I am or who I'm with God overhears my talk. That's a sobering thought since I know what comes out of my mouth. God overhears it all. Those things I say to my wife in private about someone or something. What I say at church to our leaders and partners. What I think to myself when I'm around all those different people! God overhears. And in this story in 2 Kings 2 He doesn't just take it.

How would your talk change if God called you to account for what you'd said when you didn't think anyone else was listening? I stopped and asked for forgiveness right there in my notes... and help in watching what I say, since someone is always overhearing. God overhears our talk. What's He gonna say to you?

The wall, the Fall and the Fact

2011-08-17T13:07:00.001-05:00

So recently my oldest son and I ran our first Marathon. Wow, still feels weird to say that. In training I followed a book called 4 hours to a 4 hour marathon. I made it in 5:17, I didn't say I followed it closely. Near the end of the book the author, Dave Kuehls, talks about the wall. It's a fictitious reality for runners. A point somewhere between mile 13 and 20-something where you feel like you can't go on and you must give up. Your body is spent. Your mind fried. Your muscles weak. But, if you keep moving, keep running, you can regain your strength. Renew your mind and refresh your muscles in order to finish. The key he says is to remember that you can do this. You've trained. You've prepared. You're ready. It's just a matter of finishing now.

I noticed in the Bible that often times when someone does something great for God... let me rephrase that. When God does something great through someone, that person often hits the wall next. In this case, Elijah, in I Kings has destroyed the prophets of Baal and proven that God is God (God sent fire from heaven after Elijah's prayer, to consume the sacrifice, alter, water and dirt it was all on). He's also told everyone that it would rain (which it hadn't done for three years) and has tucked his tunic in his shorts and run AHEAD of Ahab's chariot (he's the king, with lots of the fastest horses) all the way down the mountain. The point is that Elijah, er, God has done some pretty amazing things through Elijah in a very short time.

Now Elijah is in the desert and sits down under a bush and asks God to kill him. Why? He hit the wall. He reached the limit of his faith. He'd accomplished so much, put so much on the line and now he's just done. Imagine how you would feel in front of more than 400 prophets who want you dead. Behind them is the Nation of Israel and the king - all of them want you dead. "Oh God, please answer my prayer!" Surely Elijah had already played the "what if" game. What if there was no fire? What if there is no rain? What if the chariot catches him and runs him over (surely Ahab's plan). Elijah, would have looked like a fool! He would have surely been killed! He would have thought he was a crazy person who heard voices... God? didn't you tell me to do this?

There is always a lot on the line when we stand up for God. But nothing is more at risk than the Holy Image and Name of the God of the Universe!

We hit the wall when we forget that it's all about Him and not about us. It's not Elijah's strength, his prayer or his persuasive words that caused all that stuff to happen, it was the Holy Name of God. It wasn't Elijah, it was God. It's never us, it's always Him.

So, the next time you hit the spiritual wall remember, it's not about you. It's not your strength, your power, your prayer or your name on the line. It's His. And in Him and through Him there is unlimited power to accomplish every plan He chooses. He's working through you. Its Him, not you, not me, not we, Him.

The Wall - we hit it when we try to accomplish God's plans in our strength.
The Fall - in our weakness we give up because we don't have the strength/faith to continue.
The Fact - strength comes FROM God THROUGH us to accomplish His plan and purpose.

What has He called you to do? If you can't accomplish it on your own you've just taken the first step in doing something incredible for/with God. Keep running.

Somebody's got to do the heaving lifting...

2011-08-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

Ever get frustrated because you feel like someone isn't, "pulling their weight"? I remember the first week or so of Basketball practice in High School, killing myself to keep the team from running more killers (ladders or suicides). There was always a guy or two who just didn't seem to care. Fortunately the hazing they brought on themselves meant they didn't stay out very long.

There are always those who will not carry their weight. I guess that's just part of life. But when something needs to be accomplished you really need those willing to carry the heavy loads. We often want things to be fair and equal but the fact of the matter is someone is always gonna draw the short straw. Incredible things happen though, when those who can, do.

In Numbers 4 God is giving instructions to Moses and Aaron as to how this huge machine called the Nation of Israel is to move about as they wander the countryside. Think of it, two, three, maybe six million or more need to move together as a unit. And not only that, the Tabernacle - the House of God - has to be broken down, stowed and moved so that the people would know where to Go. They were to follow the Ark (part of the Tabernacle furnishings and housed the very presence of God) so where the Ark/Tabernacle went they people followed.

So God gave instruction for the families of the Levites, three clans who would each be given something to carry as the Israelites moved from place to place. One family would carry the articles and utensils used with them. One family would carry the poles, pegs, basses and frames. But only one family was called to "serve by carrying heavy loads." This family, the Gershonites, were to carry the clothes and curtains and coverings - many of them several layers thick of heavy woven and sewn fabrics - which covered the Tabernacle itself and made up the curtain that surrounded the entire Tabernacle compound.

This is how the Nation would move from place to place. If the heavy loads (and all the other loads) weren't carried the Nation would not, could not move as God led.

What has God called you to do to help His people move from where they are to where God wants them? Someone is going to have to carry the heavy load. Has God called you to that task? If so, don't argue, don't whine and don't back down because the work is difficult. Instead, must your strength and rely on Him and carry your load. You may be the one who helps many get where God is leading. Your load may be heavy but the reward is often just as big.

Whatever God has called you to do. Whatever skill or talent or aptitude God has given you, own it. Carry it. Lead so that others can get where God is. And when it's time, get out of the way so that someone else can carry the load in your place. Notice that everyone has a load to carry, but some get the blessing and struggle to be called to carry the heavy load.

Carry it in His strength and for His Glory and purpose. For the Church and for getting where He wants to take us all, carry your load.

Mark Making

2011-08-03T11:19:00.000-05:00

We leave lots of marks in our lives. I carved a heart and my wife and my initials into a tree. Our daughter wrote, "I love you," on our bathroom mirror. I used chalk to write, "I love you," on my wife's dashboard in her car. A not-so-good-friend left a piece of pencil led in my knee my freshman year of HS. I have a scar on my hand from sneaking over the chain link fence into the little kids play area at church with my friend Jason - we then had to get out quick when we heard someone coming, hence the scar.

I have left marks on my children's hearts, their backsides and their minds - as they have also done to me. We all leave marks. Omri, an ancient king of Israel, left his mark of evil. He reigned for 12 years. And 1 Kings 16 says, "The rest of Omri's life, the mark he made on his times, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel." This was not a good thing for the people of Israel since Omri followed in the footsteps of Jereboam's evil and was the father of Ahab who, "did even more open evil before God than anyone yet-a new champion in evil!" (MSG 1 Kings 16:30).

What a mark! The father of the worst and most evil king ever was who he was because of the mark his father left. Every one of us leaves a mark. Every action. Every word. Every inconsiderate comment. Every smile. Every flare of road-rage. Every gesture of kindness. My oldest son just told me yesterday that sometimes he offers to help older folks get their groceries into their cars at the store. "They look at me like I'm gonna rob them..." was his next statement, but at least he's offering! And what a mark left on an older generation that often thinks those young folks don't care about anyone but themselves.

What kind of mark are you leaving on your family? On your friends or acquaintances? I got to help a lady stuck in the road who was out of gas, out of hope and out of work for the last 2 months. Mark left. What kinds of marks will you purpose to leave? Marks that encourage and build up or tear down and create even higher degrees of evil than you thought of? Everyone leaves a mark... what does yours look like?

Are you stuck?

2011-06-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt stuck? Not, been stuck, but felt stuck? I've been stuck in the mud, stuck in the snow and stuck in a rut... but all those places are easy enough to get out of. A chain, a push (I recently got stuck in the snow and two very buff women pushed me out, thank you my amazon friends, whoever you are!) a pull and you're out and on your way!

But when you feel stuck it's a different story! Depressed. Addicted. Oppressed. Abused. Exhausted. Confined. Stuck. And no matter how hard you are pushed, how desperately you are pulled you still feel stuck. You're sure everyone is out to get you, that God hates you and that the end is near. Whatever you were running from... or running to has landed you smack dab between the baggage that follows and the uncertainty of what's to come.

That's where the Israelites were as a nation. Stuck. The baggage of their past lives as slaves to the Egyptian government was pressing hard after them. Their lack of reverence and worship of the One True God had come back to bite them. Their fears and questions and pessimism had pushed and pulled them right to this point. Stuck. Stuck between their past and their future, which in this case was a large body of water that dipped 5,000 feet below them! Like you and I often feel they were not only stuck they were sure they were going to die! There was no way out, water to the left of them the entire Egyptian army to the right. Family problems. Marriage on the rocks. Disobedient, messed up children. Flat-lined career. Car won't start. Bills piling up. Laid off, beat up and kicked out you're sure of one thing, the end is near.

And just like the Israelites the only one who can get you unstuck is God. Impassable obstacles don't mean anything to God. Just like the water in the gulf he'll dry up whatever you happen to be currently drowning in and put your feet on dry ground! And not only that, he'll destroy the baggage of your past in the very waters that threatened to take your life! God loves to take people out of the grip of their enemies and turn your grave into theirs.

Are you stuck? No where to go? No hope? No way out? Then you're in just the right position for God to reveal Himself to you and show you that no matter what your past or the path you're heading on, He can not only rescue you but save you from it all! He wants to give you a new start! He wants to give you a new life! He wants to give you a new land and place to call home!

Here's what YOU need to do:
Tell God the truth - God I've screwed up my life 'cause I thought I could do it on my own without you but I've only made a mess for myself and those I love.
Ask God to help - God I recognize that I need You to help me, to take away the junk and baggage in my life and give me a fresh clean start because I can't do it on my own.
Give all of yourself to Him - So I give you myself, all that I am, I trust You to direct and lead me and I'll follow You from now on.
Thank Him - God I thank You for giving your Son to die for me so that I might live for You. Please accept His sacrifice in my place.
Tell someone and get plugged in - Get up and tell someone you've made a decision to give your life to Jesus and then find a Bible believing/teaching church that can teach you about baptism and growing in your knowledge and walk with God.

Good advice for daily life

2011-06-15T14:46:00.001-05:00

I like King David from the Old Testament. I like him for several reasons:
1. He's not some super-smart dude like his son Solomon which means I can relate to King David (he had only a handful of wives compared to Solomon who had nearly 1000! I know, not TOO smart!)
2. David's life story is full of screw-ups. As I said, I can relate.
3. God used David in incredible ways to do incredible things David still messed up - which gives me hope!
4. Even though David messed up often he still was very close to God and displays so many incredible character traits that are worth copying even today.

So the other day I was reading in 2 Samuel about when Absalom, David's son, staged a coup to try and overthrow his father and take control of Israel and Judah as king. While David was fleeing Jerusalem with his family and personal body guard there was a guy Shimei who yelled curses at him and threw rocks. When one of his military advisers said, "let me go cut off his head." David actually says that God was using Shimei to "preach to him" and that he could not be cursing if God didn't let him so who was David to stop him. Incredible! David. KING David lets some peasant scream insults and curses at him and does nothing to stop him. That's a guy I could look up to because my reaction would have been to take the sword and off his head myself! (I've got a lot of work to do...).

Anyway, once David is safe back in Jerusalem with Absalom dead and the country again safe in his hands he sings a song to God. And I love the way David lays it out, so plainly, so perfectly.
2 Sam 22
21 God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I cleaned up my act, he gave me a fresh start.22 Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways; I haven't taken God for granted.23 Every day I review the ways he works, I try not to miss a trick.24 I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step.25 God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

You can't break it down any more plainly then that! When we lay the pieces of our broken lives before God He is able to make us complete, fill in the gaps and glue it all back together! If we are willing to "clean up our act" by working to obey Him in our daily lives then He gives us a fresh start every day! (come on now, if you're not willing to adjust your lifestyle but want salvation there's a problem. Don't expect God to do His part if you don't do yours). David then says that he pays attention to the way God works in our lives so that he doesn't take God for granted (giving luck or karma the thanks for what God is doing) and so that he will not miss what God IS currently doing - blindly flying through the day without recognizing God's hand at work (I need to pay attention to this more!). The result is that David feels like his life is ordered, that it makes sense and his new life makes it easier to watch his steps as he tries to follow God. And here's the best part! God rewrote the text of his life! Would you like your life text to be read aloud somewhere? in front of your parents? your spouse? We all make mistakes but God can rewrite our stories so that He's the center and our lives become a living testament to His glory and goodness. When we open our lives to Him and His scrutiny (eyes) He reveals the sin, convicts us of it, forgives it (been paid for in Jesus already) and then shows us how to live according to His standard.

How incredible. God, reveal my sin, convict and forgive and rewrite the story of my life with You as the main character.

Now enabled for your phone!

2011-06-08T15:34:00.000-05:00

That's right folks, this blog is now mobile enabled! Which means that you'll get the same stuff on your phone that you can on your comp and it will look cool too! Check it out now! I know your phone is probably right next to you... in fact, you probably just got done texting someone about how cool this blog is so it will be handy to check it out!

In need of an Alignment

2011-05-18T11:56:00.000-05:00

Awhile back I noticed that the tires on my wife's car wearing down in a weird pattern. Bald in one place and fine tread in another on the same side of the tire. After some time researching online I decided I needed to take it to the local shop and see if they could correct the issue. I watched as the mechanic put the car up on the lift and then stuck these funny Austin Powers type lasers to the wheels and then checked his computer. Sure enough the front tires were out of alignment.
Think about it this way. Wherever I point my toes is the direction my feet take me. To the left, I head to the left. Point them right and I begin to move right. But if my left foot was facing left and my right foot was facing right I would be hard to walk a straight line. The left side of my body would want to track left and the right, right - I'd be heading in two different directions at the same time!

David made a similar discovery about his life in Psalm 86. He prays, "train me God to walk straight; then I'll follow Your path..." It's important to to walk straight if you want to follow God. But it's so easy to get sidetracked in your life and pulled in different directions. Children, Spouse, School, Career these can begin to take us off in different directions, maybe not completely at first, just pulling you away. It becomes harder to find the time to get to church, read your Bible or pray because there are so many other things that are fighting for your attention and direction. And being pulled in two different directions causes problems, life gets bumpy and rough. It becomes increasingly difficult to stay on the road. And if you don't get that spiritual alignment fixed you're headed for a blow out!

That's what the car was doing, fighting itself as we tried to drive straight down the road, each tire trying to pull the whole car in the direction it was pointing. It was drivable but the car shook a lot and would have eventually worn clear through the tires perhaps causing a blowout and maybe an accident affecting others as well!

So David prays that he would walk straight and the way he is able to do that comes from the second part of his prayer, "put me together, one heart, one mind; then undivided I'll worship You..." That's what church, bible reading and prayer are supposed to do, put lasers on our life to make sure that everything is lined up, heart and mind, so that your whole body tracks together to keep you on the path God has laid out for you.

Maybe it's time for a spiritual tune up in your life. Perhaps you've already noticed that things are getting worn and your life is getting rough. It's time to get things lined up and tracking together. Get your heart and mind squarely focused on God and His will for your life and things will start to move smoother for you and you may even avoid that spiritual blowout.

Is God Hidden in YOUR Hands?

2011-05-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

So I'm reading in Psalm 77 the other day and I'm thinking to myself, I know EXACTLY how this guy feels! He says, "my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal... my friends said, 'everything will be alright!' I didn't believe a word they said." He goes on to talk about how he can't sleep, he's up all night playing music but it doesn't help... He wonders if God has gone off and left and in pity says, "Just my luck... the High God goes out of business the moment I need Him!"
Come on now, surely you've felt this way. You've prayed and prayed and no answer has come. You're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. Do I turn right... or left... or keep right on going this way, God? But no direction is clear to you. It is so depressing, I know, I've been there too! Come on God! Hear me! Answer me! Show me! Lead me! I've yelled it all to a silent sky. No voice. No piercing light from heaven showing me the path.
The writer of this Psalm though tells us how he got through this major pity episode. "Once again I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I'll ponder all the things You've accomplished and give a long, loving look at your acts."
And what happens when he does this? He remembers! Wow God! When I look back on what You have done I am amazed at Your hand, ever-present in all my life's ups and downs! There is no one like You who controls the natural and supernatural for the favor of your chosen people! You alone are God and there is none like You!
But this post is not about pity parties and God's presence in our lives. You thought it was? Weird.
No, this post is about HOW God works and reveals Himself in the natural world and how YOU and I get to be a part of His incredible plan.
verses 19 and 20 tell an incredible story of God's presence... "You strode right through ocean, walked straight through roaring ocean, but NOBODY saw you come and go. Hidden in the hands of Moses and Aaron, You led your people like a flock of sheep."
God's incredible power and plan and presence is hidden in the hands of those who follow Him completely. Amazing. I've heard it said that we, as Christians, are to be the hands and feet of Christ... but this is so much more powerful to me. God - in all His power and majesty to work in the lives of people - is hidden in the hands of a few. What we say to people. What we do for them. How we treat them, whether grocery store clerk, tire repair man or bank president our Mighty and Awesome God can be hidden in our hands. Seen only with reflection and time and the Spirit. How did you treat those around you today? Was God hidden in your hands?
We have an obligation to the Creator of the world and Savior of our souls to use our lives as walking billboards for His glory - God might just be hiding in your hands to reveal Himself to someone today. Will they see Him?

God's incredible love - a response to inadequacy

2011-04-26T11:19:00.002-05:00

Got a note from a lady I'd never met before asking a question about Easter. As she began her question she mentioned that she loved Jesus and believed but didn't know how God could love her because of her past sins. She said she felt very unworthy and it seemed she had a hard time reconciling her life with God's overwhelming love for her. I think like many she has some head knowledge of God's great love but doesn't fully comprehend it. I believe it was Paul who prayed that we would know the, "height and depth and length and breadth of God's love" (notice that he spoke that in four dimensions - not just three).
So I thought I'd share my response to her concerning her feelings of inadequacy. Perhaps it will amaze you as it does me!

"Glad to be of service! By the way... none of us are worthy of His love or sacrifice, that's the incredible and amazing thing about God! None of it is about us, ALL of it is about God. It's HIS goodness, HIS love, HIS mercy, HIS grace, HIS sacrifice and HIS glory - it's all from HIM! That a God like this would love us when we could give Him nothing is beyond our comprehension... but if we could understand it, then He wouldn't be God. You are worthy not because of what you've done (or haven't done) but because HE loves you and died for you. It's Jesus who makes you worthy. So live and function and breath in HIS worthiness and offer your thanks to God through a life lived for Him!"

Here's why we shouldn't feel inadequate to receive God's love... because we didn't do anything to earn it! It didn't come from us or in response to anything we had done. If I could earn God's love then I might feel inadequate (because I'd feel like no matter what I did it wouldn't be enough). If I had to pay for it I might feel inadequate (because I couldn't give Him enough to repay Him for what He'd done). But because it is His sacrifice that makes me worthy as His creation I can't do anything to earn it so I should feel an overwhelming sense of honor because He did this all for me... not inadequacy. Inadequacy has to do with what I have done, honor has to do with what He has done for me.

So thank you Father for sending your Son and making me worthy because He is worthy. Your love for me is amazing, may I give my life in response to your great love.

What, "never leave you" means...

2011-04-07T12:35:00.000-05:00

Been MIA for awhile, hope to get back!

Can I make a confession that will likely incriminate me? One of my favorite movies is Major Payne. There I said it. Admitting something is the first set, right? Well, near the end of the movie Major Payne and the cadets are acting like a family (finally) when the Major gets called up for active duty and he accepts the position. As he prepares to leave one of the cadets yells, "you said we were family!" To which the Major replies, "but I never said families don't split up. Don't you watch Oprah?"
We all make statements we can't really back up. Nearly every family movie you watch has a scene where a parent says to a child something like, "I would never let anything happen to you." Of course it's right when the parent is leaving the kid in a closet during a tornado to save something that wasn't very important to begin with. We can't control the weather, or anything else. But we talk like we can.
Or we tell someone we love, "I'm not going anywhere" or "till death do us part." And then try to explain how Daddy and Mommy don't love each other anymore but it doesn't mean they don't love you or will ever leave you. Unfortunately, kids are smarter than that.
I was reading the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20 today and came across this line that Jonathan says to David, "remember that God's in on this with us to the very end." I love that!
The fact of the matter is that I don't always go the way God wants me to go. I go my own way, do my own thing all too often. I don't always go with God... but He always goes with me. I'm like the friend who ALWAYS has to have their way. You know that friend. You have that friend. The difference is that God's way is ALWAYS better then mine! But it doesn't matter. Even when I refuse to follow Him, He will always go with me. Always trying to get me to go the right way, do the right thing. Always urging me to be my best, do my best, give my best. Always pointing out that narrow road over there that I should be on.
Even when we refuse to go with God He always goes with us.
You see, you and me, He meant it when He said, "I will NEVER leave you or forsake you."

A Picture of Jesus Love for Us

2011-02-15T13:04:00.000-06:00

In Psalm 45 is a picture of a wedding day, actually it starts in 44 with a song for the groom and then runs into 45 with a song for the bride. Something we don't really get about weddings back then, they were arranged, many times years before the couple were old enough to actually get married. Sometimes the bride was "sold" to the highest bidder. Often, because women were seen as possessions in those days, they were not treated very well. But in this song it's more than just a song for the bride about her groom and new life - it's an allegory (a representation of a spiritual meaning in a real-life picture) for Jesus and His bride, the church.
In verse 11 the singer says to the bride, "be here" which is a such a cool statement as I remember my own wedding day. There were so many things going on that I think I missed a lot of that day because, instead of being in the moment at hand, I was thinking about all the other moments coming up, including trying to remember the words to the Luther Vandross song I sang to her (deleted that from the video!). It's a flaw I have, I'm so focused on the destination I can't enjoy the journey. It was true even on my wedding day. But the bride here is encouraged to be in the moment - to bathe in what is happening right here, right now.
Now, 20 years later, I wish I could remember every second of my wedding but there is one thing I do remember, the way Andi looked at me as we stood on the stage. She looked up at me like her whole life was being displayed in my eyes. She could have looked right through me... it would have been one those really incredible memories if my knees wouldn't have been shaking so much! But I do remember looking down at here thinking, "Wow, this beautiful girl is really marrying me... she really loves me."
The singer says, "be here." Don't worry about anything else, just be right here, soaking up every moment, every breath, every sensation, sound, smell, sight.
But the real kicker here is WHY he says "be here." It's because the groom in his song is, "wild for her." How cool is that! Here's an arranged marriage that could have gone wrong but instead the groom is wildly in love with her! That means that He wants what is best for her, He will seek what is best for her and do whatever he can to show His love for her in every situation. He says, "be here" because this guys is crazy in love with you! What a wonderful moment!
And he continues, "because he is your lord, adore him." So, it's okay to be in the moment. Forget the past, your parent's home, baggage, former life, pain and worry and focus on the moment, where your future lies. It's easy to do because your husband loves you like crazy... and because he is your "lord" (in that time the man was the head of the house - the Bible still tells us this is true today) AND he loves you so much you can be free to adore him.
When we view this in the allegory we see that you and I are the bride, our husband, Jesus is wild about us and loves us with everything that He is (even facing and enduring death for us) but He doesn't have to! He is the creator and sustainer, He owns us. He could simply make us follow and obey. But instead He loves us. We are now free to adore Him. To be here in the moment and trust that He has our best interest at heart and will love us no matter what. We adore Him because He has earned it, not because it's demanded of us and that is really what adoration is all about.
I love you Savior, for you first loved me and will never not love me. Let me look into Your eyes for You are my present and my future.

God's place in your life

2011-02-11T10:10:00.003-06:00

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

In my life I have found that I seem to want the best God has to offer me along with something else that I would like to have. I want God's protection... but I pick fights. I want God to provide for me financially... but I want to choose how I spend what He provides. I want God to make my life easy and secure... but I don't want to change the way I live.

I've been reading in Judges 17 and 18 the last two days and there is a story about a guy named Micah. It seems he stole some money from his mother, a lot of money. She got made when she discovered it was missing and she cursed the thief. Later, for some reason, Micah gave the money back to his mother. He told her he heard the curse she pronounced on the thief so maybe he was feeling guilty and didn't want the bad stuff she said to happen to him. Anyway, he gave her the money back with no apology. And instead of punishment his mother praised him for returning the money. It turns out that she had dedicated that money to God and had determined to use it to make some idols to use in worship. But instead of using it all (as she had dedicated it all) she uses only a small portion, about 15% and makes several cast gods to worship. Later in the story when a Levite outcast comes to live with Micah we hear him say, “Now I know that God will make things go well for me—why, I’ve got a Levite for a priest!”

It seems to me that we often worship God-And... God-and my own decisions. God-and possessions. God-and my spouse. God-and what makes ME feel good. God-and what I want to do. And we seem to have no problem with it! We wonder why God isn't working more on our behalf? We can't figure out why He isn't providing financially for us? We try to discern why our marriages, children, relationships aren't more stable.

As it turns out, God may not be working in your life because you're doing the exact opposite of what He wants from you. God may not be providing for you financially because you're making poor financial decisions that don't put Him first where your money is concerned. Your marriage or other relationship may stink because you've made your spouse or someone else the god of your life and you try to please them instead of Him.

God wants to be first in your life... He demands it. And He should! He's the creator and sustainer of everything, including you! The first and greatest command is to love God with all that you are. But we often love God with all that we can spare. See, I love possessions, power, position, people and pesos. I want a God who will help me keep all of that and then give me what I want from Him as well.

When we put God first and only in our lives we truly begin to live. Not God-and... God-only.

The God of Comfort

2011-02-03T10:04:00.001-06:00

When I was a child and wrecked my bike I ran to Mom. She would get out the band-aids and the peroxide and begin the ritual. The peroxide hurt but I knew it would help and what boy doesn't want a band-aid? When I was a child and got into an argument with a neighbor or friend I looked for Dad. His fists were huge, that's why he never had to use them. I knew that Dad would protect me. Mom and Dad did a good job of comforting me and making me feel loved.

Then I became an adult. Married with children. And a scrape on my knee or a bully down the street were the least of my problems. As Husband and Dad I have to protect and provide - those are two of my primary functions. But they aren't easy. I learned quickly that I can't protect my children. I can't be with them all the time and make sure no one looks at them wrong or says mean things to them. Oh how I want to punish those who have been hateful to them! But I can't, pain is a part of growing up. I want to make sure that they have everything they want. But I'm unable to provide all that I would like.

My life is filled with bills and responsibilities and there are relationship obstacles and parental hurdles and struggles of all kinds - I know you can relate. Mom and Dad aren't here to help anymore and what they'd offer is only topical or protective.

But God isn't just concerned with protection, he's about healing. He is always listening. He is close to the brokenhearted. He helps you catch your breath. Even when you get into trouble God is right there, every time. No one who runs to Him loses out.

No matter what is going on in my life when I seek Him, He comforts. When I cry out to Him, He consoles. When I come broken to Him, He picks up the pieces. I always feel better. I always find hope. I always finish my time with God better than when I approached Him. He never lets you down.

Lay it at His feet and don't pick it up again. He's got your back. He is the restorer of broken lives. The healer of hurts. He puts together marriage puzzles that have been broken apart and pushed to the floor. He rewires heart to head to spirit so we think clearly. He gives us focus and determination.

God never fails. Trust it. Trust Him

Time to repent for my thinking....

2011-02-02T10:03:00.004-06:00

The word REPENTANCE means to turn around, change direction or make a U-turn. It is most often used of people who are on a life course of sin and destruction but come to know Jesus Christ and make a U-turn in their life, now headed for heaven. It means that you change your mind about sin, you used to go after sin with everything you had, now you go after God the same way.

I think most of us get that. There has to be a course change, a turn around, when we come to know Jesus and the Most Holy God. His Holiness and Divinity demand that we seek to obey and honor Him with our lives.

But I think that we need to repent where our thinking is concerned as well. We need to fundamentally change the way we think. Some might call this a paradigm shift. A change to your whole way of looking at and understanding the world. The Bible tells us that we are no longer to see with our eyes, but rather to walk in faith. That's a difficult thing to do - who would chose to be blind? Who would see what lies right in front of them and not swerve to miss it?

In Psalm 33 David talks of this shift in thinking, this U-turn in how we live life.

No king succeeds with a big army alone, no warrior wins by brute strength. Horsepower is not the answer; no one gets by on muscle alone. Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We’re depending on God; he’s everything we need.

What we see with our eyes is not always the true story. We look at an army, bigger, stronger, more firepower and we decide to make peace instead of war. We measure up our opponent and decide if we'll survive the fight. Horsepower (which actually means the number of horses the enemy had - not how big the engine is), muscle... we take it all into consideration. But none of that matters to God. His eye is on those who respect Him, not on those who look the biggest or the strongest.

When we're going with God size doesn't matter. You've only got a few dollars to your name? Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children with only two fish! Are you on death's doorstep? Jesus called Lazarus, a guy dead for 4 days back to life! You're church isn't big enough? Your offering box isn't full enough? You're not strong enough, fast enough, smart enough? Doesn't matter. God is.

When you're depending on God, He's everything you need. Not more muscle. Not more smarts. You don't need more money in your pocket, you need to change your mind about who God is and what He's capable of. When You're on God's side, you're on the winning side. Always.

The Silent Treatment

2011-01-27T19:14:00.004-06:00

Judges 2:10 - Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn’t know anything of God or the work he had done for Israel.

Imagine that! Once the generation of Israelites that crossed the Jordan, drove out the inhabitants of the land, conquered Jericho and followed God whole-heartedly died, the next generation didn't know anything of God or the miracles He had done. Wow.

Can you imagine NOT telling your children about what God had done in your life? Well, I don't think it was a conscious decision to keep quiet. Look, they had driven out the people, they had taken over the cities of their enemies, they had reaped the benefits of fields already planted, vineyards already cultivated. They had lots of stuff to do! It wasn't that they didn't want to tell their children, they just got too busy. They didn't make it a priority. They reminisced together but didn't take the time to sit the family down and tell them how God had told Joshua to send the Chest (which represented God's presence among them) with the priests into the Jordan river and just when the priests feet got wet in the water it dried up! Or how God told Joshua to have the priests and the singers and the assembly march around Jericho 7 times and then they watched in Awe as God broke the walls down from the inside out! They didn't stop to tell them that the huge 12 stoned altar on the Western edge of the Jordan river signified the arrival of God's people to the promised land and commemorated the drying up of the Jordan river. It wasn't that they didn't want them to know... they just got busy.

They weren't fighting anymore. Nothing to conquer. No fear. God had given them peace on all sides. So they got busy living. There was no longer any immediate need to seek God, call out to Him in fear or even think much about Him. They had everything they had been promised! Life was great! So they went about their lives with out much thought of God. He'd done His part. He'd fulfilled His part of the covenant. They were home. Safe and sound.

But one generation later God is extinct from their vocabulary. They are worshiping the idols of the native people and are about to suffer the discipline of a Holy God. Because Mom and Dad kept silent.

Want to instill a healthy view of God in your kids? Want to keep them from suffering from disobedience? Want to help them carry their faith to their own children? Make a conscious effort to tell them what God has done in YOUR life. How he brought you and your spouse together. How He showed up in the bottom of the ninth and came through to provide you with just what was needed at just the right time. If you forget, your children could suffer at the hands of an angry God. Take the time to tell them what God is doing in your life... I think I'll start tonight!

Not One Word...

2011-01-21T09:15:00.002-06:00

I am amazed at our God. I continue to stand in awe of Him who created everything. You alone are the One True God, there is no one else like You.

I am loving the Old Testament reading plan from youversion.com that I'm doing this year! I have been reading in both Genesis and Joshua every day and the parallels are incredible. I'm seeing the call of Abraham and his life following God in Genesis. And I'm seeing part of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, through the people of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua as they take possession of the land (that God promised to Abraham) in the book of Joshua! It really is cool to see both the promise and fulfillment in each of these books every day! It's like looking backwards and forwards in time all at once!

Anyway, today's read was pretty neat and inspiring. Both books were in chapter 21. Genesis 21 starts out this way, "God visited Sarah exactly as He said He would; God did to Sarah what He promised: Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a son in his old age, and at the very time God had set."

Wow! Do you see God's incredible provision and promise there?! Everything happened, EXACTLY as He said it would! What He PROMISED came true! And at the very time God had SET! I like the use of that word, set. God didn't just tell Sarah what was going to happen, like he read it in some book of the future. He planned this date and time out before she was born. He knew it was going to happen because He planned it! He SET it in time! He controlled it! How awesome is that! Our God doesn't just know things because He was told, He knows them because He SET it in motion! Before Sarah was born God already knew her whole life story. He knew the year, month, day, minute and second she would give birth to Isaac. She had been barren and frustrated and angry and heart-sick all those years (she was an old, old lady!) and all along God had His plan in motion.

But don't get too excited yet! Look at how Joshua 21 ends: "Not one word failed from all the good words God spoke to the house of Israel. Everything came out right."

Couldn't you just swap these two stories one for the other?! With Israel not ONE WORD failed! Everything came out RIGHT! Why? Because the same God who knew Sarah's whole life story before she was born and SET the date for Isaac's birth makes sure that His WORD never fails! He's in control! He's got it all planned out and nothing or no one can interrupt, stop or twist His plan! He's GOD!

Sometimes I have to be reminded who God is and when I am, wow. It's incredible to think that the God who controlled the events of Sarah's life and knew her before she was... the same God who sees to it that not ONE WORD of His is left unfulfilled, the God who makes everything come out right, not only KNOWS me but LOVES me and wants what is best for me.

Whatever you are going through today, right now, know this. God's plan can not, will not, be left undone in your life. Not One Word of His is taken lightly. Your father may have lied to you, your boyfriend, your mother may not be there anymore, but God never fails. In Him, everything can come out right, even your life, if you let Him take control.

Notice one last thing, both in the lives of Abraham, Sarah and the Israelite nation, they were not perfect. Abraham lied, Sarah laughed at God's promise, and the Israelites could not stay on course. But God is not limited or controlled by the people who follow Him. Your life, your sin, to this point and in the future will not keep God from loving you anymore than it will keep God from using you if you give yourself to Him. Everything will work out exactly as He says and not One WORD of His will fail. You can count on that.

A Legacy of Sin...

2011-01-12T10:53:00.001-06:00

Reading the Old Testament can be difficult at times. Even for someone who grew up in the church and now, as a preaching pastor for 14 years I still get a little sick as I read. All the people that were slaughtered at the hands of the Israelites as they took possession of the land God had promised their ancestors. I wonder why they didn't tell the other kingdoms about God? Or why God didn't reveal Himself to them like he did to the ancestors of the Israelites so they didn't have to be destroyed? But today I am reminded of a few things.
1. God is God. I have no right to judge Him (that's a scary proposition anyway!) or His actions or decisions. Who would argue in the court room with a human judge and not expect punishment? He is God. I am not.

2. In my reading plan this year I am reading right now both in Genesis and Joshua. I am reading about God's call on Abram (Abraham) and about Joshua leading Israel in their conquest of the promised land.
This has given me the opportunity to see something that is often forgotten. Remember the story of Cain and Able? Cain killed his brother, the first murder, the first generation after Adam and Eve, THESE PEOPLE STILL TALKED DIRECTLY TO GOD! And yet it didn't help. Cain still took Able's life and was cursed by God for his sin and sent to live in other parts of the country, an outcast. But, God didn't kill him. So, he took his family, moved away and started other cities and people groups. Adam and Eve had Seth and he, like Able, honored God and was blessed by Him. Noah, was a descendant of Seth. After the flood, Noah's son Shem sinned and Noah issued a curse on him. God was with Noah's other two sons but Shem took off and lived a part from God, while building and occupying cities as his own family grew. Then we could talk about Jacob and Esau, Jacob blessed and followed God. Esau doing life his own way.

So when the Israelites begin to take the land, they are taking it from the children of men who decided their way was better than God's. Men, and then families, and eventually whole nations living in opposition to God. That's where they come from. Abram (Abraham) however, Moses, David, etc. could trace their lineage back to men who followed God.

3. In the minds of Old Testament nations military power meant a stronger god. If you were overthrown by another people group you began to worship their god because he was obviously stronger than yours. But that didn't happen with the One True God of the Israelites. They wondered in the desert (and everyone knew it) but survived on "bread from heaven," manna. They were unstoppable on the battle field but these other nations refused to worship their God. They were as stubborn and as their ancestors before them and refused to honor and worship God. Because of their stubbornness they were destroyed. Not because God arbitrarily set them aside for death.

What's the moral of this story? The selfishness or sin of one man, one woman, can set in stone the legacy they leave their children. When you disobey God. Turn your back on Him. Refuse to accept His love and care, you may just be sealing the fate of your offspring for generations! Leaving them a legacy of sin so that even when face to face with the reality of God they refuse to follow, just like you.
But, if you turn to God and give your life to Him you are setting the table for your children to know what real life is as they follow God themselves. Choose for yourself. A life for your children that leads to life eternal? Or a legacy of sin? It may just be up to you.

Two Stupid Decisions...

2011-01-10T11:42:00.002-06:00

You've heard the saying, two wrongs don't make a right? I wonder if we (humankind) will ever really figure that out? In Life Group last night one of the men, who is reading through the Old Testament, says something about how man has been on the earth for thousands of years and we're still doing the same dumb stuff. We refuse to trust the God of the universe and we insist on going our own way and doing our own thing. Even though time after time that's been proven to be the wrong lifestyle choice.

God gives us a little success when we call on Him and seek Him and then we're like, "Okay God, I can take it from here." It's like being on the ice and every time you get up you fall down. As soon as someone helps you up you jerk your hand back and say, "I can do it mysel..." and you need a hand again. Up. Down. Up. Down. I'm all for stick-to-it-iv-ness and gettin' back on the horse but we're not talking about something that you can learn, like riding a bike. We're talking about figuring out the ONLY way we can stand is by holding the hand of God. But as soon as we think we're up we let go...

Joshua and the Israelites have crossed the Jordan river on dry ground, thanks to God. They have finally arrived at their destination, thanks to God, and the manna, which had kept them alive for 40 years, (thanks to God) has stopped. They have marched around the fortified city of Jericho for 7 days and then watched as God caused the walls to fall. Someone stole some of the plunder so when they marched against Ai they failed. After discovering and correcting the sin issue they marched against Ai again, this time totally destroying them, thanks to God's plan of attack which included a detachment of men lying in ambush.

Now as they march to the next place they are stopped by some men who live in the area God had given the Israelites. These men had developed convincing disguises and a clever back story. They figured out a way to get Joshua and the Israelites to enter into an agreement not to kill them or their people. Good idea on their part. But verse 14 of Joshua 9 tells the downfall of the plan, "But they did not ask God about it." Joshua and the others bought the story. They were fooled by the disguises, in fact, the text says they "looked them over" which indicates they thought this decision was a slam dunk. So, they thought they could make it without consulting God.

When they figured out it was all a lie do you think they asked God what He thought they should do? Nope. They said, "well, we can't go back on our word and kill them, so we'll make them our servants." You would have thought they might learn from the first deception and seek God's decision, but then, you and I probably wouldn't have either.

This group of people is part of the same group who would later lead Israel away from God to follow other gods and worship idols. When will we learn that two stupid decisions don't make things better... you just get twice the trouble.

The moral of the story. Never assume you're smart enough to, "figure this one out on your own" always seek God. I realized I had thought something was obviously from God and had to take a time out this morning and pray that He reveal His decision to me. I'll let you know what He says.

Revelation from Revelation

2011-01-07T09:56:00.002-06:00

Okay, you need to know that I'm one of those guys who would rather just leave Revelation alone. Let's face it, it's a difficult book to understand and most super-spiritual people who spend all their time in it only seem to so they can confuse the faith right out of other, less-spiritual people. The fact is, no matter how you slice it, it's hard to figure out. First, you and I don't live during the worst persecution of Christians in the history of the world. Our family members and friends are not being thrown to the lions, sharks, killed in the streets, impaled, cut down by gladiators while completely defenseless just because we believe in Jesus... shall I go on? Second, None of us (most likely) have no real idea what it's like to live under a king, except for what we've read in books or seen in movies. Third, we are separated by almost two thousand years, we can't possibly understand every nuance, and reference.

Having said that, let me share with you a bit of revelation I received while reading Revelation (which was part of my 2010 reading and I just finished it!). FYI - I have never preached from Revelation, don't claim to understand it and anything I say about I have the right to completely change my mind in a moment!

I see two parallel stories going on here.
One is the story of God's great love for his people, those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ - true children of Abraham. It is terrible for Him as He watches the torture of those He loves so much. He wants to show them that their determined and resolute faith will not be forgotten or go unrewarded. So He gives them a picture of two things: His wrath on those who do not believe and have attacked and killed His people. And, the future eternal victory and homecoming of all those who have remained faithful... they will get to stand with Jesus on the sea of glass before the very throne of God!

Second is the story of God's great love for those who refuse to acknowledge Him as God, Ruler, Creator, Sustainer and Master. You may not catch it right off but think about it this way, God has tried for thousands of years to get humanity to recognize Him as God. He has loved, provided, cared for and demonstrated His power and majesty over and over again, but people refuse to see Him for who He is. They worship the created instead of the Creator. So, like a caring, loving parent, God begins to reveal Himself through increasing displays of His power and authority (the horse and riders and terrors) in the hopes that those disciplined will recognize Him and turn to Him as God so that He can save them and love them like He so desperately desires. But, with every increasing display they recognize God and at the same time, harden their hearts against Him. Refusing to turn, to yield, to submit, to love the God who so desperately loves them.

Both stories are about God's love. God's love is ultimate and unending and the star of this story. For those who ultimately refuse to love Him back, there is death. For those who respond to either His love or His power by believing and calling on His Name He gives the right to be present with Him forever. God's love reigns supreme.

I no longer see Revelation as a difficult book or scary kind of story only the super-christian can figure out. I see it as a continuation of the Love Story that started, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... It's a GREAT story.

Practice, practice, practice...

2011-01-06T18:25:00.002-06:00

Been playing racquetball with some friends and loving it! I was getting beat pretty bad but the more we play the better I get, I know, imagine that! I'm really enjoying it because I have to work at it. Think. Fight. Plan. Practice. It's not easy, but it's paying off. I'm getting better. The more I play the less I have to think about it. I'm not perfect, but practicing is making the angles, hits, positioning, and strategy come more easily, which means it's becoming a habit and will soon be permanent (remember learning to ride a bike? Practice turned the moves and balance into habit and it soon became permanent... hence the saying, "like riding a bike")

This year, racquetball isn't the only thing I'm practicing.. I've challenged myself to run a half marathon in May (two months and one day before my 40th birthday!) I've never run 13 miles in my life! Hey, in preparation for the half, I'm running 7 miles this Saturday... I've never run 7 miles in my life! Practicing the little things make the big things possible.

Here are some other things I'm practicing this year:

I am reading one book for every month of the year. Starting with Francis Chan's Crazy Love. I'll read chapter 4 tomorrow and am LOVING it! Next on my list is Radical by David Platt.
I'm keeping a gratitude journal this year. I forget everything! So, I'm writing the stuff down that God does in my life, my family or the church, every day so I don't forget. Imagine in December of 2011 being able to go back and have a notebook full of the cool and amazing and miraculous things God did!
I'm continuing to practice my Bible reading this year. I've chosen to read the Old Testament this year in The Message version. I think I'll do the OT every third year. (you can join me at www.youversion.com. I'll re post my blog posts on youversion and you can keep up with what God is teaching me there by following reallifecc)
I'm also gonna continue to journal my prayer time and Bible reading thoughts (and I'll share those on my blog/youversion).

So there you have it, some of the things I'll be practicing this year. Paul told Timothy to, train himself to be godly because it was far better than just physical training. So I'm practicing my faith. Practicing to be more like Jesus. Practicing the things that will benefit me in this life and the life to come. I hope you'll join me!

Recovery from a "false step."

2010-11-29T11:11:00.002-06:00

Have you ever been on a balance beam? Then you know what it's like to begin to lose your balance. The other day I was balancing on the end of my Father-in-laws truck bed attempting to get up so that I could be the next in line to ride the new, super-high, rope swing he had installed. My oldest son was already in the back of the truck and as I came up I began to lose my balance. In the back of the truck there was nothing to grab on to except my son, which I tightly did! He in turn grabbed my arm and a disaster of embarrassing proportions was averted.

In Galatians 6:1 it says, "...if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly, should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path."

As I read this passage I looked right above my computer monitor to a yellow inspiration note that I had stuck there several weeks ago after reading someone else's blog. It is a reminder that the Jews categorized different levels of what we simply call "sin." To the Jew, a "sin" is unintentional and is very different from the other two, rebellious and willful, levels of sin.

So I got out a commentary I had close at hand to look at the original word used. This word, in its original meaning could have made the sentence sound like this, "if another believer is overcome by some 'false step' you who are godly..."

Now, how many of us have taken false steps? I took one getting up into the pickup bed. Perhaps you've twisted an ankle on a false step. Slipped on the ice. Tripped on your shoelace. We take the same kind of spiritual false steps. We look just a little too long at the picture. We think just a bit more about how good he looks. We hold that item we inadvertently walked out of the store with just long enough to claim, "possession is 9/10ths..."

These false steps happen all the time and Paul says that it is the duty of other believers to, "gently and humbly" help the offender back on the right path. This is done so as to restore our fellow believer so that a more serious "sin" is not committed. But it should also be done very carefully because we know that Satan is prowling, he is after all of us!

But I want to look at another issue here. The "sin" we are to restore our brother from is an unintentional sin. A false step. A mistake. A moment of weakness, a slip. From these one can be quickly and fairly easily restored. What Paul doesn't mention is the other types of sin. Willful disobedience and rebellious behavior. For those, there is a completely different way of helping your brother back on the path, much more painful for all involved and not nearly as easy as a quick grab or a subtle shove, to get him back on track.

Living by the Spirit

2010-11-24T09:03:00.002-06:00

The Holy Spirit is a hard concept to get a hold of in the faith. We often talk about wanting to be led by the Spirit and want our decisions to be Spirit guided. Even this morning I prayed about this. I read that the Spirit did not come because we obeyed some law of God, but because we believed. But often we Christians think that if we "do more good" then the Spirit will be more active in our lives. The reality is that the Spirit is active in the lives of those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust His promises. So if you want to be Spirit led, you need to believe, or have more faith. More faith equals more of the Spirit (not that you get more but you are more aware, more in-tune and more able to follow).

If you want to experience more of the Holy Spirit working in your life, you must work at having more faith. Trusting more. Believing the promises more. Stepping out more, absolutely sure that God can and will provide for the paths that He has laid out for you.

But if you really want to know how much of the Spirit you have, ask yourself these questions:

How much Love do I show toward others? Toward the unlovely?
How much Joy is present in my life? Even when things aren't going so well?
Are you always anxious or most often at Peace? Can you find peace in difficulty?
Am I a Patient person? Am I more patient than I was 5 years ago?
Am I Kind to others? To those I don't know or who are not kind to me?
Would others say that there is Goodness in me?
Am I Faithful? Faithful to my spouse? Faithful to my church? To God?
When I get angry am I Gentle? Is that a trait that others can see even in difficult times?
Am I able to Control my life and desires? Or do I follow ever whim of my heart? Can I control my self? Do I need to have another drag, drink, peek?

If you are asking God for more His Spirit these are the benchmarks you use. Not more gifts of the Spirit. Not more miracles. But more of the basics. Keep a record. Work to improve these areas, with the Spirit's help. And you'll find you've got more of Him and less of you. And that's a good thing.

4 tips to make your Thanksgiving AND your life a little more enjoyable

2010-11-23T13:07:00.002-06:00

So, tell me what your Thanksgiving is like? No, on second thought, let me guess... Everyone shows up at your house like in the movies, it's snowing and the warm glow from the lights in the house make it feel so cozy and inviting. There is not a single cross word spoken and every one's last nerve is tucked away and out of sight. Dinner goes off perfectly, the Cowboys win their game and everything is right with the world...

Wait, that's not your Thanksgiving? Maybe yours looks more like mine. Everybody shows up at least a little cranky because they've either been in the car too long, the kids are out of their routine or you're the one that got stuck hosting, baking, cleaning and being the entertainment coordinator. The food is good but the place is crowded and you have to talk to people you don't really know about things you don't really care about. After you eat, all the good spots to snooze are already taken and you end up talking to that same person about that same subject until it's time to pack up and head home, which you promised yourself would be earlier this year than last!

Well, I've got some tips, directly from Paul, to help address some of these Holiday grouch moods we often get in. As Paul wraps up his second letter to the Church in Corinth he closes with this final admonition.

Be Joyful - it's a command to intentionally be joyful. This year there will be lots of reasons to not be joyful; lost jobs, uncertainty about the future, you just got molested by a TSA agent because you didn't want to go through the naked picture machine. You may have every reason to be a grouch. Be joyful. In spite of your circumstances. Because no matter how bad it is here, heaven will MORE than make up for it. Be joyful.
Grow to Maturity - the focus here is that there is farther to go, more to aspire to. We are to be "like Christ" and that doesn't happen by accident. You will probably have Thanksgiving with some family member who is older but has never grown-up (if not you may be that one!). We need to grow-up into Christ so that we can be mature and that maturity will help us handle all the little things that used to drive us over the edge.
Encourage each other - instead of the alternative. My family are all pros at sarcasm, which is kind of funny at the time, but leaves you with a pretty sour taste. This year, instead of pointing out all the things wrong with everyone, or poking fun at others mistakes and poor choices or circumstances (like who got stuck next to Aunt Margaret!) be an encouragement. This will go a long way toward dealing with those interpersonal issues that will crop up. Encourage this year and see what happens to every body's mood!
Live in harmony and peace - don't sweat the small stuff. Someone else wants your chair? The dark meat is gone before it gets to you? Try being a servant instead of insisting on being the master and see how that goes for you. If everyone tried to be a little more kind and less pushy you'd probably experience a little more harmony and peace and that would be nice for everybody!

Four easy tips to make this Holiday Season a little more festive and enjoyable for everybody, including yourself. Thank, Paul for the lesson from 2000 years ago. I'll let you know how it goes! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Could I follow you around today?

2010-11-19T13:51:00.006-06:00

Okay, confession time, I'm a Cowboys fan. Always have been. Always will be. So with such a crummy record this year I watch the Facebook posts about the Cowboys and often read the little blurbs to see what's up with my team. Today, this one got me thinking about the Christian life.

Apparently, Wade Phillips (while he was still the head coach) got NFL officials to come to the 'Boys practices. Jason Garrett has continued this practice during practice and has been able to see some improvement. You can read the story for yourself here, but that's not what was of interest to me. Garrett (the new Cowboys head coach) said, "we ask them to get involved. They have to be active. They're not just standing there watching practice. And they understand that, and a big thing for them is not only telling us what a penalty is, but also communicating with the coach and the player as to why it was a penalty and how you can do something maybe differently to prevent that penalty from happening."

What a concept! Dallas has brought in league officials to not only watch the practices but become an integral part of the practice! They don't just say, "yep, that was a penalty." They stop the flow and tell the coach AND the player why it would have been a penalty and what the player could do differently to avoid having a penalty called later. These officials have taken an "active" roll in the practices.

How would you like to have your preacher follow you around all day? Not only pointing out the things that you did or said that would qualify as a "foul" but helping you to know how you could avoid those same mistakes in the future. Wouldn't that be beneficial to your spiritual life? I know it would be to mine!

Often times we don't have a problem noticing WHEN we fail in our Christian Walk, but the problem comes in how to avoid the failure in the first place. We get so used to doing life in a certain way that it just becomes how we function. Normal. We can't see any other way to do it, so we continue to get into the same problems over and over again. Then we wonder why we can't get ahead.

Perhaps this is why the Bible tells us to confront each other when we see a failure, to throw a flag and stop the game. But we need to be able to say, this is what happened and this is how to avoid it in the future. The only way to do that is to practice. We are told to practice the commands of God. In fact, Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit who would, "teach you all things and remind you of everything I said to you." The Holy Spirit is like God's official who is watching our lives, not only convicting us of the sin we commit, but He's there to help us know how to avoid the same mistake in the future!

Are you tired of getting penalized in life? Are you mad at God for calling fouls? Do you feel like you get ahead only to be called back? Well, have you heard the saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result every time? It's time we as believers took advantage of the official God has given us. He will convict us of sin and point us toward true righteousness. Let the official come to your practice. Listen to Him and do what He says. That's the only way to get a different result. That's the only way to improve your game.

My wife got new eyes...

2010-11-15T11:57:00.002-06:00

My wife has always had problems with her eyes. She was one of those cute little kids wearing glasses, though as she got older, and the glasses got thicker, the cuteness factor begins to dip. So a few years ago we were able to get her new eyes. At least that is what she calls them. She now has contact lenses inserted INTO her eyes just above the lens (I think that's it anyway and yes, it was GROSS). She went from being able to see only items a few inches away from her face to seeing at any distance with clarity. Amazing! Now, it wasn't that she "couldn't" see, but that she could only see what was right in front of her eyes, literally only a few inches away. She couldn't see her feet. She couldn't even see her hands... unless she held them up to her face. So, while she could see one thing everything else was fuzzy and indistinguishable.

I was reading in 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 today and think that I have suffered spiritually what she has suffered physically.

It's not that I can't see at all, it's that I often only see what's right here in front of me. That means that everything else is blurry and that tends to make getting around more difficult, and scary.

As Christians we are supposed to "walk by faith and not by sight." That means that we are supposed to walk according to what we CAN'T see instead of what we can. We have to live according to what we believe not just what we see with our eyes. What we see tells us one story, but it's only part of the story. What we can't see is the truth or reality that there is more going on in us, around us and through us. Let me make it super simple. I don't "see" God with my eyes but the reality of God's presence is all around me. So I live by my faith that He not only exists but that He rewards those who seek Him.

Paul put this into a real-time example in chapter 4 when he said, in a matter of speaking, the following, (I've put it into more specific terms for Real Life). Here at Real Life we are troubled by a lack of space, a lack of funds, a lack of resources - people and mechanical. But our Spirit is not crushed, we have not lost hope. We are at times perplexed by what is happening and what we perceive God is doing, or not doing - that we can't understand - but we do not despair because we know that He is always faithful. Satan is prowling like a lion seeking those whom he may devour, but God is not, has not and will not abandon us. Satan at times even wins and we are knocked down. But we are not and our faith is not destroyed.

I believe that nothing is impossible for God... nothing is even difficult for God! The same God that calmed the storm, raised the dead, fed the masses, healed the lame, spoke the truth and made the blind to see is the same God that now watches over you and me!

So, I will get new eyes, spiritual eyes. I will look not at what "I" can see but at what HE sees. I will not call a bill too big, a problem too enormous, a lack of something too great or a person too messed up for God. I will walk in faith instead of standing in hope (as Steven Furtick said). I will determine to focus not on the problem, the short-fall or the negative, but instead keep my focus on the One who is never surprised and never unable. With my new eyes I will see clearly so that I walk by faith in what He is doing in my life and in His church, not by the lies that Satan so quickly brings to my field of vision, (i.e. you don't have enough, you can't, He won't, etc.).

Here's to new eyes, renewed vision and walking in more faith.

What is a blessing?

2010-11-09T11:28:00.003-06:00

I want to expand today on something that the Holy Spirit revealed to me this last weekend as I practiced the message before an empty room. I began a series on the concept of being blessed (it originated down in OK with Craig at Lifechurch.tv) and spent about the first half of the message just talking about what a blessing really is.

See, I think in today's Church culture there is a real misconception about what a blessing is. Talk to very many people and you'll find out that while we say we're blessed with health, good kids or a happy marriage, most truly consider God's blessing as having fallen on those with a new something... car, home, boat, RV, etc. In fact, most of our prayers could fall under the heading of, "give me this, please." God bless me with a new car, mine has a scratch, or a worn tire or a rip in the seat. God, I need a bigger house, bless me so that I can have an extra room for the new 1080i flat panel you just blessed me with.

I wonder if those things could be considered blessings at all! Here's what I think the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. We know that God's desire is for a stronger, closer, deeper relationship with us, His people, His children. So it would make sense that His leading in our lives, or His blessings in our lives should have the goal of drawing us closer to Him.

But it occurred to me that many times the "big" things I ask God to bless me with actually pull me AWAY from Him instead of drawing me closer and deeper into that relationship. The new car, house, boat, job... they take me away from worship, prayer... I don't need to trust God to get me to work, I've got a new car! I have this boat and the only time I can get use it is on Sundays, doesn't God frown on me having this expensive boat and then not using it? I have a new house and bigger payment so I have to work more... you see where this is all going, don't you?

I think this must be why the Bible says, consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds because the end result is spiritual maturity, a closer walk with God! When my car might break down on the way to work I pray hard all the way there! When I can't make my house payment I seek God's help and provision! When my job is more of a problem then a gift I spend time with God to work through it! But if I had everything I thought I needed, and have been asking God to bless me with, I wouldn't need Him anymore!

So the end result is this. Maybe the blessings we thought were from God, really came from Satan so that we might need God less. And maybe the things we thought were Satan trying to "keep us down" were really God trying to draw us closer! Maybe we ought to pray that our relationship with God grow instead of our bank account. Perhaps we should seek God as much as we seek "stuff FROM God." What if all Christians stopped praying for blessings and started praying for a closer walk, more workers for the field and an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with someone who is hurting?

I guess we might loose a few "Christians" if they realize God is not here to make us happy but to make us whole. That's alright, we'll let 'em go. Because I'll bet we could get a lot more accomplished for the Kingdom with fewer people sold out to God, then with a bunch of people who have simply sold out.

the Every Person Possible principle

2010-11-08T13:45:00.002-06:00

At Real Life here in El Dorado we have a vision... I know, nothing new, everybody has one these days. But I think ours comes with a principle that finds its heart directly in the Scriptures. It's not some fancy precisely worded thing that God gave me one a cruise (actually heard a preacher say that's where God to spoke to him... I've never been on a cruise, yet.) no this just comes, like Real Life itself, from livin' this stuff every day.

Here it is; at Real Life we want to help Every Person Possible find real life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Not too fancy. I'm sure you know every word in that sentence and that it makes sense the first time you read it. But there's more. Some might say that we are "over reaching" because we want to help, every person possible and that it just makes the focus too big or blurry or whatever. But I think it's exactly the heart of God.

The every person possible principle should be played out in our lives every day. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:19-27, that he willingly subjected himself to the customs of the people around him so that he might have the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. He said, "when I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ." Paul wanted to connect with everyone so that he might have a moment to tell them about Jesus. But he didn't connect with everyone. Acts is filled with people who turned their back on Paul. Who didn't like him because of what he said or how he said it. He didn't reach everyone, but he did reach many and got to watch Jesus change their lives.

Paul said that he wanted to find, "common ground" with everyone and that he desired to do "everything" to spread the Good News. That's what we're about at Real Life. We know that not everyone is going to connect with what we're doing, how we're doing it or with me, or the band or the children's teacher... But we do what we do to connect with every person possible. For some, it just won't be possible for us to find any common ground. Differences is worship styles, music, dress, my preaching/teaching style, the building, etc. these are all things that might make it difficult for us to connect with some people, but we don't have to reach everyone, just every person possible.

We simply want to do what is best for others so that, like Paul says (in 10:33) "many may be saved." That's every person possible! We're on a mission. We're not going to reach everybody but we want to reach everybody we can. For the cause of Jesus Christ and the glory of God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe one of those from the Every Person Possible group might be you... let us know if it!

Dealing with Sin.

2010-11-04T12:18:00.004-05:00

This morning my wife left the house looking especially beautiful. She always looks good but today she just really stood out and I was thinking about how God had blessed me with a wife who was as attractive on the outside as she is on the inside. Later I called her on the phone and I told her that I thought she looked really good today and that she was, "like a virus, easy to catch but hard to get rid of." I know, cheesy. I'll accept that, I'm head over heels for her. So, go ahead and laugh, I'm use to it. When you're a romantic you just have to live with it.

But in my reading today I came across something that seemed to fit my little pick-up-line (can you really use a pick-up-line on your wife?!) in 1 Corinthians 5:6 Paul says that sin is like, "a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough."

See, sin is that virus that is easy to catch but hard to get rid of... do you see it now?! That is why sin is so damaging, it takes over. It wants to control. To slither its way into every aspect of your life so until it has infected every corner. It wants to posses you. Control you. Destroy you.

When you get sick, the sniffles or sinus or aches and pains you know something is wrong and you go to the Dr. who gives you a Zpack or something and you take care of it. But often with sin we think, "I can handle it. I don't need help. I'll be able to overcome it with time.

In one of the new Batman movies (I really like Batman begins - hated number 2, the joker was just too evil for me) there is a line that goes something like this, "evil thrives on the tolerance of the good." I think that is true. When we don't deal with sin, don't call it what it is, don't point it out and condemn it, we aren't being kind... we're being stupid. That little sin will work its way through our lives, families and churches and destroy us from the inside out. We have to deal with it. That's what Paul was saying. Don't tolerate it, go after it, destroy it or it will destroy you.

Happy hunting to erradicate that sin! Maybe there should be a group in every church with brown jumpsuits and big bibles on their backs and we could call them the "sin busters"! Okay, that was dopey... who ya' gonna call?

What is the Christian Life all about?

2010-11-03T11:34:00.006-05:00

What is Christianity all about? Do you suppose people who are not believers ask this question? Do people look at us and think, "I don't get it?" What's the big deal about being a Christian. Surely there are people out there who believe there is a God but don't get Him, or care about Him or what He wants... Maybe they don't understand what He's all about?

I'm guessing, since I've been a believer all my life, that people who are not think that we are just like mindless robots. We do whatever some quack in a robe tells us to do. That "God" just wants to control us and keep us from having any fun or experiencing all that life has to offer. I think we Christians must have done a horrible job of explaining the christian life.

Giving your life to God doesn't mean that you lose your freedom, your ability to choose what you want to do and when you want to do it. On the contrary, the christian life is marked by freedom. I can choose to do what I want when I want. I just have to recognize that there are consequences for what I do. If I choose to smoke or take drugs I am free to do that... but there is a high likelihood that I will become a slave to those things (that's why it's called an addiction). I lose my right to choose when I become addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, violence...sin. Actually, that sin I commit begins to control me! I HAVE to have a another drink. I HAVE to take another drag. That's slavery.

But when I give myself to God through His Son Jesus Christ, what I get is freedom. He will never FORCE me to love Him. He will never MAKE me worship Him. He will never TREAT me like a slave, in fact its quite the opposite, He treats me like a SON.

Jesus said in John 10:9,10 that, Satan "comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that (those who believe) might have real life, eternal life, more and better than they dreamed" (MSG). More life? Better life? Seems pretty far fetched. But look at what Paul says about the Christian life in Romans 14:17, "the Kingdom of God...is a matter of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Does that sound like slavery to you?

What does God want from us? He wants us to willingly choose to give our lives to Him, not as slaves (because we can always choose to do what we want) but as sons and daughters we do what He asks because we love Him. What do we get in return? Life.

God wants you to be able to experience real life. Would you say that your life is marked by goodness? Even if you are a "moral" person, would you say your life is full of peace? That you are joyful? 90% of the time? 50%? 10%? As a follower of Jesus and a child of God my life is not marked by lots of money, a big house or fancy cars. I still face money problems, marital problems, kid problems, pain and sorrow. But in the midst of all that I see the goodness of God displayed all around me. I have peace that surpasses my ability to understand it and though I struggle I have the joy of knowing that this is all temporary anyway.

Do you want to experience Real Life, more and better than you ever imagined? Do you want to live free from the slavery to fear, doubt, addictions and sin? You can have what I and other Christians enjoy. Choose to give your life to God through Jesus Christ. Be free. Experience the real life that only God can give. What have you got to lose? You will always have the opportunity to go back.

wow, I am humbled...

2010-11-01T21:31:00.003-05:00

Just checked and saw that in the last month people from 13 different countries either viewed this blog or watched one of my video messages on the message archive blog. Crazy. Hey, let's do this, if you view this blog or the message blog why not comment on whatever your viewing and let us know where you're reading/watching from?! Come on, it will be fun!

Thanks for allowing me to actually be used by God! I hope it blesses you!

Have you considered God's Love?

2010-11-01T12:59:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wondered why God even gave Adam and Eve the ability to chose in the first place? I mean, come on, wouldn't it have been better for us if Adam and Eve would not even have been given the ability to eat from that one stinking tree's fruit?

From that point on we (humanity) have been, as Romans 11 puts it, "imprisoned...in disobedience." Romans 3:23 says it this way, "all have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect mark." It means that we're all in the same boat of sin, unworthy and hopeless. But did you ever think that through that sin, our sin, God has been able to make His mercy known to everyone? Mercy is NOT receiving what you DO deserve. If we all have sinned then what we deserve is death (Romans 6:23) because the wages of sin IS death. But God's mercy, through our sin, is made available to everyone because everyone has sinned.

Here's why this is so incredible. If God only showed His love/mercy to those who deserved it... none of us (yes you... and me) would now experience God's love. Do you have a car? home? job? family? anything good in your whole entire life? You didn't deserve it because you're a sinner. You and I don't DESERVE anything. Honestly, you're not so wonderful that you deserve what you have. Neither am I. If we were honest we'd have to say we've all 1) lied at one time or another. 2) Taken something that wasn't ours... even a post it note or a cheap pen from work. Tell me you've 3) never, never had a dirty thought in your life (see #1). So we're all at least lying, adulterous thieves.

So God shows His love to everyone regardless of whether they deserve it or not. You may say, "I haven't experienced God's love..." Oh yea? Did the sun come up this morning? Did the rain fall on the crops that produce the food you eat? Did you take a breath? Another, and... another? Matthew 5 says that God makes HIS sun shine on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. That's what makes His love so incredible! It's NOT based on whether or not you and I deserve it! We can't live like that. I love those who love me more than those who I know don't. Sad, but true. But because God doesn't show favoritism it makes His love so much better, complete, holy and more perfect than my love!

He loved us first. And He has made His mercy available to everyone just the same. Have you considered God's love lately? Does it make more sense that God tells us to, "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us"? It's because that's what He did with you and me. We were once, like so many others today, enemies of God because of our sin. We persecuted Him when we committed sin, called something He had created, ugly or trashy. Considered worthless the good things He gave us and rejected Him as the source of what we had.

We have all spat in the face of God because we wanted more. But his love STILL was made available to us. Think about it.

Sharing Your Faith: It's your responsibility.

2010-10-29T13:53:00.003-05:00

Here's a quick lesson Paul gives in Romans 10 for the necessity of sharing your faith. You don't have to get crazy knocking on doors but you do have a responsibility to step the through the doors God opens.

First of all here is the honest truth about the issue of personal faith. No one can be saved if they do not believe. (See John 3:16 and Acts 4:12)

It's impossible to believe in someone you don't even know exists.

No one will know of someones existence unless others who do know, tell them.

No one will tell them if they are not sent to tell them.

That's why we need to, "set apart Christ as Lord (in our own lives, and) Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). And realize that we have all been "sent" to tell others what we know, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).

When you know about Jesus and have experienced life change because of Him you have an obligation to tell others. If you are silent others will not know that Jesus can change their lives too. If they don't know He can, they will not believe that He will. If they don't believe that He will then they can't be saved.

See you and I are the pins that hold this thing together, if we don't do our job and tell others what is going on in our own lives then the hope that they might be saved is lost. If you and I simply keep our mouths shut people will be lost to hell.

I'm not saying you wear a sandwich sign at Wal Mart telling people to "repent or burn," I'm simply stating that if you and I don't take advantage of the opportunities that God presents to us we may be condemning that person to a lifetime and eternity a part from God. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and life, no one comes to God except through Him, but they have to know who He is and what He can do before they will come to experience the Real Life available in/through Him. We've got work to do.

Let me break it down for you...

2010-10-26T14:00:00.003-05:00

Here it is, short and sweet, directly from Paul.

Do NOT:

Let sin control the WAY you live. Your actions, functions, means of life.
Give it to sinful DESIRES. Greed is a sinful desire, hate, lust, disobedience, selfishness, all.
Let any part of your body be an INSTRUMENT OF EVIL to serve sin. For instance, your eyes could be a tool to serve the sin of lust, your ears could be a tool to serve the sin of gossip.

INSTEAD (meant to be a replacement for the above):

Give yourself COMPLETELY to God. That means everything, what you do, say, think, see...
Use your WHOLE body as an instrument to do what is right for God's glory. Let your hands be the tool God uses to care for someone else. Your voice can be a tool to share God's love with others. Your feet can be the tool God uses to take the hope of Jesus to others. Your ears can be tools used to listen to someone who is hurting.

See, when you give your life to Jesus, sin is no longer master in your life. Now, you live and move and exist under the freedom of God's grace. Life isn't about do's and don'ts any longer, it's about get to's and want to's! I get to experience Real Life in Christ, I want to please my Savior because of what He's done for me!

Get it?! See Romans 6

When you know.

2010-10-22T13:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, we've been talking about circumstances a lot lately and following Paul through the tail end of Acts and this latest shipwreck, which we find in 28, lands them on the island of Malta. Here's the deal. Have you noticed how cool and collected Paul has been through all this? Luke too for that matter, since he was along for this whole ride! Anyway, Paul just seems to call it then go through it. No big deal.

In fact, once Paul and all the other people, ship's crew, officers and prisoners, etc., get to land (even Paul had to swim for it, no walking on the water here!) they are cold and wet because there is still this storm raging. Paul, either forced or out of servanthood, begins to collect wood for a fire that the locals had made. Nice guy.

But if the shipwreck was enough to make you question whether God really cared about Paul this next item will blow your mind! While Paul was gathering fire wood a viper springs from warming wood and attaches itself to Paul's hand pumping it's venom into his bloodstream. Paul simply, "shakes it off" and continues about his business. No freak out. No screaming. No prayer. No worry. Of course the locals think he must have done something really bad, murder to be exact, since he survived the water and now a snake has sealed his fate.

They waited for his hand to swell... which would indicate the next step, sudden and complete death. And he deserved it! Rotten murderer. But as they watched him continue to gather sticks, sit and talk, whatever, they noticed that his hand didn't swell and he didn't die! Incredible! There were the two marks from the fangs. But nothing happened. They go from believing he is a murderer to assuming he must be a god! Logical leap, right?! Circumstances completely changed their opinion!

But that's not the cool thing here. I think it's amazing that Paul never questions. Never waivers. Never even seems to care about the shipwreck... or the snake bite! Me, I'd be going crazy on God! I can't believe you made me go through that! I thought you loved me and appreciated all the people I continually tell about Jesus! And now a SNAKE?! Come on! Give me a few moments of peace!

Paul is so convinced that he is on the exact path God has for him that nothing can deter him from preaching in Rome. Paul is single minded. His circumstances don't convince him God has left him anymore than they convince him He's with him, they just are. So, shipwreck, no problem, Paul gets to preach to a whole new group of people. Snake bite? No sweat! Paul gets the opportunity to heal and preach.

God, give me a single minded focus on what you've called me TO, so that it doesn't matter what I'm going through. Good or bad, let me preach, teach and baptize for Your glory.

Who do YOU listen to?

2010-10-21T11:06:00.002-05:00

It is human nature to seek advise... from people who we think will agree with us. From the time time began we have asked around until we found someone who supported what we desired anyway. Of course, then we've got someone to blame when things don't work out the way we planned, since, we can't blame ourselves. But seriously, where do you seek advise? Who do you listen to?

This becomes a little tricky when you throw God in the mix. Paul had this problem. He is now on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar himself but on the way (late in the fall - storm time) Paul goes to the official in charge of he and other prisoners and tell him shipwreck, loss of cargo and danger to lives awaits them if they continue. The official then goes to the captain of the ship and the owner and asks them what they think, are we in danger of a storm if we continue? The captain and owner think it's a good idea to continue, so they do.

You guessed it. Hurricane time. for 14 days the ship was battered by the storm. The crew did all the right things. They lightened the load by throwing over cargo. They bound the hull with ropes to keep her together. They thew over non-essential gear from the ship. They prayed to their gods. They dropped anchor at one point, at other times they lowered the sails and let the storm drive them. They did everything they were supposed to. But they couldn't stop the storm they could just try to survive through it. 14 days they didn't see the sun or stars. That means they were lost. With nothing to navigate by they were sailing blind. They were lost. They were in danger. They were without hope.

I'll bet the official wished he would have listened to Paul! Though, I have to give him credit, he did learn from his mistake. When the crew was trying to escape using the lifeboat Paul said they would all die if any got off the ship so the official cut the lines and let the lifeboat go. Eventually the ship ran aground and was beaten to pieces by the waves. Oh, by the way, everyone made it to shore but the ship was lost.

When we try to listen to those that support out own thoughts/feelings (like the captain and owner) even when they may be more knowledgeable we often get into trouble. Paul didn't know much about sailing (though he had been shipwrecked at least 2 other times) but he did know God. And God knows. So what does God have to say about your situation? He will never, NEVER, lead you in a direction that is not supported in His Word, the Bible. So always seek out Godly council.

This may sound a bit harsh but, seek marriage advise from couples who make it work, have made it work. Job advise from the guy who's had his for 30 years. Parenting advise from those whose kids are not infants and all have their heads screwed on correctly. I could say it this way. Don't get advise about how to avoid drinking from an alcoholic, talk to the guy whose never had a drop. And most importantly, seek God.

Do you know the secret handshake, knock, word?

2010-10-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

I remember having a club with some friends from the neighborhood in my backyard. We had a secret knock... we had a secret password too. But in order to learn the secrets of the club you had to prove your worthiness to be in the club. Our "test"? The club house was built on top of my dad's storage shed, so the floor and deck was about 10' off the ground. In order to join the club you had to be able to jump from the clubhouse to the ground without killing yourself or breaking anything. Needless to say the club was pretty small.

I think most of us like to be a part of a club even as adults. Maybe it's a throwback to our childhoods or maybe we just like to feel like we are special, different, better than others. So we join country clubs. We're part of book clubs and alliances. PTO and Lions or Moose or Masons... I'm an official card carrying member of Dillons and Blockbuster myself.

In Acts 26:17-20 Paul is facing yet another trial and in his opening defense statement he says that God sent him to the Gentiles that they might "receive forgiveness of sins" and might "turn from darkness to light" and be "given a place among God's people who are set apart by faith." And this is what made the Jews so incredible mad. Why? Because they thought they were in a private club with God. For thousands of years they were the only ones who knew the secret code. Who had been entrusted with the secret handshake. They hated it that Paul was telling other people the password!

Funny how we tend to struggle with this even today. In my club as a kid every time we added another member the code got harder, longer, more complicated. It seemed that once you got in to the club each person wanted to make it harder for the next. I think this happens in church all the time. Once we're in we want to settle in, get comfortable and then make it harder for the next person, like we're somehow super special and no ordinary person could make it in the club with us. So the guests in our churches across the country feel like they have to dress the right way, speak the right way, walk, act, think, the right way in order to pass the test and get in.

But that has never been God's doing. He made it easy. Paul said the secret code is this, "repent of your sins and turn to God... and prove you have changed by the good things you do." It was the same for the Jews. But then they started adding all these other criteria on top, piling it so high that Jesus said of them, "do not practice what they preach. The tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders while they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them" (Matthew 23:4).

Jesus, right before he was betrayed got down on the dirt floor with a bucket and a bar and washed the dirty, stinky feet of His disciples - including Judas - and when He was done He asked them, "do you understand what I have done for you? You call me "teacher" and "Lord"... and that is what I am. And since I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you and example that you should do as I have done" (John 13:13-15).

We're all in the same boat. Come from the same place. All have sinned and fallen short and God extends the password to us all just the same, believe in the one that He sent. We have no more right to make it harder for others than Jesus did, than we have to tell Jesus how He "should" have done it. We are not special as Christians. We're simply forgiven. Shouldn't that same forgiveness and Real Life be extended to everyone just the same? He made the rules, our responsibility is to follow them, just the same for all.

Circumstances, Shmirckumstances.

2010-10-19T11:51:00.002-05:00

Are you controlled by your circumstances? More often than not I am. If things are going well I am happy. If the bills are due, the tires are flat and the cupboards are empty I'm NOT happy. I can be having a great day and then something crummy happens and I'm depressed. I hate it. My mood, my feelings, my circumstances, my downfall. I don't know how Paul did it. Once again in my reading I'm amazed at his consistency in following Christ regardless of what is going on around him.

It happens in chapter 24 of Acts. Paul gets arrested in Jerusalem and taken to Caesarea where he stands trial under Felix. Felix likes listening to him so he keeps Paul under house arrest (he has some freedom but not a lot) until the captain of the guard from Jerusalem can come and fill him in on the details of Paul's arrest. Anyway, a couple verses later we read that Paul was there, in custody for TWO YEARS waiting for this guy!

That would be enough to get me all kinds of upset with God! Paul was doing exactly what God wanted him to do and even while in jail Paul continued to write to the churches to encourage them, he would meet with groups and teach them in the house he was in and over and over he got to meet with Felix and other high-ranking officials to tell them about Christ. One would think God would be happy with Paul! One would think God would want to bless Paul, get him out of jail, set him up in a big house with a fat paycheck and nice car... um, Chariot! Instead, Paul sits in jail for two years and then when Felix is replaced and some dude named Festus comes to power Paul is left in jail as a favor to... the Jews!

So Paul did everything (as near as the text describes) right and still his circumstances were crummy at best. It would have made anyone else "feel" rejected by God and frustrated with doing the right thing and not getting any earthly reward. But it didn't seem to matter to Paul. Remember he's the guy who said, "if I live the name of Christ is honored through my life, if I die, it will be great gain for me to be in the presence of my Savior." Paul didn't care about his circumstances because they changed all the time. He recognized that what was going on around him was not as important as what was happening in and through him as he followed God's plan for his life.

I want to be free from slavery to my circumstances. I want to follow and trust God in spite of what is going on around me. My hope should be in the Lord, who made heaven and earth! My circumstances don't control my emotions or feelings. Nor do are they the determining factor as to whether or not I am doing what God has called me to. They are just circumstances. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. All the time useful for the Kingdom of God if I allow myself to be used regardless of my circumstances.

Circumstances are NOT indicators of God's favor. Live for the ultimate goal of life eternal, not for the momentary ease of your present situation.

Right and Wrong get blurred...

2010-10-18T10:52:00.002-05:00

In today's christian culture we are made to believe that if we are right with God or right where God wants us then all will be right with our lives as well. Like, the closer we get to God, living like Christ, less sin, however you want to say it, our lives should get increasingly better.

Job's friends believed that since things were going wrong in his life, there must be wrong in his life. I know that sounds weird, right. But they assumed that he must be sinning somehow (wrong) because there was bad stuff happening to him. Today it seems like the only way to get people to give God a chance is to say, "everything will get better in your life if you follow Jesus, do what He wants." But I just can't buy that. You see, if following God made your life better, everyone would do it! If by making Jesus the Lord of my life I "get" stuff, better car, bigger house, higher-paying job, etc. then everyone would be jumping on the Jesus bus!

But I see no where in the Bible where that is promised or plays out in the biographies of the Apostles. Let's take Paul.

In Acts 21-23 Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem, because he believes (correctly) that God wants him to go back there. In chapter 21 it is prophesied that he will be bound and chained when he gets there - but that doesn't stop him. In chapter 22 he meets with the leaders/Elders of the Jerusalem church and they try to keep him from being discovered but that doesn't work. In chapter 23 Paul is beaten and arrested and put in jail. And while there God speaks to him and tells him not to worry because God is making a way for him to take the Gospel to Rome.

It seems like the exact opposite of what some popular religious speakers of today tell us! When we do what God wants things should get better in out lives (right should be rewarded with a better life). But in the Bible the more right things the apostles did the more wrong (persecution) they suffered! How do we reconcile this?!

My prayer today was this, that whether in plenty or need I would be right where God wants me. Our circumstances in life do not determine God's blessing or curse. They are simply by-products of the world we live in. It is better to be right with God then wrong with the world.

In case you forgot.

2010-10-13T10:34:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post today.

Yesterday I shared about Paul's message in Athens that God has a purpose and desire for us to find Him easily. In today's text I read that God spoke to Paul while things were difficult for him and this line from God stuck out, "For I am with you."

Life is difficult right now. Church is difficult. There are struggles and obstacles and opposition coming at us so fast and from so many different directions it's hard to even focus on one of them. At times it feels like I'm floating in the ocean... like on one of those movies... just me, treading water in the middle with no one around. No land. Nothing to rest on or hold on to. Just water, water everywhere. I ask God to throw me a life-preserver, something to allow me to rest a bit and catch my breath. But He doesn't and I wonder why.

I am with you.

We often want God to get us out of our predicament, even if we got ourselves into it. We want Him to come to the rescue and throw us a line!

I am with you.

I want God to show up, guns blazing and wipe out everything and everyone who is opposing me. But He doesn't. And maybe it's because He's not sitting in heaven looking out at those whom He could chose to rescue and those He will let flounder for a little while longer. Maybe, as hard as it is to understand, maybe He's with us. Maybe He's going through the same garbage with us. The only difference is He knows what's over that next wave. He knows what's coming around the next corner or over the next hurdle. He knows in what direction the land lies.

I'm guessing He's pointing. He's coaching. He's encouraging. He's prodding, "keep kicking a little bit longer... you're almost there!" All I want is a life-preserver to rest and catch my breath, but He's using the opposition to build muscles I didn't even know I had.

The God of Closeness.

2010-10-12T10:50:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had your kids give you that look like, "why are you doing this to me?!" It is usually followed by, "I hate you!" The one phrase that should bring a smile to every parent's face. Sure, it is painful, but it probably means you're doing the right thing... like your 12 year old daughter wanted to go to an Ozzy concert with her EMO boyfriend or something. Or your 17 year old son wanted to go camping with boys and girls and no adult supervision. You said, "No," because you're a caring, involved parent and they got mad because they can't understand yet what the danger is. They will, someday.

The Apostle Paul traveled to Athens and had the opportunity to preach to the high council of the city. They had many, many, gods that they worshiped but they had one big problem. They didn't know what any of them expected. If they worshiped one of their gods and then a storm came and killed people they would assume they worship wrong and that god was mad. So they'd try something else. If something they considered good happened they'd decide that was the appropriate way to worship.

It was kind of like being let loose on a pitch-black football field and being told find the candle and the single match (the paper kind in from a matchbook) to light it so you can figure out where you are and how to connect with god.

Paul says, God is not like that at all. It is His desire, His "purpose" that we find Him! So, he gives us the match and the candle! He wants us to find Him because He wants to have a relationship with us. There are not a bunch of hoops to jump through or a series of "trials" to go through to determine if you are worthy, He's already made you worthy. He already determined you were worth it when He, "formed you in the womb." In fact, Paul goes on to say, without His involvement we could not survive. It is IN HIM that we live (have the capacity for Real Life) and move (exercise our will in the world) and exist at all! It all comes from Him because He is intimately and directly involved in each of our lives.

But sometimes we can't understand what He's doing in our lives. We don't recognize the dangers, or the trouble or see that there is anything we might need to avoid. And so He disciplines. He directs. He disciplines. We do not avoid every pain in life, every trouble or struggle or negative situation... neither do our children. But He wants to protect us as much as possible. And when we mess up He is the only one who gets to say, "I brought you into this world... I can take you out" and mean it.

Thanks God for helping me to avoid some things, while allowing me to experience others. I wouldn't know how good I had it without knowing how bad it could be.

A Peek at my most recent requests

2010-10-11T11:31:00.002-05:00

I have been praying a lot lately that I would have "eyes to see" God and "ears to hear" Him. I have been asking that the Holy Spirit give me eyes and ears to see where God is leading and to hear Him so that I can follow. Have had a couple glimmers of His leading so far.

Today while reading in Acts 16 I came across Paul and his companions on a journey and something interesting. Luke records that the Holy Spirit "prevented" them from going into Asia and then a bit later from going into Bithynia. This got me thinking... how did He do that?

We know that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity (a word not used but certainly depicted in the Bible representing God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls the "other counselor who will be with you forever) and as such can control time, space, nature, etc. So, was the prevention spiritual? If so, why doesn't Luke say, "the Holy Spirit spoke to Paul." Was it a vision? Did the Spirit use a natural disaster or physical road block to keep them from going there? I want to know because that's the kind of guy I am... one who wants to know. But the text doesn't say and any commentator who states for sure is crazy and only speculating at best.

So, I've added that to my list of questions to ask those dudes when I get to heaven. But I'm thinking also that maybe it was a combination of a few of those ideas I had. I've ruled out (if that's possible) the Spirit's direct communication with the group because certainly Luke, a stickler for detail, would have mentioned it had it happened. What I'm left with is some physical means that stopped them. Perhaps someone got sick and needed to get to a nearby village in the opposite direction. Maybe a bridge washed out or they ran out of food. Perhaps there were bandits or something on a certain road they heard about.

I guess the point for me is this, I have to be sensitive to the Spirit. Sensitive enough that I am able to go with the flow - understanding that it may be the Spirit leading me in another direction. I often want the direct contact means of spiritual nudging. I don't like to "guess" but maybe the way the Spirit works is sometimes direct and sometimes indirect.

My prayer today was that I be sensitive enough to the Spirit's work in my own life that I could be stopped or re-directed so that God's will is accomplished in and through my life. Whether He works through physical events or speaks directly or through visions I must be alert enough to go, "oh, the Spirit is working here." Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.

A piece of the puzzle

2010-10-09T09:36:00.002-05:00

We have a ton of puzzles in my house. Most of my children loved putting them together when they were younger and our son with Autism goes through times of obsession with puzzles. Lots of puzzles, though, mean lots of puzzle pieces. I can't tell you how many puzzles I have thrown away because we could not find just one piece. I refuse to have puzzles with a missing piece. It's one of my core values. To spend that much time on a project and then not be able to complete it because a single part is missing is just too much for me to handle.

But tossing puzzles because you can't find the last piece often means that as you put together another one you end up with an extra piece that doesn't fit the puzzle you're working on. Ever tried to go through a box of puzzles in an attempt to figure out which puzzle this one little tiny piece goes to? Frustrating. Exhausting. Aggravating. Depressing.

And that's exactly how I feel when I look at the individual pieces (events) of my life.

I read this morning from Acts 14 where Paul and Barnabas preach from town to town. At one stop they preached and healed a crippled man who had never walked. When the town's people heard about it they believed the two of them were "gods" and wanted to worship them. Paul and his companion tried to stop them, shouting and telling them there were just ordinary men. Then some Jews from another town showed up and "won the people over" to the point of a mob and Paul was stoned to death and dragged outside the city. But the believers prayed and he got up and went back into town.

Here are the pieces:

Paul was trying to preach the Good News about faith in the resurrected Jesus.
Paul healed a crippled man.
The town's people believed they were gods.
Offerings and sacrifices were made to them (or attempted).
The people were then convinced that Paul was worthy of death.
Paul was stoned and left for dead.
Paul came back to life and entered the city.

Taken separately each of these individual events leave you with very different feelings.

Great joy to have people receive the message and be healed. Great dread to be considered a god. How anxious they must have been keeping the people from worshiping them instead of Jesus Christ. Great fear as Paul faced a terrible death by stoning. And how awesome it must have been to see Paul alive again!

By themselves the single events/pieces of your life can go from one extreme to the other. An incredible high to be used by God to a drastic low when something bad happens (since we often think that doing what God wants gets us "blessed" instead of cursed). But looking at the pieces of our lives as only a part of the whole picture should give us a much more even-tempered understanding. So the highs aren't too high and the lows aren't too low.

Taken alone, the pieces of our lives are hard to figure out. Why is God doing this? Why did He allow this to happen? This piece where everything looks great doesn't fit with this piece where everything is horrible. We just can't get a sense of the picture looking at the piece. So I need to reserve judgement. Hold off on my predictions. Not assume that each piece is a complete story in itself... because it isn't. Only as I see the pieces of my life coming together can I truly get a feel for what my life is all about and what God is doing through it and in it.

We need to see both the individual events of our lives and the picture God has been creating. Seen together, you're life is an inspiring picture of God's faithfulness. Taken one at a time, life just doesn't make sense. Let the pieces come together.

God doesn't call in sick on our off days.

2010-10-07T13:53:00.002-05:00

I don't know why but I'm remembering a bunch of old songs this week that I sang as a boy. Today I was reminded of the Paul and Silas song my Mom used to sing, "Paul and Silas were in jail, they sang hymns and prayed, then an angel loosed their bonds, the jailer was afraid..."

I always thought that song meant that when I was in trouble I should sing and pray. But my experiences have taught me that sometimes (though it shouldn't be this way) those are the last things you want to do. I think that was the case for Peter in Acts 12:6-11. Peter is in the same situation, jail. But his attitude is a little different from Paul and Silas. Peter is asleep (not singing or praying). He is chained between two guards, that is, chained TO two guards. There are also soldiers at two different posts moving away from his cell. And there is a large, locked gate that separates the city outside from the Jail inside. He is stuck. So he sleeps.

That is, until an angel, "struck him in the side." Did you ever hear of another angel acting this way? I'm thinking he was in the angel etiquette program... and failed. He's like the Rambo of Angels. Or Rocky angel, "Yo, Pete... get up!" I have to assume, since it happened every other time, that the angel tried to wake Pete, er, Peter up like all other angels. "Peter, do not be afraid." That apparently didn't work. So, Rambo Angel got progressively louder and more agitated.

But once Peter is up, the chains fall off. The doors open. Even the large gate, the final barrier, swings open by itself (surely an incredible feat and not likely to happen on accident). Peter doesn't know what's going on. Thinks he's having a dream until the angel disappears as they are walking down the streets of the city. That's usually what happens when you're convinced your situation is too impossible to get out of. You simply cease to see the way out. He believed he was going to die like (the first Apostle to be killed) his friend and fellow Apostle, James. He's in the same jail James was probably housed and killed in! He's chained between two guards! There's guards posted at the doors! There's a huge gate! Its impossible!

Let me get to the point. Peter saw Jesus raise Lazarus. He pulled a coin from the mouth of a random fish. He was the first to preach Jesus and he saw Jesus' resurrected body. But in this case he couldn't see a way out. He couldn't transfer what he had seen, to his current situation. But others were praying. And God moved.

Sometimes when you're in the pit you just can't bring yourself to pray or sing, it's hopeless. But that doesn't mean that God can't work. Others were praying and God rescued him in spite of his current situation and spiritual funk.

He can rescue you too. No matter how hopeless it seems. Let someone know you're hurting. Tell them about your chains. Even if you think you can't move and there is no way out. He can set you free. Even if He has to send Rambo Angel! And when He does, do exactly what Peter does. Run and tell someone what God has done in your life. Celebrate His provision!

It only takes a spark... destruction complete.

2010-10-05T12:01:00.003-05:00

When I was a child in VBS and Sunday School I remember singing this song.

It only takes a spark,
to get a fire going.
And soon all those around,
can warm up to it's glowing.

I recall that being a very sweet song. Everybody sitting in a circle holding hands. I think it closely preceded by Kumbaya.

But today I'm thinking about how "sparks" have ignited some of the countries largest forest fires. How one spark has torched a home. How an innocent flame can quickly destroy lives. The spark is innocent. The consequences can be devastating.

I only got to verse one of Acts eight today in my Bible reading before I had to write. Luke, an incredible writer, does such a great job of moving through the story of the early church. In chapter seven we are introduced to a man names Stephen who is chosen to be a leader in the local church. But by the end of the chapter Stephen has preached an incredible message of hope in Jesus Christ to the Jewish leaders and was has been killed for it. Chapter eight verse one says, "Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen" (NLT).

If you read the next few verses you would find out that a great persecution of the church broke out and that Saul was the ring-leader for it all. But I don't want to get that far. You see, in verse one I see a spark. A tiny flame. An insignificant act that would lead to one of the most horrific genocides in history.

You see, we take for granted the little things. A thought we dwell on a little too long. An action with seemingly no consequence. One. Simple. Word. Spoken without thought. A twist of the heart that drastically and quickly sends the path of our lives in a direction we never expected, could not have foreseen and still can't believe.

Perhaps this is why the Bible warns, "guard your heart..."

Every act. Every word. Every thought, has the potential to send our lives off course.

Guard your heart (Pro 4:23).
Do not be quick with your mouth (Ecc 5:2).
Capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).

May the only "sparks" in my life be used to spur others on to good deed in Christ Jesus.

Standing on the promise.

2010-10-04T13:12:00.002-05:00

I am not a patient man. I don't like to wait for things. In fact, I hate it. For years I have told God, "just tell me what you want me to do... and let me get to it." I don't like to sit. I don't wait well. I have always been a what's next guy. Get this done, so I can move on. That's probably why I'd much rather take a snap-shot than paint a picture.

This creates some problems. I rarely enjoy what I'm doing now. I only see it as a stepping stone for the "next thing" so I don't spend too much time in the moment. Relationships, children, church... same story. Hurry up and get through this, to get to the next thing. I couldn't wait to be married. Then I couldn't wait to have kids. Find a job, settle in and get to work on whats next.

But I'm now in my 39's (39 years, 3 months and 2 days to be exact!) and our oldest child is going to graduate this coming May. And now I'm not so sure I want to move on to the next thing. I'm trying to pull back on the reigns. I'm looking down the road at the changes coming and I'm pretty sure I've missed some things.

It must have been hard for Abraham. God called him to leave his hometown and head to a land of promise. So, Moses packed up and headed out, my kind of guy! A few pit stops and a re-issue of the call and finally he landed at the very spot God promised to give him and his descendants. But did Abraham get right to work? NO! God didn't give Abraham even "one square foot" according to Stephen in Acts 7:4-7! Abraham was standing on the very spot God was going to give his children but Abraham didn't get any of it. Instead, he got a promise. A promise that after some wandering and slavery and punishment and a bunch of years, Abraham's descendants would indeed be given the land and would make it there own.

I don't know if I could do it. Be exactly where God wanted me to be and not do anything about it. It's difficult for me to imagine. Abraham must have been a man of great faith and patience and trust - I guess I struggle with all of those. I want to get to work! I want to get moving! I want to do just about anything but sit and wait. But that is what is needed sometimes. God had to bring a whole nation up, raise them as His children, so they will trust Him and only Him. That couldn't be done if God just gave it to Abraham. So He leads, provides, guides, teaching them to trust.

Sometimes our feet need to be still.
Sometimes all we can do is look to the future and trust that God knows what He's doing.

That's hard for me, but I'm giving it a shot. I know that my life is an unfinished painting of what He has planned. If I sit still long enough, I'll see that picture come to life and be so glad I got to be His subject matter.

He's got a beautiful picture He's painting for you too. Be still and watch it take shape and be amazed at what He sees in you!

Obediance

2010-09-30T10:48:00.002-05:00

Acts 5:29. Often quoted by those who break the law. Wrongly.

Peter and John have been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel (and blaming the religious leaders for killing Jesus). They are, once again, hauled before the whole Jewish council to account for their actions and are told to, "never again teach in this man's name." To which they reply, "we must obey God rather than any human authority..." And there you have it. Every christian person who has been arrested for breaking the law uses this passage as their "get out of jail free" card. But they're wrong.

I wonder how many people have been arrested for doing what the Apostles were doing? Preaching the Gospel in a public place is not against the law. Unless you break the law in another way. Inciting a riot. Impeding traffic. Being too close to a school or something. See, Peter and John were not breaking ANY laws, and yet were thrown in jail and told not to preach (lawfully) to the people, when they made their defiant statement.

I know ministers who have rejoiced over the fact they got arrested protesting an abortion clinic and broke the law by getting too close to the clinic. That is not what Peter and John were talking about. Or, many Christians simply break the law for their own benefit and then claim that they only answer to God... and they will.

The Bible clearly states in several places that as Christians we are to obey the laws of the land we are in and every authority that has been placed over us. We can not use the Bible for our own personal benefit. We can not break the law and then claim that God told us to do it, or fool ourselves into thinking He is proud of it.

If you are lawfully presenting the Gospel Message of hope and life in Jesus Christ and are arrested (having broken NO laws) then you can claim, "I must obey God rather than men." But God does not condone breaking the law. He does not condone killing to stop killing. He wants us to live, "such peaceful and quite lives among the lost that they see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven."

It's about time we got so on fire that our preaching was once again so powerful to transform lives that the only way to get us to stop would be to put us in jail. Then, having obeyed every law and being punished wrongly for the cause of Christ, we could rejoice that we had been counted worthy to suffer.

We often stop too soon.

2010-09-29T09:52:00.002-05:00

I don't enjoy confrontation. Often my prayers go like, "God, did you hear what so-and-so said? That was crazy! Please convict them and shut them up so that I don't have to hear what Satan has to say through them."

My goal in prayer is to get my opposition to be quiet or that God would remove them so they won't "get in His way" anymore. I'm really small minded.

In Acts 4 Peter and John just spent the night in jail for healing a dude who'd been crippled and begging for 40 years. They were sternly warned the next day not to speak in the Name of Jesus anymore and set free. They go back to the house where the church met and told them what happened and then they prayed.

To my surprise they prayed just like me! Really! They prayed, "Lord, consider their threats..." Cool! They want God to get involved with those who would seek to shut them up or oppose them. They are asking God to consider the threats against them as threats against Him. Just like me! But then they go on...

"...and enable your servants to speak boldly." Crap. See, I often stop too soon in my prayers. I want God to get involved but I don't ask Him for boldness to continue speaking, or help to overcome my own fear so that Satan doesn't get the victory. You see, Satan doesn't need to kill us or destroy us or treat us like Job from the Bible. He just has to scare us enough to shut up. Then he's won.

So, how is Satan coming against you? Is it financial? The threat of loosing a car, your home, your job? My prayer today was, "God, consider Satan's threats against You and help me to continue to preach your word and share the Gospel no matter what. No car. No house. No income. No problem. As long as I continue to do what You've called me to do. Help me speak Your Word with great boldness."

Acts 2 - God's part/our part

2010-09-28T10:31:00.002-05:00

It is really easy to get caught up in the story of Acts 2, storm sounds, lightning, fire, it's ever kids dream - a pyrotechnic miracle! But I'm praying that God will help me see Him and hear Him through His Word so I'm looking deeper than just the cool story of birthday of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men.

I see several things going on in this story that the church today could benefit from. First it seems that God caused a stir - that was His doing. There was a violent and loud sound that brought everyone running to where they heard the sound coming from. It was a different sound than they had heard before in Jerusalem so they all wanted to know what was going on.

Once they arrived to where the sound had originated they heard the Apostles speaking in their own language and telling of the Good News of Jesus resurrection so that those who came because of the sound, might hear the Word and believe and then respond appropriately by being immersed - putting to death the old self, the physical self (like Jesus did on the cross) and being buried signifying their death (as did Jesus in the tomb) and being reborn through the water into a new creation (as Jesus was upon His resurrection).

The people were so excited when they heard the message because it was clearly understood, the "wonderful things You [God] have done."

So I'm praying for several things today:
1. That God draws a crowd. That He does something among us that our community has never seen before so that they want to come and discover for themselves what is going on.
2. Once they are here I pray that we speak to them in their language - not super spiritual language that they don't understand, but like the opposite of "lost in translation" I pray that through God's Spirit each person "hears" exactly what they need to hear, supernaturally, so that they can make a decision for Jesus.
3. That we proclaim the message of Jesus Christ so that it is "clearly understood." We don't want to get the message mixed up and jumbled together, but to keep it clear so that those who hear would hear of, "the wonderful things You have done."

God draw a crowd. Speak to each one exactly what they need to hear. And help us to keep the message clear so that they hear about what You have done. You must increase, we must decrease.

3 thoughts from John 21/Acts 1

2010-09-28T09:40:00.004-05:00

Just a few observations about what is going on in this chapter that you might find interesting.

1. in vs 3 - Jesus has revealed Himself in resurrection glory to the disciples a number of times already but the disciples, while believing He had been raised from the dead, didn't move. They didn't do anything but sit around together in the upper room. They had seen the Lord, but not been moved to action yet. Then all the sudden Peter says, "I'm going fishing." And many of think that is a good idea so they get up and go with him.
-- observation -- when things get boring spiritually, you're not growing or going anywhere for Jesus it is easier to fall back into the same pattern of behavior you were in before you accepted the gospel message. Peter knew fishing so when things cooled down and they were just in coast mode he went back to what he knew. We often go back to the familiar, the things that once defined us when there is a pause in our spiritual growth. Jesus had to make the same call to Peter and the others that He did the first time he called them to be "fishers of men." This time though He said, "feed my sheep." Keep moving for God or you might slip back into your old habits and behaviors.

2. In vs 21 Jesus is talking to Peter and they are having a good conversation when Peter turns and looks at John and says to Jesus, "what about him?"
-- observation -- do you ever get the feeling we are so concerned about what everyone else is doing or where they're going or what our position is relative to theirs that we miss our own target? My prayer for this passage was, "God help me to focus on what You have called ME to do - not on what you've called someone else to." I see other ministers with big salaries and churches it get easy to say to God, "what about him?" But I need to let God take care of His business and I need to focus on mine.

3. Jesus finally makes His last accession to heaven and Peter and the others are standing there looking up into the sky when a couple of angles appear (unknown to the group who were busy) and say, "why are you staring up into heaven?"
-- observation -- I'm not sure why the group was just standing there but Jesus had left them with instructions, there was work to do! I wonder if sometimes we spend too much time staring up into heaven waiting on God's next move, His next big thing, another miracle or answer to prayer... but while were staring God is stewing. Get to work! There's stuff to do! This same Jesus whom you've seen go up into heaven will come back as you saw Him go, until then, get busy!

Couple thoughts on Goliath

2010-09-25T14:23:00.003-05:00

1. Reading 1 Samuel 17 preparing for tomorrow's message. Goliath was a giant of a man. He was between 9'10" and 10'6" depending on who you read and the length of a cubit. The tip of his spear weighed 15lbs - imagine how big the shaft would have to be to hold that thing and carry it through the air, let alone how far Goliath could throw it! I'll bet that thing would fly! His shield was even 125lbs! Not even the men of Sparta with their rock-hard abs could carry shields that big! Goliath must have been impressive as he stood out in the valley alone and taunted the Israelites.

Wait, he wasn't alone. The end of verse 7 mentions something I never paid attention to before. It says, "His armor bearer went ahead of him." This was a common practice I'm sure, though maybe not the going before. I thought the armor bearer stayed to the side or behind. Usually the armor bearer was for kings, though I guess Goliath deserved one as the great warrior for the Philistines.

But what this means is that Goliath was not alone as he stood in the valley. Goliath was impressive but imagine how strong his armor bearer would have had to be to carry all that stuff! You've got this 10' guy standing there taunting and then this regular sized guy who surely had muscles for his muscles! My guess is the armor bearer for Goliath could have bested most of the fighting men in any army. Today, he stood before Goliath.

If the guy who carries the shield for Goliath is huge and muscular and built in his own right, what chance do the Israelites have against the man Goliath himself?

Sometimes I think we get so afraid of the wind we never face the storm. Satan wants to intimidate us into never picking up a stone to fight. The only way for Satan to win is to convince us the fight isn't worth the risk. But (I don't want to give it all away!) opposition is one dimensional. That's all I'll say for now.

2. Here's the other thing. We get so caught up in the story of David fighting Goliath that we don't think about what would have happened if he would have lost and how strongly the fighting men of Israel must have tried to get David to stay with them. It seems strange that Saul would send this boy out knowing the outcome if he lost!

Goliath's challenge was that the loser becomes the slaves of the winner. Had David lost the whole Nation of Israel would have become the slaves of the Philistines! Wow! The men of Israel must have tried desperately to get David, this young, inexperienced, boy not to go and fight.

You see, as long as the Israelites stayed on their line... as long as they never sent anyone out to meet Goliath they didn't have to fear becoming his slaves. They thought (wrongly) that by not moving they kept him at bay. But Satan doesn't always have to beat us or even fight us, he just has to get us to stop moving forward! If we aren't advancing, we don't have the chance to win... we let hundreds, thousands, millions or the next one, die in their sin.

Satan's goal? Make the fight "look" to difficult so he doesn't have to fight at all or simply keep the armies of God from moving forward. From advancing. From gaining ground. Satan has already lost the battle, he's only got tricks left. How many have you fallen for? I've lost count. But not any more.

A Quickie on Faith and Belief

2010-09-22T14:38:00.003-05:00

John 16:30,31
Jesus has been unloading a bunch of spiritual Truth on the disciples becasue He is getting ready to face His death. This is natural in fact, in verse 4 Jesus tells them He didn't say anything earlier becasue there was time... now the time is up and He's got to get them prepared.

After unlaoding all this stuff the disciples finally say, "...from this we believe that you came from God." But Jesus knows better and responds, "...do you finally believe? But the time is coming when you will be scattered and each of you will leave me alone."

Here's some quick thoughts on belief and faith - don't hang me by them, just quick thoughts.

You can believe in God all day but what do you do when when its dark and scary?
Faith takes over when what your belief in something runs out.

Belief is mental - faith has feet.

It's easy to believe when there is no pressure. Pressure reveals the faith belief talks about.

Faith happens where your belief and the unknown make contact.

If you believe in God but never have to test it through trial there is no faith. Belief comes natural, faith is developed in the fire.

That should get you thinking!

Prayer - it doesn't matter... (read carefully)

2010-09-17T10:11:00.003-05:00

Spent some time in the hospital with a friend over the last few days. He's a biker. Yep. And been in to everything you are probably thinking a biker might get into. But he's also a believer in Jesus. Tattoos, prison time and all. I prayed with him before I left each day. This morning he's having open heart surgery and I stopped in to see the family. I knew they were there because there were a couple of bikes with ape-hangers in the parking lot. His daughter told me that before the ambulance got to the house to pick him up last week she asked him if he would like her to pray. His response, "I've been waiting for that."

So I was thinking about prayer on the ride back to the church. In some religions of the world you have to approach god in a certain way. If you don't, he won't hear your prayer. You have to spin something. Ring a bell. Wear a certain hat. Rub some beads. Assume a specific posture. Or face a certain direction. If you do everything right, god might hear you. Of course, you'd better make sure that your heart is pure and that your deeds are goods and your motives just.

John tells us that the God of the universe, "loves us so much..." That loves compels Him. Instead of insisting that we approach Him in a proper manner, He says, "draw near to me and I will draw near to you... I will never leave you" and "ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." What does that mean to you and me and everyone else? It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, what direction you are facing, what you're wearing or what you were doing the second before you said, "Dear God." He hears your prayer. Whether you've never done anything wrong or you've never done anything right, He's listening.

So, remember this truth about prayer.
Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. For any reason. In any circumstance or setting.
God is listening and wants to answer... He loves you.

Where's the bait?

2010-09-15T10:59:00.003-05:00

Do you remember that little old lady in those commercials who would come in and say, "Where's the Beef?" Who knew how that little statement, intended to sell hamburgers, would catch on?! Of course the point was to show that the "beef" was at Wendy's and also to show you where it wasn't, those "other" hamburger joints. So, the bait was more beef and it was intended to get you to come to their restaurant.

Bait has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Commercials, info-mercials, political ads, they are all the same. I remember watching the old black and white movie, The Swiss Family Robinson. Do you remember that? The family that got shipwrecked on an island and built these elaborate tree houses to live in and had all these exotic animals for pets? Every kid's dream! In that show they caught a tiger. They dug a hole in the ground and covered it with branches, etc., then they hung some bait from a tree right over the center of the hole. The tiger was so interested in the bait that he didn't pay attention to the hole, until he was in it.

I think that Satan has mastered bait. He is so good at making the bait too tempting to pass up. Satan designs his bait to do two things.
1. It's designed to catch and keep our focus. He knows if we so busy looking at the bait, we won't see the hole.
2. It's designed to be so desirable that its determined to be worth the risk. You hear a lot of, "yea, butt..." kind of statements.

I think you see this in the life of Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus. When that father/daughter duo started out a few years ago they were very focused on remaining a Christan witness and not letting the "lime light" of fame and fortune distract them. Billy Ray made several statements about how he was going to keep his daughter grounded. But you probably know what happened if you've seen Miley lately.

I know so many Christians who have started out in their faith walk well, only to fall in the trap. Usually it is money. Satan baits his hook with dollar signs, a better job, a bigger salary, more power or popularity. They are so focused on the bait that they simply can't see the downside, longer hours means less time for bible study or personal growth. Pretty soon Sunday is the only day they "don't have to get up early" so church attendance starts to slip. And having money is a big deal today so I hear things like, "yea butt, if I make more money I'll be able to give more to God." News flash for you, God isn't depending on you alone to meet the needs of His church.

So what do we do? We continue to point out the scheme. We look at the surroundings and not just at the bait. We explore possibilities AND potential problems. We desire to be used of and know God so much that the bait can't compare.

And maybe we in the church take a lesson and put a little more thought into how we attract the lost. Since were calling them to experience not loss or pain or death, like Satan, but Real Life!

What's the test for successful ministry?

2010-09-14T10:58:00.002-05:00

I was talking with some preacher friends of mine last weekend about a conference we had gone to recently. We hear a lot that it's not the size of your church but your faithfulness that matters. But the only guys teaching anything are the guys with 1000's of people in their churches. Seems a little inconsistent.

In this day and age it seems to be a lot about the size of your church. If you pastor a big church you must be a good leader, teacher, scholar, etc. But if you pastor a smaller church, well, nobody wants to go to a conference and learn how to be a small church pastor. In fact, television preachers would have you believe that if you are faithful then you are successful too. If you are faithful to God and let Him direct your path then you will have the job, car, home, family you want.

But is that really true? It is pretty clear that just because someone does what God wants them to in the Bible it almost NEVER means that they are successful.

Take John the Baptist. What do we know about him? Well, he was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth - only other person we could say that about is Jesus Himself. We know that he did exactly what God wanted him to do. We know that he never performed a miracle of any kind. We know that he lived alone in the wilderness. We know he wore camel hair clothes (imagine the stink and itchiness of that!) and that he ate locusts and wild honey.

Sound like a successful ministry to you? Oh yea, and he never "saved" anyone because salvation wasn't possible until the death and Resurrection of Jesus - which didn't happen for a few years after John's beheading! Another great sign of a successful ministry! You lose your head!

So, John the Baptist is NOT the poster child for getting into the ministry. But was he successful even though he didn't have a home, didn't eat in good restaurants, didn't have many friends, never grew a church or healed a disease? Yes. He was successful because he did exactly what God created him to do.

Sometimes I wonder why the church I pastor isn't bigger. Why people aren't asking me to speak at conferences. Well, Jesus said in John 6, "the work of God is to believe in the one that He sent." So that's what I'm gonna work on. If I've got that right then none of that other stuff matters. What are you trying to accomplish for the Kingdom? Don't be discouraged, believe and do. That's what you've been called to. Get that right and everything else is just gravy.

Confirming Signs

2010-09-10T11:09:00.002-05:00

I know God's will for my life. Know Jesus and make Him known. But sometimes the road can get long and difficult. Doesn't mean that God isn't there. Or that I'm on the wrong path. Just means that Satan is active. But sometimes, with the passing of time we can get frustrated and begin to wonder if we're doing the right thing, especially when we're facing pressure! So it's nice when God gives confirmation of His plan.

That's what He did for John the Baptist. I was reading today in John 1:19-34 and saw something very interesting. A confirmation. A really cool confirmation!

So John is preaching and baptizing around the Jordan river and he's getting hammered by these religious leaders who are asking him a bunch of questions and probably hacking him off a bit. So he says (I hadn't caught this before), "right here in this crowd is someone you do not recognize...I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie his sandals." That meant this mystery person was pretty important! But the next day John sees Jesus coming toward him and says, "behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! I did not recognize Him... but... I saw the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove... I didn't know He was the one...but when God sent me to baptize He told me, 'the one on whom you see the Holy Spirit descend is the one.'"

So, for 30 years Elizabeth (John's mom) had been telling him that his cousin Jesus was the Messiah. The day before when the leaders where questioning him John saw his cousin Jesus in the crowd but did not reveal him. The next day, as Jesus approached John, John saw the Holy Spirit - in the form of a dove - come down from heaven and rest on Jesus. Confirmation. His whole life and ministry had been lived up to this point with nothing from God. He did exactly what God wanted and yet lived in the desert. Was called a crazy man. Wore crudely fashioned clothes from camel's hair (itchy!) and he ate locust and wild honey (which means no one cooked for him, he was a loner). His whole adult life was lived as an outcast. Yet he was faithful. He was waiting. And though he knew his cousin, Jesus, was supposed to be the Messiah, and he knew that Jesus was in the crowd that day. He did not point Him out. He did not call Him to his defense. He waited for the confirmation. And He got it. Just like Moses. Just like Elijah. Just like Gideon. Just like Paul.

Don't assume that your circumstances are any indication of God's favor or punishment on your life or ministry. So often we confuse our present situation or circumstances or ministry success (or failure), with God's blessing or punishment. If God were pleased with my life and ministry He'd bless me is the thinking. Not correct. John "made clear the way for the Lord" for what could have been years with nothing in his life or ministry that would prove God's favor. He didn't perform miraculous signs or wonders. He wasn't financially blessed. He was comfortable. He probably didn't have friends (cause he stunk!). And he was opposed by the religious leaders and the general population. But he was faithful and received the confirmation that what he was doing had been the right thing.

Wrap up: Be on the lookout for God's confirmation. He will give them. It's your job to notice them when they happen.

a Wordle of this blog

2010-09-08T13:02:00.006-05:00

Heard of this site (Wordle) through the Batterson Blog and thought I'd give it a try. These are the words you will find here on this blog. The key is that the bigger and bolder the word the more it is used... Can you figure out what I talk about most?

Accepting the Opportunity

2010-08-31T09:37:00.002-05:00

As Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem (the Triumphal entry) He stops to weep over the city and her people. Once the greatest city in the world and home to the greatest temple to the world has ever known, Jesus sees the future destruction of the Temple and the City. His statement ends with this line, "you did not accept your opportunity for salvation."

What a sad byline for so many. They did not accept their opportunity for salvation.

There are several times when you have one of those, "once-in-a-lifetime" scenarios. Where you have to act or lose the opportunity. Perhaps it's a job. A spouse. A sweet deal on a car. A rare find in someones garage. Something that you'd give almost anything to get. A deal like that only comes around... you know.

There are a couple stories Jesus tells about a guy who found a very expensive/rare pearl and another guy who found a treasure buried in a field. The end of each of those once-in-a-lifetime stories is that each guy sold everything they had to gain the thing they wanted. Salvation is supposed to be like that. In truth, God should only have to offer salvation once. You either take it or leave it right then. But He doesn't do that.

Every day you take another breath of air and begin your day is a gift. One more opportunity to accept the invitation to believe. But at some point, you will take your last breath and then your opportunities for salvation will be over. The tricky part is, we don't know when that moment will be. You have to be ready, before that time comes.

I'll be doing a funeral service for a guy this week who probably had lots of opportunities to accept the invitation to believe throughout his life but it wasn't until 13 days before he died that he finally accepted that invitation. God in His great grace and mercy extended that invitation one more time, through a friend, knowing that it would be the last opportunity he would have.

No matter what your life has been like up to this point, God desperately wants you to accept His invitation to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. You don't have to understand it all, just believe that He was, is and will always be your savior. That's the start of a changed life.

The saddest thing in the world is that someone would say of one of your friends, "they did not accept the opportunity for salvation" before it was too late.

Are we hindering people from coming to Jesus?

2010-08-30T09:54:00.003-05:00

Just wondering today how we as The Church (and as Real Life Church) are hindering people from getting to Jesus. In Luke 18:15-17 the Disciples intercept some parents who are bringing their children to see Jesus, to be touched and blessed by Him. But the disciples don't think Jesus can be bothered with this so they try to turn them away. And I suppose it almost worked! But Jesus stops them and calls the children to Himself.

I think there may be times when I, the church and The Church, act more like the disciples in this case and less like Jesus. We may not ever think of asking someone NOT to come to church. But surely there are times when we simply don't invite. Or maybe just aren't inviting. We may say the church is open to anyone but then arrange it so only a few would "feel" welcomed. What does the front of the church say to an unchurched person? Welcome? or Stay Out?

I often make jokes about churches who hang up banners that say Welcome on them. Isn't the church supposed to be welcoming, without having to hang up a sign that says it for us? I think that at times, in our desire to counteract our culture, we end up driving people away instead of calling them to come closer and investigate. Church is supposed to be attractional... that means that people should see us and the building or place we worship and say to themselves, "I'd like to check that out."

What are you doing, saying, acting, that (maybe unintentionally) reflects more the disciples attitude then Jesus'? How we present the Gospel is as important as the Message! I can tell someone about Jesus and hope and changed life, but if I tell them about it like I was talking about my house burning down around me... who's gonna care? Who's gonna want to come and see for themselves?

We need to make sure that our lives, buildings, language is less like the disciples in this case and more like Jesus - who said, "let the (spiritual) children come to me and do not hinder them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to them."

Did you catch that? The Kingdom of God belongs to the people we might just as soon turn away. God, help me to enable people to come to Jesus, not hinder them.

More faith is More Obedience.

2010-08-29T08:14:00.003-05:00

Luke 17 is about faith. Have you ever thought about the faith of the mustard seed? It seems to me (this morning anyway) that the issue is not the size of your faith but the extent of your obedience. Jesus answers the request of the disciples that He, "increase" their faith with the mustard seed story and immediately begins talking about a servant and his master. The servant does what the master wants. The servant waits on the master, not the master the servant. The master is in control. If the master says, "do this" you had better do it. It's the master's responsibility to give the direction, it's the servants role to follow it.

Then in verses 11-19 Luke tells the story of the 10 lepers who came to Jesus for healing. Jesus told them to, "'go show yourselves to the priests' and as they went they were cleansed." As they went... or, as they obeyed. Then one, noticing that he had been healed returned to thank Jesus (the master). Jesus told him, "your faith has healed you."

It was in the obedience that the healing took place. Had the 10 not headed straight for the priest they would not have received the healing because they would not have been obedient!

So, my prayer today is this; Father, help me to obey. No matter what. Help me to recognize that You are the Master and I am Your servant. Help me to do everything You say. Then my faith will be proved by my obedience and it will not be in myself - for what servant can bring about anything apart from his master - but a tiny speck of faith reflected in obedience will result in great reward. And I will simply be doing what I have been told. Obeying orders.

Focus Blinds you to Everything Else.

2010-08-27T13:01:00.003-05:00

There is a lot of conversation about focus out there today in the church world. I was talking with my friend Terry Deaver from FBC August this morning and we talked about focus. This church focuses on this, that church focuses on that. What's the right focus? Where do we need to focus?

Then I came into the office and read in Luke 14 where Jesus is talking to the religious elite. Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath after asking this question, "is it permitted in the law to heal on the Sabbath?" They didn't answer Him so He healed a guy (He knew they didn't believe it was right for Him to heal on the Sabbath anyway). Then Jesus said, "which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or a cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?"

Here's the thing about focus. When I wear my glasses I can see everything I turn my head to look at. But everything outside the lens is blurry. Focus determines what you're Blind to as much as it determines what you're focused on. Everything outside the scope of your focus exists, but you can't "see it" so it doesn't affect you, it doesn't get in. Which means, we have to be very careful about what we focus on!

Jesus was focused on people. Meeting needs. Compassion. Mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. Instruction. Relationship. The religious leaders where focused on themselves, so it was okay for them to work on the Sabbath, to save a son or cow (interesting pairing there I know!) because it affected them. But they were blind to the needs of others.

What are we, as a church, missing because of our focus? What are we blind to? What is going UNDONE because of what is getting done?

Post Script: I was gonna end there but just had this thought. When I wear my glasses I have to turn my head to change my focus. If I just move my eyes there is a point where things are blurry. When I wear my contacts no matter where my eyes go everything is in focus. We need to be spiritual contact wearers so that we can focus on whatever the need is, not just whatever we happen to be looking at. Pet projects, etc. Perhaps that is why it is good to have people in different areas of ministry. My friend Terry can focus on preaching and leading, while his worship guy focuses on worship, and the children's guy has his own focus. When they all come together they "see" most everything. Individually they may miss a lot. There needs to be a team approach to ministry. Anyone want to join the team?

In the Storm with Dad.

2010-08-25T11:19:00.002-05:00

Here in Kansas we have these minor distractions to our day known as tornadoes. I've seen a few funnels form and driven through the aftermath of the storm. But I've never been in a tornado. We have, however, been sent to the storm cellar on more than one occasion. A couple times last season we were woken up in the middle of the night by the storm sirens. No time to think then or wonder if it's real or not, it's time to wake the kids up and hit the cellar. There have been a couple times when the younger kids would be really scared about what might happen and I've told them, "Daddy's not scared, so you don't need to be."

In Luke 8 Jesus' disciples are once again in a boat heading across the sea of Galilee. But this time they get caught in a storm. The waves are crashing over the boat, the wind is tossing the boat this way and that, up and down. The disciples have done everything they can to secure the boat... remember these were seasoned fishermen. Peter and Andrew, James and John, this was their business. No doubt they'd seen their share of storms on this sea. But tonight they are frightened. Tonight they decide this might be their last night.

And while they are all scared, Jesus is asleep in the stern (that's the back right?) on the seat the pilot would sit on. That's right. The seasoned fishermen are freaking out and Jesus is asleep. Sawing logs. The counting of sheep must have worked. He's out.

Have you ever been on a small boat in a storm? Have you ever tried to sleep on the water? It's not as easy as you think. Sea sickness doesn't go away just because you lay down and close your eyes (trust me on this!). And in a boat like they would have been on there was no where you could escape the water. So Jesus is asleep... in a storm... soaking wet.

Strange. Strange that Jesus can sleep through the storm and the bath. And strange that the disciples freak out. I have a couple of thoughts here. I think Jesus could sleep because He knew no matter what was happening around Him He was going to be okay. His time hadn't come. So He could be at peace to sleep so soundly that the water didn't bother Him because He knew He was in God's capable hands. And I wonder if the disciples were so concerned that they might die because at this point they still thought that just because Jesus was with them nothing bad could ever happen. When the storm came it surprised them! This shouldn't be happening! We're with Jesus!

Listen, God's got you in His hand. Find some peace in that. Relax IN the storm because whether God sees you through it or not you are still His. He's in control. And don't fool yourself into thinking no storm can come against you since you are with Jesus. It's not about avoiding the storms of this life, it's about growing through them. Coming to the point you realize, live or die, God's got this.

Once Jesus woke up, at the insistence of the disciples who were now certain of their death, He simply spoke and everything calmed down. The disciples were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed Him, but hey, He's God in the flesh! When you're walking with Jesus, or boating with Him, you're gonna be okay - even in the midst of the storm. Look at Dad, if Dad ain't scared, you don't need to be either.

Jesus changes the rules...

2010-08-19T13:40:00.002-05:00

The Jewish people were (and still are) governed by rules, don't touch, don't taste, don't look. And everything made you unclean. If you were unclean you couldn't enter the city, the Temple to worship or have contact with others who were clean or you would pass on your uncleanness to them. If you touched something unclean, you BECAME unclean and if you touched anyone else they caught the unclean bug too! So Jewish people were very careful about what they touched, where they walked, what they saw.

That was the order of things, it was like nature. This is the way things work. Storms come and go, the living die, disease, famine, poverty, disabilities, these things were all just a part of the natural order of things. That is, until Jesus came. Jesus worked contrary to nature. He changed the rules. Jesus calmed the storm. Healed the sick. Fed the hungry. Cured disease. Pulled coins from the mouth of fish and restored the disabled. It is clear that the "law" of nature obeyed Jesus, not the other way around, as with you and I.

So when Jesus is heading into town one day and meets a widowed mother who is leading the funeral procession of her only son to the tombs He has compassion. Instead of the customary, "don't worry because it won't you do you any good any how" He defied the law and customs and the fear of being unclean and walked right up to the open stretcher the body of the dead man laid on and touched it. Then He said, "get up." And the dead man did just that.

Jesus isn't afraid of being unclean because He makes all things new. Death isn't scary to Him, death is scared OF Him. Instead of becoming unclean Himself, Jesus made the unclean clean - He was like the spiritual Mr. Clean! There was no mess, no disaster, nothing that scared Jesus. So He walked right up to that death stretcher that represented the victory death had over the boy and He released him. Then Jesus called to the young man to operate in his new reality - life. "Get up!" You are no longer held by the things that kept you down! You are free to experience life like you never have before!

See, sin, uncertainly, fear, jealously, unforgiveness, anger, materialism, these things wrap around us like spiritual chains that hold us down and keep us from experiencing life. But Jesus has the power to release you from those chains and speak directly into your life and He says, GET UP! Live! Go back to your family and experience what Real Life is like!

What is keeping you down? Spiritually dead? It doesn't frighten Jesus. He's in the business of cleaning up messes! You can never be too dead for Jesus to work something incredible in your life. Just listen for His voice. Is He calling you? Respond to Him, he's already released you from the chains that hold you down and back through His death on the cross - get up and begin to operate in your new life!

Did Jesus Make the Wrong Choices?

2010-08-18T11:26:00.002-05:00

Have you ever noticed that when things are going well in some one's life we assume that God must be happy with them? If someone has a good job, nice home, lots of stuff, we think that they must be "living right" and that they just make God happy. Lots of religious television personalities will have you believe this. I actually heard a "wise" guy on TV encourage people to put their "seed" on a credit card if they couldn't afford to send cash to his ministry so that they wouldn't miss out on God's blessing in their lives - God save him, but shut his mouth right now.

We assume that if someone is successful they have God's favor and those who are not must be doing something wrong. If you would just do what God wants you to... Follow Him. Honor Him. Worship Him, then you can have the life you've always dreamed of because God is always looking for people to bless! When we seek God and do what He wants then life will be good.

Except if you believe that, you have to say that Jesus was not following God, that He somehow made the wrong decision. In Luke 6 Jesus picks out the 12 Apostles from among His disciples (followers). The text says that He, "prayed to God all night" and when He was done he chose the 12 guys - after getting God's approval. their names were, Peter & Andrew, James & John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (the lesser), Simon (the zealot), Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot. All 12 hand picked by Jesus after praying ALL night to His Father, God about who should be chosen.

Take a quick look at Jesus choosing ability. Peter denied Jesus publicly at His greatest hour of need. James and John tried to manipulate Him and use Him for their own glory and purpose. Thomas refused to believe Him and Judas betrayed Him. Oh, and they all abandoned Him.

So, if you believe that God blesses those who seek Him so that their lives get better, what are you gonna do with Jesus? Peter? Paul?

If you study the men and women of the Bible who were close to God and followed Jesus wholeheartedly you will find pain, poverty, betrayal, one catastrophe after another (take a look at Paul's life). And yet no one would ever argue that these people were not doing exactly what God wanted them to do.

Doing the will of God WILL NOT always make your life being better, nicer, easier, happier. Did Peter have Nike(TM) sandals? Did Paul wear a designer cloak? Did their lives get better as they followed Jesus or harder?

The fact is you can do exactly what God wants you to do and not have two cents to rub together. But let me ask you this... does it matter? If you're doing what God wants, does it matter that you are well paid or not? Would you keep doing what God wants if you never get a cent for it? Do you follow the Savior and purchaser of your soul because He's going to bless you for it? Or because He paid your price, He saved your life? Father, never let us confuse our standing in life with Your blessing.

Here's the point: Blessings in this life do not prove God is happy with you. God's favor with your life will be determined when you leave this stuff that moth and rust destroy and enter Real Life in eternity. Then we will see who is first on God's list and who is last.

BTW: Jesus did not make the wrong choice. He did exactly what God wanted Him to do and the result was painful. Just like Paul. Just like Peter. Just like so many others who did what God called them to, regardless of the outcome in this world. It's called spiritual maturity.

Satan ain't no dummy...

2010-08-17T11:09:00.002-05:00

Just because Satan still doesn't fully understand that he's already lost (beat down by Jesus on the cross and dealt the final blow when Jesus said "BOO" and then rose from the dead) doesn't mean that he's dumb. He's fighting a loosing battle but he's gonna inflict as many casualties as he can before he's done.

In fact, Satan is a crafty son-of-a-gun! He's very smart when it comes to you and I, the human condition he understands very well. That is why he chose the last day of Jesus' 40 day fast as the time to tempt Him. Satan knew that Jesus, in His human condition, would be the most vulnerable. Think about it, when you are hungry, do you sleep well? Do you process information well? Jesus is hungry and probably tired and simply put, physically drained.

Yesterday I went to the Y for my workout and felt terrible! I do the 5k on the treadmill and just about didn't make it through. Why? Well, I figured I only took in maybe 750 calories yesterday before the workout (in which I burned over 550) and I just didn't have enough fuel. I made it the whole 3.5miles, but only barely. Maybe you have the same hunger symptom my wife does... she starts to shake when she hasn't eaten for awhile - blood sugar thing I suppose (yes she's been tested for diabetes and doesn't have it). When were hungry our bodies don't work right, our brains don't work right (haven't you seen the commercials?), nothing works right.

So, physically speaking it was the perfect time for Satan to try and tempt Jesus! But what Satan didn't realize is that Jesus wasn't just fasting to keep His figure, He was fasting to get close to God, His Father. So while it was a good time physically, it was the wrong time spiritually, and Jesus puts the smack down on Satan, 1...2...3.

But look what it says in verse 13 of Luke 4, "[Satan] left Him until the next opportunity came."

Satan may not fully understand the spiritual side of things but he is persistent. He failed that time but that didn't mean he would just give up. Never think that just because you've beaten Satan's temptations, once or twice or 50 or 100 times that you won't ever give in... he will keep after you, testing you to find your weakest time. Trying here and there to figure out just how you work, when you are most vulnerable so he can spring his trap.

So when you pass the temptation don't get too smug, he will most definitely try again.

I don't want to just go back...

2010-08-16T10:09:00.002-05:00

It was late in the evening... and since it makes for a romantic story I'll go with it, since I am a romantic myself.

Some dirty, stinky shepherds are huddled around a fire swapping stories and boasting about their skills with a sling. When suddenly (that means without warning so I wont be redundant and say "and without warning") there is a dude floating in the sky who is gleaming with the radiance of God's glory! Wow! Have you ever been in the middle of nowhere at night? I mean, no cities around. No street lights. Dark. Imagine the strain on your eyes when you are met with the radiance of God's glory on a black Bethlehem hillside night! Their fire must have seemed like a Bic lighter on a hot Kansas day!

And then the angel speaks, tells them the wonderful news of the birth of the Messiah and is joined by, "the armies of heaven"! Thousands...millions of angels all singing praises to God! I can't imagine the glory and fear and awe that surely accompanied this great sight!

And once the angels leave the shepherds figure they will go and see if what they just heard about is really true. Sure enough, they find Jesus just like the angels had said. The shepherds then go and, "tell everyone" what they had seen and heard and what the angels said about Jesus, that He was the Messiah.

But look what happens next... they prove the angels announcement. They tell anyone who would get close enough to them to listen. They go back to work.

Huh. Interesting. Here's my thought. Would I go back to work the day after millions of angels announced the birth of the Messiah to me? Would that announcement and my discovery of the baby change my life? Or would I just go back to work.

The birth of Jesus changed history. The shepherds SAW the promised Messiah - they met him face to face. They got all excited and told some people and then, back to the old grind-stone.

When I have a "come to Jesus moment" I want my life to be different. But the tug of the familiar, the consistency of the grind. The comfort of the continual. The promise of a pay-check are hard things to just walk away from. So, many of us meet Jesus and then go back to work. Unchanged. Unmoved. Unaffected by the presence of the Savior.

God, help me to be changed. Help me to overcome the rut, the comfortable, the confined and live for You. Abandoned to Your Will. Appropriated to Your Spirit. Accustomed to Your Call. Changed.

Just wondering out loud... don't stone me.

2010-08-13T13:05:00.003-05:00

Reading today in Mark 16 about the women's encounter with the angel in the empty tomb and I was struck by some (perhaps over-reaching) comparisons.

During Jesus life and ministry He spent a lot of His time teaching in the synagogues and the temple (when he was in Jerusalem). But He also spent a great deal of time teaching in the open air, on the hillside, across the pond (sea of Galilee) and walking along the road. Surely someone has done a study of the times when Jesus was teaching where so we can compare, you can comment and let me know where to find it.

Then Jesus spends some time on the cross during which He pays the price for all sin. Then His body spends some time in the tomb of Joseph until Sunday morning. But when the women come to anoint His body they meet instead an angel. This angel says, "He is not here!" He's risen just as He said He would (duh)! And when the women left they saw Him on the path, He walked on the road, He cooked on the shore, He appeared in the upper room behind a locked door.

Here's where I have the potential to get in trouble. How many people are going to the wrong place to find Jesus? I would venture that some are entering our churches every week expecting to find Jesus and instead all they get is some smelly remnants of where He used to be (the spice soaked linen that laid on the slab signifying where Jesus HAD been).

And when they are walking on the road, or chillin' at the lake or having a party in their house, where they don't expect to find Him... there He is!

The empty cross we honor because on that stick of wood our Savior was nailed and bled for our sin. But Jesus isn't there any longer. The empty tomb we honor because it proves what we already believed, death could not hold Him! But Jesus isn't there any longer.

Where is Jesus? Well, He certainly is in some churches, right where He's always been. But I think where He wants to be is on the road engaged in casual conversation that leads to the spiritual. He wants to be on the path in the garden where He is least expected. He wants to be the life of the party when you're relaxing with your friends. He wants to be on the shore, sharing a meal.

We often don't find Jesus where we expect and do find Him where we don't expect. But here's the kicker, Jesus is found whenever His people, who are called by His Name act like it. So, maybe we ought to stop acting like Him only on Sunday when were in "the tomb" (lovingly) and start acting like Him every day, in the world we live. So that He is found where ever we go by everyone we meet.

What's your "One Thing"?

2010-08-10T11:25:00.002-05:00

Do you remember that movie City Slickers? (I know, I'm on a movie roll right now!) I loved that movie! My family watched it a lot. Do you recall that famous line from Curly about the meaning of life?

Curly: do you know what the secret of life is?
Curly: This [holds up index finger]
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing, just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean (expletive) nothin'.
Mitch: But what is the "One Thing"?
Curly: That's what you have to figure out.

What's the one thing?

There was a guy who came running up to Jesus, fell on his knees and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life" (Mark 10:17-23)

Sounds good, right? Genuine and honorable question. He obviously wanted to know. Look at him! He comes running up, assumes a position of humility and asks a great question, The question!

Jesus response is that he should obey the commands of God (10 commands). To which this guy says he has, since he was a child. So, he's not only inquisitive and wants to make sure he's doing the right thing, he is already DOING the right things. He must just want to make sure he's got all his spiritual bases covered.

Jesus surely is impressed with this young man and his devotion to God's Word and his desire to do whatever it takes to spend eternity with his Heavenly Father. So Jesus, wanting to make sure the guy is really ready for heaven, tells him to do just one more thing... Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, then you will be welcomed into heaven.

What's the one thing for you? The most important thing in your life? Jesus has a way of cutting through all the phony actions and speech and getting right to the heart of the issue. What is it that you can't live without? What is it that you wouldn't trade for Jesus? For this guy it was his stuff. His possessions. That was his "one thing." And because "stuff" was his one thing, Jesus couldn't be. Mark says he, "went away sad" because he had great wealth.

The secret of life is Jesus. Just that one thing. A relationship with The One and only Savior of mankind. There may be nine other things in your life that are important to you but if The One thing you can't live without isn't Jesus you're gonna have problems. Figure that out for yourself and you'll be just fine.

Length x width x height = no big deal

2010-08-09T09:58:00.002-05:00

I like The Matrix movies. There, I said it. I confess. I love the whole plugged into the matrix or not plugged in. But I really love the mental acrobatics the characters have to work through. Learning that when they're jumping off a building, they're not really jumping off a building. Hopping off the curb is no different from stepping off the empire state!

But most of us don't see the world that way do we... Try this; take a 2x4 and lay it on the ground and see if you can walk across it. Easy, wasn't it. Now put that same 2x4, let's say, 20 feet in the air and try it again. What's the matter? Chicken? Same board. What's changed? Your focus has changed. When the board was on the ground you were able to focus on balancing because you weren't worried about falling off. When you're 20 feet up your focus is NOT on the board, it's on the ground and what will happen when you hit it!

But those same mental acrobatics are not something God struggles with. In Mark 9 Jesus steps into a situation where people are focused on the wrong thing. A father is bringing Jesus his son (we don't know his age but could assume he is in his middle to late teens) who is possessed by a demon. The demon attempts to kill the boy by sending him into convulsions near fire or water so that the boy is always in danger of dying while he's having one of these seizures. The father tells Jesus that some of His disciples had already tried to cast the demon out but they couldn't do it... the boys father is loosing hope. Jesus, His disciples, were probably the mans final hope. But it wasn't looking good. He'd hit another dead end. The doctors, spiritualists, fakers, they all failed and it looked like Jesus would too.

But once Jesus gets to the scene he asks this question, "how long has he been like this?" to which the father replies, "since he was a small boy." Now the crowd is really concerned! the disciples couldn't cast out the demon AND it has possessed the boy since he was a child! It's looking hopeless!

Here's what we need to understand about God. He is not limited. The man could have been possessed for 5 min or 50 years - it wouldn't matter for Jesus! Our God functions outside our finite reality! The size of the problem, debt, hole you've dug doesn't scare God. When you own it all, control it all, created it all, little things like how long or high or much or deep don't bother you. For Jesus, it's just as easy to say, "your sins are forgiven" as it is to say, "take up your mat and walk."

So the next time you start thinking that your situation is too big. Your problem too complex. Your relationship too broken. The hole you've dug, too deep. Remember this. God is God. There is none like Him. His power, infinite. His resources, boundless. His Grace, always sufficient. His mercy, never ending. His strength, limitless. His love... Higher. Deeper. Longer. Wider. You can never - no matter what, get in too deep, be too far gone, be too lost for God. Your "rock bottom" is God's starting line. Your ocean, God's puddle. Your mountain, God's stepping stone.

Going hungry in a bread store...

2010-08-06T13:23:00.002-05:00

Do you know any plumbers? Electricians? Chefs? I've heard it said that a plumbers pipes are always clogged. The thinking is that people in these professions work all day on other people's problems they don't want to deal with the same stuff at home. So, who does an electrician call when he needs a new light? Who does the cooking in the home of a chef?

In Mark 8 there is the story of how Jesus fed the 4,000 men (+ women and children). Now, it's important to remember that Jesus has already fed the 5,000 so this is a slightly smaller miracle. Just as in the first case Jesus asks the disciples about feeding the people and immediately the disciples start thinking in human terms. It would take a year's wages to feed this many people, they said of feeding the 5,000. This time they say they can't supply this need because they are too far away from any town. There's no where to get enough food. The first time it was about money, this time the money may have been there (Judas kept the money and he was a penny pincher!) but they claim they can't feed them because of geography, we're just too far from any town. The disciples have the baker with them but are going hungry.

Once again Jesus takes what they have (a few loaves of bread and a couple fish) and performs a miracle of multiplication so that everyone eats and they have leftovers.
Why didn't they simply say, "well, Jesus, you fed the 5,000 with just a few loaves, we'll find what we can and You pray and we'll feed the people - just like before." Instead they immediately look to human means to meet the need.

It seems to me that if you're friends with the Life Giver, Bread Maker, Water Walker, Storm Calmer and Disease Healer why look anywhere else!

So it's confession time for me... I'm terrible at this! I tend to look for human means to meet spiritual needs; church growth, leadership, finances, resources, instead of immediately going to the Church Grower, Servant Leader, Land Owner, People Maker!

The moral is this, Jesus is all we need. He's the answer to every problem, the supply for every need.

Computer Art and Faith

2010-08-05T13:29:00.002-05:00

Do you remember those computer generated posters or books that had that "hidden" 3d image? They were huge when I was growing up in the 80's and I remember that my sister got a poster one time. I tried and tried but never could see the hidden image. I later got a book of these pictures and as I recall, I gave it away or threw it away. I was convinced that it was a conspiracy. No one really knew what picture was supposed to be there they just waited for someone else to say, "it's a ship" and everyone after them would agree and claim they saw it. I never did.

In Mark 5 there is the story of a demon possessed strong man that Jesus heals. No one could control him and every time they tried to capture him with shackles and chains he broke free. He wandered through graveyards yelling and beating people up and cutting himself. Oh yea, and he didn't like to wear clothes! Surely it was a crazy sight seeing someone get beat up by a screaming naked man, bloody from all the cuts.

But when he meets Jesus everything changes. When the town's people come out to find out what all the commotion is about they see the man dressed (for the first time), sitting at the feet of Jesus calmly having a conversation. The text says he was, "in his right mind." You'd think that Jesus would be hoisted up on their shoulders and carried around to cheers! He just saved this town, no more screaming crazy man in the tombs. The women could move about with freedom without covering their eyes. Parents could let their children play without worry. Men could be men and not get beat up anymore. I mean, this was GREAT news!

So why did the people do the exact opposite? Instead of welcoming Jesus, giving Him the key to the city and creating a holiday in His honor, they ask Him to leave! Crazy! It seems they were more concerned with the loss of income and food. You see, Jesus allowed the evil spirits that inhabited this man (and there were many) to take possession of the minds/actions of a herd of pigs, about 2,000 of them and they promptly ran off a cliff and drowned in the lake! So when the people heard the story the thing that stood out was not the crazy man who had been set free (and likewise the whole town) but the loss of the pigs. The income they generated! The food they provided! Who was going to reimburse the farmer? What were they gonna eat? Who was gonna pay!

Just like those 3d art images that I could never see, I only see what's on the surface, the numbers, the offerings, the relationship problems, the hurt feelings, the programs, etc. And I don't see what is most important. Jesus is changing lives. It may only be one life at a time, but isn't that worth it?

God, help me to see what's truly important - I don't want to be side tracked by what's on the surface, I want to see what You see.

Light's other quality...

2010-08-04T14:14:00.002-05:00

What do you know about light? Some guy named Edison discovered it, harnessed it and produced it. It works by creating an enclosed area for a positive and neutral current to connect and burn, it closes the electrical loop. It is a contained shock. A fire waiting to happen. But light does something else. The lighthouse warned of impending danger. The bug zapper drew the pests to their demise so we could enjoy the outdoors, which we lit up, a little longer. Somebody with a bubbly personality we say, "lights up" a room. Light is pretty useful.

Do you leave a light on when you leave the house? When I was a child and would go away to church camp each year my Mom would deep clean my room. She often moved the furnishings, bed, dresser, nightstand. Cleaned the carpets, put on fresh clean bedding, dusted and straightened. Then she would turn on the light on my nightstand. It was a small bulb, low watts, soft light. I remember how excited I always was when I came home and that light was on.

Before "light" when the sun went down people went to bed. Which means they had to work hard while the sun was up and sleep hard when the sun went down. But since the invention of the light bulb people have been able to stay up. Light creates a place to gather. To share ideas. To enjoy company, read a book. Light enables me to see what would otherwise be unseen and I think it welcomes others to see as well. A light in the window is an inviting scene.

In Mark 4:21-24 Jesus says that no one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead they put it on a stand for all to see. Of course Jesus was talking about a candle light - but the reference works now too. The purpose of light is to see. Why turn on a light and then cover it up? Surely your mom had many talks with you (as mine did) about turning off a light when you leave a room. There's no point for the light to be on in an empty room.

In another place Jesus calls believers the "light of the world." Here's my question, shouldn't light gather? Illuminate? Create a place to gather? If we are to be the light of the world then we should be drawing others, like moth to flame (or bug zapper). Our light should be a place to gather, safe, warm, understanding.

Can you think of ways in which the church, you and I, can be a light that draws others? I'd love to hear your ideas!

I'm percolating a thought... dangerous

2010-07-29T14:37:00.002-05:00

Why are we so willing to excuse the past while being unwilling to deviate from it?
The religious leaders complained that the disciples were "working" by rubbing heads of wheat in their hands and eating it while walking through a wheat field. Jesus reminds them that King David actually went into the "house of God" and took the consecrated bread from the alter and ate it! So, the religious leaders had excused the acts of David while still enforcing the law of not working on the sabbath. They excused one act of lawlessness while upholding another law.

So I'm pondering and percolating this strange thing. Are there areas where we have excused the behaviors of certain people in the past, while at the same time holding others as law breakers in the present?

Not sure where this is going, maybe nowhere... help me out if you have a thought. Just seems strange to me. I think there might be a principle or an application here somewhere just not sure what it is, beyond the one plainly stated by Jesus - the law exists for people not people for the law...

behind the obvious, veiled perhaps...

Spirtual Espionage...

2010-07-28T14:01:00.002-05:00

Reading Mark 1 today and I see something I've never noticed in all the times I have read it. And since I love a good action adventure flick... this intrigued me!

Jesus' ministry is just beginning, hasn't even called all the disciples to follow Him yet but He goes to the Synagogue in Capernaum (where they've been staying) and begins to teach the people. While Jesus is teaching and reading from the scrolls no doubt, a guy stands up in the crowd and shouts at Jesus, "Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!"

Pretty strange to have a dude stand up in church and begin to shout at you (though it has happened to me before!) but what makes this story so interesting is that in verse 23 the man is identified as, "a man... who was possessed by an evil spirit". Imagine! Having church and a guy stands up, demon possessed and begins to shout!

But here's where it gets really interesting to me! Didn't the people there know the guy? Wasn't he someones father, or brother, or husband? Wasn't he uncle Ben's best friends cousin? How did a demon possessed man get into church that day?!

And then I started thinking... if a demon possessed guy could waltz into church with Jesus, what's to keep them from coming into any church service? Who's to say that we don't have covert agents working for Satan infiltrating our services all around the world? Which begs the question, Why? Why would Satan care what goes on in church? And before you say something like, "the demon possessed couldn't possibly get through the doors of my church because (add whatever super theological argument you've got here)." Think for a minute. Satan is the master mind behind every evil, sinful, wrong thing that is done...correct? And you're gonna tell me that everyone in your church always and forever does the right thing all the time? You've had no affairs, divorces, offenses, etc. in your church? Come one now... it is Satan that can "look" like an angel of light.

Perhaps the same thing that is true about the angels in 1 Peter 1 is true about all spiritual beings, "they long to understand prophecy and the Word." Maybe there is spiritual espionage going on because Satan wants to know where to hit the church (where the weak links are) and find out if we know something spiritual that he hasn't figured out yet...

Maybe there are double agents, and war rooms, covert operations and black ops happening all time!

Perhaps this is why the disciples warned us to, watch ourselves, our doctrine, our friends, our lives, our relationship with our Savior, watch yourself or you may also be tempted...

Direction Motivation

2010-07-27T11:24:00.002-05:00

Matthew 28:19-20 gives the marching order for the church from her captain, Jesus Christ. Jesus laid out the battle plan for the church to make a beachhead for inroads into the communities in which it exists.

Jesus said the job of the church was to:
1. Make Disciples. The word disciple means "learner" the 12 disciples were learners of Jesus, they were His students. Judas was one of those, though he didn't learn very well. We are to help people want to learn more about Jesus.
2. Baptize. Once a person becomes a learner they should learn about baptism and, if true learners, they will want to be baptized in obedience to Jesus. A learner wants to follow and obey his teacher.
3. Teach the new disciples the commands of Jesus. Baptism is not the graduation ceremony for the disciple (learner) it is the initiation into a new way of life. A new life that must be taught and caught. The church is to teach, those who follow, the whole counsel of God.

At Real Life we do a good job of creating an atmosphere and environment for making disciples and most of those respond in obedience to immersion. But I think we have failed in the "teach the new disciples God's commands" department. So I will talking and thinking about a way to remedy that situation.

I think it will begin with a greater push for Life Groups. That means we'll need people willing to host and lead these small home groups where we can facilitate the third part of our directive. I'm open to ideas and dialogue on this issue so if you've got a thought, please share it!

Take Heed!

2010-07-26T09:37:00.004-05:00

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The pebble problem.

2010-07-22T14:21:00.002-05:00

Have you ever heard it said of someone that they were, "too big for their britches"? I'd like to put a new spin on that from the life of the Apostle Peter.

In Matthew 16:16-18 Jesus is talking with the disciples about who other's thought Jesus really was. Everybody had a different idea about but Jesus asks Peter directly, "who do you believe I am?" And Peter responds, "you are the Christ (means chosen one of God), the Son of the Living God." This was obvious the right answer because Jesus tells Peter that he should consider himself blessed, since "this was revealed not by men, but by my Father in heaven." In other words, God revealed this to you Peter, you ought to be happy about that.

Here's where the problem starts. Peter gets an "atta-boy" from Jesus. You're catching on Peter! You're growing up Peter! In fact, this is where Peter gets his new name. The name he was born with was Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter right here after this key truth is revealed, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! Way to go, Simon, your name is now going to be Peter - which most language people believe means, "stone" or "pebble".

So let's recap. Peter makes a great spiritual statement about who Jesus was - the Son of The God. Peter gets a pat on the back and a new name (Peter). Then something happens...

Jesus goes on to tell the rest of the disciples, who were all standing right there, that on the truth of Peter's statement Jesus would build His church. And that's just what happened! The church today is built on the foundational belief that the historical Jesus IS, WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE the Son of the LIVING God and the Savior o fall who believe in Him! Which is pretty cool. But right after that Jesus starts talking about Him impending death on the cross. At which point Peter (the pebble) takes Jesus aside and scolds Him, (like a child) saying (in his best big man voice), "this will never happen Lord," you're talking crazy! Why, I'd die before I'd let anyone harm you, after all, I'm a boulder - the guy who came up with the truth on which your church will be founded! (okay, okay, I know I took some liberties there with the text, but you get what I'm saying, right?!)

Did you see how Peter is given a truth from God, claims responsibility for it and in just a few moments goes from a little pebble to scolding Jesus like he was a big boulder? I think a lot of us do that still in our lives. We are given a few pats on the back. A few Atta-boys. And pretty soon we've gone from a little pebble who just wanted to serve and be involved and help however we could... to a boulder that is telling others what to do and bossing them around, etc. I see it all the time. The problem for many leaders with giving people pebble responsibilities is that they soon start acting like boulders, immovable, planted, sturdy.

I always try to look for leaders who have no problem being pebbles. Those are the ones who can roll with the flow. Who will help build the wall, knowing they can't do it themselves, instead of standing on the sidelines telling everyone else how it should be done.

If you read the rest of the story after Peter reprimands Jesus (I still can't believe he did that!) Jesus says, "get behind me Satan!" Wow! Peter goes from a pebble, to a boulder (in his own mind) to a grain of sand as he is called down by Christ.

When you get too big for your britches, the fall is often long and hard. Believe me, I know.

Are you stuck IN a trial or ON a trial?

2010-07-14T10:46:00.003-05:00

I wonder how many opportunities I've missed in my life because I was too focused on the trial I was going through to see anything else. You may not know this but we (almost all of us) base decisions on what HAS been instead of what COULD be. What I mean is this. If you've been hurt in a relationship you are less likely to jump into another one because you will expect to be hurt again. So you're past experience may keep you from a future opportunity. I think we do that even "in the moment."

Matthew quotes Jesus as saying to the disciples, "you WILL stand trial...BECAUSE you are my followers, BUT this will be your OPPORTUNITY to tell...unbelievers about me." Jesus knew that His disciples would be punished and face trials for no other reason then their faith in Him. But, He also knew that the trials they faced would provide OPPORTUNITIES they might not otherwise have to share their faith.

You and I don't face judge and jury trials like the kind Jesus is talking about, but we do face hardships and temptations (we call them trials). In every trial we face there is opportunity. But these are so opposite from each other that we tend only focus on one or the other at a time. Like when Jesus said, "you can't serve two masters..." here, we tend to not see two sides.
Trials are difficult, opportunities exciting. Trials exhaust us, opportunities infuse us with energy. Trials take from us what we have, opportunities give us more. But when we focus on the trial we tend to forget about the opportunity! But don't lose hope! When we intentionally learn to focus on the opportunities, the trials begin to fade into the background.

I want to be more opportunity focused and less trial conscious. Let's face it, we could all benefit from that. I feel like we at Real Life are going through a "season of trials" - but I'm also beginning to see the many opportunities that exist, solely because of the trials! Let's take advantage of the OPPORTUNITIES for the glory of God and let Him worry about the trials!

character flaw...

2010-07-12T14:33:00.002-05:00

I have this flaw in my character. If I decide to do something, let's say, exercise and lose some weight, and tell other people about it I am less likely to actually do it. But, if I don't say anything to anybody I am more likely to begin such a program. It's almost like just have the conversation gets me out of actually doing the thing I'm talking about! Stinks.

Jesus healed a man with leprosy in Matthew 8:1-3 but tells the man NOT to tell anyone. Instead he is to go show himself to the priest and offer the required sacrifice for being cleansed of leprosy (perhaps a thank or wave offering) and this action will be a public testimony that he had been cleansed.

Perhaps Jesus knew this guy had the same character flaw I do! Look at what might have happened. He is cleansed and runs through town telling everyone Jesus healed him. But, since he didn't go to the priest, he has no proof that he had leprosy and had been healed. And, he may have told a few people, been all excited and then went back to work, forgetting about it. By going to the priest he gets a record of his healing (because the priest would have had a record that he had leprosy and needed to be sent out of the community according to the law), he has the opportunity to offer a "thank you" sacrifice to God (according to the law) and everyone in the Temple would have seen it - a public testimony!

So, I'm exercising and trying not to talk about it too much. The public testimony comes when others notice the physical change in me and ask me what's up or tell me I look better. Then I can tell them what I am doing.

Maybe spiritually we ought to make those lifestyle changes first (instead of just talking about it) and then let people "see" it in our lives and ask, "what is different?" Then we can tell them, I've been cleansed. You've seen the proof.

God may have other plans... are you ready?

2010-07-09T13:46:00.002-05:00

Every big thing in our lives certainly takes center stage in our thoughts and dreams. Marriage, the birth of your children, first job, etc. We've got it all worked out don't we.

I read a line in Matthew 1:18 the other day that got me thinking. Here's how it goes, "Mary was engaged, but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin..."

One little sentence packed full of so many dreams and ambitions and interruptions and then a complete turn around...

Mary was engaged... Statement of fact. Her and Joseph were gonna get hitched. Surely she was dreaming about the wedding, their life, the children that would come. Joseph was a strong young man. Perhaps handsome. Maybe she considered herself lucky to have such a man. Well, one with a career any way. Everything was going great and moving, just as she dreamed it toward her ultimate marriage...

But before the marriage took place... something interrupted her dreams. Before she could get to that thing that had monopolized her thoughts for weeks, months, maybe even years, it all came crashing down. Surely you know what that's like. You've had unfulfilled dreams. Maybe it was while you were preparing to walk down the aisle when he or she bailed and left you standing there stunned. You found out your unborn child had a disability of some kind. Before you could really get your life going, something happened. You can relate to Mary.

While she was still a virgin... believe it or not this is my favorite part of this sentence! There is so much hope and faith and wonder tied up in this lost statement! Listen, if she was still a virgin then nothing that happened next should have happened! A virgin can't be pregnant. There was not way! How could the Savior of the universe be born to a virgin?! The only answer is God.

What is your obstacle to God birthing something wonderful in you? If a virgin girl can become the mother of His Son I can't see anything standing in His way! And while you go about making your life plans, completely incapable of accomplishing His will on your own, He is at work to bring about something incredible in your life! Something you can't possibly imagine!

So make your plans, but be ready, because God just may interrupt your life when you least expect and birth something incredible in you too.