The Silent Treatment

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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:

1. 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.
2. 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!
3. 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)
4. 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."

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

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

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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?

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...

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?

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

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.

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?

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...

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?

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.

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...

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

Do NOT:

1. Let sin control the WAY you live. Your actions, functions, means of life.
2. Give it to sinful DESIRES. Greed is a sinful desire, hate, lust, disobedience, selfishness, all.
3. 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):

1. Give yourself COMPLETELY to God. That means everything, what you do, say, think, see...
2. 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.

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.