Rhapsodies and Anecdotes

Despair

2012-02-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

This morning I felt an overwhelming burden of sin and guilt and shame, which seemed to just come out of nowhere, but almost brought me to my knees in hopelessness and despair.

Ever feel that way?

If that's not the enemy attacking, then I don't know what is. He wants to bring me to that point of despair. He wants me to give up the fight. He wants me to stop trusting God to take care of everything. I forget sometimes that He's already provided everything I need.

In light of those feelings, I did what I wish I did every time I feel tempted to despair, I opened up the Word. This is what greeted me.

"The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me." Psalm 7:8

David is confident before the Lord. He's confident that God will protect him from his enemies and he's even confident to request God's judgment. But how is he able to be so confident in the face of wrath and judgment from the holy God?

It struck me like a ton of bricks. I was reminded that it's not my righteousness or integrity. And it never has been. It's the righteousness that Christ lived out for me during His time on earth and that very righteousness was placed on me through His blood which was shed on the cross.

It was such an encouragement to me, being reminded in such a fresh way of the work Christ has done on my behalf. But it was also such a convicting thing to think about - this work was not done so that I could keep it to myself. Christ died so that I might live and in His last words on earth, He commanded that I share this good news with everyone.

So, I challenge you not to settle for just "fire insurance." Christ's sacrifice means way more than that. Tell your friends and family. Tell your neighbors and coworkers. Tell the world.

As Penn Jillette has so famously said, "How much do you have to hate a person not to tell them?"

Awkward

2012-01-26T08:10:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to Starbucks to study for a Greek midterm. This is a story from that night (and no, it's not a lengthy tale of Greek verbs and grammar rules :)

I had a lot to study, so I came prepared - headphones in, flashcards prepped, hot coffee at my side. A little while after I had been sitting there, two high school age girls came in, got some coffee, and sat down right in my line of sight. A few minutes later, a boy came in (also about high school age) meandered around for a bit, saw these two girls, and proceeded to talk to them. A few things were obvious from my point of view: they all knew each other, he wanted to talk and be friendly, and the girls did not. The problem is - the boy had no idea that they they were giving every non verbal cue possible to hint at their non-interest in the conversation.

So, as I watched, I began to feel judgment rise up in my heart. Briefly, I sided with the boy, quickly coming to the conclusion that these girls needed to be more welcoming, more friendly, less obvious in their disdain for him. But a curious thing happened, something that I think happened because of the true depth of sin in my heart. I started to resent the boy, too. I started to think, judgmentally and wrongly, that he just needed to give it up. He's awkward, I reasoned. He needs to go spend time with people who are more like him, I thought.

Pretty soon thereafter, the girls made up some excuse to leave and the boy was left there sitting. He seemed to be waiting on someone.

A couple of minutes passed and a guy about my age walked in and let me tell you, this boy's face lit up. It was clear that the person he was expecting had arrived. They got coffee. They sat down (thank you Lord) right in my line of sight. And they began to talk.

After a few prompting questions, the boy starts telling his story - you know, how he got to where he is today. I'll be honest, I love those kind of stories. So, I popped out a headphone to hear it all. I'm glad I did, too, because it truly blessed, challenged, and convicted me.

I heard the story of a boy who, admittedly, struggled with social interactions and finding his place in a high school world where awkward kids don't really "fit" into the social hierarchy. He became depressed to the point of preparing to commit suicide. His only real friend, in an effort to share the Gospel with him, introduced him to a band, Skillet. She thought maybe their songs could have an effect. She was right. There was a song that really struck a chord with him, particularly because it talked about suicide and purpose in life. He'd never heard before that his life could have purpose. Meaning. Hope.

And there I sat, listening to his story of how Jesus found him and pulled him out of the "miry clay." I was pierced to the core at how quick I was to pass judgment earlier. I was convicted as I was reminded of my own story of redemption and how often I don't share it. And I was encouraged as I heard yet another story of how Christ can radically alter a person's life. You see, you cannot truly meet Christ and walk away unchanged.

So I ask you - how judgmental are you of other people? You never know where a person is coming from and the very thing you judge them for could be what God uses to teach a you lesson in humility. I seem to keep learning that the hard way...

Also - how often do you share your story with people you come into contact with? Or better yet, how often do you ask someone to tell their story to you? You never know the impact you could have on someone, whether you lead them to meet Christ for the first time or remind them of when they did.

Our worship pastor said a couple months ago, "The Gospel isn't just for saving folks. It sustains us, too." He's right. There is no greater gift you could give a person than the Truth of the Gospel.

The Shortest Sentence

2012-01-24T22:09:00.001-05:00

I literally heard myself having this conversation earlier tonight with our little girl. It was like some strange third person experience, but I knew I would need to share. It went like this:

Isabella: Daddy, can I have that?
Me: No, baby.
Isabella: But I want it!
Me: I know, baby, but sometimes we want things we can't have. That's why we have parents - so we know what those things are.

Even as I said those words to her, I thought, "There's a lesson in this." I guess I'll always be a teacher to some extent or another.

After further reflection, this is what occurs to me: While it's not the entirety of parenting, sometimes "No" is the best thing we can tell our kids because it's a lesson in so many things. To name a few:

Patience - sometimes you have to wait for things or people. We have to wait all the time on God's timing, too.

Selflessness - sometimes they need a solid reminder that the world doesn't revolve around them. (In fact, it doesn't revolve around us either. It's a good lesson for us all.)

Trust - in you as a parent to know what's best for them. Ultimately, they need to see us trusting God daily for our needs, as well, and that will in turn bolster their confidence in you as a parent.

As I said, that's just a sample. There are many more lessons out there that "No," the shortest, yet sometimes most effective, sentence can teach.

And so I urge you. Please. Be actively involved in parenting your children. Being a parent is more than just blood or birth certificates. You have more than just a duty or responsibility to keep them alive for 18 years. You have a God-given mandate to shepherd their hearts, to teach them the right that will wage war against the wrong already deeply implanted into their hearts by sin, and to point them to the only eternal satisfaction that can be found - that which is found in Jesus Christ.

Pride

2012-01-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

What do you take pride in? Where are you the strongest? The nations of the ancient Middle East, the ones prophesied against and about in the Old Testament, found their strength in sea and sword, trade and religion, even personal beauty.

I suppose its not any different today. Perhaps the most prevalent and debilitating vice, at the heart of every war, sex scandal, or child abuse story, is the issue of pride. Mankind is so proud. We think we're better than everyone else, even God, and we attempt to assert that power over countries, cities, people and even ourselves. Even at the heart of the fall of Satan and man was a pride which said, "I can be god of my own life." I know I think that way sometimes...

It seems there really is "nothing new under the sun," as Solomon puts it...

So, I was reading through Ezekiel and all of his prophecies against the many nations surrounding Israel (and even Israel themselves at times), and all of the sudden it hits me. The picture that Ezekiel describes, the reason why the nations are to be held accountable to God, is not really any different than the world today. It's old news, so to speak.

Here's what rings true over and above everything else. God is better. And stronger. And truer. God is all, and no matter how much we may think we have under control, we don't. And we never will. If anything, Ezekiel should put us in our place, the whole book should humble us quite a bit.

Over and over God says to Ezekiel, "Then they will know that I am the Lord God." (There are more references than I can list here. Go read the book and underline every time that phrase comes up. It's overwhelming!)

But why? Why does God say that so much? Because Ezekiel didn't get it the first time? No, I don't think so. I think God is extremely emphasizing (though maybe not so extremely considering how slow I am to understand this) that He is God! Over all! And we are not! Over anything!

So, what do you take pride in?

Is it your physical beauty?
Is it your personal strength?
Is it your religious piety?
Is it your skills and abilities?

I've heard it referred to as time, talents, and treasures. Or passion, possession, position, and power. Whatever you want to call it, the question is this:

What is taking priority in your life and in your heart over and above God?

More importantly, how are you using the gifts of God to further His kingdom and spread His gospel?

You can be a great singer, or athlete, or educator, or photographer, or preacher, or actor, or student, or businessperson, or whatever it is that you do. You can be passionate about things that are in this world, things that bring joy and excitement to people.

But the gifts of God should not result in pride in our accomplishment alone. Rather, they should produce humility before an awesome God. When we come to realize that rather than destroy us in our sin He made a way for us to be rescued from our sin, it brings humility of the deepest kind. When we truly grasp the depth of our sin and trespass against the Holy God, it brings gut-wrenching conviction. When we really get a hold of that idea, it radically changes how we think so that instead of seeking stuff from God we seek out what we can give back to God.

So, this thing you're proud of? Is it something that you use to glorify God and proclaim His Truth to the world? Or are you using it to glorify yourself instead, to be the god of your own life?

God gave each of us good gifts to glorify Himself and I'd say it's high time we started living that way.

A Resolution

2012-01-10T07:23:00.003-05:00

This year, after reading the entire Bible last year, I decided to go more slowly and try to dig in more to what I'm reading. I'll read a Proverb or Psalm a day in addition to a chapter from the New Testament each day. Where else is there for me to start than Matthew, right? So, reading in my quiet time this morning, these verses stood out to me in a way I hadn't thought about before:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:36-38

I am convicted, while thinking about these verses in particular, that I must figure out a way to live out my faith on a daily basis. It is such a waste if I don't apply the lessons I learn as God leads me through life. I also thought I would do well to share them. We all need accountability to hold us to the task, even when it gets tough. That said, maybe these thoughts can "spur you on" or maybe you can just hold me accountable. Either way...

The first thing that hit me in this passage is that, just like Jesus, I must have compassion for the crowds. I must care deeply (in the gut, as the Greek refers to it) for them and their eternal security. This is the motivation which will drive me to do whatever it takes to be sure they know the Truth of God's good news. As Jesus saw them, so must I also see them - with love, as lost sheep without a shepherd, in desperate need for a Savior.

Second, I must labor. Jesus said the laborers are few, but he also said to go make disciples. The reason there are so few laborers is that there are so few willing to actually go and labor. I must fulfill this commission from my Lord for it is the primary task which I have been given. Whether that takes place in my city, my state, my nation or the world - this is my goal: that all men might know that Jesus Christ is Lord and glorify the Father in heaven.

Finally, I must pray. I must pray for the strength to fulfill the task. I must pray for fertile ground when I share. I must pray for other laborers in the fields alongside me. I must pray - for without it I have no strength. Prayer for the Christian is as bread for the body, without it we starve. It is as fresh wind on a hot day, without it we are stifled. It is essential to the Christian's walk with Christ. I must not neglect the discipline of prayer.

What are some areas you could work on? Are you like me and need a swift kick in the tail to keep working to fulfill the Great Commission? How can I hold you accountable?

Wisdom

2011-12-30T15:54:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking a lot over the years about wisdom, but especially lately. Being married and having a family really puts things into perspective. I want to lead my wife well and I want to teach my children how to live for Christ - and all of that takes much wisdom.

The Proverbs are full of wisdom sayings. The rest of the Bible speaks repeatedly of wisdom as well, using examples and making strong statements in much the same way as the Proverbs. If the Bible spends so much time talking about being wise, then it seems obvious that this should be a common pursuit among all Christ followers.

I know for myself that this is a constant struggle. I ask myself what is the wisest decision in a situation, if what I just did was wise, or if people think me wise. I know that the opinion of others' doesn't matter more than that of Christ, but it sure is a helpful indicator of how I'm doing in my attempts to be like Him.

All that thinking aloud aside, I came across this verse a while back that really captures the heart of wisdom, it's James 3:17:

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."

It's a high standard to be sure, and it certainly indicates that I have a long way to go before I'm anywhere near the expectation that God has of me regarding wisdom. But, I gotta be honest - I like a good list! And this absolutely helps me think about how I am dealing with my family and friends, and even strangers in line in front of me at the bookstore. It's also, if I'm even more honest, an incredibly humbling list because there's no way I can do any of it in my own strength. That's why Christ came - because we couldn't save ourselves with our own efforts. And that's why living our faith is such a process - the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to mold us more and more into the image of Christ, including growth in the area of wisdom.

So, that's my prayer for you (and me) today - that God would give us wisdom from above that we may glorify Him first and most. That the gospel of Christ would be made known to the world through our life and witness, and even through our wisdom.

I AM

2011-11-16T10:50:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but lately the stresses of life have really been weighing on me. So much so, that even my quiet time has suffered. Honestly, for the last couple of weeks my mornings have been dry, weary, and...well, work. I have felt like I was trudging along trying to stay consistent but not seeing any results. To be completely honest, at times I've felt discouraged in my walk with God, almost to the point of giving up...almost.

Ever been there?

But I choose to stay faithful, even if I do feel a bit discouraged, because God calls me to be faithful regardless of how I feel, or how busy I am or anything else.

All that said, I was reading in Matthew 14 and I am so thankful for my faithfulness because God showed me something that I had never seen before. He made clearer a passage that I thought I had understood reasonably well. It's the passage where Jesus walks on water. To give a little bit of context, right before this event Jesus feeds the 5000 and then goes up on the mountain for some alone time and prayer. Then He decides to come down and walks on the water to the disciples who have gone on ahead in the boat. They're terrified, because a storm has begun and they're thinking they see a ghost, but Jesus says something curious to them in verse 27:

"But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.'"

The Holy Spirit just grabbed my attention there. "It is I" is a weird phrasing and all the other versions say the same thing, so I did some digging to find out exactly what Jesus was saying.

What I found was like discovering high definition television for the first time after a lifetime of silent black and white films.

Here's another translation:

"Have courage; I AM. Don't be afraid."

The surface-level meaning ("It's me.") is literally Jesus identifying Himself. Beneath that however, the implication of Jesus' words is clear. The disciples understood it. Peter certainly understood it.

I AM.

Jesus didn't casually say to His disciples, "Hey guys, remember me? It's Jesus. We've been hanging out for a while now. There's no need to be afraid!" That really wouldn't have calmed anyone down. Though he was identifying himself, Jesus was also (not so subtly) saying, "I AM Yahweh, God over creation and God over you. In me all things find their being, even the wind and the waves. You have no reason whatsoever to fear."

Seen in this light, it easily explains why the disciples were so quickly calmed of their fears. Or why Peter so quickly believed he could walk on water if Jesus asked him to do so. Or why they respond at the end of this whole story by worshiping Jesus, saying "truly you are the Son of God." They knew that He was in control and they were reminded that they could trust Him.

Jesus says the same thing to us that He said to the disciples and it's so comforting.

In life...and in death - I AM.
In joy...and in sorrow - I AM.
In success...and in failure - I AM.

But it's also incredibly convicting.

When the storms of life are bearing down on you, who do you put your trust in?
When the past is haunting you or the future seems uncertain, who do you put your faith in?

Do you trust other people? They will eventually disappoint you.
Do you have faith in yourself and your own strength? You will eventually fail.

But God never fails or disappoints.
He shows up, time and again, stepping over all of our junk, and whispers ever so gently in our ears,

I AM.
It is finished.
Trust in me.

And so I rest in that truth. I know that in the good and in the bad (from my perspective) is still what's best for me from God's perspective. Does it mean that I understand it all? No. Does it mean things don't hurt? No. It simply means that I'm part of something greater than myself. It means that I follow a God who is bigger than my circumstances and sees farther than my perspective. He is worthy of my trust and my faith and my worship.

Colors

2011-11-09T00:27:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been somewhere when someone said something absolutely awkward and unexpected?

I know I have. And a couple of times that person was me, so I know all too well what that is like. I don't know what's more painful - having to suffer through the awkwardness of the moment or realizing you're the person who caused it all in the first place.

This very thing happened to me the other day, though (thankfully) it was while I was driving with Isabella. In fact, we were the only people who present.

I was scanning through radio stations and stopped on a station playing "Someone Like You" by Adele. I commented to Isabella that it was a really good song (her voice is incredible!) and we continued driving, listening all the while. About halfway through the first chorus Isabella asked a question that (insert awkward moment here) blew me away,

"Is she black?"

Umm...what?? Where did she learn that? I can promise it's not from me and Beth - we love people of all races and proudly have friends from all over the spectrum of race, nationality, and culture. Regardless, this is what I (and countless others, I'm sure) refer to as a "teachable moment."

So, we talked. For a long time. About how there are all varieties of people, from all over the world. They have different skin color, language, culture, personal experiences. All things that make them unique and beautiful and wonderful.

But they all have one thing in common.

God loves them.
He made them in His image.
He sent His beloved Son to die for them.
He wants them to worship Him with all of their lives.
And He commissioned us to tell them.

I don't know about you, but talking with my daughter about the gospel was even better than the song playing in the background. I hope we have many more like it.

Starting a new thing on this post - question of the day. Leave your comments in the space below!

QOTD: What interesting or deep questions have your children asked you? How did you respond? If you don't have kids, what questions did you ask your parents? How did they respond?

Big

2011-10-14T13:30:00.001-04:00

What characteristics of God do you take for granted?

As I was reading through Jeremiah this morning, I came across this verse and it just grabbed my attention.

"I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me?" Jeremiah 30:21

A few observations.

God is so undeservedly gracious to us. In addition to that, God makes Himself so accessible to us. He says in His Word that we may "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." What a personal God we have!

This verse is also an incredible reminder of the fact that we can do nothing to earn our salvation - it is God who draws us to Himself. Honestly, if it depended on me coming to God or being "good enough," I would never come to God for salvation or be saved from my sin in the first place. I'm entirely too selfish and prideful.

At the same time though, because of how easy it is to access our Father and how extravagant His grace is, I'm convicted of how small I tend to make God. Whether we're experiencing the mountain or enduring the valley, we tend to make much of our selves and our needs - it's all about us, right? As a result, we severely underestimate who God is and what God is capable of doing. It's not that we can actually limit God in reality, but it's almost like we put Him in this box so that we can understand Him better and then forget that God never fit into that box in the first place. No, not even the smallest facet of God can be contained in such a way!

Praise Him for His bigness! Praise Him for His fearful and awe-instilling size! Were our God able to be stuffed into a box, only to be pulled out when we had exhausted all other resources or wanted something from Him like some cosmic genie in a bottle, we would serve a small and incapable God indeed!

How glad it makes me to read this morning the words of Jeremiah and to be challenged to expand my understanding of the big-ness of God and to have an appropriate fear before Him. How convicting it is to me to think about how much I presume of God - as if I deserve anything other than the hell He saved me from. I'm praying that today I live in the confidence of Christ's blood. But I'm also praying that today I live with a healthy fear of the God I serve, who says to Jeremiah "who would dare of himself to approach Me?"

Satisfaction

2011-10-11T07:38:00.001-04:00

There's a verse that's been bouncing around in my head lately, so much so that it's taken over a good portion of my thoughts. Let me share it with you and expand a little about what the Lord has been teaching me through this verse.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" Psalm 34:8

Basically, I've been asking myself the question, "What is my satisfaction based upon?"

Some days I feel like I've learned so much during my time with the Lord that my heart will burst for want of sharing it with someone. I get this feeling inside that everything is okay because God is vibrantly showing me Truth in His Word. I feel truly satisfied in my relationship with God. I feel like I really do "taste and see that the Lord is good."

Some days, however, it's all I can do to read my Bible. Those days I feel like I've let sin get between me and God, that my relationship with Him is hindered because I didn't "get" as much out of my time with Him, and I don't feel satisfied in my relationship with God. Basically, I'm not tasting or seeing much of anything at all.

The problem is, my relationship with God is not based on my effort...
or how much I'm learning...
or how good I feel like I'm doing...

Jesus already perfectly paid the price that God required on the cross. I can't add anything to His sacrifice to make it any more complete. No matter how satisfied (or not) that I feel about my walk with the Lord, God is satisfied with me. In His eyes I'm redeemed. My relationship with God is no longer as a hopeless sinner before a righteous judge but as an heir and a son before a gracious Father.

I guess what I'm trying to preach to myself is this:

Quit trying to do what Christ has already done. No work (regardless of intention) can make God any more or less satisfied with you than He is already. Don't measure your walk with the Lord by how well you've done. Instead, honestly seek to "taste and see that the Lord is good" and follow where He leads.

And if you have a "bad day" (I know I will), well...isn't that what faith in Christ is all about? Rest in God's grace and praise Him for second chances.

Restored

2011-10-06T14:00:00.001-04:00

"...rend the heavens..."

So, I got a bit behind reading through the Old Testament on my journey through the Scriptures this year. This week (Fall Break!) I've been playing catch-up.

(Note to self - in reading through Isaiah a lot of things really stuck out to me. I need to make sure I go back and really do some in depth study of some of the themes there - it's a great book!)

Today, I've been thinking and meditating on Isaiah 64:1-4.

"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence - as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil - to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!"

I don't know about you, but that gets me right in my soul. Isaiah has all this bad stuff going on - judgment, wrath, punishment - and right here near the end (and woven throughout the book, as well) is this passionately worded picture of the fact that God has made a way to redeem His people and is coming back to restore everything to how He intended. I get chills just thinking about it! I found it quite refreshing today to ponder the sovereignty of God in this life (amidst all the terrible things that happen), and even how God is sovereign when it comes to the end of this life.

Don't forget about God's future promise in the midst of your present trials. He has it all under control - past, present, and future. All we have to worry about is trusting and obeying God (a huge task in and of itself) and He'll take care of the rest.

Glorious

2011-10-01T14:29:00.001-04:00

I took some time to go back through a lot of pictures that I've taken over the past few years. I've always had this fascination with the sky. It's just plain beautiful. So, a lot of pictures I have are of various skies that, when I looked, just took my breath away for one reason or another.

As I'm sitting here thinking about it, though, I'm reminded that God created it all! He made it so that the sky would have the particular make-up it required to be unique every single day. I'm reminded that this same Creative Genius made each human on earth. We also, are unique. Each in our own personalities, looks, desires, and gifts. I can easily see why God stopped at the end of each day of creation and said, "It is good!"

Today is a short post because I just wanted to post some pictures of the majesty of God's creation - which points directly to the glorious presence of God in this world.

Thank you, Father, for creating such a magnificent world.

Mississippi College at Sunrise

Calm Before the Storm

Mississippi Sunset

My Girls

Paris Lights

Suffering

2011-09-06T17:26:00.000-04:00

*Note: I started writing this a month or so ago and am just now getting around to editing and posting it. School got a little in the way (sorry). There is good news, though - the gospel is relevant regardless of time, place or circumstance. Read on.*

.........

In my journey through the books of the Bible (I'm almost done!), often I find that I'm reading a passage from the Old Testament that directly relates to the passage in the New Testament that I'm also reading. I know they all relate together, ultimately pointing to Christ, but I guess my point is that sometimes it's so obvious that even someone as dense as me can see it.

Today is one of those days.

I happened to be in the book of Job and the book of Luke at the moment. Job, of course, is all about suffering. Why do bad things happen to good people? Often, like Job, we have no idea…specifically. Job touches on this himself, but at the end of the day we all face difficulties in life and it has everything to do with the sovereignty of God and His will for our lives. I struggle with this idea constantly.

The redeemed part of me is completely okay with saying that God is sovereign, He does as He pleases, He knows what's best for us, and we may suffer but it's only for a little while because eventually we'll be in heaven and see the real purpose behind it all.

"Easy for you to say," my sinful, selfish side says. The human side of me struggles with and fights against the same ideas that people have struggled with and fought against since the Fall - "I'm not that bad, why should I have to suffer, that guy over there is so much more sinful than I am!"

Back to my reading for today (and the point). Job questions and struggles and fights with the idea of suffering, tries to maintain his integrity before God, eventually is rebuked by God and restored back to his former good health. Contrast that with Jesus, specifically his statement in chapter 17 verse 25 of Luke:

"But first he [the Son of Man] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."

Must? Jesus just said must - you mean, like, it's a requirement? Yes, actually. This verse…man...it just works at me. Here I am, bee-boppin' along, agreeing with Job and empathizing with his struggles, feeling justified in my own questions and difficulties and…BAM!

Jesus puts it all on the table. The Son of Man must suffer. If Jesus had to suffer to fix this broken world, to bring us back into right relationship with the Father - what does that say about our own suffering? I would submit that we must also suffer. I would even go so far as to seriously question our lack of suffering. I've even said as much in a previous post.

I heard it said recently that American Christians don't suffer because they aren't worthy of suffering, they aren't worthy of the persecution that Christians all over the world face every day. How convicting! Am I honestly willing (not just saying it because it sounds good) to suffer for Christ? Am I willing to lay aside my personal preferences, my comforts, my stuff, my very life so that Christ can be glorified? Am I willing even to set aside my pride and reputation, risking ridicule and mockery to share Christ with unbelievers that I encounter on a daily basis?

I have to admit, much to my shame, that I often fail in this area. Often, I would not be considered worthy to suffer for Christ. All too often my own comfort, pride, and reputation take priority over sharing the rich blessing of God's grace and the eternal reality of God's wrath with every person that I meet.

The take away? Pray for me. I want to live in a way that results in suffering for Christ.

I'll pray the same for you.

Praiseworthy

2011-07-30T21:49:00.000-04:00

"The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." Proverbs 27:21

It strikes me just now, reading this verse for it seems like the hundredth time - I think I may just now be understanding part of it's meaning and for once might have peered momentarily into the depths of understanding this passage.

Crucibles and furnaces test the quality of these precious metals, and even make it possible to refine them into something better. True. That part is probably obvious. Am I so dense as to have missed the second part for so long?? I probably am, and need the humbling enough to admit it in public.

Check out that second part: "...a man is tested by his praise." What?! How do I test the quality of a man? I examine the things that he praises. How do I refine a man into a better man? I change the things he praises.

The man in this story, of course, is me. It's you. None of us can escape the implications here.

How obvious! How simple! Why haven't I seen this all along?

Do I praise the things of this world or the things of God? Do I praise the temporary or the eternal? Praise implies value, and what I value in my life, what I spend time pursuing, what I talk about and read about and sing about and think about - those are the things that I'm praising and those are the things that I'm telling anyone who's watching that I'm praising.

Am I a man after God's own heart or the world's own heart? Easy - do I praise and value God with my whole heart or do I praise and value the things of this world instead? Do I spend more time reading Facebook or God's Word? Do I spend more time gossiping about people or praying for them? Do I spend more time at work or communing with God?

You get my meaning. Somewhere along the way we lost our perspective. We got so caught up trying to build our little kingdoms here on earth that we forgot our original task of preparing for the Kingdom to come ("Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...")

One final verse:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

What are you and I pursuing and is what we're pursuing truly praiseworthy? What needs to change in our hearts and minds to make this verse true in our lives?

In The Secret

2011-05-24T10:15:00.000-04:00

I had a few moments this morning before starting a busy day and decided to grab a cup of coffee from our local Starbucks. Walking out, coffee in hand, I had everything I have to do today, this week, even this next month running through my head. Long story short, I was distracted.

Getting in the car though, I happened to look up and seen the sun, ever so slowly rising through the clouds, greeting me as it does every day, and a song came to mind that I hadn't sung in ages.

"In the secret, In the quiet place, in the stillness you are there. In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait, only for you, 'cause I want to know you more."

The words just hit me and I think the reason is that God was gently reminding me that my day isn't about the stuff I get accomplished or the to-do list items I check off, it's about Him. It's never been about me, no matter how hard I try to make it so.

And so I ask myself, "What are my priorities today?"
"Am I not just waiting for, but seeking out opportunities to tell other people about how He's affected my life and how they can know Him as well?"
"Who is most important in my life today? God or myself?"

When we get into the hustle and bustle of 'today', we must not forget to lift up the name of the One who gave it to us in the first place. Jesus told us so perfectly in Matthew 6 what our first priority should be. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..."

Worship

2011-05-11T22:02:00.000-04:00

I watched a man worship tonight.

Really, truly, whole-heartedly worship.

Actually, it was two men. The first I've had the privilege of getting to know over the past two years. We've been in small group together, we've been to Paris together, He loves the Lord and leads his family well. Basically, he's awesome. The other I've only gotten to observe from afar. He is a man of few words, but when he says something it is from God. If I didn't have my Dad, he would definitely be on my top five 'Guys I Want To Be Like When I Grow Up' list.

Long story short, I was standing in the sanctuary tonight and there was a song in the music set that I hadn't heard before. Believe me when I say this - I love new songs. They get me out of my comfort zone a bit. They make me think about the lyrics and really examine my heart as I worship.

So as I stood and contemplated, I had the joy of watching the first guy pour his soul passionately into his worship as he sang and played electric guitar. It was an awesome display of his love for God overflowing out of his love for music - and it was for no one other than the Father.

On the other side of the stage was the second guy. While his mouth may not be filled with words, his fingers spoke volumes. Playing the bass guitar during that song wasn't just playing an instrument - it became an overwhelmingly expressive shout of praise to God. I don't know that I can even put words to it. He lost himself in his praises and I know with everything in me that the entirety of what he was doing up there was for the glory of God.

I couldn't help but smile to myself and praise my God and Father, my Lord and Savior, for such a beautiful picture of worship. The Lord reminded me tonight of the purity of genuine worship before Him and the truth that Jesus spoke in John 4:

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Beautiful

2011-05-09T00:24:00.000-04:00

We went to a "send off" party this afternoon for some friends of ours. Turns out, it was actually a surprise wedding! Through it all, I couldn't get the imagery of the bride of Christ out of my mind. As beautiful as the bride was, the Church is that much more beautiful to Christ.

In fact, the song 'Beautiful' by MercyMe comes to mind every time we go to a wedding, as I think through the idea that Christ was willing to face "death, even death on a cross" for our sake. For me, the wedding this afternoon was yet another incredible reminder that Christ didn't just save us from our sins (though that would be enough) - we were adopted and made beautiful by the blood of Christ. Where our sins would condemn us to eternity without God, there He stands, our Father, calling His children beautiful through the work of Jesus on the cross.

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us..." Galatians 3:13

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Paul says later in 2 Corinthians that Christ "became sin" so that we could become "the righteousness of God." There has been a miraculous work done for our sakes, one that I still can't get my head around, but it was done nevertheless. It will never cease to amaze me that this redemption work was done to restore and renew our relationship with God. It will perpetually put a smile on my face and a song in my heart that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

I think ultimately what I'm trying to say is that you are valuable to God. You matter to Him. No matter what you face in life, no matter what anyone says, God cherishes you. Come to Jesus. Let Him wash away the stains of sin and clothe you in garments of white. Let Him whisper in your ear, the gentle reminder that:

"You're beautiful. You are treasured. You are sacred. You are His."

Free To Be Me

2011-04-28T00:49:00.000-04:00

I was finishing up Judges the other day, and the last verse of chapter 21 not only stood out to me - it struck me as a good theme for entirety of the book.

"In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:25

If you aren't familiar with Judges, the short version is this: the Israelites would do evil in the sight of the Lord, they were then taken captive or invaded by the enemy, then they cried out to God for deliverance, then a judge came and helped them out, then they had peace for a while, and then the process was repeated all over again. The first time you read a cycle you kind of feel for the Israelites a little bit. The sixth time through, not only is it redundant, but you're almost screaming at the page - "Why don't you get it already?!" The Israelites can be pretty dense at times.

The reason this particular verse stood out to me, I think, is because I started wondering how many times that would be said about my own life. How often, were there a book of Jacob, would there be a verse that said, "And Jacob did what was right in his own eyes." It scares me, really. Every day, probably every hour and minute, I do what I want, when I want to do it. And the way I choose isn't always the way God expects from a follower of His.

I am realizing more and more that while I laugh to myself at how silly and dense the Israelites were at times, I can be just as silly and dense - if not more so. Lessons like these are hard to learn because they strike at the core of the issue, my pride. In order to truly work on being more like Christ in this area, I must first swallow my pride and admit my fault. It is also lessons like these that make me glad for verses like Romans 8:29:

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (emphasis added)

God is daily working to conform me to the image of his Son. It is a work in progress and I am not nearly there. It is a long road to travel toward Christ's completed work of sanctification in our lives, but the good news is that we are in it together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, if you catch me being like the Israelites, you have my complete permission to give me a gentle reproach - in the form of an all-out head-knocking, if necessary...

Consistency

2011-03-29T11:31:00.009-04:00

This post is a tribute to my amazing wife. If you have met her, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't, well...let's just say you are really missing out. She's awesome. For real.

Last night we were talking about a lot of things, life choices and parenting being the top two. (*News flash: parenting = the hardest and most rewarding thing we've ever done)

As we talked, this idea of consistency kept coming up. Whether it's how consistently you live your life and make your choices or how consistently you stick to the boundaries that you've set for your children, it seems like everything in life comes down to how consistent you are.

For me, it has been especially apparent in the Old Testament as I have read about how the Israelites were to consistently live up to the standard of the law. In parenting, we've seen time and again how consistency (or lack thereof) can make or break a child. In life, people watch you whether you know it or not and they see plain as day whether you live life consistently or hypocritically.

The problem, however, comes in the fact that we are sinful human beings. We can try our whole lives to be consistent, to live up to the standard that God has called us to, and we will always fail. The Bible is clear - "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Our strength is never going to be enough because we were sinful from the moment of our birth.

Back to the discussion from last night. The feelings of difficulty in living this life can get overwhelming if you think too much about it, maybe even to the point of despair.

"I try to be consistent but keep failing - so, why bother?!"

Ever felt that way? I know I have.

Back to my wonderful bride. I woke up this morning to a note. Handwritten. From her :)

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

Thank you, Beth (and the psalmist), for the reminder that if we are in Christ it is not our strength by which we live, but Christ's in us. It is not our works by which we're made righteous, it is Christ's work in us.

It's true. We can never be consistent in and of ourselves.

BUT, Christ in us? He is our strength and our portion forever! He is our righteousness. He is our consistency.

Live today in gratitude and praise to God that we can be consistent - through Christ.

A Heart Issue

2011-03-23T14:21:00.000-04:00

Let me just preface today's entry by saying that I have discovered a new love for the Old Testament. Ever since I started reading through the whole Bible this year, I've grown to look forward to reading each passage from the Old Testament. For me, it's because every page points forward to the Savior, every passage speaks of the hope we have in Christ. It's a beautiful picture of what God has had in mind for us all along.

There I go rambling...

Deuteronomy 9 and 10 were part of my reading this morning and they spoke volumes. Here's my favorite verse, from chapter 10 verse 16:

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn."

It's a graphic picture, I know, but I think Moses got it exactly right. He perfectly captures a striking truth for me today. The CEV says, "Remember your agreement with the Lord..." Moses knew that his audience would understand exactly what he meant when he used the word 'circumcise.' They would immediately think back to God's arrangement with Abraham. They would be instantly reminded of the physical representation of covenant relationship with God.

The great thing is that while we don't physically signify our covenant with God, this still continues to hold true today. Set apart your heart to be in covenant relationship with the Lord. But, how do we do that? Verse 12 gives some pointers:

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commands and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"

This passage reminds me of Micah 6:8 quite a bit, but regardless it's a calling to live a life set apart. Fear the Lord. Walk in His ways. Love Him. Serve Him. Keep His commands.

Is it going to be easy to do? Not by any stretch of the imagination. Just like the real procedure has pain associated with it, for God to do a circumcision work in your heart will be painful. We all have sin that we have to confront and deal with and God will have to cut it out of our lives through His redeeming work. Don't forget the end of this verse, though. "...for your good." This whole process is for our good, for our benefit. Ultimately, it's for the glory of God the Father. As painful as it may be, in the end it's worth it all.

So, the take away is this:

Quit being stubborn. We have a heart issue that needs to be taken care of.

Jamais Forget

2011-03-21T17:28:00.000-04:00

This morning as I progressed in reading through the Bible in a year, the passages (Deuteronomy 5 and 6) continued to reflect a theme I've been noticing throughout the Old Testament, especially the past few mornings of readings.

"You shall teach them diligently to your children..." Deut. 6:7

Teaching. Passing down. Leaving a legacy.

The Old Testament is full of references for being sure not to forget the lessons of the past, of passing down these lessons to our children and our children's children, and of obeying the commands of the Lord.

"then take care lest you forget the Lord..." Deut. 6:12

I don't want to forget any lesson the Lord teaches me. I don't want my children to grow up and not know about the impact the Lord has had on my life. I want to leave a legacy of faith for my family to cherish.

It's interesting to me that Moses, who wrote this book, was so insistent about not forgetting
the Lord. Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter) devotes 7 verses to the faith of Moses and credits Moses with "choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" and says that he "considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt." Moses taught his children never to forget, they taught their children, and so on. Eventually Moses' faith became his legacy - remembering the Lord and teaching God's truths to our children.

Our eyes are to be set on the Lord and our hearts are to be seeking Him. One of the easiest ways to do that, to set our eyes and focus our hearts, is to tell future generations about the works the Lord has done, about the favor He has shown, about the grace and mercy He has so generously poured out on us - and to bring glory to His name in doing so. Just as it is a lesson to the younger generations, so also is it a reminder for ourselves of just how faithful the Lord has been.

I met a new friend and brother in Christ last week in Paris named is Amir. As the week ended and we were saying our goodbyes he told me, "Jamais forget" (jamais is French for 'never'). Amir's mixture of French and English has even more meaning to me now. He meant for me to never forget our trip to Paris, to never forget the work that is being done or the people that we met or the souls that still need saving.

But it's bigger than that.

Never forget the Lord or His works. Never forget the great sacrifice that's been paid for your sins. Never forget to share these truths with your children and your children's children.

Jamais forget.

Suffer

2011-03-05T15:00:00.001-05:00

According to dictionary.com, there are four definitions of the word suffer. All have to do with loss, distress, pain, disadvantage, disability, or death. There is one thing missing from each definition, though - Christ. None of the definitions have anything to do with the life of a believer and what we are guaranteed to go through because of our faith in the Savior who has called us to Him.

I've been reading through 1 Peter the last five days. The theme of the whole book is suffering and rejoicing in the suffering that we go through. He views suffering as a good thing:

"If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 1 Peter 4:14

A great friend, Wesley, and I meet on Friday mornings and part of our discussion yesterday had to do with putting together a working definition of Christian suffering.

"The patient and willing endurance of pain, loss, disadvantage, distress, and even death because of Christ."

There is a lot that can be said about the suffering of the believer. I'm sure there are books and books on the subject. The most convicting part of my thinking about suffering, particularly the fact that my faith in Christ guarantees my suffering, is:

Do I truly suffer for the name of Christ?

If I do, then there is nothing more to be said. My suffering is proof enough of the genuineness of my faith. But if I do not...then the question that will forever haunt me is...

Why not?

Blood

2011-02-20T10:34:00.001-05:00

I'm starting to get a glimpse of how the Jews might feel about the Old Testament sacrificial system.

Burdened. Overwhelmed. Hopeless. Lost.

My Bible reading plan for 2011 involves reading through the whole Bible. Part of that includes the book of Leviticus - which I've been avoiding (most likely subconsciously) due to its content. I mean, who wants to read rules we don't even follow anymore? Right?

I have to be honest, though, reading through the book of Leviticus so far has been a very eye-opening experience. I think I came across the whole point of Leviticus in today's reading. Chapter 11, verse 45. "You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."

My thoughts are all jumbled when it comes to the subject of Leviticus because I'm still new to the concept of ritual sacrifice. I'm still processing all that Leviticus means to me and how it affects my faith and my relationship with God. In words, the idea that keeps coming to mind and weighing on my heart is "burden." I mean, I read through the first 7 chapters and literally got up from each reading feeling heavy. I felt weighed down and burdened by the amount of blood that had to be shed just for the atonement of the priest, not to mention all the Jews who also had to sacrifice for their sins. I started to think about my own life, my own sins, and what I would have to sacrifice were I living during that time. How much blood would I have to offer for myself and my family? It's too much! How can anyone live under that burden? How can anyone exist knowing that what you offer will never be enough, will never satisfy the burden of sin that is on your life and can never be fully atoned for? It's just too much!

"You shall be holy therefore, for I am holy."

And yet God's standard is the same. For all of us. Be holy.

You might recognize Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

It's a verse that makes it clear - none of us has met the standard God has set for us. None of us are perfect.

Maybe less recognized, but all the more important, are verses 24 and 25:

"and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood..."

If there is one thing I come away from reading Leviticus with, it's an even greater appreciation for my salvation. Christ, a perfectly sinless man, died a cruel death on a Roman cross, so that through the shedding of His blood, we who are sinners - who have no hope and would otherwise be "dead in our trespasses" - can be justified and redeemed. In light of that, how can we do anything but praise Jesus for His sacrifice and tell others about this incredible gift we've received?

"O, praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead!"

Trust and Obey

2011-02-08T07:04:00.000-05:00

Obedience.

This theme keeps coming up in my life lately - through conversations, sermons, experiences - so I think the best thing I can do is write it down. It's a guaranteed way for me to remember it.

Sunday night in small group we were talking about Romans 12:1-2 and the topic came up. "...present your bodies as a living sacrifice..." "...be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." To do these things requires obedience.

Every time Isabella does something (whether it's doing what we asked her not to do or not doing something that we asked her to do), we talk to her about obedience. For right now, it goes something like this: "Isabella, you need to listen and obey."

In church we've been talking about Abraham's life, the most recent installment being where he is commanded by God to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. What does the Bible say that Abraham did? "So Abraham rose early in the morning..." He obeyed.

It's an interesting thing, this obedience. I looked up the definition of the word and the dictionary says that to obey means "to submit or conform in action to." I guess technically that is a correct description of obedience. However, growing up I learned a different definition. My parents always described obedience something like this:

"Jacob, when we ask you to do something we want you to do it right away and with the right attitude."

You see, as a child growing up in my parents house, obedience was much more than just "doing what you're told to do." Did you catch emphasis in my definition? Right away. Right attitude.

Right away - the task is to be done at that very moment, no questions asked.
Right attitude - the task is to be done without grumbling, complaining, pouting, etc.

It adds a whole new element to obedience, doesn't it? Yeah, I didn't really like it much either. But here's the thing, the point I'm trying to get at. God expects the same from us. God wants us to obey Him with that same frame of mind. Right away. Right attitude.

Look at Abraham's example. He "rose early in the morning" to go kill his only son - simply because God commanded it to be done.
Or what about Jesus' example? He willingly went to his death, on the most brutal form of punishment known at the time, because God commanded it to be so.

I know sometimes we have questions about what God is doing and why He's doing it. I have them all the time. I don't think God gets mad at us when we question Him either (within certain boundaries, check out Moses' run-in with that). It's important to remember though, that we can't see everything that God sees. Think about it this way (Thank you, Dad, for this example - it's stuck with me all these years):

You are out in the front yard tossing a football with a friend and one of you clumsily drops it. The ball rolls ever so conveniently out of the yard and into the street. Of course, not wanting to miss a single second of this riveting game of catch, you immediately dash toward the street to retrieve the ball. From the front porch you hear your Dad (who has spied a car coming entirely too fast down the street in your direction) yell, "STOP!!!" At this point you can do one of two things: you can either continue on your way and get the ball or you can listen to your Dad and stop. Which do you do?

For us, the third party observer, the choice is simple. Stop. Listen. Obey. Easy choice, Jacob, why ask?

Think back to the time when that was you, though. Obviously if you continue in your path, you will be struck by a car and potentially killed because of your disobedience. Your Dad doesn't have time to explain all the details of what he sees. He barely has time to get the words out that save your life. If you wait until you have all the explanation, it's too late. If you wait until it all makes sense to you, it's too late. The same is true with obedience to God.

It may not be necessary for you to know the "why" behind God's plan for you. It may not be possible for you to understand every detail of what God has commanded you to do. All we know is that we must trust that God knows what He's doing and obey Him.

Regardless of how we feel about it.

Full

2011-01-30T10:16:00.000-05:00

For almost a week now I've been reading through the book of Acts (continuing the L3 Journal Bible reading plan that my church provides) and I've been struck over and over by the example of the early Church. Their effectiveness, boldness, faith, passion - basically, everything they did - is exciting to read about!

Even more than exciting, it's convicting to read as well. Seriously. When's the last time you saw a miracle? Not that they don't happen - I believe they still do - but it's not an every day occurrence like seems to be the case in Acts. So while the passionate, Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching side of me loves to read the book of Acts, at the same time my complacent, comfortable-where-I-am, safety-seeking side doesn't like to read it at all. Conflict of interests...

Stephen is the man I encountered in today's reading. If there was ever a person to make me feel convicted about how I currently live my life, it's Stephen. He was "full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people." He was called to the synagogue for a little argument and "they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking." Talk about a man who is on fire for Christ! He so frustrated the Hellenistic Jews who confronted him that they had to call in people to give false testimony about him just so that they could have something to hold against him. As sad as it makes me to see people so against this man, it is absolutely an example worth living up to. I hope all believers today come to the point where they would be a modern day Stephen in the face of persecution.

One thing I noticed about Stephen that I just had to write down (before I forget!) - he is described as "full of grace and power." Not "half full". Not "half empty". Not "a few little drops at the bottom of the cup that's mostly backwash anyway". FULL. As in, "if you touch this cup water is spilling out" full. If I were writing the book of Acts, this is how I would have phrased it:

"Stephen was so full of the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that there was no room left inside of him for petty personal preferences or selfish ambitions or any desires that might take him away from the work that the Lord had for him to do here on this earth."

It took me reading this passage a couple of times before I got it, but once I did...well, let's just say I have a lot of work to do. Let me rephrase, God has a lot of work left to do in me. There's no way I can do this on my own. There's no way I can fill myself with the power of God to the point of overflowing. That's a work only He can do. But it's a work that I desperately need Him to do.

Father, fill me up. To overflowing. Fill up the Church. Help us spill out all over the world so that people will know and worship the name of Christ.

Quadragesima

2011-01-28T00:29:00.000-05:00

Lent is coming soon and, while I'm not a typical observer of the tradition, I love the idea of giving up something in order to spend the forty days before Easter in prayer, anticipating Easter Sunday when we remember and celebrate Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.

To me, it's a chance to sacrifice (albeit temporarily) something I spend time doing and to spend that extra time remembering the permanent and ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. A worthy endeavor, to say the least.

For some reason, it's a little over a month before that time is supposed to begin and I'm already thinking about Lent and what I want to give up during those 40 days. I'm selfish, to be honest, and I want so badly to say "Look what I gave up! Isn't that such a sacrifice?" (*pats self on back) The problem is, that's not the attitude Christ had while here on earth and it's not the point of Lent. I think that maybe God is trying to teach me that His plan is so much bigger than myself and that the world doesn't revolve around me.

So, I suppose I'm just posting this as a reminder not to forget the true meaning behind Lent and the posture of humility that Christ had during His time here on earth. I know it seems like a long time from now, but wouldn't it be awesome if we were already in the right mindset before Lent and Easter get here? Wouldn't it be awesome if we were praying and lifting that time up to the Lord, that He would be magnified during that time, that His name would be heard across the world as believers celebrate the single, perfect death that made eternal life a possibility?

Forever Reign

2011-01-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

I keep hearing this song at church and it resonates in my heart every time. For my first post of 2011, a new year and new decade, I'm just typing out the lyrics. They make me re-evaluate so many things about my walk with the Lord and I hope that they also move you to action. Read through them, ask some questions yourself.

Is God really your goodness and your love? Your light and hope? Your peace and truth? Your joy and life?

Would you truly walk away from the wealth and material things of this world just for the love and light of God to reign in your life?

You are good, You are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love, You are love

On display for all to see

You are light, You are light

When the darkness closes in

You are hope, You are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace

When my fear is crippling

You are true, You are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy, You are joy

You're the reason that I sing

You are life, You are life

In You death has lost its sting

Oh, I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more

Than my words will ever say

You are Lord, You are Lord

All creation will proclaim

You are here, You are here

In Your presence I'm made whole

You are God, You are God

Of all else I'm letting go

Oh, I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing no other name

Jesus, Jesus

My heart will sing no other name

Jesus, Jesus

My heart will sing no other name

Jesus, Jesus

My heart will sing no other name

Jesus, Jesus

Oh, I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing no other name

Jesus, Jesus

My heart will sing no other name

Jesus, Jesus

Altogether

2010-12-27T17:42:00.001-05:00

Wow. This feels almost unfamiliar. It's been too long since I wrote anything down. Maybe it's like riding a bike - I just need to get going.

We came to my parents' house for the night, and this morning while sipping my coffee I got the chance to read some of my dad's journals from a time in his life when things were not easy (to say the least) - but he was still faithful to seek the Lord and God was still faithful in His promises to my dad. It's an awesome picture of struggling with life, asking tough questions of God, and seeing Him answer those questions - even if the answers were not exactly what was hoped for. It's encouraging to know that the man I most look up to as I journey through life (spiritually and otherwise) has had struggles and seen God prove Himself faithful time and again.

This morning I also spent some time reading in the Psalms, 139 to be exact. Verse 4 stood out to me, and as I thought about it conviction started to set in...

"Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether."

I've read this verse before, and having read James as well, it is not a new lesson for me to think about taming my tongue and thinking before I speak. But 'altogether' still sticks out to me. I realized as I read that God knows what I'll say before I speak it, that's true. What convicts me today is that God also knows the intentions behind my words before I say them. I can lie to myself and mislead other people all day long, but at the end of the day God knows why I chose to say (or not say) what I did.

He knows that I didn't speak truth when I had perfect opportunity - because I was scared.

He knows that I said something judgementally - even though I claim "I'm just concerned."

It's a hard thing to face your intentions, the hidden meanings behind what you do and say. It's even harder to admit it online where anyone can judge me. That's okay, though. I'm glad the Psalm doesn't end there. David continues,

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? ... Search me, O God, and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (vs. 7, 23-24)

I'm praying that same prayer - God search me out. Know me altogether. Continue to convict and encourage me through Your Word. Continue to inspire me through the stories of other believers who are further down the road than myself.

A Remnant

2010-12-06T00:58:00.000-05:00

On occasions when I'm by myself and thinking about life, there have been some times where I've felt lonely. It's the kind of lonely that Elijah felt in 1 Kings:

"I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." (1 Kings 19:14)

Don't get me wrong - I'm not claiming to be a prophet or to have everything together. That's not it at all. I'm far from perfect and God has a lot of molding left to do in me. I'm just saying that sometimes I really resonate with Elijah in this passage. He's had to be the bearer of bad news (a drought for an unspecified amount of time), challenged and killed a whole slew of Baal prophets, and now Jezebel wants his head on a platter. He feels like he's the only one left who believes in God.

Do you ever feel that way? Maybe at work you're the only Christian...or at school you're the only one of your friends who stands up for the kid who's being bullied...or you have Christian friends who aren't living out their faith while you struggle to be genuine. It can be quite discouraging...

Look at how God replied to Elijah, though - "Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." (vs.18) Encouraging? Yes! God saw what Elijah could not - a remnant of people who were faithful to Him. I've been reading in Revelation the last few days (in the L3 Journal) and I noticed a similar pattern.

In Revelation 2 and 3, there are 7 letters to 7 churches and almost all of them have a fault of some sort. But in each of the 7 churches, Jesus sees and points out a faithful few. They are the people of the church who are "faithful unto death" and who still "hold fast my name", who continue in "faithful endurance" and suffer "tribulation and poverty" for His name. It's a beautiful picture of a world that is broken, even churches that are broken and people who have remained faithful. They are the remnant.

And so I'm challenged today because, well...you and I? We are those people. We are the few. We are the remnant. Be encouraged today to live out your faith. Keep pressing on in the effort to live for Christ, even when it seems that no one around you is with you in that effort, because God has set us apart for His purposes.

Overwhelmed

2010-11-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

Overwhelmed - "to overcome completely in mind or feeling"
Burdened - "that which is borne with difficulty"

I feel overwhelmed and burdened lately. It has been steadily growing in my heart. It literally has been weighing on me, so much so that my countenance has been affected.

There's a problem with this world that I've recently had my eyes opened to. I had heard of it but it had not really been on my list of priorities. I had not been that concerned about it but it is urgent nonetheless.

Poverty.
Hunger.
Disease.
Death.

These things are running rampant across our planet. In countries all over the world, millions and millions of people are dying because they are malnourished or because of preventable disease. Millions of people don't have access to clean drinking water or a steady food supply. Orphans are heading households full of other orphans because all of their parents have died with HIV/AIDS.

I won't get into the actual data, but just believe me - the situation in places around the world is so terrible that it's unbelievable, unfathomable, inexpressible. Google it. It will blow your mind at how staggering the problem is.

This burden I feel that the Lord has laid on my heart has two parts:

First, how many of these people could we feed? Or clothe? Or provide medicine for? It seems like we're so caught up in the materialism of this world that we have forgotten the "least of these." It seems like we're so wrapped up in being entertained by sports or music or movies or books that we've turned a blind eye to the real issues that are worth caring about.

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Matthew 25:40

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27

Are we (the Church) taking care of widows and orphans? Are we providing for the "least of these"? Are we "unstained from the world"?

Second (but most certainly foremost), how many of these people who are dying every day know the saving power of Jesus Christ? How many of them have even heard the Gospel because we loved them enough to take it to them?

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'" Isaiah 6:8

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

We are all called to take the Gospel to the nations. We must. The situation is too desperate to not go. The command of our Lord Jesus Christ is just that - a command. There is no option. In the words of David Platt, "We are the plan of God, and there is no plan B."

How many people will die without Christ while we (myself included) continue to live in disobedience to His command?

Questions

2010-11-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

Have you read or heard the account of Jesus feeding the 4000? Not the 5000, the 4000. It's not one that I've read in a while, but that was part of my reading this morning. Here's the beginning part:

"Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, 'I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.' And the disciples said to him, 'Where are we going to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?'" Matthew 15:32-33

The question that the disciples ask is sticking with me today. Like an itch I can't scratch. In a good way.

I wrote in my Bible as I was reading - "had they not seen the 5000 fed?" - and I literally wonder about that very thing. Just a few chapters ago, Matthew wrote down the account of Jesus feeding the 5000. Which is interesting because if the disciples questioned Jesus then, and they did, then their questions were more than answered. 5000 people (women and children not included) were fed. 12 baskets full of food was left over! Jesus provides for His people. Case closed. But then 4000 people (women and children not included) come along and what's the first thing the disciples say to Jesus?

"Jesus, we know you can meet this need! We've seen it!"
"Pssh! 4000 people! That's nothing! My Jesus fed 5000 people last week - this is child's play!"
"Jesus, we collected food from everyone. It's only 7 loaves and some fish, but we know you can multiply it. Will you bless the food so we can feed these people?"

They didn't say any of these things. They questioned. They showed their lack of faith - yet again - that Jesus would accomplish the impossible. "Where are we going to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?" I can almost hear the whining. Jesus has proved Himself time and time again to be a faithful, trustworthy provider. And the disciples still hadn't learned the lesson. They still questioned Him.

Here's the thing, though. The reason this question bothers me so much, I think, is because it reminds me of...well...me. I see it in myself all the time. I see (and hear) myself questioning God and not putting the whole of my trust in Him. I whine about my circumstances and forget that all along the way God has provided me with more blessing than I could ever deserve. He's proved Himself a faithful, trustworthy provider time and again and yet I still question Him. I still show my lack of faith.

I think about that account and I know how I would have responded to the disciples' question. "Um. I'm Jesus. I just fed 5000 people with three loaves and two fish. Oh, and after that I healed some people and did other miracles. I think I can handle 4000." But He didn't respond that way, did He? He took the bread and fish, prayed thanks to God for them, and fed the 4000. And again, Jesus proves His provision. He proves His faithfulness, in spite of the faithlessness of the disciples.

It's the same in my life. And yours. He continues to prove His faithful, trustworthy provision time and time again - in spite of how faithless we can be. Isn't it about time we trusted Him?

Redefining Normal

2010-11-12T18:22:00.001-05:00

I started running this past summer. Since I had never really run before, my distances were short and my breaks were many. Now, I typically run 5 miles or more without stopping at all. But, when I think back to it, it's almost funny. I used to think that 3 miles was a long way. Now, 3 miles is just a normal run. I used to think about running for more than an hour and it literally made me question my sanity.

Last Saturday, I went running with my pastor, Michael Manuel (who is incredibly encouraging, by the way - I wish I had been more encouraging to him during the run!), and we went a total of 8 miles. Literally, after the 6 mile mark every step was further than I had ever been before. It was exciting! Anyway, while we were running, I commented that I used to think 3 miles was a long way and Michael said that all the time he has to redefine "normal." Interestingly enough, it's been the same sort of thought process for me as well.

You see, here's the thing. Normal a relative term, isn't it? Normal just depends on the perspective of the viewer. What is normal for me may be entirely crazy for you. Does that make sense?

So, we continued running. We finished. But, my brain was still going 90-to-nothing.

Question: What does a normal Christian look like?
Another question: What should a normal Christian look like?

The Bible is very clear on the topic, actually.

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'" Matthew 16:24

"And Jesus said to him, 'Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'" Luke 9:60

"And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, 'You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.'" Mark 10:21

The things (and there are many more examples than what I've given) that Jesus called us to do as believers are things that look very crazy to the world. They are things that make people stop and question our intentions. They are things that may even make us stop and question our own sanity. But, it's there. In the Word. Plain as day.

The point I'm (in a very roundabout way) getting to is this: When I go out and run 8 miles some people will not understand what I'm doing or why, and will even look at me like I'm crazy, but it's a normal thing to me now. What they think doesn't matter because it's not crazy to me. What if we believed Jesus and acted on His calling in our lives to live in a way that some people won't understand, that they might say is crazy?

If we live that life long enough, if we pursue that end hard enough, we'll see it as a normal way of living. We won't care any longer what people think or say because our definition of normal will have changed. It's like Michael said - we've got to constantly be in the process of redefining the "normal" of our lives to be centered around what Jesus said our lives should look like. Of course, that means you have to be willing to look pretty crazy to a lot of people.

So. What's your definition of normal?

Needs

2010-11-08T17:35:00.000-05:00

Growing up, one of the lessons my parents tried to impress upon us was the difference between needs and wants. For example, "Mom, I NEED that new shirt" or "I NEED to get that book, Dad!" Their response? "You don't NEED it. You just WANT it..."

So, I was reading in my Bible yesterday morning (working my way through Matthew) and I came across this verse:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Mt. 6:33

I've heard some people use that verse out of context and say that this means if we seek after God that He'll bless our lives and give us a bunch of stuff - the "prosperity gospel," if you will. But that's not what Jesus was intending at all!

Did you notice the words "all these things" in that verse? What was Jesus referring to? Was He talking about all the things this world has to offer? Look back up at the previous verses. Jesus has just spent the last 8 verses talking about how birds don't worry about their next meal and lilies don't worry about their clothing, but God still feeds and clothes them. Jesus says, "Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Christ is promising that if we seek after His kingdom and His righteousness, God will meet our needs - not our wants. That means when we eat, we should be thankful that God provided our food. Or when we have clothing to wear, we should be thankful that we aren't walking around naked.

BUT, that also means that when we don't have the most stylish outfit in the room, the money to eat at the finest restaurants, the nicest car, the fanciest shoes, the biggest house, the latest technological advances - we should STILL BE THANKFUL to God for providing food for us to eat and clothes for us to wear. God has provided more than enough to cover our needs. Everything else is just extra. It's completely unmerited blessing and favor from God.

What right do we have to complain that we don't have the newest or nicest stuff...or, for that matter, about anything at all?

Keep this in mind the next time you think you think that you need something: 80% of the world's population lives on less than 10 dollars a day (that's almost 5 billion people, by the way). Almost 1 billion people are suffering from malnutrition right now and 100 million of them will die this year because of it. There are over 145 million orphans in the world and every 90 seconds one of them dies because of malnutrition.

I guess the question has nothing to do with our needs at all. It has to do with the amount of suffering and injustice and starvation and poverty there is in the world. It has to do with the fact that thousands of people die every day doomed to spend an eternity in hell because they haven't even heard the name of Jesus.

The question is what are we going to do about it?

Is that need more urgent than our needs?

Checking Out

2010-11-05T17:03:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been so focused and excited about what God has planned for you in the future that you lost sight of what God had for you in the present? It's like we mentally check out of our present and cease to be aware of how God is working around us because our minds have honed in on and focused solely on the future.

This subject keeps coming up in my conversations - partly because I see other people doing it, but mostly because I feel convicted about it myself. Then, of course, Scripture has something to say about it. And, yet again, it comes up in my daily time in the Word (proof that I need to be consistently reading the Bible). This morning was a reading of Matthew 4, the predominant story of which is Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. The devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, to call on the angels to catch Him from falling, and even to bow down and worship him.

It's interesting to me to read this story in the mindset that I've been in lately because my response is not typical, for myself at least. My first thought upon reading this passage today was, "What if Jesus had checked out?"

Think about it. What if He had? Would Jesus, being starving and tired from a 40 day trek through the wilderness, have responded the way that He did to the first temptation of meeting his own physical needs? I know I wouldn't have. I'd be so focused on my physical need that I would probably be happily munching away on some newly created bread before I even realized I'd given in to temptation! And yet, how did Jesus respond?

And he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (vs. 4)

My point is this: If Jesus - knowing that He was going to eventually go up to heaven and be seated at the right hand of God - still focused on each day as a chance to glorify His Father in heaven, shouldn't we follow His example?

Yes, God has a plan for your life and your future. Yes, it's exciting where He's taking you and what He's going to do through you to further His kingdom and glorify Himself.

BUT, if you get so caught up in a good thing that's coming that you miss out on great opportunities in the present to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ - what good is it?

It's a challenge for us all. Don't check out! We can't afford to miss a single chance to show Christ to someone in how we live today.

Bipolar

2010-10-31T23:22:00.000-04:00

Long story short, I had a student in one of my classes get into trouble with me and the explanation they gave to administration for why they shouldn't get punished was: "He's bipolar." Ha! I've never heard that excuse before, but at least it's creative...

That excuse got me thinking about some things, though. It made me really reflect on my life, even consider whether I was actually bipolar or not. And you know what I've concluded?

I am.

No, I don't mean in the clinical, "characteristic cycles of depression and elation" kind of way. But I do think there are definitely two forces inside of me that battle on a daily basis. There are two poles to which I feel pulled and it's a constant struggle for me to deal with them. I read a passage like Romans 7:15-25 and I completely understand what Paul is going through:

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin."

I read that and I get the feeling that Paul literally sounds like a crazy person! And then I think, "Me, too!" Paul has perfectly captured in words the battle, the war that we all wage as believers. I hope that you read a passage like that and you feel the same feeling resonating inside of you. We struggle! It's true. Why not admit it? Why not be honest about where we are in life instead of just pretending that everything's okay and telling everyone that we have it all together. That's the furthest thing from the truth than anything I've heard in a long time.

Does that mean that we relish the fact that we're sinners? That we just keep on sinning because, "I've already messed up this much. What's one more sin?" No, not by any means! Paul even addresses that very issue in a previous chapter of Romans (6:1-4). I do think, though, that we should be honest with people about sin in our lives and be the first to admit when we struggle with things.

I love what our pastor talked about in church this morning, too. He talked about confession and how having good Christian accountability can do so much for a person. That means admitting that you struggle with (insert sin here) and letting someone help you in that struggle. That means holding other people accountable as well. There's just no need to pretend anymore. There's no point to playing this game that we all get caught up in, the game that says, "It's all those other people who are struggling with sin - I'm okay." or "My sin's not as bad as that guy's." or "No one will understand. My sin is so much worse than everyone else."

Remember, Christ didn't come to save the people who have it all together. He came to save the sinners. He came to seek out the lost - and believe me, without Him we're all lost.

This whole world's full of crazy, bipolar people...and Jesus is the only one with the cure.

That Person

2010-10-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

Picture this: you're sitting in a cafe (or whatever place you frequent often) and in walks that person. You know who I'm talking about. They're the person that every time you talk to them you come away feeling negative. It could even be discouraging to talk to them at times. Honestly, do you know someone like that?

It's hard isn't it? Trying to make conversation when the person just keeps finding something negative to talk about, even in the most positive of situations.

Question: Are you ever that person? Am I?

I was reading Philemon this morning and the Lord pointed several things out to me. Usually, I read it and the main theme that resonates is the idea of reconciliation and making sure that I've dealt with conflict appropriately. This morning, however, I noticed that on two different instances Paul uses a form of the word "refresh."

"For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you." vs. 7

"Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ." vs. 20

I just couldn't get away from it. Literally, I had to go get the Greek Lexicon off of the shelf and start looking up root words and uses in other areas of the Bible because I just kept thinking about that word.

It took me all day thinking about it to finally realize what God was trying to say to me.

Sometimes I am that person.

And so, yet again, I'm convicted - not that it's a bad thing, mind you - it's just tough to seek growth in your walk with God because the closer you get the more sin you see. I think Paul is right on when he commends Philemon for being an individual who is refreshing to be around. Philemon does it for the whole body of believers through the way he lives out his faith (vs. 7), but he also does it for Paul individually through obedience and reconciliation (vs. 20).

It's a great example to live by because we all have times where life gets just plain overwhelming and stressful and we can tend to get negative - even if you don't, I know I certainly do. But I think the important thing is to remember that everyone else has those times, too. Why not follow the example of Philemon? Wouldn't you prefer be that breath of fresh air to someone rather than foul, stale air? Wouldn't you like to be the person that people look forward to talking to?

Or would you rather be known as that person?

Another Round

2010-10-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

This post keeps coming to mind. It's been reminding me of what I already know but had forgotten in the stresses of the past few days. Thank you, Lord, for being faithful even when I'm faithless (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

Check it out here.

Maybe one of you out there needs the reminder as badly as I did.

Voices

2010-10-19T11:05:00.000-04:00

I'm participating today (the best that I can considering my job as a teacher) and I'm asking that you participate as well. We can make a difference just by silencing our voices for those who never had a chance to speak for themselves.

Rocking Chairs

2010-10-16T17:35:00.000-04:00

Isabella has this little $2 plastic chair that she LOVES. I mean, she will get it out, push it around, pull it from room to room, sit in it, get up, move it to another spot, sit in it again, and on and on...It's crazy how much she enjoys that chair!

This morning, in the midst of playing with her chair, she discovered that she could lean and make the chair rock back and forth. The problem is - it's not a rocking chair. Not at all. In fact, this chair is barely solid enough to hold her up while sitting normally (hence, the cheapness). So, grinning happily, she leans forward and tilts the chair. Then she leans back and tilts it further. Over and over, forward and back, progressively leaning more and more away from the chair's center of gravity. Of course, you know what happened next. She leaned too far back and - BONK! - on the floor she went...

Five minutes of tears and snot later...

I'm sitting there rocking her in my arms, wishing I had been fast enough to catch her, and rewinding the whole thing in my head. You know what kept coming to mind while I pondered?

A line. Specifically, a line established by God as the standard between right and wrong. I know that seems like a wild connection, but hear me out.

I think sometimes we treat our freedom in Christ like that chair.

Christ came to free us from the law through grace (Romans 6:14), true. But that doesn't mean we don't have any limitations to our living, that we can just do whatever we want to do (Romans 6:1). Christ came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), and so there's this line drawn for us in the sand. A line that differentiates us from the world. A line that sets us apart as holy for the purpose of glorifying our Father in heaven. And yet, I see people stepping closer and closer to the line. I see this chair being tilted forward and back, precariously close to falling.

I hear people say, "Nothing's wrong with having one or two beers. It's not like I'm getting drunk." Or they say, "Just because the music I listen to has cuss words in it doesn't mean I'm cussing." Oh, and this is my favorite - "I'm not lusting. I'm just appreciating God's creation."

Are you kidding me?!

All over the world there are believers (and I include myself in this) getting as close to the line as they possibly can, abusing and making a mockery of the grace that they've been shown. To quote Paul, "By no means!"

Since when did it become okay to do wrong (by Christ's standards, not the world's) and then justify it in some way or other? If we are doing anything that causes or could cause a brother or sister in Christ to stumble, to trip up, to fall into sin - we are wrong. We. Are. Sinning. (Romans 14:13-23)

So, what should we do? What's the take away?

We should be trying to live a life as far away from the line as possible. We should be sitting in that chair as still as can be, or not even sitting in the chair at all. Know why? Because if we don't stop leaning, if we don't stop playing around right on the edge of danger - we'll fall. Big time. With a bruise and bump on our noggin to show for it. While I didn't let Isabella fall on purpose, that fall certainly taught her a lesson. Later, she went back to it very carefully, making sure that she didn't lean at all. I don't think God wants to see His children hurting, but He certainly isn't beyond letting us "fall out of our chair" to teach us a lesson (Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:4-11).

Effort

2010-10-12T18:59:00.000-04:00

This morning I was reading the fourth chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians and I stumbled across this verse. I know I've read it before, but it was new and fresh to me today so I thought I'd share:

"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." (vs. 12)

That word...struggling...it hung me up a bit. After a little research on Bible Gateway (my favorite online Bible resource, by the way), I found what other translations put in place of 'struggling'.

Wrestling...
Laboring...
Tireless...

I don't know about you but those words all imply work to me. Effort. Intentionality, even. So then, I started thinking. When is the last time I prayed and it felt like work? I don't mean that I prayed begrudgingly. I mean, when is the last time that I prayed so hard and so fervently that an observer would say I was "struggling on your behalf in his prayers"?

I honestly don't know. Saying that out loud sounds so terrible to me. It makes me ashamed. It makes me embarrassed. But it's true.

And so, yet again, Paul smacks me around a bit. I hope every time I read the Word I come away sore with the work out it's given me, my pride chipped away more and more, yet stronger in my faith and with something tangible to apply in my life as a result.

Here's the take away - I'm making it a point to pray. More specifically, to pray hard. To struggle, to wrestle, to labor, to tirelessly pour out my heart to the Father of Life who hears our prayers and answers our cries as we lift up our praise, thanks, confessions, and requests to Him. And I'm praying for you, the reader, that you will continue to see the Lord for who He is in your life and continue to seek after Him - the only One who can give peace and direction and purpose to your life.

I would love to know if you have anything specific you would like me to pray for and I will gladly pray for your requests. Leave me a comment.

Oh, and will you join with me in praying?

Exams

2010-10-08T10:57:00.000-04:00

At the school where I teach, this week is exam week. It's that special time during the school year that only comes around once every 9 weeks. The students are all restless with anticipation and (just to show how excited they are) they all spend weeks preparing for them - studying all the notes that they've so painstakingly written, pouring over practice problems that they've made up in their spare time to help with the preparation, and even forming impromptu study groups in the cafeteria while they munch on healthy food choices.

Who am I kidding? Do you really think that my students eagerly anticipate taking their exams? No way! I feel lucky if they even remember that they have an exam, much less study for it adequately enough to perform well. I mean, I have literally heard a kid walk into class and say out loud, "We have an exam in here?"

So this morning, as I was thinking about the day ahead of me and all that it entailed, I remembered something that I tell my kids all the time - but especially when a big test or exam is coming up: Don't wait until the last minute to study!

Now, why do I say that? I say it because when they wait until the last minute all kinds of bad things can happen. They could find that they've lost their notes and have nothing to study. Or they could not remember how to work a problem (even though we've worked it in class together many times). Maybe they get themselves confused on a concept and then don't have time to come ask for help. Ultimately (and we all know this because we've been there a time or two), bad things usually happen when we wait until the last minute to get it done. And what is the end result of waiting to cram the night before a test or exam? Failure.

I know it's terrible to think about those kids failing a test or exam, but we do it to ourselves as well, don't we? What do you do when you're tempted to sin? Where do you go for guidance in resisting the devil? To Whom do you turn when you've given in and feel overcome with guilt? You see, why is it that I can shake my head in disappointment at my kids who all wait until the last minute to study for their test, yet I do the same exact thing in my own life?

Why do we wait until we are in the middle of temptation to pray and consult God's Word? Why do we wait until temptation has nearly overtaken us to go running to the Father for help in our time of need? Just like waiting until the night before the exam, if you don't take the time to prepare for the test well in advance of it, you will fail.

I think that very same phrase from earlier can apply to us as well. Don't wait until the last minute to study. Here's what the Bible has to say about it:

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11

God knows us just like I know my students. He knows we end up waiting until the very last minute to ask for help, but that's the most difficult time to remember that he has made a way out of our temptation. When we are caught in the midst of temptation, it seems the last thing we think of is asking God for help. But what happens if we've been storing His Word away in our hearts the whole time? It just flows out, naturally, from frequency of use, and then the temptation becomes easier to run away from. Jesus modeled it for us himself. What did He do when faced with the temptation of the devil? He quoted scripture. What should we do when faced with temptation? Quote scripture.

Of course, that means we have to have it hidden in our hearts in the first place.

Just a reminder for us all today - don't wait until the last minute to study.

Fearless

2010-10-05T07:39:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard a story, maybe on the news or the radio, about someone in another country who is being persecuted for their faith? Maybe you read that book "Jesus Freak" by DC Talk that tells stories about followers of Christ being imprisoned, tortured, even killed for their preaching of the gospel?

What is your reaction to stories like that?

I'll tell you mine. I say, "Aw. Man. That is terrible. I wish there was something I could do. I will definitely pray for them." Sound familiar?

Compare my response with that of Paul's contemporaries:

"And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Phil. 1:14

Wow. Here I am listening to a story about someone who has given up their life for the sake of the gospel and I respond with "I'll pray for them." Don't get me wrong, prayer is great. It's amazing. It's wonderful. It should be a part of every response that I have to every situation. The convicting part of this verse for me is that while I settle and let prayer be good enough, the believers in the early church didn't stop there. They saw how Paul was imprisoned and it only made them more bold! It only made them preach more!

Where did we go wrong? What happened to us? Why are we not out there shouting the name of Christ from the rooftops because we can't do anything else in response to the persecution of believers around the globe? Why are we not telling our friends and family, who we say we love, about Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for their sins?

Is it because, just maybe, we've become comfortable? Have we gotten into our little routines of going to work, taking kids to games, studying for class, going to church, etc. and completely forgotten about our true calling in life? Have we become complacent in our comfort?

Or is it a belief issue? Do we really believe what we say we believe? Do we really believe that Jesus Christ saves us from our sins and makes our lives new? Do we really believe that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him?

I suppose my take away today is urgency. I want to have a heart and mind that is just as burdened for the lost as Paul was, just as urgent about sharing the good news as his brothers in Christ were upon seeing Paul in prison. I want to be fearless.

What about you?

Radical

2010-09-29T10:06:00.000-04:00

So I recently finished the book "Radical" by David Platt and let me just say to those of you who haven't read it - Go. Now. Don't delay. Read it. Did I mention now??

There's a catch, though. A big one.

If you want to keep living your church-going, song-singing, comfortable-living, status-quo, "keeping up with the Jonses" lifestyle...well...this book is not for you.

BUT...

If you want to have your world completely rocked, if you want to be haunted by the message that it speaks to your heart, and if you want to radically change your life for the glory of God and the furthering of His kingdom then this book IS for you.

I can't put into words all of the thoughts that are going through my mind and heart about this book. Specifically, I'm convicted that I am much more concerned with the things of this world than the things of God and - let me be honest here - that is NOT the picture God has for my life (or yours for that matter). I spend way more time and money on food and books than caring for the widows and the orphans of this world. And guess what? There is not a single verse in the Bible that says it's okay for me to worry about the next book I buy or the next meal I eat. However, James 1:27 makes it crystal clear as to what I should be concerned about:

"Religion that our God and Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I don't know about you, but that doesn't leave much room for interpretation. In fact, it seems to be exactly opposite of what I just described that my own priorities are looking like. Go look at your own checkbook - what are you spending your time and money on? Does your list of priorities seem just as backwards as my own? Are you living a life that is "polluted by the world?"

And that's just one point that Platt brings up throughout the book.

Here's the long and short of it: This is not meant to be a book review. This is meant to be a challenge. Go read the book. More importantly, go read the book and come away changed, altered, distressed and disturbed. The point is not for Platt to get the recognition for writing a good book and saying all of these things that are convicting and unsettling. The point is that we should be convicted. We should be unsettled. We should be reminded of and called back to our first love - Jesus Christ - and we should align our lives with what Jesus actually said for our lives to look like, not what we're pretending Christianity is all about.

If you spent more time reading this than you have your Bible all week, there's an issue.
If you spent more time on facebook than sharing the gospel all week, there's an issue.

I'm not perfect and I certainly have just as much to work on as you do, probably more. The reason I write all of this is not to make you feel bad and put myself up on a high horse casting judgment and condemnation down on everyone else. The reason I write all of this is because I want more. I want more than just the mundane drudgery of going to work and bringing home a paycheck and spending money and dying with nothing to show for it but a bunch of stuff! I want to spend my energy giving it all away - my time, my money, my life - for the glory of God the Father. It's what we were made to do anyway!

Who cares if people think we're weird because we do things differently than they do? That's what people need to see. It's radical to follow Jesus. Normal to Him is entirely backwards to the rest of the world.

So be radical.

I dare you.

Molded

2010-09-18T13:09:00.000-04:00

Thursday for my quiet time I was reading in Hebrews and there was a particular verse that stuck out to me. Honestly, I didn't even know why it did at first. I've been mulling it over for the past day or two just trying to make sense of it in my heart and let God show me what He was trying to show me through that verse. Here it is:

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering." Hebrews 2:10

I ended up leaving for work quite a bit early (because of meeting with the guys that I meet with on Thursday mornings), and I sat for about an hour and read through a sermon on this exact verse that was preached in 1826 (or so) by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Enlightening to say the least. Spurgeon spoke about the fact that it was not Christ who was made perfect through suffering (because He already was) but the sacrifice itself that was made perfect. Here's the thing - I don't really understand how all of that works. But I know this: If Jesus was making a sacrifice that was perfected through suffering, then it only makes sense that suffering in our lives has some purpose (whether we can see it or not) and that this suffering is molding us more and more into the image of Christ.

C.S. Lewis said in his book The Problem of Pain, "Tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless." I tend to agree with Mr. Lewis, especially after this reading of Hebrews 2.

So, I think God is reminding me that pain hurts. A lot. But that ultimately His purposes are served through that pain and He's using it to make me more like Him.

I think He's also showing me that if I find myself in situations where I'm not being challenged to be more like Christ, then I need to run away as hard and fast as humanly possible.

And so I ask myself (and you) - Am I being molded into the image of Christ? Is God perhaps using the pain I may feel at times to draw me more into Him and His will for my life? Is God showing me something that I need to run hard and fast away from?

Lord, help me to humbly face the answers to these questions and give me the strength to change my life accordingly.

Forsaken

2010-09-12T09:35:00.000-04:00

The past couple of weeks have been a blur, to say the least. However, I've had this thought brewing in my mind the whole time. It started one morning (I think) while I was driving to school: "What does it look like to completely forsake the world?"

I think what shocked me most about the line of thinking that followed was that I wasn't even thinking "spiritual" thoughts when it came to me. Literally, driving down the road, it just popped in my head - out of the blue, you might say. After the initial shock of such a thought I began to try to wrap my head around this idea. What does it look like to forsake the world? It's an uncomfortable conversation for me to have with myself because there are so many things in this world that I love, so many things that I devote myself to doing, so many things that I give time and effort and money and attention and...and...and...you get my drift?

For me, thinking about forsaking the world means giving up a lot of things. It means my passions become different. It means my priorities change.

It certainly didn't help the process when our pastor spoke at Wednesday night service. He referenced this verse:

"For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." Galatians 6:15

You see, his point was the same that I'd been pondering for more than a week. It's the same point that Paul is making in his letter to the church in Galatia. It's the same point that we all as Christ followers should be asking ourselves on a daily basis - when all is said and done, is your life being made every day into a new creation in Christ? Are the things that you pursue of this world or of Christ? Or are you trying to compromise and do both - pursue the world and Christ?

You can see why Wednesday was so effective in my heart. It served to confirm these thoughts that have been floating around in my head, it helped to solidify things and make them more clear.

Our church calls Wednesday night service 'Renewal', and for me it was that and so much more. For me it was confirmation of the calling on my life. It was affirming and encouraging to be reminded of what God's been doing in my heart and where He's been molding different areas of my life to change me more into His image.

And it was also convicting as I began to think about the things that I pursue in life that are not what I should be pursuing. In my own life, it's books, movies, approval and a host of other things. What is it in your life? Football? Maintaining an image? Clothes? Popularity? Being religious? Regardless of what your pursuits are, the question is not what are you and I pursuing. The question is what are we doing to change the things that we pursue in life? What are we doing to seek more after Christ? What are we doing to forsake the world?

This question's been on my mind ever since our pastor asked it Wednesday night. He said he wanted to haunt us with this question, and I'd say he did a good job of it (at least with me):

"What is your life marked by?"

Hummingbirds

2010-08-29T09:48:00.000-04:00

This weekend Beth and I went with a group of leaders in our church to do some planning for the college small groups that are starting in the next few weeks. I got up early on Saturday morning, well before everyone else, because I enjoy that time alone. For me, it's a chance to sit quietly and read my Bible, drink a cup of coffee, and truly rest in the Lord. Even if I'm really tired I find myself energized by that, prepared to face whatever the day has in store.

So, I went outside with my Bible and journal to enjoy the cool of the morning while I read, and just as I had gotten settled into the rocking chair and reading from Psalm 100 I heard a buzzing noise. I looked up and nothing was there, so I dismissed it. The second time I heard the noise I ignored it for a moment, but when it persisted I looked up and there was a hummingbird, getting nectar from a feeder nearby. It kept doing this interesting thing, though. It would get some nectar, then back up and look at me, then get some nectar, back up and look at me - definitely an interesting experience being stared down by a hummingbird...

Anyway, as a result, two thoughts occurred as I watched this tiny little bird feeding and watching and feeding again.

The first was of the song by Tenth Avenue North called "Love is Here." The lyrics say, "Come to the water you who thirst and you'll thirst no more." I was reminded that just as this hummingbird needed that water for life, so also do I need the living water that Jesus offers in John 4:

"Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I love the picture of that bird coming for water, needing that water to sustain life, and the reminder that Christ offers us all water that's better than any we could ever find on earth - pure enough to quench our thirst for eternity.

The second thought was of the scene in C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair where Jill meets Aslan for the first time, posted here in its entirety because I could never do justice describing it. The main gist is that Aslan (the symbolic Christ-figure in the Narnia series) offers Jill water and she is concerned about the danger of drinking the water in the presence of the largest, wildest, most dangerous looking Lion she's ever seen. As I watched the hummingbird, who needed and wanted the life-giving nectar, it also kept an eye out for me, the very large human who could destroy its life in an instant.

More fitting than the scene in The Silver Chair, though, the hummingbird really reminded me of 1 Peter 5:8, which says:

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Peter is telling us to be watchful because just like I could have jumped up to harm the hummingbird, so also is the devil prowling around looking for any way that he can possibly destroy us. I find it quite easy in my own life to remember that Jesus is the living water, but all too often I let my guard down and don't keep an eye out for the schemes of the devil. He's crafty and cunning, and if I let up watching for just one minute, he steps right past my defenses and starts wreaking havoc in my life.

I'm taking the hummingbird as an example of what I want to emulate - while I continually come to the Lord as my source of life, I also want to keep watch so that I don't get caught in the snares of the devil.

And I'm praying the same thing for you.

Good Measure

2010-08-18T08:01:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I sit down to write, having been inspired by a passage I read in the Word that day or that week, and I've found that a lot of what I write about hits on topics that have been convicting or challenging me - and that makes sense to me because I know how sinful I am and how much I mess up on a daily basis. It makes sense to me that God would convict me over and over about things - I can be just that dense a lot of the time.

The other day, though, I was sitting on the couch (I think) and these thoughts started to overwhelm me. It all stemmed from a verse that I've known and read many times over the years:

"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control." 2 Timothy 1:7

I love that verse because it reminds me of the true spirit that God puts inside each of us. He makes us powerful and loving and self controlled through His strength and movement in our lives - and I love that!

Anyway, this verse made me start thinking about how this school year is different that the last few. This school year I have a different attitude. I know things are stressful sometimes and I know I'll be frustrated over the course of the year, but God didn't put the spirit of fear inside of me and He doesn't want me shying away from the work that He's going to do. Rather, He started to remind me further of promises found in scripture. John 10:10 -

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

And Luke 6:38 -

"...give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

I love these promises and it was so encouraging to have God remind me of these particular passages in His Word. It's a beautiful thing to serve a God Who gives life abundantly and Who fills our lives up with good measure. God has called us to live lives that are full and abundant and running over with good measure, not spent shaking in fear. He blesses us way more than we could ever deserve and He calls us to live lives that glorify Him as a result.

So I challenge you (and myself) to live out this year abundantly in Christ. Don't miss out on opportunities because you're afraid of what might happen. And don't forget that ultimately we're glorifying the God of the nations who blessed us in the first place.

Strive

2010-08-13T07:57:00.000-04:00

I hear a lot of people talk about the American Dream or life goals or their calling in life. Especially when they don't have clear direction - then they start to talk about feeling lost and unsure of the future. If they're a Christian, then I hear phrases like, "I don't know where God is leading me" or "I'm trying to figure out God's will for my life." I hear it a lot - probably because I say those kind of things so much myself.

But, I was convicted this morning reading through Luke chapter 13. Verse 24 really stood out to me:

"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

That word "strive" really gets me in the gut. Jesus didn't say "Hope to enter through the narrow door" or "Think about going through the narrow door." Jesus said strive. That's a word that implies effort. The definition is "exert oneself vigorously, try hard." Don't get me wrong, I don't think Jesus is telling us to work to earn our salvation. That's not the intention here at all.

Jesus is saying this phrase and He's convicting me so much this morning about not being lazy. About not having a laissez faire approach to life - and to my walk with Christ, specifically. Instead of waiting for God to "reveal His will" to me or complaining that I don't know what my calling is in life, He's pointing out that He's already told me His will for my life. He tells me in His Word to, "Seek first the kingdom of God."

Just because I'm saved and I know I'm going to heaven doesn't mean that my work stops there. I still have a call on my life to lead others to Christ. I still have a mission in life to bring glory to the Father. Do I have to do anything to earn my salvation? No. But I still have tasks here on earth that God has called me to do and will continue to call me to do until I go home to heaven. Jesus is just reminding me of that this morning.

So the challenge for myself as I go on to the rest of my day, and the challenge for you as well, is to strive. Seek out ways to advance God's kingdom. Look for ways to glorify Him. You may not know specifically what school you're supposed to go to or what state you're supposed to live in. You may be unsure about who to marry or what job to have. BUT - if we're seeking after God, if we're striving for the narrow door - do any of those details really matter? Don't we serve a God who is bigger than that? Trust Him. He's bigger than any of the details and He's infinitely more capable of handling them.

A Reminder

2010-08-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

I just need someone to remind me of basic truth every once in a while. Have you ever been there? That's this morning for me.

I got up this morning to run and after I got home and cleaned up a bit, I sat down to read today's Bible passage from the L3 Journal, which was Luke 4, and what really hit home with me seemed so basic...and yet so necessary.

But then I started thinking about it. I knew I wanted to write about what I had read and share that truth, but it seemed too simple. What I had learned seemed like it wasn't good enough or spiritual enough. I started to go back and re-read the passage, maybe find something 'deeper' to write about, but God grabbed hold of my attention and pointed something out to me.

Sometimes I see what the pastors at church blog about or what other 'spiritual giants' in my life comment on when they read the same passage I read and I get a little twinge of...I don't know...jealousy maybe? It just seems like they got so much more out of what they were reading than I did - but like I said, today God just grabbed hold of me - I make things too complicated sometimes. I look too hard and miss the most obvious things. This morning is a bit of a convicting reminder for me to rest in the joy of reading scripture, to be open to God telling me what He's going to tell me, and that's it!

I almost skipped over that last couple of paragraphs to write about what I got out of Luke 4 today - that Jesus was tempted, that temptation is always something God provides a way out of, that being filled with the Spirit is a guaranteed way to escape temptation. Those are all necessary truths for me to be reminded of today in my own walk with the Lord. But that's for me. It's what God chose to reveal to me today.

I would encourage you to seek the same thing. What is God revealing to you today? Compared to anything I could ever say, what God has to say to you is going to be far more relevant, more convicting, more valuable. Genuinely seek God's face today and He'll show Himself to you more clearly than anything you've ever seen.

Magnificent Obsession

2010-07-25T23:55:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've become obsessed with the sky. Every time we go somewhere, whether it's a quick trip down to the store or to a near-by city or even another country, I find myself looking up. I'm literally obsessed.

Think about it though. The majesty of the sky, with its multitude of colors and the swirls of clouds. Every sky is different and yet every sky is the same. You can be in an entirely different country from me and we'll see vastly different pictures, but the same moon and stars will come out at night, the same sun will still rise and set each morning and evening. The more I think about it and the more that I stop in the middle of what I'm doing to take yet another picture of the sky, the more in awe I become.

If you never thought about it before now, ponder this. It is impossible to look at the sky, with all of its incredible detail, and not believe in the Creator. He's the most accomplished artist there will ever be and what awes me even more than how beautiful His Creation can be is how full of splendor, majesty and power He proves Himself to be through the vastness of that which He created. The sky is a perfect picture of that for me. I love to look up at a perfect sunset or the fluffiest clouds I think I've ever seen and remember how amazing my God is. I get overwhelmed sometimes at how awe-inspiring it can be. I am moved to the very core of my soul thinking about how God displays His magnificence throughout all of His Creation, but especially the sky.

I think of this song by Steven Curtis Chapman every time the subject comes up.

"This is everything I want

This is everything I need

I want this to be my one consuming passion

Everything my heart desires

Lord, I want it all to be for you, Jesus

Be my magnificent obsession"

May God reveal Himself to you more and more each day and may He become your magnificent obsession in everything you do and say. Think about that this week - maybe these pictures can give you a small glimpse of what I'm talking about.

Training

2010-07-10T12:23:00.000-04:00

As you know based on my last post, I've started a routine of being consistent in my working out and time with the Lord. I was doing p90x for a while, but long story short, I've altered that plan quite a bit and the majority of this new plan is running and hopefully getting good enough to do a 5k or something in the near future. That said, as I've gotten a few runs under my belt I've noticed a couple of things:

- I've gotten better in just a short amount of time (I assume I'll continue improving?)
- It's hard work!

The thing I tend to forget about training myself (mind, body, or spirit) is that it is real work to start in whatever condition you're in and push yourself to grow and improve individually. I want it to just come easily and not have to do much to achieve improvement. Obviously, with education being my profession, I have a first hand view of students who choose to work hard or not. The ones who work hard are successful, the ones who do not are not successful. Simple. With my body, I can easily see in my own life how if I work hard I improve and if I don't then I very quickly become lazy and apathetic.

Hopefully you can tell where I'm headed - it's the same in our walk with Christ. As a Christian, God doesn't tell us to just get 'fire insurance' and that's all we're required to do. It's a lifestyle, it's a transformation, it's work to grow closer to God in our relationships with Him. The awesome thing about it is that while the training of my mind or body can be a very individualized experience, the training of my spirit is something I'll never have to do alone because God is right there beside me giving me strength and lifting me up as I continue to grow closer to Him.

As crucial as all of that it - to realize that I need to work at this relationship - I think it's so vital to understand the importance of starting early in life. Just like young children can learn languages so much easier than older people or young athletes have more time to improve their abilities than older athletes, young people are so important to Christ. He even says in Mark 10:14-15:

"Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

God has placed in the hands of Christian parents the remarkable ability to influence our children for the Lord. We're even commanded to do so in Proverbs 22:6:

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

A couple of weeks ago I went into Isabella's room to get her up for breakfast - a time I have begun to cherish more and more as she gets older - and she looked at me, smiled and pointed and simply said, "Bible." It was the first time she had done that and I almost broke down right then and there. It absolutely melts my heart and makes me smile the biggest smile ever to know that the first thing Isabella wants to do when she gets up - before eating or getting a new diaper, before running around or playing with her toys - is read a story out of her little Bible.

I know we're going to mess things up as time goes on. I know we're not always going to get things right. But there is one thing that I will die before getting wrong and that's the command of Proverbs 22:6. If we as parents do nothing else with our lives, I'm praying that we raise our children up in the Lord because it's the best gift a parent can ever give to a child.

What Routine?

2010-07-07T18:15:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love summer. Being a teacher, this allows me ample time to do all the things I don't usually have time for during the school year - like read my ever growing list of books, fixing/cleaning things around the house, etc. I have a problem though. A problem to which I know the solution but find myself wavering back and forth to commit. You see, during the school year my morning routine is down to a science. Every minute of my morning is accounted for, every task has its time slot, and let me just be honest: summer completely throws my routine out the window.

It's a blessing and a curse, really. I have the freedom of knowing that I don't have anywhere to be or anything to do, no deadlines to meet, no lesson plans to write. That part is great. The part where I don't work out consistently, where I'm not consistently in the Word, where I sit down to write a new blog entry at 4:50 in the afternoon and I haven't even showered or gotten out of my pajamas yet - those are the parts that aren't so great.

Is it wrong to not have any real obligations for a period of time? No, I don't think so. Am I gloating in the fact that I have all summer off and don't have to go to work for two months? No. In fact, it's probably the worst thing possible for someone like me who is so routine oriented.

Reading in the L3 Journal the other day, Proverbs 5:23 stuck out like a sore thumb:

"He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray."

It may not be true for everyone, but for a person like me - lack of discipline really is death-like. I don't die a physical death or even a spiritual death, but I certainly decline in my growth. When I'm not consistently working out, I can definitely tell a difference in my physical abilities. When I'm not meditating on God's Word and seeking His face daily, it opens me up for all sorts of temptations to lead me astray. I think that's why Solomon in all his wisdom wrote this particular part of the Proverbs. He knew that discipline was a vital part of every person's life, and it's most relevant to us as Christians.

I need the consistency of knowing that every day at a specific time I am going to open up God's Word and spend some time learning what He has to say to me for the day. I need it. "As the deer pants for the water," so to speak.

I say all that to say this. I'm making it a goal of mine for the rest of the summer to get up at the same time every day in order to:
- discipline my spirit through time spent with God,
- and discipline my body through working out.

I've got to. It's vital for life. It's especially vital for life in Christ. That's my routine.
What's yours?

What's Down In The Well...

2010-06-24T23:22:00.002-04:00

I was talking to my dad this evening and he said something that he's said countless times throughout the years as we were growing up - "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket." Now, I know that's not original to him, but it's one of those phrases that just makes me think of my dad and the wisdom that he has imparted over the years (I'm pretty sure that the older I get the wiser he becomes...).

Anyway, it started me thinking about something else that's become something of a conviction in my life lately. Last week, during our Thursday morning prayer time, one of the guys brought up the point that we as Christians (and men, specifically) should have Scripture memorized. Normally I would hear that and agree wholeheartedly and never actually do anything about it because so many times in my life I find myself getting really gung-ho about some issue or conviction but never really being spurred to action. Fortunately for us, we have a guy in our group who is adamant about us being men of action, men who see needs and rise to meet them, men who feel conviction and move to respond in whatever way God directs.

After further discussion, the decision was made. We're going to memorize Scripture. Not just any scripture though, not just random smatterings of verses from all over the Bible. We're going to memorize Ephesians.

"Ephesians what?" someone asked me after I told him about it.

All of it.

6 chapters.

155 verses.

The whole book.

It seemed a daunting task at first. Even now, in the midst of memorizing, it seems quite difficult to say the least. We have a lot going for us, though. It's something that God wants us as believers to do (Psalm 119:11) and it's something that the Lord gives us strength to do (Phil. 4:13).

It's a vital part of the Christian faith and that brings me back to the phrase I was talking about earlier. God wants us filling up our lives with His word and His truth because that phrase really is true - whatever we fill our hearts and minds with is what's going to come out in our lives.

So. What are you putting in your well?

Water

2010-06-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

I catch myself all the time saying things that I wish I could take back. Maybe not even take back, so much as say in a nicer tone or with a better attitude. It's like right after it comes out of my mouth, my brain catches up and realizes that I would have been better off not saying it at all. Anybody else out there with a similar problem?

Needless to say, I know exactly what James is talking about in the third chapter of his book. He compares the tongue to a bridle on a horse or the rudder of a ship. Such a small little thing can change the course of someone's day, year, or life. One little word can send someone on a path of destruction that may be irreversible. It grates on me and bothers me. I think about it all the time - mainly because I have so much trouble giving up control of my tongue to the Lord - and I try to figure out ways to stop myself the next time I want to say something dumb. Sometimes I even think, "What if I were silent? What if I didn't say anything at all? That would fix it."

Here's the thing I'm coming to realize more and more every day.

It's not my job to try not to say things. As a Christian I'm not called to do the taming when it comes to my mouth and the things that I say. Yes, self control plays a part in helping me, but ultimately taming my own tongue is an impossible task. I'm inherently sinful. Trying to tame my own tongue would be like using muddy water to wash dishes - pointless. God's the one who's working in my heart and in my mouth. He's the one who shapes me every day more and more into the picture of what He wants me to be.

Now, does that mean I'm off the hook? I can just go say and do anything I want because God's gonna do all the work? No. Not by any means. I finally realized today that while my job is not to try to tame my own tongue, it is to direct my mouth toward the praise of our Father. Instead of trying not to say something inappropriate I should spend my energy and effort glorifying God and then I will accomplish both, won't I?

I look at it like this: You know when you drink chocolate milk how there's that little ring of chocolate left at the bottom? The problem is, you can't pour that out. No matter how hard you try, that chocolate isn't going to pour because it's too thick. However, what happens if I run clean water in that cup? At first it doesn't look like things are getting any cleaner. BUT, if I wait long enough and keep running clean water into that cup, eventually the water will wash away all the chocolate from the bottom of the cup and leave a nice, clear cup of tap water. It's the same thing with our mouths (or even our lives). They're dirty, and no matter how hard we try we can't get rid of that dirt. But if we fill our mouths with the praises of God, eventually it will rinse clear and there won't be the dirt anymore. Will we still make mistakes? Yes. Perfection doesn't come for us until heaven. At the end of each day though, we'll have a better witness for it because we spent our time praising the Name of our God who is greater than all other things and Who is so worthy to be praised.

Be a refreshing flow of clean water today. You'll be amazed at the results.

Strong Tower

2010-06-02T13:18:00.000-04:00

This morning it was just me and Isabella eating breakfast and playing (we like to let Mommy sleep in whenever we can, plus it's great daddy/daughter time that I utterly cherish). Anyway, I took a break from playing to get my second cup of coffee for the day and I noticed that normal play sounds had stopped coming from the living room. After almost two years with a little girl in the house, the silence was deafening. And if you don't have kids, then learn from me - silence usually means something bad is going on in the other room!

So I finished pouring my cup of coffee and I went to look around the corner into the living room, fully expecting that I would discover any number of crazy scenarios, and the first thing I saw was Isabella sitting in her little rocking chair with a blanket pulled up close to her. Now, I know we have a good kid and all, but even for her that was a little out of the ordinary and so I started looking around to find the trouble she was trying to avoid by sitting in the chair. I know that sounds pessimistic, but kids change your perspective on things. While I'm glancing around the living room (which she has not messed up at all, by the way) Isabella simply points to the floor in front of her and says, "Bug." Now I thought she said, "Ball" so I went looking for the tennis ball we had been playing with and when I turn around after finding it, I see movement on the floor. Sure enough, a little spider was crawling across the floor and Isabella was trying to tell me that it was there and I missed it.

Here's what struck me about the whole situation. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She didn't come running in to find me and tell me about it. I would say she wasn't scared, but I don't think that's the case. I think she was scared. When I came around the corner, I saw concern on her face, worry even.

BUT, she knew I was coming.
She knew I would take care of it.
She knew I would protect her.

And so she waited. Yes, with a bit of concern and worry for the outcome of the situation. Yes, with a little bit of fear. But she waited for me to come because she knew without a doubt that I was coming and I had her safety in mind.

Isn't that how our relationship with God should be? I know things get us worried and concerned and fearful. I know things in our lives don't always turn out the way we have envisioned. I know sometimes the future is uncertain and we don't know exactly what to expect around the next corner.

BUT, I know God is coming.
I know He will take care of it.
I know He will protect me.

The whole scene reminds me of these verses in Psalm 46 (1-3, 7, & 10):

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling...The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress...Be still, and know that I am God."

And so I wait. Yes, sometimes there is concern or worry or fear for the outcome of a situation. But I have no doubt in my mind that God is coming - in fact, He never left! - and He has my best interests at heart. Trust Him. He knows far better than we ever will.

I gotta run - she's gotten quiet again...

The Measure of a Man

2010-06-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

This time, the blog's in video form. Enjoy.

Earn It

2010-05-16T13:10:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about this idea for about a month and a half or so. It all started with a spanking.

One day while we were at home doing our Saturday thing, which usually consists of sleeping late and breakfast together. We had finished eating and were trying to get things cleaned up and put away, so Isabella was down playing around with who knows what. Obviously my memory is failing me (mainly because it's been a while since this happened), but I remember that she did something wrong...multiple times. We'd tell her stop, no, don't do that and she would just keep doing it. Hence the reason for a spanking.

Now, I'm not here to go on and on about correct or incorrect ways to discipline children (that's a choice for you to make), but I do want to explain our process. Beth and I decided together to give warning enough so that Isabella knows what she's doing is wrong and then resort to spanking when it's obvious that she's rebelling against our authority as parents. The rule of thumb for us is to sit her down, explain what she did wrong, why it's wrong, and that she is getting a spanking because we love her and only then does the spanking occur. No spanking out of anger or frustration! She says she's sorry afterwards and we give her a hug and kiss and tell her again that we love her and we move on to the rest of the day.

Does she understand everything at this age? I don't know. I hope so. I think the important thing right now is that we train ourselves as parents to be consistent in how we punish so that later on when our children actually start questioning and seeking understanding, we will be able to easily explain what we're doing and why.

That said, as I began earlier, it all started with a spanking. I'm sitting there, in the chair, Isabella in my lap, and I'm explaining to her that she needs to obey us because we're her parents and the Bible says:

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12

I'm telling her about respect for authority and hitting all three of my points and all 7 subpoints of my carefully thought out sermon on the intricacies of parenthood - and let me just be honest - it was good! Spurgeon would be proud!

No really, it was so simple, but I had this realization (I seem to get a lot of those while parenting lately...) I know the Bible says for children to honor their parents - I agree wholeheartedly! - but I had this thought while I was talking - two words:

EARN IT.

I was kind of taken aback, even paused in my explanation for a moment, because I wasn't expecting a word from the Lord while disciplining. The words wouldn't go away. Echoing in my head, I kept thinking about it, processing, mulling over it...earn it...what does that even mean? I think I may be stretching things a bit, but this is what I think God was trying to get across to me that day.

Children are supposed to honor their fathers and mothers, I don't discount that at all. I stand by that today just as strongly, if not more so, as I always have. But, what if we as parents live in such a way as to make obeying that commandment easier? I think God's calling us to live in an honorable way so that when we ask our children to obey that command, they are willing to do so because they see that we are worthy of honoring.

I know, not all parents are Christians who seek to glorify God in what they do and how they parent. I know that there are abusers and cheaters and druggies and alcoholics and the children of those parents probably struggle more with that commandment than any other commandment. I know also that honoring your father and mother is not a conditional thing - it means you honor your parents regardless of whether or not they are honorable.

BUT.

The Bible indicates pretty clearly that we as parents have just as much duty, if not more so, to our children as they have to us.

"Father's do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

I take that command from Paul very seriously. Doesn't that seem like a parent who is leading by example and worthy of the honor their children show them? Doesn't that seem like a parent who is seeking to glorify God? Do I get it right every time? No. I hope sometimes I do, but more often than not I'll fail because in my own strength I am nothing. But God is working daily in my life to mold me into His image just as He is working daily in Isabella's life to mold her. It's a two way street so far as I see it - one way leading to a better parent and one way leading to a better child. All of it glorifies God that much more!

Thought for the day: what would the world look like if it were full of parents who sought to be worthy of the honor their children are commanded to show? Live honorably today. Maybe we can change the world.

Poured Out

2010-05-12T09:22:00.000-04:00

I'm actually a day behind in reading the L3 journal, but I have to admit - after today I'm actually glad for it. This morning I got up, doggedly went through my workout routine (I'm about 4 1/2 weeks into p90x), hurried to get ready for work, and went to the coffee shop down the street for a cup of steaming hot brew and a couple minutes of quiet reading. To be honest, I was reading in a little bit of a rush, feeling stressed because of work, and I was not really focused on getting the most out of my quiet time. You ever been there?

Anyway, I get all the way to the end of the selection and this verse just jumps out at me. And it wasn't one of those things where I said to myself, "Huh, that's cool." It went straight to the heart and spoke to me exactly where I am right now. Here's the verse:

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8

It's like God was telling me, "Stop! You're going and running and stressing and forgetting that I am GOD! You've tried to rush me along and forgotten that I am the Wonderful Counselor! Rest in me. Trust in me. Seek refuge from the storms of life in me."

I forget the awesome truth that is represented in that verse all too often, if I'm brutally honest. I don't take the time to pray - truly pray - and tell God all the stuff that's weighing on me. The Psalm clearly states "pour out your heart before him" and it's SO true. He wants to hear it. He wants to help me with whatever is troubling me, or stressing me, or making me feel lost in the shuffle of daily activity and routine. Sometimes I feel pulled in eighteen different directions and overwhelmed by it all, but this morning is an incredible reminder to me that God is here with me, ready and waiting for me to pour out my heart to him, confide in him, trust in him, and hope in him.

You know, Beth and I talk all the time about pouring out our own lives in ministry and service to others, but I can't do that unless I'm being poured into and ministered to myself by the Unending Source. So, the take-away for me today is this: Am I making it a priority to pour out my heart to Him on a daily basis? Or am I trying to do it all on my own? Am I turning to God for counsel and refuge? Or am I counseling myself and hoping for the best?

I think it's time for a change of mindset.

A Prayer

2010-05-02T23:55:00.000-04:00

I read a passage in Romans the other day that really made me think of one particular overarching theme. I'll explain what I mean later, but first I want to share that passage with you:

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." ~ Romans 12:9-21

I know that's a long passage, much longer than most people would quote when trying to get a point across, but I feel led to share this. When I read this I felt like it was a prayer. I know it's probably taking too much license with the meaning of the passage - all the Bible scholars out there can just take a breather for a minute - but it just reads to me like a prayer that Paul is praying over the Christians in Rome.

I imagine him writing his letter and talking about the remnant of Israel and being living sacrifices and then, for no reason other that the Lord led him to do so, feeling the need to pray over the people reading his letter. I imagine him overwhelmed with desire to see these Christians living in such a way that it stands out as different, unique - completely loving above and beyond anything that was ever expected of them.

As I was thinking about all of that, I became more than convicted. I felt a stirring in my heart that as I shared this passage I would not just limit myself to words I can put together, that I wouldn't be hindered by anything I would try to say. Rather, I felt the Lord moving in my heart to simply pray this passage over anyone who reads this post and everyone else that I know. And so, with all the love that is in me, I am doing that. Even as I type this, I'm praying for you. I'm praying that you will:

...love genuinely.
...outdo one another in showing honor.
...rejoice in hope.
...be constant in prayer.
...bless your persecutors.
...live in harmony.
...never avenge yourselves.
...take care of your enemies.

Most importantly, I'm praying that you wouldn't see this passage as another list of things to do (and which in your own strength you can never do), but that you would hear the words of Paul and be called to live a lifestyle like he describes. Imagine what our world would look like if we just did that.

And Yet...

2010-04-21T23:24:00.000-04:00

How do you handle difficulties in your life?

Pretend they aren't there? Paint a smile on your face and continue about your business as if it weren't really happening, wearing a mask to hide the pain from all the people around you who expect you to be and do and say all the right things, all the things they are not and all the things that they hope they can be?

Or maybe you're a controller? Our pastor was saying this evening that one of the things we all try to do when trials present themselves is control the situation. We try to fix it. Are you a fixer? Do you work and work and work and work in the hopes that maybe, one day, some time you might be able to fix it enough so that it won't hurt anymore? Maybe one day it might actually go away and not be a problem for you? In your own strength? In your own way?

Anybody out there a wallower? You face the problems of this world and you don't see any need to fix them or control them. Why even bother trying to pretend they aren't there? You're a realist! You know pretending won't make them go away and trying to fix them won't take care of it either! And so you sit. You sulk. You wallow in the misery of your problems and prey on other people to have pity on you, to sit down with you and hear you talk about all of your issues. You slosh around in the sludge and grime of your tribulations and try to bring as many people down into the depths with you as you can. Why be sad all alone? I can bring all my friends too!

I was reading in the Psalms last week and came across a verse I recognized, but from a different portion of the Bible - the New Testament to be exact,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." Psalm 22:1-2

Those are David's words. He's going through a trial, apparently so difficult that he finds himself feeling as though God had abandoned him. It's so difficult, and his words so fitting, that Jesus quotes this same Psalm in Matthew as He is hanging from the cross. Is it wrong to feel that way? No, I don't think so. I think it's a natural part of life to have ups and downs. There are times when we feel we're on top of the world and everything is going great. There are times when we feel we're in the lowest of valleys and everything is going wrong. David is expressing emotions here that we all have felt or will feel at some point in our lives. Here's the difference - David's response is so radically different from what we feel naturally inclined to do. Check out the following four words:

"Yet you are holy..." Psalm 22:3a

We flawed, sinful people all go running to our solutions that we hope will make us feel better (I to my fixing), and David responds to a trial (one that makes him feel forsaken entirely) by praising God for His holiness. On top of that, I feel like David is revealing a deeper understanding that He has of our God and Father. David understands that trials are temporary - they don't last forever! He understands that trials are for our benefit - they grow us and stretch us to be in more intimate relationships with the Lord. More importantly, however, David understands the ultimate purpose of any trials that we may go through - God's glorification.

David's trial is so intense he feels forsaken - yet God is holy.
Jesus is going to the cross and feels the same way David did - yet God is holy.
You're stressed at work, you feel unaccomplished, you feel like a failure - yet God is holy.
Life has you down, situations are escalating, you're depressed about all of it - yet God is holy.
Your future is uncertain and you don't know the next step to take, you're scared - yet God is holy.

Are you noticing a pattern here? It doesn't matter what life throws at you. It doesn't matter if you have the best job in the world and you're on top of the highest mountain or if every situation seems to mount against you and you've sunk down into the lowest valley you could ever imagine.

God is holy. He loves you. He has your best interest at heart. He is taking care of you and watching over you and lifting you up and carrying you when you can't walk anymore. He is saying to you,

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Take joy in that truth. Find peace in the lightness of His burden. Experience true rest.

Footsteps

2010-04-16T23:41:00.000-04:00

There's this new thing that Isabella has been doing lately. She really likes to grab our various pairs of shoes and put them on her feet. Clunking around in shoes far too large for her is a funny thing to behold indeed! I watch her try to take normal steps and not even be able to lift her feet from the floor. Then, she changes approaches. Instead of her usual big steps, she attempts to shuffle along just a few inches forward at a time. The result is trip-step-shuffle combination that is silly and wonderful all at the same time.

A couple of days ago, however, she was beginning to do this same thing again - the putting on of a pair of my shoes - and something hit me. Do you ever have things do that to you? You're watching a completely normal thing, but some deeper meaning suddenly breaks through, capturing your attention and throwing your whole mind in the direction of that idea? It happens to me pretty frequently, and this day was no exception.

How fitting is it that the child we are trying to raise in a Christ-filled home and Christ-like manner, the child who is figuratively going to follow in our footsteps, is literally wearing our shoes around the house? It was almost overwhelming the way it became so apparent to me and the persistance with which it stuck to my heart. I've been thinking about it ever since and the application that it should have on our lives, on my life. This realization, this epiphany of sorts, started me thinking about my own legacy and what kind of life that I lead. What footsteps am I taking? What impressions am I leaving in which our daughter will follow?

Here's the thing - regardless of how I live my life, Isabella will emulate it. Regardless of how much I sacrifice my minuscule self for my magnificent Christ or how much of my selfless Jesus I sacrifice for my selfish wants and desires, Isabella is going to see that example and shape herself into a pretty accurate reflection of the example she's seen, without even realizing it. It's being modeled every day in our home, in our car, in our conversations, in our relationships, everywhere. How could she not?

I suppose the question is, what am I going to do about it? Ever since I began thinking in this direction, it's made me scared of what I say and afraid to do anything wrong. Now, God doesn't call us to live in fear. He doesn't want us living afraid to do or say anything because we might mess up. He already knows we're sinful. He already knows we're messed up. I'm going to say and do things that I'll wish I could take back, things that I can't ever take back and things that I can't ever erase from Isabella's memory. But this I do know - "...for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."

No matter how well I live or how badly I mess up, God will work things for good. More importantly, God will glorify Himself. That is His priority above anything else, anyway, so why can't He use my mistakes to teach a lesson or my own life lessons to give encouragement? He can. He will. It's how He works - through His people.

"I may live and I may die, either way You're glorified. Bless the day I give my life away."

-- Christy Nockels --

Prayer

2010-04-08T01:26:00.000-04:00

I wonder sometimes if people on the outside think we're crazy. By 'we' I mean Christians and by 'people on the outside' I mean anyone else.

I mean, from their perspective we all talk to someone nobody can see and eat the flesh and drink the blood of some guy who used to be alive but came out of the grave to walk the earth again. Sounds like some psycho cannibalistic zombie movie to me...

The amazing, incredible, awesomely-good thing about Christianity is this - IT'S NOT CRAZY AT ALL! I won't go into every single detail of why Christianity is not a religion full of crazy people, mainly because I would never do it enough justice and would probably hurt the cause for Christ more than I would help it (If you want a good book on the subject, go check out The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. He's a converted atheist and he's amazing!). However, there is one aspect of Christianity that I get the chance to think a little deeper on every so often. It's a part of my faith that I can never get enough of, don't do nearly as frequently as I should/would like, and yet love almost as much as the fact that I am freed from the burden of sin forever. It's prayer.

No, we as Christians don't talk to ourselves or some unseen nobody. We talk to Someone who is much greater than that, and He talks back to us through His inspired Word. We talk to the God of the universe, the Maker of all things that are seen and unseen, the Alpha and Omega, the One Way, Truth and Life against which everything in life is weighed and measured.

Even better than that - who'd've thunk there could be anything better?! - He listens to us! He takes the time to hear every prayer that we offer up to Him. The Bible describes our prayers as 'sweet incense' to the Father. They are precious to Him just as we are precious to Him. It pleases God for us to pray to Him and it pleases Him to listen to us.

Here's the part I can never get over. Even though the Bible says that God answers prayers, people still complain that 'He didn't answer my prayer' or 'My mom still died of cancer even though I prayed for her healing.' Even though the Bible says that God is just and kind, loving and merciful, full of grace, the great healer, people still complain that God never did anything for them. Long story short, the fact that you're still alive and breathing is more than He ever had to do for you, and He didn't even have to do that! The point I'm so laboriously coming to is this - prayer is a great communication tool but it's an even greater learning tool. I've seen God teach me so much through the discipline of prayer. I've heard so many stories of what God taught other people through the act of praying. Consider these questions and their answers:

What is the ultimate purpose of God? To glorify Himself.

What is the ultimate purpose of man? To glorify God.

See a cure for cancer anywhere in there? Do you see God giving you a million dollars anywhere in there? Do you see promises of anything related to you in there at all? NO! And why not? Because as amazing as it is that God blesses us and offers us grace that we don't deserve, His goal is still to bring glory to His own Name. So, prayer works the same way. Prayer is useful for a lot of things, but ultimately it's to bring God all the glory that He is due.

The closer we grow to God, the more He will strip away our desires and replace them with His own. The closer we grow to God, the more He will tear away our wants and needs and replace them with His wants and needs. God is slowly teaching me that as self-seeking and sinful as I can be, He wants to be glorified that much more. And so God continues to teach.

He is showing me that maybe my prayer shouldn't be that cancer be healed but that someone's soul would be healed instead.

He is showing me that maybe my prayer shouldn't be that I have the winning argument, but that I would learn patience when talking to people who believe differently than I do.

He is showing me that maybe my prayer shouldn't be for someone else to come apologize to me, but that I should go and initiate the apology.

Instead of looking at prayer as a 'gift list' today, try looking at it as a classroom. What is God teaching you through prayer?

Stories

2010-04-03T09:38:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine teaches sixth grade math, I think in the Delta. He posted this story on Twitter yesterday. I changed the names for the sake of privacy.

"My conversation with the student I sent to alternative school that I ran into at Walmart:
Billy: Hey, Mr. Smith!
Mr. Smith: Hello there, Billy.
Billy: You know I'm in alternative school?
Mr. Smith: Yes, I'm aware...how is it?
Billy: It's fun! You can buy Mountain Dew.
Mr. Smith: Yes, that is fun. How's your math going?
Billy: 94
Mr. Smith: That's great, Billy. What are you studying now?
Billy: I'm suspended right now.
Mr. Smith: Why is that?
Billy: I drew a star.
Mr. Smith: Seems like there is more to that story...
Billy: with a knife...on Johnny.
Mr. Smith: There it is...Well, good talk. I'm leaving now."

I'm still deciding whether that makes me want to laugh or cry, although I'll probably end up doing both by the end of the day. Either way, it's a call to pray for the state of the world we live in, for the souls of all the lost people who have never accepted Christ or haven't even heard the Gospel in the first place.

Especially in this Easter season, when we remember that Jesus went to the cross for our sins and celebrate that He rose again on the third day, what are we doing to share the great love of Christ that we have so undeservingly received? When's the last time any of us shared our story of how Christ changed our lives, how He pulled us out of the darkness and into the light, how He made us new creations in Him?

Sure, this story was meant to be funny - if you only knew the guy it happened to! But what if we used it as a catalyst for change? What if we use it as inspiration to go out and do something to influence the world for Christ? What if we further the Kingdom of God because of it?

Love the people you meet today. Tell them your story of life change. People may not necessarily ask you for more information, they may not want to hear you, and you may never even see them again, but you'll have planted a seed. You will have begun what Jesus commanded us to do before He left this earth, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."

Glorifying Self

2010-03-31T00:30:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else feel really good inside when people praise you for something you've done? Maybe you did a great job on a project at work and you get a raise, a bonus, or a party thrown in your honor. Maybe you accomplish something that has been a goal for quite some time and people celebrate that with you. Whatever the case, getting praised for something feels good, doesn't it?

That said, reading this morning convicted me about that very thing. I try not to, but a lot of the time I catch myself trying to do something that earns someone's praise. I try to be better than everyone, or be the first to do something, or have all the right answers. I even look for situations where I can offer my opinion on an issue or dilemma that someone has in the hopes that people will recognize and praise my intelligence and wit. To be honest, the pride in me really wants to receive praise.

Now, don't get me wrong - praise is a good thing! Praise can encourage a person when they're feeling down. Praise can be a motivator for further good deeds. Praise gives our Father in heaven the glory He deserves from us, of which we can never give enough. Praise is an incredible word with a lot of application to our everyday lives.

The problem is when we seek out praise. When I find myself doing things not because of the good that they are but because of the praise I will receive, that's a problem. When I discover that I accept the praise for something as if I deserved it instead of pointing it back to God, that's a huge problem. It can even be classified as idolatry - I'm placing me above God.

Jesus said in John 8:54, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing."

Did you get that? Jesus - the one Man who lived a perfect, sinless life on earth, the one person who was fully Man and fully God at the same time, the one Man who actually deserved glory because He was the Son of God - said, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing!"

Jesus understood that unless His Father received the glory, it meant nothing. It was worth nothing. It was a waste of time. Unless the praise we receive is seen through the lens of glorifying God, we may as well have not received any praise at all. That's why Jesus says in Mark 8:34-35, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses himself for my sake and the gospel's will save it." Our job here on earth is to completely give up our wants, our desires, our fancy jobs, our beautiful houses, our very lives for the sake of glorifying God.

If you give up those things for the sake of Christ, will God still bless you with them? Maybe. Probably.

Will it be worth it even if He doesn't give them to you? Infinitely so.

I'll end with the perfectly fitting lyrics of Selah's song 'Glory'

We want to see your Glory

Every knee falls down before thee

Every tongue offers You praise

With every hand raised

Singing Glory

To you and unto you only

We'll sing Glory to Your name

Known

2010-03-26T18:07:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I feel like I can't be good enough for God. I know I really can't be good enough, not on my own anyway, but do you know what I mean? Do you ever feel that way? I get this feeling that I'm dirty and sinful, and I'm sure that it's the devil attacking me and trying to bring me down, but I even think, "How could God ever love a person like me?" It can get overwhelming at times.

BUT, the incredible thing about God is that He knows exactly what I'm going through.

And it's not a "I-know-what-you're-going-through-even-though-I've-never-been-there-myself-and-I'm-just-pretending-to-empathize-with-you" kind of understanding.

He's saying to me, "I've been in your shoes. I know your struggles and I want to help you through them." It's that kind of understanding. What a peace it brings for me to think about and meditate on.

Anyway, I was kind of in that kind of funk a few days ago and I started to notice a few things in my Bible readings each day. It was so clear that it may as well have painted a picture for me. The details were unbelievably vibrant.

The first verse I came across was John 2:25, which reads, "...for He Himself knew what was in man." It was this immediately relevant passage that truly spoke into my heart. It was as if God gently reminded me that Jesus knew what He was getting into when He came to earth. He knew what man was like. He even knew me. He knew my character traits, my personality, my good qualities and my bad ones. He knew that I would have great days of praising and glorifying the Father and He knew that I would have terrible days filled with mistakes and sin.

At the very beginning of His ministry, "He Himself knew what was in man."

Astonishing!

In addition to that, He even told everyone that He knew our flaws:

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." John 3:20

He knew them! He knew that we were sinful and He knew that we would even run from the light because of our sin, and yet...and yet...

He still went to the cross.

He still died for our sins.

As He took His last breath, He still said, "Father, forgive them."

I don't know what kind of love could possibly possess a man who knows the sins of the world and would still die for that very world, but I know that is a love I want to permeate my life. That is a love I want to share with others. And that is a love I want to completely overwhelm me and break me to the point of sacrificing my whole life for the glory of God.

I'm praying that you encounter that very same love in such a deeply intimate way that it radically alters your frame of mind, that it changes you to the very core of who you are, and that it moves you so that you can do nothing else with your life but shout it to the nations.

As I am reminded of Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" I am also encouraged that it is good to be known by that kind of God.

Waiting

2010-03-18T09:02:00.002-04:00

Sometimes when you go to the doctor, you end up in the waiting room longer than you spend in the examining room. Once you get back there, the doctor gives you the once over, asks a couple of questions, writes a scrip, and you go on your way thinking, "Did I just pay THAT much money for two minutes with a doctor?"

Doesn't make sense, does it? I know it doesn't to me. Here's the cool thing - while with doctors it may not make sense, with God it does. For me, more often than not, the solution is found in waiting for Him rather than meeting with Him. Don't get me wrong, meeting with the Lord is incredible! I love those sweet moments in the morning during my quiet time or a great sermon series or a moving worship set - they really speak to my soul and inspire me to keep living and loving for the Lord and seeking to do what He would have me do. But the times I really LEARN from Him are the times that He keeps me waiting patiently (most times not so patiently) for Him.

I read these verses in Psalm 37 the other day, but because of traveling I haven't had the chance to blog about it until now. Check these out:

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act."

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him..."

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way..."

"The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip."

"Wait for the Lord and keep His way..."

I don't know about you, but to me - especially considering my propensity for impatience - that's God's not so subtle way of telling me to slow down and wait on His timing for things. So many times I think that I've waited long enough and that I'm ready for the next phase in my life, but so often I forget that my job is to be where God has placed me. My job is to delight myself in the Lord, to commit my way to the Lord, and to keep the law of God in my heart. My goal should be to glorify Him where I am, and let Him deal with the details of what's next in my life. God has to be the one who orders my steps and guides me where He wants me to go. Who knows better than Him, right?

So, the next time you go to the doctor, think of the waiting room as a literal lesson in waiting. While the doctor may know how to treat you well, who knows better than the Great Physician?