Magnificent Obsession

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

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?

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...

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

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

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

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

Earn It

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

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

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.