The Old Has Become New

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! -- 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV


Here we are. 2010 is on it's last legs and 2011 is right around the corner. Have you been thinking and talking about resolutions for the new year or have you discovered what many of us know? It's a lot harder to live up to those resolutions than it is to make them. We have the greatest of ambitions when we resolve to improve ourselves, don't we? "This is going to be the year I lose 20 pounds" or "This time I'm really going to make sure I call my mother once a week" or maybe even "This is the year I find 'The One' and get married". Whatever they are, we usually shoot for the moon. It's a lot of pressure!

You wanna know the secret to realizing success? You have to come to the realization that the creature you long to be is already inside of you! God made you with a perfect design. It's just bursting to reveal itself and you are the only thing holding it back.

Let me put it in the form of a question or two. Can you pinpoint a time in your life when you are 100% sure you felt the presence of Christ in you? You can feel God's pull on your life to be certain, but I don't know that you can really feel Christ's presence inside of you until you get to a point where you need to feel it. Once you do that, you've unlocked your true self. You are free to live a life full of Christ. You are ready to begin the next part of the journey I wrote about this week.

We refer to that as you becoming a new creation, but it's really a matter of you realizing your potential in Christ. Instead of a new creation you become you discover your true self! I can think of no better time to dig deep and give that some thought than New Year's weekend. It's a new year, full of limitless possibilities and as yet untold stories. There will be good and there will be bad to be certain, but even a bad day with Christ is better than the best day without.

Your Mission

God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times. -- Romans 1:9-10 NIV

Candy Lightner founded MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) in 1980 after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender. Cindy Lamb—whose daughter, Laura, became the nation’s youngest quadriplegic at the hands of a drunk driver—soon joined Candy in her crusade to save lives. The organization has grown into one of the most well-known and respected non-profits in the world. Through legislation it has pushed, it has saved over 27,000 lives.

It started small. Just a few people fed up at a problem that had personally affected them. Thirty years later it has become something those charter members never dreamed...it has become what God called it to be.

Guess what? YOU have a mission too! In fact, you will have many missions over the course of your life. Some will take very little time. Some will require a life-long amount of effort. Your mission, right now, is the thing you are passionate about. It's the thing you can't seem to get away from. It is what is growing out of the latest trial in your life...and what you have learned from it. Who knows? Your mission could end up being the next MADD. But even if it isn't, your mission is God-given and sent to you because you are in a unique position to make an impact on the world around you. Relish it. Be content with it. Pray about it. Be blessed from it.

Smell The Roses

Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come? -- Ecclesiastes 8:7 NIV

As Anna stood atop a rock cliff overlooking the ocean at sunset, her true love on one knee before her asking her to be his wife, she couldn't help but think about how she got to this spot and laugh a little...on the inside, of course! It hadn't been all that long ago that she was hiring this very man to drive her across Ireland to Dublin where her soon to be fiance was waiting. It was one of those trips. Anything that could possibly go wrong did, from his car rolling back down a hill into a pond with her luggage inside to stepping in cow manure to rolling down an Irish hill in a rainstorm and ending up in a mud puddle (and she had missed her train on that one), even the time the two of them crashed a wedding. By the end of the night, she had spilled wine on the bride and puked all over her driver.

Looking back now, it seemed obvious that it wouldn't take very long for her regular life to seem...dull.

You see, the journey IS the point! Anna couldn't have dreamed up an adventure like that even if she had tried. We spend a lot of our lives, I think, waiting. We're waiting for things to get better. We're waiting for the next phase of our lives. We're waiting...for something good to happen. But great things are happening all over the place, and many times they come disguised as more trouble.

Embrace every day, every minute even, of your life! Appreciate all of it for exactly what it is (God's gift). Have peace during the middle of the harshest of times knowing that you will look back on them later and see all that you learned because of it. The roses are there to be smelled, not just to be seen and admired.

Enslaved

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. -- John 8:32 NIV

If you've read this blog for any length of time, no doubt you've seen me quote this particular verse. It is one of my favorites, because I'm a big fan of the plain, simple, truth. Even at it's most uncomfortable it is still the truth and the key to freedom.

But that begs the question...freedom from what? Freedom from having to care anymore? Freedom from being broke? Freedom from having to say 'I'm sorry'?

The things each of us need to be freed from are unique to us. We all, of course, need to be freed from sin and Jesus is the one to help with that. But what do you call the things in your life that have you physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually trapped? It's time to speak truth and give each one of them a name. Call it out for what it is. Admit to yourself and someone else who can help keep you accountable what those things are.

When you give the problems in your life a name and enlist the help first of Jesus and then of those Jesus has put in your life, you start down the path of freedom that comes from truth. It won't always be a easy path, but it IS the truthful path and it leads to Heaven.

Momentum

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. -- James 1:25 NIV

The 1992 Buffalo Bills were coming off of 2 straight Super Bowl losses. They played the Houston Oilers in the regular season finale, losing both the game and their starting QB, Jim Kelly. They would play again in Buffalo in a first round playoff game the next week. The momentum Houston built the week before would carry-over...big time. They could do no wrong. The score was 35-3 very early into the 3rd quarter. Then everything changed and there were two reasons. Two things the Houston Oilers had working against them and their 32 point lead.

First, Coach Marv Levy spoke the words to his backup QB, Frank Reich. In front of the team, he told Reich "You're about to go out there and lead the greatest comeback in NFL history." Second, Reich had led his college team to the greatest comeback in NCAA history as a Senior, rallying Maryland from more than 30 points down to beat Miami. Reich did indeed lead the comeback, taking the game to overtime where Steve Christie kicked the game winner, making the final score 41-38.

It doesn't matter whether it's a relationship, your job, your faith, of yourself, the momentum of your life can turn and you can make the greatest of spiritual comebacks. It takes the belief that you WILL do it and to free yourself to do what you were built to do. If you went through December and moved closer spiritually to Jesus, don't let that momentum fade! Keep on reading your Bible and praying. Look for the opportunities before you to put your faith into action. But if you didn't really succeed this December, maybe now is the time to turn the tide. You've been getting creamed just like the Bills, but Jesus is the greatest coach ever and he's telling you that you are about to lead the greatest comeback in history! You have teammates who will stand with you and help you reach your goal. Momentum is a crazy thing...it is pretty hard to stop. Once you get it rolling in the right direction, feed it and it will grow into an unstoppable force. It's time to get out there and make it happen!

The First Is Last

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” -- Matthew 20:16 NIV

He was born to a humble, working family. His birth came in a very small, mostly inconsequential town. His parents didn't have a nice, big hospital room with doctors and nurses at the ready. Their family had to spend the first years of His life in exile until Herod was no longer a threat. He worked for a living to help support His mother...He was a carpenter, not someone with a really high profile, high paying job. He accepted an unjust arrest, extremely brutal torture (if you don't believe me watch The Passion Of The Christ...and if you don't tear up you have no heart), and crucifixion so that you and I and everyone else who has ever lived and ever will have a ticket to Heaven waiting on us.

There is a long lineage in the Bible of very important people who had very humble beginnings. Go back and look and you will see what I mean. God loves the meek, the humble, those cast aside. It's when He can show up and do His thing where you and I have no choice but to acknowledge it as His hand at work.

Have a very safe, very happy, very Godly Christmas!

Happy Holidays

You shall have no other gods before me. -- Exodus 20:3 NIV

(Gotta love how absolutely no gray area creeps into God's instructions for us!)


We're all guilty of it at times...some of us more than others. We put things ahead of God on life's little priority list, and we're in violation of God's command in doing so. Doesn't matter how insignificant the infraction, it's still an infraction and remember, there is gray area when it comes to God.

The title of today's post gives it away, but the one that really gets me fired up is the fairly recent trend of people insisting on saying 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'. Call centers instruct their employees to use it. TV advertisers use it. My son was playing Xbox with someone who said "Christians need to quit ruining Christmas by talking about Jesus so much." Are you kidding me??? God forbid (and isn't that funny???) that we tick somebody off while we're busy remembering that this is a CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY!!!!!!!!! The result is that, in the process of trying to not upset everyone who isn't Christian we've managed to slap the Creator right across the cheek. The message we send by even the slightest bump off of our #1 priority is that we don't really need God. It's a slippery slope and, I believe, the reason why it's such a focal point in God's instructions to us. 'Happy Holidays' for me is just like cursing at your parents. It's disrespectful, and we need to stop it.

I understand that not everyone believes in Jesus and I consider that their choice even though I believe it to be the wrong one. But to insist that we can't say Merry Christmas is crossing a line that doesn't need crossing. In my opinion, non-believers should accept that it's a Christian holiday, take their paid day off of work, and be happy with it. We as Christians are taught to love everyone and to be the example to others that Jesus would be if he walked around in the flesh today, but nowhere can you find an example of Jesus backing the idea that he shouldn't proudly display God in his words and actions. So why should we?

So I say to you all, Merry Christmas!!!

The Grinch

But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed. -- Job 4:5 NIV

We all have a little bit of the Grinch in us, I think. The Grinch is really nothing more than life's little bits of discouragement that build upon themselves like a garbage pile. Something goes wrong and we stew on it...even, and maybe especially, something miniscule. Then when the next thing (again, probably something minor) goes wrong we get a little more buildup of frustration. Eventually it turns into discouragement and quite possibly bitterness. It's easy enough to do that I would wager most of us don't even realize what's happening until we find ourselves in such a state...and everything just seems so...heavy.

It can get even worse when we are a bombarded with good cheer and holiday best wishes at every turn. Advertisers spend lots and lots of money convincing us that if we don't go spend every dime we have we aren't really "in the spirit". No wonder this time of year is also the most depressing!

The key to eliminating, or at least minimizing, the Grinch inside of us is to keep our perspective. The season is about celebrating. It's a time to celebrate family and friends, to reflect on all of the successes of the past year instead of dwelling on the failures. We're celebrating the birth of Jesus, regardless of whether the world wants you to believe that is still okay or not (more on that tomorrow). So celebrate it! It represents freedom from sin, freedom from burdens, freedom from loneliness, freedom from the Grinch.

Hot Pursuit

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” -- Matthew 2:1-2 NIV

You know what is neat about those two verses? Those Magi were anticipating the star. They knew exactly what it meant. They had studied the prophesies and were ready to act when the time came. Without hesitation or regard for setbacks (they didn't know exactly where to find the baby) they pursued their goal which was simply to be in the presence of a little baby who was born King of the Jews.

I wrote earlier this month urging all of us to spend more time pursuing Jesus during the month of his birth this year. I have to admit that I haven't done as well with that as I would have liked, but I plan to redouble my efforts this week leading up to Christmas day.

If you've done better than I have, then keep it up! You are doing great!!! But if you are like me and the "Christmas rush" has gotten the better of you too, use the next five or six days to really focus on Jesus' teachings. Really take your time with it. Study what it is Jesus is teaching and pray about how to apply that teaching to your life right now. Pursue Jesus just as persistently as those Magi did all of those years ago.

Simply Happy

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. -- Ecclesiastes 7:14 NIV


Happiness is one of those subjects that gets talked about, thought about, and written about a lot. After all, we're all on a journey to be happy, right? I know I've written about it multiple times. Sometimes I write about learning how to be happy when the world poops all over your day, sometimes I write about not feeling guilty when you receive blessings from God, and sometimes I write about being happy with where you are in life...and what you have. I've written many, many words on the subject but I think the best answer I've ever come across is today's verse.

It boils down very, very simply. You have no idea what is to come of you next year, next month, next week, or even by the time you finish reading this sentence. So don't bother worrying over it! When times are good, be content and happy with it and enjoy every second that God gives you to be at peace. When times are bad, realize that God did it, God is with you through it, and God has better things planned for you...and carry yourself with God in your heart.

Life is too short to spend it all in a rush or full of worry. Take each day as it comes, do your best to learn from and obey God, and finish each day with the simple smile of God's contentment on your face.

Strong And Courageous

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. -- Joshua 1:9 NIV

What do you think it takes to be strong and courageous? Is it a woman fighting breast cancer, a man who takes a bullet for the President, or a firefighter who rescues someone from a burning building? Could it be exemplified in a child who refuses to be bound by physical impairment, or what about someone who defends their beliefs and actions even when it goes against "the norm"?

I think those are all good answers, to be honest, but the commonality between those people is really answers the question on courage. There is no physical characteristic that defines courage or strength and there is no particular action that defines them either. What is interesting is how the words strong and courage are intertwined in the Bible. Nearly all of the instances of the word courage in the Bible are contained in the phrase 'be strong and courageous'.

True strength is a matter of the mind. Think of strength as your shield. When your mind is strong it comes from having the right perspective on life. Armed with that strength you are prepared to defend yourself against whatever life throws at you from day to day. Many people, including yours truly, draw our strength completely from the Lord. You might say He is the ultimate defense.

If strength is all about the mind, then courage comes straight from the heart. When we talk about courage it is often accompanied by a fight. There is a battle to fight, sometimes against nearly impossible odds, and it takes heart to fight it. For some of us, simply navigating through a normal day requires some amount of courage. The courage that comes from the heart allows us to take the knowledge of our minds and go on the attack. The Bible is the ultimate tool in this battle. You will find that it can serve you well through any of life's situations.

Strength and courage are both characteristics that show a person's spirit. They come from a place of power deep within you, a place that was designed before you were ever born. Everyone has them. We just haven't all quite figured out how to access them. Start with God and let Him be your shield, and then add the Bible's knowledge to your arsenal and you can fight everything from the smallest of events to the deadliest of circumstances with the strength and courage provided to you by the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Morons Are People Too

Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand. -- Psalm 92:6

Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? -- Psalm 94:8

I'll admit it, I'm just as capable as anyone is of being a moron. We had a headlight go out late Sunday night, so Monday after work I hurried over to the parts store to get a new bulb and get it fixed before dark. Part in hand, I opened the hood and, eventually, figured out how to get the headlight assembly loose. This should have been my first clue that moronitis had struck. Turns out the bulb (model 9006) wouldn't fit. After dropping my wife off at her evening job, I headed back to the parts store to have a word with the guy...now knowing that the correct part number was 9005, not 9006.

New bulb in hand I returned home and, in the dark, installed the new bulb. I turned on the car...no light. Yeah, full moronitis was upon me. I decided to give up until Tuesday night and take another look during the daylight.

First issue, I didn't get the new bulb installed correctly. Second issue, which I didn't figure out until I really got to looking at it, was that I had been looking at the high beam bulb the entire time (this is actually kinda hard to admit). Soooo...one more trip to the parts store to pick up a 9006 and the Lord said, "Let there be light!"

The moral of the story is this: When you get in a hurry and fumble around in the dark, nothing but trouble and frustration will find you. Far better to do what the Psalmist advised and take notice so that we may find wisdom. If only that revelation had come to me earlier!

Learning Curve

Something that never really occurred to me prior to the beginnings of this blog was the challenge that faces any writer or speaker who addresses an audience of any size. Think about that...if you needed to present information to a wide range of people, how would do it to make the subject material interesting and relevant?

There are people who learn by experience, people who learn better visually, people who need to read and study for a long time before ever taking a first step. I admire and appreciate anyone who can stand in front of a crowd or sit down in front of a keyboard and accomplish the daunting task of reaching people all across the learning curve. As for me, I do what I've learned works best...the principal I try to apply across every area of my life. I try to follow Jesus' example.

Look through Jesus' life and you will find that He taught in several different ways, sometimes by telling a story, sometimes by coming right out with the truth, sometimes by example, but always with love. I believe His #1 goal was to get everyone who would ever hear what He taught (that includes you and I!) to think for themselves. He wanted us to formulate questions and ponder the answers with equal doses of prayer and study. I think He knew what all great teachers know...a student who is engaged enough to form their own questions will be more ready to listen to and apply the answers they've learned.

It doesn't really matter how you learn, just that you never stop learning. Effective learning is nothing more than the style of learning that is effective for you! Use your emotions, your logic, your sense of humor, and whatever else you need...and always make a point of applying what you learn to your life. You never know when you will be the one called upon to teach others.

Foreshadowing

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” -- Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Today marks two weeks until Christmas Day. All over the world, young hearts are slowly but surely building in anticipation of the big day. I remember hardly being able to sleep as a youngster knowing that the next morning I would be opening all kinds of cool toys and eating lots of yummy food. I was never disappointed!

I've written a couple of times lately about God's plan and how, as I've grown older, it has become an increasing source of comfort and joy for me, and that feeling is magnified more and more throughout the month of December. Sure, it's still really neat to watch the kiddos get to open their gifts and the food is still just as yummy, but even more so is celebration of Jesus' birth.

One of the many really cool aspects of God's plan is that He was never shy about announcing to the world what was about to happen next. God repeatedly had the prophets announce to all who would listen a series of events that were yet to take place, including the coming of Jesus. Surely there many among the nation of Israel who searched and waited and searched and waited to see Jesus. The Bible talks about some who thought that John the Baptist was the Messiah and John had to tell them that he was just the last of the messengers announcing Jesus' arrival!

With two weeks to go, make this Christmas even more about Christ. Take the opportunity to go read what Christ taught. Let your heart grow in anticipation over the next fourteen days until you celebrate with every fiber of your being the birth of our Lord and Savior!

You Complete Me

Were you just thinking about the movie Jerry Maguire? : ) It's a very famous line from the movie where Jerry is telling his love how important, how vital she is to his very soul.

Do you know what it is like to be so thoroughly linked with someone you don't think you could breathe without them? I think that's why broken hearts hurt so much. We've developed such a strong bond with them that we truly love them and it's because we now function with them as a new creation instead of the two old ones. Ripping that apart is devastating to the soul.

Of course, Jesus is our ultimate love so He is our ultimate bond. Take a look at John, chapter 5, verses 5 and 8:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The image of a vine and it's branches is both beautiful and revealing to me. The vine is the core of the plant. It produces the branches and sends them what they need to produce the fruit of the vine! It is at the same time a simple and an elegant design.

We were designed the way we are for a purpose and that purpose is to produce the good fruit of the vine. It is so much a part of our DNA that no amount of ignorance or disobedience can break it. Haven't you ever noticed that when you aren't doing God's will things just seem slanted wrong? Any joy we gain from sin is temporary. Things don't often go the way we planned. It's because our plan isn't THE plan! Even when we are trying to do God's will and our own design creeps in, things don't go like they are supposed to go.

Jesus feeds us and we produce His fruit. The product is that He is glorified and more branches are added to produce even more fruit, and the whole plant thrives. It isn't counter to our nature. We weren't created to sin. To listen to Jesus and produce good fruit IS our nature. In Him, we are complete!

Strength In Numbers

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
-- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV

I am a computer programmer by trade. At work over the past couple of weeks we've been starting on a new project that will complete re-invent the way our people post payments. Their current process was written by one man over 8 years ago. Needless to say, this project is way overdue.

It's such an important project that an entire team of us is taking time away from other projects to develop an approach and begin work on some programming that we can show management. We've been writing this particular type of code for a couple of years now and, while we've gotten better at it, this project will far and away exceed anything else we've done in terms of complexity and sophistication.

Working as a team, we get into some fairly heated discussions but we always come away with a better product for our customer base. Each of us brings a slightly different technique to the table and the result is something none of us could have delivered alone.

That is true for programming, but it's also true in life. By working together, we deliver more. We can help each other out in times of need. We can come to one another's defense. We can bind ourselves together in Christ, because you and I bound together with Jesus is something that is not easily broken at all.

Celebrate all of the people that God has put in your life. These people are there for you when you are down and are the first to offer praise when you succeed. They help you be the best you can be and you do the same for them...and that is a treasure greater than material possession.

You Get What You Pay For

Maybe I'm weird, but there are things that I have absolutely no problem paying big money for while there are others that it ticks me off to have to pay anything for. It could be that I know paying more for the things that seem mundane (toilet paper) or mostly useless (insurance...at least until you need it) takes away from the money available for things I love, like electronics!

The things is, there is almost always a reason why something comes at a bargain basement price. Anyone who has ever bought the absolute cheapest package of toilet paper and then spent an afternoon picking splinters out of their backside knows what I mean. A bargain is a good thing, and shopping around for the best price on an item is a very worthy endeavor. But the knock-off brand isn't going to work quite right and the off-brand isn't going to taste as good. Sometimes it can be even worse, like buying cheap insurance and then realizing hail damage wasn't covered.

God gave Solomon wisdom and one of the first places that Solomon put that wisdom to use was in the building of his palace and the Lord's Temple. 1 Kings 7:9-12 describes the materials used:

All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight. Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the LORD with its portico.

Solomon knew that in order to build these structures to last and to make them special, he had to use the best of materials. Whether it be our relationship with God, our spouse, kids, friends, whoever it is...in order to build them special and so they last, we have to give our best. We only get out of life the quality of the work we put into life. It takes time and effort, sure, but the material we use during construction makes all of the difference.

What relationships are yours that haven't been built with your best? Which ones could use a little remodeling? Don't let the sun go down on you again before you pay them the attention they deserve!

Make Your Free Pitches!

My grandfather was a teacher and a coach. Among other sports, he coached basketball...and if I heard him say it once I heard him say it a thousand times. "You have to make your free pitches. If you make your free pitches, good things happen." It would go all over him to watch anything from a junior high game up to an NBA game and see how pitiful most of the players would be at shooting their free throws. If you don't know, a free throw is when a player is fouled and gets to shoot a couple of undefended shots from 15 feet straight in front of the goal.

If a player can average 70% on their free throws, they are said to be above average. 80% makes you a good shooter. But players spend more time trying to dunk in practice than they do practicing free throws. The result is you see lots of spectacular dunks and also lots of missed free throws when the pressure is on at the end of a game (or anywhere in a game for that matter).

We do the same thing sometimes in our lives, don't we? We spend time chasing after the spectacular instead of dealing with the fundamentals of life, and we end up like those high-flying athletes...hitting some of those spectacular dunks while regularly missing the free pitches!

The OKC Thunder have 14 wins so far this young basketball season. As a team they are averaging over 85% on their free throws. They've won at least half of those games simply by making the easy shots...the undefended free throws. You and I need to wake up every day and realize that the only way to make the spectacular count for anything is to take care of the fundamentals...the dirty work. My grandpa had it right. If you take care of your free pitches, good things will happen.

I leave you today with part of The Serenity Prayer. My prayer is that you will commit it to memory and that you will practice those free throws.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

The Plan

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. -- John 1:1-4 NIV

I like making plans. I don't necessarily have to plan everything (NO COMMENTS FROM MY WIFE!!!), but I do believe that giving a situation a bit of thought results in things running more smoothly than if you just play it be ear. I'd rather have even a meager plan than no plan at all.

Unfortunately, plans have a way of falling apart on us. I don't like it one bit, but it is pretty much a certainty. No matter how much attention we pay to details and how far in advance we try and put things together, life always seems to step in and put its own spin on things, doesn't it? Have you ever been to a wedding that started on time and had everything run perfectly? Exactly!

That's something I find really cool and very reassuring about the beginning of John's gospel. Whatever the beginning of existence looked like...however it is that all of this came to be, God was there and so was Jesus (The Word). From that point on, throughout history, Jesus has been there with God. The plan was set ahead of time and the plan includes everything that is to come all of the way up to the end of time. It's a plan that has zero chance of failure.

You and can make plans all day long. Some will succeed, some will fail. Life will throw its curveballs and we'll have varying degrees of success hitting them out of the park. Our consolation prize is that the ultimate plan is on track and everything is under control. Remember that and allowing life's little interruptions to slide off your back becomes much, much easier.

Husbands And Wives

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. -- Proverbs 5:18 NIV

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. -- Ephesians 5:25 NIV

The partnership between a husband and his wife is a very, very special one. Just as the relationship between parent and child can be a mirror to the relationship between God and His children, the husband/wife relationship is a mirror for Christ and His church.

You each bring unique and crucial things to the table. On some things you'll be opposites, on some you'll be the same. It's the blending of your differences and similarities that creates the new creation that the Bible calls 'one flesh'.

At no other time of the year is this more critical than fall. Thanksgiving and Christmas together can serve to dramatically increase the stress level in your relationship. There are gifts to buy, parties to attend, and school plays and concerts to see. There can be financial stress, family stress, parental stress, workplace stress. It's easy for all of that to add up to problems. We tend to blow our partner off because there is just too much to do!

Instead, make this Christmas season a time to celebrate and re-kindle your marriage. When the outside stresses increase, tighten your hold on each other. Be deliberate about finding regular time to spend together, just the two of you...even if it's just a few minutes in the car. Remember that Jesus is why we celebrate and that you God is the reason you are together. You are a team in the truest since of the word and God is your captain. Listen to the captain! He has excellent strategies and instructions for you and if you will follow them there is no way the Christmas season, or anything else for that matter, can defeat you.

The Mouths Of Babes

Luke 2: 40, 46-47 NIV
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him...After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

I am regularly amazed at some of the conversations I have with my children! They see more than we, as adults, think they see and observe the world differently than we do. It can be intimidating for grown ups to engage in deep, philosophical conversations with kids. Admit it...the urge is there to give them a 'best guess' answer and try to get them to go away!

In that passage from Luke, young Jesus was engaging in discussion with the teachers. He was asking questions and delivering insights. You would think the teachers would be a little put off by that but it says there were amazed at him. I think we need to mimic the attitudes of those teachers. We can't be afraid to engage in meaningful conversations with youngsters, and we definitely don't need to try and pass junk answers off as fact. There isn't a thing wrong with saying you aren't sure but here is what you think. They'll appreciate your honesty and you can set about investigating the subject matter together!

God gave us a big responsibility to raise our children. They need to know how to think for themselves and develop a rational line of thought. They need to know how to back up their theories and arguments in the face of counter arguments. They need the room to explore any angle. Our job is to allow that to happen and to be an active part of the process.

Don't be afraid to talk to your kids. Encourage them to think for themselves instead of handing them the right answer. Tell them what you believe and why without forcing it on them. Your honesty combined with their freedom to explore will only serve to lend more credence to your line of thought. It will create a deeper and more meaningful relationship than you might have thought possible. It will allow both of you to see the world through the other's eyes.

Priceless

Dirty Santa gift for the office party...$10.
Ham for Christmas dinner...$35.
Hanging lights on the house...$75 and a frustrating afternoon on a ladder.
Christmas tree and trimmings...$150.
Buying presents...$500 and a frustrating day (or days) at the mall.
Therapy after the annual family fight...$2000.
Buying the 12 days of Christmas...$96,824.

Remembering the reason for the holiday season...priceless.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -- John 3:16

Today is the first day of December. For the next 25 days let each of us take time out of our busy schedule to slow down and remember that Jesus is why we celebrate. The presents and parties and lights are all good fun, but pale in comparison to the ultimate gift that is ours to receive from Jesus, and it couldn't have happened if not for a series of God-ordained events so many years ago that led to a little guy's birth. Let December of 2010 be the beginning of a newly refreshed and inspired relationship with Jesus. Let us not forgot who He is and what He means to us. Amen.

The Straight And Narrow

I've heard the term 'walking the straight and narrow' all of my life without really knowing what it meant. I always knew if referred to living the right kind of life, but what is the right kind of life and how do you know when you are living it?

Did you know that, without focal points, it is physically impossible for a human being to walk a straight line? Scientists have performed experiment after experiment on this and are at a loss to explain why, but the results are unanimous. We cannot get from point A to point B directly without external points of reference. The results get slightly better when the sun is out because that give us shadows as a reference but it still isn't good. Folks who have been the subjects of these experiments just wander around aimlessly eventually starting to form something that looks quite loosely like a circle.

We can wander around in circles spiritually as well. I see it all of the time in people who choose to believe in many paths to God in order to justify their style of living. It's funny how they can be great, giving, caring people but still miss the mark by so much. The Bible speaks about the straight and narrow in Matthew chapter 7:

13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

You and I need to keep the focal point of Jesus in sight at all times. Without it we are just like the subjects of those experiments, walking through life with no real aim or direction. The only way to that narrow gate is Jesus. The only way. With that in mind, our path becomes straight (even if it still has a few bumps in it along the way) and leads toward the gateway to life.

Beyond Imagination

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. -- Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

I'll be honest, I can't wrap my brain around God. I know God exists...I've seen too much evidence of Him. Whenever I hear a scientist offer up some new evidence about the way the universe works, it serves to strengthen my belief that a random set of occurrences is simply not how all of this came to be. I feel God's presence with me more now than at any time in my life. I can see the beauty even in people or things most of the world would not consider beautiful. Still, my feeble mind has a hard time comprehending eternity.

Things have a beginning. Things have a middle. Things have an end. It is the nature of things to start somewhere and end somewhere....books, a glass of water, seasons, relationships...all finite in nature. Wouldn't the being we call God have to have had a beginning as well? The Bible tells us that in the beginning there was the Word, that the Word was with God, and that the Word was God. In a finite existence such as ours how can we possibly comprehend there being absolutely nothing without God? And yet, reading a little further in Ecclesiastes offers the following in verse 15:

Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

You've never read a book that ended in such a way that there is absolutely no more to the story, another glass of water is a quick trip to the sink away, the seasons change but in another year you will experience it again, and our relationships will come to an end, if not by our own doing then be death. The promise of God through Jesus is that even death cannot stop our true being...our souls.

We see that things are finite, but we don't always understand that they are also cyclical. God's creation, though, is eternal in nature and perfect in it's design. I still don't know how to wrap my mind around God, but I can get behind His promise of eternity by understanding that what seems to us like the end of a thing is really only the new beginning of another.

Thank You God!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” -- Psalm 100:4-5 NIV

It's the day before Thanksgiving and the last post of the week. Can't think of a better time to give thanks to The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Through grace, love, and guidance they are there with us in all things and worthy of our praise! Take some time today and think about all of the things in your life that you have to be thankful for...even the things that seemed horrible at the time, and spend time each day this week in worshipful prayer and praise.

As for me, 2010 has been really tough on some fronts and really awesome on others. But focusing always on God, I see even the challenges simply a work of God being done in me so that other works of God can be done through me. Every day I wake up with the greatest of ambitions...to live that day as well as Jesus would live it. Every day I go to bed knowing I succeeded some and failed a bunch. I will celebrate my successes, learn from my failures, and be thankful for every second of it.

I will cherish the time I have with my family (I still have two grandmothers and a grandfather!!!). I will kiss my wife and tell her I love her each night before we curl up and go to sleep. My kids will know every day how much they mean to me. My friends will never have cause to doubt my loyalty or remove their trust. I will remember that every creation of God deserves my love and respect, even when it is extremely difficult to give.

Being thankful to God isn't so much a decision as it is a way of life. It's awfully hard to be obedient without being thankful, and impossible to be thankful without a loving heart. I thank God that He has given me the privilege and responsibility to write these devotionals, and I sincerely hope you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

See you Monday!

If You Can't Please 'Em All...

You can't. Post finished. Have a great day! Or you can read on for the long answer...

The Book (from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy): It's an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, Man had always assumed that he was the most intelligent species occupying the planet, instead of the *third* most intelligent. The second most intelligent creatures were of course dolphins who, curiously enough, had long known of the impending destruction of the planet earth. They had made many attempts to alert mankind to the danger, but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. So they eventually decided they would leave earth by their own means. The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop while whistling the star-spangled banner, but in fact the message was this: So long and thanks for all the fish.

Now that we've cleared up what the dolphins have been telling us all of this time (makes Flipper take on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?), let's move on. I think we've all been to the place where it seems like, no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to please people. You have the best of intentions and the failure is not from a lack of effort, but no matter what you do somebody just doesn't get what you are trying to say or do. It happens...and especially as the number of people you are trying to please increases! The funny thing is, my first answer was the correct one. You just can't please everyone even some of the time much less all of the time. If you ever find yourself feeling like you are on top of the world, hang on to that feeling because it's sure to change soon.

So what are we to do, those of us who like to be a blessing to others? If you've read my writing for any length of time you can probably guess the answer...we please God first and always. The Bible is very clear on this:

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. -- Galatians 1:10 NIV

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. -- 1 Thessalonians 2:4 NIV

We don't want to just blow off the approval of those we care about...we should want very much to make them happy. As with all things, if our focus is first and foremost on God and on serving Him then our approach is taken from a position of love and caring and those who still won't be pleased...they wouldn't be pleased no matter what anyway so all we can do is our best and pray for the grumps. Thanksgiving is a time for coming together and sharing food and thankfulness. I pray that you keep God first this week and that you have the best Thanksgiving holiday ever!

!Stressed

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” -- Luke 10:38-42 NIV

It's the start of Thanksgiving week, and it can be a really stressful time. Most of us have to work at least part of the week. We may have family coming to town. We probably have to juggle which family to see when over the course of the extended weekend. There is food to prepare, arrangements to make. So much to do and so little time! It can be easy to get so focused on all of the To-Do's of the week that we forget to take time and reflect on the reason for the holiday...to be thankful!

This is a great time to stop and reflect on the things we need to be truly thankful for in our lives. A little bit of perspective flipping is a good thing. The title today does not contain a typo...it's my way of showing you a different perspective. '!Stressed' is one way to be this week but a better way might be to flip that stress around which yields 'desserts!'

Everyone knows that no matter how good the turkey, stuffing, taters, or casseroles are...dessert is where it's at! Thanksgiving desserts are such that they merit their own dinner plate. That little-bitty pie plate most people try to use just won't cut it when there is so much great pie and cookies and ice cream to be had!!!

Likewise, a flipping of our perspective on the stresses of life this week into joyful and thankful reflection on God and all of His blessings is called for...in fact, it's far and away more critical than a nice place setting. Take some time each day this week and spend it in prayer, remembering every single blessing that has been poured out for you...and the best part is the dessert which is yet to come. So give thanks and have a great week!

The Weekend News

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” -- Psalm 95:1-2

Laying in bed watching TV this morning it occurred to me how different the weekend news is from the rest of the week. During the week the news is mostly bad. People getting killed or kidnapped, contractors swindling people out of their money, arguing politicians, etc. It's a great place to go when you want to get angry and/or depressed about the state of the world.

Then comes the weekend where the focus shifts more to the positive. This morning they talked about the best college campus food around the country and then went into a video (Rhythm of Love by Plain White T's...great song!) where folks from around the country have sent in clips of themselves, their kids, or their pets with three words written on cardboard. You watch stuff like that and you are reminded that the world belongs to God and how wonderful His creation is.

God is in control which means there is purpose even in the bad stuff, but you and I need to keep our focus on the good stuff...on God! When our hearts are full of praise and thankfulness for God, then we are in a place where we are the tools God uses for His glory. Keep your mind centered on God and always remember that the good in life, those with love and kindness in their hearts far, far outweigh the bad. That concentrated 30 minutes of bad news during the week is just that...concentrated.

Setting The Wrong Example

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” -- John 5:5-10 NIV

So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. -- John 5:16 NIV

There is a story in the news here in Oklahoma today about Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kansas. If the name is familiar it's because this is the church that has made a name for itself by traveling around protesting at the funerals of fallen troops. They came to Oklahoma to protest a funeral and got more than they bargained for. Someone slashed their tires and they had to have their van towed a good distance to find someone who would fix it. Now they want revenge, so they plan to start coming and protesting the funerals of Oklahoma children, stating "God Hates Oklahoma" and "The Lord curses them by killing Oklahoma's children and casting them into hell. Thank God for more dead children in Oklahoma."

These folks are messed up! God hates Oklahoma??? This is a church! This is Jesus' bride and they are talking about The Almighty hating His children!!! Preposterous is the only word that I can think of that even comes close!

The story I quoted from the Bible above is a good example of the leadership of the day setting the wrong example. Was it not better for this man to be healed no matter the day of the week than for him to go on another 38 years like he was? Likewise, Westboro Baptist is misguided and doing a spectacular job of setting the wrong example of what Christianity is all about.

I see it all over the place. We made it very easy for people to get divorced. I don't know why we did that, but we did. So now, years and years later we have generations who have grown up seeing so much divorce that it is rare for our teenagers to know friends who's parents have never been divorced. They grow up seeing what a mess that is and now we have a report out that 40% of Americans have decided that marriage is unnecessary and obsolete! I can't blame them, but it's the mistakes of past generations that lead to today's consequences...and it's time we changed the tide.

We have to be the ones to stand up and do it differently. We have to be willing to show people what it is to display the love Jesus told us to display. If consequences can span generations and magnify as it goes then why can't blessings? We have to be the ones to change things. We have to speak up when things aren't right and we have to be the ones to act. We've been setting the wrong example for far too long. Let's stand up together and set the right example...the Godly example. We don't have to be militant about it. We just have to stand together with Jesus in our hearts and refuse to be swayed.

The Wonderful Law

Psalm 119:18 from yesterday was a prayer to open our eyes so we might see wonderful things in God's Law and I talked about delighting yourself in the Lord as a means to see those wonderful things. So...what are the wonderful things about The Law?

The Law of Moses, the life instructions God gave to Israel as they wandered the desert, is quite long and detailed. There is a ton of information to sort through there and some of it seems pretty dated or even a little silly by modern standards. You can go check out Exodus and Leviticus and read some pretty crazy stuff, and I think that's where the psalmist is wanting to be shown the wonderful things in the law. To find our answer, we have to jump ahead and look at what the New Testament has to say about the Law (all from NIV)...

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. -- Matthew 5:17

“This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” -- Luke 24:44

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. -- Romans 13:8

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. -- Romans 13:10

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. -- Galatians 6:2

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” -- Galatians 5:14

Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and Paul tells us in Galatians that the law if fulfilled by keeping that command. Now go back and look through the Old Testament Law and see how often you find instances of instructions that boil down to "love your neighbor as yourself". They are all over the place!

God gave Israel many instructions in order to keep them healthy and show them the right way to live and a big part of that dealt with the proper way to treat each other. Jesus came along and told us He was sent to fulfill the law. His greatest instruction to us, the most important thing He wanted to impress upon us, was to love one another as much as we could ever love ourselves. Love is it! It's the key to knowing The Wonderful Law, the key to life itself, because without love in our hearts we cannot know Jesus and there is no life without Him. Don't shrug away from the Law, embrace it. After all, the law being fulfilled is what has set us free, free indeed!

Heart's Desire

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. -- Psalm 119:18 NIV

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. -- Psalm 37:4 NIV

One of the things that has always struck me about the Bible is how it describes things in a way that, on the surface, may seem a little backwards. People who don't really want to investigate and learn more might say this is where the Bible tries to contradict itself. The first verse above is one such verse. We don't think of the law as enjoyable, usually. We think of it as THE LAW. Law means rules and restrictions. It constricts us into a certain way of living...and that doesn't suit our nature. We're created to be free spirits, joyous spirits. We want to do things that bring us joy. It's what we most desire. So how could we possibly find wonderful things in God's law? It doesn't make sense at first glance, does it?

They key to this, and just maybe to everything is in the second verse. "Delight in the Lord", the Psalmist says and experience joy...the joy we so desperately seek. What if delighting in the Lord meant that we would be in line with His law, and that would mean we would see the wonderful things that make up that law? What if the joy we spend our lives searching for has always been within our grasp?

I guess a lot of people see a relationship with Jesus and belief in God as restrictive and cumbersome, that it leads to a life of hardship and suffering. Life does contain its share of hardship and suffering no matter the condition of your faith. The difference between a person who knows Jesus intimately and one who doesn't is that a Christ follower's heart is filled a level of joy and peace that is quite capable of weathering any storm the world can throw at it. It's the confident knowledge that the Lord's blessings will continue to fall upon us, both on Earth and in Heaven.

The desires of your heart are a heartbeat away...and both joy and peace through any circumstance come with it.

Practical Faith Defined

Quick note: For those of you reading this via All Things Fellowship, by e-mail, or on Facebook, the inspiration for me creating a blog was having a place to explore a life of faith lived through practice. I've been writing for a while now and it seems like a good time to define again what it means to have practical faith. The inspiration for the title is the following verse in Philippians 4:8-9 NIV:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

My question to you today is "What is it for you that makes your faith a reality?" How do you reconcile your faith with the world around you, with science, with dissenting opinions? Belief is a crazy thing. We can believe things that have absolutely no basis in fact and accept them as completely true. Add in spiritual faith and it can even be volatile. Think about this...somewhere in the world right now there is a person who believes something so completely that they are either in the process of or about to blow themselves to pieces taking as many people as possible with them. There has to be something to make that belief real and tangible to convince them it's worth dying over.

I believe it is important for you and I to figure out not only what it is we believe (and I sincerely hope you believe in Jesus), but why we believe it. If we're put here to love one another then we need to love others enough to know what we're talking about. The belief is the faith part of the equation, and the why is part of the practice. I believe the art of practicing your faith happens in two areas.

First, we have to use the tools with which God has equipped us. God will put people in your life who can speak truth and wisdom into it. Learning to listen to them is critical. God also gave us a great little guidebook for life call The Bible. It may not contain all of the answers to everything in the universe, but it contains everything we need as Christ Followers to continually learn and grow in our faith. Learning more about the things God wanted us to learn means we are better equipped to talk to others about God, about Jesus, and about the foundation of our belief.

Second, we have our life experiences. You are the evolution of the circumstances and experiences that make up your life. They influence who you are and who you will become. Some of those experiences aren't going to be pleasant to be sure, but they are all opportunities to see and experience God...and to learn. They are also a great basis to relate your experience to others who are going through something you've been through. It gives you credibility and helps build trust.

Your job now is to dig in and examine your faith. Examine the reasons for believing what you believe. Go see what the Bible has to say about it. Look at different translations to get a clearer picture. Ponder the things you've been through in your life and think about how you can use them to help others.

Be a thinker and a doer!

Buy Low, Sell Never

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus. -- Acts 15:11 NLT

I have a horse. She's a 6-year old Thoroughbred and the daughter of a pretty successful racehorse. To see her and her mother running around the pasture on a cool, sunny morning is about enough to take your breath away. Their manes and tails flying in the wind, their eyes wide with excitement, and the pounding of their hooves that you can feel from a good distance away...can't help but smile even thinking about it.

When we got them three years ago, my horse (Bella) had always been around people but had never really been taught any discipline. You might say she was a spoiled brat. She's also really good at hurting her feet. Over a year ago now, she split her foot open so badly that it still has never really healed. Though it doesn't affect her at all, it's pretty ugly to look at it because there is a big mass of flesh that grew out of the back of her foot where the injury was, and the only thing we can do about it is go have it cut off at some point. The thing is, through all of her injuries she and I have developed a bond. Where other people see a spoiled brat with attitude, I see a sweet but spirited animal who loves her owner. Where some might focus on the ugly sore on her foot, I choose to look at the beauty of her running across the pasture.

We all have ugly sores on us. Oh, we like to try and cover it up and make ourselves feel better but in the end we're really all the same in God's eyes. You see, that's the thing about what Jesus did for us. He endured pain that any of us would shudder to really think about. He endured the anticipation of what He was about to go through...it was so bad He sweated blood. Jesus is our eternal Get Out Of Jail Free card and what it took for Him to win that for us is something we should never, ever take for granted. Think about the price of absolutely every human being who's ever walked the Earth's sin. Every horrible thing that's ever been done from the smallest mishap to the biggest evil is 100% forgiven when we believe completely in what Jesus did for us.

God saw the beauty in us instead of focusing on the sin in us. Seeing Jesus being beaten, spit upon, mocked, and hung on a cross had to be the low point. The market had truly bottomed out, which was the perfect time to buy our salvation. Now that our faults have been paid for, we eternally belong to Him. So every time you see the ugliness of the world, turn your attention to its beauty instead and remember the price that was paid on your behalf!

Dirty Words: Tithe

Yeah, I saved the nastiest one for last...you say 'tithe' to people and they instantly know what you are talking about, and most of the time it elicits a response from one extreme or the other. It's a troublesome subject because it hits us where it hurts the most...our money. Who is God to tell us what we should do with our money? If God wanted us to give to the local church why doesn't he help make our finances better so we can (hint: He didn't make you sign up for another credit card)? Isn't tithing on Old Testament kind of thing?

The truth is that being spiritually obedient to God with our money isn't easy. It isn't pleasant to discuss and, in a society where we are in debt up to our eyeballs, it can seem intimidating to even contemplate being able to give any of it up right off the top. I myself have struggled throughout my life to give my tenth (tithe literally means a tenth, by the way) to God. I've read countless arguments both for and against tithing...some of them on either side have been awfully compelling too, to be honest. Yes, I admit it...tithing has been a dirty word for me too.

I guess where it all changes is when you realize that the act of tithing did not go away with the New Testament and that God actually invites us to test Him on this subject. That's right! God knows we're not inclined to participate in this area so He asks us to call Him on it. In Malachi chapter 3, God's message on Old Testament tithing is delivered:

6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.
12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

God flat out says that we're actually committing robbery by not tithing and then invites the test. He says the blessings will be so fast and so furious that we won't be able to keep up with them. That, of course, doesn't mean that you write a check and then wake up the next morning to find all of your bills paid off and shiny, new car in the driveway. I can tell you from experience, though, that God is serious about what He says. Every time we've been faithful to tithe it always starts out with some struggles (cars breaking down, home repair bills, etc.) and as we continue to be faithful God starts to deliver blessings. The bills are still getting paid and our needs are being met. Unexpected blessings appear...things we've been praying about get resolved. It's a process of continued faithfulness and joyful obedience that results in a renewed faith and peace that God is in control and things will be just fine.

So what about the notion that Jesus' gift of salvation somehow abolished the Law of Moses and, with it, tithing? I give you Jesus' own words in Matthew 23:

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[g] but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

Jesus wasn't here to abolish the law but to fulfill it and to have us focus on other parts of the law like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Whether you have never tithed or if you have and stopped, I encourage you to do exactly what God says and test it out for yourself. Give it a few months, being completely obedient and giving 10% of every dollar you bring home no matter what comes your way to throw you off. God will honor your faithful obedience by blessing you and seeing that your needs are met.

Dirty Words: Christian

I want you to understand something very clearly. There are large segments of the population that will look at you as a Christian as some sort of brain-washed, militant, unscientifically minded, insane, fool. You work with some of them. You shop with a bunch of them. You dine with them at restaurants. They are pretty certain that you are crazy and that there really is no supreme being. They'll lean on lots of things to prove their point and some of them will even sound reasonable and possibly plausible, but in the end their favorite point of contention is the corruption and most fanatical parts of Christ's church...some of the people who yell "I'm a Christian" the loudest.

Because the church and Christians throughout history have given those with dissenting views plenty of ammunition with which to argue their points, the responsibility falls upon the rest of us to maintain an alternative example for them to see. Think about this...Jesus came for the people with opposing views. He came to share a different message than the one the religious establishment of the day was giving. He sought out the hurting and the sick. Those who were feeling hopeless and alone. He didn't ask for anything in return.

Somehow or another, people calling themselves Christians have consistently managed to jack that message up and twist it around and accomplished nothing other than to push away the very people they are supposed to be reaching with Jesus' message!!! I honestly don't understand it. Where is it that Jesus says we need to be dressed in skirts and suits to hear God's Word? Where is that is says we need to turn our noses up at those who hold opposing views and tell them they are hell-bound? We are here to listen to their story and then share ours. And we wonder why they look at us like we're fools...

If we hope to make that word, 'Christian', seem less like a dirty word and more like something that everyone else in the world will want to be a part of then we have to start taking Jesus' teachings to heart. We need to be treating our fellow man with love and respect, not with anger and insult. I leave you today with some of what Jesus had to say to the religious leaders of the day (known as the Seven Woes. Listen to His words and contemplate whether any of it applies to you. Let's show 'em that Christians aren't psycho elitists after all...what do you say?

All from Matthew 23 NIV

You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (verse 13)

You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (verse 15)

You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (verse 23)

In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (verse 28)

Dirty Words: Elder

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. -- 1 Peter 5:1-4 NIV

As I will do all week, I draw upon my upbringing in a small, traditional church as a background for why the word 'elder' might seem like a dirty word. My stance has softened greatly on different denominations of the faith, admittedly, but the picture I get from 'elder' is of some old guys making decisions on my behalf who aren't really in touch with my world. But as you can see from Peter's writing above that isn't how it is supposed to be at all.

If you've ever seen an old western movie you probably remember in many of them where the cowboys or homesteaders would wind up being caught by the Indians (not the ones with the dots and Bollywood). The good guys would be brought into the Indians' camp and presented to...you guessed it...the tribal elder! An elder is a term used to refer to a leader, someone wise with the best interests of the people they lead in mind at all times. An elder needs to be completely trustworthy and respected by the whole community. The same holds true for elders in the church, and this is where you and I have to not allow the failures of some who have held that moniker to ruin our view of any elder or make it an uncomfortable term for us.

Paul, in doing the work of building the early church, saw the need to have members of each community actively involved in their local church and he knew what type of person he needed to hold the positions of elders to make those local churches what God called them to be. I believe the same holds true today.

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer (elder) desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. -- 1 Timothy 3:1-7 NIV

An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. -- Titus 1:5-9 NIV

We can't let the fear or possibility of a church elder falling short of their calling force us away from church altogether. If anything it should cause us to seek out a church where we can experience God and then pray for it's leadership that they would handle the church's business and direction with divine guidance and sound behavior.

Dirty Words: Evangelism

Having spent time in and listening to pastors of mega-churches, I can tell you a very common theme among people who find themselves in these modern churches is that they at some point became very disillusioned with the church in which they grew up. There was an event or series of events that resulted in leaving the church altogether. I'm going to spend some time this week looking at some aspects of our faith that are still quite valid and necessary but have come to have very bad connotations for both the disillusioned church goer and those who know nothing of Christ.

Our first venture is evangelism, or if you are thinking about a person, an evangelist. For me, the first visual I get when I hear that word is a guy raining fire and brimstone down from the pulpit on TV. His air is more artwork than style, his suit is immaculate, and he has more gold on Flava-Flav. He's busy telling me all of the ways that I'm going to hell and telling me a good way to get back on track is to send him a check. Guess he needs a new Cadillac!

That may be the image I get and yours may or may not be similar, but that has nothing to do with true evangelism. The best and simplest way I've ever heard evangelism defined is that it's one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. Evangelism is very simply the act of a Christ Follower sharing Jesus with someone else! The Greek translation for evangelism is 'bringing the good news'. Evangelism as a verb can be translated 'to proclaim'. So...the act of evangelism is 'to proclaim the good news'. Someone who proclaims the good news is said to be an evangelist. That means you and I, when we share Jesus with others (no matter if they know Jesus or not) we are being evangelists. And oh, by the way, there's a little thing called the Great Commission that is Jesus instructing His followers (you and me!) to go be evangelists. Read on:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. -- Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

That's what you and I are here to do, plain and simple. Understand, you and I cannot possibly force a change in someone...that isn't an evangelist's work. Our work is to go into the world and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the free gift of grace. We present God to them and let God worry about the transformation part. Here is a great example of what I'm talking about. From John 1:43-49...

Jesus starts the ball rolling by going and seeking Philip and calling him to follow:
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

The transformation of Philip must have been quick, because just a couple of verses later Philip is being an evangelist:
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
NOTE: Philip didn't go stand on a street corner with a bullhorn in a black suit and tie and scream at everyone who passed by...He did exactly what a follower of Jesus would have done. He went and sought out Nathanael and shared the good news. His job was only to bring Nathanael to a place where he could see for himself.

And here is what happened when Nathanael came face to face with Jesus:
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

BAM! Philip followed his calling, didn't get over the top about it, and convinced Nathanael to check it out for himself. Jesus did the rest.

If you know Jesus, then your calling is to be an evangelist and that means you proclaim the good news of Jesus to others. Sometimes that's going to be a very public thing and sometimes it's going to be a one on one thing. You share and offer to lead them to a place where they can see for themselves.

So you see? Evangelism isn't quite the scary or horrible thing you might have thought it was. Get out there and share the joy, the peace, and the love you know because of Jesus. Be an evangelist (without the weird hair and tons of gold)!!!

Abnormal Love

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. -- John 3:16-18 NKJV

You likely know the first part of that passage. I think anyone who's ever stepped foot in a church has been made to memorize it. You've seen John 3:16 hung from football stadium walls. The other two verses are very important as well, though, and key to understanding the abnormality of God's love.

God loved you and me so much that He literally took a part of Himself and gave that part for us. Jesus was sent out of Heaven to walk the Earth, teaching us what it is to love abnormally. Take a look:

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. -- Matthew 5:39 NIV

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. -- Matthew 5:44-45 NIV

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. -- Matthew 6:2 NIV

We don't always think about it this way, but Jesus came for the drunks, the thieves, the liars, the broken, the idolaters...and we all have those types of things inside of us! God loves us enough that He sacrificed a part of Himself on our behalf. For even the absolute worst among us, salvation is assured if we acknowledge that we need it. In turn, Jesus taught us while He was here what it is to love abnormally...to love like He does.

How hard of a time do you have turning the other cheek when someone attacks you? How do you feel when someone gossips about you behind your back? Do you have love and forgiveness in your heart then or are you ready to pounce? The sun and rain come down over all of us, not just those of us who feel we are above reproach.

You can't fake abnormal love. You are either filled with it or you are not. Your Father in Heaven knows your heart. He knows your desires. He knows what you need...and better than you do I might add. This week I have written a lot about a life lived abnormally. I encourage you to throw off the conventions of the world and live a life of abnormal focus, vision, obedience, and love. You do that and the you will be different, changed. People will see it and be drawn to it. Whatever about life has made you afraid will bleed away into insignificance, and you will be left with nothing but a clear picture of Jesus in your soul and a clear path to the finish line in your sights.

Abnormal Obedience

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” -- 2 Corinthians 3:6 NIV

When you and I reach a point where we truly understand how weak and sinful we are and that Jesus is absolutely crucial in our desire for a better and, in fact, eternal life, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and called to be ministers to the world. that doesn't necessarily mean that we all need to go to seminary school and be paid, full-time preachers at a church. We minister to the world by sharing what we know about Jesus, how our lives have been impacted. We minister by doing the things Jesus would do were He walking around in the flesh today. We let the Spirit guide us in leading others to Christ. To live a life ministering to others means we have to be abnormally obedient. Most folks are pretty good at being obedient to their own desires. We need to be obedient to God's desires.

Being obedient to God's desires opens up lots of opportunities to do things that don't make sense to us. He likes to orchestrate events so that we have no choice but to acknowledge it couldn't have been of our own design...like the doctor catching the baby that I wrote about yesterday. In the book of Ezekiel, God calls Ezekiel to be his messenger, saying, "Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, pass it on to the people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying, 'You are under the penalty of death' but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do. -- Ezekiel 3:17-19 NLT

Our job is to obey God's call. Being obedient, we aren't responsible for the effectiveness of the message. That's between everyone else and God. We just need to do what we're told to do, when we're told to do it (and bonus points if anyone can tell me how to get my kids to do that for me!). Through a series of visions and demonstrations, God has Ezekiel deliver the message of coming judgement to Israel. They don't listen and eventually wind up conquered and exiled which, in turn, causes them to be more ready to listen to what Ezekiel has to say next.

What Ezekiel says next is that God is going to raise them back up again, not because they deserve it at all but because He loves them and wants to protect them and make them clean. He wants the whole world to know that He is Lord. He wants willing and obedient hearts. Here is the message God gave Ezekiel, and I think you'll see that it is very, very similar to the message of Jesus.

"I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. -- Ezekiel 36:22-27 NLT

Through Jesus, we're shown the holiness of God. Our filth is washed away. We have a new heart and God's Spirit. We're called to abnormal obedience. We're here to minister at any given moment of any given day so that, through us, God will be glorified in the changing of lives from worldly to heavenly, from damnation to salvation. Be abnormal! Do what you are called to do when you are called to do it no matter how uncomfortable or weird it may seem and know the joy that comes from making a difference that counts in eternity.

Abnormal Vision

We've looked at an abnormal view of Jesus and we've thought about having abnormal focus on our life's purpose. Today I want to investigate abnormal vision. When I talk about vision the first thing I think about is what I see with my eyes. The second thing I think about is looking ahead and having a sense of what is to come. I believe those are fairly normal opinions of the word 'vision'. But since we're being all abnormal and everything this week, what do you say we get a little funky with vision as well?

The abnormal vision I want to talk about is the ability to see God's hand at work around us. I know that in the Old Testament God would show up as a pillar of fire with the big, booming voice and lay it down straight and true. The benefit there being that it pretty much removed the guesswork, didn't it? God would say 'DON'T DO THAT!" leaving no room for gray area. Of course, a lot of people didn't listen anyway...and consequences were handed out all the way around. Then God showed up in human form (that's Jesus for those of you scoring at home) and His gift to those who believe in Him is the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the little white angel that sits on your shoulder and tries to keep you straight. The result, if you take an abnormal view of the world, is that the Spirit prompts us and guides us according to God's will. Soooo...if you open your spiritual eyes and look around, you will see God doing incredible things all around you and (this is my favorite part) through you!

Two days ago in Paris, a mother left her two young children playing in their 7th floor apartment for just a couple of minutes. Obviously not the smartest move, but if you have children you've done something stupid with them at some point. One of the children managed to get out onto the balcony and slip through the railing...and fell 7 stories. And here is where we see God at work. On the sidewalk below, a young boy and his father are walking by and the son happens to see this child about to fall. The doctor runs over to try and catch the child, but the child just happens to fall on an awning just above the street. This softens the boy's fall and allows the doctor an extra second or two to get in position. The doctor catches the child who is remarkably unharmed. Now for the kicker...the awning on the store should have been rolled up (the store was closed) but the mechanism had broken the night before so it was left out.

The lives of several people are forever changed because of these events. Who knows what each of them will go on to do in their lives? The one thing I know for sure is that God was in the middle of every bit of it and there was purpose in it.

You and I have to be abnormal. When we see God at work and seek him with our spiritual eyes then our focus that we talked about yesterday is on Him and not on the world, and when that happens then we are in accordance with His will and ready to be obedient to His calling. Jeremiah says it best:

Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you. -- Jeremiah 25:6

The world, or the norm, is death. Holding dear to the things of the world brings us nothing in the end but harm. Jesus brings life and the only way we find Jesus is when we have a vision of life that's different from the norm.

Abnormal Focus

Why am I here?

It's a natural question. I'll bet we've all asked it from time to time. I'll also bet most of us choose not to dwell on it, and I think I know why. It's intimidating! 'Why am I here' forces us to ponder just how fragile we are. It causes us to wonder about God and what happens when we die. Are there alien races out there for us to meet? What am I going to have for dinner? The right answer to that last one, of course, is 'I don't know, whatever you want'. To ask 'why am I here' leads us to a very uncertain and chaotic place that we really don't want to go. It makes us focus on a deeper purpose and that is something that scares us enough that we'd rather ignore it and just get on with life. Or at least that's the normal reaction.

But we aren't going to be normal any longer, you and I. We're going to allow ourselves to move out of our comfort zones a bit and focus in on the possible answers to that timeless question. The pastor at a church I used to attend likes to put it like this...he says "Everyone ends up somewhere, but few people end up somewhere on purpose." Figuring out how to answer 'why am I here' boils down to purpose. The world gets more and more chaotic, keeps us really busy, and so it takes too much effort to ponder a deeper meaning and purpose for our lives. we go deeper into debt, but it doesn't help. We bury our kids in activities so we don't have to spend any meaningful time with them. We move through life so fast that we stop dreaming big and just hope for a day to relax. Normal...like everyone else. Right?

I don't know about you, but I don't want to just float through life. I don't want to accept the lie that this is all there is and that the life I described above is God's design. I won't! I want to end up somewhere on purpose. I want to be abnormal (many of you might say I'm well on the way...) with my life. I want to find and fulfill the purpose God has for my life! We all end up somewhere...we all die. Do you want to go to your grave knowing your biggest accomplishment was a 3,000 square foot house and generations of children after you that know only consumerism and selfishness or do you want to reach for something more, something divinely created and special?

Yesterday I showed you a picture of our living Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that isn't normal. He loves you infinitely more than you can know. You were designed for very specific reasons. The life you want is waiting for you. Let's be abnormally focused on God and continually be seeking His perfect will for us. Pray over these passages from the Bible today and, as you do, ask God to reveal to you the first (or next) step on your journey to figuring out why you are here.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. -- Proverbs 19:21

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -- Romans 8:28

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -- Ephesians 2:10

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. -- Philippians 2:13

Abnormality

What do you suppose a normal view of Jesus might be? What are the things most of us would focus on when talking about Jesus? Christians will likely (and should) key on his crucifixion. A lot of people will tell you he was peaceful. An all too common theme I've heard in recent years is that Jesus was a just a guy who had a really great message and claimed to be the Son of God. No matter our belief or our background, the Jesus that gets our attention is the mild-mannered Teacher...or maybe even 6 pound, 8 ounce baby Jesus who don't cry in the night (thank you, Ricky Bobby). That's what is normal.

No doubt, Jesus' message is (not was!) love and no words can ever describe His gift of grace...but let's get a little abnormal with our perspective of Jesus today. We worship a Lord of love, but also of great power! He wasn't just a guy with a great message. He IS our Lord and savior, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. If you don't make a point of telling Him "thank you" every day of your life, you should.

Take a look at this vision God gave the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel:

Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. -- Ezekiel 1:25-28 NIV

Thank you Jesus for your love, for your Spirit, for your sacrifice. Amen.