life...and other musings

are you insane?

2012-01-20T16:11:00.000-05:00

So, how are your New Year’s resolutions going? We’ve all been there. We want to change something in our life, so we set a goal that usually falls by the wayside after only a few weeks. We end up wallowing in a measure of despair and wondering what happened.

I want to let you in on a little secret. No matter what your goal for the future may be, it will never happen if you are not willing to do something differently than you have done it in the past. I can’t lose weight while insisting on maintaining my eating habits. I can’t spend more time with my family unless I’m willing to stop spending time doing something else. I can’t get in better physical shape if I’m not willing to get off of my duff and do something. I can’t grow in my relationship with Jesus without changing the way I live.

Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” What are you going to do differently this year in order to get the results you desire? Answer that question and you are well on your way to success.

wide-eyed wonder

2011-11-30T18:45:00.001-05:00

Have you ever watched a child as he or she discovered something that most adults take for granted? I have watched my daughters as they squatted down and stared with rapt attention at a string of ants walking across the sidewalk. I have seen them captivated with excitement because a bird landed outside our patio door. I've smiled as they stopped everything to ogle at a new flower and enjoy its fragrance. Children have a way of looking at the world with wide-eyed wonder. They are amazed at things that we, as adults, have grown so accustomed to seeing that we don’t really even notice them.

I’m afraid that the same thing often happens in our walk with Jesus. Have we lost our sense of wonder over the greatness of God and the overwhelming power of His grace? Has it become old hat that Jesus would love us so much that He would give His life as a ransom for us? Are we no longer awestruck that we are called children of God, not because of anything we have done, but because we have been bought with the blood of our Savior? Have we forgotten? Or worse yet, does it not matter to us anymore? This Christmas take some time and consider the power of the story of redemption. You will stand in wide-eyed wonder...and worship.

what ever happened to thanksgiving?

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

It dawned on me the other day that Thanksgiving is becoming an overlooked and underappreciated national holiday. In October, Halloween dominates the store shelves and people spend large amounts of time and money decorating their houses and yards to prepare for the inevitable parade of chocolate-seeking children dressed as princesses, pirates, and superheroes. When all of the Halloween hoopla is finally over, we seem to jump directly to Christmas. What happened to Thanksgiving? I can’t help but wonder if it’s a symptom of a society filled with people that increasingly believe they are entitled to whatever they want. After all, if I’m entitled to something, why should I be grateful for it? It’s easy for me to begin to grow resentful and angry toward ungrateful people who take and take and take without ever pausing to show appreciation for all they have received. It’s at that moment that I have to examine myself because when I do, I begin to see that I am often an ingrate. I suspect that you are as well. Before you get worked up into a hissy-fit of denial, consider these thoughts.

When was the last time you stopped and gave God thanks for waking up in the morning? For some people that’s not a big deal, but for all the “normal” people who like to sleep in, waking up is the daily equivalent of having cold water poured over your head…it’s just not fun. In that moment when you’re complaining about having to get up so early, have you ever considered that there are untold numbers of people all around the world that didn’t get the gift of another day to experience God’s amazing creation?

Or, for those with small children, when your three-year-old child came into your bedroom at the crack of dawn telling you it’s time to get up because the sun is up, did you pause and thank God that your child is healthy enough to get out of bed and walk into your room? If you’re like me, at that moment I’m not thinking about the great gifts of God in my life. I’m only thinking about how I can divert my three-year-old’s attention so I can catch an extra forty winks (for that matter, I’d usually settle for another twenty winks). When I take my children’s health for granted, I’m showing God my attitude of entitlement and living my life with ingratitude.

Let’s bring it down to a very basic level. Did you pause and thank God for the last breath you took? How about the last time your heart beat? The Bible tells us that God is the giver and sustainer of all life on this earth. He monitors your heartbeat. He is the one that causes your lungs to continue to function. Your brain is functioning properly because of Him. How often do we stop and thank Him for giving us life? Probably not often enough.

Unfortunately, one of the things we take for granted most often is one of the things that should fill us with the greatest wonder. How often do you take time to ponder what Jesus did on the cross for you? How often do you pause in wonder at the fact that you were deeply stained with sin, and yet because Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice in your place He now declares you “not guilty”? How often have you been deeply moved with gratitude by the thought that you were once God’s enemy and now He calls you His child? Have you spent time giving thanks that you can enter the very throne room of the God of creation to receive grace and mercy in your time of need? Have you taken time to ponder the fact that He loves you so much that He came to earth to redeem you, knowing that you couldn’t get to Him on your own? Do you stand in amazement at the thought that He has chosen to fill you with the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit? Have you lost the wonder of our God and as a result begun living a life of ingratitude?

I pray that each of us will put the words of Paul found in Romans 12 into action:

Romans 12:1 (NLT) - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Make sure you don’t skip over Thanksgiving this year. Remember that Thanksgiving Day is about a lot more than an unlucky turkey and watching football on TV. It’s about remembering who God is and all He’s done and letting Him know that we are eternally grateful.

don't waste your life

2011-11-05T13:50:00.000-04:00

What is our most valuable commodity as human beings? Is it wealth? Is it possessions? Is it power or fame? None of these can even come close. The most valuable commodity in our lives is time. We have a limited amount of time on the face of this earth and it passes by faster than a NASCAR driver with his pants on fire. And yet, we live as if our days were unlimited.

Paul addressed this when he wrote, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16, ESV). In other words, “We have only once chance at living this life, so make sure you take full advantage of the time that God has given to you to make a difference in a dark world.” I doubt that any of us desire to come to the end of our days and learn that we wasted our lives on things that are insignificant and irrelevant. You only have one life to live…don’t waste yours.

the superman syndrome

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

As a child I was infatuated with Superman. Actually, I don’t believe the word “infatuated” is strong enough to describe my fascination. “Obsession” is probably a far more accurate description of my captivation with the man of steel. I watched Superman on television, I watched Superman movies, and I read Superman comics. At times, I donned the must-have accessory of a bath towel around my neck as a cape and in my mind I became Superman. (It was really cool when I ran as fast as I could and made it flap in the breeze behind me.) This childhood fixation on Superman led to one of the most unusual (and painful) experiences from my upbringing.

Here’s what happened. When I was very young, my mom was a childcare provider for several children in our neighborhood. The incident I’m about to describe started brewing when one of the children under my mother’s care decided that he was going to take a ride in my beloved, pedal-powered, red fire engine with a silver bell on the fender. (For those who may be too young to remember, a pedal-powered car wasn’t propelled forward by pushing a single pedal in order to engage an electric motor – you actually had to work up a sweat to make the vehicle go.) I loved my fire engine. I loved it so much that I didn’t believe that anyone else should drive it. When I discovered that this hooligan absconded with my fire engine, a deep sense of righteous indignation rose from my inner being. It became clear to me that justice must be meted out with great severity and I was overcome with the realization that I was destined to be the instrument of wrath. In other words, I got so jealous that I started a fight.

My mom quickly intervened, but much to my astonishment and dismay, she was seemingly incapable of understanding the reasonableness of my legal position. After all, I was only defending what was mine! She did not agree. Instead of coming to my aid, she marched me inside to face the music for my selfishness and aggression. (For those who have been raised in the era of “time-outs,” that means I was about to get my hide tanned.)

I remember very little about the next few moments, (my mind has probably blocked out the horror of it all) but I do clearly recall the pivotal events that immediately followed my “attitude adjustment.” It was in those moments, forever frozen in time, that my enthrallment with Superman became my downfall. As my mom walked toward the door, I turned to her and with tears streaming down my cheeks I exclaimed, “That didn’t hurt me! I’m superman!” It didn’t take long for me to realize that I had chosen my words foolishly. She turned on her heels and round two commenced. It was then that I came to the sudden awareness that my mom was in cahoots with Lex Luthor and he had supplied her with a kryptonite belt. I learned an important lesson that day. I learned that denying my pain doesn’t make it hurt any less.

I can laugh about it now, but what’s not funny is how similar this story is to how we live our lives as Christians in America. It’s what I call “The Superman Syndrome.” There are far too many Christians (especially men) who think that there’s something wrong with them if they admit that they are hurting, so in the face of suffering they cry, “That didn’t hurt me!” Maybe we’re afraid of what others will think of us. Maybe we think that we’re being a burden. Maybe we believe that we’re supposed to handle it ourselves. There are dozens of excuses that we give as to why we pretend that we’re not hurting, but I think the most likely reason is simply that we don’t have a deep enough relationship with any of our godly friends to trust them with our pain. As a result, when someone asks how we’re doing, instead of being honest about the brokenness in our soul, we simply say, “I’m fine.” Or worse yet, we pretend that we’re really on top of things and say, “I’m blessed!” When we do that we insulate ourselves from the people God has placed in our lives and prevent them from giving us the love and encouragement we desperately need.

Experiencing pain is not a sign of weakness…it’s a sign of being human. That’s the thing about Superman – he’s not human. In fact, he doesn’t even exist. He’s nothing more than the figment of some creative individual’s imagination. The same could be said about Super-Christian. He doesn’t exist. We all hurt. We all need encouragement. We all need each other. So, if you’re hurting, take the risk of being honest with a godly friend. You’ll be surprised by the love and grace you'll find. If you’re playing the part of Super-Christian, my message to you is simple – it’s time to retire the cape.

significance

2011-05-15T21:21:00.000-04:00

We all want our lives to count for something. When our days come to an end we want to know that we made a difference. We want to know that our time on earth wasn’t wasted. We long for significance. The problem is that we tend to get the concept of greatness upside down. We think greatness and significance means that we wield power and authority, but Jesus taught that in the kingdom of God it’s the opposite.

Jesus said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:42-44, NIV).

Do you want your life to be noteworthy? Give yourself to others in sacrificial love and service in the name of Christ. Then your life will be significant, not only for today, but for eternity.

overworked and underappreciated

2011-05-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

This week I read about a young mother who sat with her almost four-year-old son on her lap and told him he was going to have a new baby brother soon. She explained that he could hold the baby’s bottle, bring a clean diaper when needed, and push the baby carriage. He finally got off her lap, stood in front of her and very seriously said, “And what are you going to be doing while I do all the work?”

Seriously, we know that moms are overworked and underappreciated, but for at least one day of the year we want to express to you our deep gratitude and appreciation for all that you do. You are the glue that holds our homes together. You are an anchor when we are wavering. You are our friend when we feel alone and betrayed. You are a reflection of our Savior’s love and grace. You teach us of God’s forgiveness and His unconditional love.

We, the beneficiaries of your breathtaking care and devotion, have so much that we want to say, but lack the words to adequately express all that is in our hearts. It will have to suffice to say, “Thank you for being who you are. You are loved.”

three dark days

2011-05-04T01:05:00.000-04:00

There are few times in the life of a church that are as filled with joy as Easter. There’s something remarkable that happens when people who have had an encounter with a risen Christ and have found their lives being transformed by His grace come together and celebrate the day Christ conquered death. The joy is palpable because the resurrection reminds us that we who were dead are now alive. It’s an exciting time for us, but have you ever thought about how the disciples must have felt during the three days and three nights when Jesus’ lifeless body was lying in a cold, dark tomb guarded by Roman soldiers? We can tolerate Jesus’ suffering because we know the end of the story, but that wasn’t true for those who walked the dusty roads of Palestine with their beloved rabbi. For them, all they knew was that the one in whom they had placed all of their hope for the future had been railroaded by a sham trial and butchered by the barbaric Romans. All of their dreams for the future had been tied to this man and now he was dead…and so were their dreams. All the time wasted arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom seemed silly now. How could there be a kingdom if there is no king? All the miracles that had been performed seemed pointless. The one who had walked in power that was beyond their comprehension had been murdered. Placing their hope in this man now seemed, at best, misguided. The joy of knowing Jesus had evaporated.

The fact is, Jesus had told them repeatedly that he was going to suffer and die. He had explained to them over and over again that His kingdom was not of this world. He had tried to help them see that this had all been planned before time began. He tried to reassure them that after He suffered humiliation and death that He would rise from the dead on the third day, but they never understood it, perhaps because they were so busy denying that he would die in the first place. Regardless, they lived a grim existence devoid of hope for three days and three nights.

Like the disciples, there are times in life when we find ourselves in a place filled with darkness, gloom, and despair. What may have started out as a beautiful, hope-filled day turned bleak and desolate in an instant. Maybe the anguish descended after a conversation with your doctor and the news was not good. Maybe it came because the one person you thought you could trust thrust the knife of betrayal deep into your back and twisted it for good measure. Maybe the agony came because you’re facing a mountain of financial problems so large that it seems an exercise in futility to attempt to scale it. Maybe the sorrow came because the one you love decided to walk out the door, leaving you with a broken heart and a life bursting with worry and uncertainty. Your joy may have vanished like a morning fog that’s been burned away by the midday sun. Depression and anxiety may have descended upon you like a shadowy, foreboding cloud. Like the disciples, it may seem that any expectation for a brighter tomorrow has melted away and evaporated like an ice cube on the sidewalk on a sweltering summer day.

The good news is that the disciples' story didn't end there and neither does our’s. The three days of pain, disillusionment, and confusion that the disciples endured must have seemed like an eternity to them…but then came Sunday. Jesus rose from the dead. When He came back to life, He breathed new life into the disciples. Suddenly, the hope that had died was alive again because Jesus was alive. Suddenly, the joy that had melted away came rushing back into their souls because Jesus was alive. Suddenly, the future that had become so bleak was now brighter than they had ever imagined because Jesus was alive.

The resurrection of Jesus has the same power for us. He is alive. He has conquered our sin and vanquished the grave. That knowledge restores our joy when we are discouraged. That knowledge fills us with hope when circumstances seem impossible. That knowledge assures us of our future no matter what may happen to us in this life. Even when we walk through the valley of despair, faith is still alive because Jesus is alive. No matter what sorrows may befall us in this life, we gain strength knowing that it is only temporary and we are not forsaken. The one who overpowered death, hell, and our sins is walking with us. Hold on to Jesus. He will not leave you alone.

burden bearers

2011-04-28T14:20:00.002-04:00

We have all had those moments when life was easy and full of joy. We have also experienced episodes when life brought burdens that seemed more than we could bear. The truth is, we were never meant to bear those burdens alone. In Galatians 6:2, Paul writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” During the times when a person’s life become cruel and they begin to stagger under the weight, it is the responsibility of every other member of the body of Christ to swoop down and be used of God to liberate that person from the relentless heaviness that threatens to engulf their soul.

Look around you today. Who do you know that is beginning to bend beneath a load of trouble and anxiety? Who is carrying the burden of a wounded heart? Who is enduring the ache of loss? Who is stumbling as they try to persist in their pursuit of Christ? Who needs words of strength and encouragement?

Answer those questions and then answer the most important one: How can I bear their burden?

three words

2011-04-20T23:19:00.000-04:00

It’s amazing how powerful three simple words can be. “I love you” provides fertile soil for a lifelong relationship to grow. “I am sorry” can restore a broken relationship. “I was wrong” can open a door for growth and learning. “We are home” can cause an explosion of joy after a long journey. “Don’t give up” can fill a discouraged heart with determination. “I am lost” can cause a man to do the unthinkable and ask for directions. “Dinner is ready” can motivate an inert teenager to suddenly move with the speed and grace of an Olympic athlete.

There is no doubt that words can have an immediate and vigorous impact, but there are three words that carry such force that all other words pale in comparison. These three words change everything. These three words bring an explosion of joy and hope within the soul. These three words give weary people the strength to carry on. These three words carry the weight of eternity. These three words allow peace to settle upon a heart filled with confusion and pain. These three words changed the course of human history. What are these three words?

Jesus…is…alive!

the hug that saved my life

2011-04-12T13:06:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting experience. My youth pastor and I were preparing to leave the church office to visit someone in the hospital. As we were exiting the building, we paused briefly to inform the office staff of our anticipated whereabouts. Just then a wonderful young woman of God named Lauren Cribb stepped into the office from a door on the opposite side of the room and greeted Pastor Steve and myself. I almost walked out the door before I realized that she was walking across the office to give each of us a hug before we left. I paused for three or four seconds, collected my hug, and then we were out the door.

We walked out to my car, slid into our seats, fastened our seatbelts, started the car, and we were on our way. As we were driving, we approached an intersection that had stop signs for the cross traffic. As we neared the intersection, a car blew past the stop sign and drove halfway through the intersection before the driver realized what was happening and managed to stop the vehicle.

My first reaction was to remark about how careless the driver was and how he should really slow down on small side streets. (Okay, what I said wasn’t that nice-sounding. I probably made some comment about the driver's level of intelligence, but I have since repented.) As I was speaking, I suddenly realized that being delayed for our hug was what kept us from being in that intersection when that car ran the stop sign. So, I offer my thanks to Lauren for giving me a hug that saved my life.

Alright…I know I'm being overly dramatic. I don’t really know what would have happened to me physically if we had been in a collision with that car. I can’t say that it would have ended my life, but I’m absolutely confident that it wouldn’t have been pretty. If we had been three or four seconds farther along on our trip, he would have plowed into my driver’s side door at a high enough rate of speed that I would have been badly injured in the very least. The collision was avoided because of the time it took to receive a hug.

That got me to thinking (which in and of itself is a dangerous proposition). I began to wonder how many times God has spared me from something that would have brought me pain – whether physical or emotional – by sending someone or allowing some circumstance into my path that in one way or another helped me avoid disaster. I wonder if there have been times when my car wouldn’t start and I chalked it up to aggravating happenstance, but it was actually the mercy of God keeping me out of harm’s way. I wonder if there have times when I was frustrated by another person’s “slowness” when it was actually the hand of God steering me toward safety. I wonder if there has ever been a moment when someone cut me off in traffic and I responded with a barrage of anger directed at the driver, when it was actually God impeding my progress to keep me away from danger. I may never know, but it causes me to stop and give Him thanks for His mercy, even if there are times I am desperately unaware of it.

The flip side of the coin is this: God can use each of us to cause another person to veer out of the path of danger – whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual danger. What if God wants me to give someone a hug because He knows it will help remind that person that they are loved by their Creator? What if one of your friends is about to give up and God sends you with a word of encouragement to derail the locomotive of discouragement? What if someone is hurting and God sends you to be a salve of healing as you embrace them with your heart?

This is why it’s so important for us to cultivate sensitivity to the whisper of the Spirit. Listen for His voice and offer what you have to Him. It may seem small and insignificant to you, but He delights in taking things that are small and insignificant and doing marvelous miracles with them. He can use something as simple as a smile, a card, a handshake, a word of encouragement, or a hug. Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to give it away in Christ’s name. You never know…your hug might just save someone’s life.

aren't you tired?

2011-03-30T23:53:00.000-04:00

Aren't you tired of the status quo? Aren’t you tired of just going through the motions? Aren’t you tired of hearing about the depths of God’s love, mercy, grace, and power, without ever experiencing any of those things in your life? Aren’t you tired of having your soul stirred by the Spirit of God without seeing any life-change? Aren’t you tired of chasing after the things of this world as if they will bring satisfaction to your soul? Aren’t you tired of pursuing things that wear out, get broken, or are lost or stolen? Aren’t you tired of talking about Jesus, but never talking with Him? Aren’t you tired of wearing your mask every time you come to church in order to make sure that no one sees how broken you really are inside? Aren’t you tired of carrying your burdens alone? Aren’t you tired of bearing the guilt of hearing truth, but never putting it into action? Aren’t you tired of living with that nagging feeling that your life isn’t having any eternal impact? Aren’t you tired of playing church?

I am. I’m pressing in. There’s more than this.

the most dangerous prayer in the world

2011-03-15T23:34:00.000-04:00

Jesus made our mission clear to us when He told us to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19–20, NLT). There is no doubt that we have been called by God and commissioned by Him to carry the message of the cross of Christ to the entire world.

That idea, however, can be a bit overwhelming. How can we possibly do that? There are so many people in the world, so how can we possibly hope to even make a dent in the task of making disciples of all nations? Jesus answered that question in Acts 1:8 when He told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 (NLT).

When Jesus said this to his followers, they were in Jerusalem. He was saying, “I want you to start at home.” God wants us to start with the people closest to you, right here in your own community. Then he said to go to Judea and Samaria. He broadens the scope to a larger area geographically, but the Samaritans were different culturally and racially. God wants us to go to people who are different from us. Then he said, “I want you to go to the ends of the earth.”

God is building a family of people who love and trust Him that are going to spend eternity with Him. He wants family members from every nation. One day all believers are going to be gathered together in heaven. This is not mission impossible; this is mission inevitable. It’s going to happen. That has been God’s plan all along.

Here’s the amazing part: God has chosen us to complete the mission. God wants us to finish the mission that Jesus Christ started when He came to earth. Being on this mission is the greatest privilege we’ll ever be given. We have the privilege to be in on making history, that’s what it is all about.

Love demands I move beyond my comfort zone to people with different background, different education, different language, and different economics. Our mission has such eternal consequences, heaven and hell, that we must be willing to risk anything to get the message out. If I had the cure for cancer, I can tell you for certain that I would be shouting it on the street. I would do whatever was necessary to make sure that everyone knew. It would be criminal to keep it a secret. The truth is that I have something even more important than that – the way to eternal life. Somebody cared enough to tell me; I’ve got to be caring enough to tell others.

The question for us is: Is anybody going to be in heaven because of me? When you get to heaven, is anyone going to say thank you for telling me the Good News? In the next 365 days, 2.4 million Americans will die, and most of them will go into eternity without Jesus Christ. In the next 365 days, 54 million people in the world will die, and most of them will go into eternity without Jesus Christ. If we care, we must share.

There are four possible responses to the call of God to fulfill his purpose in your time. You can respond like Moses and say, “Who me?” You can respond like Jonah and say, “Not me.” You can respond like Habakkuk and say, “Why me?” Or you can respond like Isaiah and say, “Send me.” Acts 13:38 says that “David served God’s purposes in his own time.” My prayer is that we will serve God’s purpose in our time. I can’t think of a better thing to have on your tombstone. Here’s the test to know if you have completed your mission or not: Are you still alive? If you’re still alive, your mission is not completed. There is nothing more important than doing what God put us on earth to do.

The most dangerous prayer you can pray is “I surrender to you, God…use me.” I dare you to say it. It will change your life. Place your life in his hand, even if you think you have nothing to offer. Little becomes much when you place it in the Master’s hand.

pressing forward

2011-01-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

We are living in an amazing day! As we stand on the verge of another new year and look back even at the past two hundred years, we realize that we have been witness to some of the greatest (and fastest) changes in the history of the world. One hundred years ago it was unthinkable that we could travel at the speed of sound, put a man on the moon, make popcorn in seconds, and carry a library full of books on your phone. Seeing how things have changed, it’s actually comical to look back at what some people were saying about “new” technologies that have become commonplace today. Listen to what some were saying.

“What can be more palpably absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives traveling twice as fast as stagecoaches?”

(The Quarterly Review, 1825)

“While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially, I consider it an impossibility, a development of which we need not waste time dreaming.”

(Lee Deforest, scientist and inventor, 1926)

“As a means of rapid transit, aerial navigation could not

begin to compete with the railroad.”

(William Baxter, Jr., Popular Science, 1901)

“The ordinary ‘horseless carriage’ is at present a luxury for the wealthy; and although its price will probably fall in the near future, it will never, of course, come into as common use as the bicycle.”

(The Literary Digest, 1889)

While the people who said these things were most assuredly intelligent, well educated men, they were not visionaries. They had a small view of the future. Too often, the church falls under the same spell as these men. We have a small view of the future. Our past can easily cloud our view of the future and make it difficult to believe that there are greater things on the horizon. The words of Paul speak directly to us about this.

Philippians 3:13–14 (NLT) - I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Paul had a laser-like focus. His goal was to forget the past and press on toward the future. Paul had made plenty of mistakes in his past. He was well acquainted with sin. In fact, at one point in time he declared that he was the chief of sinners. He was full of arrogance. He had actively hunted down and persecuted Christians. He had even gone so far as participating in the brutal murder of Stephen. Paul, however, was not going to let that stand in the way of God’s plan for his life. He had found the grace of God that was greater than all of his sins and he was determined to walk in that grace instead of any sort of self-imposed penance.

But that’s not all Paul was leaving behind. The interesting thing about Paul is that there were parts of his past that would make any man proud. He had a wonderful family lineage that would capture the respect and admiration of any first century Hebrew. He was a very learned man. He had chosen early on in life to make every effort to follow the God of Israel and observed Jewish religious laws astutely. Paul knew that all of his past accomplishments actually stood in the way of becoming all that God wanted him to be. He laid aside all of his past successes so they wouldn’t blind him to his great need for Jesus and to the future God had planned for his life.

Paul wasted no time dwelling on the past. Instead, he focused all of his attention on the greater blessings that were yet to come. He wasn’t imprisoned by the sins of his past, nor was he satisfied with the accomplishments and accolades of days gone by. He knew that as long has he drew breath on this planet that God had something more for him and he was single-minded in his pursuit of Christ.

As we head into a new year, let’s take our cue from Paul. Let’s refuse to give the past our time, attention, and energy. God has great plans for the future, but if we’re living in the past we’ll never experience the glories of His future. Let’s press forward and grab hold of everything He has set before us. As we do, all I can say is, “Look out 2011! Here we come!”

the perfect gift

2010-12-31T15:25:00.002-05:00

What is your favorite Christmas memory? No doubt that question causes a flood of memories from days gone by to fill your mind. Most of us recall the simpler days of youth when Christmas meant you got a vacation from school and Christmas presents (hopefully lots of them). Those were the days when your greatest worry was that the package you were excitedly tearing into would contain something horribly unsatisfying like underwear. I mean, really, who gives underwear for Christmas? (Yes, I did receive underwear for Christmas…more than once…but I’m getting counseling.)
In spite of the seemingly irresistible urge by some family members to inundate me with undergarments, I have many wonderful memories of Christmas past. I remember the year that I found my parent’s stash of gifts that they had hidden in their closet. I went back several times trying to figure out which gifts belonged to me. (By the way, I did an excellent job of acting surprised when I opened the gifts on Christmas day.) I recall the many sleepless Christmas Eve nights listening to the radio as they “tracked” Santa flying around the globe. It was so hard to sleep knowing that in a few hours I was going to open the gifts that had relentlessly taunted me with their existence for weeks. I remember waking up ridiculously early every Christmas morning and doing all that I could to wake my parents gently so as not to start the day by incurring the wrath of sleep-deprived progenitors. I remember the torture of our family’s tradition of taking turns to open gifts so that everyone could see what everyone else got. Let me be honest, I didn’t much care about what my brothers and sister got for Christmas. I only wanted to know what was in my Christmas packages. It was agony waiting for my turn to come around again, but it was good for me.

I’ll never forget the year our family Christmas tree had become a bit dilapidated and needed a little help to stand up straight. My dad, being the resourceful man that he is, grabbed a present and put it between the wall and the tree to force it into a fully upright position. The thing is, nobody knew what he had done and on Christmas morning he forgot it was there. A few days later, we kids noticed the resplendent radiance of another Christmas present shimmering through the sparse branches of the decrepit tree. We pulled it out and, low and behold, it had my name on it. I was honestly afraid that my parents were going to make me wait until the next Christmas to open it. I mean, it’s against the law to open Christmas gifts on any other day than Christmas, right? But, to my pleasant surprise and immense relief, my parents let me open it. It was like Christmas all over again…at least for me. That was a great year.

As I grew older, Christmas started to change for me. After I got my first job working at Sonic Drive-In (love the onion rings), I had the resources to actually buy gifts for people, so my older brother and I decided that we would purchase a microwave together for our mom. Today, microwave ovens are cheap and considered to be an indispensable tool in the kitchen, but in those days they were a bit of a luxury item and, due to the fact that it was a relatively new technology, they were very expensive. My brother and I bought our mom a top-of-the-line microwave that cost us nearly $450. On Christmas morning, we covered it with a blanket, carried it into the living room, and, after a short speech, we unveiled it for her. I remember it as if it happened yesterday. My mom looked at the gift and started crying. She couldn’t believe it. That year changed everything for me. That was the year that I discovered the truth in the words attributed to Jesus in Acts 20:35 when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” That was the year that I discovered that the joy of Christmas is found in giving, not receiving.

Christmas is a celebration of the fact that God, out of His heart of love, gave His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from the clutches of sin. Christmas is a celebration of the fact that the Father gives us life instead of the death that we so richly deserve. Christmas is a time for us to respond to God’s generosity by being generous with others. Christmas is a time for us to give because we have received. But most of all, Christmas is a time for us to respond to God’s great gift in the only way that makes any sense – by giving ourselves to Him. Paul said it like this:
Romans 12:1 (NLT) - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
So, as you “hustle and bustle” your way through this Christmas season searching for the perfect gifts to give to the people you love, don’t forget the One who has been supernaturally generous with you. You have within your power to give Him the perfect gift. The one thing Jesus really wants for Christmas is you. As far as He is concerned, that’s the perfect gift.

dive in

2010-07-28T14:41:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago my family and I went to the beach. It was a hot day and the idea of playing in the water was quite appealing, so we loaded up the car and headed out for some sun and surf. After we arrived at the beach and transported enough equipment and survival supplies to set up a base camp that could serve a small army, it was finally time to get down to the business of having some fun. We excitedly waded out into the waves and proceeded to have one of the most fun-filled, joy-saturated times that we have had as a family in a long time. (The only drawback came within the next 24 hours as I discovered that there is an excellent reason why they invented sunscreen.)

The interesting thing is that I almost missed out on all of it. When the time came to actually go into the water I was faced with the decision to dive in with my girls or sit on the shore and watch everyone else have fun. The reason I hesitated was because I knew that the time had come to take my shirt off. Now, my struggle wasn’t moral. I’m not a prude and I seriously don’t think that taking my shirt off would cause anyone to struggle with lustful thoughts (insert joke here). My struggle was with pride. You see, the unfortunate side effect of working in an office was that my back and chest hadn’t seen the sun since the days when the Dead Sea was only sick. The beach was extremely crowded that day and I knew that I would probably burn a few retinas or possibly cause the creation of a new cult as people witnessed the “glowing entity” that came up out of the water. I knew that there would be people making snide comments about the man with paste-colored skin who showed up at the beach. Ultimately, I decided that diving in and making a memory with my family was worth a lot more than the opinions of people that I don’t know and will likely never see again. I’m glad I did.

Later, as I thought about that day, it occurred to me that there are similar moments that we face as followers of Christ. Think about it…we stand on the shore looking out over our Father’s vast ocean of grace, mercy, love, and power. We are faced with a decision as to whether or not we are going to stand on the shore as a spectator, or dive in and discover the fullness of joy that is found in Him. I think what keeps us from diving into His ocean is usually the same thing that nearly kept me from enjoying our day at the beach – pride. If we want to dive into to the sea of His love and grace, we have to take off the mask that’s hiding what’s underneath. We have to expose the parts of us that we spend so much time and effort trying to hide from everyone else.

For example, maybe you go to church and you’re dying inside – maybe some sin has eaten your lunch the past week, maybe you’re emotionally spent and battling depression, maybe your marriage is falling apart and no one knows, maybe you just feel far from God and you don’t even know why. You know that you need to dive into Jesus and find strength in the Holy Spirit, but in order to avoid embarrassment you don’t enter into worship, you don’t ask for prayer, and you don’t respond to the voice of God as He beckons you to come close to Him during the altar call.

Maybe it’s time to stop thinking about what everyone else thinks and just dive in. Maybe it’s time to stop worrying about what people will say and throw yourself onto His altar in absolute surrender. Maybe it’s time to stop swimming in the “kiddie” pool and jump into the deep waters of God. Maybe it’s time to discover the healing that only He can bring to the broken soul that relentlessly pursues intimacy with Christ. Maybe it’s time to stop playing church and start being the church. Maybe it’s time to experience the unspeakable joy of reckless abandonment to God.

On the day of our family’s trip to the beach, it only took about three seconds before I forgot about what others may have been thinking or saying. The joy I experienced assured me that I had made the right choice. If you’ve been standing on the shore in your relationship with Jesus, all I can say is, “Dive in!” You won’t be sorry.

first love

2010-06-24T14:33:00.001-04:00

Someone once wrote, “Love is a many splendored thing.” Human beings are obsessed with love – rightfully so. Love is completely intangible, yet supremely indispensible. Love is nearly impossible to define, yet most of us can’t imagine an existence devoid of it. It frustrates us and fulfills us at the same time. It fills our stomachs with butterflies and, at times, injects our hearts with pain. Yet, in spite of heartache, we still search for enduring love. We write songs about love, make movies about love, and read books about love. Love truly is vital for us to flourish as people.

Many of us have been found by Christ and have tasted the love of God – a love that quenches a profound yearning for intimacy and purpose deep in our souls. Most of us can remember the moment our eyes were opened to the love that Jesus was offering to us. Maybe you were in church and you heard a message about the love of God that paid for your sins and you were suddenly struck with the realization that you needed the forgiveness that this love offered. Maybe you were at home and the words of a friend or family member finally soaked in and the barriers that you had built suddenly began crumbling under the realization that God loved you in spite of all that you had done. Maybe you were driving in your car and you heard a stranger’s voice declaring the immeasurable love of Jesus through the airwaves and as the Holy Spirit enlightened your heart you surrendered to His unspeakable grace. Wherever you were, you probably remember the immense joy and indescribable love that swamped your soul and engulfed your life.

The funny thing about love, though, is that in spite of the fact that it is vital for our existence, we so easily begin to take it for granted. It happens all the time with married couples. A man pursues, woos, and romances the woman of his dreams until she finally capitulates and agrees to marry him. Most of the time, men don’t do a very good job of keeping that romance going. After a time, the same man that went out of his way to court the woman he married will begin to take her love for granted. Unfortunately, the same is true of us as lovers of Jesus. Most of us experience incredible love and gratitude toward Jesus when we first meet Him, but too often after a few years the fire of that love grows cold. If many of us were to examine our hearts closely, we might find that we have directed our love and our passion away from the things that really matter in life and toward things that are fleeting. In particular, many of us would discover that we have grown to love other things more than we love Jesus…and I hope that discovery would break your heart.

That’s what happened to the church in Ephesus when its members were forced to realize that they had lost their first love. In Revelation 2, Jesus commends them for their works, their endurance, and their doctrine. On the heels of that commendation He says, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” They had done all the right things, but had forgotten why they were doing them. Jesus offered a prescription to them for rediscovering what they had lost. In Revelation 2:5, Jesus said, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.”

The pathway to rediscovering your first love of Jesus starts with remembering. Remember where you used to be. Remember who you used to be. Remember what Christ saved you from. Remember what it was like to know that you had been forgiven. Remember the indescribable emotions that flooded your heart after you met the Savior. Remember all of those things and let those memories give birth to a longing to return to your first love – Jesus. After you remember, the next step is to repent. Repentance literally means “a change of mind.” To repent means that you change your mind about what’s important to you and you change your mind about what you will pursue with your time, energy, and money. You begin to agree with God about where you are as a person and ask Him to change your heart. That change of mind leads to a change of action and you “do the works you did at first.”

There are plenty of things that we need to do as a church, but the most important thing we can do is fall in love with Jesus all over again. Let’s pursue our relationship with Him. Let’s chase after the things that bring joy to His heart. Let’s fall in love with Jesus again.

sing

2010-04-28T12:37:00.013-04:00

I love being a dad. I mean, I absolutely love it. Granted, there are a few parts of parenting that aren’t much fun. When your child is very young, you have to do terribly nasty things like change poopy diapers. (I never imagined that I would ever use the word “poopy” in a blog post…I feel strangely proud.) There are nights when you’re required to get up in the middle of the night to clean up after an upset stomach finds relief…not fun. Neither is it enjoyable to deal with the drama that often follows when you tell a four-year-old, “No.” Doling out discipline is torturous. I now understand what my parents meant when they said absurd things like, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.” When my dad said something like that I always wanted to knowingly nod my head and reply, “I understand. Don’t put yourself through it.” Fortunately, even as a child I had a modicum of wisdom that helped me resist the urge to say something that would surely have caused me even greater pain that I was about to endure. On top of these things, I cringe in fear when I think of the horrors that await me as a future dad of teenage girls, but I digress.

While it’s true that there are difficult, messy, and painful responsibilities that I have to tend to as a dad, the weight of those things is nothing compared to the joy that I find. Nothing this world has to offer can compare to those moments when one of my girls walks up to me and gives me a kiss, not because she wants something from me, but just because she loves me. Deep pleasure wells up inside my heart when I hear my girls laughing and giggling as they play. My soul feels warm when my girls want to cuddle with me on the sofa as the day is winding down. My life as a dad is absolutely filled with joy.

One of the greatest of these joys is when my daughters and I share our love of music. My girls love to sing and dance. In our house, it is not uncommon to be treated to an impromptu dance recital or a spontaneous vocal performance filled with songs, some of which are recognizable and others that are born out of the moment. I love to hear my girls sing. When we are driving in the car, I love to crank up one of our favorite songs and we sing together at the top of our lungs. The notes aren’t always in tune (for you American Idol fans, “That was a little pitchy, dog.”), but I don’t care. When my little girls sing, Daddy’s heart melts.

I believe that when we sing to our God and willingly lavish our love on Him He is pleased. As our Heavenly Father, His love for us knows no bounds and His heart is filled with joy when He hears his children sing. Listen to just a little of what the Bible says about singing to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16:23–25 (ESV) - Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods.

Psalm 13:6 (ESV) - I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 59:16–17 (ESV) - But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalm 95:1–3 (ESV) - Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Isaiah 5:1 (ESV) - Let me sing for my beloved my love song…

Zechariah 2:10 (ESV) - Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.

This is just a tiny sampling of literally hundreds of verses that tell us to sing to our God. Don’t let it be mere cognitive knowledge. Let it sink into your heart and put it into action. Sing to Him! Let your heart overflow with love! Don’t hold back! Don’t let anything stop you! You’re singing for an audience of one, and He doesn’t care if it’s “pitchy.” Your song of love for Him brings joy beyond measure to His heart. So, open your mouth wide, throw your shoulders back, and sing with all the intensity you can muster! Your Father will love it.

be still

2010-04-23T01:09:00.013-04:00

Have you ever had one of those crazy days where it just seems like life goes haywire? Have you ever had one of those days where you just didn’t know if you could handle all the stress, all the uncertainty, or all the pain? Have you ever had one of those days where no matter how hard you struggled you just seemed to sink deeper into the quagmire? Maybe that day turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years and you’re still fighting.

We try so hard to fix ourselves and to manage our circumstances. It's the American way. That's why we love John Wayne, Rambo, and Wyatt Earp so much. (I'm pretty sure I've never used those names in the same sentence before.) We live with a suicidal love affair with self reliance. We subsist in the illusion of control, when we really have no control over anything that really matters. You've probably witnessed the illusion of control evaporate in a person's life after a single conversation with a doctor who says the dreaded "c" word - cancer. Or maybe the illusion of control was shattered by a financial disaster. Or maybe it was destroyed by the death of a loved one. However it happened, if you have lived on the face of this earth for very long, it has happened. And yet, we continue in our insistence that we are self-sufficient. We say things like:

"I don't need anybody else."
"I can handle it."
"I just need to try harder."
"I'll just pick myself up by the bootstraps and move on."

If that paints a picture of where you find yourself today, I think the Lord has something to say to you. Stop. Stop trying to fix things in your own strength and wisdom. Stop worrying about things that are out of your control. Stop struggling so hard to find freedom. Stop tying yourself up in knots wondering if He could possibly still love you after you've let Him down for the umpteenth time. Stop living in fear of the unknown, or of failure, or of being alone, or of being unloved and unwanted. Stop trying to earn His affections. Stop working so hard to change your heart...you can't.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Slow down. Quiet your heart. Know that He is God. Believe that He is more than powerful enough to take care of you and those whom you love. When the disciples were afraid for their lives in the midst of a storm, Jesus simply said, "Be still," and the wind and the waves obeyed Him. He calmed the tempest in an instant and at any moment He can silence the storm in your life. If He hasn't silenced the storm, then maybe He's trying to teach you something through it. Maybe He's trying to develop something eternal through temporary circumstances. Maybe He's been trying to talk to you, but you've been so busy "fighting the good fight" that you haven't heard a thing He's been saying. Slow down enough to hear the voice of your Creator and trust Him. He knows where you are, He knows what He’s doing, He loves you, and He is God. That, my friend, is a powerful combination.

three dark days

2010-04-01T22:59:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought about how the disciples must have felt during the three days and three nights when Jesus’ lifeless body was lying in a cold, dark tomb guarded by Roman soldiers? All of their dreams for a better future had been tied to this man and now he was dead…and so were their dreams. All the talk about who would be the greatest in the kingdom seemed silly now. All the miracles that had been performed seemed pointless. All the hope was now hollow. The joy of knowing Jesus had evaporated. Jesus had told them repeatedly that he was going to rise from the dead on the third day, but they never understood it. Perhaps it was because they were so busy denying that he would die in the first place. Regardless, they lived a grim existence devoid of hope for three days and three nights.

Like the disciples, you may find yourself in a place filled with darkness and despair. Maybe it was a conversation with your doctor and the news was not good. Maybe the one person you thought you could trust has thrust the knife of betrayal deep into your back and twisted it for good measure. Maybe your facing a mountain of financial problems so large that it seems an exercise in futility to attempt to scale it. Maybe death has come knocking at your door leaving a house that is all too quiet and left you wondering why you didn't say all the things you wanted to say. Your joy may have vanished like a morning fog that’s been burned away by the midday sun. Depression and anxiety may have descended upon you like a dark, foreboding cloud. Like the disciples, it may seem that any expectation for a brighter tomorrow has melted away and evaporated like an ice cube on the sidewalk on a sweltering summer day.

The good news is that the disciples' story didn't end there. The three days of pain, disillusionment, and confusion that the disciples endured must have seemed like an eternity…but then came Sunday. Jesus came back to life and so did their joy, their hope, and their future. Even when we walk through the valley of despair, hope is still alive because Jesus is alive. No matter what sorrows may befall us in this life, we gain strength knowing that it is only temporary and we are not forsaken. Hold on to Jesus. He will not leave you alone.

death and taxes

2010-03-18T15:44:00.001-04:00

“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” We have all heard the famous saying penned by Benjamin Franklin. It speaks to us of the uncertainties of life and the inevitability of change. If you’ve spent much time on this terrestrial sphere, you have come to realize that there isn’t much that a person can count on. We can make plans, but there’s no guarantee that any of them will ever come to pass. We all know people whose plans for life were cut short by illness, tragedy, or financial calamity. Truly, there are very few things in life we can count on. Life is fluid. It’s like a river that is forced to twist and turn as it makes its way toward the ocean. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring or how the events of tomorrow will affect our plans for the future. It can be a little unsettling to ponder this reality. What do we do when we realize that our lives are riddled with uncertainty? Where can we find a foundation solid enough to carry us through the uncertainties of this world?

For the follower of Christ, there are some things that we can count on. There are truths that serve as a warm blanket for the soul. They bring comfort and peace even in the midst of turmoil and ambiguity. They supply a foundation that’s strong enough to hold in the fiercest tempest. They provide courage in the face of our most crushing fears. They furnish an anchor that keeps the soul steady when circumstances erupt in our lives that threaten to send us into the depths of despair. Among the many truths from scripture that we can count on, two of the most powerful are God’s grace and God’s love.

In a world of uncertainty, we can count on the truth that the grace of God is sufficient for us. When Paul was walking the face of this earth, he was afflicted with a “thorn in the flesh.” We don’t know what that thorn was, but we do know that he pleaded with God for its removal on three different occasions. God’s reply to Paul provides a principle that tutors us all. He told Paul that he wasn’t going to remove Paul’s thorn in the flesh for some very specific reasons. That must have been disheartening for Paul to hear that, but the Lord also added a word of encouragement when He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). When life becomes particularly grueling, it is in that moment that we comprehend the true depths of our weakness. For the follower of Christ, it is also in that moment that we begin to grasp how unfathomable His grace and His strength are.

Another truth we can count on is that He loves us. If you’re like me, there are many times in life that you feel unlovable. It’s easy for me to believe that God will love some future version of me, but how could He love me now? I am constantly being wooed by the things of this world and my heart so easily wanders from the God I love. How could he still love someone like me? The answer to that was revealed to me after my first daughter was born. Any parent will tell you that the early years of a child’s life are filled with some pretty nasty stuff. Changing diapers is a horrible, horrible job. However, I never told my little girl that I would only love her after she figured out how to use the toilet. I loved her regardless of the mess and worked to help her mature. That’s the way the Father is with us. He loves us the way we are, but loves us too much to leave us wallowing in our own mess.

When my girls were learning how to walk, they constantly fell down. I didn’t respond to that with anger. In fact, I barely noticed it when they tumbled. I was too busy rejoicing over the steps they had taken to be upset with the fact that they had fallen. So it is with our heavenly Father. As we learn to walk with Him, we will stumble and fall. It is at that point that many of us believe that He is angry with us and couldn’t possibly love us anymore. He’s not angry. He picks us up, dusts us off, and says, “You were walking! Let’s try it again!” He longs for us to grow up and learn to keep in step with the Spirit, but when we fall his love doesn’t change in the slightest. When we fall He rejoices over the steps we’ve taken in the right direction and goes to work to help us with our next steps.

When you need a rock upon which to stand, remember God’s grace and His love, and find the strength and peace of God that sustains the human soul. These things you can count on.

avoiding god

2010-02-25T10:02:00.005-05:00

I was recently reading Francis Chan's book "Forgotten God" about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. At one point he asks a question that I think is both intriguing and in some ways frightening. Essentially he asks, "When was the last time you undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around you?" That's a question every follower of Christ should be asking themselves. Ask yourself that question. If you've recently witnessed the undeniable work of the Spirit in you or around you, then pause for a few minutes to give thanks to God for the opportunity to witness the supernatural at work in our natural world and for His active work in your life.

If that question brings you to the realization that it’s been a while since you’ve witnessed the Holy Spirit irrefutably working in or around you, then it’s time to ask yourself, “Why?” Could it be that you’ve heard Him ask you to do something that carried with it the risk of looking foolish, so you decided to ignore His prompting and convinced yourself that it wasn’t God speaking to you? Could it be that your life is filled with so much activity that the voice of the Spirit can’t be heard above the din? Could it be that you’re harboring something in your heart that you’ve been unwilling to yield to the lordship of Christ, so you’ve been avoiding His presence in order to sidestep dealing with it?

Whatever the reason, we all need to remember that the Father loves us and He is working in our lives with an eternal perspective. We tend to lose sight of eternity and live as if this life is all there is. When we lose the perspective that this life is temporary, then we begin to live in fear and we end up giving our lives to things that are ultimately meaningless. We all need to slow down and take time to listen to God. We can trust Him to work in our lives for our good…even if it frightens us.

insatiable

2010-02-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

I have always loved tacos. Now, when I say that I loved tacos, what I really mean is that I had an absolutely insatiable appetite for tacos. Whenever our family had tacos for dinner, I would invariably be the last one at the table and I would eat and eat and eat until there was nothing left to eat. My parents would just look at me and sadly shake their heads. To this day, my dad will chuckle and ask me if I can still eat my weight in tacos. The answer is: Yes, I can…but I don’t like to show off.

I’m wondering about our appetite for God. Are we insatiable, or are we too easily satisfied in our relationship with Him? My fear is that many of us get just enough of Jesus to inoculate us from Him. Someone once said that you have as much of God right now as you really want. He’s not holding out on you. If your relationship with Him isn’t what it should be, could it be because you’ve turned your attention elsewhere and you really don’t want more of Him? May God awaken an insatiable desire for Him in our hearts.

love

2010-02-14T00:02:00.001-05:00

It’s Valentine’s Day! Men, if you’ve forgotten that today is Valentine’s Day…it’s too late…no one can help you now. Seriously, though, today is a day we set aside each year to celebrate love. It’s healthy for us to pause and reflect on the depth of love that we have for those around us because it’s terribly easy for us to begin to take them for granted. It’s easy to forget the qualities that attracted you to your spouse and begin to focus on all the “defects” you’ve discovered since they stopped courting you. It’s easy to forget the wonder of God’s creative power when our children have stepped on our last nerve. Maybe we need to slow down and remember how much we love those whom God has placed in our lives.

Maybe we need to slow down and remember the Father’s love for us, too. If we begin to take for granted the love of those we see, how much easier is it for us to take for granted the love of an invisible God? Today, as you celebrate the love you have in your life, don’t forget to take time to remember the One who showed us what love is. Give Him your best love today. You won’t regret it.

read this!

2009-09-29T13:55:00.000-04:00

It has been a crazy, crazy summer. My family and I have relocated to Georgetown, South Carolina, and we love it! We miss all of our dear friends in Reno, but we are certain that we're in God's will for our lives. In all of the business, I haven't had a chance to post anything, but I hope to get settled back into the groove of things soon.

In the meantime, Perry Noble nailed it in his blog about 14 Things That Jesus Did Not Say. You've got to read it and tell me what you think.

just drive

2009-05-07T19:07:00.000-04:00

I was driving in my car the other day and my three-year-old daughter, Abby, was with me. We had been in the car for quite a while and I knew we would be picking up my older daughter from school soon, so I thought it would be a good idea to make sure that Abby didn't need a potty break. So, I asked, "Abby, do you need to go potty?" She didn't answer, so I asked again only this time a little more forcefully, "Abby, do you need to go potty?" Again...no answer. This pattern of asking and ignoring went on for a while until Abby finally couldn't stand it anymore. She barely looked up from the toy that had captured her attention and with a certain level of disgust said, "Just drive!"

After I stopped laughing, I began to think about that scenario. I realized that there are many, many times that I don't know what God is up to and I'm full of questions. I begin to storm heaven with a barrage questions: "What are you doing? Why is this happening? How are you going to fix this? Why won't you answer me?"

I think there are times when God looks at me and, like Abby, says, "Just drive!" He tells me to stop worrying about the mysteries of life, the timing of His will, and all my questions about the future, and says, "Just keep moving forward with what I've placed in front of you."

I'm learning how to learn to trust Him with all the uncertainties and unanswered questions of life. The key is to walk in obedience to the things I do know, and stop wasting my time and energy on the things I don't. I have a lot of questions about certain things in my life right now, but instead of worrying about those things, I think I'll just drive.

dying to live

2009-04-27T18:13:00.000-04:00

I recently read The Fine Line by Kary Oberbrunner. In the latter portions of the book, Oberbrunner describes some of the trials that a friend of his, Mark Palmer, went through as he gave his life radically to Christ and His kingdom. Mark's story moved me deeply as I read about his gut-wrenching losses and physical battles that eventually claimed his life. In the last chapter of the book, Oberbrunner shared a journal entry posted by Mark. This journal entry touched me deeply and I want to share it with you:

Wednesday, February, 19th, 2003 11:07am
A long while ago my friend Joe Boyd from Vegas posted this on his journal, and I then posted it on mine. I rediscovered it in my paper journal last night, and it deserves a reposting. It continues to be an encouragement to me when I get beat up for doing what God has called me to do.
Expect pain.
Expect to be misunderstood.
Expect to be persecuted and expect it to come first from those who follow Jesus.
Expect to be maligned, attacked, and ridiculed from all sides.
Expect to grow tired and weary.
Expect to want to give up.
Expect to lose many old friends. Expect to lose all of your friends where the "church" is the central reason for your friendship. Only your deep and Christ-centered friendships wil endure.
Expect to be labeled (a freak, a hippie, a cult leader, a quitter, a fraud, an idealist, a purist, a heretic, a divider, a communist, a jerk, an egomaniac, a devil worshiper). Yes, I've been called them all to my face.
Expect to weep...deeper and stronger than you ever have.
Expect to doubt your calling, your convictions, your path, your faith, and your life.
Expect to be lonely.
Expect to be seen as utterly unsuccessful.
Expect to die...nothing will be left of you. You will cease to exist. The last things in you to die will be your desire to be great for God and your desire to be happy. And then, you will finally...
Live. Expect life. Expect meaning. Expect to finally understand the prophets and apostles. Expect to know Jesus and his life...for that is all that you will have...and that is all that you need.

When I read that, I realized that not everything inside of me that needs to die is dead. There's still too much "me" in me. There's too much in me that wants to be great. There's too much in me that wants credit for the good things that happen (although I don't seem to want the blame for the bad things). There's too much in me that clings to safety and security. There's too much in me that wants "the good life" (whatever that is). I want to know the life that comes through dying to myself. I want learn to let go of all the temporary things to which I cling. I want to experience His life and find that it is truly all I need. Jesus, help me...change my heart.

mad at god

2009-04-21T15:28:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing you can count on in this life it's that kids will always say what's on their mind. I can't help but wonder why that always happens in a public place when they're commenting about someone they see. For example, when you're standing in line at the grocery store and someone has some type of visible difference, your child will inevitably ask about it...loudly and repeatedly. "Why does that man only have one leg?" "How come that lady has such a big nose?" "Why does that person stink?" "Why does that lady have so many pimples?"

My response to my children usually consists of something like, "I can't believe you said that! Wait until your parents hear about this!" To which, my children normally respond with looks of utter confusion as they fight to hold their heads upright in a futile attempt to avoid whiplash as I whisk them away to another line.

The honesty of children is both beautiful and horrifying. The transparency is beautiful because they share what they are thinking or feeling without fear of rejection, and yet it is horrifying because that kind of transparency can be painful. Pondering the honesty of children makes me think of a story about my oldest nephew, Daniel. When Daniel was only 4 or 5 years old, he was riding in the car with his mom, Debbie. As they were tooling along, Daniel, seemingly out of nowhere, piped up and announced, "I'm mad at God."

Most parents would respond with understandable horror and say something like, "Child! Watch what you say! If God wasn't so merciful you'd be nothing more than a spot on your car seat right now! Now you repent before God kills you!" Fortunately, Debbie was a lot smoother than that. She just played along to see where this conversation would go. She said, "Daniel, why are you mad at God?"

Daniel, with no small measure of irritation, replied, "'Cuz He took my sins away and I wanted to keep them!"

That story still makes me chuckle nearly twenty years later, but then I'm forced to admit that I am a lot like Daniel. There are things inside of me from which I claim to want freedom - sins of anger, sins of unforgiveness, sins of selfishness, sins of pride and arrogance, sins of idolatry (where I want God's stuff more than I want Him). It's all there and I consistently make the claim that I want to be free from those things. But when push comes to shove, when God tries to work on those areas, when He tries to bring the freedom that I claim to want so badly, it's really easy to say, "No thanks. I think I want to keep that one."

I don't think I'm alone. I think most of us have a few things that we're either afraid to surrender or we are simply too stubborn to let go. Maybe it's time to stop getting mad at God for trying to heal us and let Him kill those things in our lives that are killing us. It's just a thought.

hope

2009-04-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

I love Peter. The reason I like Peter so much is that when I read about him in the New Testament I am greatly encouraged. Here's what I mean: Peter was a brash, arrogant, loud-mouthed, impetuous man who has a hard time figuring out what it means to follow Christ. I know some would say, "Ah, but wasn't it Peter who said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God?" That's true, but even then he didn't really get it. Immediately following Peter's amazing revelation, Jesus took his disciples aside and began telling them about his impending death and resurrection. Peter takes it upon himself to pull Jesus aside and say, "Jesus, let me help you out here. I think I need to correct your theology. You're the Messiah. You're not going to die. You need to stop saying that." In response, Jesus looks at this man who had received an amazing revelation from God concerning Jesus' true identity, and calls him the devil...I feel much better about myself now, thank you.

The thing about Peter is that there were things inside of him that either he couldn't see or he didn't want to see (maybe both). For example, just before Jesus' arrest and subsequent crucifixion, Peter made a bold promise to Jesus. He said, "Jesus, I don't know about all these other losers, but I promise you that I'll follow you all the way to death! You can count on me, Jesus!" Jesus looked at Peter and said, "Peter, you're not even going to make it through the night. You'll deny that you know me three times before this night is over." And Peter, in his arrogance, argued with Jesus, "No. I know you're the Messiah and all, but you've got this one wrong. I'll die for you!"

Fast forward a few hours. Jesus has now been arrested and is in the process of being railroaded by the religious rulers of the day, and one by one, three people recognize Peter as one of His followers. Fearing for his own life, Peter did exactly what Jesus said he would do...he denied Jesus three times before the night was over.This man, who had boasted about his unending loyalty to Jesus, was forced to face the reality that there was something very dark and cowardly inside of him. It was an excruciatingly painful moment. He ran out and wept in the bitter realization that he wasn't who he thought he was.

I've been there. I've been in that place where I was forced to recognize something hideous in my heart that I vigorously denied existed and desperately wanted to ignore. There have been many moments where I have been forced to face my prejudices, my unforgiveness, my arrogance, my stubbornness, and my idolatry. I have been forced to face the reality that I was not who I thought I was. In those moments, my response has been much like Peter's - great sorrow and despair. I've lived in that moment of unbelievable shame at what I had just done. I've walked through the valley where I was certain there was no way God could love me. Peter was there. I've been there. You probably have been, too.

The beautiful thing about Peter's story is that it didn't end there. In the midst of his sorrow and shame, Jesus still loved Peter. In fact, He completely restored His relationship with him after the resurrection. He wasn't caught off guard by Peter's shortcomings, and He isn't surprised by mine. Jesus didn't wait for Peter to get his act together before he loved him and that gives me great hope. I know there are still blind spots in my life where I think I have it all together, but the reality is something very different. One of my prayers is for courage...courage to face the things inside of me that I don't want to know about. It may be painful, but it's the only way to find real freedom.

haunted by confusion

2009-04-06T17:56:00.000-04:00

I was reading earlier today from the Gospel of John about the day that Jesus entered into Jerusalem right before he was killed. In verse sixteen of chapter twelve, the author says something that really caught my attention. He writes, "His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him." In other words, the people closest to Jesus didn't really get what was going on until it was all over and they had the chance to reflect on what had happened. These men and women were completely blind to what God was doing through the events that played out that week in Jerusalem. They had preconceived notions about what Jesus was up to and as a result they were haunted by confusion when things didn't play out the way they thought they should.

The week started out to be everything they dreamed of and more. Jesus was being hailed as the "King of Israel." This fit into their ideas about who Jesus was and what He was trying to accomplish. They assumed that He was going to liberate Israel from a cruel and oppressive oppressor (Rome). They assumed that Jesus was going to restore Israel as a world power. Naturally, they also assumed that when Jesus accomplished this, they would be the leaders of His new government. After all, they were in His inner circle. No doubt they looked forward to their positions of power and authority. I can't help but believe that they may have had thoughts of how Rome would rue the day they tried to conquer God's chosen people! I know I would have.

Then, circumstances changed dramatically. Jesus was arrested, illegally tried, mercilessly beaten, and killed using one of the cruelest forms of execution ever devised by men - crucifixion. Suddenly, a future that seemed bright and hopeful turned dark and fearsome. Their dreams of power and authority evaporated as they watched the man who had the power to raise people from the dead breathe his final breath. All their imaginings of a future where they were people of power melted away like an ice cube thrown to the pavement on a sweltering summer day. They had trusted this man with their future and now He was gone. Nothing made sense any more. Confusion reigned. I can't even begin to imagine the cloud of despair that must have descended upon the disciples that week. They didn't understand what God was up to...and they wouldn't until they had the opportunity to look at the events of that week in retrospect.

I'm just like the disciples. I have predetermined ideas about how my life should be and how my future should play out. When my predefined vision of my preferred future doesn't match the reality of my life, I easily become overwhelmed with uncertainty, turmoil, and a sense of bewilderment. In those moments, I find it completely mystifying that God wouldn't use my immense talent and intellect to it's fullest (that last line should be read with as much sarcasm as the reader can muster). The truth is, when things go badly in my life I usually can't see what God is trying to do until after I've walked through the dark valley. Even then, it often seems confusing and is beyond my ability to comprehend.

I'm trying to learn to simply walk with Jesus and trust that He sees a picture of the future that is much bigger than anything I can fathom. I'm trying to learn to trust that He knows what He is doing even when it doesn't make any sense to me. I'm trying to live in the knowledge that His plan is more important then my comfort. I'm trying to learn how to be at peace with the reality that the world does not revolve around me and my desires. God is working to accomplish something that is much bigger than my tiny, insignificant intellect can grasp, and if the fulfillment of that plan requires a measure of pain and heartache for me, so be it. God help me to learn to live like that.

join me in this journey

2009-03-30T01:14:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official...I'm a blogger. After much consideration I've finally decided that, for better or for worse, I want to put my words in cyberspace. I don't know if anyone will want to read the words I write, or if anyone will care about anything I say, nevertheless, here I am. I'm not starting this lightly or without a purpose. I have some hopes for this whole adventure. As I pour myself into words, I hope to make you think. I hope to make you laugh. I hope to shed a few tears together. I hope to help you see the wonder of an ordinary day in God's extraordinary creation. I hope to help you see the portraits God has painted of Himself all over creation if we'll just take the time to look. I hope to discover with you the joys of an average life lived with Christ at the center. I hope to challenge the masks that we all love to wear (especially the religious ones) that prevent us from becoming everything that God intended us to become. I hope that you will find at least a little strength during the dark times in life that inevitably descend on each of us. I hope to challenge your assumptions about life, about spirituality, and especially about God. I hope that in sharing myself with you that you will be encouraged and maybe even inspired. I hope that God reveals Himself through the simple musings of a very ordinary man.

I make no promises about the quality of my writing and wouldn't be foolhardy enough to expect that everyone will agree with what I have to say (what a boring world that would be). But what I do promise is that what I write will be authentic...no masks, no pretense, just me. I will exert great effort to be "real" without being "real religious." I promise to be honest even if that honesty, at times, may offend. I will not pretend that I have all the answers. In fact, if you ever meet anyone who claims to know all the answers, my advice is to run away as fast as you can! I don't have God figured out. He is wonderful, fearful, and mysterious. Any God that I could figure out in my minuscule 45 years of existence truly isn't worthy of my worship. A God like that would be far too small to trust with my life. I believe that God is real and He is much bigger than most of us give Him credit for. The longer I live the more I realize how little I really know, how small I really am, and how big He really is. I have no idea where this little "experiment" will go, but I'm inviting you to join me on this journey toward Jesus.