Wash me please!

I love my car. It runs great, looks great, and feels great while I'm driving it but I must admit that I occasionally get so busy that I forget to wash it. Better yet, I don't necessarily forget to wash it, I simply relegate it to the bottom of my to-do list. Never mind the fact that I enjoy how it feels to have it clean. Never mind the fact that I can't reasonably expect to be blessed with a better vehicle if I can't demonstrate that I am grateful and responsible with this one. I lose sight of the benefit of having my car clean because I refuse to take a moment to make a minor adjustment to correct it.

You may be wondering what in the world me getting my car washed has to do with new life in Christ...wait for it...(here goes) How often have you forgotten how important it is to wash your thoughts with the water of the Word (i.e. read the Bible)? Better yet, how often have you gotten so busy that you relegate reading the Bible to the bottom of your to-do list? (Even below washing your hair, doing your laundry, and bleaching your toilet which have no eternal value but are a blessing nonetheless) I encourage you to take some time today to jump into the written Word of God and allow it to wash the doubt, fear, depression and anxiety from your mind. I'm looking forward to enjoying my weekend riding in my freshly washed car but that is nothing compared to the joy that you and I can experience with a freshly washed mind. Not only can I notice a difference in my car but others can easily notice a difference as well. Much in the same way, the more you and I allow the Word of God to wash our minds we'll notice a difference in our outlook that will be clearly seen by those we encounter on a daily basis. This weekend take a moment to wash your mind with the Word and see if you don't enjoy the ride of your life a little more as a result.

Technical Difficulties

The screen goes blank. The program won't start. The video won't upload. What in the world is going on? You, my friend, are experiencing technical difficulties which is always a possibility when working with technology. You may avoid some issues. You may enjoy times where things run smoothly but there will be times where things just don't work. I experienced this over the course of this past weekend. I intended to spend an evening productively editing videos and BANG!!! I ran right into a ditch full of technical difficulties. First, my computer wouldn't read the disc. Second, an "update" took 8 hours only to freeze my computer until I allowed it to revert back to how is was before.Third, I ran into some challenges while attempting to upload this week's motivation at www.youtube.com/jessjenn3 (PLUG! PLUG!). As I reflected on the recent happenings I realized that this is always a possibility when walking through life. Not just my life...life in general because all of us will encounter moments where things just don't seem to be working the way we would like. Seemingly out of nowhere we all can run into a series of technical difficulties and these experiences, while inconvenient and often frustrating, are all a part of this journey called life.
Sure, your difficulties may be different than mine but I'm sure you've encountered some through out your life. Perhaps a relationship ended. That's difficult. Maybe a employer let you go or refused to let you on. That's difficult. Maybe a goal fell through, a loved one passed away, or your car is falling apart. These situations can be difficult to face because many times they happen when you don't expect them to and you're faced with a decision to either get angry and bitter because of the difficulty, or to allow the difficult circumstance to make you better. I have chosen to step back and develop a strategy of how I can overcome the recent difficulties that I have come across and I challenge you to do the same. Whether it is grief, loss, discouragement, disappointment, worry, fear, anger, or doubt that's trying to take root in your heart as a result of your "technical difficulties", develop a biblical plan to address the situation. I say biblical because I want to be sure that it will work for you. Then begin to confess that your present difficulty is not your final destination...as the television stations used to say, "Please stand by, we are experiencing technical difficulties." The reason they say to stand by is because they expect the situation to change so you don't need to change the station, you just need to patiently stand by to see a change in the situation.

Face it...they don't fit!

Today was another casual Friday in many work places. With such being the case I wonder how many other people had to face the same challenge that I did this morning as I prepared for my day. Let me first say that I love casual Fridays. Not only because they happen to occur on Fridays (which is amazing by itself) but because I have an opportunity to dress casually in the work place. All of a sudden I have a chance to wear jeans when I otherwise may have worn a suit and pair of converse when I would have worn loafers. T.G.I.F. indeed! Today, however, was a different story.

As I began to prepare my clothes this morning I recognized an alarming fact...all of a sudden only one pair of my jeans fit; and the one pair that fit wasn't an option because they were dirty from a trip last week(a man has to have standards). So I had run into a common dilemma...what do you do with the things that no longer fit you? Sure I could try to force it and tear something up in the process. I could act like they fit and look foolish while limiting my mobility. I could lie down, roll on the floor and hold my breath in hopes that somehow the fact that I have out grown them would change but the truth of the matter was that what once was a perfect fit for me just doesn't fit anymore.

I believe that this is similar to what we all experience as we continue to press in our new life in Christ. As we mature and develop in the faith there will be habits, relationships and perhaps even careers and social circles that no longer fit what God is doing in our lives. When we begin to have this awareness many times we'll try to force ourselves to act like the old friendship fits us like it did when we were in school. We'll try to act like the old habits fit us and look foolish while limiting our mobility in the process. Or maybe we'll try to passively lie down and hold our breath as though this will change the fact that those friends, habits, etc. just don't fit who we have become. If we are truly walking with Christ than change will become a normal part of our lives because each day God is helping us to reflect Him more and more. Don't despise the changes because they're simply an indication that you are truly embracing the new life you have received in Christ. So the next time you feel pressured to try to fit into something God has allowed you to grow out of remember my pants! Instead of forcing it or looking foolish today I decided to wear a pair of pants that actually fit who I am now and I believe that those who I encounter today will be a lot better off as a result. This was the case with my clothes and I bet this is also the case in your circumstance. Who, what and where have you out grown???? Face the fact that it no longer fits!

What do you want them to see?

As I think about serving in ministry and trying to reflect Christ I'm often forced to consider the question, "Who do you want to be seen?" Do you want people to see you or do you want people to see Christ? Do you want people to see how "great" you are or how great God is? I wonder who and what you want people to see as you pursue your goals? I believe that as Christians living the new life that God has given us we could all benefit from living as though we're something similar to crossing guards pointing people toward God. Now, I realize that this is not always a celebrated role but it is extremely significant. I don't know about you but I can't easily remember many of the faces of the crossing guards that I have seen through out the course of my life but that's alright because their faces were not nearly as important as their function. They were not there to become celebrities, they were there to keep me safe. They were not there to get personal glory, they were there to provide guidance and they were willing to stand through the snow & rain so that those who were in route toward their destiny could be protected from danger. Such should be the case with us as well. Let us not forget that God's ultimate purpose for our lives in not that people see us as a larger than life figure but rather that we function as an effective tool in leading others to faith in Him.

The Gospel According to My Mac (Pt. 2)

I'm truly enjoying learning the in's and out's of using my Mac to update the blog and study for sermons. The transition has been quite a bit smoother than I thought it would be and this process has prompted me to share a second part to "The Gospel According to My Mac". If I may be completely honest, I must say that I had been thinking about buying a Mac for at least a year or so before I actually made the step in that direction. I had heard that they were great and that they're the industry standard for video editing & graphic design so I was more than curious about how it could be a blessing for me as well. While considered the benefits of moving toward a Mac I would consistently run into the same question rolling through my mind, "What if I can't work it as well as I can use the PC I've been used to all my life." This is probably the same question that has crossed the minds of many people who have not yet turned their lives over to Christ as God has been prompting them to make the change. You may wonder..."What if I accept Christ and mess up? What if I accept Christ and don't really understand the Bible? What if I accept Christ and don't know about all of the traditions & cultural elements of Church?" What if? What if? What if? My Mac would tell you that you're over thinking the transition. The designer has already thought about you and the challenges you would face as you make the switch so there are elements in place to guide you as you make the change. Much in the same way, when you give your life over to Christ you're not in it by yourself, God has already designed a system in which you receive the Holy Spirit to help you as you learn how to live your "new life". When you look back you'll wish that you had made the change as soon as you had been prompted to do so because the joy of what you have received will far outweigh the changes that you'll experience through the transition process.

While there were several thoughts and questions that were encouraging me to postpone my decision to make the change, there was one major factor that made me want to try and see if Mac was what I had been looking for. ALL of the Mac users consistently and convincingly shared that they were so glad that they had switched that they would never go back. This understanding has been so prevalent that even my Dad (who is not a Mac user) told me "Once you go Mac you never go back." Once you make the change, once you endure the transition, once you rise above the challenges that stand in your way you will never go back to what you were used to before. This mimics the way in which Christ transforms our lives. Once we receive Christ, once we receive the grace of God and move on toward our destiny we will never be the same. While many of the Christians you've seen may not as zealous as the Mac users you've seen, let me tell you that as great as Macs are, Christ is greater and if you have not accepted Him as the Lord of your life because you're afraid of the changes you'll see let me tell you that it would be the best decision you could ever make and once you experience new life through Him you won't look back.