It's Still There...

Remember when you were young and you knew that you would be in trouble when your parents got home? Perhaps you did something you shouldn't have at school. Maybe you broke something playing in the house or maybe you were playing outside when they told you not to and a neighbor thought they would bless your parents with this information. Remember how you felt as you anxiously awaited your parents arrival? I would venture to say that many Christians know this feeling quite well, because it's the same feeling we get when we think about God or the return of Christ. Why? Because we're painfully aware that the verse that says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" rings true in our own experiences.

We know we've not been perfect and that scares us when we consider that we have to stand before a perfect God. God is pure, we are not. God is holy, we have hangups. God is righteous and we feel wretched. What can we do but feel anxious? I would like to suggest that there's a better way. We can remember that we have sinned but place it next to the fact that God's love is still there.

It's Still There.

Psalm 100:5 tells us, "For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." (New Living Translation)

Even though we're imperfect, even though we're broken, even though we disappoint ourselves and feel as though we've disappointed God we can rest assured that God's love is still there. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39) so don't allow anxiety to grip your heart. God knows everything about you and love is still there. He knows every mistake you've made, every promise you've broken, every missed step & missed mark and yet, love is still there. 

Never forget that. Granted, there may be work that needs to be done to carry you out of where you are and into where God has always wanted you to be but it will not be conducted by a spiteful superior...God will lovingly walk you through. He still has plans for you. He still has a perfect plan for your life. He has an undying love for you that began long before you did anything right or wrong.

Rest in the love of God because, believe it or not, it's still there.

**Have you ever felt unlovable? How did you snap out of it?

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Fix Your Focus

Have you ever been in a season when all you wanted to do was just lay in the bed and sleep your life away? This can be a challenge because in moments like those, if you're anything like me, you can't really sleep that well but it just seems better to lay there anyway. If you're dealing with that type of experience right now, I know how you feel.

When you're feeling pressed down by a discouraging present you probably aren't doing much thinking about the possibilities of the future. How could you? Your present requires so much attention, right? Perhaps, but over the last few days I've discovered that it helps to fix your focus beyond your present circumstances. It doesn't matter how distressing the difficulty if you can keep your focus fixed on your destiny, but if your focus is broken it multiplies the impact of the problem. All of a sudden a challenge becomes a catastrophe because now you are unable to see beyond it. The mole hill has officially become a mountain and you can't imagine ever being able to climb over it.

Fix your focus!

When things have gone terribly wrong it can shock you for a moment but it would be in your best interest to preserve your focus. Keep your mind focused on higher things than what has happened. What can you be grateful for? What can you learn? What can you concentrate on instead of your present? In other words, how can you get a vision again? The Bible shares that "Without a vision the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) and if you feel as though your life, your year, or your passion is passing away you may need a fresh dose of vision.

As I scanned my life to consider what I would do if I could do anything with the rest of my life, instead of feeling down about my present or past, I mumbled within that I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. That sounded like a glimpse of vision to me, so guess what I did? I bought my very first guitar yesterday and have spent 6 or more hours playing it along with tutorials...and that's just after 1 day! Am I a pro? Not yet, but am I still slouching around thinking "Woe is me?" Absolutely not. What changed? Did God fast-forward past my problems? No. I fixed my focus. I stopped looking back, and even stopped looking around me, so that I could start looking forward.

How can you do the same?

If you've been discouraged or depressed lately, fix your focus. Get a renewed vision for your life and for the possibilities of your future. You just might see that there are brighter days beyond your present problems. Keep pressing forward and when it's tough to do so, give yourself a vision to shoot for and watch your mind & spirit begin to rise up and reach beyond where you are.  

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Thinking Like a Champion

The Olympics has come and gone and once again we are forced to find our inspiration elsewhere. The stories behind the athletes were incredible and it didn't take long to be inspired by their perseverance and dedication to excellence. I'm sure no one was on the field or in the pool practicing. They did not go to London to experiment. They went to repeat what they had done in preparation. They planned to succeed.

Plan

Are you thinking like a champion? Have you planned to succeed in your business? Do you have a training program in place to direct your team members toward excellence and an evaluation process that will either elevate or terminate them based on their performance? Do you have any idea where your industry is heading in the next 5-10 years and have you developed a strategy to ensure that your company is positioned to be there excelling and not just existing?

It has been said time and time again that people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. So why don't more people plan? I believe it's because there are so many things to do on a daily basis that most of their time is used putting out small fires so when the week is over they look up and just want to rest. There's no time to plan...or so they think. If you don't make time to plan you can bet that your time is not being used wisely because you aren't sure that what you are doing is going to get you where you desire to be. Write a plan, you'll be glad you did.

Persevere

The action of writing out a plan can relieve tension in and of itself but that is only the beginning of the process of becoming a champion in your industry. After you have a plan you must roll up your sleeves and carry it out. It does no good to know what to do if you are not willing to actually do it. You must be prepared to wake up every day and do something that will push you toward one of the benchmarks in your plan. Break your plan down into manageable steps and then start taking them.

As you slowly begin to move forward you will gain momentum which will encourage you to keep going. You'll be well on your way to champion status. This is not always easy but it is definitely effective. This can be seen in the fact that the Olympics has levels that a person has to compete on before they arrive in the "big leagues." When you get there, chances are that you're ready. Much in the same way, persevering through the steps necessary to get where you desire to be financially (through writing a budget, cutting expenses/ liabilities, increasing income/assets) or professionally (through increasing your knowledge, improving your performance and providing the highest quality of service) will ensure that you will be ready to manage life on that level when you get there. You'll be ready for the podium. You'll be positioned to go for the gold in a way that you would not have been had you gotten there over night.

Don't give up. Keep going! Write your plan and then persevere through the process because any champion will tell you that getting there wasn't easy but it was unbelievably worth it. Think like a champion!

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The Best Kept Secret!

It's a Fact of Life.

Do you remember the old television show called The Facts of Life? One of the lines in the theme song was “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.” Well, one fact of life that you can be sure of it is that you are going to be tempted. I know you don't think so, or at least you want people to think that you're beyond that but I have discovered that it doesn’t matter how much you pray, fast, go to church or read your Bible temptation is going to knock on your door. Don’t be alarmed; you’re not the only one. A very well known young man in the Bible named Joseph had to endure tempting as he tried to be all that God was telling him that he could be (Genesis 39: 7-10).

It's not just You.

The bible tells us that the only things that tempt us are the things that commonly tempt others (1 Corinthians 10:13) so there are no new temptations out there. All of us get tempted. All of us!

It can be Overcome!

So how can we overcome these temptations? We can not prevent them from coming in and out of our minds but what we can do is make our minds hostile to temptation by filling it with God’s Word.

When Jesus was being tempted the only thing that He continued to repeat was the Word of the LORD concerning the areas of temptation. He emerged victorious and so can we. The next time temptation raises its ugly head in your mind quickly reply to it with the Word of the Lord because there's another "fact of life" which is that God’s Word never fails.

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What to do while you wait...

A few months ago I tried to complete a puzzle. I was so excited about it, I had invited a friend over and honestly thought that we would finish most of it that night…Not so…That night I learned very clearly that many things in life will require a process.

Much in the same way, the promotions that we seek don’t usually happen instantly. With such being the case we have to ask ourselves on a daily basis, “Am I willing to wait for what God has for me?” When I was working on that puzzle it sat on my living room table for about 2 weeks but where is it now? Back in the box! I wasn’t willing to wait and work patiently to see it completed.

Before you judge me and say I’m too impatient consider whether or not you're willing to work while you wait without giving up on what you want. The truth of the matter is that you might have to wait on that job, career, diploma or degree.

Are you willing to keep the faith & continue to work while you wait?

That’s a powerful question…

In the Bible Joseph (found in Genesis 41) waited a couple years before the cupbearer remembered something he had done and, in turn, referred him to Pharaoh. Are you willing to wait on something that will be a greater blessing than you’ve ever known after a while? Waiting is not always easy but I’ve learned that time goes by a lot faster when you are doing something instead of focusing on the fact that you’re still waiting.

Don’t just stand there. Work while you wait!

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Why you can believe it's possible!

Psalm 77: 11- I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles from long ago.

The word “remember” comes from two Latin words that mean to be “again-mindful”. You can’t be “mindful again” concerning something that you didn’t know before. I have to have known something before if I’m going to be mindful of it again because I can’t remember what I never knew! That’s why it’s so important to read your bible and spend some personal time getting to know the Word of the Lord because there will be times where you’ll need to remember God’s past miracles to be persuaded that He can perform one in your present circumstance!

God’s history demonstrates His credibility. When we’re extending our trust we always want to know if the one we’re trusting in is credible and trustworthy. So how do I know that God can come through for you this time? I can I be so convinced that it's still possible when I have no idea what you're going through?

I can believe that because I remember. Do you?

Remember how the Lord turned water into wine?
Remember how the Lord healed blinded eyes and weak legs?
Remember how the Lord split a sea and a river for His people to cross?
Remember how the Lord called Lazarus from the grave?

If you remember what the Lord has already done you’ll be able to convince yourself of what God is able to do.

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Dealing With Difficulties (Part 2)

Psalm 77:7

(7) ‘Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show His unfailing love again? (8) Has his promise failed for all time? (9) Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?’ (10) Then I thought, ’To this will I appeal: The years of the right hand of the Most High.’

I’ve always found it amazing that, in the middle of this psalm, the psalm writer seemed to realize that he couldn’t just sit around thinking about the negative things that were happening in his life. Perhaps he understood that if he kept thinking about the negative he would keep feeling down, so in order to get the negative things out of his mind he decided to replace them with thoughts about the Lord. There is an old proverb that says,

“Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”

Many times when we find ourselves in dark situations in life, dark situations at work, dark situations in our families we try to find someone to call and say, “It sure is dark” when what we really need to do is replace those thoughts with thoughts about the light.

Those children may be acting out of character but at least they’re healthy!

They may not pay you what you desire right now but at least you’re working!

They may have walked out of your life but at least they didn’t take you out on the way!

Instead of cursing the dark areas in your life, I dare you to light a candle of gratitude. It may not correct the problem but it will at least provide enough light for you to find your way out of it.

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Dealing with Difficulties (Part 1)

There is a tremendous difference between driving during the daytime and driving at night. During the day you can clearly see where you’re heading, others can easily take notice of you and you usually have a deeper sense of security and stability. Whereas at night you have to have lights to help you see what’s right in front of you, it’s easier for people to overlook where you are and your sense of security can be transformed into a sense of vulnerability.

Night is defined as, “the time between dusk and dawn when no light is visible”

If you would be honest I’m sure that you would admit that there have been times in your life where you seemed to be caught between sunset & sunrise and there seemed to be no light visible. It seemed as though the opposition was too strong for you. Maybe you feel that way now. This reminds me of an experience in the life of the Prophet Elisha. The enemy had them surrounded and his servant was overwhelmed. Then the Bible says something interesting in 2 Kings 6:17 where it states that, “Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Even though the situation looked bleak, the only thing that the servant needed was for his eyes to be opened. Could such also be the case with you?

The only difference in driving during the day and driving at night is the fact that at night you have to supply your own light. I pray that God would open your eyes so that you’ll see that the help you have (God) is greater than the hindrances that you face. When you understand this fact, it can give you the strength to keep the flame of faith burning through the dark days of your life and give you the ability to see through the dark.

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Hope, Healing, & The Hunger Games

A week ago a friend and I decided to check out the new movie The Hunger Games. I enjoyed the movie but walked out of the theater thinking that I was glad that this was only a fiction. I couldn't imagine living in a world that revolved around a brutal competition where there could only be one winner and everyone else loses. It would be crazy to have to always look over your shoulder not knowing who would try to take you out...come to think of it, this isn't that hard to image after all.

Hunger Games?

A few days after watching the movie I noticed an interesting article on Facebook that expressed how many of the fans of the books were upset because of the members of the cast in the movie that were black. I was blown away by the racism that dripped from their statements. You would have thought that we had been teleported back to 1965 and as I read I realized that there are real life "hunger games" taking place every day. There are people who believe that there can only be one winner and their race, group, church, or organization has to be it and they will fight to the death to gain the upper hand at any cost.

Hungry Indeed

I believe that this "dog eat dog" mentality is a symptom of a deeper problem, a hunger in our hearts for the Word of God. The Bible says that a person can keep their way pure by living according to God's Word (Psalm 119:9). Therefore, we desperately need God's Word to clear out the racisms, favoritism and selfishness in our lives. Every time these things raise their head in our hearts it's like a spiritual hunger pain telling us that we're hungry for a Word from God that can only be found in the pages of the Bible. I dare you to fill your face with God's Word as much as you do with your favorite meal and see how your heart begins to change. God's Word can provide healing to the hurtful areas in your heart unlike anything else this world can provide. The Hunger games has sold over 3 million copies in America alone. I wonder what would happen if 3 million young people began to feast on God's Word. The World would never be the same! I believe it's possible and it starts with you today.

Have Something To Eat

If you have never tried to read the Bible for yourself, I dare you to begin to make it a part of your every day routine. You don't have to start by reading entire books at a time but I dare you to begin to "snack" on the Bible each day by reading a few chapters at a time and watch your hope for the future begin to rise. I've recently started a great program called Eat This Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm, you can check it out by clicking here . This will help you begin to "Eat God's Word" (figuratively speaking), apply it to your life, and handle the hunger that you may not even have noticed was there. The great thing about it is that, unlike the movie, there can be a lot more than one winner. Odds are, most people don't read the Bible as much as I'm challenging you to but, "May the odds ever be in your favor!"

Happy Hunger Games!

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Sandwiches & Scriptures

The Sandwich

This weekend has been amazing! I have had a chance to workout, go to church, do some spring cleaning and get some extra writing completed (not in order of importance). Not only have I gotten several things accomplished that I had planned but I have also had a chance to try some things that I hadn't. For example, I didn't plan to go to the mall with a friend on Friday and try one of the best sandwiches in the WORLD. It's called a "Reuben" and it is all kinds of amazing. It is a tasty stack of cold cuts, cheese, italian dressing and sauerkraut on rye bread. Don't think it sounds good? That's alright, I didn't think so either. At first glance it didn't sound tempting but since I try to stay open to new experiences I decided to take a leap of faith and try it anyway. I'm glad I did!

The Point

What brought this sandwich to mind at the moment was a combination of factors.

1.) I'm hungry

2.) I was reading a book with some thoughts of John Wesley.

Wesley had quite a bit to say about the importance of studying the Bible and that was interesting enough, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the significance of starting and ending (or "sandwiching") our days with the scriptures. Wesley believed that when we start the day with the a study of God's Word we shape our thinking for the remainder of the day. We become more God conscious as we go throughout our daily routines because we have spent some time talking to God before our day begins.

Not only is it important to start the day with the Bible but it is just as important to end the day with the Bible because at the end of the day we are able to pause to reflect on how we handled things and how we could have been a better reflection of the image of God. When we are able to do this we can pray for forgiveness of our shortcomings and ask for strength not to make the same mistakes next time. Studying at the end of the day is like the top piece of bread that holds the sandwich together; sure one piece of bread would do but it's just better to have two isn't it?

What Now?

Now lets go make some sandwiches! I dare you to begin to start & end your day by reading the Bible and watch how God begins to change what takes place in between.

**How has quiet time with the Bible changed your day?

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A Generation is Rising!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to speak for a College Day at a church in the city. I had high expectations for the worship experience and what I saw truly exceeded my expectations. Not only was the praise and worship remarkable but there were powerful theatrical productions incorporated into the worship experience, all courtesy of the young adults (remember this, it will make sense in a moment). The message went over exceptionally well and I'm thankful for that but what has stood out in my mind as I reflect over the day is the hunger that I saw in the eyes of the young people. You must understand that the message that I had to share was not a "God's going to give you everything you want if you can just hold on through this semester." The message was a challenge to allow the LORD to help us to master all of the sins that are trying to stop us from becoming all that God wants us to be. There was a challenge to remove the mask & step out in faith to begin to master our flesh with the help of Christ.

In the midst of this challenging message an interesting thing happened...dozens of young adults admitted that they were tired of the same ol' same and were ready to make a change. Now I know you could say, "anyone can come up to an altar but what God desires is sincere change" and I agree, but who is to say that what took place today was not sincere change? I would like to think that it was. I would like to think that what we experienced today in Memphis was a small indication that transformation has begun to take place in our communities and it is starting with the next generation. I was inspired by what I saw today and I hope this meager attempt to describe it has inspired you. If you have ever thought that things are going down the drain and the nation is in a state of decline take heart, there is a generation rising that God can use to turn things around. From what I experienced today I am convinced that not only is it going to happen...IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN!

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Reality Check

Today is the second day of the second month of the year. I believe that this is a great time to see where we're heading and whether or not we're on target to achieve all of the things that we want to accomplish this year.The first day of the year is often a time filled with dreams, ambitions & goals and many of us have made resolutions that we wanted to implement in our lives to get where we have always wanted to be. Now that a month has already come and gone we are faced with a reality check. As we begin February of this new year we have to ask ourselves, "Am I closer to my dreams today than I was on New Year's Eve?" This can be a challenging question but it is necessary if we are going to break the cycle of mediocrity and move into higher levels of success.

Have you developed better work habits? Have you begun to use your time more wisely? Have you actually started working out like you said you would? What have you done with the dreams that you developed as you celebrated the beginning of the year? It's time for a reality check because you only have 11 more months to accomplish what you've set out to do this year but if you refuse to change your habits you will find yourself shifting into next year in the same position that you were in last year. You don't have that kind of time to waste. God is able to do more through you than that and you know you're expecting God to do more for you than that so buckle down, face reality and do whatever you have to do to add works to your faith because "faith without works is dead." If you have faith that God is able to do more in your life than you're seeing right now you're going to have to be willing to step up and add some some works to that faith right now.

One month is already gone. That was 5 weeks, 2 pay periods and 31 days to make forward strides toward the life you've been dreaming of. What did you do with them? I know this may come off as somewhat of a harsh message but I believe in you too much to let 11 more months go by without challenging you to make the most of every one of them. I faced reality this morning and refocused to make the most of the rest of the year. I challenge you to do the same. If you desire a new life, it's time to start walking toward it now because the "reality" is that if you don't take steps toward it, it is highly unlikely that you will ever step into it.

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Jerks & Jesus

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are jerks on the prowl. Don't judge me, you know you've called people much worse. I guess I have been quite fortunate to not have encountered a genuine jerk in a while but tonight, as my car was run off the road by one, I was reminded that they still live among us. Sometimes they roam in packs seeking unsuspecting prey at the mall and other times they stand as solo sour pusses waiting for the opportunity to share their hostile attitude at work. While there are several things that I, and I'm sure you, would like to say to these jerks as we encounter them in our daily lives there is one thing that we must keep in mind. We are designed to represent Jesus in all that we say and do. As a result we must choose to "opt out" of responses that don't do justice to His Name.

As I sat for a moment on the side of the road and put my car in reverse to continue my commute home my first thoughts were not "Jesus bless them", to be more honest they were more like "Come on Jesus...". However, as I began to think about the best way to respond to the situation as a follower of Christ (even though they were long gone due to his failure to stop, which helped to solidify my hypothesis that I was dealing with a genuine jerk) I considered what the Bible says about how to handle hostile people. The Bible is clear that we must love our enemies and pray for them (Matt. 5:44) so in the midst of my frustration, after a few moments I found myself praying for them. I prayed that they would receive grace. I prayed that God would ignite an unselfishness in their heart (and mine). I prayed that they would develop a deep seeded compassion and love for others. For this jerk I prayed, and that is not an attempt to say that I am more spiritual or righteous than them because the more I prayed the more I remembered that Jessie needs Jesus just as much as that jerk does. So the next time you encounter a jerk show them Jesus, and remember that you freely receive love & grace from Him so they should freely receive the same from you.

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Don't Just Start...FINISH!

What does it take to win? What separates those who accomplish great levels of success from those who don't? I'm sure there are dozens of variables that factor into the equation but I believe that one of the top 5 factors is the failure to follow through. Anyone can start something, and that may take courage, but where the crowd thins out is often during the test of time. This is because the longer something takes to accomplish, the more we wrestle with fatigue and the loss of our passion.

I'd like to challenge you to find something that you started but haven't finished. Let this be the year of followthrough. Let this be the year you finish! I'm reminded of Joshua as he and the Israelites began to take possession of the land that God had promised them. The Bible says that, "The LORD said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its King and its fighting men. (Joshua 6:2)" Sounds like an amazing promise. Sounds like they had made it. Sounds like there was nothing for them to do but believe it and it would happen right? Wrong! One verse after the promise God let them in on the process. God told Joshua, "March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in. (Joshua 6:3)"

The process was not nearly as easy to hear as the promise. Some of you may have gotten tired just reading about the process Joshua had to face but the truth of the matter is that most (if not all) promises require a process. God may have promised you that your plans of becoming a great leader, entrepreneur or parent would not fail but chances are you're experiencing the process. That's normal! Don't allow the wait to wash away your great expectations. If you can endure the process you are sure to possess the promise at the appropriate time but it won't happen if all you do is start, you have to finish. What have you started and put to the side because of the process? Pick it back up, now is the time to finish.

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Surprise!

I'll admit that I like surprises as much as the next person. Although, I definitely prefer that they be "good" surprises rather than bad. For instance, a month ago my wife decided to stop by the office to bring me a hot cup of Starbucks during a long day of ministry meetings. Surprise! I love those types of surprises, but that is not the kind of surprise that I ran into this evening when I returned home from church.

When I walked through the door I knew something was up because my dog was sitting up in her cage as if she was shocked that I was home. The aroma in the air told me that I hadn't caught her preparing for a welcome home party so I slowly walked over to her cage hoping that I wouldn't see what I thought I'd see. I'll spare you the details but let me just say that this was NOT a pleasant surprise. I had worked all day, and even stayed around after for a meeting or two so I was certainly looking forward to a moment of rest only to find my companion stuck in the midst of a mess. Have you ever been there? Have you ever finished everything that you planned to do and here comes someone with a problem? You were just starting to get your finance & house where you wanted them to be and here comes someone reaching for a hand out. This can be an exceptionally frustrating experience because you didn't plan for this...so what do you do?

I remember a passage in the Bible when Jesus had left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon (Peter). The Bible says,

"At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (Luke 4:40)"

Did you catch that? The people began to come to be healed at sunset, in other words when things could have been winding down for the night. So just when it seemed like it was time to relax "SURPRISE!" someone needed help. I find it interesting that Jesus' response was to lay his hands on them to heal them. Oh that we would do the same! When was the last time you stepped up to help someone when you could or even planned to have sat down? When was the last time you were willing to reach out to express love even though the timing was unexpected? I did so tonight. Sure it was "only a dog" but she needed me and I would like to think that this exercise in how to handle a surprise has prepared me to step up when the one needing help is a human. Bear with me, I'm still trying to get my spirits up from the ordeal.

When I saw her in her cage covered in calamity sure I was disturbed, who wouldn't be? But this was not the time for disgust it was time for deliverance and even though I may have been tired, I still had the time to clean up the mess she had made. If you would be honest I'm sure you have the time to help someone too. Maybe it's a family member who has fallen on hard times. Maybe it's a complete stranger who stepped out on faith hoping that you would step out with grace. I don't know who you have around you or who you will encounter in your daily walk but what I do know is that you are sure to walk into a surprise every now and again. When you do, I challenge you to step up & reach a hand out to help with a better attitude than I did (I'm still a work in progress). As we develop a willingness to help others even when it's inconvenient, I believe we position ourselves to serve as beacons of light for the world to see and in the process allow them to receive the best surprise of all (God has not forgotten them). Perhaps your biggest "surprises" are an opportunity to surprise others.

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Guess What...

A few days ago my wife showed me a book that chronicled my niece's first year of life. Since she was celebrating her first birthday I guess my brother & sister-in-law thought now was as good a time as any to have a book made to depict her first memories. I agree. Although, as I looked through the book I made it about half way through and noticed something quite humorous...I didn't see any pictures of me in the book. I saw pictures of my niece (of course). I saw pictures of her parents. I even saw pictures of her parent's parents, but I didn't see me. In fact, I noticed pictures of events where I was present but my image was cropped out of the picture. I decided to call my sister-in-law to give her a piece of my mind (relax, I'm just kidding) but as I called to joke with her about cropping me out of the pictures I noticed one picture where I was in the background behind my niece. I had a cameo! Which brings me to the thought that I wanted to share with you.

As you walk through life attempting to serve God and love His people. As you pour yourself into ministry or in the efforts to make the world a better place you may look at the plans of God, the big picture, or who is getting the credit and within yourself, "I don't see me", "Or where am I in all of this". I know that it's not easy to admit that we look for our own benefit sometimes or consider how things will help us as we serve but the truth of the matter is sometimes we do. Since this is always a temptation we must be careful to remember what I had to keep in mind when looking at my niece's book...IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU! It's not about you getting the glory, it's not about you being the center of attention. It's not about people seeing you, celebrating you, or salivating over you. It's about using our lives to cause others to do these things for GOD. It's about doing what we can to help others to see the goodness and kindness of Jesus Christ. Much like my niece's book, this life is all about God. The "big picture" goal is to reveal His glory and when we get caught up in looking for ourselves and trying to get others to see us, we miss the purpose that God intended for our lives. Frances Chan said it best by saying "The point of our lives is to point to God." The point of my niece's book was to show the world my niece and the point of our lives is to show the world our God. If we will live our lives with this understanding the sky is the limit to how we can be used to demonstrate how awesome God truly is...and who knows, maybe with close examination, when it's all said and done we'll see ourselves in the background of the big picture as God gets more glory and be able to say, "Hey, there I am."

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"May Pop!"

I'm sure you've felt the rattle and heard the thumping. The stressful rhythm of the bump, bump, bump that occurs when your tires are running low on tread. When I was 16 my father told me that this meant that you were riding on "may pop", meaning that they could pop at any moment. I have begun to hear the sound lately, in more ways than one. Yes, I am purchasing new tires for my car this week but this is only part of the problem. There is another area of my life that has been running low as well. It recently occurred to me that I have gone 5 years without taking a single vacation. It's not that the vacation time was not available but that in my great enthusiasm and tremendous ambition I have failed to use it. I told myself that the opportunities that I get to travel and share God's Word are all the vacation I need and while this has worked for quite a while I have started to hear the sound in my spirit that I am running low and "may pop" if the environment (or criticisms) were just right.

While I have been hearing the sound of needed rest ringing within for quite some time now it was not until this morning that I decided to head the warning. After leaving an excellent event at the church yesterday I laid down for a moment to rest and didn't wake up until it was time for church this morning (14 hours later). As I prepared for church I was reminded of Psalm 23 that says that "He maketh me to lay down beside still waters and He restores my soul..." and felt the conviction of God for not taking heed to His commands to rest. I believe that God has been repeating to me "Lay down for a moment and rest" over and over again for months and now I'm ready to listen. What about you? Have you been so wrapped up in your goals, responsibilities and dreams that you have forgotten to trust God and rest? Have you forgotten that even God used 6 days to create and reserved one day to rest? Have you forgotten that even Jesus would take time to break away from the crowd and spend time with God or have fun at a wedding? I had but I'm thankful for a God who "Makes me lay down beside still waters..." because He knows that I wouldn't have chosen to do so on my own. Just as my car will ride smoothly after I take the time to replace the tires, my soul will ride smoothly after I take the time to relax and recharge my spiritual & emotional batteries and I don't know about you but I'd rather take the moment to make that minor adjustment than to continue to ride around on "may pop".

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More than Enough

Have you ever had the thought that if you just had a little bit more, that things would be better for you? Have you ever thought that if you could ever just get one step ahead, that would give you the momentum that you need to sustain your success? Have you ever thought that what you have to work with is not capable of accomplishing your dreams? I have. For me, this has prompted an endless pursuit of the newest hardware or the most cutting edge software to spread the good news about Jesus Christ but there's always a nagging feeling that what I have to work with is not enough to get it done. Maybe this hasn't been your experience but maybe you have been searching for a better job, better church, better position, or better network thinking that if you could just get there you'd have all that you need. It reminds me of the widow mentioned in the Bible in 2 Kings chapter 4. She had lost her husband and was facing debts that she could not meet. When she brought the issue to the Prophet Elisha he asked her an interesting question..."What do you have in your house?" When she said that she had some oil he told her to go borrow pots from those around her because God was going to multiply what she had. Perhaps this is how the LORD plans to meet your needs and fulfil the dreams He has placed in your heart. Maybe He wants to multiply what you have. Maybe we should stop looking at what we think we need and start to look at what we already have through the eyes of faith with the understanding that no matter how meager our present may look, God can use His power to transform it into a masterpiece. If you are anything like me, even after reading this article, part of you will still think that you need more to make your goal come to pass but I would encourage you to join me in believing that what God has placed in our hands is more than enough to bring His plans to pass when they are coupled with His supernatural power and our works of faith.

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Part of the Process

I love fishing. Let me rephrase that, I love to catch fish. There's something invigorating about when you feel the tug on the line and see the fish coming near you as you pull it out of the water and into your hands. It makes all of the effort of obtaining a fishing license, buying bait and standing by the lake worth while. Although, this week I was reminded that there is an important process that takes place after the fish is caught before it can accomplish the purpose for which I caught it.

This past Sunday evening I pulled some fish out of the freezer so that my wife could work her wonders on the grill but before she could cook them I had to go through the long and often disturbing process of cleaning them. I'll admit that the process took longer than I thought and was messier than I had prepared for but it had to be done if we were going to see the fish fit into our plan. 1 fish, 2 fish, 3 fish and it started to get messy. 4 fish, 5 fish, 6 fish and the house began to smell like the world the fish came from. 7 fish, 8 fish and both the kitchen & I were covered in scales but I kept on cleaning and even though I was frustrated through the process the only alternative to pressing forward would have been to give up on the potential of the fish. After more than an hour of being covered in mess I was able to clean up and enjoy the fruits (or "fish") of my labor.

What does that have to do with new life in Christ? I'm glad you asked,as you and I come to Christ we receive eternal life in Him and the forgiveness of our sins but there are still areas of life that will be cleaned as a part of the process. This can be a messy & frustrating process at times. If you're anything like me you look at your life on occasion and say, "I can't believe I'm struggling with this", "I can't believe I did that", "I can't believe I said that" or "I can't believe I went there" and you get frustrated and perhaps even discussed with yourself wondering what is going on and how you can deal with this and still call yourself a "good Christian". I'd like to suggest that what you and I are experiencing is simply the cleaning process that God is taking us through to tear away the elements in our lives that He can't use so that a new us can emerge free from the scales (hard heads) and entrails (things that are inside that can taint us from being useful and pleasurable in God's sight).

In John 15:2 Jesus discussed how God prunes (or cleans) us so that we may be more fruitful so don't be discouraged when you endure times of challenge where old habits and practices are being pulled away. Perhaps God is pruning you and although it's frustrating and messy it's a part of the process that He has planned to prepare you for His purpose. Don't resist it,embrace it! It's a sign that He has a part for you to play in His plans. If we can trust that God knows what He's doing through the process, I believe we'll see that God knew the best way to get us to our destiny and it just may involve sitting us in a sink and pulling at all of the scales we used to hide behind.

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Customers Vs. Christians

For the past few days I have been considering something that has been bothering me for quite a while. I often read about the subversive nature of Christianity in the gospels and how a relationship with Christ is to transform the way we approach life, ministry, and one another but sometimes this is a far cry from what I see expressed in the modern church. We are to be a place where people come to connect with God in a community where the scriptures guide the way toward destiny but some how it appears as though many people come with a marketplace mentality where the congregants are "customers" and, as the old saying goes, "the customer is always right".

This type of consumer based Christianity can prevent people from truly experiencing the new life that can be ours in Christ because the purpose of the church then becomes to make us happy, meet our needs, pay our bills, inspire us to have better lives, give us stock tips, provide free daycare for our children, have great gourmet coffee for free, and never (and I mean NEVER) make us feel like we didn't receive the very best service possible. While these may be great business practices they are not necessarily biblical principles concerning the church. While "the customer is never wrong" the congregant is not a customer and due to our propensity to sin the congregant (you and I) may very well be wrong from time to time. That is why we need the Savior and the purifying work of the Holy Spirit. We can be wrong and thus stand in need of correction through the Word of God; both clergy and congregants must realize this if we are to move into the fullness of new life in Christ.

What can we do? Well, a good start is to truly surrender to the cause of Christ rather than our own selfish desires. After all, that's what it means to make Jesus LORD of your life. If He is LORD, by default you are not. Instead of coming to church focusing on how the church can serve us, let us begin to look at the church as a place that God desires to meet with us, communicate His Word to us, and allow us to share our lives, energy, expertise, and resources to bless others. From this perspective we are no longer the customers seeking to be pleased by the church and church leaders but rather we become followers of Christ seeking to be the greatest that we can be and according to Jesus "the greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matthew 23:11) So let's stop acting like customers and start acting like Christians.

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