I counted up today that I have attended over 6,000 church services in my life! For many of them I had little desire to be there. I think it was because it was "just another church service." I can't tell you how many times I rolled my eyes when a Sunday School teacher asked a simple question that I had heard a million times, the number of sermons I have slept through, or the number of church pot lucks I have eaten.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize how good I really had it. I fell into a very common trap. Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians 11 (the Message) "You must never let familiarity breed contempt." Even though I rarely said it out loud, I felt like church was the most boring place on earth and didn't understand why I had to be dragged there. I guess I didn't realize how ugly contempt for the things of God really was until I heard it come out of my friends mouth.
I was staying at a friends house who went to my church. We had played together on a Sunday afternoon and it was time to go back to church for the Sunday night service. He started arguing with his Mom about how his favourite TV show was on and he didn't want to go to church. As the argument began to escalate he started shouting things like, "I hate Church" and "Church is stupid." Even though I did't like church, I knew better than to say things like that. I stepped away from him because I thought God was going to strike him with lightening bolts.
Today as I look back on all of those church services that I had to go to, I am so grateful. What a privilege it was to worship with my parents and grandparents. I will never forget the sound of my grandfathers voice singing to the God he had followed for decades. I won't forget watching my grandmother as she flipped through the well worn pages of her faithful Bible during a church service. I can't shake the amazing feeling of kneeling down at an altar to pray with my parents and little brother. But because I experienced those things so often, I didn't realize the mountain of blessings that I was taking for granted.
Now I strive to see the sacred in the every-day ordinary. When I walk into "just another church service," I get chills and can't help but thinking to myself, "I love this church." As I hear the word preached, I strive to mentally "sit on the edge of my seat" waiting for that priceless wisdom of God's word that I get to hear.
I repent of letting familiarity breed contempt in my life! I realize that cynicism, and a critical spirit can callous my heart beyond recognition.
I challenge you to watch your cynicism meter and to ask yourself a difficult question:
Where have I allowed familiarity to breed contempt in my life?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
I have failed as a father!
Becoming a father was without a doubt one of the greatest moments of my life! I will never forget seeing our baby for the first time. I was so emotional I about destroyed our video camera with the tears of joy that were dripping off my face onto the camera. I knew my life would never be the same after that moment. The joy of being a father has been overwhelming, but I must admit the responsibility has been overwhelming as well.
My wife and I have strived so hard to be the best parents we can be. We read to them from the time they were born for their mental development. We have fed them, bathed them, changed them, and gave them vitamins for their physical development. We have almost suffocated them with love in the form of hugs, kisses and encouraging words for their emotional development. But it pains me to admit that I fear I have fallen short in the most critical development area.
Some people naively believe that the home of a Pastor must be a spiritual Disneyland. Everyone gets along and the Pastor/Husband/Father walks around quoting the word, singing hymns and constantly praying. That place may exist but it isn't my house. The area that it pains me to admit that I have been found lacking is caring for the spiritual development of my kids.
By the grace of God all 3 of our children have confessed Jesus as Lord over their life and have experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues. If anyone has taken the lead in this area it has been my amazing wife Dianne! She had the privilege of praying with all 3 of our children to become followers of Christ. Thankfully, I did get the joy of baptising them in water.
My problem is that I have followed the advice of Proverbs 22:6 (the Message) "Point your kids in the right direction--When they're old they won't be lost." I have been guilty of doing what I think that many Christian parents do. I have pointed my kids to the church. My assumption has been "If my kids are in church they are being trained in their faith." Fortunately, my church has a phenomenal children's ministry that does just that: training them in the faith. But the problem is that it isn't the church's job to train my children in the faith. It is my job as a parent!
This is where I think that the Message translation of Proverbs 22:6 is way off. A literal translation says "Train up a child in the way he should go." "Point your kids in the right direction" seems a lot easier than "training up a child." Anyone can point someone else in the right direction, training is a whole lot more difficult than that. If you have ever done any athletic training you understand the difference.
What I love about God is that it is never to late to make a U-turn. From this moment on I take full responsibility for the spiritual training of my children! I will no longer shirk my duty as a Husband/Father/Man of God and count on anyone else to do it for me.
I leave you today with a couple of questions:
Are there any other men reading this that are willing to join me?
As a child, have you resisted the spiritual training of your father?
My wife and I have strived so hard to be the best parents we can be. We read to them from the time they were born for their mental development. We have fed them, bathed them, changed them, and gave them vitamins for their physical development. We have almost suffocated them with love in the form of hugs, kisses and encouraging words for their emotional development. But it pains me to admit that I fear I have fallen short in the most critical development area.
Some people naively believe that the home of a Pastor must be a spiritual Disneyland. Everyone gets along and the Pastor/Husband/Father walks around quoting the word, singing hymns and constantly praying. That place may exist but it isn't my house. The area that it pains me to admit that I have been found lacking is caring for the spiritual development of my kids.
By the grace of God all 3 of our children have confessed Jesus as Lord over their life and have experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues. If anyone has taken the lead in this area it has been my amazing wife Dianne! She had the privilege of praying with all 3 of our children to become followers of Christ. Thankfully, I did get the joy of baptising them in water.
My problem is that I have followed the advice of Proverbs 22:6 (the Message) "Point your kids in the right direction--When they're old they won't be lost." I have been guilty of doing what I think that many Christian parents do. I have pointed my kids to the church. My assumption has been "If my kids are in church they are being trained in their faith." Fortunately, my church has a phenomenal children's ministry that does just that: training them in the faith. But the problem is that it isn't the church's job to train my children in the faith. It is my job as a parent!
This is where I think that the Message translation of Proverbs 22:6 is way off. A literal translation says "Train up a child in the way he should go." "Point your kids in the right direction" seems a lot easier than "training up a child." Anyone can point someone else in the right direction, training is a whole lot more difficult than that. If you have ever done any athletic training you understand the difference.
What I love about God is that it is never to late to make a U-turn. From this moment on I take full responsibility for the spiritual training of my children! I will no longer shirk my duty as a Husband/Father/Man of God and count on anyone else to do it for me.
I leave you today with a couple of questions:
Are there any other men reading this that are willing to join me?
As a child, have you resisted the spiritual training of your father?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
I declare bankruptcy!
The story behind this clip is that Michael Scott finds himself in deep credit card debt and is looking for a way out. His co-worker suggests he declare bankruptcy. Even though this TV character's foolishness is laughable, I wonder how often we have been guilty of the same thing. Have you ever been in a church service proclaiming at the top of your lungs "I LOVE JESUS," but then find yourself at work Monday morning wondering where your faith went?
Michael Scott's words were hollow because he didn't put the actions behind them to make them legal and binding. Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commandments." Don't just sing songs about your love for me, make those songs real by living them out.
I have a friend who finds himself in a difficult stage of life. I have told him time and again "If you need my help just call me." I really meant it when I said it, but when he calls for help sometimes it is a real inconvenience. In those moments that I don't find love gushing from my heart, I realize that love is often times rolling up your sleeves and doing what is right even though you don't feel like it.
1 Corinthians 13 (the Message) says "No matter what I say, what I believe, what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." It is interesting to me that it seems like the church spends all its time on what we say, what we believe and what we do, but little time on what Paul says is more important than all of that combined: LOVE!
As Paul says, "Let me ask you something profound yet troubling?" Is it time to declare bankruptcy? Have we as Christians really missed the mark that badly? What if we took an honest look at our lives and our "spiritual activities?" Do we really believe that we are bankrupt without love? Or do we think that God is proud of us when say and believe the right things?
The answers to these questions trouble me to my core. Because the body of Christ, which I am a part of leading, which I have devoted my life to, has a long way to go. The truth that is even more troubling, as I look in the mirror I realize I have a long way to go. So here is my conclusion: I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY! God help me to see how bankrupt my life is without love?
Friday, August 26, 2011
Is "Work" really a swear word?
I was talking with an acquittance once and he asked how I was doing. With a huge smile on my face I said I was loving life. I asked him how he was doing and his response shocked me. He said,"Brad, you are the only person I know who loves their job." I thought to myself, "What a sad, sad statement."
It wasn't as if I could argue with him. We live in a world that promotes the idea that the only time when you are really living is on the weekend, on vacation, or avoiding work in general. We even have hilarious TV shows like "The Office" based upon how miserable people are at work.
Even Christians have this misconception that work is a part of God's punishment on the human race for Adam and Eve's sin. The reality is that God gave Adam and Eve work to do before they ate the deadly fruit. Genesis 2:15 (the Message) says, "God took the man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order." Granted part of their punishment for breaking God's only law at that time was that their work would become more toilsome, but work was still a part of God's idea of a perfect world.
God also gives indications in his word that there will be work in heaven. GASP . . . Work in heaven? Bite your tongue! I know it sounds crazy. Though if we are honest with ourselves, we will acknowledge that there is a deep satisfaction in a job well done. Our culture has down played that God-given feeling of accomplishment and has over emphasized the monetary rewards that comes with hard work.
Here is what I found today in 1 Corinthians 15 (the Message) "It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it." To those whose lives are surrendered to Christ, He gives us the joy of working, but will also give us the grace to accomplish it.
Paul also tells slaves in Ephesians 6:7 "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Your job may not be a walk in the park, but trust me you are far from a slave.
I challenge you to wrestle with these questions today:
If I hate working, where does that attitude come from?
How can I trust God today to give me the energy to accomplish the work he has given me?
It wasn't as if I could argue with him. We live in a world that promotes the idea that the only time when you are really living is on the weekend, on vacation, or avoiding work in general. We even have hilarious TV shows like "The Office" based upon how miserable people are at work.
Even Christians have this misconception that work is a part of God's punishment on the human race for Adam and Eve's sin. The reality is that God gave Adam and Eve work to do before they ate the deadly fruit. Genesis 2:15 (the Message) says, "God took the man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order." Granted part of their punishment for breaking God's only law at that time was that their work would become more toilsome, but work was still a part of God's idea of a perfect world.
God also gives indications in his word that there will be work in heaven. GASP . . . Work in heaven? Bite your tongue! I know it sounds crazy. Though if we are honest with ourselves, we will acknowledge that there is a deep satisfaction in a job well done. Our culture has down played that God-given feeling of accomplishment and has over emphasized the monetary rewards that comes with hard work.
Here is what I found today in 1 Corinthians 15 (the Message) "It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it." To those whose lives are surrendered to Christ, He gives us the joy of working, but will also give us the grace to accomplish it.
Paul also tells slaves in Ephesians 6:7 "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Your job may not be a walk in the park, but trust me you are far from a slave.
I challenge you to wrestle with these questions today:
If I hate working, where does that attitude come from?
How can I trust God today to give me the energy to accomplish the work he has given me?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Who cares if you know the Bible?
A few months ago my family went to Conner Prairie in Indiana. Conner Prairie is one of those places that recreates a time period such as the 1830's. I really felt like you went back in a time machine. While we were there we went to the Blacksmith's shop. He was creating something out of metal and was conversing with us. He asked my 9 year old son if he knew what were the ingredients to steel were. Of course my son knew the answer. I loved what the Blacksmith had to say next. He said "That is great that you know that, but I hope your cup isn't already filled up." After a pause and strange looks from us, he said, "When your cup is all filled up that means that you already know everything and no one can pour into your cup and teach you anything. I have decided that my cup will never be filled. I want to learn every chance I get."
You don't have to go very far on the Internet before you run into a "know-it-all." Let's face it, these kind of people drive everyone crazy. Why? Because their cup is full and no one can pour into their life. 1 Corinthians 8 (the Message) says "knowing isn't everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn't that insensitive."
Have you ever been a part of a Bible study or an old school Sunday school class where it seems like the point of the class is for everyone to prove to everyone else how much they know about the Bible? I don't last long in places like that, because it either feeds my own know-it-all spirit or I am appalled at everyone else's know-it-all spirit.
When Jesus was on this earth he had a tremendous amount of patience for "know nothings", but very little patience for "know-it-alls." His attitude was basically this, "I really don't care if you know the Bible, if you are not willing to follow it."
I leave you today with 1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV) "we know that 'we all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while love builds up." I have made a commitment that I will no longer read God's word to get puffed up but to get built up so I can build others up. That is the purpose of this blog. I invite you to wrestle with the truth of Scripture with me.
So here are today's questions: (Feel free to leave a comment with your answer)
Do you ever feel like your "spiritual activities" (e.g. church attendance, Bible reading) leaves you feeling puffed up or built up?
How do we practically keep our "glass from becoming full?"
You don't have to go very far on the Internet before you run into a "know-it-all." Let's face it, these kind of people drive everyone crazy. Why? Because their cup is full and no one can pour into their life. 1 Corinthians 8 (the Message) says "knowing isn't everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn't that insensitive."
Have you ever been a part of a Bible study or an old school Sunday school class where it seems like the point of the class is for everyone to prove to everyone else how much they know about the Bible? I don't last long in places like that, because it either feeds my own know-it-all spirit or I am appalled at everyone else's know-it-all spirit.
When Jesus was on this earth he had a tremendous amount of patience for "know nothings", but very little patience for "know-it-alls." His attitude was basically this, "I really don't care if you know the Bible, if you are not willing to follow it."
I leave you today with 1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV) "we know that 'we all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while love builds up." I have made a commitment that I will no longer read God's word to get puffed up but to get built up so I can build others up. That is the purpose of this blog. I invite you to wrestle with the truth of Scripture with me.
So here are today's questions: (Feel free to leave a comment with your answer)
Do you ever feel like your "spiritual activities" (e.g. church attendance, Bible reading) leaves you feeling puffed up or built up?
How do we practically keep our "glass from becoming full?"
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sometimes I don't feel like the Bible is true.
I know this probably isn't something your used to hearing a Pastor say, but I must admit that it is true. Sometimes I don't feel like the Bible is true. For instance I was recently reading in 1 Corinthians 11 (the Message) "No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it." I have heard this "God will never give you more than you can handle" argument before and I have a difficult time with it. Because when I am in the middle of temptation it feels like I am being pushed past my limit. I can relate to the old "the Devil made me do it" rhetoric. Can anyone else out there identify with me?
Or there are other times when it seems like the deed is already done before I realize I have done it. I think to myself "wait a minute, what did I just do? That wasn't right." I hate to break this popular Christian myth that Pastors just walk around praying and quoting scripture all the time, but it simply isn't true. At least for this pastor it isn't. I live in the real world like everyone else does, and what I just read says that we all face the same temptations. It also says that God will "always be there to help you through temptation." So I guess what I am really faced with in temptation is whether or not I will trust my feelings or what I know to be true.
You know as well as I do that feelings are pretty fickle things and can't always be trusted. Even though it feels cathartic to be honest about how we feel, being ruled by our feelings is no way to live. Immaturity is always following your feelings. Maturity is following what you know to be right and hoping your feelings will get in line. So in conclusion, even though I don't always feel like the Bible is true, I know that it is! My prayer for you is that you can be daily convinced of the truth of God's word, because our mind can often carry us through when our heart begins to waver.
Or there are other times when it seems like the deed is already done before I realize I have done it. I think to myself "wait a minute, what did I just do? That wasn't right." I hate to break this popular Christian myth that Pastors just walk around praying and quoting scripture all the time, but it simply isn't true. At least for this pastor it isn't. I live in the real world like everyone else does, and what I just read says that we all face the same temptations. It also says that God will "always be there to help you through temptation." So I guess what I am really faced with in temptation is whether or not I will trust my feelings or what I know to be true.
You know as well as I do that feelings are pretty fickle things and can't always be trusted. Even though it feels cathartic to be honest about how we feel, being ruled by our feelings is no way to live. Immaturity is always following your feelings. Maturity is following what you know to be right and hoping your feelings will get in line. So in conclusion, even though I don't always feel like the Bible is true, I know that it is! My prayer for you is that you can be daily convinced of the truth of God's word, because our mind can often carry us through when our heart begins to waver.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Why I think I am better than you.
At least a couple of times a week I drive past a guy who begs for money at the side of the road. Yes, we all know it is a scam job. Because of this I feel justified in looking down my nose at him and somehow thinking that I am better than him. I must admit this isn't the only instance where I am tempted to think that I better than someone else. It happens more than I would like to admit. I find it interesting that no matter what station of life you may find yourself in, their will always be someone you can look down on.
I have a friend who was in prison. He told me that everyone got treated pretty equally except for one group of people: the sex-offenders. They were the ones that all the other prisoners looked down their noses at. They were harassed and abused. Sometimes other prisoners would refuse to serve them their food. I found it interesting that even in prison there is a pecking order. There is a group of people that others think that they are better than. Murderers and thieves think "Well at least I am not a sex-offender."
I was reading in 1 Corinthians 10 where Paul continues to talk about the Israelites and what we can learn from them. "We are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence."
Whenever I am tempted to think that I am better than you or anyone else I am living in self-confidence, which Paul says is useless. So I have tried to start a new habit. Whenever I see anyone else and am tempted to make the false assumption that I am high above them, I quote this phrase from a 14th century martyr, "But for the grace of God, there am I."
So I leave you with these sobering words from Paul, "You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence, Cultivate God-confidence."
I have a friend who was in prison. He told me that everyone got treated pretty equally except for one group of people: the sex-offenders. They were the ones that all the other prisoners looked down their noses at. They were harassed and abused. Sometimes other prisoners would refuse to serve them their food. I found it interesting that even in prison there is a pecking order. There is a group of people that others think that they are better than. Murderers and thieves think "Well at least I am not a sex-offender."
I was reading in 1 Corinthians 10 where Paul continues to talk about the Israelites and what we can learn from them. "We are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence."
Whenever I am tempted to think that I am better than you or anyone else I am living in self-confidence, which Paul says is useless. So I have tried to start a new habit. Whenever I see anyone else and am tempted to make the false assumption that I am high above them, I quote this phrase from a 14th century martyr, "But for the grace of God, there am I."
So I leave you with these sobering words from Paul, "You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence, Cultivate God-confidence."
Friday, August 19, 2011
I only have a month to live!
Pretty disturbing words to read aren't they. I can imagine that they are even more disturbing words to hear from a doctor. The concept of "living like we are dying" almost sounds cliché these days, but I just recently did a funeral service for a lady who apparently did just that. She was told that she had cancer and that her days were numbered. She took their words very seriously and began living each day as if it could be her last. Interestingly enough she lived for another 16 years. Talking with her family I was amazed at the impact this woman had on the people around her. They said things like, "She lived for her family." "She touched so many lives and made everyone around her feel special." Viewing each day as potentially her last caused her to invest in the one thing that would live on after her: people.
I have been constantly reminded of Psalm 39:4 "Lord remind me of how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is." As I remember looking at this woman lying in a casket, I keep thinking "that is where I will be." No matter if we are diagnosed with a terminal illness or not, the truth that all of us must acknowledge and which is so clearly stated in God's word is: "our days are numbered."
Even though I know this, I put it off thinking "I have plenty of days left." That is why I ignore the important and focus on the urgent. I performed another funeral service some time ago which was the antithesis to this lady I just spoke off. The story I got from his family in a nut shell was this: He lived to be 90 years old. He worked till he was 60 and then retired. But all of the memories I got from his family was of him watching TV. He literally spent over a third of his life watching TV! I was astonished at how much time he wasted. But when I am really honest about my life I waste an incredible amount of time myself on things that will not live on after I am gone.
I challenge you to start each day with this prayer from Psalm 39 "Lord remind me that my days are numbered."
So I leave you today with these questions:
How would you live your life differently if you knew you only had a month to live?
Why wait till tomorrow to live the life you really want to live? Why not start today?
I have been constantly reminded of Psalm 39:4 "Lord remind me of how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is." As I remember looking at this woman lying in a casket, I keep thinking "that is where I will be." No matter if we are diagnosed with a terminal illness or not, the truth that all of us must acknowledge and which is so clearly stated in God's word is: "our days are numbered."
Even though I know this, I put it off thinking "I have plenty of days left." That is why I ignore the important and focus on the urgent. I performed another funeral service some time ago which was the antithesis to this lady I just spoke off. The story I got from his family in a nut shell was this: He lived to be 90 years old. He worked till he was 60 and then retired. But all of the memories I got from his family was of him watching TV. He literally spent over a third of his life watching TV! I was astonished at how much time he wasted. But when I am really honest about my life I waste an incredible amount of time myself on things that will not live on after I am gone.
I challenge you to start each day with this prayer from Psalm 39 "Lord remind me that my days are numbered."
So I leave you today with these questions:
How would you live your life differently if you knew you only had a month to live?
Why wait till tomorrow to live the life you really want to live? Why not start today?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Getting Christ to serve me?
I have people serve me all the time. My family, my co-workers, and people I don't know whenever I walk into a place of business. I have gotten pretty used to people serving me, but I must admit there would be situations where that would be pretty awkward. For instance if the President showed up at my house to mow my grass, I wouldn't be comfortable with that. If he came to my house I would fully expect to serve him, not the other way around. As weird as this sounds, isn't it interesting that we ask the Creator of the universe to serve us?
I was recently reading in 1 Corinthians 10. Paul is continuing his list of "things to avoid" that the Israelites did in the wilderness that brought God's punishment. He says, "We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him." I looked up the story that Paul was referring to in the Old Testament. God miraculously provides food in the form of "manna" for the Israelites each morning, and what do they do about it? They start whining.
Can you imagine your family waking up each morning, going outside to see that stacks and stacks of hot pancakes dripping with butter and maple syrup have miraculously appeared on your back porch. For the first few weeks your grateful, but after awhile you start to get sick of pancakes. You and your family start complaining and start shouting to the skies, "Could we please get some bacon and eggs instead?"
Sounds absurd doesn't it? But that is exactly what the Israelites did, and you know I think that is what we are guilty of. God provides us with blessing upon countless blessing every day, and how do we respond? We basically say, "that's great God, but could I get some different blessings too?"
So how do we know if are trying to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him? Listen to your prayers. When I pay attention to my prayers, I realize that most of them are asking Christ to serve me instead of me asking how I can serve him. I want to follow Christ's example when he prayed "not my will but yours be done."
I leave you today with this question:
How different would our lives look if we started our prayers with "God how can I serve you today?"
I was recently reading in 1 Corinthians 10. Paul is continuing his list of "things to avoid" that the Israelites did in the wilderness that brought God's punishment. He says, "We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him." I looked up the story that Paul was referring to in the Old Testament. God miraculously provides food in the form of "manna" for the Israelites each morning, and what do they do about it? They start whining.
Can you imagine your family waking up each morning, going outside to see that stacks and stacks of hot pancakes dripping with butter and maple syrup have miraculously appeared on your back porch. For the first few weeks your grateful, but after awhile you start to get sick of pancakes. You and your family start complaining and start shouting to the skies, "Could we please get some bacon and eggs instead?"
Sounds absurd doesn't it? But that is exactly what the Israelites did, and you know I think that is what we are guilty of. God provides us with blessing upon countless blessing every day, and how do we respond? We basically say, "that's great God, but could I get some different blessings too?"
So how do we know if are trying to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him? Listen to your prayers. When I pay attention to my prayers, I realize that most of them are asking Christ to serve me instead of me asking how I can serve him. I want to follow Christ's example when he prayed "not my will but yours be done."
I leave you today with this question:
How different would our lives look if we started our prayers with "God how can I serve you today?"
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Would you like a FREE trip to an Amusement Park?
We were recently on a website for a water/amusement park in Wisconsin Dells. It said you could get FREE tickets for the water park, all you had to do was sign up. We immediately signed up and planned on going. But in the back of our minds we were thinking "this sounds too good to be true." Long story short it wasn't too good to be true, we got our FREE tickets no problem. What was fascinating to me was how the park tried to lure you into not being content with just your FREE tickets. First, was they not only had a huge sign up saying that you can't bring in outside food or drink, but they actually searched your bags to see if you were breaking the rule. (they wanted you to buy a $5 coke instead of drinking the $.25 juice box in your bag, of course) Next, not only did you have to walk through the gift shop to get to the water park but through the entire amusement park as well including dozen's of ways for you to spend money on the way: temporary tattoos, carnival games, food booths, extreme rides, and more gift shops. The contentment of FREE water park passes was quickly wearing off, and I got to hear my kids for the rest of the day asking me to spend more money in countless different ways.
I was recently reading in 1 Corinthians 10 (the Message) Paul was drawing a parallel between the Israelites who had been set free from slavery in Egypt and the believers of his day. He was talking about how they quickly turned from their relationship with God and how we can fall prey to the same fate. One of his warnings was the following: "We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them." This immediately led to the question "How do I stir up discontent?"
As I was saying in my opening story, I feel like the world does a great job of stirring up discontent for me, but Paul wasn't warning me about that. He said "I must be careful not to stir up discontent." I thought of several ways in which I can stir up discontent:
So I leave you with these questions to ponder: (Leave a comment with your answer)
What are some ways you are tempted to "stir up discontent?"
What are some ways we can practice contentment?
I was recently reading in 1 Corinthians 10 (the Message) Paul was drawing a parallel between the Israelites who had been set free from slavery in Egypt and the believers of his day. He was talking about how they quickly turned from their relationship with God and how we can fall prey to the same fate. One of his warnings was the following: "We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them." This immediately led to the question "How do I stir up discontent?"
As I was saying in my opening story, I feel like the world does a great job of stirring up discontent for me, but Paul wasn't warning me about that. He said "I must be careful not to stir up discontent." I thought of several ways in which I can stir up discontent:
- Complaining
- Focusing on what I don't have
- Neglecting to be thankful for what I do have
- Thinking that the World/God owes me something
So I leave you with these questions to ponder: (Leave a comment with your answer)
What are some ways you are tempted to "stir up discontent?"
What are some ways we can practice contentment?
Monday, August 15, 2011
Why can't more Christians be like Rocky?
I have been wrestling lately with the concept of spiritual toughness. I recently read in 1 Corinthians 9 (the Message) "Our decision all along has been to put up with anything rather than to get in the way or detract from the Message of Christ." I had to ask myself a tough question, "Am I really willing to endure "anything" for the Message of Christ.
I am a huge fan of the Apostle Paul he was like Rocky in his day. When Rocky says, "It isn't about how hard you can hit, but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward," I think it is a great description of Paul's life. Paul endured being thrown in jail, sleeplessness nights, hunger, shipwrecks, being betrayed by close friends and being physically assaulted multiple times, once to the point he was left for dead.
If I had to go through what Paul went through I am afraid I would have given up really quickly. I may look tough but I think I would have tapped out. Because sometimes I am tempted to live under this false premise that all God cares about is me being "good," and if I am good enough he will make me happy. My definition of happiness basically looks like a stress free life, a life free of opposition and frustration.
When I encounter opposition and frustration I am tempted to think that I am not doing something right, and that something needs to change. But you know as well as I do that Rocky was right when he said "life isn't all sunshine and rainbows." If I am really honest, I still struggle with this assumption that if I follow Christ close enough and long enough I will achieve this place of a stress-free utopia.
When I look at the life of Paul I see the exact opposite. The longer and harder he served Christ the more opposition he encountered. What is Paul's response? He is just like Rocky, after every hit he keeps getting back up and moves forward. Look at what he says "I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself."
I leave you with these questions to ponder:
When you encounter opposition does it cause you to rely more on God or just sit and pout?
What are some ways that we can develop this "Spiritual toughness" in our lives?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Why does life have to be so complicated?
Have you ever thought this? I know I do. I am a simple person. Stop laughing, not that kind of simple person! I like simple clothes (jeans and a t-shirt.) I like simple cars (I drive a 1998 mini-van.) And I like simple conversations (you know, get to the point.) But I find that life has a way of growing more complicated (remember when we only used cell phones to make phone calls.)
I was reading something interesting in 1 Corinthians 7 (the Message) "don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple--in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things--your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with things the world thrusts on you. This world you see is on its way out. I want you to live as free of complications as possible."
I find myself asking what seems to be an obvious question, "how complicated could life have been 2,000 years ago?" They didn't have to check facebook 12 times a day. They didn't have to tweet or update their blog. How were they tempted to complicate their lives? "Man I sure wish I had a better donkey." "If only I had 1 more yoke of oxen." But I realized Paul must have written this because complicating our lives obviously isn't a problem unique to our generation.
So I encourage you with Paul's words: "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you." I recently made the mistake of watching multiple episodes of the show "Hoarders" on A&E. Boy that will sure motivate you to simplify your life and clean your house. I started to clean parts of our house that had been unkempt since we moved in. I got rid of boxes and boxes of unnecessary stuff. Stuff that sure seemed necessary at the time I acquired it.
Why does God's word encourage us to avoid complicating our lives? Because I think the more we surround ourselves with unnecessary stuff and noise, the more we can ignore our need for God.
So the questions I leave you with today are:
What's complicating your life? Is it necessary?
Is it possible that eliminating some of the stuff and noise in your life could actually bring you closer to God?
I was reading something interesting in 1 Corinthians 7 (the Message) "don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple--in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things--your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with things the world thrusts on you. This world you see is on its way out. I want you to live as free of complications as possible."
I find myself asking what seems to be an obvious question, "how complicated could life have been 2,000 years ago?" They didn't have to check facebook 12 times a day. They didn't have to tweet or update their blog. How were they tempted to complicate their lives? "Man I sure wish I had a better donkey." "If only I had 1 more yoke of oxen." But I realized Paul must have written this because complicating our lives obviously isn't a problem unique to our generation.
So I encourage you with Paul's words: "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you." I recently made the mistake of watching multiple episodes of the show "Hoarders" on A&E. Boy that will sure motivate you to simplify your life and clean your house. I started to clean parts of our house that had been unkempt since we moved in. I got rid of boxes and boxes of unnecessary stuff. Stuff that sure seemed necessary at the time I acquired it.
Why does God's word encourage us to avoid complicating our lives? Because I think the more we surround ourselves with unnecessary stuff and noise, the more we can ignore our need for God.
So the questions I leave you with today are:
What's complicating your life? Is it necessary?
Is it possible that eliminating some of the stuff and noise in your life could actually bring you closer to God?
Taming the "If Only" Monster!
How often have you been tempted to ask the "If only" question? You know the questions go like this: If only I had married him/her, If only I had a better job, If only I had a better house, and etc. The "If only" monster can be quite deadly if we let him.
I was reading today in 1 Corinthians 7 (the Message) "And don't be wishing you were some place else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there." The only way I have been able to tame the "If only" monster is to apply the principle of this verse. Dianne and I have been in a lot of tough places in the ministry, and the "if only" monster drove me bananas. I kept hearing, "If only you were in a bigger church, then you would be a success." I learned to beat that monster down with this simple phrase, "God has placed me here, If I can't succeed here I won't succeed anywhere." After saying that about a 1,000 times, I started to believe it and the "if only" monster lost his power over me.
So I encourage you with the words of Paul, "Live and obey and love and believe right where you are." If you can do this the "if only" monster will have to fade away into the shadows.
So here is the discussion question for the day. Leave me a comment with your answer.
What have been the "if only" questions that you have had to struggle with?
What have you had to say to yourself to get rid of the "if only" monster?
I was reading today in 1 Corinthians 7 (the Message) "And don't be wishing you were some place else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there." The only way I have been able to tame the "If only" monster is to apply the principle of this verse. Dianne and I have been in a lot of tough places in the ministry, and the "if only" monster drove me bananas. I kept hearing, "If only you were in a bigger church, then you would be a success." I learned to beat that monster down with this simple phrase, "God has placed me here, If I can't succeed here I won't succeed anywhere." After saying that about a 1,000 times, I started to believe it and the "if only" monster lost his power over me.
So I encourage you with the words of Paul, "Live and obey and love and believe right where you are." If you can do this the "if only" monster will have to fade away into the shadows.
So here is the discussion question for the day. Leave me a comment with your answer.
What have been the "if only" questions that you have had to struggle with?
What have you had to say to yourself to get rid of the "if only" monster?
Thursday, August 11, 2011
But how will you know if your sexually compatible?
I don't know who was the first person to coin this phrase but it sure does seem to get repeated a lot. It appears to be the main logic I hear as to why someone should have sex before they get married. My response to this statement goes as follows: after a good laugh I say "If you are a man marrying a women, trust me your sexually compatible!" The lies we tell ourselves to be able to do what we want sound really silly when we hear other people say them. Such as: "It doesn't hurt to look" or in the words of the great philosopher of our time, Lady Gaga, "I was born this way!"
What I was reading today gives us great insight into what God says about this issue. 1 Corinthians 7:3 (the Message) "Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder."
I don't know about you but ever since I hit puberty, following God's plan for sexuality has felt like a tall order. God's plan says sexual fulfilment comes from one place: your husband/wife. Our struggle is that everywhere we look "in a world of sexual disorder" there is an opportunity for us to find our sexual fulfilment some place else.
Let me pass along a thought from a Pastor friend of mine, Chilly Chilton. "Lack of margin in our life is not only a lack of discipline but a lack of faith."
When we are tempted to lust or pursue sex outside of marriage, it is definitely a discipline issue, but it is also a faith issue. The faith issue comes down to how we answer this: "Can God be trusted?"
Before I was married I decided to save sex for marriage because I genuinely believed that God's word could be trusted and that I would find the greatest sexual fulfilment in his plan. What I have found through 13 years of marriage to an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful woman, is that I still have to answer the same question: "Can God be trusted?" When I am tempted to look somewhere else for sexual fulfiment, I am saying to God, "I don't trust you."
I want to live a life that consistently says "God I trust you." I challenge you to do the same.
What I was reading today gives us great insight into what God says about this issue. 1 Corinthians 7:3 (the Message) "Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder."
I don't know about you but ever since I hit puberty, following God's plan for sexuality has felt like a tall order. God's plan says sexual fulfilment comes from one place: your husband/wife. Our struggle is that everywhere we look "in a world of sexual disorder" there is an opportunity for us to find our sexual fulfilment some place else.
Let me pass along a thought from a Pastor friend of mine, Chilly Chilton. "Lack of margin in our life is not only a lack of discipline but a lack of faith."
When we are tempted to lust or pursue sex outside of marriage, it is definitely a discipline issue, but it is also a faith issue. The faith issue comes down to how we answer this: "Can God be trusted?"
Before I was married I decided to save sex for marriage because I genuinely believed that God's word could be trusted and that I would find the greatest sexual fulfilment in his plan. What I have found through 13 years of marriage to an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful woman, is that I still have to answer the same question: "Can God be trusted?" When I am tempted to look somewhere else for sexual fulfiment, I am saying to God, "I don't trust you."
I want to live a life that consistently says "God I trust you." I challenge you to do the same.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I hate all this silly religion
I was recently sucked into a facebook thread created by a former college friend of mine. My friend was stating how she felt out of place at bible college. It was interesting to see how many other former students echoed her thoughts and feelings. The common thread of the conversation was the lack of connection with others and the legalistic spirit which seemed to hang over the place. As I read the hundreds of comments, I was amazed at how many people felt just like I did when I was there: completely out of place and alone. What happened next on the thread was intriguing. A former student started lambasting everyone else for feeling this way. He was throwing out all these high and mighty Christian clichés. The irony is that he was proving everyone else's point of how they felt at CBC.
What I read in God's word that day struck me as so profound. Psalm 31:6 (the Message) "I hate all this silly religion." Religion is being totally stuck in the Truth side of this tension. That is what I saw from this guy on facebook today. It was all about his knowledge and his ability to prove to everyone else that he was "right." That is why I echo the words of David. Religion really is silly. It is all about us. But I love the fact that we don't have to live there. Listen to what David says next "but you, God, I trust. I'm leaping and singing in the circle of your love;" This is where I want to live . . . leaping and singing in the circle of God's love. A place where it isn't about me, but about Him.
What I read in God's word that day struck me as so profound. Psalm 31:6 (the Message) "I hate all this silly religion." Religion is being totally stuck in the Truth side of this tension. That is what I saw from this guy on facebook today. It was all about his knowledge and his ability to prove to everyone else that he was "right." That is why I echo the words of David. Religion really is silly. It is all about us. But I love the fact that we don't have to live there. Listen to what David says next "but you, God, I trust. I'm leaping and singing in the circle of your love;" This is where I want to live . . . leaping and singing in the circle of God's love. A place where it isn't about me, but about Him.
"I hate confrontation"
This is something I have heard others say and have even said myself. Don’t you hate the knot you get in your stomach and the cold sweat that runs down your forehead when you are in the middle of confrontation? But it is interesting that God’s word says that if we truly love someone we will be willing to endure the stress and sweaty palms associated with confrontation. We have this messed up view in the church that Christianity is all about “getting along.” We tend to think that a truly healthy Godly church never fights about anything and agrees on everything. Well what I was reading in God’s word today leads me to believe that we have missed something.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13
But I am saying that you shouldn't act as if everything is just fine when a friend who claims to be a Christian is promiscuous or crooked, is flip with God or rude to friends, gets drunk or becomes greedy and predatory. You can't just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior. I'm not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don't we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers?
I need to wrestle with this one. Just recently I had two different opportunities to live out what these verses are talking about. A young man tells me that he wants God’s best for his life but also tells me that he is having sex with his girlfriend. A couple about to get married tell me that they are committed followers of Christ but are living together, and I watch them get drunk at their wedding. In both of these instances I chose not to confront.
My hang up is that I don’t want to be “that guy.” You know the guy that beats people over the head with a Bible. The guy who has the “sword of truth” thing down to a science, but has no talent at the “grace and truth” tension. So I tend to say nothing. But what I just read says I have “responsibility for those within our community of believers.”
I look again to the example of Jesus. God’s word says he embodies “grace and truth.” It is interesting that to outsiders (think tax collectors and prostitutes) you see him emphasizing grace, but with insiders (think Pharisees and disciples) you see him emphasizing truth.
Isn’t it interesting that for so long the church has gotten this one backwards? We tend to emphasize truth with outsiders, (“repent or you’re going to hell”) and we emphasize grace with insiders, (“none of us are perfect.)
So how do we get back to a more accurate reflection of what God intended for the church? I think it comes from how we view the church. If the church is just a random group of people that meet together once a week, then it makes perfect sense why we wouldn’t take responsibility for someone else’s actions. But if we truly view the church as a family, then we might be more inclined to take this responsibility seriously. I have no problem taking responsibility for my family, but I do have a problem taking responsibility for a stranger.
God’s word tells us that it should bother us deeply when we see or hear of another believer breaking God’s law. It should bother us to the point that we take the responsibility of confronting that believer with “loving integrity.” (See yesterday’s blog for a further discussion on this term.)
Honestly, I don’t like this part. I wish I could just leave you alone when you sin, but God says he wants me to care for you more than that.
I guess it comes down to how we view sin. If we truly believe what the Bible says that sin brings death, then we might be more inclined to take the risk of confrontation. But if we tend to believe the world’s take on sin, that it actually is a lot of harmless fun as long as you don’t get caught, then why risk confrontation?
Why do we let people lead us?
I was just reading through my one year Bible in the Message translation and I came across this verse “Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.” Proverbs 20:28 I realized that anyone I have allowed to lead me is because I believed they had the qualities mentioned in this verse: Love and Truth, or loving integrity. From my Grandparents and Parents to my Pastor, I have allowed them to lead me because I believed they had loving integrity. It almost seems too simple, but this is what we look for in a leader: Love and Truth. John 1:14 tells us “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of Grace and Truth.” That is what drew people to Jesus: Love and Truth or loving integrity. So often I am tempted to think that leadership is more complicated than that. I think that it is about clever ideas, creativity, relevance, and out-of-the-box thinking. No, Jesus changed the world because he embodied Truth and Love. And it is a delicate balance of the two. We can easily ere on the side of truth: as stated in 1 Corinthians 14 “There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up.” (the Message) Just telling someone the truth isn’t enough. We can preach at someone till we our blue in the face, but without love our words will not be heard. Also, love without truth is insufficient as well. When we feel like someone loves us we may follow them, but without truth they aren’t taking us anywhere. The take away for me is simply this: Without Christ we are incapable of leading anyone in a good direction. Because he is the source of both Truth and Love: without which you and I don’t have the capacity to truly lead anyone.
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