I am who I am because of You!

Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are?  Heritage?  Genetic predisposition? Random selection?

When I entered college I began a journey to understand what is what that I believed and why I believed it.  I wanted to have my own faith.  I grew up in the church with some amazing parents who always pointed me back to God and His Word.  But I wanted to know why these things that I had heard all of my life were true.  I wanted to understand who I was and why I was.

I found during this time an amazing Savior who loved me just the way I was - messed up and not perfect.  I found a best-friend who was always there to listen to me moan and groan about life and celebrate with me when something great happened.  I began to understand that I was never alone, even in the darkness of my dorm room.  I looked around me at the north Georgia mountains and saw the Creator of this wondrous creation.

These are the same things that Paul begins telling the church at Rome.  Remember that he is writing to believers, Jews and Gentiles alike.  He is writing to the church - that includes even those of us who are believers today.  Check out these passages from Romans 1:

"The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God's Son.  His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master.  Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus.  You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!" (Romans 1.2-7 MSG)

Did you catch all of that?  Jesus is who He is because of His Father in heaven and because of His fathers here on earth.  We are who we are because of our fathers here on earth and our Father in heaven.  My dad is a great man - not perfect by any stretch.  He loved me the best way that he knew how, and when I realized that it set me free.

God, my Father in heaven, loves me as well, but is more than a great man.  He is the Creator of great men.  He is the Author and Perfecter of faith.  He is the main reason that I am who I am.  Did you also see this part - "Through him"?  It is through Jesus Christ, all that He is, was and is to be, that we receive salvation.  It isn't dependent on my actions, or lack thereof.  I am who I am because of the generous gift of Jesus and the call that He has put on my life to tell others about Him.

As Christians, or followers of Christ, we are who we are because of Jesus - not because we follow a certain set of laws, or attend a certain church, or hold to a strong belief that has been passed down from generation to generation.  We are who we are because of Jesus and what He did on the cross.  I am who I am ALL and ONLY because of Jesus.

"You are the choices that you make" is a quote that I heard a while ago and use quite frequently when talking with students and my girls.  So today I choose Jesus.  Today I choose to submit my will to Him.  Today I choose to rest in the generous gift through Him and find myself immersed in who He is.  Today I give You all of me for all of You.

Will you join me?

Run Away

As a little boy I remember, and my parents remind me, that I wanted to run away from home.  I packed up everything I had (toys, candy, etc.) and grabbed my knee pads and skate board.  I wrote a note to my family telling them good bye and leaving certain treasures to my mom and sister.  Dad got nothing because I was made at him.  Then I did the unthinkable, when running away from home, I hand delivered the note to my father.  He read it, while I stood by his bed, and then proceeded to ask me where I was going.  I told him that I didn't know but that I wanted to be away from him.  He offered to take me to Grandma's or to my friend's house.  I refused.  After his many offers of rides to places, I decided to stay because I couldn't get rid of him.

Looking back now, I am thankful for the presence of my Dad.  He wasn't going to leave me or just let me leave his presence.  I didn't really like him at that point, but I was glad that he was with me.

This morning I was thinking about yesterday's reading from Romans 8 and had a new insight into Psalms 139.  Have you ever had one of those days like I describe above, but it was more with God.  Things in life aren't going according to the plan that you thought or you are getting tired of getting kicked in the gut.  So, you go to God and tell Him that you are tired of it all.  You are tired of trying to live life according to His plan.  You tell him that it is time for Him to step in and help out.  Maybe, you haven't, but you will one day.

Check this out this passage from Psalms 139.1-12 (MSG):

God, investigate my life; got all the facts firsthand.  I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.

 I've been at that distance from God.  It is me who moved.  I didn't want to be in His presence because I didn't like how things were going.  I was tired of hearing people tell me that "God has something special for you".  The Christian-eeze was just way too much for, but the cool thing--God knew what I was thinking even in those moments.

You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight.  You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence.  I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too--your reassuring presence, coming and going.  This is too much, too wonderful--I can't take it all in!

This too much for me.  God is with me everywhere.  No matter where I turn, even if it is away from Him, He is still there.  If I tell God to stay because I don't like Him (like I did my dad that night), He is still there when I turn around to walk away (like my dad was when I turned to walk away).

This kind of love is too much for me!  It is too wonderful!  I can't even begin to fathom this!  But wait, there is more!!!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?

I know that I've asked that question and even tried this with God.  I don't want like how things are going or what You are doing--or what You aren't doing--I don't like You.  Where can I go to get away from You?

If I climb to the sky, you're there!  If I go underground, you're there!  If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute--you're already there waiting!

Did you catch that?  He is already there waiting for us.  Where we think that we can escape Him, He is already there waiting for us--waiting for us.  Really?!?  Why?  Because of love--because He is love!

Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!  At night I'm immersed in the light!"  It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;  night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

The darkest moments of my life--the nights that lay awake and worry.  The days that I can't focus. The times where I feel that I can't go on.  Those moments are as light to God.  What a message of hope!

This week I had some pretty dark moments.  I was pretty upset with God.  I was ready to throw in the towel and walk away.  But God didn't let me.  He never left me.  I am grateful for His presence.

Thanks Dad for teaching me this lesson as a boy.  Thanks Daddy (Abba) for continuing to teach me this lesson as a man.

Your thoughts--how rare, how beautiful!  God, I'll never comprehend them!  I couldn't even begin to count them--any more that I could count the sand of the sea.  Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! (Psalms 139.17-18 MSG)

Prayer:
Thank you Lord, for never leaving me.  Thank you for being with me in my darkest moments.  Thank you for being with me even when I don't want to be with You.  Thank you for Your word and the truth they remind my heart of.  Thank you for showing Yourself to me today.  May I rise this morning and from this present darkness in my life and live always with You.  Amen.

Separation Anxiety

"I don't feel loved!"
"I don't deserve to be loved!"
"Why would anyone love me?"

These are questions that race through my mind in moments like these.  I don't understand why anyone, especially God, would love me.  With the day that I had yesterday, and then looking back over the past 12 years, I see many failures and mess-ups.  I see many things that I wish I could go back and redo.  Remember having do-overs in elementary school PE?  Those were so great.  When you messed up  you could scream "DO OVER!!!!" and every one reset and you could try again.

The stress and pressures of life, marriage, parenting, finances, professional, and personal are overwhelming.  As a Christian, we think that we are supposed to be immune to these things, at least I do.  I have a mixed up perception of what life as a follower of Christ should be.  As a father I want the best for my girls.  I want them to have everything they need and most of what they want.  I then think that as God's child it entitles me to have all of my wants and most of needs.  When in reality what really matters?

Coming home after a long day and having my family come running to me, Jen included, screaming, "DADDY!!!" and throwing their arms around and kissing me - this is what I live for.  Life seems to come into focus better when we realize that we are loved.  Check out this passage that was next in line for reading today.  It is taken from Romans 8.31-39 (MSG):

So, what do you think?  With God on our side like this, how can we lose?  If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?

Did you catch that?  "...gladly and freely..."  God will gladly and freely do anything for us.  Just look at His track record.  When has He failed you in the past?  I know that we think that He has failed us, but really?  Take a long hard look.  Has God ever let you down?  He might have answered it differently than you thought.  He might have taken a bit longer to answer than you thought, or really wanted.  But has He ever let you down?

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen?  Who would dare even point a finger?

Take a break and notice this.  Who are they messing with?  God!  People knew growing up not to mess with my sister because, "That is Ryan's sister.  Don't mess with her."  I wasn't a bully but I was 6' 1" in the 9th grade, and she was only in the 4th grade at that time.  God is the same way.  He is our defender.  Thank you Lord.

The One who died for us--who was raised to life for us!--is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.  Do you think that anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us?  There is no way!  Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

Look back at yesterday's scripture: He (the Holy Spirit) keeps us present before God.  Now today we see that Christ is in the presence of God, the Father, sticking up for us.  He is our BIG Brother.  He is effectively intervening on our behalf.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.  I'm absolutely convinced that nothing--nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable--absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

What a great passage!  Nothing will shut God's love off to us.  Even we feel unlovable or unloved, God hasn't stopped loving us.  We might have something in the way of our experiencing it or living in it, but God hasn't stopped loving. I am thankful that in my time of feeling unlovable, I can know that I am loved.  In the moments when I choose to not live according to the truth of God's love, I am still loved.

An old counselor of ours had this quote on his desk:

"Truth is what God says no matter how I feel."

Thank God for this truth today.

Lord, right now I don't feel Your love.  I doubt that You are even for me at times.  Please break through my wall of defenses.  Please flood my heart, mind and life with the truth of Your word.  Thank You for continually pursuing me with Your love.  I am glad that Your love isn't dependent on my feelings or actions.  Reveal Your love to me today in a real way--a way that I can't explain but You.  Thank you for Your love.  Amen!

PS. I would love to know how is keeping up and what you think.  Please leave me comments if you want to hear a certain topic or anything.

Joyful anticipation or Frustrated exhaustion

"I am so tired of this.  How long must we wait?"  This is the sentiment that comes too frequently to my own mind and heart.  The apostle Paul, I'm sure, felt the same way.  I know that the church in Rome felt that way.  Paul wrote about these feelings for frustration and exhaustion in Romans 8.18-28.

We are desperately waiting - waiting for something more.  We long for something better.  We know that things aren't the way that they should be.  We know that we aren't the way we should be.  Check out this passage:

That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times.  The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next.  Everything in creation is being more or less held back.  God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead.  Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

"Joyful anticipation"?  Really?  I know that I was joyfully anticipating the birth of my two daughters.  The wait was tiresome at times.  I remember that the closer we got to the 40 weeks the more we were ready to have them here.  But the anticipation of this broken world being made complete is, many times, anything but joyful.  It is sometimes the most painful experience of life.

We live in a broken and fallen world.  The problem is that we expect things to be different, but when we get kicked in the teeth or punched in the gut by reality, we remember that we are broken, those around us are broken, and the world is broken.  We aren't who we were created to be.  This isn't the way that God planned it all to go.  Check out how it continues:

All around us we observe a pregnant creation.  The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs.  But it's not only around us; it's within us.

Did you catch that?  It's not only around us; it's within us.  Within us!

The Spirit of God is arousing us within.  We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance.  That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother.  We are enlarged in the waiting.  We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us.  But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

There is that phrase again, "the more joyful our expectancy."  What the heck?  Really?  Was Job joyful in his expectancy?  Was Joseph joyful in his anticipation of his dream?  Was Jesus joyful in His expectancy of resurrection?  Was Peter joyful in his expectancy of "on this rock I will build my church"?  We are human and many times we put on ourselves these expectations of being Super Human.  We want to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  We want to be more powerful than a speeding locomotive.  We want to be faster than a speeding bullet.  But we aren't.  We are human.  We are broken!

The next verses of this passage are where I find myself most days.  It is where hope is restored when I have no hope.  When I find myself at the bottom of a dark cistern I know that my disappointment and frustration is being communicated to God by God.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.  If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter.  He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.  He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.  That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

This is where I find myself more often than not - wordless sighs and aching groans.  Frustration at every turn.  Moments, brief as they are, of relief, but mostly struggle after struggle.  I know that I am saved and that I have the Holy Spirit living in me.  I know that God loves me, but the reality of life is very contrary to that knowledge.  I hope that the Holy Spirit is keeping me present before God because I'm not sure that at times I want to be, or even deserve, in His presence.


If you feel this way, join me in voicing this prayer.  It's okay to let your heart cry and your eyes weep.  It's okay to let your heart break for the desire of our God.  It's to not be Super Human.  Just be real before God and He will be real before you.

-Prayer-
God, I can't do this any more.  I have been trying to live for You, but I have failed at every turn.  I come and bring my broken life and broken hopes and broken dreams to You.  I am not who I, much You, want me to be.  I am tired and frustrated.  I am need of rest.  You say in Your Word, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."  I am in desperate need of rest and hope.  I need Your hope.  Scratch that request.  I need You in my life.  I need You to reveal Yourself in a real way in my life.  I NEED YOU!!!

Defending honor or just picking fights

The past couple of days I have heard and read many stories of pastors and ministers who have lost their way.  They seem to building for themselves earthly kingdoms under the guise of God's Kingdom.  They are making for themselves names and leaving legacies of destruction in their wake.  They aren't teaching or demonstrating the love and character of God in any sense of the Word.

This makes we rather up set.  Since I am a minister of the gospel, and so are you, I want to stand up on the street corner and defend the name and fame of God.  But this morning I was reminded of this passage and read it again, with more intensity and understanding (2 Peter 3.8-18).

Don't overlook the obvious here, friends.  With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day.  God isn't late with his promises as some measure lateness.  He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost.  He's giving everyone space and time to change.

But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be  unannounced, like a thief.  The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.

Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?  Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival.  The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day--but we'll hardly notice.  We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.

So, (here comes the part for you and me...pay attention here--my thoughts) my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace.  Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation.  Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing.  Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand.  Irresponsible people (these are the men that I've noticed more and more in the past couple days--my thoughts) who don't know what they are talking about twist them every which way.  They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it. (see God doesn't need me to defend His honor)

But you, friends, (here we go again--check this out--write this down--apply this to your life) are well-warned.  Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers.  Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!

 I am reminded of the only fight I ever got into.  It was elementary school and I was defending my mom and sister's honor.  A kid started calling me names--that didn't bother me, I was used to being called names.  He then started in on my dad--as if that would work, my dad is big and can take care of himself.  Then he turned to calling my mom and sister names.  He was looking for a fight.  I punched him the eye and left with my heart pounding out of my chest.  What was I doing?

After school, he came looking for me.  I wasn't hard to find since I was a safety patrol and wore a bright orange belt around my chest and waist.  I was opening car doors for kids going home.  He skipped calling me names and went right back to my mom and sister.  I punched him in the other eye and went to see the principal.  I lost my belt that day and got in trouble at home for fighting.  I thought I was defending my mom and sister's honor.

The same is so true with God.  We think that we need to defend God's honor, name and fame when it comes to false teachers.  We need to focus that much harder on our relationship with God.  We need to do our best to be found living in purity and peace.  We need to take guard against losing our footing of faith and getting swept off our feet by these teachers.  The only way to do that is to know who God is and what He is about - growing in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Peter had it right.  It is a message that we need to heed today even more.  There are lots of false teachers out there proclaiming things that contradict the Word and character of God.  Become a student of the Word and know God more today than you did yesterday.

Peter's ending is so appropriate: Glory to the Master, now and forever!  Yes!

Second Place & Second Chair

"Second place is just the first loser." That was drilled into my head as a little kid in P.E. and competitions.  I hated sitting second chair in middle and high school band.  I wanted to have the recognition and position of first place and first chair.  I am very competitive, just ask my family.  I have a hard time losing to my youngest at Wii bowling (and that happens quit frequently).  Second place isn't a very reassuring place.  It isn't the goal of many of our lives.
Humility is a virtue that many of us struggle with.  I'm gonna tell on myself, and I hope that you can identify with me on this one.  I have listened to many preachers and sat under lots of pastors.  Some of them are good, some are great, and some aren't either.  Some leave me saying, "WOW!" - while others leave me wondering, "WHY?"

The Bible is such an incredible to book.  It is truly alive and speaking to me.  This morning I was studying for the morning devotional when this passage caught my eye and captured my heart:

I have a special concern for you church leaders.  I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory.  Here's my concern: what you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd.  Not because you have to, but because you want to please God.  Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously.  Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and commend you lavishly.  And you who are younger must follow your leaders.  But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for -  God has had it with the proud, but takes delight in just plain people.

So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs.  God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time.  Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. (1 Peter 5.1-7 MSG)

I have read many stories of pastors and ministers who have taken advantage of their position.  I have known many that I would not want to be in their shoes when they get to heaven.  I have struggled with pride in ministry and entitlement.  Then God removed me from the ministry.  I have seen the error in my own heart.

I long, once again after many hurtful experiences in the church, to be back in the ministry full-time.  I want to be on staff in a church.  I want to deliver the Word of God once again every week.  But this past weekend, I was confronted with my pride again.  I thought that I could do it better than the man in the pulpit and wondered why does he get to do it and not me.  This is my pride again speaking.

I have to learn to be content with where I am and who's I am.  Too many times we are caught in throws of coveting and don't even recognize it.  We want what others have.  We look at our lack and their surplus and wonder, and even question God, when will we get our share.  We might not ever get our share this side of heaven.  We must learn to be content with second place & second chair.

We must put our desires and dreams aside for God's dreams and desires.  This is the hardest part of the Christian life.  We must be willing to die to ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus.  Being a Christian is about being a Christ-follower and nothing else.

Will join me in being content with who you are?  Will join me in removing the air of pride and arrogance in your life - it really stinks anyways?  Will you be "happy" with coming in second place and sitting second chair next to Jesus?

Insider or Outsider?

"Wash your hands!  It's time to eat."  Those were the words that were uttered before every meal as a child.  We now utter those same words to our girls.  I am thankful for clean hands when it comes to food.  Last week Abby was cooking dinner and forgot to wash her hands before she cooked the Mac-n-Cheese.  I joked with her that I like the dirt flavored noodles.  She hit me and and we laughed together.

I am thankful that when it comes to God that He doesn't utter the same thing, "Get washed up and then come to the table."  In other words, "Get your life together and cleaned then come follow me."  Check out this passage in Matthew 9.1-13:

Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus' hometown.  They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them.  Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, "Cheer up, son.  I forgive your sins."  Some religion scholars whispered, "Why, that's blasphemy!"

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why this gossipy whispering?  Which do you think is simpler: to say, 'I forgive your sins,' or, 'Get up and walk'?  Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both..."  At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, "Get up.  Take your bed and go home."  And the man did it.  The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.

Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes.  His name was Matthew.  Jesus said, "Come along with me."  Matthew stood up and followed him.

Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them.  When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers.  "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?"

Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick?  Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.'" (MSG)

When Jesus called Peter, James, John and Andrew they were just fishermen, not scholars or seminary graduates.  They were normal, average, dirty men.  They were not religious but workers.  Jesus called them and they followed.  Then Jesus made them into who they were created to be and they influenced the world more for Christ than any religious person ever did.

The passage that Christ was referring to is found in Hosea 6.6, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

God is calling each of into a life a following Him.  It isn't about doing things, but rather being someone - a follower of Christ.  It in that following that we find fulfillment and purpose.  In that following we find that Christ will make us into who God wants us to be.  In that following - this being a follower - that we will make our most profound impact on the world we live in.

Are considered a follower of Christ, or a merely dabbling in religion?  If people were to examine your life would they consider you a follower of Christ?  Are you on the inside or outside?  I am thankful that God is more interested in the outsiders and the sick - for which I am among.

Really? This is Your plan? Really?!?

Plans - we all make them.  Life just interrupts most of them.  Many of our plans don't happen, and this causes great disappointment and frustration on our part.  Have you ever looked at your life and your plans and thought, "Really? This is Your plan?"

I know that according to Jeremiah 29.11 God has a plan for my life, a plan to prosper me and not to harm me.  But sometimes I wonder, "This is Your plan?  Really?"  This plan doesn't make sense.  It doesn't add up.  Check out the life of Joseph and see if you can relate at all:

When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him (Joseph) -- they wouldn't even speak to him.  Joseph had a dream.  When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.  He said, "Listen to this dream i had.  We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat.  All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine."(Gen 37.4-7 MSG)...

 ...He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: "I dreamed another dream--the sun and moon and eleven starts bowed down to me!"  When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him... (Gen 37.9-10 MSG)

Joseph had a dream of greatness.  God had given him a dream - a passion.  He shared that dream with the ones closest to him and was despised and  rejected.  Ultimately he was sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen 37.12-28).  Can you imagine Joseph's bewilderment and questions the first night he spent with this caravan?  Can you imagine the frustration when he was sold as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt (Gen 39.1)?  How do the events of the recent past match up with the dream of greatness and rulership?

I am sure that he questioned God in the night.  We don't have it written in the story anywhere, but Joseph was human, not super human.  He was a 17-19 year old young man when this was all happening.

Then he is thrown into prison for a false accusation of adultery (rape) with Potiphar's wife (Gen 39.2-23).  Again with the questions, frustrations, confusion and bewilderment- "What the heck?  Are You kidding me?  I was second in command of Potiphar's house.  My dream of being the ruler of somethings was coming to pass.  Now I'm sitting in prison being falsely accused.  I'm innocent I tell you."  Those have to be the thoughts and words of his prayers to God.  I know they would be mine - and yours if you were honest.

He spent over 2 years in prison before he was released, only to be tested by Pharoah with the interpretation of a dream (Gen 41.1-38).  "Are you kidding me?  More tests?  I've done the right thing at every turn.  I've tried to be a man of integrity and honor, and all that has been done is hardship and pain, frustration and heartache.  How does living for God really help any thing?"  These had to be his thoughts.

One thing that keeps sticking out to me in this story is, "As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him." (Gen 39.2)  "But there in jail God was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer." (Gen 39.19-23)  God was still with Joseph in all of this.  In this mess called life, God was with him.  Joseph was never alone.  "...because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best." (Gen 39.23)

Even when life doesn't seem to match up with what you know, or better yet, think, should be happening, God is with you.  Even when we question God's plan we can rest assured that God is with us.  Our part in this is to do the next right thing.  That is what Joseph kept doing.  He did the next right thing in the midst of pain, suffering, hardship, trials.  He kept his hope in God, even though I know there were questions.  He kept his eyes on his Lord and Master.

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "You're the man for us.  God has given you the inside story--no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom.  From now on, you're in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you.  Only as king will I be over you." (Gen 41.39-40 MSG)...And Joseph took up his duties over the land of Egypt.  Joseph was thirty years old when he went to work for Pharaoh the king of Egypt. (Gen 41.45-46)

 There were 13 years from the dream to the realization of the dream.  God allowed, and I would dare say that it was God's will, for Joseph to be sold by his brothers and travel to Egypt.  If that event had never happened Joseph wouldn't have ever been in the position to save the people of God like he did when the famine hit.  If Potiphar's wife hadn't accused him and he had never been thrown in jail he would never have interpreted the dreams of the baker and cup bearer - then ultimately Pharaoh's dream.

God had a plan for Joseph.  The path didn't, and looking at it now still doesn't, make sense.  Some times in our lives the path doesn't make sense.  It doesn't seem to match up with what we think should happen.  We can rest assured that God is in control and He is with us.  We just keep doing the next right thing.  That is what we can learn from Joseph - do the next right thing and let God worry about the plan.

Feelings, nothing more than feelings!

Frustration - Boredom - Stress - Anxiety - Sorrow - Depression - Want.  These are all emotions that we have felt at some point in our lives.  Many times they come when our expectations don't match with our realities - when our professions don't match our passions.  What are we to do when our dreams collide with life - when our hopes crash into reality?

HOPE!

Check out this amazing passage from Romans 8.16-28 (MSG):

That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times.  The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next.  Everything in creation is being more or less held back.  God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead.  Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

All around us we observe a pregnant creation.  The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs.  But it's not only around us; it's within us.  The Spirit of God is arousing us within.  We're also feeling the birth pangs.  These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance.  That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother.  We are enlarged in the waiting.  We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us.  But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.  If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter.   He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless signs, our aching groans.  He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.  That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

This brings to my mind, "What am I living for?"  Am I just trying to survive down here on planet earth?  Am I just trying to get by? What, or better yet Who, am I living for?

This passage from Paul gives me great HOPE for the struggles that I face every day.  Some days are harder than others.  Some days are easier than others.  But each day can be lived with hope because I am looking forward to the day when I meet Jesus face-to-face.  The trials of this life make me want to live for the life-eternal that much more.  They make me hope that much more for Heaven desired.

I'll close with this question: Who/what are you living for?

i am not, but i know I Am

"Who am I? That the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt.  Who am I? That the Bright and Morning Star would choose to light the way, for my ever wandering heart.  Who am I? That the eyes that see my sin would look on me with love and watch me rise again.  Who am I?  That the voice that calmed the sea, would call out through the rain, and calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.  Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are." Casting Crowns - Who Am I

Who are you?  Who am I?  Identity is such a hard thing to figure out.  I am watching my daughters try to find their identity, try to find their place in this world.  We many times get our place confused.  We begin to think too highly of ourselves or achievements.  We, as my mom used to say to me, get too big for our britches.

John the Baptist was a great guy.  He never let his position go to his head.  He never forgot his place or God's place.  Check out this passage about John:

There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light.  He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in.  John was not himself the Light, he was there to show the way to the Light...(John 1.6-8)

...When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest.  He didn't evade the question.  He told the plain truth: "I am not the Messiah."  They pressed him, "Who, then?  Elijah?"

"I am not."

"The Prophet?"

"No."

Exasperated, they said, "Who, then?  We need an answer for those who sent us.  Tell us something -- anything! -- about yourself."

"I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!  I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.'" (John 1.19-23)

"I only baptize using water.  A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst.  He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me.  I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him." (John 1.26-27)

Today, you and I are the thunder in the desert.  We are the torrential down pour in this dry place.  We are the ones proclaiming the life and love of God the Father through Jesus the Son.  We get so caught up in our achievements and accomplishments that many times we look at God and say, "You sure are glad that I'm on your team!"  We think that we are the stuff.

We put ourselves ahead of God.  We lower Him to our position or station in life.  We begin to think that we are more than we are, simple mouth pieces proclaiming the Way.  He is not second place to us, we are second place to Him.

Today, as you meet people and go places, remember that you are the prophet for Christ -- the voice calling out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord!"

Freedom - part 3

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  Thanks to God for giving us the freedom to choose to follow Him.  But it would be so much easier and less stressful if He just required obedience.  But then, it wouldn't be love.

Many times I fall into the trap of comparisons.  I look at my life as a child and compare that to what my children have now - they don't match up.  I compare my life to my friends and neighbors - they don't match up.  I compare my job to my mentors or friends - they don't match up.  I compare, and compare, and compare, but am found lacking.

I think a great movie is "A Knight's Tale".  It is about a peasant who takes up the life of a knight after he has died.  He is telling lies about his heritage and lineage, so that he can live out his dream of a knight.  He is found out and the villain tells him, "You have been weighed.  You have been measured.  And you have been found lacking."  I feel this way many times when it comes to my relationship with God.  I feel that I have been found lacking.

Check out this passage from Galatians 5.23-26:

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about (the life of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit); it only gets in the way.  Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed of for good -- crucified.

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every details of our lives.  That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse.  We have far more interesting things to do with our lives.  Each of us is an original.

The idea of freedom, which comes from salvation as a free gift, is something hard to grasp.  It is something that we don't just need to hold onto as a lofty goal.  It is something that should permeate every aspect of our lives.  It is something that should seep out every pore of our being.  Yes, freedom in Christ is a great concept and a wonderful, warm-and-fuzzy sentiment, but it needs to be so much more.

We have been set free from the law of sin and death.  We have been created for a purpose, an original, unique purpose.  We are masterpieces of God's craftsmanship.  But have we allowed this to come out in EVERY detail of our lives.  As one translation puts it: "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." 

We need to allow this to become more than just a concept, or goal.  It must become a way of life.  When we begin to truly understand how free we are in Christ, then we will stop living with the guilt and shame.  We will be less stressed and more happy.  This doesn't mean that we don't make lists or plans, but it means that we live according to God's plan and principles.

I don't know if any of this makes sense or answers any questions.  I think that many of these just raise more questions.  So "let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every details of our lives."

Freedom - part 2

This concept of freedom in Christ is hard to grasp.  It is hard to understand.  It is even harder to live.  As people we love the comfort of checklists.  My wife, early on in our marriage, tried to get me to make lists.  The problem was that I lost my list.  But lists are a great way to organize things.  They help us stay on track.  They also help us see where we aren't being effective or efficient in our lives.  The problem is that we then transfer this to our relationship with God.  If I managed my relationship with my wife and girls by a list, would that be truly considered love.  Or would it lessen my love expressions to just a "To Do" list.

Check out what Paul says about this free life in Galatians 5.16-23:

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit.  Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness.  For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness.  These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day.  Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival,; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community.  I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know.  If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way?  He brings gifts into our lives, must the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.  We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.  We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

 Which picture represents your life--the life lived by the flesh or the one controlled by the Spirit?  Our freedom comes not from obedience, but our obedience comes from our freedom.  We are free to live life according to whatever way we want.  Are you living life your way or God's way?

Freedom - part 1

When I say this word I want to shout it out like William Wallace in the movie Braveheart, I just don't want to be in the position he was in as he screamed it for the last time.

Freedom is such a great word - such a great concept.  Are any of us really free though?  What does freedom look like?

Christ has set us free to live a free life.  So take your stand!  Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.  I am emphatic about this.  The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is squandered.  I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.

I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens.  When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace.  Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit.  For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything.  What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. Galatians 5.1-6 (MSG)

Many of us have been set free in Christ, but we have chained ourselves to religion.  We are set to keep the laws of Quiet Times and verbiage of prayer language.  We think that if we keep these rules and regulations then God will love us more.  But what happens when we miss a day of Quiet Time?  I don't know about you, but I feel guilty.  I begin to beat myself up.  I think that I'm a sub-par Christian because of it.  I have lost my standing with God because I missed a check box.

Is this really freedom?  How does this match up with the life that God intends for me?  I'm not talking about the prosperity gospel, but I have been set free from the law of sin and death.  Christ's death on the cross paid the price for my freedom.  I should live free.

Many of us live life as a bird in a cage.  The owner comes along and opens the cage door to give the bird the freedom to fly and soar, as he was created to do.  But the bird stays in the comfort and security of the cage.  It might step out for a bit, but it will return to the cage and stay there with the door wide open. 

We are like that.  Christ has set us free but we remain in the cage because it is safe and secure.  The outside world is a scary place.  But we have been set free to soar with the wings of eagles.  This is done through our relationship with Jesus.  Freedom is simply put: faith expressed in love.

Heritage

When Jen was in Montgomery people there would ask her, "Who are your people?"  Meaning, are you from the Jones' here in Montgomery.  I think that it is important to understand our heritage and history for several reasons.  One of which so we don't repeat the same mistakes as our ancestors.  The other, is to gain perspective from them about life and how I fit into it.

A couple of weeks ago I had the great privilege to be with my Great-Grandmother in California.  She is 101 years old.  It has been 27 years since I saw her last.  It was the best 3 hours of my day listening to her tell stories and spending time with her.  I took my computer with me and got to Skype with my family back home and let them "meet" Great-Great-Grandma via the internet.  It was wonderful to watch her interact with my daughters and see them in awe of such an amazing woman.

Jen commented that Grandma kept putting her head on my shoulder and holding my hand the entire time.  It was wonderful to spend time with her.  At one point holding back the tears, my Grandma touched my face and told me that she was proud of the man that I had become.  What a great encouragement.  I never knew how important it was to hear from your family that you had done well until that moment.  It was wonderful to know that someone who has lived so long and seen so much in life was proud of me.

There are so many people who have gone on before us in the Christian life that are watching us and proud of us.  Hebrews 12.1-3 gives us great perspective on this:

Do you see what this mean--all these pioneers who blasted the way, all these veterans cheering us on?  It means we'd better get on with it.  Strip down, start running--and never quit!  No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in.  Study how he did it.  Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.  And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.  When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls.

Remember those who have lived before you and make them proud.  Remember God, who walked this road ahead of you, and make Him proud.

Running requires perseverance

In middle school I used to run track.  I think that they were just looking for warm bodies to put in uniforms.  I wasn't fast enough for sprints.  I could not endure the long distance.  So I was the middle distance runner.  I could run one lap pretty good, not great but okay to finish in the top 5 for middle school students.  Today I run from my daughters when they want to have a tickle fight, to the table when I'm hungry, or in an emergency situation.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12.1 (NIV)

People are watching us.  As believers, people are watching every move we make to see if there is something different about us.  There are many witnesses, both believers and non-believers, who are spectating our lives.  Would they say that we are different from the world?  If they were to go around with us for a day would they be able to tell that we are Christ-followers?

Each of have a course marked out for us.  Each course is different.  Each course is filled with it's own up's and down's, curves and straights, bumps and bruises.  Every course is different like the people who run them.  I know that doesn't sound fair because I would love to run someone else's course because it looks more fun, but that is how God works.  You have a course to run that I can't run.  You have a purpose that only you are meant to fulfill.

This course requires of you endurance and perseverance.  We, the members of the great crowd of witnesses, need you to run the race set before you with perseverance.  We need you to grasp, with all your might, the course that has been set before you today, don't worry about the course around the next turn or over the next hill, look only to the course that is just before you.  We need you to throw off every and anything that is entangling your and slowing your down.  Anything that is causing you to trip up needs to be removed.

It is time for us believers to step up to the line and start the race that has been set before you.  You might have stumbled and quit running.  You might have many bruises or even broken bones, but it is time to get back on the course and keep running.  Trust me, I know about bruises.  I understand the pain of broken bones, both physically and emotionally.  I have experienced my share of hurts and have even taken some time off of the course, or so I thought.  But it is time to get back into the race.

Whether you believe it or not, you have never stopped running the race.  People have always been watching.  They have always been evaluating.  They have always been cheering and encouraging.  Don't quit running!  Don't give up!  We need you to persevere for the saints that have gone on before, the saints that are present today and the saints that are coming after.  Keep running!

Why?

It's the start of a new week.  Yeah! Monday is here again.  That is a statement of mixed emotions.  I am glad to be back working with God's Word, but I really miss my family.  I love being with my family.  I love serving with them.  The question that comes to mind many times in life is, "Why?"  Just like a two-year old asking about doing something, "Why?"

Check out this verse:

Whatever, you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for teh Lord, not for me, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3.23-24 (NIV)

Why do you serve?  Why do you work?  Why do you do the things that you do?

This weekend my family served with Society of St. Andrew (http://www.endhunger.org/) gleaning a citrus grove in DeLand.  It was such an amazing time together with our friends and family gleaning fruit for the homeless.  We found out that fruit we gathered was being sent to Haiti to help with the relief there.  What a great opportunity to serve.

Talking with one of the guys with us, he said that he loves doing things like this.  He gets a good feeling inside when he serves and gives.  I get that same feeling.  That is because we are giving.  We are doing what we were called to do when Christ called us to follow Him.  "What ever you do to the least of these, you have done it to me." (Matthew 25.40).

Again, the question arises, "Why do you do it?"  Do you do it for the recognition of men or God?  Do you serve because you want others to pat you on the back and say what a great job you did, or because our Father rewards us.  It is Jesus Christ we are serving, not men.  We are here serving Him in all we do and with all we say.  Check out Matthew 6.1-4 for more on this subject:

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then you Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 So, what is your motivation?  Are you serving men or God?

Man of Few Words

This has never been said of me.  I have always been told that I talk too much.  My teachers in school would always put an "NI" next to the conduct box for talkative.  My parents would tell me that I just like to hear my own voice.  I love to talk.  But when it comes to prayer, we need, especially me, to take a different approach.

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.  The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  Don't fall for that nonsense.  This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better that you what you need.  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply." Matthew 6.6-13 (MSG)

Keep it secret and simple.  I've been in churches when some has gotten up to pray and they put on this prayer voice and start using words that I don't hear in everyday speech like Thee, Thou, bountiful, beseech, etc.  What the heck is that?  Do they talk like that normally?  I seriously doubt that.  Many times they put on their special voice because other people are listening.  They do it for those who are within ear shot.

This is what Jesus is talking about in this passage.  To be effective in your prayers we need to be praying in secret and simply.  We don't need to repeat the same words or speak certain phrases over and over again expecting that through repetition that God will answer our prayers.

We need to practice the KISS principle when it comes to prayer: Keep It Secret and Simple.  This will help our heart to focus on our God.  It will help to move our heart away from ourselves and put our desires where they need to be.  The focus of our prayers should be God and His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Let's close this week and study on prayer with an excerpt from St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer.  This will help us to remember who prayer is about.

Christ be with me, Chris in the front, Christ in the rear, Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me, Christ at my right hand, Christ at my left, Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot seat, Christ at the helm, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

Just come clean

In high school, I was hanging out in our house with my sister and some friends when we decided it would be a good idea to play with the super bouncy balls in the house.  We were dropping, maybe throwing, them off of the second floor balcony, when the one that I threw knocked a picture of my mom's with a ceramic duck on it.  Unfortunately, the duck fell off the picture.  I got some glue, of course it was craft glue, to glue the duck back on the picture.  Just FYI, craft glue take 10 years to dry completely and isn't made to glue ceramic ducks to tile pictures.

I left it on the counter to dry and when my parents came home I rushed it onto the nail in the hall way.  About 5 minutes later we heard a thud.  You guessed it, the duck hit the floor.  My dad then began the inquisition.  I was wrong for deceiving my parents and enlisting my sister into this charade.  I should have just come clean and let my mom glue it on properly.  Fun thing is, she still has this picture today hanging in her house.

Coming clean is an important part of prayer.  In James 4.1-3 it tells us:

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives... (NIV)

The Message puts rather approriately:

Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to.  You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

 That is so true.  I know that many times I want my own way and my motives are pure at all.  A key component to effective prayer is to possess a pure heart.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 5.8:

"You're blessed when you get your inside world -- your mind and heart -- put right.  Then you can see God in the outside world." (MSG)

We need to not only go to God and ask, but we need to confess our helplessness ("I am helpless.  How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord?  My strength is gone and I can hardly breath." Daniel 10.16b-17 NIV) and our wickedness ("If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear." Psalm 66.18 NIV).  We need to understand our total necessity and total depravity.  We are people of unclean lips (even the best Christian that you know) living among people of unclean lips.  Our confession in the presence of God, our Father, shouldn't be any different than Isaiah found in Isaiah 6:

"Doom!  It's Doomsday!  I'm as good as dead!  Every word I've ever spoken is tainted--blasphemous even!  And the people I live with talk the same way, using words that corrupt and desecrate.  And here I've looked God in the face!  The King! God-of-the-Angel-Armies!"

At that point an angel flew to him with a live coal from the altar of God and touched his lips.  At point Isaiah could hear the voice of God calling, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?"

The point is that we need to come clean with God.  Whatever we are holding on to is separating us from God.  He won't be able to hear us and we won't be able to hear Him.  It is time to come clean and quit trying to put things together with craft glue and hide our flaws.  Fall on your face in reverence and worship for you have looked God in the face!  The King!  God-of-the-Angel-Armies!  Come clean and hear His voice.

It's all in the asking

When I was in high school, my family had a plan to get a pool.  We (my mom, sister and I) devised a plan to talk to my dad about getting a pool put into our back yard.  Now you have to understand that we lived on top of a hill on 1.29 acres in Fayetteville, GA (out in the middle of no where).  The plan that we had was to take "Daddy's Girl" and have her ask for the pool.  My dad couldn't say no to her.  All she had to do was bat her eyes and ask with her sweet little voice, and Dad was puddy in her hands.  The plan didn't go as expected.  He was on it from the beginning.  After she asked he called us into the living room.  Needless to say, we never did get our pool.  But the point has stuck with me.

When it comes to our relationship with God, it is much like that.  It is all in the asking.  We don't have because we don't ask.  This isn't some weak version of the prosperity gospel, pray for a Porsche and get one kind of thing.  Get a load of these scriptures:

"And when you pray..." (NIV) or "And when you come before God..." (MSG) Matthew 6.5

Jesus expects us to pray.  Prayers is what connects us to God the Father, our Father.  It is what aligns us to Him.  It is like carrying-on a conversation with God where we talk and He listens, and then He talks and we listen.  So when you pray...how do you pray with effectiveness?

Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from?  Do you think they just happen?  Think again.  They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves.  You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it.  You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.  You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you?  And why now?  Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to.  You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. James 4.1-3 (MSG)

Life is full of wars, fights and quarrels.  It is full of desires and passions that wage war in us.  We see killings all around us (spiritual, emotional, mental and physical) every day.  Life is full of these givens.  So how do we talk with God about this and let Him know our hearts with effectiveness?

We must first ask God.  We need to start talking with God.  Notice the with.  We don't need to treat Him like Santa Claus where we deliver our wish list and get off of his lap grab our candy cane and hope to get what we ask.  We don't need to be hiding in the kitchen while we send Daddy's Girl into to talk with him.  We need to approach the throne of God, our Father, with boldness and confidence.  We are children of God.  So we need to ask.

We need to get over our feelings of insecurity or over confidence.  We need to move past our pride of thinking that we can handle the things of life on our own.  We need to begin to understand that God loves us infinitely and completely.  He cares about our needs.

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."  Matthew 6.8

" Prayer doesn't change God, it changes me." C.S. Lewis ("Shadowlands" the movie)

More? No thank you I'm full

Growing up I was trained to eat everything on my plate, even if I did really like it I ate it.  But I never took seconds.  So, when Jen and I were "friends" (that is what we told everyone, but they didn't believe that we were more than just friends), she cooked a delicious meal of 5 cheese pasta.  She used cheeses that I have never heard of or could pronounce.  It was absolutely delicious, but the plate that she made for me was enough for an large Italian family.  I ate all of it because it was delicious and she made it.  She asked me for seconds and I answered that I couldn't eat any more if I wanted to.  She then asked me why I didn't like it.  I couldn't believe it.  My mom shared my secret with her.  I loved it, but I couldn't fit any more in if I tried.

Ever been there?  Wanting more but not being able to fit it?  Check out this scripture:

Why is everyone hungry for more?  "More, more," they say.  "More, more."  I have God's more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day then they get in all their shopping sprees. (Psalm 4.6-8 MSG)

Do you realize that you have more than enough in God?  I get so caught up in my days some times that I don't take notice that God is at work around me and in me and through me.  I don't need anything else.  I have all of God living in me, active in my life.  It is so easy to get caught up in the mad rush to accumulate stuff that I miss the point that I have enough - no more than enough.  I couldn't fit any more of God in me because I have all of Him there is.  I just don't recognize or utilize His presence in my life.

I used to sing this song to the girls when they were little as I rocked them to sleep.  This is so true.  Think about these words today as you go through your day.  Recognize that you have God's more-than-enough in your life already.

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
And still more awesome than I know

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You’re my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You’re the coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me

Shine like Stars?

Okay, as if I need more convincing, I am not perfect.  I know that this information may catch many of you off guard, but I'm not - even in my most righteous of moments I fall short.  This may surprise you as well, but no one is.  By now you are wondering what happened to give me this revelation.  I'm going to give you the cliff notes on last night.

I came home to my downstairs neighbors music thumping so loud that we could hear the lyrics to the songs in our apartment.  This went on for over 3 hours (6:30-9:30) with us doing everything we could to get their attention, but they wouldn't come to the door to turn it down.  Finally, at 9:30 there was a confrontation between me and the neighbor, because of my pounding on his front door as if to wake the dead.

The neighbor poked his nose out of the blinds and I asked him to please turn down the music.  He opened the front door and proceeded to tell me that he would and that they just turned it on, to which I replied, "No sir, it has been on since 6:30 and we've been knocking since 7:45PM."  He proceeded to talk about my daughters and how they make so much more noise for them.  So basically, he is stooping down to the level of a couple of elementary school age girls (6 & 9).  I didn't like how he was talking about my girls and telling me to "control them".  I don't remember what I said next, but I know that my tone was not the best and that my adrenaline was pumping so hard, because he is a big guy and I thought that it was going to break into something more than just spoken words.

When I got back upstairs the only thing that I could think about was, "Did I represent Christ or His love in that encounter, my first encounter face to face, with our neighbor?  Did how that go down help to point him toward Christ?"  This has been tugging at my heart since last night.  Check out this passage from Galatians 5.22-26 (NIV):

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I am batting 100% for not having those qualities alive in me last night.  I was way past my point of fruit of the Spirit.  Then I thought, or better rationalized, that my behavior was protecting my daughters and family.  Yeah that is what I was doing.  But really?

Paul goes on to write in Philippians 2.14-16:

Do everything without complaining or arguing, (NIV) (readily and cheerfully -- no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! MSG) so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life (Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society.  Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. MSG)

Ouch! That hurts.  So I didn't start the confrontation with him in the right manner.  How would I expect him to respond when some one is banging on his door with obvious frustration and anger?  How would I expect the conversation to go when it was started with anger on both sides?

How are you shining?  Are you shining so that people receive a breath of fresh air?  Are you holding out the word of life?  Are you providing people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God?

None of us are perfect, but all of us are forgiven. Forgiven by He who exemplifies the fruit of the Spirit.  To forgive takes more than just saying, "I'm sorry."  It takes humility and the acceptance of peoples flaws.  We are called to be Christ-like and Christ is the epitome of forgiveness.  Give those around you a glimpse of God, both in you and through you.

Inward vs Outward?

As a child my family would go to the beach every year around the July 4th holiday.  Because my birthstone is chalk I  would burn just getting out of the car and walking into the hotel room.  I would then spend the daylight hours in the hotel room waiting for the night hours, because the I've never heard of anyone getting a moon-burn.  I stayed in the room unless I was covered from head to toe with sunscreen and had a long sleeve shirt, hat and socks (which I swam in).  I wanted to stay in because I was hurting.

Now because of the scars (emotionally not physically), I don't like the beach.  I don't like the sun.  I would rather head to the mountains than the beach.  Give me shade.  I'll go to the beach if there is significant shade for me to hide under, and I live in sunny Orlando, Florida - the sunshine state.  Don't tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor.

Life is hard!  We all have been burned at some point.  You have been hurt by people to the point that you don't want to put yourself out there again.  It is easy to become overwhelmed with your hurt and then turn your focus and attention inward.  It is easy to put YOUR problems at the forefront of your mind and attention.

We used to sing a song, in jest, around our house when we would get like this.  "It's all about me, Jesus.  And all of this is for me, for my glory and my fame.  It's not about You, as if I should do things Your way."  This is a direct reflection of the struggle of life.  We say that we are Christians with our mouths and even our church attendance, but when it comes down to it, we are so wrapped up in our own thoughts and problems that we are not focused on those around us.

Check out this verse:

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?  does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?  For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend!  Be clothed in Christ!  Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup -- where does that get you?  Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?...Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove...The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse.  Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse. James 2.14-17, 18b, 26

  As Christians we are human as well.  We battle to keep the main thing the main thing.  We have issues and struggles.  We lose focus on what is really important.  We are here to be the witnesses of Christ - to be His hands and His feet - to be His ambassadors.  As Christ taught us to pray, "Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."  We are the instruments that God chooses to use to bring His will to earth.

My mind is wrapped and bogged down with the weight of life so many times that I miss the opportunities that God is putting in front of me every day to show others Him.  I get so consumed with my own life, that I am like that person that Paul just described.  I don't mean to, but I'm just giving lip service to people's needs.  Emotionally, spiritually, physically and/or mentally I don't have what it takes to help them at the moment.

I am self-absorbed.

It is time to break out of the inward focused life and start looking up.  It is time for us to open our eyes to people around us.  It is time for us break out of our shells and start recognizing the people around us need us and what we have - Jesus Christ, our hope and salvation.

Playing Pretend

As a little boy I remember using all of my mom aluminum foil to wrap plates and sticks so I had a sword and shield to fend off the dragons in our yard. Today, my daughters have an entire drawer dedicated to dress-up clothes. As a little girl, Abby did a dress up tea party that I came home for lunch to attend. It was amazing to wear a crown and pink feather boa and drink tea from little cups. We laughed and had a great time, but it was only pretend.

We like to pretend a lot. Many of us would like to stay in pretend mode because the reality of life is hard. But when it comes to being a Christian, we can't pretend that. It is time to stop pretending and start being.

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer." Matthew 23:1-3

This is where many of are. We talk a good talk, but we don't live it out. It is either out of fear of rejection or embarrassment or something else that we don't live it out in front of people. Usually I want people to like me, and I don't want to offend them with my faith. But seriously, those are excuses that I tell myself to make myself feel better.

Check out this from James 1.22-25:

Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear. Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God--the free life!--even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

We need to stop pretending to be what we are not. It is time to stand up for God and be His follower no matter what the cost to us. Let's quit playing pretend church and start being the church. Let's start living what we believe. Imagine how different life would be if we lived what we believed.

We are the answer

Growing up my parents would take me to my great, great aunt and uncle's house in Georgia. They lived on 20 acres outside of Atlanta. This was a huge thing for a city boy like myself to head to the country. It was definitely interesting. I remember eating big southern country breakfasts (toast, eggs, grits, molasses, honey, fig preserves, etc.). Then we would head out into the field to pick corn, okra, beans, watermelon, squash, snap peas - you get the idea. It was fun for this city boy to head to the field and harvest the food that would be cooked for supper.

The fields are where I still am - and where you are as well. Check out this passage from Matthew 9.35-38:

Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! On your knees and pray for the harvest hands!"

That is usually where we stop reading that story. It is convenient because that is where Chapter 9 stops. But we have to continue to Chapter 10, verse 1. It is a critical component in this story.

The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives.

What a great verse. The prayer was no sooner prayed and it was answered with the followers of Christ being sent out into the fields to kick out evil spirit and tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. So, this leads me to a question for myself and you,

"How are you doing in the fields? How are you doing at tenderly - yes tenderly - caring for the bruised and hurt lives of those around you?"

Many times I just walk through the mall, my neighborhood, my church, even my own home, and miss the bruised and hurt lives of those around me. Some times I add to the bruises and hurts. I am definitely not tender in my care of people. I definitely don't have a broken heart when I people watch at the mall, restaurant, or ball park. I have to admit that many times I'm so wrapped with my own bruises that I don't care to see others.

This is a huge problem. Because the call of the harvest is still going out today. Check out what Christ said as some of his final words on this earth:

Jesus, undeterred, when right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

You and I have all been commissioned to go into the fields. We have all been given the authority of the Father to drive out the evil spirits of this world and mend the bruised and hurting lives of those around us.

Think about this as you walk through the mall, halls of your work, or the living room of your home.

Be careful little lips what you say

I remember this little song when I was a kid, "Oh be careful little eyes what you see..." What a great song. It should serve today as a reminder to me, but like many things from my childhood, I've moved on and gotten too busy to remember them. I have learned that lesson but it doesn't apply to me today, or so I think many times.

Ephesians 4.29-32 is a great set of verses that I forget many times. Check this out, "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you."

WOW! I know 4.29, but to think that in the middle of all of that Paul tells me not to grieve, or break the heart of, God - to not take the most intimate gift of God's presence in my life through the Holy Spirit for granted. Then he follows that up with my words again. There must be a connection between my words and God's heart.

Many times it isn't what I say, but how I say it. Notice that Paul asks us to make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk - to be gentle with one another, sensitive. This is no easy task. You talk about a New Year's Resolution...watch what you say and how you say it. Especially with those that you love the most. We think that we talk however we want to with them because they will always love us. We treat them many times with less care than we do a complete stranger. I am tired of this in my life. I want my family to know that I love them because they hear it in my voice and my words.

Think about making this your New Year's Resolution.

O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say