A Reaction to Reality

Detonation…explosion…shrapnel…all words that I know by definition, but hopefully never get to experience in reality. This was not the case, however, for a grandson of one of the members at Union Hill today. While serving his country, a mine detonated under his right leg. The ensuing explosion caused his right leg to be amputated and his left leg to be filled with shrapnel. He is now on his way to a hospital in Germany for further rehabilitation and prosthesis. Our prayers are with the York and Stevenson families.

Never do we know what a day will bring…or to what end it may come. The probabilities are endless no matter how much we think that we know. This goes to prove that our foundation (at all times) must be grounded in things not seen, for how can we hope in what is seen? (Romans 8:24). God holds the future in His hand, and that means that our reaction to any present situation must be seen through His eyes. This way, whether rich or poor…whether healthy or sick…our foundation remains constant and secure in the Lord. We must learn to trust in Providential care over physical ability.

Pot-Bellied Stoves and Butter Churns

On a shelf across the room in my office sits a line of antique, paperback songbooks (some from as far back as 1920). These well used hymnals were part of weekend family singings where small groups of Christians from the community came together to sing praises to God. And if those worn out pages could talk, they would tell the stories of voices echoing off hardwood floors and butter churns…about families sitting down (outside of Sunday service) making a melodious noise in worship to their Creator as they gathered around pot-bellied stoves and open fireplaces.

Simpler times. Less distraction. Most family units weren’t obsessed with advancing monetarily, but the main focus was to advance spiritually…to show and live loyalty to God and honor toward others. It was a time of integrity, where a handshake meant more than the ink on any official document. Responsibility was taught and exemplified by the work ethic of godly fathers and mothers…and there was no such thing as bankruptcy because that meant you were a liar.

In reality, relationships and accountability have changed from the helping Good Samaritan…to passing by on the other side of the road. We now have no more time for face to face conversations or tangible compassion. Hectic schedules seem to be snuffing out a simple consideration of others above self. O for simpler times with less distraction…

Eat Mor Chikin

I love me some Chick-fil-A! They know how to work that chicken sandwich magic, but that’s not the main reason I love this particular chain of fantastic fowl. If you ever walk into a Chick-fil-A on Sunday you’ll know why I love it so much…because you can’t walk into a Chick-fil-A on Sunday. They’re closed on every first day of the week, and they proudly display the reason on the walls of their restaurants, and on their founder’s website:

"Truett Cathy’s practice of closing his 1,480-plus restaurants on Sunday is unique to the restaurant business and a testament to his faith in God. Cathy knew that he would not deal with money on the “Lord’s Day.” Today, the Closed-on-Sunday policy is reflected in the company’s Corporate Purpose: To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." (truettcathy.com)

Driving through town on Christmas day, I was reminded of how things used to be on Sundays: a ghost town of empty parking lots with “closed” signs hanging from business doors. It was a day of rest. It was a day to spend with family…taking time to strengthen relationships and build spiritual foundations. It was a determination to keep the Lord at the forefront of the Lord’s Day.

How far we have fallen for the almighty dollar. How much we have compromised our convictions for the sake of earning what we will never take with us. “The rich and the poor have a common bond: the Lord is the Maker of them all.” (Proverbs 22:2) So whether rich or poor will we be (as Chick-Fil-A’s founder said) “faithful stewards of all that is entrusted us,” or will we let that which has been entrusted govern the course of our lives?

Happy New Year

The New Year is fast approaching and thoughts of gratitude fill each mind. Family, friends, and neighbors all join in the celebration of a new beginning while conversations flow of days past and gone. We reminisce about happy, newborn additions as well as remembering those whose life has now come full circle to the grave. “Precious memories, how they linger, how they ever flood my soul.”

Self-examination. Realizing imperfections. Setting resolutions. Renewed zeal for good. Relationships, once strained, become improved. Thoughts, once sour, become sweetened with the honey of a New Year. It’s a jumpstart everyone enjoys, and its arrival has been eagerly expected for the last twelve months.

Paul says, “Be careful how you walk…making the most of your time.” (Eph. 5:15-16) Lord willing, we’ll be passing over the threshold of a New Year in a few days. Be sure to make the most of it.

Nobody Ever Volunteers to Take Down the Christmas Tree

So, the presents are all unwrapped, some even returned and exchanged already. The leftover turkey is starting to turn a funny color and let off an unpleasant odor, and (since nobody has eaten any in the last couple of days anyway) it is quickly headed for the garbage. The toys have long since been torn from the boxes and had their initial use…and some already seem to have outlived a child’s interest in them, and so they’ll go into a box labeled “toys-we-seldom-play-with”. The Christmas tree is still up, and no matter what we try, un-decorating the tree is never going to be anything other than a chore that nobody really wants to do.

The Month After Christmas
Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I did nibble, the eggnog I did taste
Now all of it had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scale, there arose such a number!
When I walked through the house (less a walk than a lumber).
I remember the marvelous meals I’d prepare;
The gravies and sauces and beef (nicely rare),
The peanut-butter balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I’d never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband’s old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt…
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can’t spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So…away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food (that tastes good) must be banished
’Til all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won’t have a cookie…not even a lick.
I’ll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won’t have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I’ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I’m hungry, I’m lonesome, and life is a bore…
But isn’t that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all…and to all a good diet!
(edited from steven simila grant)

Winter Storms and Faulty Forecasts

A Winter Storm Advisory is in effect tonight and people are crawling down the isles of Wal-Mart snatching up every last loaf of bread and gallon of milk. Meteorologists are calling for freezing rain, sleet, and some ice accumulation (as best as they can predict). This place may be transformed into a winter wonderland overnight…we may be barricaded into our homes by sheets of ice…or it may be that those bright, yellow buses are running on schedule tomorrow. We like to think that we’ll know…but we really don’t. That’s why it’s called a forecast: an estimate or prediction of what conditions could be.

As much as we like to plan things out, there are times and seasons that we will not be able to anticipate. God’s plans and powers don’t fit into some 7-day forecast where every temperature change and storm can be tracked and calculated. “For you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

Life is uncertain from day to day. We know not what shall be on the morrow. “My days are like an evening shadow, and I wither away like grass.” (Psalm 102:11) For that reason, we are to live each day as if it were the last we were given.

The Dismissal of the Spirit-Instinct

“If we live by the Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) We have all seen the commercials starring extended-bellied children suffering of starvation in third world countries (crying into the lens of a $10,000, high-definition camera), and at the end of those advertisements they ask us to help support a child for a dollar a day. What should be our first instinct? The desire to help! That should be the first thought!

At Wal-Mart, you see an elderly man drop something out of his wallet while he’s paying the cashier…what should be your first instinct? Pick it up and give it to him! It’s 15 degrees outside and you see that a woman is trying to change a tire on the side of the highway…what should be your first instinct? Stop and help! There’s a show on television that keeps using profanity while your two year old daughter is watching…first instinct? Turn it off! A widower down the road has no family and it’s the Holidays…first instinct? Go invite him to Christmas dinner!

How many times has our first instinct to do good…disappeared? At conception, it blazed a trail through our mind and there was nothing that was going to stop us from accomplishing that good deed for another: visiting, sending a card, calling someone on the phone, giving money (or time) to help someone in need. However, as quickly as it began to burn…the thought to do good is consumed by distraction and nothing is left but the ash of good intention.

Do we truly live by the Spirit? Are we being influenced daily by the Spirit-inspired Word? Is every thought and instinct guided by the Spirit of God into life-activity? How many times have we simply dismissed the conviction to do something good, and in doing so, grieved the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30). Don’t dismiss the first instinct to do good, rather, act upon it…and glorify God by it.

The Compass and the Point

For most people in this world, any decision they make is based on what they think is right. Their moral capacity to do good is solely secured in how they feel at any given time, or it is chosen by situational principles. For most people when it comes to deciding a direction in life…they are both the compass and the magnetic draw. Therein lies the problem.

A compass is an instrument that guides based on the draw of an outer force (earth’s magnetic energy). A true direction can only be set when the free-standing pointer of the compass is in line with the greater force. This means that a compass has to rely on something else (besides itself) to point in the right direction. An easy enough concept to realize in science, but apparently not a notion most people accept in their own lives.

“I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) Man cannot make decisions, within himself, of where his moral compass points. What is right and wrong does not inherently reside in man. That would falsely imply that man is the force by which he walks. However, man cannot be both the compass and the magnetic draw. There must be a greater force to which man comes under submission.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6) It is through God we find absolute direction. He is the true north of every soul, and when life is directed by His Word…that course will lead us across that old Jordan to a home everlasting.

A Single Action

I was called upon to do a funeral for a man I never met. Coming to the funeral home, I sat down with the family to listen to their stories, look at pictures, laugh at memories...and through this they painted a picture of William Hurt's life. One memory will forever stay with me...a memory from a man's life I never met!

For decades, William Hurt would wake up at 3:30 in the morning and work as a carpenter all day long. Carpentry is tedious, labor intensive work. It drains a man to work all day long as a carpenter (especially if he was waking up at 3:30). However, he would always try his best to be back home when the school bus dropped off his son. Why? So they could play catch together...just father and son.

That single action, performed by a man I never met, taught me a lesson about being a father that will last all of my life. Don’t be tricked into thinking that you don’t make a difference in this world, or that what you do doesn‘t affect others, because you can make a difference...one, small act at a time. Mr. Hurt made a difference in my life simply by the choice he made, while he was living, to show his love for his son by playing catch. I wonder what simple action you can do that could change someone for a lifetime?

Drifting

Four years have passed now since the first time I visited her small, block, basement house that sits on a few acres of family farmland…terraced as it slopes down to a honey-suckle surrounded creek marking the edge of her plot. She’s lived there for upwards of 60 years (ever since her daddy died). She’s never been married…and the lines on her face tell a story of a lifetime of farm labor (picking strawberries and working the soil with her father). For an 85-year duration of independent life…she has been devoted to using and saving the resources made available to her in a very unconventional way. She used herbal remedies instead of medicine, even to the point of eating polk berries to relieve arthritis (polk berries are poisonous if a tolerance is not built up, and she was taking as many as 14 a day!). Unconventional, yes, but who can argue with 85 years of good health?

A few weeks ago she moved to an assisted living facility, and for a while everything was fine. However, as time went along her demeanor faded from a free, independent soul…to a depressed recluse who simply wanted to die. Her eyes became glazed over as she stared out the lone window of her room. Visits from friends and family became more of an inconvenient reminder that she was still alive.

I’m no psychologist, but something broke this woman away from the joy of life, and she is now drifting. I don’t know what force or what action was the culprit. Maybe it was the fact that her family was ashamed of her dumpster diving lifestyle and they shunned and mistreated her…or maybe she worried about things so much that she brought this on herself. Whatever the case, for eighty plus years she was content to dwell in what we would call poverty…and then (away from that small, block basement house full of nothing) she now wants to die.

Enjoy the bright days…for how the clouds of despair too quickly fill the skies of our life. It’s too easy to take a step forward in sunlit expectation…only to jump back twice as many, as dark despair clouds our vision. Guard your faith with the intensity of a mother protecting her infant child. Times will come when forces will work against the gladness of life…and they will drag you down into the depths, if you are not anchored steadfast and sure in the Lord. Pray for those who are, even now, lost in that fog of depression…their ships are drifting as their anchor has loosed from the Point of Security.

An Old Familiar Song

Walking through the halls of Spring Creek nursing home I hear a familiar song from an old, raspy voice: “O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever…” An elderly man was sitting in his wheelchair (a nurse standing by his side joining in) and he sang that old hymn with a smile on his face. Around him there were some of the loneliest circumstances…but in his heart he was before the throne of God, His Maker, giving Him the best praise his seasoned vocal chords could offer.

Take a stroll through the hallways of a nursing home sometime…stop and listen to people. Listen to the old woman in the hall calling out for help, while all the while she’s safe and sound. Pay attention to the mumbles of those who are trapped in their own minds, and listen to the names they repeat of decades past. Observe the names on the doors, and say a prayer for them. Look at the faces of the sons and daughters visiting their parents…gazing into the frames of old photos showing their healthy families with smiles on their faces, while tears are held back.

As we sit in the comfort of our homes…as we work during the day…as we sit down with family through the night…please remember those who aren’t so fortunate. The parents that call us, the sarcastic siblings that may torment us are like a vapor, just like our life (James 4:14), and they will one day vanish away. Then, someday, we may find ourselves in the halls of a nursing home longing for someone to care enough to stop and sing a hymn…just like that man who presently sits in the halls of Spring Creek. Will you find him?

Nimrod

There's a man that (to me) has the best name in the entire Bible. It’s not because he was such a good guy, and it’s not because he was so righteous...this guy has one of the most memorable names in the Bible because his name was Nimrod!

The first mention we have of Nimrod is in Gen. 10:8-9, where the Bible describes him as a famous and mighty hunter. If Nimrod was around today..he would have action figures made in his image. He would have the biggest endorsements from Nike and Gatorade. He would have kids all around the world following his Twitter account. This guy was famous! The Bible singles Nimrod out as being one of the greatest hunters of the day, but it's not clear as to what we was hunting (and from the language of this text, it seems he was more like one who hunted men to conquer them as he used his power to make people do what he wanted them to do).

Whatever the case, his name (in that day) became synonymous with greatness...if people wanted to give compliments (like if you were good at hunting) people would come up to you and say, “You’re a Nimrod!”

But the name Nimrod, by definition, had a much darker reference. It means “to rebel, to revolt”. Now, we know that he was a powerful man, he was a very skilled man, and after a while, he came to rule over a large area. Genesis 10:10-12 says: “He built his kingdom in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) with the cities of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).”

So by the time we come to Genesis 11, Nimrod’s kingdom of Babylon is huge...and he, obviously, has a big enough workforce that he begins to build what is known as the Tower of Babel. Nimrod was the guy behind the tower of Babel...he was like Pharaoh, wanting to build huge structures by slave labor...and set himself up as king.

Also, at this time, the whole earth had one language...one common language. Genesis 11:3-4 says “They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky (or “that will reach into heaven”). This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

They used the best building materials of the day. Everybody was excited…they were building the biggest building the world had ever seen. This would be a monument to their power and skill and ingenuity! Sounds like the mindset of Nimrod, right?

What’s missing from this picture? Anything remotely related to God. GOD is left out of the whole project (no altars built to Him, no sacrifices made in gratitude to His blessings), and it wasn’t that long ago (in their past) that the flood happened (just a few hundred years before). How could they forget THAT?! You would think the people would give God His due.

But the people left God out of their plans. The tower of Babel served as a temple, an idol to the god of fame and fortune...to the god of getting noticed. The people forgot God, and started to think only about themselves. Moral: don’t forget God...and don’t be a nimrod!

Distractions

After working with Dad on the farm last Thursday…Kacie, Kenlea, and I were invited over to a friend’s house to eat some supper. Nothing better than grilled, whole hog sausage (but that’s beside the point). Following that delicious meal and amusing conversation we drove home toward Marshall County (Kacie and Kenlea behind me in her car).

Once on the road, I realized just how tired I was because I hadn’t even turned on my radio (which is usually a staple in my truck). Sitting there in the cab, listening only to the hum of the engine and the occasional suspension yelp caused by the old chat roads, my mind became increasingly focused on things not of this world. No music. No phone. No commercial or technological overload. Just me, the road, and God.

Distractions seem to be an indispensable part of our fast-paced lives…while times of quiet reflection and spiritual refreshment are increasingly rare. We always have something to do, something to watch, something to listen to…and very little time to examine the weightier matters of life. Maybe we don’t want to think about those things…maybe we’re truly distracted with our hectic schedules…maybe we feel more comfortable not thinking about the spiritual stuff of life, while we‘re right at home never stopping to see, search out, or thank God for any of His blessings.

Don’t let the distractions of everyday…keep you from seeing the grace of God in life. Thank God for your family. Thank God for your friends. Thank God for the abilities you have to do your job (no matter how tired it makes you). Don’t be so distracted that you forget about Who truly owns all the things that entertain us in the first place.

Too Scared of Strangers

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…” (Hebrews 13:2): A task (dare I say command) that remains largely forsaken amongst those who call themselves Christians. It’s like a throbbing scourge in the heart of God Himself! Scanning over the church, we can almost hear the sound of His raging displeasure, only to hear His voice masked by the justification of a selfish “Christian/American” culture spewing rhetoric concerning the poor and needy, saying: “They’re alright. The government will take care of them. Why do I have to lift a finger to help?”

We can all confess that culture and mindset have changed drastically in this nation over the past several decades. We only trust the people we know, and then only in small doses. Helping strangers can lead to identity theft, robbery, even physical harm…but is the task of Hebrews 13:2 dependent upon the culture and time in which we live? Can this virtue be dismissed simply because of the danger it may pose? To borrow an intense, New Testament phrase from the Apostle Paul, “God forbid!”

Admittedly, I am rather reserved (even down-right doubtful sometimes) when a person calls the church building who is needing an electric bill paid, or groceries delivered, or their hotel room paid for the night (especially when they have called multiple times before). This is a person (in need) asking for help…but does my doubt and suspicion negate the task at hand? (I know we’re to be responsible with the Lord’s resources, but that’s not the point I’m getting at). Have we become so terrified of strangers in need that we’ve lost our capability, as Christians, to show them hospitality? Are we using the times in which we live as an excuse to exempt us from our responsibility to “do good unto all men”? (Galatians 6:10)

Losing Religion to Politics

No doubt many of you (like myself) were glued to the television last night, wondering about the results of the mid-term elections. Some were disappointed, others were delighted…and it’s easy to look at things simply from a blue or red point of view and forget a few spiritual things. Like what?

In a fallen world there is no perfect political party, no perfect political candidate, and no perfect political policies. As Christians, we have to always keep in mind Psalm 146:3 - “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” A government cannot save, and we can‘t put our trust in man to deliver what God alone can do…but we also have to keep in kind that God has ordained this government to maintain justice and punish evil (Romans 13:1-7).

As such, we all have obligations to live the best we can as Christian citizens…living lives that would bring glory to God, and (no matter what anyone says) this does come out in what sort of government we support. Christians can and do disagree about political things, but biblical Christianity ultimately transcends party politics. Having said that, some political parties and policies may be closer to biblical concerns than others.

C.S. Lewis once warned about the dangers of “Christianity and…” Whether it be Christianity and Republicans, or Christianity and Democrats, or Christianity and tea parties. In a fallen world no political party will fully reflect all of God’s concerns. So, we have to wisely and prayerfully consider where our votes are going, and what they‘re going for when it comes to issues like gay marriage, abortion, funding for sinful activities, etc.

Each Christian (each of you) has to prayerfully and thoughtfully seek God on every issue of life, and politics are no different. The stakes are high, and failure to seek God in all these things will be tragic. At the very least, we have to keep I Tim 2:1-2 in mind: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

God comes first, not country. God comes first, not politics. God comes first…period. It’s when we lose sight of God that we lose our identity as His children.

Patterns

In life there are patterns seen at every turn: the changing of the day to night, the shifting of the seasons, the orbit of the moons and planets….all these are patterns that will be seen throughout time. These things have been set in motion by our Creator and they will remain until time is no more. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) However, there is another pattern which will be observed as long as the world stands…and it’s of human choice and origin.

Like clockwork, man has (from the days of Adam and Eve) been caught in a web of sin. It’s been a pattern seen in every age of man since the first generation stepped out of the Garden of Eden. We have always, and will always, be caught up in this labyrinth. Like the children of Israel before us, there will be times of great virtue in our lives, where righteous zeal will burn brighter than the stars of the heavens…but there will also be times of great spiritual shame, where morality and godly principles are, seemingly, out of reach.

Times of refreshing come, but soon after that spiritual stimulation…we let the darkness creep in again. Just as the day turns to night, just as the seasons shift, so does our focus. Sometimes we see, clearly, the things we need to be doing for our Creator. Other times, our eyes are dimmed to the opportunities we have to glorify God because of terrestrial tunnel-vision or indecent desires that don’t match-up with the will of God.

So, where do you find yourself in this pattern? Are you standing in the Sonlight of Christ, or have you let the darkness in again? Are you in sin, or in your Savior?

Friday Night Melodies

Hazel Church of Christ in Hazel, KY has a building that’s the best around when it comes to congregational singing. The church meets in an old-timey structure with a tin ceiling and concrete floors with a thin layer of carpet…all that keeps the voices ringing and bouncing from ceiling to floor! It’s like hearing an echo off the walls of heaven itself! Put 75 people in that building (that love to sing songs of praise to God) and that‘s as close to the throne-room of God you can get this side of eternity!

Most Friday nights there’s gonna be a singing at some Church of Christ around west Kentucky or west Tennessee. From the thousand member Glendale Road congregation to the thirty member Hazel congregation…Friday night melodies are a staple around here (and I love it).

However, the gradual decline of these Friday night singings is easily seen in the fewer and fewer numbers of Christians who seem to be interested in attending. The crowd percentage is made up of more seasoned Christian bodies, and with less and less younger souls willing to attend…I’m afraid that in a few years these Friday night melodies will fade away in Sunday dinner memories.

Swollen with Stuff

I’ve been trying to lose some of my “preacher figure” in the mid-section (where all the awesome meals my wife cooks and every potluck casserole seems to stick). Mountain biking has helped to release some of the fat covering my abs, but it’s more than just exercise. If I ride 10 miles through the woods at Land Between the Lakes, and then come home and eat 3,000 calories worth of junk…it doesn’t really help me get rid of my fat belly. It’s has to be a combination of action plus discipline (and I can hear my wife saying, “Stop drinking your calories, then.”)

Anyway, I weigh more right now than I ever have before (210 pounds), but it doesn’t really hit you until you see yourself in a picture or on video. That reality forces you to examine your habits of life. And it’s the same way in our Christian living. Sometimes we don’t see how lazy and lax we have become until we stop and notice the person we’ve turned into. We begin to perceive that the things we used to do at church…we don’t do anymore. We may realize that we’ve lost interest in doing things for others or studying more about God, and we just focus on ourselves.

It’s a slow process. It took about 3 years for me to go from 190 to 210...that’s less than a pound a month, but over time…it really shows up. Over time…our choice to serve self over God (and serving self over others) will show up. Whether it be missing church services, or failing to go to Bible study, or we simply stop praying…when we don’t examine where we are in our spiritual life, it’s only a matter of time until our lives becomes swollen with stuff…and there’s no room for God (II Corinthians 13:5). So, check your spiritual diet, and examine what your soul has become. Change your habits, if need be, but do something to get your spiritual life in shape

Are You Ready?

My wife and I are blessed to be expecting our second child in June of 2011. This pregnancy seems very different from the first time. When Kenlea (kin-lee) was in the womb, developing into the most beautiful baby girl in the universe, there was a certain nervousness and trepidation because this was a new thing. There was a fear of the unknown…and an awesome anticipation unlike any other.

However, the knowledge we learned with Kenlea has helped to ease our minds about the new addition to our family. Though we still have some apprehensions, we now realize that most things (when it comes to pregnancy AND life) are out of our control, and thus…in God‘s hands. Come what may, God will be there to get us through.

The more we let God have all the circumstances and events of life…the more we’re ready for anything that’s thrown at us. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” means that His strength is what gets me through…not my own (Philippians 4:13). How ready are you for what lies ahead?

Get Angry Already!

I was cringing as she said the word over and over again to describe conservative America: “Bigoted…racist…” My blood began to rise gradually in temperature as she attempted to convey HER definition of bigotry as people who deny women “reproductive rights” (the right to abort any fetus at anytime), among other anti-biblical, anti-morality examples. It made me angry. I wanted to stand up in my living room and shout at the TV at the top of my lungs, “MURDER IS NOT A RIGHT!” It made me angry…and it should make you angry, too!

“Be angry, and sin not.” (Ephesians 4:26) So get angry already! Has the American culture cat got Christianity’s tongue when it comes to standing up for issues? Has spiritual pacifism drowned our God-given obligation to “be ready to give a answer [defense]” of what the Bible says (I Peter 3:15)? We’re told to be “ready in season and out of season to reprove, rebuke and exhort…” (II Timothy 4:2). How can we give a defense when our voice is silent?

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke). Too many Christians and too many churches do nothing. We’ve become spectators, sitting on the pews, watching the Devil play his game of influence over the world. Is this you? Do people know where you stand on the issues of life? Do you know how to give a biblical answer? Because in the fight we are to fight against evil there is no middle ground! Jesus said, “He that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathers not with Me scatters abroad.” (Matthew 12:30) It’s time to stand up!

Quote to Ponder

"It is impossible for a man to be freed from the habit of sin before he hates it, just as it is impossible to receive forgiveness before confessing his trespasses..." Ignatius

The Children of the Future

I was having a conversation with my wife in which we talked about a bothersome thought that’s been banging around in my brain for a while: there’s so much sin that Christians don’t call sin anymore! The church, as a whole, tolerates more transgression than I ever thought possible…all in the name of not losing members, or perhaps to gain members, or maybe it’s just cowardice to stand for the truth. I don’t know. It scares me when I see how many times we are quiet about sin.

While this topic was being discussed, I looked over at our 16 month old daughter and I said to myself, “I wonder what her generation is going to embrace because we have tolerated it in this generation?” That’s a terrifying thought! Consider all the things that kids are allowed to do these days, and at what age they’re allowed to do them. Think about all the ways our kids are being bombarded with homosexual propaganda, or equal rights for gay couples, they’re being taught that sex is alright if you use protection…and that’s just the list from TODAY! What’s the list of tolerated sin going to look like when MY daughter hits high school?

There is no comfort coming from the world…it will always be full of sin until the Lord melts it away “with a fervent heat.” (II Peter 3:10). The only relief I have from this crazy future is the promise of God: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). No matter what the world may look like in 14 years, God’s promise in Proverbs 22 will ever be the same. The question will be: how much time did I spend training her?

Quote to Ponder

"What one generation tolerates, the next will embrace." (anonymous)

The Greatest News

As the good news of our second child being on the way spread throughout the status updates and private messages of the cyber-universe of Facebook...delighted comments flooded my Profile page. Remarks of “congratulations” and “blessings from above” were in almost every statement. This is an exciting time, and our good news spread like wildfire through the dead grasses of a “burn ban” county. Everyone was eager to tell this news to someone else, and they did (evident by all the calls and texts we received just moments after posting it on Facebook)!

However, there is a greater “good news” to be told than this: the “good news” of the Gospel of Christ. No matter how elated I am about the news of my next child being on the way (when put into proper perspective) this information should be wholly overshadowed by the greater news of Christ‘s death, burial, and resurrection. It should be a greater desire of my heart to share the truth of Christ…than any other news. Although this is not always the case in my life…it should be my proper perspective every day.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). What better news can there be than that?

Terrorists in the Canal

I know that we live in a fast paced world, and I know that as a consequence of our hectic schedules...everybody always seems to be in a hurry. But does that mean we get to overlook having a little courtesy when it comes to those around us? Just because we’re in a hurry, does that mean the world stops circling the sun and now it centers around us? Absolutely not!

I live near Kentucky Lake…just a beautiful place to see God’s creation. There’s a mountain bike trail that loops around Land Between the Lakes and goes alongside the canal that connects Lake Barkley to Kentucky Lake. Needless to say it’s a high traffic area that’s not very wide, but it’s a good place to catfish because of the current. Boats scream through that canal with the hammer down…flying across the water like it was on fire. Then, there are these little, aluminum John boats (mostly older generation fishermen) that are fishing near the rocks…riding the wakes of the terrorist/tourist boats that zip through the canal. It’s a sad picture to see this little, old man stumbling around in his 40 year old aluminum boat because these other “hotshot, big toy” fishermen think they own the water.

Now come on! Has it come to the point that we are in such a hurry to get from one fishing hole to another that we could care less about the little, old man (30 feet away…that’s been fishing for twice as long as most people have been alive) that we nearly knock clean out of his own boat as we fly past him!? Do we not have the common decency to slow down for other people?

“Let each of you NOT ONLY LOOK TO HIS OWN INTERESTS, but also the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). So, if you’re one of these terrorists who call themselves a tourist flying through the canal…remember: those little old men have shotguns in their boats.

Charge It Up

Most people can’t live without their cell phones anymore. They think that their life is going to fall apart if they don’t hear their texting tone go off at least 100 times a day. According to a study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation (with the help of Stanford University) 7th to 12th graders spend an hour and thirty-five minutes a day just sending and receiving texts!

How do cell phones last all day long? It’s very simple: there is a concerted effort on the part of the user to plug that phone into some charging station to make sure the battery has enough life to get them through the day. Most young people have made the decision in their minds to be prepared…the day before! It takes determination…it takes effort to make sure that a phone is charged every day.

How I wish we could instill the same vigor and perseverance in our spiritual life. People make sure that their phones are charged and ready for the day’s bombardment of messages, calls, and application updates…are we ready for the day’s spiritual challenges because we have hidden God’s Word in our hearts (hopefully, the night before) that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). How many parents have reminded their children to charge their phones, but never remind them to pray, or read their Bible…or focus on God at all?

It takes a concerted effort to stay on the right path spiritually…but it’s an effort that brings about a reward that will last far beyond the next cell phone bill.

One of the Hardest Funerals

(Last week, 29 year old Dustin Anderson lost his battle with depression, and he took his own life. It was one of the hardest funerals I have ever had the privilege of being asked to do. This tragic event forced me to do a lot of soul searching...and test the strength of my faith. This has been a hard week, but a week of growth as well. I hope these words will help you grow, as they helped me to grow as I studied them.)

To the family, we have all been giving our most earnest prayers on your behalf, but we also want you to know that we will give you our time…we will be there to talk, we will be there to listen. We’ll give you our energy to help do whatever needs to be done on the farm, mow your yard…whatever you need done we’ll all be here to do it for you. The Andersons have a rather large family tree, and with that large base come a large amount of friends and neighbors who will continue to pray for you, and do anything they can for you. The mass of people who are here in this place…the ones who came last night…those who wrote notes on the website…they’re all gifts from God to help you through this time. You are not alone through this, and you never will be.

Life is not promised to be pleasant. Life is not always easy. Our walk with God isn’t always in bright lights or in heavenly comfort. There are dark shadows falling all along the way and often we’re confused, filled with misery, disheartened…and we fail to see God in the pain and sorrows that, so simply, overwhelm us.

We have all had times in life where we feel alone…like no one knows the pain I’m going through. There have been times where our bodies and minds literally ache with grief because our hearts have been broken with loss, and one of those times is now.

Life is not promised to be easy, but Psalm 119:50 says, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” In your suffering, there is God’s promise…He will be there with you. None of us will ever know what the next minute of the future holds…I don’t know what will happen in the next few months…but I do know that none of us is able to escape the trials and suffering of this life. “Many are the woes of the wicked” (Psalm 32:10). “The righteous face many troubles” (Psalm 34:19). There is no way to escape trouble. “Human beings are born to trouble” (Job 5:7). Even after we come to Christ, we still have troubles…as we face trials, temptations, and loss.

Life is not easy. Heartaches will come. And we ask God to help us through these troublesome times. But He usually doesn’t take away the problems or the pain. He delivers us from evil, but He still let’s us face the trials. When Daniel’s three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were thrown into the fiery furnace, they experienced the presence of God as they were in that fire…but God didn’t put out the flames…or prevent them from being thrown in. But God was with them in the furnace (Daniel 3:25). God promises to be with you when you walk through the fires of this life…and there is an intense fire that this family is going through right now in the loss of Dustin.

All of us face suffering. But Christians have a special comfort in suffering. “This is my comfort in my suffering,” and that comfort comes from God and His Word. There is always a place to run to when we feel overwhelmed…when we have sorrow and pain, we need to turn to God’s Word and listen. “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”

God has promised to be our refuge and our strength (Psalm 46:10), He is a very present help in time of trouble.” This is a time of trouble, so God has to be our refuge AND our strength! He shelters us during our times of trouble…to prepare us for the storms that will come, and the storms that you are going through right now: How does He do that? How does He shelter you? How does he do that for you…this family, for these friends and neighbors who have lost this son at such a young age?

By infusing us with His strength. You will not be able to get through this on your own…you are not able to bear this burden by yourself (none of us are). We‘re ONLY able to stand in the midst of…almost unbearable struggles…because God gives us the energy to go on. God must be your refuge! God must be where you get your strength, and you must believe that He is greater than any power in this world. But most of all…

He is our help..."a very present help in time of trouble..." The word “present” tells us that WE serve a “right now” God. God is present with us HERE and NOW in this place…at every hospital, nursing home, funeral home the world over. The essence of God is that He is present everywhere. If God is present everywhere, that also means that in all places, I am present to Him.

It’s comforting to know that all of your troubles are immediately in God’s presence…all of the things that squeeze the joy from life are in His presence. God is present in the worst moments of life…He is present in this moment. Everywhere you go today, you will run into Him…both in this chapel and in the cemetery. In every hug you receive, every card in the mail, every flower arrangement, every story or memory shared.

Nothing, and no one, is beyond His All-Seeing eye. He saw Noah amongst a wicked world. He saw Hagar in the wilderness. He saw Daniel in the Lion’s Den. He saw Israel enslaved in Egypt, and He sees you sitting in that pew right now. He hears every painful thought, and every sigh. He sees every tear rolling down your cheek. Psalm 56:8 says, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle, and You have recorded each one in Your book.” (repeat)

The Lord’s our HELP through trouble, and His help is available immediately! The word “trouble” in this verse means pressed or weighed down. It’s from a word used to describe the ancient process of pressing grapes until the juice was squeezed out. Right now there is a burden of sorrow on all of our hearts and minds…PRESSING DOWN on all of us….squeezing the life and joy out of everything. Tears pour from our eyes because of this intense weight, but God is a very present help in time of trouble…in those times when we’re pressed down with sorrow. The God of the Bible is a present tense God! He can make a difference right now! He’s able to help His children in the toughest situations in life.

God has been tried and proven. He never withdraws himself from those who have been afflicted. He is a present, effectual, constant help…and he is present and near YOU, close at YOUR side, because he is a “VERY PRESENT HELP”! God is more present right now than all the friends and relatives you have in this building…God is nearer to you, right now, than the tears that roll down your face. ---So, today, in your hour of greatest sorrow, know this…God is here. If God is everywhere, it means that He is present with you today. God gathers with His people in this place…and He will be at the cemetery waiting to comfort you there.

God is keeping a detailed record of your tears on this day, as well as the pain and anguish that have preceded them…and God is the only one who can truly know what you’re enduring and feeling. There isn’t another person on this earth (no parent, no spouse, no sibling, no friend, no preacher, no father or mother) who can truly know everything you’re going through. But God does. Troubles come, but they come to pass, and when God comforts us, He comes to our side to be exactly what we need, and may God use each of us today to show you His love, and to help you feel His comfort.

A Great Meeting

Our annual Gospel Meeting came to a close last night, and it was awesome! We had a great speaker (David Powell - Associate Dean of Biblical Studies at Freed-Hardeman University and pulpit minister for the North Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, Tennessee). The lessons were inspirational, the singing was spiritually energizing, and the love of God was shown one to another (I Peter 1:22). I can’t remember the last time a Gospel Meeting was such a shot in the arm for me. Thanks to the members at Union Hill for their attendance…and thanks to David for the great messages he preached…and the emotion he put into them.

Getting What's Yours

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of seeing all these commercials that tell everybody that they’re entitled to all this money if they used this acne cream or worked in this plant. Are you kidding me? If I actively pursued a way to make my face look better, and it backfired…who’s fault is it? If I decided to work in a plant where I knew that harsh chemicals were used and stored, and I wound up sick…who’s fault is that? I decided to work there…

Whatever happened to taking responsibility for the choices made in this life? I’m the son of a farmer. I’ve handled chemical after chemical over the years. Whether it be pesticides, herbicides, insecticides…you name it, and I’ve probably had some of it on my hands at some point. The old saying still rings as true today as when it was coined: You make your bed…you sleep in it too. I know that handling those chemicals with the skull and crossbones on the container is dangerous! I know that getting that toxic mess on me is bad! That’s why it has skull and crossbones on it! “You mean if I work with chemicals that have skull and crossbones on it that I may get sick?” YES! But it’s MY CHOICE whether to pick it up or not! It’s was MY CHOICE, thus the consequences rest totally on MY SHOULDERS!

In no way am I downplaying the disease of mesothelioma, or the side effects of some acne drug…but take some responsibility for the decisions made, and let the Lord handle the rest (Romans 12:19)! You made your bed…now sleep in it.

The Sanity of Mad Hatters

“The true problem here is the lack of human understanding as God's chosen creatures, and a deviation from the true path of human life and human missions in creation. Due to negligence in worshipping God with acute awareness and pondering on the attitudes of life… and being committed to Divine values, the horizon of human insight has declined. Thus, limited and temporary interests became the criteria of actions by human beings. Therefore, the seeds of evil took their shape…”

There are some people in this world that are absolutely insane when it comes to their ideals and standards. Whether it be an overzealous application of some religious thought or belief, or that person is just a few bricks shy of a load…there are plenty of coo-coo clocks going off in people’s heads and madness flying out of their mouths.

However, there are times that the so-called “crazy” people sound more rational than the so-called “educated” people. This is where my eyebrow raises, and I think: “What kind of Wonderland have we come to in this world where the “Mad Hatters” sound more sane than “Alice”? There have been plans and actions that have been seen in the last few years in American government that make no-lick of sense! And through all that logically presented insanity…some crazy people have been made to look sane!

By no means am I condoning the actions or principles of any demented person anywhere, but read the first paragraph again. Read it. Read it thoroughly. “Amen” is a word that comes to mind when I read a statement like that…even though the guy that said it is beyond Mad Hatter crazy. It’s a statement given in a speech on April 21, 2009 by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (president of Iran). How about that for a Rabbit Hole?

Demanding Credit: Why?

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” (Harry S. Truman) It’s always bothered me when I come across some Christian article, or some Bible-based blog that says: “You can reproduce any of this material, as long as you give credit to the author.” I’m not opposed to giving credit to the original ideas of another (nor am I opposed to the copyright laws put in place)…but I have to ask the question: Why would someone desire to have their name honored in the first place? Why is it so important to receive recognition? It’s a very compelling question to those who insist that acknowledgment be given to them for anything they write.

I could care less if someone inserted a part of my writings into a bulletin article, or used it in some sermon, or even reposted it in their own blog. I don’t own these truths and principles. Laws of morality, illustrations of morality, demonstrations of how to live a godly life…didn’t start with me, and they won‘t end with me. I can’t credit myself with some talent or accomplishment! The capacity and skills that ANYONE has are God’s. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights…” (James 1:17) This includes the gifts of writing spiritual articles or creating Christian blogs about life. These things are not to be for anyone’s glory…but God’s. Who cares about the credit, as long as God is glorified (or that should be the way we all think).

In no way am I trying to say that giving credit to an author is wrong. Give credit where credit is due…absolutely. However, if some author demands honor and acknowledgment for their words…why do they want it? “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) It seems that if humility is what we strive for…getting credit for something would be the last thing on our minds.

An Unforeseen Act of Kindness

It’s awesome to observe how an unforeseen act of kindness can brighten the dreariest of day. A simple call or text to see how someone is doing. Dropping off a gift at a friend’s house because they've been stressed out for the last week. Just the smallest act of thoughtfulness can change a day, a life, a sequence of events…it can even rescue families from conflict.

For example, let’s say a husband and wife aren't having the greatest of days (happens in every relationship). She’s been sick with a migraine. He’s had to work five hours of overtime. The kids have been whiny and demanding since they came back from Grandma’s house. The husband knows that the yard needs mowing, but there’s something wrong with the motor…and the mower won‘t start. It’s been a horrible day.

However, the next morning they wake up to the sound of their friend’s truck pulling out of their drive with an empty trailer. Wondering what he was doing, they open the door to the carport and see a 60-inch, zero turn mower with a sticky-note on the seat saying, “Heard you had mower trouble. You can borrow mine.” Unforeseen act of kindness.

Now the husband is anxious to get home from work so he can mow the yard. The wife is happy to know that the yard will look like someone lives in the house. The kids see that Mom and Dad are in good spirits, and happiness infects them for the rest of the week. Why? All from one person taking the time to show kindness to another. Delight came to that family because someone thought about others above self.

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (I John 3:17) Who needs an unforeseen act of kindness from you?

Where Others Have Walked

Stop and think about how many people have physically walked where you have walked. If the ground beneath you could somehow be X-rayed to show the footprints of those gone on before...I wonder how many well-kept, green yards used to be plowed by mules...how many homes are built on old, one room cabin foundations? If the massive, 50 foot tall pecan tree (that overlooks the south-side of this church building) could speak, I wonder what Christian families gathered under the shade of his limbs?

I wonder how many feet have passed over the very spot where I sit as I'm writing this? How many aged elders, seasoned preachers, and great men of the faith chiseled their spiritual mark on this 180 year-old place? Although their physical existence has long since vanished away (James 4:14), their message of Gospel truth can still be heard today.

Someday soon, all that we will leave...is footprints in the sands of time. The vapor of life will fade, and all that will be left is the distant warmth of a memory. Soon we'll be asking, like Isaac: "I am now old...and ponder the day of my death." (Genesis 27:2) If generations to come found your footprints...where would your tracks take them?

The Eyes that Preached the Greatest Sermon

It’s a place where the veil of darkness is beginning to lift, and eternal rays of revealing light shine like the sun at the bottom of a door. It’s a place where frigid cold begins to give way to a wonderful warmth unlike any other. It’s a place of confusing emotions and uncertainty (even for the strongest of faith) . It’s a point in time where the soul stands on the banks of the thundering Jordan River, staring into the vast expanse of Canaan, ready to let go of this world…and transition to peace. A place of tearful goodbyes and joyful release the moments before passing into eternal life.

As we said ‘Amen’ in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, I stared into her 93 year old eyes as they opened…and everything became clear. For a moment I saw myself in her gaze…and I stared into my own unknown future. Every trivial thing in my life melted away…and my focus was on the eternal. A tear rolled down my cheek as I wondered if this would be the last time I saw her this side of life.

There are moments in my life that change everything: putting on Christ in baptism, making a vow (before God and man) to be faithful and true to my wife, my daughter taking her first breaths of life, my grandfather passing away…but the eyes of this seasoned, Christian woman will forever be burned into my mind. That look of relief that the end is near, but also of uncertainty as to what comes after the next breath. The eyes that preached a greater sermon than I have ever heard will be a point of remembrance and an anchor of my spiritual focus. Thank you, Willa Mae, for the parable in your eyes.

Bending Backwards for Tolerance

As the discussions become more heated about Islam demanding religious tolerance from the United States, a huge flaw has been exposed in their perceived logic: Islam is not tolerant of other religions. They demand what they do not believe themselves! This is from their own scripture in Sura 5:51 - “O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends…” Sura 9:123 - “O you who believe! Fight the unbelievers (Jews, Christians, etc) who are near you and let them find hardness in you…”

It’s time the demands for tolerance fell on Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia where (to my knowledge) it’s still illegal to build a “Christian” church. Wonder what would happen if we went there and debated their leaders? Or in nations like Iran, where the Islamic laws mandate the stoning of women for crimes like adultery, and the beating of women for wearing dresses that are too short.

It’s not Islamophobia (as some will claim). It’s the simple fact that a clear majority of Christians (and Americans) are sick and tired of being portrayed as narrow-minded bigots for being unwilling to tolerate Islam’s intolerance of Christianity (and not to mention violence against women).

It wasn't Islam that built America! It was people of Christian morality and faith that built the U.S. In this country, we've given freedom to other religions to come, and now you have other religions coming in...that don’t want to give that tolerance in return!

It’s time we stop tucking our tails between our legs to religions intent on bringing Christ down, and take a stand where we inform them that WE would like to be tolerated for a change. And in time, if Islam really is “a religion peace,” Muslims will have to agree that a person who lives in a glass mosque, ought not be the first one to throw stones.

Accountability

Who holds you accountable in this life? Who helps you stay on the right track? Is it your spouse? Is it your best friend? Is it your mom or dad? Accountability is something that numerous Christians lack in this life. They lack a challenge. There's no stretching, no growing, no direction. You're always gonna be alright with yourself, but what is it that causes you to develop? It's not your standard of good and bad that makes you increase...it's God's.

I didn't become the Christian I am today by myself. There were people who surrounded me, infected me with Christ-likeness simply by their presence. Just like one corn stalk can't germinate without other stalks around it...one Christian doesn't stand much of a chance without other Christian contacts. Without accountability there is no growth, so have you been held accountable lately?

Time to Make Time

Over the Labor Day weekend I could have easily chosen to go play golf with friends, or gather a group and go mountain biking, or zone out online for hours on end...but I chose to focus on my family instead. My wife and I (with 14 month-old Kenlea in tow) went cycling around the back roads where I used to leave black marks with bikes and big trucks in my youth. We visited with family and friends...it was an all-around good time. Admittedly, this Dynamic Marriage class my wife and I are going through played a big part in aiding me in that choice, but it's a decision I should make on a more consistent basis.

"So teach us to consider our mortality [to number our days], so that we may live wisely." (Psalm 90:12) I don't know how much time God will graciously give me on this earth (time with my wife, time with Kenlea, time with family)...but I want that time to be remembered. Memories, words, lessons will be all I leave behind. What will Kenlea recall about me when she's older? If I leave for my reward before my wife does...what thoughts will she cherish about me the most? What time spent with her will she miss? It's time to make time for memories.

Marriage Growth through Relationship Frustration

The last 24 hours have been pretty frustrating, but they have also contained some of the greatest growth in my relationship with my wife, to date. We enrolled in an eight week marriage class based on the book "His Needs Her Needs", and man has it been an eye opener. Coming to the chapters on honesty and openness...I thought that our discussion was gonna be pretty cut and dry. Wrong!

Without going into detail, there are two lessons I learned (the hard way): 1). Anything, ANYTHING that you keep from your spouse is bad. I'm not talking about trying to hide a mistress or something huge like that...I'm talking about trying to conceal the slightest, smallest, most minuscule thing. It could be something that you know your spouse doesn't like, but as long as they don't find out...it's OK, right? Wrong! Whatever it is, don't try to hide things from your spouse. It always ends badly.

2). I have to be willing to sacrifice anything (besides my faith) in order to show a genuine love. Anything that she doesn't approve of (even though it may not be wrong) I should be willing to sacrifice for her love. This one hurts...a lot. Sacrifice doesn't feel good. It's downright painful. However, I can't be true to my love for her unless I am willing to sacrifice for her.

I prayed for the Lord to send me a woman to make me a better Christian man...and He sent me one. Thank you, Lord, for my wife.

Speaking Out...Without God

Expressing an opinion on a particular topic is easy: we open our mouths, or turn on our blogs, and we speak our minds. However, what happens when our minds becomes the absolute? What happens when our opinion becomes God? This is part of the problem with mainstream media and politics, but this is also a problem with Christians in the church today...and it can carve a Grand Canyon through the pews.

In Bible class discussions, in conversations outside the church door, even in exchanges on the phone or Facebook...is God directing the thoughts that come through our mouths? Is God guiding our words and logic? Because it's so easy to speak without God. The world does it all the time! We're bombarded with Godless speech on a daily basis, but are we guilty of it too? It takes no effort to speak in the anonymity of the darkness...but it's harder to reflect the light of God into that darkness.

God's Word is like that "city set on a hill that cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14) Your opinion...my opinion is not what we're to set on that hill for all to see. We're to point to the city of God, not to ourselves. We're to be messengers to give direction and praise to the city, not to ourselves. Truth is not about you, and it's not about me...it's about God who gives it.

So, next time we open our mouths...is God there?

Baby Steps

Patience is a virtue. I know it's cliché, but just because it's been bumper-stickerized and refrigerator magnetized doesn't make it any less true. Patience is a necessary asset to life! In every relationship, in every conversation, in every deed we can either choose to show patience...or not. We can show this fruit of the Spirit and glorify God (Galatians 5:22-23), or we can choose to show our rears.

However, as with anything, patience takes time. It's a fruit, and fruits take a while to mature. Kenlea (my 14 month old daughter) shows me this every day. It has taken her 14 months to get to the point where she is strong enough (and balanced enough) to walk. And even though she has started walking...they're still baby steps. She's not running a 5K or hiking the Appalachian Trail. It takes time to develop and mature. And though we rarely master anything in this life, the lessons we learn as we try...help us develop perseverance. Lord, give me the serenity...

Under the Influence

"Do not be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18). If a person is under the heavy influence of alcohol...they have no control. When a person has drunk to the point of excess their mind and body cease to be influenced by self, but by what is controlling their reactions: the alcohol. They have relinquished command of all function, and have succumb to the effects of something else.

Paul compares being "filled with Spirit" to what happens when alcohol enters the body "in excess"...one becomes under the influence of something else. For Christians to be filled with the Spirit means that we are under the influence of God. We have relinquished control of our minds and bodies to Him. Our speech is effected. Our actions are effected. Just like a person who is drunk is totally different than a person who is sober...Spirit-filled Christians live under the influence of something other than ourselves and our surroundings. We are led, guided, and directed...we are under the influence of God.

Corn Field Carpets and God's Continuous Character

As I'm writing this, the corn outside my office window is being harvested. The massive International combine is chewing through every 7 foot stalk, spewing cobs, fodder, and dust as it flies out the back of the chopper blades. After a few rounds, the small field beside the church building is reduced to a golden-yellow carpet of corn stobs sprinkled with chunks of bright red corn cob. The millions of pieces of grain make their way through the unloading auger of the combine...onto the truck, where they'll join millions of other pieces of grain floating down the rivers of this heartland.

"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) Though the scenery changes, there is a constant. Though the corn field has been harvested, the cycle always remains the same. A harvested field of corn will hibernate wheat through the winter...the wheat stubble will be the foundation for next year's soybeans, and out of the bean fodder will come another field of corn. Things change, but the cycle remains unbroken.

In our lives...things change. We graduate from high school. We get married. We have children. Our children go to school. They have children of their own. Things change, but there is always a uniform constant in all of our lives: God's power. He has set in motion things that will last until this earth is no more, and though seasons change...and though time changes our bodies...God's power will, at all times, remain.

Sandpaper to the Mind

I have to admit something to you: Over the last 11 years of preaching, I have learned that I have a hard time getting along with some people in the church. There are some people that just rub you the wrong way, and I know that you agree with me because some of you have a picture in your head of someone in the church that's like sandpaper to the mind, or some situation that's left a foul taste in your mouth.

I have a hard time dealing with some people in the church who, doctrinally, will agree with me on most things. Here’s the point though: If I can’t get along with people who believe what the Bible teaches…then how much more of a challenge is it going to be for me when I meet someone who disagrees with most of what I believe?

I am a sinner, and I am a Christian. I’m at peace with God, through Christ…but just because I am at peace with God doesn’t mean that I am going to be in complete peace and harmony with all the people around me. There are going to be some not-so-peaceful conversations that I find myself in. There are going to be some less-than-cordial people who slam the door in my face, and threaten me to get off their property because of the truth I tell them about Christ, or because I try to (lovingly) bring them to the light. Telling the truth is tough...it brings conflict...but it's necessary.

White through Blood Red

"They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14) What a contradiction of terminology! A white robe coming from a blood-stained source? But that's how the blood of Christ works. The blood of the Lamb takes the blackest sin through crimson red...and out comes the purest white.

Sometimes, it's the simplest and most overlooked illustrations that absolutely blow me away. I study to look deeper and deeper into Scripture...wanting to find some profound truth or uncover some treasure I have yet to come across. However, the uncomplicated, simple riches that have already been laid bare...those foundational truths of redemption are just as beautiful, powerful, and amazing as the first time I heard them. Lord willing, may they continue to be.

Windows to the Soul

There is more pain behind people's eyes than most care to notice. Every day we are faced with people that have hurts. However, these aren't hurts that can be seen like a limp in a stride, or a scratch on the skin. These go much deeper and farther: divorce, conflicts in a family, financial trouble, depression. Just take a minute during your next work day to notice the expressions of a co-worker, the sighs of a cashier at Wal-Mart as you put your groceries on the counter, the saddened eyes of a friend as they ride with you in the car.

When things are going good...why would I want to stop and get into someone's problems? Why would I want to darken my day with the clouds of someone's troubles? Because it's what we're commanded to do: "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4) When something tragic happens in life, would you not want someone to care enough to say an encouraging word to you, or text you an uplifting message? Of course you would. So, who's pain have you decided to overlook today? What opportunity for encouragement have you let slip by?