Fruit for Thought

What's your favorite fruit?  Odds are,  the fruit that you like is probably one of a seedless nature. Seedless grapes, cuties, halos, and even seedless watermelons are becoming more popular and prevalent. Personally I LOVE cuties for all the reasons they advertise them for kids; easy to peal, small, sweet, and seedless. Culture rejoices in the creation of our seedless fruit, but we are actually removing a portion of it's purpose when we remove its seed.

I've started the "Read the Bible in a Year" plan again. Last year, I got through about March and by that time I was so far behind it was overwhelming. I'm a bit ahead of the game already this year.This year I will finish! But in the first couple of days I read through some verses and saw something I'd forgotten.

Genesis 1:11-12Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

Did you catch the purpose of the Fruit Bearing Trees and Plants? The purpose of the Fruit Bearing Trees and Plants is to produce Seed Bearing Fruit. Even though the seed is an inconvenience to us, as we are enjoying our delicious grapes, grapes without seeds cannot reproduce themselves.            Fruit is not just meant to be enjoyed, but to eventually release a seed that produces new "Trees that produce Seed Bearing Fruit." It is what propagates future generations of trees and fruits of it's own kind. 

Now, stick with me a bit longer....

Just as various plants produce their specific fruit and are known for the fruit they produce. People are also known for the specific "fruit" in their lives. This fruit is not tangible-edible food, but our character and actions as result of our character. Jesus teaches on this a bit in the New Testament (Matthew 7:17-20)...click on the link and see what He said...then come right back

Still trackin' with me????

The kind of fruit you produce in your life determines the type of seeds that are eventually released to propagate who you are and what you have. That "bitter-sweet" fruit you enjoy from time to time...anger, greed, lust, pride, destruction....they all have seeds just waiting to be released and reproduce itself. All seeds have a germination period. Some lie dormant for days, weeks, months, or even years before they stick their head up out of the dirt. You may not see the effect immediately, it could be months or years. You will see "seedlings" begin to sprout up in the lives of those that are closest to you...your spouse, your children, your co-workers. Your actions are "Seed Bearing Fruit, and WILL reproduce after it's own kind." What are you reproducing? What will your orchard look like...your legacy be?

Stop what your doing right now and do a fruit inspection. Better yet... take another step and have someone you trust inspect your fruit. Better still ask God to show you the bitter fruit in your life that you need to deal with and cut those trees down.

Moving Forward

Change is hard. The older we get, the harder it is for us to change. You may not admit it, because admitting it, is admitting a weakness. Take a minute and think about your life. What has changed within the last year? Did you initiate that change? Was it forced on you? Or did it just gradually happen? We get comfortable with where we are at in life. Routines are great and comfortable, but can prevent us from moving forward into the things we are supposed to accomplish.

Take another look at the 1st Generation of Israelite, (Numbers 13-14), they were unable to move forward into the Promise Land because they had gotten comfortable with being in the desert. They even had a longing to go back to Egypt because it didn't seem as bad as it once did. (Kind of like a desire to go back to your crazy ex-girlfriend because you have sort of forgotten how crazy she was after being away from her for a while.) As a result the First Generation of Israelites never entered the Promise Land.

They had found Freedom through following God out of slavery. They were afraid of moving forward into total Fulfillment because they would face a challenge in entering the Promise Land. They were content with just Surviving in the Desert, but God wanted them to Thrive in the Promise Land. If God has freed you through Salvation in Jesus Christ, are you wandering in your Freedom or are you living Fulfilled in what He is calling you to?

The Second Generation learned from their parents and grandparents and had a desire to move forward at any cost (Joshua 1-3). Once the First Generation had wandered to death, the Second Generation had their chance and this is their response:

"We will do whatever you command us, and we will go where you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death." ~Joshua 1:16-18

From that day the Israelite continued to Move Forward into the Promise Land and received what God had wanted to give to the First Generation. I believe the Second Generation was able to Move Forward because:

1. They Looked Forward
Not once did they mention returning to Egypt or staying in the Wilderness. They wanted to move forward. When we are constantly looking back to where we were or down at where we are at, we cannot move forward. If we try, we will go off the path or injure ourselves. Your  past successes can hold you back as much as your failures. We keep trying to relive the glory days and become unable to move forward. That's why one hit wonders, only have one hit. Jesus says that a man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom.  It's okay to glance back and around you to stay on course, but don't let it become your focal point. Are you looking ahead or do you keep looking back?

2. They didn't let the problem overshadow the Promise.
In order to enter the Promise Land the Second Generation had to cross the Jordan River at flood level. It was overflowing at the banks. God had told them to walk into the river and stop there, He would stop the river from flowing, and they would walk across on dry ground. They believed and proceeded. God promised the First Generation that He would give them the land. They saw the giants and cities of the land and were afraid to move forward. They allowed the problem to overshadow the promise. Is fear of the problem holding you back or is faith in God's promise propelling you forward?

3.)They trusted God with the first step even though they couldn't see it and it didn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense to walk into a river that is flooded. They couldn't see where they were stepping, and it's dangerous. The Second Generation trusted God's plan and took the first step. When they did the water stopped flowing, and He made their path across the river clear. They could see the next step and the next one. God could have stopped the river while they stood on the banks. But He wanted them to trust Him completely. Proverbs 3:5-6 challenges us to trust God more than ourselves and seek him in all that we do. When we do that He makes the path clear for us. What first step is God bringing you take? Trust Him and take it.

You may be free in your relationship with Jesus. God wants so much for you than that. He wants to move you into your Promise Land. But He will leave it up to you whether or not you Move Forward or Wander in the Wilderness.

Your Attitude determines your Altitude

I've heard a couple of Leadership Gurus say something to the effect that "Your attitude determines your altitude." Basically your attitude helps determine the amount of success you achieve in life.  I don't think that speaks about short bursts of a positive attitude but a consistent positive outlook.

Caleb's attitude set him apart from the rest of the group and he caught God's attention. (Numbers 14:24-25). Even though initially Caleb's life was threatened because of his positive attitude, it was his attitude that preserved him over the long haul. The negative outlook eventually became the downfall of the people of Israel over the long haul. Caleb and the Israelites both received what they perceived and believed.

Caleb focused on God's promise to be brought into the Promise Land and eventually achieved that. The people of Israel focused on the problem and said they would rather have "died in Egypt or even in the wilderness" than face the challenge of entering the promise land. They eventually achieved that as well. God set them to wander the next 40 years in the wilderness until all those over the age of 20 dropped dead in the wilderness (Numbers 14:27-29).

Here is the crazy part to think about....

Caleb and Joshua had to wander with these people for the next 40 years. They would have to wait to receive their promise. This would be a justifiable moment to become bitter and agitated, not just at people but at God. Why should they have to wait and suffer for the disobedience and lack of faith of the others? I don't know why. But they did. They could have griped and complained about it. They could have went off on their own into the promise land and try to get what was theirs, but they stayed with the people and wandered...and their attitude didn't change.

When I go shopping with my family, and I'm ready to go to home (my promise land), and we have to "wander" through a few more stores first; I can get very agitated. And then when we finally get to go home, I go home ill because it took too long to get there.  This is just a one day event. Caleb did this for 40 years before he finally got to enter his Promise Land.

This is Caleb's response:....(I love this!!!)

"Now as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as He promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise - even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on the journey (as a scout), and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said." ~ Joshua 14:10-12

I wish I could respond like that when things don't go my way. Even after forty-five years Caleb is still carrying that positive attitude. Now that positive attitude is now going to carry him into his Promise Land.  He still believes that he will drive out the giants that the others were so terrified of and take what is his. And that is just what he does (Joshua 15:14). You may have a positive outlook on your situation right now and are believing God's promise for you. Or, it may not be coming to pass as quickly as you would like. You may feel like your wandering, even because of others. Don't let that change what you believe about God's Promise for you. God's promises do not have an expiration date. Carry that positive attitude with you for the long haul, and let it carry you into your Promise Land. Your attitude will eventually determine your altitude.

It won't last that long

How would you feel if I told you that what you are going through right now is not that big of a deal. That pain your feeling right now is not that bad. What if I said that you will eventually get over it and move on to something else. I bet you'd want to punch me in the throat and tell that it doesn't hurt that bad and that I'd eventually get over it.
 
But honestly...honestly...you will begin to think and worry about your current situation less and less as time goes on. You will eventually move on to something else. It might be a greater success or maybe another trial. It might take a few days, weeks, months, or maybe even a year or two. A year seems like FOREVER. Over the course of lifetime though, it's not. Realistically the time frame in which you experience closer on a situation is up to you and what you decide to focus on.

The apostle Paul knew what pain and trouble was. He was imprisoned, stoned, flogged, beaten, shipwrecked, and snake bit. Yet he wrote these words...

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! (1st Corinthians 4)

Can you say that about your present troubles? ..... "They are small and won't last very long." I know there are times when I can't.

Remember this, life is short. David said in the Book of Psalm that the length of our life is compared to the width of our hand (and I have pretty small hands for someone who is 6'2"). James said that our life is like the morning fog, here in the morning but gone by noon. It's that quick. When you think about life from that perspective, our troubles are an even smaller portion of the short life.

Jesus never promised us a trouble/sorrow free life. In fact he told us we would have those times( John 16:33). Ecclesiastes even gives seasons of those times(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). But Jesus has overcome the world and seasons change. 


You definitely can't see it now, because all you see is your troubles, but at the end of this there is a reward that outweighs your trial.

I love the illustration of Pastor Judah Smith of City Church uses. He compares life and what we see in our current situation to a Christmas parade. In a parade all we can see is what is right in front of us. And sometimes it can be horses crapping on the street or a really ugly float and we are just waiting to see what is next. To be honest we are just waiting until the end so we can see Santa. That is our perspective in life... what's in front of us. But God is like the guy up in the blimp above the parade. He sees the beginning of the parade, the end of the parade, as well as everything in between... all at the same time. But instead of getting to see Santa at the end of it. We get to see Jesus. And that's SO worth standing through a few trials right now.

So you may be in a season of trouble, sorrow, suffering, doubt, or worry. But hold on and keep looking ahead.. Because the scenery will change, and the Glory to come is far greater and will last far longer (forever) than what we go through on this earth. 

I'm praying your light and momentary suffering will soon give way to a great reward.

If you knew...

I was just listening to a podcast of one of my spiritual mentors...and wow. He just revealed a nugget of truth I had never thought about and just pass over.

One of the greatest hurts we face as leaders, pastors, or just people is betrayal by someone we are in relationship with, someone we care about. For whatever reason a relationship breaks down because of a lie, deception, or disagreement, and we feel betrayed. We feel stabbed in the back as the saying goes.

How do you  normally respond in that situation? Like most we put up walls, we retaliate, or we go into hiding. Usually anything to deal with the pain and possibly try to punish the person. Now let me ask you this. What would you do "If you knew someone was going to betray you?" How would you respond?

Would you jump ahead and hurt them first? Would you confront them with the information? Would you avoid them all together trying to prevent the betrayal? Any one of those things would be part of our human nature to respond.

But this is what Perry Noble pointed out Jesus did in John 13.

I've read and taught John 13 dozens of times from the angle of humbling yourself and serving others. But totally missed that Jesus was also serving the one who would betray him...AND He already knew Judas was going to betray Him.

v2. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas to betray Jesus. v3. Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. SO He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around Him and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples feet....

Where it says he began to wash the disciples feet....that includes Judas. Judas, the one who sold Jesus out! Jesus didn't exclude him. In the SAME chapter Judas leaves to betray Jesus.

1. Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him
2. Jesus knew He had been given authority over everything. He could have used that authority to prevent the betrayal or correct Judas in front of the other disciples.....or just take Judas out all together.
3. Jesus knew all this SO He got up from the table and washed their feet. It was because He knew these things that He did what He did AND included Judas in the experience.

Jesus was walking out what He was talking about in Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-35.

The truth is this...people are going to betray you at times. But that does not exclude them from our love. I bet if we lived this way the betrayal would have a lot less power over lives.

SO knowing this.......serve/love the one who hurt you this week.

You may have went to church today

If you are a Christian in the US, odds are today you went to church. (We had a HUGE day at FaithPoint Church today with 619 in attendance and around 15 Fresh Starts with Christ) You were able to get there with little difficulty, other than getting the kids ready and a possible argument with your spouse about dirty clothes left in the bathroom or getting to church on time. And you were able to go to lunch after service and publicly share your experience at church. Odds are during the week you catch very little flack and your life is rarely threatened because of your belief. To be honest, as Christians in America, we face very little persecution.

Jesus encouraged His disciples that as much as He would be persecuted that they would be even more. Paul even celebrated the fact that he was persecuted everywhere that he went and looked forward to opportunities to suffer more. I believe this is a hard concept for most American Christians(myself included) to grasp. I am both thankful and ashamed of this when I think about it.

We are persecuted so little in the US but still keep our beliefs a secret to most so we do NOT to offend them. How would we respond in other countries where our very life would be threatened daily because of the choice to be a follower of Christ?

We think about this from time to time, whenever we read a book or hear a story of someone who has suffered for the Gospel in another part of the world. After some time the thoughts fade and we sink back into the safe complacent Christianity that we have here in the US.

Don't take what we have, what they are doing, or what He did for granted.

Listen to the lyrics of this song...Powerful!




CHORUS
the pain that i bear cannot compare
to your arms once i get there
people don't hear You
so I'll be your voice
suffering daily
but still we rejoice
time for your glory
im just telling your story
we'll carry the cross
you suffer before me
people dont know you
so i'll be the one
to introduce them to your glorious son
and until that day
when we see your face
this race we'll run
inspired by LOVE

He's Proud of Me

Been meaning to share this for a couple of days. I pray it's an encouragement for you.

Ella is five. She's started kindergarten this year. I dropped her off at school Tuesday morning and she didn't want me to walk her in. "Dad! I'm a big girl, I know where to go. I can do it myself!" So I opened the car door for her and watched her disappear through the double doors into the building. It's hard to believe how fast she is growing up.

Even though she's big enough to walk to her class by herself she says she still isn't big enough to sleep in her bed all night. That's why around 4 o'clock EVERY night she gets in our bed.

Tuesday morning she woke up and asked if she could just lay with me a little longer before she got ready. She put her arm around my neck and began scratching the back of  it. She was laying silently, I could see her wheels were turning, and then she gave me this piece of advice.

"Dad? You know..... I think God's proud of me. Don't you?"

"Absolutely! Of course He is. What makes you think that though?" I answered.

"Because He made me very special...and so He's proud of me.!"

We laid in silence for a bit....then she started again.

"And dad? You know He's proud of you too. God made you special too. You know that right!"

"Yes I do! Thanks for reminding me!"

Nothing like an honest piece of encouragement from a 5 year old. Hopefully you know that regardless of how you feel or what kind of day you're  having, He's proud of you. God's made you special, and specifically for a purpose. Once your start that relationship with Christ, His work begins in you and you begin the work He has for you. And that makes Him proud to be your Father.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

YEA BOO YA

Friday morning I informed Ella that I had special plans for us that night. The rest of the day she was full of anticipation and expectation on what was going to happen during our hangout. (For the record I want to call it "daddy daughter date night"  but she says we can't because I'm already married and she's just my daughter. So we call it "hangout").

I usually don't tell her when I have one planned because I like to surprise her, but I told her about Friday. And she kept asking what we were going to do,  where we were going, and that it was going to be a long time before tonight. She was super excited.

While getting ready she and Jennifer picked out a special "princess" outfit and didn't want me to see her until she was completely ready. When I tried to sneak a peak she hid. She wanted Jennifer to curl her hair but we ran out of time (a bit like her momma when getting ready.)

She knew something big was going to happen and knew I would come through on my promise even though she didn't know exactly what it was going to be. She didn't doubt me even though she didn't know all the details. But she knew I was her dad, I loved her, and had made her a promise. And that was enough for her.

Ella and I shared some good ole Mexican food at El Rodeo. She screamed " YEA  BOO YA" as we pulled into the parking lot. After that we watched most of Cars 2 before leaving for a hot fudge sundae. According to her it was the "Best Night Ever....Boo Ya!"

We need to live in the same excitement, expectation, and anticipation with our Heavenly Father and the good things he has in store for us. Because He is so much better than you and I will ever be and His surprise gifts will be much better than ours. Go ahead and get "dressed" for the occasion and don't worry about the what and the where. Just know you're gonna probably gonna scream YEA BOO YA when you see it.

Just in case you don't know the verse Luke 11:11-13

A walk in the woods

Last month  I spent a day on a silent retreat. I had read about other leaders taking them, and wanted to have one of  my own, but felt like it would be something that I'd never really get to do because of the busyness of life. I finally made it a point to make it happen, and I finally took a moment to write it out.

Moses made it a practice to take his tent some distance from the camp to speak with God. (Exodus 33) He was known as one who spoke to God face to face.

After driving an hour and a half to Mouse Tail Landing Park in Linden, TN; I hiked about an hour and a half to two hours one way into the woods to a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. The journey to the bluff was full of obstacles, turns, inclines, and scenery. Once there I spent several hours in complete silence and solitude reading, praying, and listening. Trying to find a bit of rest and balance for my soul.

At first I have to admit it was a bit awkward. I ate lunch, explored the area, and took some pictures. Then I began my time with God. I tried reading by blindly opening my bible and "allowing God to lead my reading". I got distracted. I allowed the wind to turn my pages and "lead my reading". I got distracted. I prayed a bit. I got distracted.  This went on for a while, and finally in my disappointment of NOT hearing from God I had decided to make the journey back to my car.

In one last attempt at this silent retreat thing. I opened my bible to a couple of Psalms and began reading them out loud. One chapter and then another and then another. Finally my heart heard something it needed to hear.

I read it, I spoke it, and I heard it. I stopped and listened. God didn't speak to me audibly but through His Word.. It was exactly what I needed to hear and God knew that.

I know you may not be the adventurous type or have a lot of time on your hand. But I bet you could carve out about a half a day to "go some distance from the camp" and meet with God. You probably spend more than a half a day on less important stuff.  It may be awkward at first. Stick it out and pursue, and God will speak! You'll be glad you did.

 

Broken to Use

This excerpt by Watchman Nee was from the YouVersion Lent Reading Plan. It was the reading for Wednesday, but I have been chewing on it since then.

God must bring us to a point - I cannot tell you how it will be, but He will do it - where, through a deep and dark experience, our natural power is touched and fundamentally weakened, so that we no longer dare trust ourselves. He has had to deal with some of us very harshly, and take us through difficult and painful ways, in order to get us there... But then at last it is that He can begin to use us.

We would like to have death and resurrection put together within one hour of each other. We cannot face the thought that God will keep us aside for so long a time; we cannot bear to wait. And I cannot tell you how long He will take, but in principle I think it is quite safe to say this, that there will be a definite period when He will keep you there... All is in darkness, but it is only for a night. It must indeed be a full night, but that is all. Afterwards you will find that everything is given back to you in glorious resurrection; and nothing can measure the difference between what was before and what now is!

I've been especially thinking about being broken to a point that we no longer dare trust ourselves...and then it is at that point that He can begin to use us.  The process of being broken is never a fun one.  Jesus describes the Father as a Gardner, pulling up those that  produce no fruit and pruning those that do so that they may produce even more. Uprooting and pruning are both painful processes, but it's in that time that we are being broken. And God uses (but not necessarily cause) different circumstances to break us. It takes longer for some of us than others.  But it is not until we are fully reliant on God that he uses us. Some of us actually never get there, because we like to be in control to much. We trust ourselves too much to trust Him. 

But I love the final line in the piece. "and nothing can measure the difference between what was before and what is now." Once we are broken and used by God we are not the same as we were before.  And there is no ruler, tape measure, scale, or rubric great enough that can measure the change that has taken place in our life.

And if you think about it...God broke His only son to use Him in the greatest possible way. And He didn't just break Him, He crushed Him.....to death. 

So whatever breaking you are going through right now, know that you will soon be coming to a point that God will use you greatly. And at the end of the journey you will be VASTLY different than who you were at the beginning.  And you will be glad of the process it took to get you there.

Making Jesus Smile

Today was a much needed breath of fresh air. Literally! 80 degrees. Sunshine. Light breeze. It was a day that was meant to be spent outdoors. That is just what I did. Ella encouraged me to take a break from my outside chores because she needed to be pushed in the swing. The girl could swing for hours.

After a few minutes in the swing, as I'm pushing her higher and higher, she starts making funny noises and gigling after each sound or two. She's barking like a dog, meowing like a cat, blowing her lips together, mooing like a cow, and various other crazy-funny sounds. She only makes the sounds at highest point of the"up swing" while stretching her face up another inch or two.

We're both laughing at one point and I ask her if she's being silly.

She responds giggling, "Yea dad! I'm trying to make Jesus laugh. Do you think I'm making Him laugh?"

WOW! I love these moments. If you read this little blog at all you'll know that.

"Of course He's laughing. If I'm laughing He's gotta be rolling, laughing REALLY hard, " I tell her with a huge grin on my face and tear in my eye.

What's the moral of this?  You know there is one.


It is in our human nature to want to please people. We do it daily in relationships, at work, online, and in life. We hope to do something that pleases someone or catches their eye so that we can feel their approval in return. Most of the time that mentality leaves us anything but happy. And if it does it is just for a short time and leaves us constantly working to replenish that feeling.

BUT....

When we live in a way that we believe is pleasing to God...His joy becomes evident in our life. Just like Ella's giggling at herself thinking that what she was doing was making Jesus laugh, we are able to smile knowing we are living in a way that brings Him joy. And His joy is then made full in us.(John 15:10-11).

I know it sounds silly, but it made perfectly good sense to my five year old. Go out and make Jesus laugh, I bet you find yourself laughing too.

dada

Addison is quickly following in the footsteps of her big sister. Dada is again the first word to come out of our child's mouth. Raising another Daddy's girl!

I'm praying I'm setting the example of the God she'll one day serve, the man she'll one day marry, and the son she'll one day raise.

R&R of the Sabbath

The Sabbath is a day (historically the 7th day) of the week where no work is done. It is a day of rest created for us and patterned after the 7th day of rest in creation. Of the Ten Commandments God spends more time talking about the 5th one more than any other commandments. Don't believe me count the verses. We have come to observe this weekly holiday less and less over the years as cultures pace of life, desire for success, and fear of lack has grown more and more.

As I've read through Exodus over the past week or so and I've noticed how much God informs, illustrates, and reminds His people about the importance and benefits of observing a Sabbath. God urges His people 6 times alone in Exodus to take this day off. It seems that observing a set Sabbath, not just a random day whenever you want, and benefits us more than just rest.

1. REST 
This is the most obvious and stated benefit. Taking a day off gives our minds and bodies a rest from the week's work and recharges us for the days to follow. It reminds us that we are human and have limits. A day of rest prevents us from pushing past those limits causing fatigue, burnout, and illness.  Stress, high blood pressure, heart attacks, depression, anxiety, worry and other physical and emotional illnesses would probably subside if we took more time to enjoy the day God has given us to enjoy Him. If God being all powerful even took a day off, by not doing it ourselves we are placing our abilities and capabilities above His.

2. RELIANCE and RESPONSIBILITY
This is a new one for me. Having to take a day off causes us to rely more on God's provision and be more responsible in preparing for that time off. In Exodus 16 God provides Manna for the Israelites to eat. He told them to gather only what they needed for each day. Then on the 6th day they were to gather twice as much and set aside a portion for the next day. The 7th day would be a day of rest. If they failed to be responsible and make provisions they would not eat on the Sabbath. In Exodus 23 God goes even further, taking the Sabbath beyond a day observance to a whole year. During the 7th year there was to be no cultivating, planting, or harvesting of the fields. Over the first six years the Israelites would have to plan for year seven in addition to year eight. Year eight could prove to be more difficult than year seven because there would have been no harvest from the previous year. So the people would have to rely on God's provision and be responsible enough with it to sustain through years seven and eight.  This would mean no over indulging and self discipline at working to save in the years leading up to the Sabbath year. Always working can be a result of NOT relying on God's provision and NOT being responsible with what he's given us so we are unable to enjoy the day off.

Now look at our life and culture today. We are tired, sick, lacking, and wanting more. We work over to get more done, make up for what we haven't done, and to get more than we need. So we rarely take a consistent day of rest. It becomes a viscous cycle.  And for me I feel super guilty for taking those days when they happen. I feel like a failure for not "accomplishing" anything on those days. As a result I rarely take them.


How would our life be different if we made sure that we observed a Sabbath? What if we took one day EVERY WEEK and said, "I'm staying in my PJ's all day."?  What if we fully relied on God's provision and were responsible with it; using what we needed just for today and preserving some for the future?  What if we disciplined ourselves to finish as much as possible the first six days and did nothing on the seventh. We would be healthier and without want. The Sabbath wasn't just set up as law for us to follow but to enjoy. So pick a day to stay in your PJ's all day, finish your to do list, make plans to have what you need for that day and enjoy a guiltless work free day of rest.

Prayer of John Wesley

I was catching up on my reading of Jesus Manifesto and was reminded of this John Wesley Prayer. It was given by one of the staff at our West Virgina Mission Trip over the summer.

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

One of the things we forget as Christians is that our lives are no longer our own when we give it to Christ, but His. Go figure! We are not only following Him, but He is living and working IN us and we are becoming LIKE Him.

Remember the WWJD (what would Jesus do) bracelets? I had two or three of them. In college I learned that they could also stand for "we want Jack Daniels" depending on the conversation. They had good intentions but they were based on thinking about following a certain way, certain process, and examples. Anyone can try to follow the teachings and ways of Jesus without being a Christian.

When you are completely in love with Jesus and realize that He is living on the inside of you; the question changes. It moves from, "what would Jesus do" to "what will I do?" What will I do in light of this gift I have on the inside of me and with this love I have for the One who has rescued me from death. Don't try to behave...just be.

Paul said it like this

Galatians 2:19-20
So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. ²⁰ My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless.

God of Second Chances

I've been seeing blurbs about a Homeless Man with a "Golden Voice." I Googled it and this is what I've found. A homeless man in Ohio who has been given the gift of a warm, inviting voice perfect for radio. Early in life and in his career he lost his job, family, and everything important to him through the draws of drugs and alcohol. Ted has now been clean over 2 years and earlier this year he turned to God for direction.

This is the embodiment of Luke 15:11-21. God always takes us back and restores us when we turn to him. He's the God of Second Chances.

Original Footage



CBS INTERVIEW


This reminded of a video I saw with Carlos Whittiker recording a video for his new song "God of Second Chances." As he's recording the video a homeless guy named Danny comes up and starts singing with him. Powerful!!!

I know your there

This is a nice little post to follow up my last one.

Tonight was my turn to lay down with Ella, read her bedtime story, and say her bedtime prayers. Jennifer went in before me to kiss her goodnight. When I went into the bedroom Ella and Jen were hiding under the covers and wanted me to find them. I walked over and pulled back the covers, Ella laughed, Jennifer and I followed.

Jennifer informed me later that when she and Ella pulled the quit over their heads Ella got a little worried but hen realized something.

She said, "Mom, it's dark, so dark that I can't see you. But that's okay, I can still FEEL you and know your there."

WOW. So much wisdom seems to be found in the hearts of children. I pray she carries that truth with her as she grows up and grows in her relationship with Christ. But the reason Ella could FEEL Jennifer and know that she was there was because she was clinging close to her before the quilt covered her head.

There are times when life get's dark, sometimes so dark that we can't see Him. But He is still there. You may not can see Christ in your situation or understand it, but if you are staying close to Him before it get's dark, I promise that there will be something inside of you that feels the Peace of Christ when it does get dark.

Now What?!

Christmas is over! The presents that crowded the base of the tree are now with their rightful owners. The Christmas parties and programs have come to an end. We've sang carols and hymns. We've dined on feasts and finished left the leftovers. Pretty soon all the decoration will come down and go back in storage for the next eleven months. To me the feeling is a bit like blowing up giant balloon with the anticipation and preparation of Christmas....and the day after is a bit like letting that balloon go and watching all the hot air jet out of it.

Christians are super adamant about keeping CHRIST in CHRISTmas during the holiday season. There are numerous Facebook posts, yard signs, and comments about the birth of Christ, Happy Birthday Jesus; On this night a Savior was born; We say Merry CHRISTmas. But what about the rest of the year? Does our faith follow the path of the holiday season and deflate like a released balloon. How can we continue the Christmas Spirit? How do we allow the finding and meeting of Jesus influence us the rest of the year?

1. Allow God to change our direction - Matthew 2:12
After seeing and worshiping Jesus, the wise men were unable to go back home the way they came. They had to go back a different way than they had arrived. God had changed their direction. There is something about meeting Jesus face to face for the first time that changes us. And if you haven't changed directions then you haven't REALLY met Him. This just isn't a one time thing. Once we meet AND follow Christ - He is constantly changing our ways to match His. Are you allowing Him to change your direction or are you still trying to go about life as you always have?

2. Fill your Heart and Meditate =- Luke 2:19
After giving birth to Jesus and listening to the shepherds, Luke says that Mary KEPT all these things in her heart and thought about them often. These thoughts would one day become a treasury that would sustain her while her son would be beaten and crucified. They became apart of Mary and were a reminder of her purpose. They also shaped the woman she would grow into. It is remembering our times in the presence of God that sustain us in the darker times and remind us who we really are. When was the last time you thought about your first encounter with Jesus Christ? Our thoughts shape who we become. Our thoughts direct our actions, our actions create habits, and our habits shape our character. What thoughts are you filling your heart with because a person brings up the good or bad that is stored there.

3. Praise God for what He has done - Luke 2: 20
We can't always stay "in that moment". You know the moment I'm talking about. The place where you sense God breathing on you, speaking to you, comforting you. There comes a time when you have to go back out. Go back to work and school. Go back to "life as we know it." The shepherds had to get back to their flock. But they just didn't go back to work. They went back glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard. One of the quickest ways to forget what God has done in your life is to STOP thanking Him for it.

Look at this season of your life...NOT just Christmas. So Now What?!

What are you doing with this Gift?

Are you still allowing Him to change your course and ways? How often are you thinking about Him and storing up His words in your heart? Are you still thankful for even the smallest of details in life?

Leaders are Readers

Over the past month I've managed to accumulate more books than I've read all year. That's not too hard considering I've only read 5 books all year. This disappointment me greatly. It is about half of what I normally do in a year.

There are a few quotes that ring in my head when I look at this stack and think about my failure to read this year.

The first two are my paraphrases.

"Leaders are Readers"

"The things that change you the most are the relationships you build and the books you read."

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain.


So this will be my reading for the next few months or even year. My wife says I can have NO MORE untill I've read these. So I'm hitting them two at a time.

The two that I have started on are:

1. Leading from the Lions Den - Tom Harper
In this book, Tom has taken the entire bible and gleaned one leadership nugget from each book. So it is essentially broken down into 66 little bites of leadership lessons that applies to just about any avenue of life whether it be spiritual, personal, or business. What I love about this one is you can take a couple of bites (chapters) every morning and meditate on them the rest of the day.

2. Jesus Manifesto - Frank Viola / Leonard Sweet
Just now about 40+ pages into this one. I had heard that basically it just states, re-states, overstates, and then states once more of how "Christ IS Christianity." Stuff that most good Christians already know. It's true, BUT the way it is presented is very convicting. At least for me as a Christian minister. The real gut punch was a statement which cited that "most sermons are about anything BUT Christ and that He usually just get's an honorable mention somewhere in the message." The also exhort that church members should know more about Christ than about church programs or events. This book has really fighting through some questions in my head to be simply about keeping Christ in the center of Christianity. Oh and Frank Viola is NOT to be confused with this Frank Viola....which I did at first. Yes I actually have that card.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on either of these two.

Legends of the Old School

I've started a new series with our students "Legends of the Old School vol 1." We are taking a look at some of the Heroes of the Old Testament. I spend a lot of time in the New Testament reading the letters Paul put out for the churches he was planting, but have shifted gears lately and planted myself in the OT for a bit.

Hebrews 11 is like the Hall of Fame walk through for the OT heroes. Maybe even The Cliff Notes for the OT (I failed my share of tests thanks to Cliff, so don't just read this chapter.) Everything they accomplished, was by faith. Almost half of all the verses in chapter 11 begin with, "It was by faith."

The beginning of the chapter tells us that Faith is the confidence (belief) of what we hope to happen will ACTUALLY happen, and that what we believe to exist actually exists even if we CAN'T see it. These folks earned their reputation for believing the impossible and seeing the invisible, when no one else could.

The amazing thing is that ALL these people died still believing what God had promised. And they didn't even receive everything that God had promised but they still believed it was theirs up to their very last breath. But the chapter tells that they welcomed from a distance. They never looked back, but continued to look forward at that promise. They knew even a portion of that promise was better than where they had been and even where they were at. And in that lies the basics of their Old School faith that earned them their reputation and kept them going.

They knew that what was in store for them was better than where they were at. They endured, they fought, they followed, they waited, they wandered, they succeeded, they failed, all because of their faith in the promise they had been given. That is what kept them looking and moving forward. That is what earned them their good reputation and THAT is what made God PROUD to be called their God.

Which of God's promises are you going to believe to your very last breath? What are you believing will happen (regardless of YOUR time frame)? What are you seeing (that no one else sees)? Parents don't give up on your kids. Don't give up on your spouse. Fight that illness or that generational addiction. Take that stand. Hold your ground. You may leave this earth, without physically seeing the promise fulfilled, BUT that doesn't mean that it won't be fulfilled. You might just have to "welcome it from a distance." When you believe that, see that, speak those things God is PROUD to be called YOUR God.

So make Him proud be called your God and don't stop believin'.....

Be Naked

I'm in the midst of a new series with our student ministry called, Be Naked. I've actually had this concept swimming in my head since January, but just now getting around to teaching it. A phrase used today to describe this thought is living transparently. But I think Naked gives us a much more vivid mental picture. How do you picture someone transparent?

The concept is simply this.

Adam and Eve were created Naked and Unashamed. Because of their sin they became Ashamed of themselves and their sin. So they covered themselves with leaves. Because of their fear of God they hid from Him amongst the trees (where they got the leaves.) (GENESIS 2 & 3)

Being human our lives mimic this cycle

We sin, mess up, and fall short and are ashamed of what we have done. We try to cover it up the best we know how with lies,smiles, and religious routine. Often in ways that are fake and temporary much like a leaf.

We are afraid of people seeing our sin and us this way so we hide ourselves in activities, excuses, even more sin separating us from others and God.

...The thing is, we can't hide from God. We can't hide our issues from Him (Hebrews 4:13). And when we try to cover ourselves and our mistakes we are no longer who God created us to be. The weight and worry of being discovered or seen naked by Him and others prevents us from living in the freedom Christ bought for us on the cross.

There are things that we can do to Get Naked and Stay Naked before God and others.

• Confess Your Mess - It's a bit like stripping and just as uncomfortable
• Be Honest - Keeps the clothes/leaves off
• Be Obedient - Prevents the need to re-dress, cover up, or hide

If we can integrate this simple concept in our lives, how much more drama free would it be? How much more confidence would we have about ourselves. If we can just be comfortable in our own skin.

What are you trying to cover up? Who are you hiding from? Can you Be Naked and unashamed?