Are we doing this right???

My 8 year old niece is a video game wizard. You can place her in front of a Wii, PlayStation, or Xbox, and without even glancing at the instructions she will master any game out there. This is amazing to me, because I grew up in a world where there was only a joystick and a single button. Although I could take the time to learn how to play the new systems, there are really too many buttons for me to really enjoy the fun.

Anyway, for Christmas, my niece received one of those video game consoles that has over 100 built in games. This machine was filled with things like Donkey Kong Junior, Centipede, Galaga and Mario to name a few. I watched as she tried to figure out the games and how she marveled that her Dad and I knew the secrets of how to navigate these games.

She was used to playing by a certain set of rules and functionality that just didn’t fit into the way these games were built. Although the controller that came with this game looked like the PlayStation controller, the games behaved like the single joystick/single button games.

This made me think about Christianity. A lot of times, we try to handle situations, struggles and problems, but we’re using the wrong controller. We have the internet, so answers are always at our fingers – and there are a million opinions to be found to help with almost any situation. We have doctors that prescribe drugs for almost any problem that can be found. We have self-help books that are designed to help us manage our lives.

The problem is that we are in a spiritual battle. And  although “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s might weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down strongholds of human reasoning to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” 2 Cor 10:3-4 New Living Translation.

Sometimes, as Christians, we forget that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world,  and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 New Living Translation.

My question for the day is – are you approaching life with the right perspective to handle the struggles that we face on a regular basis, or are you still using the same rules for a system that doesn’t apply to spiritual matters?

What does your tree look like?

I love Christmas time. It is the time of year when people put a sharp focus on Jesus. More people come to church on Christmas and Easter than any other time of the year. When my sons were younger, their Mother would say -It's Jesus' birthday, which is a trend that I am seeing now more than ever.

Of course in hard economic times such as these, I also know of many parents who were very stressed about whether or not their children would "have Christmas." Having Christmas, in today's terms, means having toys to open under the Christmas tree.

There are others that wonder why the fruits of our labor, the hard work that we've all done over the course of the year can put so little under the tree. People literally stress out looking for sales and bargains, while others go deeper into debt - for gifts for all those around us.

We really pay attention to showing others that we care - and we do it by sharing gifts. Every year... we struggle hard to do this... More than one time this year, I've heard these words uttered to this effect - "I don't know why I try, you don't deserve this..." or even worse... recipients of a GIFT not thankful for what was given.

There is a difference between gifts under a tree and fruit on a tree. Gifts under a tree brings temporary happiness, where fruit on a tree brings life. As Christians, we should truly be more concerned with the fruit on our tree and how we show that to others!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (King James)

Were there times when we didn't show these fruits this season? If so, we should concentrate on trimming our spiritual tree a little more than the care we spent making sure our Christmas tree looked good...

Trust me, I'm not trying to make you feel bad. Let's call it - good old fashioned Christian accountability. When I was in college and involved in campus ministry the leadership team would keep each other in check by quoting Philippians 4:8 to each other when we weren't totally being Christlike. It hurt to be called out in front of each other... but it helped us become aware of just how visible our life is to others.

So, I leave you with this checklist to keep in the back of your mind. When you go through your day take a quick pulse check to make sure you're concentrating on the right thing...

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

What is the Bible?

What is the Bible? This seems like such an easy and straight forward question... but is it?

I once had a Pastor that considered the Bible to be nothing more than a mine where you find "nuggets of truth" - and if you found enough of these nuggets of truth that applied to your life, then you would have a rich life.

In the 80's - it was broken down as the acronym "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" - or a set of rules that you had  to follow if you wanted to make it to heaven...

To others, it's history - and you read it like a history book - it's a series of events that happened 2000 and more years ago.

But really... what is it and why is it important to read it, spend time in it and know it?

The Bible is really just a collection of words... the thing that makes the words important is that they are the words of a Holy God, and as a result are true words that have the power to change lives. They are the words that teach us the will of a living God who cares for us and wants to get to know us intimately.

The words have the power to change our lives and give us the ability to overcome sin.

Thy word have I hid in my heart, so I won't sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)

 The words helps us know what to ask for to stay in the will of God.

...But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. (John 15:7)

 Words build relationship

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and the Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 4:23)

 God's word is eternal - even when we get to heaven, his words will still be true!

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Luke 21:33)

 I can go on and on with scriptural references about what the word of God is and how it applies to our lives and why it's important... but I just want to leave you with this one thought...

Can you name one person that you have a good relationship with where you don't understand their words? If Christianity is a relationship with God through Christ, shouldn't we... understand his words?

No one likes a spoiled brat...

My oldest son is 19. When he was about 19 months old he burned his hands one Thanksgiving. It was really one of those freak accidents that every parent feels bad about. His mother was taking the turkey out of the oven, and while she was putting it on the counter, he bent over and placed both of his hands on the open oven door!

I know all of the parents out there just cringed - because it's the worst possible thing ever to see or hear about children getting hurt. The thing is... if the situation was different, if there were no turkey in her hands, if she were able... she would have done anything to keep that accident from happening.

Parents who don't believe in yelling would yell at their child. Parents who don't believe in spanking would instinctively swat at their child. Others would violently lunge at their child and snatch the back of their pant to remove them from the danger.

We, as parents would do anything to correct our children and keep them from harm... even if it startled the child or caused the child to cry, That's because we know the pain of the consequences of the danger that they were in.

Our oldest son is fine. The burns weren't bad, thank God. He doesn't even remember that this happened and there are no long lasting effects. That's a good thing... but here's something to think about...

Everyone out there - parent or non-parent would have done anything in their power to prevent this from happening because at some fundamental level, we understand that kids do not know better and they need to be protected from dangers that they do not understand.

So, my question of the day is this... Where in your life is God correcting you? None of us are perfect. If there isn't an area where God isn't trying to make you better then something is wrong! God has a track record of helping us live according a holy life. If we aren't hearing from God ways that we can become better Christians, we need to wonder why... Either God is speaking and we've learned to tune Him out, or maybe our relationship with our heavenly Father isn't quite where we thought it was....

Proverbs 13:24 (NLT) Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

Hebrews 12:5-7 (NLT) And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, "My child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child." As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by his father?"

Revelation 3:19-20 (NLT) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

... and they lived happily ever after... The End?

Fairy tales... we all read them when we were growing up. The most famous ones become Disney movies. The interesting thing is that they all have the same basic story. There is a princess that needs rescuing, a hero that doesn't know that he's a hero and a villain or an obstacle that needs to be overcome.

Imaginations are unleashed when the story is told. Most little girls dream about being a princess and it even flows into the way that they play. I don't think I've ever visited a friend who has a daughter that hasn't had at least one plastic tiara encrusted with  plastic ornate jewels.

We can't forget the little boys who will find a stick in the back yard and wave it around like it's a sword, or even wrestle a pillow like it's an adversary that needs to be overcome.

We tend to lose ourselves in that story and actually want to become the heroes.

When it comes to reading the Bible, it's a little different. Sometimes, we think about the Bible as being about the people that did mighty things - and we even think about what Jesus did for us, but we forget who the Bible is about.

The Bible is God's story. "In the beginning God created..." - it's about what He has done and continues to do for the people that are called by His name.

Sometimes, we get caught up in what God can do for us and frustrated because He may not grant a prayer request when we want him to... but we need to remember... it's not our story - it's His.

In the end, God gets the ultimate victory and we will rejoice and praise Him for all that He has done, because He is faithful, just and true.

So... today - let's take a moment and remember that we are God's supporting cast. Let us pray for His success in the world and that we may loyally follow Him so that His goal is accomplished. After all, we call ourselves Christians because we do what Christ did. In John 6:38 Jesus says:

I come down form heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.

Let's try to remember that today, and keep things in perspective!

Battling burn out

I love my wife. When I think about her, a smile flickers across my face. Almost every weekend it's guaranteed that the following will take place. She'll wake up in the morning, have her morning cup of coffee... then get busy with the things that need to be done around the house.

 She will work at a frenetic pace. Start a load of laundry, fold a load of clothes, make sure the dish washer is running, vacuum one room then mop the kitchen floor. It's a wonder to behold as she works in multiple rooms at what appears to be the same time.

Now... all the women that are reading this are probably wondering "why... since you notice this, don't you get off your behind and help her?"

That... is a brilliant question! We're newlyweds - we've been married for about 6 months. I don't know her system. She hasn't discipled me - or taught me her system. I have asked - she occasionally asks me to do some things - which I do well... but she hasn't taught me her system.

Even bigger than that, sometimes she get frustrated because others in the house don't see all the work that needs to be done, so she truly feels that all the responsibility lies squarely on her shoulders!

What I see in our house on a weekly basis is the same thing that I see in the church. The same small group of people run around frantically trying to hold things together and make things happen.

This... is a recipe for burn-out and frustration.

In Matthew 9:38 Jesus tells his disciples to "Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into his harvest." The thing is... if we don't teach them how to "pick the grapes" then they're really just sitting in the way and there is no need for the Lord of the harvest to send more workers.

We have to train the workers that we have!

It's the most wonderful time... of the year...!

Christmas has always fascinated me. It is a season of deep contrasts and as of late, bitter debate among many. For example, for years Christians have been rallying against those who want to say "Merry Xmas" or "Happy Holidays!" This is the time of year when Christians put up signs and wear buttons that say things like: "Let's keep the Christ in CHRISTmas" or "It's okay to say Merry Christmas." Even where I work, we no longer have a Christmas party, we have a Holiday party, even though everyone that I work with celebrates Christmas! It's an interesting struggle to watch year after year.

The other deep contrast that I see unfold lies between gift giving and gift receiving. From kids to adults, a month or more before Christmas, people become obsessed with gift giving... or is it gift receiving? I'm not sure. Most parents struggle and make sacrifices to make sure that their children get the one or two things that they really want. And even though parents who sacrifice for their children, feel a little hint of sadness when they receive socks for Christmas.

These two things are a stark contrast to me - keeping Christ in Christmas and the obsession with gifts.

I John 2:15-17 (New Living Translation)
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

 I understand that Jesus emptied Himself of all of His riches and gave to us the means to be adopted into His family. My question is, as Christians, are we teaching the emptying of our wallets for temporary happiness, or are we teaching the world through our actions to show compassion to those who don't have. Are we sharing the gospel with the sick, the sad, and the lonely?

This time of year, we struggle to keep Christ in Christmas. Let's also struggle to keep Christ in Christianity and do what Jesus did. Jesus came to reach out to those who were lost an in need of a savior. So let's not forget those who are less fortunate than we are this time of year.

Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The Power of Adoption

Have you heard of Rachel Crow? If you haven't, you will. Rachel made her debut on season one of The X Factor. She captured America's heart from her first appearance on the show. The thing about Rachel is that she has an interesting story. Her birth mother was addicted to crack cocaine. As a matter of fact, there were times when her and her Mother were homeless, and at one point - she even lived in a crack house with her Mom.

Once the authorities found out, Rachel was taken out of the house, placed in foster care and eventually was adopted by another family. On the show, you can see how her adopted mother and sister truly cared for her and supported her.

Rachel understands the importance of adoption. There are a couple things we can be sure of from this story. Rachel will probably never do drugs. This is because she remembers what her past was like and the boundless potential that she now has living with supporting parents.

Christians can take a lesson from this. You see, many of us accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. We view it as a decision that we make. Since it's only a decision, then there are times when we can choose to live according to the flesh... when it's convenient... as a matter of fact, although we're ashamed to admit it, many of us do.

But... what if we realized that we were adopted into God's family. How would that change our lives if on a regular basis we realized what our past was like - and that our past would only bring pain and eventual death. Would we treat this adoption that we have frivolously? I don't think so!

It's time that we stop thinking about Christianity as just a choice that we make - and realize that it's a relationship where we are now a part of God's family. We need to stop "sneaking out of our new house" and going back to our life before adoption. We need to cherish and experience all that God has in store for us as he embraces us as his Children.

Let's stop thinking about this as it being our choice to come to God's house - where as a result, we can leave any time we want to. Let's understand that we've been adopted into a family... and start acting like it!

Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:4-7
King James Version (KJV)
 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

John 1:12-13
King James Version (KJV)
 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 John 3:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
1 John 3
 1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

What should I study?

There's an old joke - if you want to get a guitar player to turn his instrument down, put sheet music in front of him. The sad truth is, the quickest way to get the average church goer to be quiet is to say "where is that found in the Bible?"

We live in an era where we can tell you our favorite web pages, tell you what happened in every Will Ferrell movie, quote the stats of our favorite athletes, even explain why we like or dislike certain politicians, but are hard pressed to explain what we believe when it comes to our Christian faith!

I admit it, the Bible is big. 66 books spanning thousands of years. There are cultural differences that don't seem to make sense in today's time and so many strange names and places. Most of us read devotionals, and can probably quote a handful of scriptures - but how can you really understand more?

I've never been one for checklists, but I'll provide a few suggestions:

• Read an entire book.
• Read all the way through whole books in the New Testament in one setting, like Ephesians, Hebrews, Romans, or Luke.
• When you read a devotional that has a single verse or 2 extracted, take time to read the whole chapter that the verse is in. 
• Read the chapters before or after as well to get an understanding of what the author was really trying to address
• Get a good chain reference Bible
• follow the references to see how the story of the Bible unfolds and how the Old and New Testament share so many of the same truths

2 Peter 2:15 (Ampliphied)
15Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

The first and most important thing to do is to start reading your Bible. Even if you don't understand it... read it. Think about the things that your read, ponder them, pray about them.

When you're faithful in this, God's Holy Spirit will help it all make sense to you. That was one of the last promises that Jesus left with his disciples:

John 14:26
New Living Translation (NLT)
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

God promises to send us the Holy Spirit that will teach us what we need to know and help us to remember it so we may grow and disciple others.

Strong as an lion...

When I ask Christians how strong they are in their faith, most of them say that they still need to grow, or that they still have a lot to learn. Even people who have been in the church for years somehow feel woefully inadequate when it comes to really understanding and knowing what they believe.

A lot of times, when asked to explain why they believe something, they either quote what they read in a book or what their Pastor said. It's rare to find someone that can explain what they mean and back it up with a Biblical reference.

I'm not trying to put the blame on the Pastor. Most Pastors I know lament over the fact that they have to keep their sermons short and at a surface level so their congregation can get something that will hopefully stick and pique their interest to want to know more.

I think it's more tradition. Our tradition has taught us that we as lay people (a lay person is someone that has not been called into the clergy) cannot possibly understand what the Bible says and that we can't truly understand it because we haven't gone to seminary or Bible school. Our tradition has taught us to depend on others to teach us what the Bible says because we can't possible read it for ourselves.

This... has changed the way that we see ourselves - and for most, has us living a mediocre Christian life.

Maybe, it's time to break the tradition and really study the Bible for what it says ourselves. Maybe it's time for us to read it, meditate on it, and ask questions until we are sure that we understand it for ourselves... I know that's not the ways it's been done in the past... that's not "our tradition."

Colossians 2:6-12
New International Version (NIV)
 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

... that was embarrassing...

Have you ever been out in public and tripped over something? The very first thing you do when you recover is look around to see if anyone is looking. It's embarrassing.

I was running sound at this church and needed to get on stage to set something up. For a moment, I thought back to my glory days as an athlete as I jogged down the aisle. I looked at the stage, carefully measured, leaped into the air like a graceful gazelle!

Unfortunately, my foot caught the edge of the stage and I went sprawling across the floor. Several people ran over to me to see if I was okay. All I could do was laugh. If I would have thought about the extra 30 pounds I'm carrying, and the fact that I hadn't tried to jump in like 5 years, I would have known.

That was an embarrassing fall.

On TV, there have also been other embarrassing falls of a different kind. Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baker, Bishop Eddy Long. We all seem less forgiving when there's a spiritual fall.

One of the things that I struggle with as a Christian is that we don't prepare the people in our churches with how to respond accordingly when they mess up in their Christian walk. A lot of times, people don't discuss their struggles or when they fall because they don't want to be in the spotlight. This results in them living in secret sin that doesn't really help them repent, change, or do better.

Jesus, taught his disciples how to respond.

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus looks at Peter and says:

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers. (NLT)

Wow... Jesus took the time to instruct Peter on how to respond when he fell into temptation and failed!

• Repent
• Turn to me again
• Strengthen your brothers

So many times, we try to hide our sins. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we should embrace them... we shouldn't. But we do need to repent, turn to God, and strengthen our fellow Christians by letting them know what we did, and that we've repented, and that we all need to struggle together to achieve all that God has planned for us.

Teachable Moments

Give some fruit

Pluck it off the vine

I'm giving my fruit

'Cause it ain't mine

It was only made for others to eat

To me it's bitter

But to them it's sweet.

Give some fruit

Take it off the shelf

Good for others' consumption

But stale to eat yourself. 

-Your Life, His Masterpiece - LBF

Why do I start off my blog posts with a story? A few reasons... first, to catch your attention, to connect at a human level, to give you something to think about. Jesus actually did the same thing - except he called them parables.

Many times, Jesus would teach in parables and sometimes, even his own disciples wouldn't understand exactly what he meant. In Matt 13:36 is says:

Then leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, "Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field." (NLT)

Jesus took the time to explain plainly what the parables meant then in Matt 13:51 asks

"Do you understand all these things?  (NLT)

That's a big part of discipleship. It's not just saying something and hoping that it sticks. It's taking the time to explain exactly what you mean so they can understand it. 

With that said, please allow me to tell you what the above poem means to me...

The fruit, is what we've learned from the word of God. We share it with others because it's not ours. It's God's message to a world that he desperately loves. Sometimes, it's annoying to have to explain what seems so clear to us... that's when it's bitter But - to people that don't know, who haven't heard... it's sweet and they want more!

That's what discipleship is... sharing what you know, and making sure that others understand... BUT... if you notice... the explanation is only given to those that want to know...