Update

Earlier this year I blogged about how I was going to make a list of people I needed to go back and apologize to for various reasons. Today I am pleased to say that the calls are complete. I feel like a large weight has been ripped off of my back and I am anxious to start the new year in a fresh place in my life. If you have people in your past that you have wronged, or maybe there are just people that you have fallen out of contact with, my wish for the new year would be that you would start making some calls. Handle that business and make it right. It will be one of the most freeing experiences you will ever have.
Happy New Year all, and remember to seek His face in 2010.

Just like Play-Doh

My kids wanted to play with Play-Doh the other day. So we all sat down at the kitchen table and I got all of the equipment out and started opening the cans. At our house, the colored lids mean absolutely nothing after the first use. Brand new cans containing a singular color have a life expectancy of about 8 minutes. I did manage to find a couple of cans that had not been opened yet and so I broke those out and divided them among the 3 kids. I tried as hard as possible to keep the colors from mixing, but 3 kids equal 6 hands and that is 4 more than I have. I was able to rescue some projects in the beginning few minutes, but after a while it was a total loss. The Play-Doh looked like someone lit an M-80 and threw it at a Thomas Kinkade painting.
If you catch the different colors early enough you can salvage them, but there comes a point where the colors are blended to such a degree that any hope at all in separating them out again is impossible. You just have to come to accept the fact that they can't be separated and deal with it.
Here is the deal: Jesus' love for you is just like the blended Play-Doh. It doesn't matter if you believe in Jesus or not. It doesn't matter if you have accepted Jesus or if you reject the claim of who He is….you cannot separate yourself from His love for you.
Romans 8:38-39 says it this way, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord".
Nothing can separate you from Jesus' love……………..NOTHING.
You can ignore Him, flip Him the bird, curse at Him, or spend your entire life running in the opposite direction of Him, and He still loves you just as much as someone who has spent their life seeking His face. So you can continue living your life the way you want to and distance yourself from Jesus, but if that is your choice then I have some questions for you. Why would you? When was the last time anyone let you disrespect or totally disregard them and then love you just the same afterwards? I would think that you would want to sprint toward that kind of relationship. Christmas is upon us, which is basically just a fancy word for when God, seeing all that went haywire on this planet, knew someone had to pay for humanity's blatant disregard for Him, and Jesus loved you so much, He said…..I will go.
That is unconditional love, and it looks just like Play-Doh.

The Gift

One thing you may not know about me is this…..I am a Christmas movie freak. I love everything from the classics like "It's a wonderful life" and "Miracle on 34th Street", to modern ones like "The Grinch", "Jingle all the way" (I know the acting sucks and the movie is kinda lame, but it's filmed in Minneapolis!!), and the greatest Christmas movie of all time………..
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". My wife and I were trying to pick one to watch the other night and we decided on "Christmas with the Kranks". Let's just say it didn't win any awards from the Academy the year it came out, but it has it's moments. Towards the end of the movie, Tim Allen has a pair of tickets for an all expense paid vacation that he has decided he is not going to use. He ends up going to his neighbor's house to offer them up to the man and his wife. So Tim tells the couple that he wants to give them these tickets as a gift. His neighbors are obviously very excited about the offer, but they reject the tickets. There is more conversation and Tim offers them up again. The couple shyly turn them down again. As I was watching the movie, I was thinking to myself…"I would do the same thing…I would have turned them down too".
The reason why, however, is sad.
I have a problem believing that anything is free. I know it's cynical, but you know exactly what I'm talking about. You see an advertisement for something "free" and the first thing you do is look for the small print. Or someone calls your home to try and offer you a "free" 3 night stay in Orlando. The only thing you have to do is go and listen to a talk about a product they are offering (like your time does not cost you anything). Usually the first thing people say after hearing the words "It's free", is "What's the catch"?
That’s because we know how the game is played. There are always strings attached!
That's why the couple kept refusing the 2 "free" vacation tickets in the movie. Because "free" doesn't really mean "free" anymore. Nothing is free.
Well, almost nothing…………….
I know of a gift that has absolutely no strings attached. I am aware of something that has the word "free" all over it, and I know for a fact that "free" in this case, means "FREE". This gift does not require you to listen to a 3 hour speech about how cool a product is, in order for the gift to be yours. It does not require that you buy one to get this one "free".
2,000 years ago Jesus came down to Earth, to live among us, and to die for us.
His death on a bloody stump, has given you and I the opportunity to own this gift for ourselves. The beauty is that there is no catch. There are no strings attached. The gift is there for the taking……the only thing you need to do is accept it. I am speaking of course of the gift of salvation. It can be yours for free. Jesus already did all the hard work. Just ask Him to be the leader of your life and invite Him into your heart. It's free.
So…….what do you have to lose? Will you take the gift and give it a try?
At least open the wrapping paper. Hang onto the receipt and if you try Him out for a couple of months and nothing happens, then take it back, but I am willing to bet everything that if you give Him an honest try that you will be amazed by what He does to your life.
No strings, no fine print, just a free gift for you.
What are you going to do?

Guest Blog Week (Chris Voelker)

This post is from a friend of mine in Chicago. He is an Atheist. I was thinking about it last night and I really can't think of a single domain that we agree on. We hold different political views, different spiritual views, economical views, etc….It's amazing that he and I are even friends. This post is fairly lengthy, but I do hope you take the time to read it in full because he makes some interesting points. I also have some comments to follow.

Here's Chris….

It is my favorite time of the year again. Christmas time. I love the Christmas season, the lights, the songs, the cookies, the joy of buying the presents. This season is simply the best time of the year. For me it just can't be rivaled, it makes me happy, those around me can see it on my face, in my walk, in all that I do. I love Christmas.
However Christmas can also be a difficult time for me internally, within my own mind and heart. For I have often asked myself, can an atheist celebrate Christmas without being a hypocrite? One of the human characteristics I have always found most repulsive is hypocrisy. How can someone say one thing, even at times preach it, and be found to do the complete opposite? Now of course I don't mean the parent that tells a child to wear a seatbelt or to not drink a beer while doing it himself because that's our job as parents, to protect our kids until they are able to make those decisions, some things just must be done and that's just fact. But I mean the full on hypocrisy we see in our daily lives, that is controllable and just shouldn't occur. Such as a Jesse Jackson chastising Bill Clinton for his infidelities both in public and private, and then it is discovered Reverend Jackson has his own child as the result of an affair, or the same man chastising a comic for using a certain offensive word, even demanding EVERYONE cease from using that word immediately and calling for a complete boycott of any media outlet who used the word. Yet later the same man, and not an ordinary man but someone who himself desires, and almost demands that we look up to him as a leader, uses the word in reference to a potential and eventual President of the United States of America. Now I understand all men are human and make mistakes, it's unavoidable.
I know I have erred many many times myself. But the true hypocrisy is in that he refused to apologize, refused to admit he even did wrong, and can continue to refuse to forgive other men who have erred while it is completely obvious that he himself is not perfect. Or the hypocrisy of a Catholic Church pretending to be saviors of our children, and at the same time sending known child molesters on to lead other churches to hide them from investigations of their dalliances at their last church, in the name of religion. Dare I mention the environment summit where world leaders meet to discuss ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while never mentioning the summit itself creates more emissions than are produced annually from 60 smaller nations on this planet? From these extreme cases down to the person who chastises a person about swearing only to drop the F-Bomb in conversation himself are all examples I try very hard to avoid in my own life, lest I end up being the very person I claim to dislike.
So what about me? Yes I am an atheist. Although not one of those in your face, can't stand the slightest mention of religion, complaining about the pledge of allegiance in schools or the 10 commandments in a courthouse, atheists. My philosophy is we can all have differing opinions and that's a good thing. I want you to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Ramadan, or whatever makes you happy, to me, I will take no offense to that. While I am confident in my belief that no higher power created all that we see around us I am willing to admit I could be wrong. My thoughts are based on thorough personal analysis of the recorded evidence, testimony, and scientific theory available to me, but I can admit and freely will, that the only way to be sure of any religion’s truth will only show itself at the end. Too late for me if I am wrong, but I shall live with that decision. For me the alternatives are just to great against it. I even on the rare occasion go to a church with my family because that makes them happy. Because both my wife and my middle son do believe in Christ, and I think that's a good thing. Both of them need the external guidance, structure and hope that religion provides them. It just so happens my oldest son and I are ok with the internal compass we have to guide us in our daily lives and personally can't accept or begin to believe in things we can't add up on our own. We choose to believe in only what we can see and add up ourselves, and we have seen the evidence that at its core can't support the case for religion to the rational mind. We are strong enough in ourselves to accept the fact that the end just might be the end. No pearly gates and beautiful clouds, no 72 virgins, no redo's in another form on this planet till we get it right or whichever version a person wants to hope for. Maybe there is just the end. And that's ok, We'll say I did all we could do with our time. Blind faith just doesn't work for us.
But I think I have digressed too much. You now know my view on Christ and the dreaded hypocrisy I fear I may succumb to. Now Christmas is after all, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. So should someone who does not believe Jesus was the son of God celebrate his birthday? Probably not in the strictest sense. But, as I look all around me to what Christmas in America is, I actually don't see a lot of Christ. I don't know if that is a result of political correctness gone haywire in America, a lack of religious tradition in general or something else entirely. Of all of the things that make me so happy about Christmas what is actually related to Jesus Christ and his birth?
There was no fat guy in a red suit with a big white beard in that manager, that I am sure of. Which by the way, no man can get as fat as St. Nick has gotten without being truly gluttonous. Is not Gluttony one of the seven deadly sins? A symbol, maybe in the minds of many THE SYMBOL for the most holy of holidays is the embodiment of one of the seven deadly sins? That just feels wrong.
As for Rudolph and the other reindeer, the same, I doubt they would survive in the desert, not related to Christ.
LED lights strung up in a dazzling array of reds, blues, greens, and yellows chasing each other to a beat? Nope.
The first record of a candy cane in a Christmas celebration was 1847, so put that one down as a no.
The North pole where the big guy lives is about as far as you can get from the sand of Jerusalem and the birthplace of Christ. Got to mark that down as no.
One of my favorite parts of the holiday is to go out and cut down a tree, the biggest tree I can possibly afford and fit into my home. It is a big production every year and I insist the whole family goes together to select our tree in the woods, cut it down and drag it back. Well I suppose it is possible there were evergreen trees in Jerusalem. Although the earliest know reference to a decorated tree at Christmas time was in 1570. A millennium and a half after Christ was born. So I'll put that in the no column, but give partial credit for the angel or star on top. By the way I insist on the star for my tree, it just feels less religious than an angel and equally appealing.
Presents, they may be the largest component of Christmas for most people. I know for most kids they are. It is the thing they look forward to all year. They spend hours compiling their list to send to the north pole. Parents spend countless hours scanning those lists, standing in line for this years equivalent to Elmo, or the cabbage patch doll. I know in my house hours upon hours are consumed wrapping the treasures in bright, shiny, glittery wrapping paper complete with bows and ribbons and large festive tags. This one I am happy to put down as a yes. The three wise men did bring gifts to Mary and Jesus according to the writings of Matthew.
When I take into account all that Christmas has become I can't really say it does have much to do with Christianity any more, other than the name they both share. I personally see it as a celebration of family. A time to spend with my kids, my spouse, my family and the rest of those I love. Its a time to take pause and be thankful for all we have. A time to put aside work and our other daily obligations, even if just for a short while. Its the joy of the morning when I can watch my kids tear open the brightly colored presents and watch their eyes light up and a smile widen on their face when they find exactly what they wanted. I know then, that I have done good. Maybe throughout the year in our daily lives we don't find enough time to do the good things, not just for our immediate families, but for our coworkers, distant relatives, our brothers in the military and even strangers, those less fortunate than we are. To try and bring a smile and a little joy into the lives of others whether through a donated present, a dollar in the kettle or just a greeting and a wave.
This year I am going to make the most out of every little bit of the season, savor every last drop of the joy. Maybe even attend a service, just for an extra smile it will bring from those I love, even if I fear it will get a frown from my firstborn child. To me Christmas isn't just one day but more a name to put on a season, an event that lasts a whole month that culminates on December 25th. It's really a feeling that comes from within that is projected outward as good will and joy to all.
My Conclusion: No I'm not a hypocrite.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks Chris.
You might be asking yourself, why give an Atheist an opportunity to talk about Christmas from their vantage point? The reason is because it is important for us to listen. Some times as Christians, we talk too much. We can still learn from those who have differing views. I happen to agree with Chris on a couple of points that he made. There is hypocrisy in the church. The deal with hypocrisy in the church however is this…..there will always be hypocrisy in the church. We follow Jesus, who never sinned. We try our hardest to be as much like Jesus as possible, but when it is all said and done, we can't come close to perfection. I also agree with him that I don't see a lot of Christ in the Christmas holiday these days. I heard an add for Wal-Mart on TV last night. It said Christmas costs less at Wal-Mart. Christmas costs. We have lost the true meaning I'm afraid. And finally, I agree with Chris on this….He said that there is only one way to be sure if Atheism or Christianity is right or not will be in the end ……"too late for me if I am wrong". It is going to be too late at that point. I will not get into my reasoning for belief in Jesus or the evidence I see (inside and outside of the Bible) for Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection…Chris and I have had those conversations until we are blue in the face. But what I will say is that before Jesus left the planet, He said this to His disciples, "A new command I give you…that you love one another". That is why I had Chris post his thoughts. I am to love him just like I love my Christian brothers and sisters. And I do.
Merry Christmas Chris.

Guest Blog Week (John Reynolds)

Today's post is from another co-worker/friend of mine in Chicago. John has an interesting relationship with God. I am not even certain he can describe it. I hope you enjoy his post....Are you paying attention?

THE ART OF LOST COMMUNICATION

Here we are on the brink of 2010. The world is undergoing rapid, unprecedented, technological change. Science and
Technology is zooming so far ahead of us it's almost hard to keep up. We have developed a countlesss number of gadgets, devices , and tools to enhance and better our ability to communicate with one another. So, why does it seem like it has only
gotten worse? Sure, you know. We all know. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out something is wrong. I mean really wrong.
Drive through a McDonalds and say you want a large Black Coffee and the response will be.."Cream and Sugar?". Recently
While in a Subway sandwich place the person behind the counter made my sandwich and within seconds before ringing me up asked me what kind of sandwich it was? Huh? I told him to ask the guy that made it 10 seconds before...oh yeah, HIM ! When
I had ordered furniture and they delivered a Couch and a Love Seat instead of a Couch and an oversized chair. When the men came to deliver the proper oversized chair and remove the Love
Seat they brought along another couch to deliver as well. I told them "Look, I have the couch" However, their paperwork had the couch listed on there and the fact that they couldnt leave it
really through them for a loop. Everything seems to be in a state of Confusion.
This all is in relation to the lost Art of Listening. Nobody really pays attention anymore. We are in a world of constant rapid stimulus. Our Beings can not process the rapid fire barage of information. People are driving while talking on their phones while texting..It's crazy. Paying attention
to the road or traffic conditions is secondary. With all the new technology we seem to be at a place
where we are more removed from each other than ever before.
Recently, a customer of mine had shared a story about his seven year old daughter. She had just put together her long list of things she wanted from Santa this year. Upon reading this he explained to her that it had been a rough year for Santa. The current economic climate hadnt been to good to Santa. Sundays, are his daughters days. They choose what they want to do and he spends time with them. Usually means a movie. On this particular Sunday his seven year old wanted to visit TOYS R US. She insisted that her daddy bring a camera. He did. She started taking him around the store stopping him at certain toys and having her picture taken with them. After a couple of Pictures
he had asked her why they were doing this. She expained that "Santa, really got a lot of things screwed up and made a lot of mistakes the year before". She was going to include these pictures
with her letter to Santa to make sure he couldnt screw things up this year!
So even Santa is not immune from the current crisis we are in. Santa needs to pay attention. We
all need to pay more attention. Perhaps, the children of the future can correct this. We can only Hope!

Guest Blog Week (Bernie Delaney)

Today's post is from a co-worker and friend of mine in New Jersey. I hope his story makes you think about what you are doing with the time you have left on Earth. It certainly made me. Go ahead Bernie......

The end of the year is closing in on us. I am constantly reminded of how good life can be. This year will go down as one of the best of my life. I got to enjoy it at a new pace. I would have never thought that turning 41 this year could make time slow down, especially with two very active boys. It is hard to imagine with what seemed like everyday there was something going on in our lives. There were scheduled baseball or basketball games, homework, practices, work and so much more. For many years my time was usually spinning like a top out of control, but this year was different. This year my family and I got the chance to slow down and appreciate life. As the saying goes, we were able to “slow down and smell the roses.”

For twelve years now I’ve been keeping a little journal at work for some of the important events that occur during the year. I write little notes on the special things that might have happened to me or my family or even big news like the Phillies winning the World Series. I have tried to write something down every week. I was looking back at last year’s journal and could not help to notice all the empty pages of September through December 2008. The impact of those missing days will forever be remembered as a turning point in my life. The last entry in my 2008 journal was Labor Day. The note was simple, it read, “Party Laskeys.” The missing edited pages there after could not tell the story that lied ahead for me.

The day after Labor Day I was admitted to the hospital with some pain. The pain went away the following day but the x-ray that remained had a whole new story. The cat-scan showed a mysterious mass inside my body. The mass would change my life forever. The mass eventually turned out to be cancer. A dreaded word! Cancer! I’m 41 years old, don’t smoke. There must be a mistake. There was no mistake. I was diagnosed with type three testicular cancer and was given an immediate date for surgery and a schedule of chemotherapy soon after. I would spend the next three months of my life giving blood, going to doctors and being completely exhausted from 5 days a week of 5 hours of chemotherapy. Time stood still for those months.

I began to feel hope as an effective word in my life. I began to feel prayer working both physically and mentally in my life. I can’t begin to tell the unbelievable story of support my family received from my community. It was overwhelming. I would take pages to give an understanding of the support we received from my employer as well. I was flabbergasted at the overall support mentally, socially and even financially from nearly everyone I knew. It changed my thinking of all the people in my life from that moment on. It shone a new light on my life that would make me eternally grateful.

My last chemo session was December 29, 2008. I would be able to enjoy a New Year chemical-free and at that point cancer free. I began to appreciate my community, my family and my friends more after that difficult period of my life. Life was passing me by at a quick rate and I didn’t realize it until I sat in a cancer treatment chair for months. Nowadays I find myself wanting to talk to neighbors more extensively, to write down more information in my journal, to be in the company of good friends more often and especially make the time I spend with my family not just time spent but making that time more quality time. I find myself enjoying the simpler moments of life. I have found the importance of the slowing down and appreciating everything. I found the time to smell the roses.

Guest Blog Week (Heather Brotzge)

This one is from my sister, whom I love dearly.

She is a Christian and a great example of what a Godly woman looks like.

Friday night I went to see one of my clients in the nursing home. Let me tell you a little about him...he has cerebral palsy. He 's pretty much a quadrapalegic...can move his hands and arms but they are of no use to him because he has no fine motor skills. He's brilliant. He has a degree in Theology and in Physiology. He does speaking engagements at churches and schools talking to kids and anyone who will listen about what Jesus has done in his life and how they can overcome anything and can do anything they put their minds to. His mind is so sharp. His speech is slurred. People treat him differently...like he is "less than" because they don't take the time to listen to him and to know what's inside...all they see is the body and the fact that he is served by a company who works with the developmentally disabled. He has told me that he sees how people look at him differently and treat him differently...and that breaks my heart. His body is weak...he's on lots of pain meds for muscle spasms...he is sometimes in bed all day every day except to get a shower from his staff or to go to the bathroom. Because of being in bed so much, pneumonia is easy to catch. Two weeks ago he went to the hospital with pneumonia. A few days later he was released to the nursing home for respiratory rehab.
The first day I went to see him was last Wednesday. He was doing well and asked me for 5 changes of clothes and some other things from his apartment. He told me how horribly he was being treated and begged me to get him out of there. I cried. It broke my heart. I promised him I would talk to the nurses and make sure he got what he needed and I would bring what he needed on Friday. And I kept my word. So I went back Friday. And he was asleep...and on oxygen. Not good. I didn't wake him, but left the things he had asked for, touched him, and left. Today I told my coworkers that I didn't think he would make it out of there, and I made another trip out on my way home to check on him....thinking that I would bring some light into his day today by showing up there and making him smile because he had a visitor. But he made me think again...
I got there and he was laying in the dark...awake...without oxygen. He smiled when I came in and thanked me for coming. I think he knew that I was tearing up even though it was dark in there...he was telling me how much he hated the place...and then he saw me crying and started telling me how good the therapy was there...and how he was tough and he had lived a long, good life...and he wasn't done yet...not until he had done everything that God had meant for Him to do...and he hadn't done it all yet. There is so much to do. He said he couldn't just lay there and die. He had to fight. Because if he just laid there and died on purpose and let go...he would be letting down all those people that he had spoken to and told they could do anything they put their mind to. He admitted he wanted to go home to God...but that he was willing to live for others.
Wow. My heart got stuck in my throat and I just looked at this broken man with a brilliant mind and a heart of gold. And my heart was lifted up...my spirit was strengthened...and God spoke to my heart that this trip to the nursing home to lift a client's spirits was really meant for me. How humbling. And how SO like God.

Guest blog week (Teri Cox)

This post is from a very good friend of mine. She is an agnostic for lack of a better term, and I have learned a great deal from her through conversations we have had about Jesus and religion. She is also one of the best mothers I know. Here words today remind me that it is not just enough to be in the room with my kids. Being there does not necessarily mean I am present. Are you spending quality time with your children, or are you playing monopoly, strategically positioned so that you can still watch the football game? Your children know the difference. Go ahead Teri......


When I was in my late teens I had completely convinced myself I wasn't going to have children. Things were going pretty smoothly too until I met Gary. The day I found out I was pregnant every emotion within me began to rear its ugly head. I was terrified. I was excited. I was...terrified. LOL How was I, me..of all people...going to raise a child? I wasn't exactly the best example. I was a bad girl with an even worse attitude. I was lucky though, I had Gary. He was far more ready for us to have this child than I was. I had never changed a diaper, I wasn't a babysitter, I preferred kittens over babies. Then November 27th 1995 my entire life as I knew it had changed. There he was, this big 8 lb bouncing baby boy. I fell madly in love with him. Still very much terrified I made a promise to him that I would do everything within my power to make his life wonderful.
Today he is a 14 yr old teenager who I couldn't adore more. As a mother I couldn't ask for a better kid. He is driven, strong willed, kind, gentle and loving. He's brilliant, funny, and emotional. I believe he was my gift, and also my test. Could I, the bad kid who had everything and was spoiled rotten, find the focus and drive I needed to see to it he was better than I was? I feel I have done just that. He's a leader, not a follower, he has a kind word for anyone and everyone. He believes all people are special and need to be treated as such. He feels people do deserve a second chance if they should mess up the first time around. He has goals and dreams and everyday he thrives to get one step closer to them. He's a 2nd degree black belt, working toward his level 2 instructor collar, and has show his dedication for his martial arts. He still hugs his mom and dad and isn't afraid to let his friends know how awesome we are. He appreciates us, he loves us, and he respects us.

Take the time to get to know your kids. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.

The Deployment

There were some people on T.V. this week who were calling for the President to bring our troops home. It sure would be nice to have all of our men and women home for Christmas wouldn’t it? The issue is this: There is a war going on right now. The Commander in Chief finds it necessary to have these men and women on the front line. You may or may not agree with the President and I will not get into politics on this site. But I think we can all agree on something……There is no draft. Those men and women that are overseas right now in harms way, volunteered. I was in the Army for 8 years. When I signed on the dotted line, it was made very clear to me that going to war would be mandatory should I be needed. After some careful thought, I signed.
This is where I am going with this. I think there are people in the church today that signed on the dotted line but want to protest the war. We want to say, “Hey I’m in the Lord’s Army” (remember that song?), but we refuse to go to war. We won’t get our uniform dirty by lying in the muddy trenches, and we certainly don’t want to be inconvenienced by having to make our way up to the frontline. Let me explain a little here. There is a war going on out there for lost souls, and all too often, Christians are refusing to engage the lost, and in turn, losing battles left and right.
We love to fill our days of the week with church people and churchy stuff, making absolutely sure that we don’t have time left in our schedule for the real work. And we can clog our weeks fairly well can’t we? Church on Sunday and then we have our church friends over for a late lunch or early dinner. Monday maybe a small group gathering, Tuesday prayer meetings, Wednesday…..I am not saying these things in and of themselves are a bad thing, but when was the last time you invited a neighbor to your after church cookout or bonfire? When was the last time you asked your neighbor, the atheist, to church? When was the last time you asked that family member, the one who has been turned off to Jesus and the church because of something that happened 20 years ago, to come to your small group? It is time we get into the thick of the fight and start engaging in this battle. If Hell is real, and I believe it is, how can we allow anyone to slip by us without at least inviting them to church? Its worth getting a little mud on our uniform don’t you think?
Next week is guest blog week. Since this issue was on my mind, I have asked several of my friends to write something that I will post. When I was thinking about this topic today, I thought…It will be cool to have some of my atheist friends and agnostic friends write something as well. So there will be a day or two next week where you might find something of interest. If you are a Christian and read this blog, sweet (I think there are about 3 of you). But the real reason I write this stupid blog almost every week, is for my friends that read this, that are not Christians. I care about them. I believe in Hell, and I don’t want them to end up there. I guess I am just trying to not go AWOL on my Commander in Chief’s call for deployment.

Thankful for a patch

My youngest son was messing around in my wife's jewelry cabinet the other day, most likely looking for something shiny to complete his Michael Jackson outfit.
(Don't ask).
A few minutes into his search he came over to me with his hand out.
"What's this, Dad?"
"That's a patch."
"What's a patch?"
"Well, a patch is used when you get a hole in a piece of clothing, like your jeans. You take the patch and put it over the hole and then you sew it in place to cover the hole up."
Insert reality check from a 4 year old here…
"Dad, when we get holes in our clothes, we just by new clothes."
In that very moment I felt the weight of how amazingly blessed we are. My kids have never had to wear clothes with patches. Their reality is that when something in worn, they just get a new one. If a toy is busted, they don't have to use their memory and imagination to recall how great the toy was, they just get another one. I think we have 3 DVD's of the movie "Cars" because the first 2 got scratched over time. I guess what I am saying is that I sometimes lose sight of the fact that my family just doesn't want for much. The patch granted me a teachable moment with my son. We talked about how in some places in our world, some kids his age don't even have clothes to put a patch on. For 10 minutes I talked with him about how grateful we need to be for all of the blessings the Lord has showered us with.
I don't want my kids to feel like it is wrong to have things, and I don't want them to feel guilty for having things, but I do want them to appreciate what they have. I want them to understand the importance of not forgetting about others less fortunate than them, and I want them to thank God daily for all they have, not just on Thanksgiving day. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for all of the usual things. Health, my wife, my kids, and our friends, a good job, a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes on our back. But this year, I am thankful for a patch too. A patch that gave me a moment to share with my son the importance of giving thanks.
This Thursday, I hope you give thanks for all you have…..and then do it again on Friday….and again on Saturday…and...

A wise investment

Unless you have been living in a freaking cave for the last year, you are aware that the state of our economy is just brutal right now. In October, the unemployment rate was 9.5%. Housing production fell by 10.6% overall in October, and the stock market has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. The combination of all of these things and more has led to just about every business magazine and investment journal trying to tell you what and where to invest for the future. They are telling you right now to invest in gold because of the weak dollar. Some say to invest in housing due to the low prices and the multitude of foreclosures that can be bought for a fraction of the cost will pay large dividends when the economy does come back. It's enough to make your head spin.
I read yesterday about a well known man who's net worth is hovering around 11 billion dollars. That's billion with a B.
He has obviously made his share of good investments.
He was in the news because he has just been diagnosed with cancer. He might survive the cancer and I hope he does. But when I read the news, a couple of things occurred to me:
1.) I get excited when I find $11.00 in my pants pocket. I can't even fathom 11 billion.
2.) This man is going to die. Maybe not from the cancer, but the last time I checked the survival rate of people going through life is fairly close to 0%.
So for all of the investments he has made, and all of the money that those investments have brought him, on the day that he dies, he will be forever separated from it. You have heard it said that a hearse is not equipped with a trailer hitch. You can't take your stuff with you.
So what do we invest in that will give us the best return? What is the wisest investment?
There is only one thing I am aware of that will escape this earthly life and make it into the next one.
The human soul.
And if it is true that souls will make it into eternity, doesn't it make sense that human souls are worth investing in above anything else? After all, you can take them with you!
Invest in human souls by caring for others, loving others, feeding the hungry, looking out for the elderly, and introducing them to Jesus Christ, who died so that they can spend eternity with Him. Wouldn't it be great to take some people with you?
When you invest in souls, you are not dependent on the status of the economy, or the status of the American dollar. You can invest daily, and the return on investment is unparalleled in any market.
That to me, sounds like a wise investment.

The Chair

Mother Teresa was invited to the White House for Dinner on numerous occasions and by multiple Presidents, but there was a prayer breakfast that she went to once that really impacted me when I heard about it. She was invited this time by former President Bill Clinton. There were quite a few people in attendance so obviously there were seating arrangements for all of the guests. Mother Teresa's seating assignment was right up front by the President himself. Like you would seat someone with her resume anywhere else. So the band is gearing up to play and meal is very close to being served and the President and everyone else are turning their heads to see if they can locate Mother Teresa, who has seemingly disappeared. When she was finally located, she was in the kitchen talking to the cooks and eating her meal with the wait staff. Here is the guest of honor with a chair at the breakfast table next to the most powerful person in the most powerful county on the entire planet, and she passed on the chair so she could be a blessing to others.
Most people would love the recognition that chair would bring. After all, it would feel pretty amazing wouldn't it? If I am being honest, I would have to say that my rear end would have been planted in that chair, enjoying the spotlight and the recognition and waiting for my grits and bacon.
But doesn't Jesus call us to leave the chair?
It's hard to leave that chair. It's comfortable and the spotlight is warm.
But Jesus tells us to leave the chair. Why?
Because it's not about us.
It's about Him.
He even tells us in Matthew 6 that if we are not careful, and we seek after rewards from people for our good works, that He will have no need to reward us later.
Would you rather be recognized temporarily by your peers or recognized in eternity by God?
Two things are for sure.
1.) There is always someone who deserves that chair more than you, and
2.) You can't be a blessing to someone else if your rear end is parked in the stinkin' chair.

Rock piles

In reading through some of the Old Testament this last week, I noticed something I really had not paid much attention to before…....
Rock piles.
Back in those days, if God had pulled you through a difficult time, people would gather rocks and make an altar and worship God and thank Him for what He had brought them through. One of these instances is in the Book of Joshua. Joshua and his people need to cross over the Jordan River and God stopped the flow of water so that they could pass to the other side. Once they got to the other side, Joshua instructed the people to take rocks and make an altar. He then tells them that in the future, when their children ask them about the rock pile, they will have an opportunity to share with their children the amazing thing God had done for them.
Obviously, quite a bit has changed since then. We can't just start building rock piles in the middle of Wal-Mart or in the middle of a traffic intersection or anywhere else that God has done something amazing for us. But what hasn't changed, is the need to share what God has done in our lives with our children. Are you keeping track of the times when God has worked a miracle in your life or pulled you out of an addiction or helped see you through a valley? Keeping a record of times like that will help us as well. When we get to a point in our life when we feel alone or depressed or uninspired, we can pull out our list and remember just how good God is, and how good He has been to us. As our children grow up and get to a point in their life where they are in need of encouragement, or if they arrive at a place where they need affirmation that God is in fact real and alive and is at work in their lives, we can pull out or rock piles and share the stories with them.
Maybe today is the day that you construct your first rock pile.
Happy building!

Worth the risk

So my wife and I were talking to this young man last night about the possibility of him moving into our home. We have done this from time to time with other people in need of a roof over their heads, but this time is different. There is greater risk involved than times past.
By the time he was 10, he had seen 3 people shot to death just several feet from him. His dad has been in prison for his entire life, and numerous other personal events have taken place that have taken him in and out of shelters and group homes. As we were sitting there listening to his story and learning what transpired in his life to get him to this point I couldn't help but think of the opportunities I have had in life just because of the parents God chose me to be born of. This kid is sitting behind the eight ball in large part because of who his parents are. Sometimes life just doesn't seem fair. Due to issues from his past, he has the potential to be violent at times, and therein lies the risk. I have a wife and 3 little kids to be concerned about. They are my priority.
While we were meeting with this young man, we asked where he had been sleeping. It turns out he had found a nice comfy spot in an alley behind a bank, where the drizzling rain has been keeping him awake for the last couple of nights.
I know that I have a duty to protect my family from harm, but what happens when that duty runs face first into my duty to not allow another human being to sleep in an alley in the cold drizzling rain?
After we got back home last night, I was reading this book by Donald Miller called "A million miles in a thousand years". There is a part in the book where Donald is thinking about how he grew up without a dad and decided he was going to help others who might be going through the same thing. He hooks up with this other guy named Duncan, who had a similar idea and acted upon it, and as a result, has helped hundreds of underprivileged kids find a platform to launch a new life from. The two men were sitting in Duncan's office, discussing their past. As I was reading, I came to this comment:
"The most painful of Duncan's recollections was that he never had an adult friend. Somebody to show him the way".
Then I started thinking about Jesus….
Jesus was a risk taker. He went to places where He knew people wanted Him killed. He went there because there was a goal He was after that was worth the risk involved.
His Father's business.
We have a graphic on a wall at our house that says, "..as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". I noticed that it doesn't say, "…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, unless it involves risk of some kind".
I suppose I could spend the rest of my life trying to be safe, and in turn never have to help anyone, but then I am just not so sure I would be able to tell someone that I am a Jesus follower.
I was listening to Francis Chan this morning and he said, "we are not just called to SHARE a verbal picture of God with people, we are called to SHOW a picture of God".
What better way to live this out than to take a little risk that might just lead to a huge payout for a young man that calls an alley his home.

The H1N1 has left the building

Over the last 10 days, it was like Night of the Living Dead at our house. People were walking around like their brains had been sucked out and replaced with green syrup that runs freely from the nostrils of the abducted. I began to wonder if it would ever end……and then……the H1N1 left the building. I don't think it happened all at once, but the proof that it had evacuated our bacteria-ridden house unveiled itself to me in about a 3 minute segment while at the dinner table the other night. I will do my best to describe the scene as I remember it.
All 5 of us are at the table eating…..
Caiden: jumps down and goes into the bathroom
Caiden: jumps out of bathroom with underwear around ankles and begins hopping to the table
Gavin: laughing, decides to join the naked jumping
Me: laughing
Kir: "Boys, pull your pants up and get back to the table"
Gavin: pulls pants up and gets back into his chair
Caiden: pulls pants up and goes back into the bathroom
Aislin: climbs down from her chair and pulls her pants down and begins hopping around
Caiden: back out of the bathroom, pants down and joins his sister hopping around
Me: laughing
Kir: "Aislin and Caiden! Pull up your pants, sit down and finish your dinner"
Gavin: "Can I be excused?"
Kir: "Have a couple more bites of chicken"
Gavin: shoves 2 chicken tenders in his mouth and disappears into living room
Caiden: follows Gavin
Me: laughing
Kir: "Caiden, you're not done, get back in here"
Caiden: rounds the corner with pants down hopping to the table, laughing hysterically
Aislin: climbs down with blueberry juice all over her and starts to pull her pants down
Kir: "Aislin!! Little girls do not do that…..neither should your brothers"
Me: laughing
Kir: "Thanks for your support, Tom"
Me: laughing
Now I feel something cold and pointy on the side of my head.
Gavin: with pants down holding a light saber to my temple, "I'm Luke Skywalker and you must die!!"
Kir: laughing
Me: "Thanks for your support, Kir"

Helpless

So, all three of our kids have the H1N1 virus. Nice.
Our oldest child has it the worst by far. Last night we gave him some medicine to help ease the high fever and numerous other symptoms and it ended up causing hallucinations. He seriously thought his fingers were tools. So his doses are pretty much over. It is hard to see your child go through something like that (let alone all three), and know that there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it. The virus must run it's course and with all of the confirmed children deaths linked to the H1N1, it is a bit unnerving. We humans love to be in control of things don't we? I am not a big fan of flying because I feel like I have more control of my own life in my car. Even something as small as holding the remote control to the TV gives most men pleasure because no channel will be changed unless we say so! The feeling of being helpless in any situation is just not in our human make-up.
I believe that is why some people have a difficult time trusting their lives to Jesus.
We read in the Bible where is Jesus telling someone to sell all of their possessions and follow Him. Even our remote control? Talk about feeling helpless. As my wife and I sat there last night, watching our child hallucinate and recalling the words of the pediatrician when she said that there is nothing else she could do and that we would just have to let the virus run it's course, I knew I was completely and utterly helpless. Nothing I did at that point was going to change the state of my child's health. But here is where the awesome part comes into play. Knowing that I was helpless, the only thing I could do at that time was pray. So I did. My helplessness drove me into communication with God.
Maybe you are at a point in your life where you are feeling helpless. You might feel like you are slowly losing control over some aspect of your life. May I suggest that if you have found that you have run out of options and do not know what step to take next, that you try communicating with the one that created you. The Bible says that He will never leave you of forsake you. Just as I was there for my sick and hurting child, He is there waiting to love and care for you. But He loves you enough not to intervene in your life until you request His presence. Will you call on Him today? You need not feel helpless any longer.

The Call

One of my all-time favorite movies is Billy Madison. I love it because no matter what mood I am in at the moment it comes on the TV., I will always laugh. There is a part of the movie that isn't so funny to me though. Near the end of the movie, Billy decides that he needs to correct some things he has done in his past that may have hurt someone. So he calls this guy up and apologizes for his behavior when he was younger. The guy then crosses Billy's name off of his list of people that made fun of him when he was younger that he intends to kill. It's intended to be funny but it always gives me that feeling like someone just punched me in the gut. The problem is that I know I have done some things in my past that have hurt people. I have said some things that have been cruel and I have participated in some practical jokes that more than likely have wrecked someone's day, or week, or maybe even their year. I wonder if when those people from my past hear my name in conversations, if that is the first thing that comes to their mind. I wonder if they have forgotten about it. I wonder if they are still holding onto what I had said or done?
There is really only one way to be sure.
Today I am going to begin a list of possible candidates that I have wronged. My goal is to have contacted everyone on it by the end of the year. I am going to ask each one to forgive me. It is my sincere hope that when I reach the end of my list, that it will turn out to be a new beginning for both parties. Maybe you have hurt someone a while ago. Maybe you hurt someone last week or last night. Can you come up with a list? Do you have the courage to make the difficult calls? It will be tough without question, but the end result will be worth the pain. Our short pain may be only a fraction of the pain that the person on the end of your telephone line has been experiencing. You have the ability to change that for them. What are you going to do about it?

The weather forecast

My wife and I had the TV. on the other night looking for the weather forecast for the following day. While waiting for the chipper weather guy to deliver the bad news, the following stories were delivered:
This week in Chicago, a kid literally got beat to death with 2x4's, and it was caught on video.

John Evander Couey died this week. He was the guy that kidnapped a 9 year old little girl and buried her in a garbage bag.

A tsunami went through the South Pacific this week and 112 people are dead so far.

Genocide in Darfur is continuing and the death toll is estimated at over 300,000 human lives.

Looking back, I just remember thinking to myself, "That's horrible……..what's the weather for tomorrow?" I mean, have I become so numb to tragedy and disaster that horrifying events like the ones mentioned above don't even make me pause and pray for the victims? I know people who don't even watch the news. They tell me that there is too much bad news and they just can't take it anymore. I usually respond by saying, "How do you keep up with the events in the world?" I guess I have just always found it weird when people didn't watch the news. Now, I am just not so sure that they are the weird ones. I wonder if Jesus would watch the news looking past the horrific stories of the week, anticipating the forecast for tomorrow. I don't want my heart to be hardened to tragedy but I am afraid it has been. Instead of getting to the point where my heart breaks for the things that make Jesus' heart break, I just choose to gloss over them and make the excuse that I can't help everyone. How different would this world be to live in if we all chose to love one another as much as we love ourselves? We may not be able to help EVERYONE, but we can't let that be an excuse not to help ANYONE. Who have you sacrificed for today? Who have you listened to someone who needed a shoulder to cry on? Have you reached out to someone who is lost? Wouldn't this be a better place if we all chose to do that?
What's the weather forecast for tomorrow? I could guess that it will be another gray overcast and rainy day…….but I have the ability to make it a sunny one for someone. So do you.

Big

Not too long ago I took my boys to Cabala's with me. Cabala's, for those of you who live in a cave, is the most awesome sporting goods store on Earth. They should hand out drool catchers at the door for people like me. I walk around in a trance with my mouth hanging open, imagining how many fish I could catch with all of the colorful lures that pretty much guarantee that I will catch the biggest fish on any lake (which has never happened). But that day I was on a mission. No time for drool. A group of guys and I were heading up north for a camping trip and I had to grab some supplies and get back home. I was really looking forward to the trip. For the weeks leading up to it, I had been focused on how BIG God is. How He does everything BIG. My idea was to share with the guys one night around the fire, just how BIG our Creator is. It's hard to convey that in our daily environment, but when you are up north and it's just you and nature, it carries a little more weight. I printed off pages from scientific websites and memorized mind blowing numbers about the span of the known universe. For example, Carl Sagan once said that there were more stars in the sky than grains of sand on all of the beaches on Earth, which blows my mind. In doing the research, there are quite a few scientists that agree with him. Simply amazing!
So in Cabala's that day, as I was still in "thinking BIG" mode, I took my boys to the mountain of animals in the middle of the store. I wanted to show them how God creates BIG.
I pointed out the Grizzly bear standing on his hind legs. We looked ar the Moose and the Polar bear. I was trying to point out to my boys the same thing I was hoping to point out to the men I was going camping with, that their God is a God who creates BIG, massive, colossal things and that if God is BIG enough to create those things, He is BIG enough to take care of whatever comes their way.
God had other plans though...
The students became the teacher that day. As we were making our way around the mountain, they were only mildly interested in what I was showing them. What they were interested in however, was the chipmunk. Of all the things to look at, the chipmunk captivated them. They spent 10 minutes talking about that animal to each other. They were making comments about how fast they are, how small they are, how the markings on it looked like racing stripes, and how cool it is that God makes such small things. They see stinkin' chipmunks everyday!!
And there was the lesson.
God is BIG. He is most definitely awesome and He certainly creates BIG, but don't spend too much time on the BIG things. He is in the little things too. He is in the normal stuff. He is in the creatures that we grow numb to because of the frequency in which we see them. You don't have to escape to some far off spot in nature to see Him. He is here today, right now. He is at your office. He is in your car during your commute. He is in the daily routine. He is present in the BIG things to be sure, but He is without question even visible in the chipmunk.
I never talked about the "BIG" topic around the campfire that week. I was too busy thinking about the little things.
This week…..Be careful not to miss God in the small stuff.

Mafia Wars

I have started taking a liking to Facebook. I don't post much on there but I do like checking in during the day to see what people are doing. The thing that I don't get is the games that Facebook offers to play. I saw one the other day called "Mafia Wars".
I mean, who plays this crap? Hold that thought….
Last night I visited a friend of mine. I was just in the neighborhood and decided that I was going to drop in unannounced. Now this guy is very well read. He is the kind of guy that can quote scripture and tell you exactly where it is found in the Bible. He attends a Christian college and gives the professors a run for their money regarding interpreting scripture correctly. He and I have had some great conversations about what true faith is, how we know we are heaven bound, and many other topics. Last night we were discussing possible Jesus sightings in the Old Testament and some good laughs. As I was leaving, I apologized for interrupting him and what appeared to be some on-line studying perhaps. He assured me that it was never a problem to drop in. He also told me that the only thing I interrupted was his game of Mafia Wars on Facebook.

Test tube Jesus

Remember Chemistry class in high school? I hated Chemistry with a passion. I still have no idea why I had to learn that Gold is actually "Au" on the periodic table of elements. Now, there is a useless bit of information that is taking up room in my brain. It is probably housed in the compartment that could be used to solve world hunger, and I only need that much more space to solve it, but "Au" is hanging out there, never to be removed apparently. What I did like about Chemistry class was when we got to play with the beakers and test tubes.
I remember the teacher telling me to put the right amount of the liquid labeled "A", and the right amount of liquid "B" together in the test tube for a desired result. Of course, I would follow the directions the first time, but that got old real quick. In no time at all I would be wondering to myself, "what if I mixed a little less of "A" and a little more of "B", and maybe threw in some potentially hazardous "C" and then some…..", and without fail my experiment would end in disaster. The point is that I think we do the same thing when it comes to following Jesus. We like to say we follow Jesus, but it is really a Jesus we create, isn't it?
We like to set up our test tube and our measuring spoons and pull our Bible out. When the real Jesus calls for a level spoonful of love, we take the level spoonful and dump most of it in the test tube but stop short at the measuring line that says to love our enemies. We see that the recipe for the real Jesus asks us to put 10 droplets of tithe, so we put in 20 and look to the person next to us to make sure they see how many drops we put in. The recipe for the real Jesus calls for 2 teaspoons of caring for people less fortunate than we are, and we just sift in enough until it starts making us a little uncomfortable. See, the real Jesus cannot be concocted in our religious labs. The real Jesus cannot be tampered with. He is the same all the time. There are no other versions of Him. There is only 1 true Jesus and the only way to find the true Jesus is to study the real Jesus and choose to follow the real Jesus completely, not just partially. Are you studying the real Jesus or are you creating one from your own test tube?

The jump

Today is the day.
Looking back on the 2 options: The road to the left and the road to the right, I know that the reality is that there was no option. When you feel the Spirit of your Creator calling you down a certain path, you simply "go". Praying through this last week and a half has really just been affirmation for me. Thanks to those of you who prayed along side of me. I seriously appreciate it.

I am now jumping into the unknown and uncomfortable.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 12)

Lord, give me the strength to proceed forward

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 11)

Lord, prepare the way for me.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 10)

Lord, give me peace about this decision

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 9)

Lord, help me to differentiate between my desire and yours.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 8)

Lord, keep me faithful in the little things.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 7)

Lord, keep me humble, reminding me to give you the glory in all things.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 6)

Lord, allow me to feel the full weight of this decision.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 5)

Lord, keep me genuine on this road that I am about to travel down.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 4)

Lord, remove my doubt. Remind me that your way is always the right way

A Pilgrim's progress (Day3)

Lord, give me wisdom.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 2)

One of my favorite sports movies is "For Love of the Game". Kevin Costner plays the role of Billy Chapel, a pitcher well past his prime. He is working on pitching the perfect game. As he gets up on the mound and leans in for the sign from his catcher, you hear his thoughts as he tells himself to "clear the mechanism". Instantly, all of the crowd noise is gone and he is in a state of total concentration. It's just him and his catcher.
Today I am praying for God to "clear the mechanism".
Lord, in the midst of all of today's noise, let me focus on you. Clear the junk from my heart and mind so that I can concentrate on you and what you have to say to me.

A Pilgrim's progress (Day 1)

I have come to a crossroads.
Have you ever been here?
A place where there are only two options:

Left
Or
Right

The left road is safe and smooth, and if I went that way it would take me straight back home. Nobody would even know that I came to that crossroads. My life would not change at all. I would still be the person I am right now…..and comfortable.

The road to the right is not safe. If I went this direction it would not take me back home. This way would change me. It would change my family. I spoke to a man the other day that lives on this road and he assured me that there would be days on this road that would be easy and downhill and there would be days that would require an amazing amount of help just to keep going……uncomfortable days.

I choose comfortable because I am human and selfish by nature. But what if you heard the unmistakable voice of God at the end of the road to the right calling you to be uncomfortable? Does that change things for you?

I am going to do something different on this blog. I am going to make daily entries for the next week and a half stating what I am praying for that day. If anyone reads this and would like to pray along side of me that would be awesome.

Withered hands

Matthew 12:13
Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one!

3 really cool things that I learned today as I read the verse above:

1.) Jesus talks to us
Back in Jesus' day, people with deformities were shunned. They were thought to be deformed because of something they had done or perhaps something that their parents had done to offend God. People would often switch to the other side of the road if they saw someone who had a noticeable deformity heading their way.
Not Jesus.
He stopped. He got close to this man. Close enough to touch.
No matter how messed up you are. No matter what is going on in your life. If you feel cold, alone, rejected by society, please hear this……. Nothing, nothing, nothing can separate you from the love of Jesus.
He wants to talk with you.

2.) He requires action on our part ("stretch forth thy hand")
I love that Jesus tells this man to hold his hand out. Here is the creator of the universe, who could heal this man's hand without touching it or even seeing it, yet he asks the man to perform an action.
Once we come into contact with Jesus, and we have decided that we are going to give Him the reigns of our life and ask Him to lead us, we must follow that with action. He requires action from us. It is unacceptable to proclaim that he is the leader of our lives while we sit on our hands and watch other people do all the work. If we have truly come into contact with Jesus and decided to follow Him, inaction is not an option. We must be "do-ers" of the Word and not just "hear-ers".

3.) Obedience equals restoration
And this is my favorite part of the verse. The man listened, put his hand out there and Jesus heals it. I love this parts because I know that if I have enough faith to just be obedient to Him, then He can use me for some amazing things. If I listen to Him when I hear Him talking to me, I can hear Him telling me to stretch forth my hand. I can give Him all of the junk in my life and by doing so, I can be restored.

We are withered hands.

Will you listen to Him? He wants to talk with you. He wants a relationship with you. Are you willing to trust Him and throw yourself at His feet. I can promise you that if you are willing to do that, He can then do what He so desperately wants to do…….He will make you new.

Finding joy

Our family was out at the park a couple of weeks ago, and Kirsten and I were doing our best to keep our eyes on all 3 kids as they played on the jungle gym. By the way…..it's nearly impossible. About 20 minutes into playing, our daughter, who just turned 2, had climbed up the metal steps to a platform where a slide was. Naturally, I went over to the slide so I could catch her as she came down. I was excited for her to slide down, knowing how she was going to enjoy it, but that’s when it happened. I saw in her eyes that she started to doubt that it was going to be fun. She began to abort her mission, and she started walking slowly backwards.
Two things happened in that moment.

1.) I was disappointed because I knew that if she came to me down the slide, she would have had so much fun that she would have wanted to do it over and over again.
2.) I was aware of the danger behind her (the end of the metal platform) because I could see more than she could from my vantage point.

My daughter fell face first down the metal steps and ended up with a really nice bruise.

The same holds true for us in our lives. Whenever we go the opposite way God wants us to, someone always gets bruised. The Lord knows what is best for you. People tend to think that if they choose to follow Jesus that He will just steal their joy, and nothing could be further from the truth. He is aware of the dangers in this world that surround us. He has a much better vantage point then we do, and He is calling us to a life of joy. Not every day will be a happy day when you run to Him, but everyday can be one of pure joy in just knowing that on the other side of this life, lies an eternity with our Creator. God does not want to steal your joy, He wants to give it to you.
Don't you want to go down the slide?

Just thinking.....

Matthew 8:14 "Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laying sick with a fever."

Perhaps Peter was so quick to leave everything and follow Jesus because his mother-in-law was living with him?

Stop reading your Bible !!!

For the second time in as many weeks I have heard someone say that it is not Jesus that they have a problem with…..it's Christians.
Ouch!! Nothing hurts like a kick to the groin.
What are we doing wrong?
In his book Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne details a case where an old rundown church building that was no longer occupied by a church, had turned into a favorite place for some homeless people to escape the elements. The city was going to kick them all out and it was getting some media attention. It also got the attention of some local Christians, who one night dropped off a box of microwave popcorn. Like the homeless people have a microwave. We are so out of touch with the world it's sick.
We spend so much time trying to present ourselves as Holy. We pretend like our life is a bowl of cherries. We don't have a care in the world because we know Jesus. We dress up for Sunday service in suits and ties so that any lost person who comes in the door in search of the "Truth", instantly feels out of place, and we achieve our goal of not allowing any outsiders into our clique. We don't go into bars because we are afraid of what people might think of us if they were to drive by and see us going in. Notice that by doing so we will never have to get into a conversation with anyone else at the bar and have to give them the reason that we have hope! We pray loudly and use large churchy words to demonstrate to others around us that we are extremely close to God.
We go into Caribou coffee and buy our latte and sit in the comfy chair and pull out our mega sized Bible so that everyone within a 2 mile radius will know what we are reading, and we plant our nose in it so deeply that we can't notice the lady 2 tables away, crying.

So now we have a choice to make. We either continue to read our Bible,
or
We stop reading our Bible and start acting on what we have been reading……and care for His children. Perhaps then we give people one less reason to hate Christians.

Milk muck e pock pock

My sons were walking around the house the other day, shouting back and forth "Milk muck e pock pock", and then laughing hysterically. I was just silently watching them and taking it all in, wondering what I was missing. Eventually I asked them, "What are you guys saying"?
Gavin looked at me like I was a moron and said it again.
"Milk muck e pock pock".
"So what exactly does that mean", I asked.
"I don't know", he said
"Well where did you get [Milk muck e pock pock] from"?
"My Burger King toy"
"Let me see it"
Turns out it was a talking Dr. Spock toy. When you push the button on Spock's back, he says "Live long and prosper". It was a bad recording and the acoustics of a plastic Spock head are not the greatest as you can imagine, and with all of the noise of 3 kids in our home it is no wonder that he could not make out what Spock was actually saying. Do you ever wonder why you can't hear what God is trying to tell you. Elijah learned first hand (I Kings 19) that God whispers. How do we expect to hear Him when we are going 70 with the windows down and the radio volume knob turned all the way to the right? As a reminder, I now keep a little piece of paper in my car that reads: "Milk muck e pock pock". Get somewhere quiet today and seek God's voice. You might end up hearing something other than a jumbled message that you can't decipher.

Embracing Imperfection

I was thinking this morning about the great commission. It is so interesting to me that Jesus would entrust humans to spread the Gospel. Didn't He read the scriptures?? Doesn't He know that we humans have a pretty bad track record that includes screwing up just about everything we are entrusted with?
None of the Disciples were perfect. They were human. They screwed up all the time and in several cases were on the receiving end of Jesus' rebuke. Why didn't Jesus just create a band of 12 perfect people to "go" and share the gospel? It's an extremely important message don't you think? You don't put a mall cop in charge of guarding the Hope Diamond do you?
Sometimes I feel timid about sharing the gospel with people because of my imperfections. I am afraid that someone will ask a question that I don't know the answer to, or that I might say something that repels them instead of pulling them in. Why did Jesus choose to have a group of imperfect zealots, tax collectors, and fisherman as disciples? I believe it is so that we could say, "If they can do it, so can I". These men had struggles with pride, lying, and stealing. We are people who struggle with alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography. We have modern day problems and issues that we are trying to kick in pursuit of Jesus and here is the best part….. Just like Christ had faith in the disciples, He thinks we can do it too. Jesus didn't create 12 perfect people to share the Gospel with the world because the broken world would not be able to relate. Jesus uses the broken to spread the Good News because we can provide people with a story. We can say I had a problem with the bottle but look what Jesus has done with me. We can say to the world, my marriage was on the brink of destruction, but look what Jesus did for me….taste Him and see that He is good!!
God uses imperfect, broken, wrecked, sinful people…..who the heck wants to be perfect and unused?

Amazing Grace

I am halfway through this book called "The backward life" by Jarrod Jones, and the book has not been all that great but I came to this one section where he is talking about Isaiah's encounter with God and how these angels that were present were burning from God's holiness. These are angels, WITHOUT SIN, and they are on fire because the holiness of God is too much for them to handle. Why in the world He would want a personal relationship with me is unfathomable. I just know that if the sinless angels were on fire, My sinful life would cause me to spontaneously combust within a picosecond. I always hear skeptics say, "If there is a God, why would he let bad things happen to good people?" The problem with this statement is the term "good". If anyone is "good", I would have to say it would be sinless angels, and here they are, burning from God's holiness. The painful truth is that we deserve "bad things", and any moment where we are not expiriencing something "bad" it is God's amazing grace alone that allows it.

Swear words

So I am out mowing the lawn this last weekend minding my own business, when I passed by one of our pine trees a little too closely. As I came around the tree and started heading across the yard I felt a sharp stinging sensation in the back of my leg. I must admit that my very first thought was that the neighbor kid had just shot me with a blowgun (not sure why…he's a good kid and I don't think he even owns a blowgun), but very soon after the initial sting came an onslaught of others……it was then that I realized I had run into a hornets nest. I need to preface what I am about to tell you next by saying that I don't swear. I remember my wife scaring the living daylights out of me in the middle of the night one time as I was dead asleep, and the toughest language I could come up with as I sprung from the bed was "Jimmeny Christmas". I don't even know what that means. So as I am under siege from these hornets that are frothing at the mouth, I came to the understanding that being scared may not be enough for me to swear, but apparently the right mixture of fear and acute pin pricking stingers entering my body at a rate of speed that I cannot fully explain to you, is enough. I am not proud of this but the story must be told. As I was running for my life, swinging my arms and swatting at my legs in a blind fury (and my wife would add, screaming like a little schoolgirl), it happened. I could feel the words forming in slow motion and gathered steam on the way out. It started with just a minor swear word (like the ones that they can get away with on prime time television), but it wasn't enough. It's true….the big daddy of 'em all uncontrollably flew out as if I had been practicing it for months. I had dropped the F-bomb.
As I was cornering the house, I could see my neighbors out of my peripheral vision, standing on their deck with a look on their face like they just saw a yeti. Obviously they were in utter shock and horror at what they heard come out of my skull cave. That’s when Romans 12:3 came to mind where Paul says "...do not think of yourself more highly than you ought...". From here on out those neighbors will always think of me as the guy who dropped the F-bomb (and screamed like a little school girl), and I will always think of the event and remember that I shouldn't think too highly of myself, as I am only 1 hornets nest away from another humility check.

Throwing hats

So I was playing golf over the 4th of July weekend with a good friend of mine (who will remain nameless). He happens to be an extremely good golfer. I happen not to be. His score card was a constant stream of pars and birdies. My score card looked like the judge cards from Mary Lou Retton's vault event in the 1984 Olympics (all tens). Eventually my friend had a bad hole (by his standards, not mine). He ended up throwing his hat out of frustration.
I was thinking about the event on my way home and asked myself, "why didn't I throw my hat in frustration? I suck big time". That is when it occurred to me: I don't care enough about the game to get frustrated. I like to play but I am content just to be out there hacking away. I would like to get better but I can't devote the time to it and therefore I am just content with my suckiness. But for my friend, he WANTS to be better. He is a student of the game. He takes notes about how the ball reacted on a certain swing, notes about how the ball ended up on a particular drive so that next time around he is that much smarter. He loves the game and has a DESIRE to get better and it is frustrating when you work hard for something and fall short. The same holds true for our Christian walk. If we DESIRE to walk closer with Jesus, we are going to have moments of frustration. We will be angry with ourselves when we sin because we have a DESIRE to abstain from sin. Have you been frustrated lately? If not, perhaps you are just content with 10's on your scorecard. Being frustrated because of our sin shows that you share the same distain for sin that God does. Are you content with 10's on your scorecard or are you throwing your hat?