10 Applications from 2010

2010 is coming to a close which means you have probably seen countless lists this last week or so. You know what I'm talking about, right? The top whatever songs, movies, videos, sports highlights, etc, of 2010. Well, I would like to add one more list to the, um....list.

Since May, I have been using the acronym SOAP for my devotional/quiet times. The way this works is you record the Scripture that you read, write down any Observations, determine the Application for yourself and then write out a Prayer. I did this, on average, 3-5 times per week and I would like to share with you 10 Personal Applications from 2010:

1. There are times when it feels like nobody else is following God, that I am alone. The fact is that I am not alone. (based on Romans 11:1-10)
2. My job is to be obedient to Jesus, to glorify Him and to point people to Him. I can't judge other people for their actions or try to make them follow in the exact way that I do. (based on Romans 14:1-12)
3. If Christ, who is God, can come to serve, then shouldn't I, a mere man, who owes my life to God, be able and willing to serve? I mostly serve myself right now - that needs to change! I look to many things, other than God, for hope, joy, peace, satisfaction, etc. None of them work for long, if at all. I must look to God, I must dwell in Him. (based on Romans 15:8-13)
4. If God takes sin seriously, so should I. I need to not mess around with it, not look past or dismiss it and not justify it. (based on Ezra 10)
5. I have received more grace than I can really even understand, yet, so often I don't extend grace to others. Grace isn't just to be received but also to be given. (based on Matthew 18:21-35)
6. How often I am more concerned with how I appear to others instead of my heart. I need to be right in my heart with God and not pretend to be right for others to see. (based on Matthew 23)
7. Jesus deserved better. He was on the cross literally dying for those who were mocking and chastising Him. He didn't have to, he chose to! I often lose sight of the fact that my sin placed Him on that cross too. I have just as much responsibility for His death as everyone else. Jesus still deserves better. Better from me! (based on Matthew 27:27-44)
8. I am not one to make hasty decisions, but I don't think anyone is truly able to count the cost of following Jesus before choosing to do so as the costs change. It is kind of like being "ready" for marriage or children. I must daily pay the price. When I do, I get a bargain. When I don't, I go broke. In other words, it is far more costly not to follow Jesus. (based on Luke 14:28-33)
9. What do I smell like? Do I smell like manure, do I smell like nothing? Which is worse? People should be attracted to Jesus by the way I live, I should have the aroma of Christ. When I yell at referees and umpires, I smell like the polluted world I live in. I need to put aside my ideas of right and wrong and my desire for "justice" and I need to give off the aroma of Christ. (based on 2 Corinthians 2)
10. Far too often I depend on myself and doing so makes me like a bush in the wasteland, on my own, desperately trying to survive. I need to draw from the spring of life where I will never struggle for life no matter what may happen around me, as I will always be connected to life giving water. (based on Jeremiah 17-18)

Well, there you go, 10 personal application from my devotions in 2010. I hope that these are beneficial for you and maybe even encourage you to record your time with God in 2011.

Happy New Year. May it be a year that brings you closer to the one who made you.

Turn Lemons into Lemonade

I heard a story this morning on the radio about a woman who was planning a wedding which ended up being called off. Unfortunately, she had already paid a $4500 deposit for the reception at a restaurant and it was too late to get the money refunded. Since she had already paid for it, she decided to go ahead and have a party anyway. Instead of this party being a wedding reception, she turned it into a fundraiser to help the poor of her community. This woman was able to raise over $10,000 at this fundraiser, all of which she gave to a local church for their feeding program. She didn't even pull out the original $4500 that she spent.

Usually I don't pay very much attention to "The Good News Story of the Day" on this particular radio station. In fact, many times I change the station because I don't want to hear the story. This one made me think though. What would I do if faced with a situation like this? Would I take on the role of the victim and whine and complain about the $4500 that I couldn't get back? Would I boycott the restaurant for being so insensitive in keeping my money? Would I just invite people to dinner so it wasn't a total waste? I can pretty much guarantee that I would do one or all of these. I am also pretty sure that even if I did come up with a great idea to bless others like this lady did, I probably would withhold the initial $4500.

What do you do when things don't go as expected or as planned? My initial instinct is to worry about myself, to feel bad for myself and for self preservation. What is less instinctive is to trust God, to lean in to Him and to realize that He can take the hard and difficult things and use them for good. I am trying more and more to get to that spot more quickly and to look for what God may want to do in me and through me in those situations. Imagine how we can change ourselves, our communities and our world if we would choose to let God turn our lemons into lemonade.

Season of Reason?

Does anything about this time of year seem reasonable to you? This time of year is known (at least in our culture) as a crazy and expensive time of year and if you look around you, there probably isn't anything reasonable about it. This year, more than most, I seem to be hearing about scaling back or cutting back and getting back to what Christmas really means. One commercial and one TV show that I have seen recently both seem to be trying to give this message.

In the commercial that I am thinking of, you see a few different people celebrating Christmas in extreme, over-the-top ways (having an actual reindeer instead of a fake light up one, creating an expertly designed gingerbread house, super exquisite stockings, etc.) while the voice over talks about how extravagant Christmas has become. Then you proceed to hear about a reasonable Christmas event, the Season of Reason event at your local Acura car dealership. Seriously? Like buying an Acura for Christmas is much more reasonable than a crazy detailed gingerbread house.

The TV show I saw was the Christmas episode of "The Middle" (side note, this is a hilarious show which is more like real life than probably any other sitcom that I have seen) where the parents decided that they needed to scale back on activities and gifts and focus on what really matters. After pitching the idea to the kids and carrying it out, they come out Christmas morning to see that the grandparents had no such intention of scaling back and have filled the living room with tons of presents.

It is hard to get past all of the ads, parties, presents, commercialization, etc. to really make this time of the year reasonable. My hope, though, is that you can take time to look beyond all of the stuff and spend time with your family but mostly I hope that you take time to spend with Jesus. While Christmas largely has become something different than celebrating His birth, the truth is that is why we have Christmas. Jesus coming to earth as a baby changed everything, yet for so many people nothing is different. My encouragement to you is allow the single greatest gift ever, Jesus, to change you this Christmas and for the rest of your life.

Just Another Day at the Office

As I write this, things are pretty quiet at the church office, but today is not your typical day. Most days the church office is quite a hub of activity and discussion. While I and the other staff do work in the office and have various meetings and discussions, the flurry of activity is not from us. In fact, when just the staff is in the office it is really pretty quiet and calm, even tranquil (compared to the average day anyway). Instead, the bustle usually emanating from the lobby is from our frequent visitors who are here for a variety of reasons. These reasons include;

• Getting a cup of coffee, cocoa or hot cider
• Using the bathroom
• Grabbing some cookies, candy or other snacks that may be available
• Taking a shower
• Having someplace warm and dry to sit
• Saying hi and visiting with us and others
• Getting the latest 411 on what is going on in town
• Spreading the latest 411 on what is (if true) going on in town

We do get a fair share of more "normal" church office activity as well; appointments with the pastors or other staff, people with questions about the church or events, people dropping stuff off or picking stuff up, etc. However, most of the activity is related to the above list. For that reason, things can get pretty interesting here at the office. Sometimes interesting equals funny, sometimes it equates to frustrating and maybe even sometimes angering or disappointing. One thing we can always count on though, is we never really know what to expect.

Preaching

As one of two pastors at Crosswater, part of my job is to occasionally preach. If you know me at all, though, you know that I am not really a big fan of preaching. I'm not talking about preaching in general, I am a fan of that. What I am referring to is me preaching. While I do get nervous as "gametime" approaches, it is not speaking in front of 200ish people that causes me to avoid preaching whenever possible. The main factors are probably a combination of how serious I take the responsibility and the idea that I would much rather hear Aaron (or many other preachers) than myself, so why would anyone else want to hear me (this is not an attempt to fish for compliments).

What I do enjoy about preaching is the opportunity to learn and to grow. I don't always like what God wants to tell me through my preparation as I am usually quite convicted as I prepare to teach. But whether I like it or not, God always has something for me personally and something for me to share. I am pretty sure, though, that I get more out of the whole process than anyone who may hear the sermon.

Unexpected Rest

Most of the time, I consider my schedule to be only marginally busy, however, lately I have been feeling like things are pretty crazy. My schedule hasn't changed a lot, it really is just the amount of things that I have been thinking about and through that has increased the time where my brain has to be engaged. Between church membership, completion of By-laws, reading Crazy Love for small group, going to a 2-day conference and just all the normal things of life, my mind is swimming with thoughts, ideas, conviction, etc.

Throughout all of these things, I have actually found rest via a torn tendon in my shoulder. My shoulder has been bothering me for about 14 months and I finally decided to get it checked out. Doing so has so far led to approximately 20 minutes in an MRI tube and today 15 minutes on a training table receiving electric stimulation for my shoulder. Who would have thought that both of those things would be so relaxing?

My mind has been on overload with all that I have been thinking, hearing, reading and preparing, which as forced me to go to the Word, where I have found true rest. I am learning more and more that Jesus is enough and He alone is my reward. I hope that you too can rest in that.

Do Christians Positively Impact Marriage in America?

I am a numbers guy. Whether it is sports stats, surveys, financial, etc., I like numbers. To show you just how much of a geek I am, I receive regular emails from the Barna Group, a Christian research company, about recent survey findings. Today I received just such an email.

The research that they highlighted in today's email was regarding positive and negative contributions made by Christians in America. While there were many interesting findings, the one that I wanted to focus on today is this; "just 6% (of respondents) mentioned positive contributions by the Christian faith that related to marriage." Now we must keep in mind that survey respondents were asked an open ended question about positive contributions of the Christian faith. I hope that if they had been asked specifically about marriage that more people would have responded favorably.

However, looking at "Christian marriages" in our churches today, is it really much of a surprise that people don't feel that Christianity has had a positive contribution on marriage? After all, Christian marriages have essentially the same divorce rate as non-Christian marriages and Christian marriages seem to be just as susceptible to infidelity. Where are we going wrong?

Well, first of all, marriage is hard. You put two people together that are inherently selfish and you are bound to have some problems. So we just need to work harder, right? Well, yes, I think we do need to work hard, however, that doesn't resolve the issue. This is going to sound cliche from a pastor, but the answer to making marriage work is trusting and following Jesus. Have to love Jesus with all that we have and all that we are and if we do that, we will love our spouse like we are supposed to as well.

For our faith to make a positive contribution to marriage in America, it must first make a difference in our own marriages. If we submit to Jesus, we will be able to have the marriage that Christ wants for us and then we will make a positive contribution to marriage in America.

Is Social Media a Good Thing?

I recently re-entered the world of Facebook after about a 6 month hiatus. I think most all of us use some form of social media whether it's Facebook, My Space, Twitter or some other thing. But are these things good for us? This question has been around for as long as social media has been around and a strong case can be made for both sides of the question.

On one hand, Facebook, Twitter, etc. can be great tools for staying in touch with people that you don't see anymore (friends that have moved, old high school buddies, etc.). On the other hand, I have heard about many marriages that are on the rocks because a spouse used Facebook to get in touch with old flames.

On one hand, you can stay up to date with what your friends and family are up to by seeing their status updates and pictures from the fun thing they did over the weekend. On the other hand, sometimes those status updates are negative comments about you or someone you love and those pictures are of some event that you weren't invited to.

Do all these social media options really keep us connected with each other or are they actually doing the opposite? Just today I read an editorial in the USA Today about this exact question. The writer said, "Welcome to life in 2010. We've never been more connected to people around us. We've never been more disconnected either." Is connecting even the point? If it's not, what is?

I am not here to condemn or promote social media, these are just some questions that I am pondering and thought I would share them with you. What do you think?

What's the Hurry?

One of my favorite shows is the "reality" show, "The Amazing Race". If you are unfamiliar with it, it is a show where two-person teams race around the world completing tasks/challenges while trying to avoid last place in each leg of the race as the last place team usually gets eliminated. The team that can survive all the way to the end and cross the finish line first wins $1 million. In one of the tasks this week, teams were to decode a series of phrases they had been given which had matching symbols and then find and circle those symbols all in a row among a huge wall of matching and non-matching symbols. In other words, a large word search but using symbols/characters instead of English letters. The task wasn't very hard as long as you were able to determine which symbols you were looking for and were methodical in finding the right string of symbols. Only one team was able to complete this task!

Why are we in such a hurry all the time? Everything has to be right now. Remember back when the Internet was first getting started and dial-up was amazing? Now we get upset if our phone doesn't pull up a web page immediately. And who wants to bother with making a phone call on their cell phone anymore when you can just send a text in the amount of time it would take to dial the phone in the first place. Life is moving at light speed these days and we seldom stop long enough to do much of anything other than move on to the next thing.

The teams on the show were doing some silly, even stupid, things because they didn't stop long enough to figure out what they needed to do. What are you missing from being in such a hurry? Time with your spouse or kids, details falling through the cracks, connection with friends and family, connection to God. This week, I encourage you to stop for a little bit, talk to God and even more importantly listen to Him.

Keeping Up

I watched a movie last night about a pretend family that was placed into an affluent neighborhood in order to influence those they come in contact with to purchase various items. This "family" has all the latest and greatest items (given to them by their clients) from cars, clothes, golf clubs, and watches to frozen appetizers, drinks, and more. All of these items are designed to make their new "friends", neighbors and social contacts jealous so they will then go out and buy the items themselves.

On the surface this "family" is happy and has it all and those they are around want to be like them. Reality though, is that they aren't even friends, let alone a real family and none of the products they have are actually theirs. They are leading empty, lonely lives and are manipulating others down that same path of futility.

While this is a movie and obviously not real, I don't think we are that far off from companies doing advertising in this way. In America we already struggle with coveting and with "keeping up with the Joneses" so it is not too much of a leap to think that this could happen as companies try to find new ways to gain customers. What we also have a problem with in America is buying things we can't afford, getting the new "must have" thing and then wanting something bigger or better. In this movie, the family is very successful at influencing those around them and taking advantage of these two struggles I just mentioned. Their next door neighbor buys all of the things that his new "friend" introduces him to despite the fact that he can't afford it. Eventually the facade that this neighbor puts up by buying these things comes crashing down and he ends up killing himself to escape all the pressure.

While I think we all experience some of this in one way or another, some are far deeper into this trap. The only way out of the trap is not to finally have it all (because you can never have it all), it is to realize that no amount of money, stuff, fame, etc. will ever satisfy and know that they only thing that will is JESUS. Don't follow the world, follow the one who made it!

Amazing Story

Last week I challenged all of you who may read this blog to come up with the topics. I must admit, I was somewhat disappointed with the response, however, I did get a suggestion that I will incorporate this week. That suggestion was to point people to valuable/important things that I come across in order to help people wade through the vast amount of content that we have access to. It turns out, that very day I was shown a video of one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard.

Monday night, I came home from a long day at the office as I had stayed all the way through a meeting that night. I hadn't really been feeling well and all I really wanted to do was go to bed. My wife, however, really wanted me to check out this video that she saw on Facebook. I was not very excited to do this as the last video that she wanted me to watch was of a couple doing various beats, claps, clicks, etc. to a song. While this couple did their thing in perfect unison and had obviously spent a lot of time on their routine, I was not looking forward to another such video. But, since I hadn't seen her all day and she really wanted me to watch this new video, I agreed to take a few minutes and watch it.

What followed was an amazing story, unlike any I had ever heard. For the next 16 or so minutes, I was encouraged, convicted, amazed and wowed, by this young woman and by my God. Take a look for yourself here

Taking Requests

I am a fairly opinionated guy, but, lots of times I really have a hard time figuring out what to write about in my blog. Sometimes it's because not much is going on, sometimes I just forget and lots of times I just don't know what would be interesting to others who may be reading the blog. So, in order to get some ideas and to hear what you would like me to talk about, I am presenting you with a challenge; tell me what I should write about. You can send me topics, questions, statements, opinions, or whatever you think will help motivate interesting blog topics. I will do my best to incorporate your ideas and suggestions into future blog posts as well as do my best to answer questions via the blog. Feel free to be creative and to challenge me, just keep it appropriate.

Suggestions can be emailed to me at jonm@crosswaterchurch.org

Right and Wrong

Due to the generosity of a friend, I am fortunate to be able to go to the Husky game on Saturday against Nebraska. Once I get there, if I were to do a poll asking fans who is going to win the game, I am pretty sure that the majority would say the Huskies (true fans through out logic and always believe their team has a chance). But does being in the majority mean that you are right? Of course not (although this time they would be), we can all think of instances where the majority was wrong.

I was reading in Matthew 27 today and it caused me to think about group think, standing up for convictions, etc. In Matthew 27, Pilate finds no basis for any charges against Jesus and is trying to release him by giving the crowd a choice between Jesus or Barabbas, a known criminal and in Pilate's mind surely less deserving of release then Jesus. The crowd surprises him though by demanding that he release Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Pilate knows that there is no reason to crucify Jesus and even "washes his hands of the matter" trying to absolve himself of any guilt in killing him, but ultimately gives in to their demands and hands Jesus over to be killed. Presumably, the majority of the people in that crowd wanted Jesus killed, but, obviously that doesn't make their desire right. So why did Pilate give in to them?

We see situations like this all the time (not this extreme but the same principles). Every day we are faced with decisions of right or wrong. Unfortunately, much of the time in our society, right and wrong are determined by what "most" people think and not by what is actually right or wrong. Just like Pilate knew that Jesus didn't deserve to die but went along with the majority, we too disregard what we know to be right and go along with the crowd. We see it in the workplace, we see it in schools, we see it in churches and we see it in homes. Sure, there are lots of ways to excuse or justify our behavior, but the bottom line is that too often we are not standing up for what is right.

I have read this passage in Matthew 27 several times (as well as the parallel accounts in the other gospels) and was newly and deeply convicted this time to stand up for what is right. I challenge you to do the same. If you don't know what is right, spend time reading the Bible and let the Holy Spirit work in you to reveal truth to you. If you do know what is right, stand up for it. Speak the truth in love!

Who Needs a Doctor?

Some people are really good about going to the doctor regularly for checkups but most of us only go when something is wrong, when we are sick or injured. Jesus makes this same observation in yet another confrontation with the Pharisees in Matthew 9 when he says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

Jesus is hanging out with sinners and tax collectors and the Pharisees are not too happy about it. But think about it, who needs Jesus? Obviously we all do, but those that haven't given their lives to Him yet need to be introduced to Him. How can we introduce people to Jesus without spending time with them, without going where they are? Yet so often churches are more like a country club with exclusive membership and we make people who don't fit in with our standards and our appearance feel like outsiders.

Jesus didn't just hang out at the synagogue and hope that people would find Him, He went and ate with the worst of the worst. I am not saying that we should go hang out at strip clubs so we can reach the people that are there. In fact, I am not really sure what I am saying, I certainly don't have all of the answers. What I do know is that as Christ followers we are called to go out and make disciples of all nations. What does that look like? What are the implications of Matthew 9:9-13? Let me know what you think?

35 Things

I'm turning 35 in a couple of days so I thought I would come up with 35 things I have learned in my 35 years of life.

1. There is a God and I am not Him
2. Before you drink from a water fountain, make sure there is not a bee on it that will ride the water stream into your mouth and sting you
3. When running a race in a confined area, be sure to note how far away the brick wall is when you turn to look back to see how badly you are beating everyone else
4. When your mom tells you to stop running around in a store you should listen to her, otherwise you may just come around a clothing rack the same time your brother comes around the same clothing rack (from the opposite side) and collides with you
5. My dad can make a hook shot from anywhere on the court
6. Trying to do a one-handed hand stand with a skateboard in your other hand can lead to the need for dental work
7. When you are 16, driving a mini-van with "Merwins" on the license plate is not cool
8. When you are 17, driving a mini-van with "Merwins" on the license plate still isn't cool
9. Having smart and responsible friends is really helpful when your homework is due in a few minutes
10. When your wife is pregnant and needs to back up in order to turn around, you shouldn't make a "beep beep" sound like a truck that is backing up
11. Children are a blessing
12. Children are also God's way of teaching patience and anger management
13. No matter how many times you yell at your favorite team while watching them on TV, they can't hear you
14. No matter how many times you yell at the officials while watching a game on TV, they can't hear you
15. Atmospheric Sciences 101 is NOT an easy A at the University of Washington
16. "i" before "e" except after "c" or when pronounced "ei" as in neighbor and weigh
17. When you are a kid, you want to be a grown up, when you are a grown up you realize that it wasn't so bad being a kid
18. Most people will not need to know how to graph a sine curve
19. The fact that someone smells or is dirty doesn't make them less human than someone who smells nice and is clean
20. When preaching to an audience that is at least 60% female, don't put down your wife in a sermon illustration
21. The important thing about learning is not what you know but what you do with what you know
22. I don't deserve the wife that God has blessed me with
23. Having the attitude of "you can't fail if you don't try it in the first place" ensures that you won't fail at much, but also ensures that you won't succeed at much (it is also kind of boring)
24. Striving for the latest and the greatest stuff means you will never have what you want
25. The 1991 Huskies were better than the 1991 Miami Hurricanes (that's really more of an opinion)
26. Sin has consequences
27. It is far better to be humble than to be humbled
28. Right and wrong isn't based on what we can get away with or who will find out
29. Often times we learn the most from the things that are the hardest
30. You appreciate something more when you work for it rather than have it given to you
31. My kids are amazing and I had very little, if anything, to do with it
32. My wife is a beautiful, supportive, forgiving, funny, loving, caring, amazing woman that I am completely in love with (even though I don't do a very good job of showing her that I think all of these things)
33. I am a sinner saved by grace, GOD's grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
34. I am not who I want to be
35. God is making me into who I am supposed to be

Well, there you have it, 35 things that I have learned in the last 35 years (in case you are wondering I have learned more than just these 35 things). Hopefully, I will learn even more valuable things in the next 35 years.

Hiking as a Source of Leadership Lessons?

Last week I had the opportunity to go hiking with my family. While we don't hike very often, it is something that all 5 of us enjoy and since it was a nice day, we took off for the hills. I expected some peacefulness being out in nature, some non-peacefulness having 3 kids bickering, nice views/scenery and a little exercise. What I didn't expect, however, was the opportunity to teach my kids about leadership. This unexpected opportunity came about (and continued to present itself) because my two oldest kids were both interested in "leading" the hike and proceeded to try to pass each other back and forth for this privileged position.

As these struggles for perceived power ensued, I found myself throwing out some truths about leadership which were only meant to stop the power struggle and not necessarily to teach about leadership. Statements like;

• "You're not a leader if nobody is following you"


• "Being in the front doesn't mean you are a leader"


• "If you have to announce that you are a leader, you probably aren't"

I am pretty sure these thoughts on leadership were lost on my kids, but it did cause me to think about leadership. After all, as a pastor, as a boss, as a husband and as a father, I am supposed to lead. But what does that look like? We all can identify bad leadership or rather non-leadership but what about good leadership? I would love to give all of the right answers but instead I will have to ponder that question with you.

Ambitions

Do you ever sit back and contemplate what you want to be like? I usually do this when I do or say something stupid and I realize that I am not the person that I want to be. So what qualities do you aspire to have, what are your ambitions?

I was reading Matthew 5:1-12 this week and I have to admit, my ambitions don't typically look like those found in the Beatitudes. I am pretty sure that I have never sat and thought, "I sure would like to be poor in spirit, I would like to mourn, I want to be meek, I would like to be persecuted." Yet, these are the things that Jesus talks about in beginning of his Sermon on the Mount.

Why is it that I don't desire these things for myself? I was thinking about that question this week as thought about the passage. I determined that it is because those things are contrary to what the world teaches us about successful people. These things are also contrary to the selfishness inside of me. As a Christ follower though, I am not called to be like the world, I am called to be a new creation and to put aside my flesh. That is why my ambition, my desire is now to be like the qualities in the Beatitudes. As I pursue those qualities, I can't help becoming more like Jesus as well as a better husband, father, friend and pastor.

Rebuild

Have you ever watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition? It used to be one of my favorite shows and in it, a crew of designers and a huge team of builders show up at someone's house and completely rebuild the house. The first thing they have to do (other than getting the family packed up and out of the house) is to demolish the existing house. The team brings in the heavy equipment and literally rips out the house all the way down to the foundation. It is only after that very important first step that they are then able to build the beautiful house that is presented to the owners at the end. Most of the time, the existing houses are in such bad shape that simply adding on or renovating wouldn't work.

I think that God works this way too. In order to be close to Him, we must let Him come in and destroy and remove the things that weren't built by him. We need to allow Him to get down to the foundation and then rebuild. The things that we have built are rotten and are not suitable to build on. But, if we allow God to come in and build, the results are far more amazing and beautiful than any house you have seen on Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Ask God to show you the areas of your life that need to be cleaned out and destroyed so He can come in and build you back up.

Doormat?

Have you read the book of Hosea lately (or ever)? I have read it before but usually as part of a bible reading plan where I read a little Old Testament and a little New Testament each day, I've never really spent much time in the book or given it a whole lot of thought. I am spending some time in Hosea right now though; thinking about it, trying to draw application from it and praying about what God may be showing me.

Hosea had it rough! God asked him to marry a woman that would cheat on him (multiple times) and have kids with other dudes. I don't know about you, but if I knew prior to getting married that my wife would be unfaithful, I highly doubt that I would get married. Hosea obeyed God and married Gomer anyway. Do you know what happened? Yep, she cheated on him and had kids with other guys. Then God asked him to take her back and Hosea did.

In our society, Hosea would be considered a doormat, he would be considered stupid or foolish. But, if that is the criteria, we would have to consider God to be stupid or foolish too. Hosea's life is a picture of God's relationship with His people. We, like Gomer (Hosea's wife), cheat on God, we turn our backs on Him, we leave Him for others. God, on the other hand, remains faithful. He loves us so much that He takes us back over and over again.

I have only read through chapter 3 of Hosea so far, but so far, I have found a few applications.

1. God may ask me to do something that is hard or even seems impossible. When He does, I need to be obedient to Him, trust Him and rely on His strength.
2. I need to stop being like Gomer and Israel. I need to stop cheating and let God be enough for me.
3. God never stops loving me even though I continually turn my back on Him through my actions, yet, how often do I limit my love for others because they hurt me. I need to be like Hosea who was willing to take his wife back and even literally paid to do so because that was what God called him to do. I need to obey God and love others, even if it means I will be opening myself up to more pain and hurt.

Identity

Most posts I try to talk about something that happened or that I read about and then apply it to scripture somehow as essentially a devotional. Today, however, I am going to do something a little different, I am going to share part of my prayer journal.

"I can't stop thinking about the tongue lashing I received last night about playing time. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and the first thing on my mind was what was said and how I could have or should have responded. Obviously too much of my identity is wrapped up in coaching. I enjoy having parents tell me how much they appreciate me as a coach or thinking that I do a good job with the kids. Conversely, it bothers me when they don't like how I coach. I never set out to coach in order to gain recognition or accolades, or identity but I fear that maybe that has now become a quiet, hidden objective."

I love to coach, but this morning in my prayer I had to lay it before God and ask Him if I should continue doing it. My desires, even if they are good desires, such as spending time with my kids, pouring into other kids and trying to be a godly example, must fit within God's will for my life. I don't want to quit because one parent was upset about how things were going, but I did need to recognize that some of my identity has been wrapped up in coaching. When our identity is found in anything other that Jesus Christ, it will self destruct. While I love coaching and want to continue doing it, if it is getting in the way of my relationship with Jesus or making Him look bad, I need to give it up. Please pray for me as I seek clarity.

Rule Follower

If you don't know me or don't know me very well, let me give you a little information about me; I am a rule follower. I am not really one to blaze a new trail, to go against authority or blatantly rebel (at least not publicly). Parents, teachers, and governments seem to really like the people they have authority over to be rule followers. Churches like rule followers too and unfortunately that can often get in the way of truly pointing people to Jesus.

I have been personally feeling convicted by this tendency in my life lately. Through our current series in Galatians, my personal time in Romans and a look at a couple of parables that Jesus told, I have seen in myself a tendency to focus on my rule following as an indication of my spiritual health. Now don't get me wrong there is some validity in that as if we are truly following Jesus, we will have good fruit or evidence of that. The problem lies in seeing the rule following as the means of our value or merit instead of the grace of God. Take a look at Luke 18:9-14 for an example of what I am talking about.

I don't like to compare myself to the Pharisees (the religious people of Jesus' time) but the truth is that sometimes my rule following leads me to think of myself as better than others or at least further along. Churches are good at this too. How often have you heard people say that they need to get their life straightened out and then they will go to church. Or, how often have you felt or seen a church give the impression that they have "arrived" and you are welcome to come as long as you have "arrived" too. The truth is that I am just like the tax collector in Luke 18, I am in need of God's grace and mercy. If you see or feel this attitude from me and/or from Crosswater, please let us know. Fact is, we are all sinners saved by grace.

No More Jack

"Jack is back", these three words have evoked feelings of anticipation and excitement in thousands of people for the last several years. But, after 8 seasons, "24" has now come to an end. As someone who has seen every single episode (OK maybe I missed 1 or 2) I will miss "24" but feel that it was indeed time for it to end as the story lines had gotten tired and rehashed and Jack was forced to go to even greater lengths in his pursuit of justice (at least his idea of justice).

Jack Bauer was a hero to many, even if only imaginary, but what was it that made him so appealing to thousands, even millions, of people? Well, Jack was resilient, tenacious, persistent, self-sacrificing and always ready to fight for freedom and bring bad guys to justice. As a fan of "24" and of Jack Bauer, here are some things that I learned over the last 8 years:

1. Jack Bauer can hunt down and kill terrorists around the country and the world but he can't seem to find them when they work at CTU
2. If you have answers to Jack's questions, you might as well just tell him up front
3. If Jack Bauer loves you, you're in trouble - but don't worry he won't rest until he brings the people responsible for your death to justice
4. There is no obstacle too great for Jack to overcome, even death
5. When you are confident that you have Jack right where you want him, he's got you right where he wants you
6. Jack does more by 9:00am than the Army does all day

Jack Bauer was one tough dude and had certainly had some good qualities and by way of analogy, some people have even compared him to Jesus Christ. While Jack was willing to sacrifice himself and he did save people and the country from the bad guys, he did so on his terms and for his own reasons. While "24" was an entertaining show, the thing that bothered me season after season was that Jack wanted everyone brought to justice and held accountable for their actions, except for him. Time after time, Jack would go out on his own, making his own rules all in the name of justice and time after time, Jack would not have to face any consequences for his actions. Even in the last episode of the last season when Jack had gone further across any kind of moral line than ever before, Jack avoided accountability.

While there certainly are a few comparisons between Jack Bauer and Jesus, there are a couple of major differences;

1. Jesus was held accountable for something he never even did, sin. Jesus was the only perfect person to ever walk this earth, yet He allowed himself to be killed for our sin. We crossed lines and made mistakes that separate us from God, yet Jesus paid the price.
2. Jesus saved us from far more than terrorists and cover ups, He saved us from eternal separation from God.

Now obviously "24" and Jack Bauer are not real but the show did present a world view, primarily that the end justifies the means. Season after season we were told through the story of Jack Bauer that it doesn't really matter what you do as long as the result is good. We live in the real world though and there are consequences for our actions. For every single one of us, our actions cause us to fall short (we sin) but unlike Jack we must be held accountable for those actions and unlike Jack we can't escape that accountability. Our efforts don't get us there, it is only through the grace of Jesus that we are saved.

Routine

I am a bit of a pattern or routine kind of guy. I don't really like new or different, instead, I like to know what to expect, know what is coming. That probably explains why I was somewhat convicted by the video I saw today called "Sunday's Coming" while also finding it funny.

Too often churches try to copy the big ideas or formulas that seem to have worked for other churches or worked in the past. This video goes even further and pokes fun at what I see as manipulation of emotions or feelings. I think the video would be even more funny if it weren't also so true. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with have a plan for a service and coordinating what is going to happen when. I think the problem arises when it is so scripted or manipulated that it doesn't allow for God to work.

My life can get like that too. I can get so used to my plan or routine that I don't seek God's plan, I don't allow Him to work like He may want to in my life. I am working on changing that, on finding the areas in my life where I am on autopilot and need to let God work and stopping the routine.

Focus

Have you ever tried to do something while focusing on something else? It is pretty hard, if not impossible to do this. Take baseball for instance. If you are the batter, you are taught to pick up the ball as soon as you can (ideally right as it leaves the pitcher's hand). Doing so and staying focused on the ball will give you the best chance of hitting it well. However, if you are distracted by other things and don't focus on the ball, your chances of hitting it (especially hitting it well) are greatly reduced. The longer you play baseball the more important this becomes as the pitchers start throwing harder and throwing with more movement.

Baseball is just one example of where a lack of focus becomes a problem. You can also look at driving, homework, reading comprehension, or just about anything else. If you are focusing on the wrong thing, you will have a hard time accomplishing whatever it is that you are trying to do.

I was reminded of this reality in my spiritual life through a story that Jesus told in Luke 12:13-21. When I focus on things other than God, my relationship with God is not what it could be. There are many many things that pull my focus off of God and not all of them are bad by themselves. The problem isn't that I am involved in things or spend time doing things, the problem is when those things become my focus. You've probably heard that when you're driving, wherever you are looking is where you tend to steer and therefore where the car goes. The same goes for life, where you are focusing is where you will go.

The challenge for me is not to get rid of all these things (although some I need to) that distract me or take my attention, the challenge is not to let them be my focus. So what are you focusing on? Let God be your focus.

Making Me Look Good

Did you know that it is Administrative Professionals Week this week? I like to make sure that people are appreciated for what they do but I don't always do a good job of remember to show appreciation myself, that's why I am thankful that my trusty UW calendar informed me that Wednesday was Administrative Professionals Day. I then heard that we are supposed to celebrate and appreciate Administrative Professionals for the entire week (which I am sure is an attempt by card and candy companies to increase sales).

The truth is though, that these administrative professionals have a hard job and they deserve to be appreciated all the time and not just for one day or one week in April. That's why, I have decided to use my blog this week to express my thanks to those people around me that make me look a lot better than I possibly could on my own. So here we go.

Karen is my assistant as well as the Financial Director at Crosswater and while I may be more administratively minded than a certain other Pastor at Crosswater, Karen is instrumental in making sure I have the information that I need in order to track where Crosswater is at and to plan where we are able to go in the future. Karen, thank you for all of your hard work.

Amy is technically Aaron's assistant but she is also the Office Manager, tech guru and graphic designer for Crosswater. As such she and I work together a lot. Without Amy thinking about how, when and why we do things, I have no doubt I would forget many things and/or think about them too late. Thank you Amy for your support.

Crosswater is also blessed to have 3 amazing ladies that volunteer to greet and serve people that come in to our office. Denise, Jane and Emma do an amazing job of loving people and taking care of people, including those of us in the office. Thank you ladies for giving up your time to come in and serve and allowing us to serve.

Finally the hardest working person at making me look better is my wife. While it would be an insult to call her my assistant or my administrative professional, she is my helper and my rock. I received advice from my favorite candy store owner recently saying that every day is wife appreciation day and it certainly should be. Kristina, I am sorry that I don't show my appreciation as much as I should (if I even do at all). I love you very much and appreciate all that you do for me and our family.

If you have people in your life that help you look good, whether they are paid to do so or do it because they love you, let them know that you appreciate them this week. Don't wait until it is too late.

Paid in Full

Today is one of the most dreaded days of the year here in the U.S., Tax Day. If you were "owed" a refund then you probably filed your tax return weeks ago so you could get your money sooner. However, if you owe money you probably waited until just recently (maybe even today) to file your taxes, after all you don't want to give your money any sooner than you have to, right? That's my philosophy anyway.

Something you may not associate with Tax Day is that our debt has already been paid. Not our tax debt mind you, but rather something even more important. Almost 2000 years ago, Jesus died on the cross in our place. He didn't do anything to deserve death and he certainly didn't do anything to deserve having to take on God's wrath. He chose to do both.

We have racked up quite a bit of debt with our sin. But, unlike our tax debt, someone has paid off our sin debt because we never could by ourselves. There is no amount of extensions or deductions that could eliminate what we have earned from God and that is eternal separation from Him. Similarly, there is no amount of work or effort that allows us to earn Jesus' sacrifice for us.

While it would be nice to only have to pay taxes once and never have to again, that isn't our reality. Fortunately enough for us though, our sin debt has already been paid once and for all, all we need to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and Follow Him!

What's the Difference?

"it's abundantly clear in the so-called Christian nations of the Western world that professing belief in God and allowing that belief to make any discernible difference in your life are two entirely different things."
- Jan Hettinga, "Follow Me"

Like me, you've probably heard the statistics that say as many as 75-80% of Americans are Christians. Most of America claims belief in Jesus Christ and this weekend millions of people in this country will attend church services celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Easter Sunday). Hopefully you will be one of those millions in church this week.

There are moments in my life where the truth of Jesus Christ makes significant difference in my life. Unfortunately there are many moments where it doesn't. I too frequently get so involved in living my life that I take for granted what Jesus did for me, or even worse I completely disregard it. I get easily frustrated and/or angered and I snap at people. I lose my patience and let my attitude take over. I try to do things on my own instead of relying on the strength of Jesus. I lose sight of Jesus. I believe in Him but I don't always follow Him.

Easter is a celebration! Jesus didn't stay in the grave, he rose, he defeated death. Easter is also a reminder for me to put my focus back on Jesus and to allow the truth of the gospel to make a discernible difference in my life.

Application

I had the chance to go to a ministry conference last week with some of the other staff and an elder from Crosswater. In fact, in my short time as a pastor I have been fortunate enough to attend several conferences (of varying quality). Do you know what the worst thing is about these conferences? Time away from the office? Time away from the people we are supposed to minister to? The time it takes to get there and back? The amount of money it costs to attend? No. For me, the worst thing about these conferences is the application of what I have learned, or should I say lack of application. I do a pretty good job of paying attention and a pretty good job of taking notes, but, I don't usually do a very good job of applying what I learned.

I have the same problem with books that I read. I don't particularly enjoy reading but I try to make it a point to read in order to learn new things and to expand my skills. In fact, last year, I had a goal of reading an average of 1 book per month. I was successful in meeting that goal because the goal was to read 12 books, nothing more. You might have guessed that I frequently have the same problem with books that I have with conferences. While I am pretty diligent in highlighting the books (if they are mine) and my assistant does a great job of writing up the highlighted portions to make it easier for me to reference the things that stood out, applying what I read does not happen naturally for me.

I can attend all of the best conferences and read all of the best books, but without application, am I really learning anything? It is good to have the knowledge but unless I am going on a game show or playing board games, the knowledge by itself isn't enough.

Why do I talk about all of this? First, it is a reminder to myself to apply what I learned at last week's conference. Second, I think that reading the Bible is a lot like this for many people (including me sometimes). Reading God's word is always a good thing, but sometimes that's all we do with it. There are a ton of people in the world that can tell you all sorts of things about the Bible. They can quote scripture, tell you the stories, give you context/background, yet they are far from God. I do a pretty good job of reading God's word, but lately I have had some moments where I have struggled to apply it. What about you? Let's work together this week to read God's word and then to live it out!

Wanna Trade?

If you know me at all, you know that I am a big sports fan. As a sports fan there isn't a lot that matches the excitement, worry, hope, frustration, or at least the possibility of those things (all rolled into one) like trade rumors or an actual trade. Trades can be a quick fix or hope for things to come in the future. Sometimes trades work out for both teams, but, usually one team gets the better end of the deal. If you are a fan of the Mariners you probably feel that the M's seem to be on the short side most of the time.

Did you know that the Bible talks about the worst trade ever made? Romans 1:21-23 talks about trading the biggest superstar ever for a flash in the pan minor leaguer that never even made it to the show, it says; "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

The best was available, yet it was traded for something less. The creator of the universe was available, yet He was traded for created things. We still do this today! We have the opportunity to have a relationship with the God of the universe, the one who created each of us, the one who sent His son to die for us because He loves us so much, yet, we trade Him for lesser things.

What are you trading God for? We all do it in various ways and at various times. We trade Him for fame, for money, for power, for our kids, for our spouse, for stuff, for our career, etc., etc. Like the minor leaguer with lots of potential, we think these things are going to pan out and lead to our ultimate success, happiness, fulfillment, or whatever else we are looking for. The difference is that in baseball, sometimes the minor leaguer does end up doing what the executives thought he would or even more. In life, all of these things that we trade God for end up failing, disappointing, or otherwise leave us unfulfilled. Don't be fooled by the empty promises of more or better from anything other than God, He's untradeable.

The Real Life

You have probably all seen bumper stickers, buttons, signs, t-shirts, etc. that have the saying; "No Jesus, No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace". I remember seeing a church reader board that had that written on it many, many years ago and thought that it was pretty clever and over the years have certainly found it to be true. Now, like I said before, that saying is on all sorts of things and has probably lost some of it's impact because people have seen it so many times and in so many places.

I bring this saying up because I thought of it this week as I was reading 1 John 5:1-12. Actually, I thought of a revised version of it made from verse 12, it is; No Jesus, No Life, Know Jesus, Know Life. Everyone that is alive obviously has a physical life but as William Wallace says in the movie Braveheart "all men die, few ever truly live".

Life is hard, there is a lot of pain, a lot of disappointment a lot of hurt. I think most people just try to get by the best they can, they try to endure. Most people are trying to make the most of this life, after all, it's the only one we've got, right? But, if we are just living for now, for this world for the 0-80ish years we have on this planet, we are missing out. What most people are missing is verse 12 of 1 John 5. Without Jesus, we never truly live because it is through Him that we have real life, abundant life. Following Jesus has a negative reputation in some circles as something that limits us or puts restrictions on us. The opposite is true. If we are living for Him, that is when we truly have life, life now and life beyond what we know and can see here, eternal life.

Who or what are you living for? Are you living for this world and what it has to offer, or are you living for Jesus who offers you real life? To quote another movie, The Shawshank Redemption, "Get busy living, or get busy dying".

In God We Trust

The phrase "In God We Trust" is printed on our money, does that make it true? Of course not! At some point in our history this may have been true, we as a country may have trusted in God (obviously not every single person literally but generally as a nation). I think you would probably agree, however, that this is no longer the case. Now a days it is hard to even get a consensus on who or what God even is, let alone all trust in the same God. The reality though, is that we all trust in something or many somethings whether it is a person (or people), things, ideas, organizations or institutions. Every time you sit down you trust that the seat you are going to sit in can support you. When you climb the stairs, you trust that you won't fall through. When you jump, you trust that you will not float away because gravity will bring you back down.

Over and over we make seemingly little and/or subconscious decisions that require us to trust in someone or something beyond ourselves. The big decisions/choices in our lives also require us to trust, yet, we seem to do a poor job of choosing what we are going to trust in. We put our trust in money, our job, our government leaders, ourselves, our family, our pastor, our kids, etc., etc. The problem with ALL of these things is that they will fail us, they will let us down.

As a pastor it is easy for me to tell you that you should trust in God, THE God, the creator of heaven and earth, after all, that is what I am supposed to say. It's true, but I don't always live like it myself. I struggle with putting my trust in the wrong place(s). Mostly I struggle with trying to do things on my own, in my own strength. This may come as a shock to those of you who know me, but, I am not able to do everything. I am not able to do all that I want to do or even all that I have the ability to do (which kind of sounds like an oxymoron). I, like everything else (other than God), fall short. The good thing about my failure is that it causes me to look back to God and adjust where I put my trust. We have it right on our money now it's time to make that reality in our lives - IN GOD WE TRUST

"I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever." - Psalm 52:8

Connection

I have been thinking about connection this week as I was made aware of a family that has decided to leave our church because they didn't feel connected. It is almost always sad to see a family leave and when they do, I almost always wonder what we could have done differently or what we can do differently going forward.

When it comes to feeling or being connected, how much is up the church and how much is up to the individual or family? That's the question that I have been thinking about this week and I am not sure there really is an answer, at least not a good one. The church can provide all sorts of programs or opportunities for people to connect with others (small groups, softball teams, potlucks, service opportunities, church-wide events, etc.) but we can't force people to actually take part in those things or force connections when the do. Perhaps you have some insight into this, if so, please let me know.

As I continue to ponder the conundrum of church vs individual responsibility for connection, God reminded me that our most important connection is with Him. I was reading in 1 John 2 this morning which says (verse 28) "And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming." The Greek word for "continue" here is the word meno which means; to stay, remain, live, dwell, abide. In other words, stay connected with Him. Life is busy and I don't do as good of a job as I should or even as good as I want to in staying connected with God. As you try to connect (or perhaps you try to avoid connecting) with family, friends, neighbors, etc., don't forget the most important connection of all, God!

Life Giving

I am fortunate as a pastor to be part of a network of other pastors that meet regularly to discuss different topics and ideas as well as to encourage each other and pray for one another. Honestly though, when the third Thursday comes around each month, I usually am not so excited about going to our monthly network gathering except for the free lunch that I will get if I go. Today wasn't really any different but I agreed to go, mostly because it was in Monroe and at a restaurant that I hadn't been to but wanted to try. Although I wasn't super excited to go, by the time I left the meeting, I was glad I had been there (and not just because I liked my lunch).

A couple of things at this meeting got me thinking. The first was the question, "what are you involved in (outside of church) that is life giving?" This question was asked of each of us and we went around the room sharing our answers (never a favorite of mine). I shared about coaching baseball (and now softball) in the local Little League and how much I enjoyed pouring into the kids, getting to know families and developing those relationships. While there is certainly a lot about coaching that is draining and hard, I really do enjoy teaching these kids how to play a game that I love and trying to shape them and mold them into young men that work hard, persevere, respect others and have fun. I try to model to them what it looks like to be a man of integrity and humility and show them who Jesus is by the way I live my life.

This resonated with me for a couple of reasons. First, I was reminded how important it is to do things that are life giving, to be filled up so you can pour back out. Coaching does both for me. Second, as I heard others talk about the life giving things in their lives, I thought of how often churches come up with programs and events trying to get people to come to us rather than going out and being the church. Now don't get me wrong, I think that we should have programs and events, I just think that we need to be careful not to rely on programs and events at the expense of living out our faith in our daily lives.

Jesus is the ultimate life giver (literally) and it is through Him that we have true life. Look for ways that you can be filled up (given life) AND for places where you can pour out (giving life). GO AND BE THE CHURCH.

"We'll Leave the Light on for You"

Do you recognize the slogan, "We'll leave the light on for you"? This is the slogan used by Motel 6 in their advertisements. I know, most people when they think of Motel 6 think YUK, so why am I talking about the Motel 6 advertising campaign? Because I think Jesus had this same idea in mind for his followers when he talked about light in Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven."

Jesus is THE light and as His followers we are supposed to reflect His light so others will see Him and praise Him. Lately as I have been spending time in the word, I have recognized many areas of my life where my light is at best hidden and at worst completely out. For instance, I was reading James 3 a couple of weeks ago which talks about "Taming the Tongue" and I was deeply convicted by how frequently my tongue is not tame. Reading that passage forced me to stop and think about how often my tongue is used inappropriately; to express anger or frustration, sarcasm, verbal jabs or shots in an attempt to be funny (most always at someone's expense). These things are not a reflection of Jesus' light.

A similar thing happened last week as I was spending time in 1 Peter 4 which tells us to; be clear minded and self-controlled, love each other deeply, offer hospitality to one another without grumbling, use whatever gift I have received to serve others..."so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." Once again I was convicted about the times when I am not like this and therefore not reflecting the light of Jesus to others.

The slogan "We'll leave the light on for you" is intended to make people feel welcome at Motel 6, like they are part of the family, to show that Motel 6 is waiting for us to come. If you are travelling and it is dark and you see a "light on for you", you will be attracted to that light. Being the "light of the world" works the same way. As Christ followers, we are intended to attract people to Jesus, to make them part of the family, to show people that THE light loves them and wants them to come to Him.

Is your light off or hidden, or do you leave the light on for others?

Finish the Race

My wife recently completed what I feel is an amazing accomplishment. Just over a week ago she ran a 1/2 marathon. That's 13.1 MILES! I am very proud of her while at the same time feeling like a bit of a wimp myself. I have always been fairly athletic and have participated in some sort of sport and/or physical activity on a pretty regular basis most of my life, but running has never been my thing. I am much more of a sprinter (not a fast sprinter mind you) than a long distance guy. After all, baseball, football and basketball (the sports I primarily play) require relatively short bursts of running and not long distances.

I thought about my wife's accomplishment versus my lack of long distance running as I reviewed some notes that I had written on Hebrews chapter 12. If you are unfamiliar with that chapter here is verse 1 from the NIV; "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us." (emphasis added) The ESV uses the word endurance instead of perseverance and both are required to run a long race but are not as important in a sprint. As I read this passage a couple of weeks ago and reviewed my notes on it last week, I saw how my spiritual life and physical life are pretty similar. In fact, I think many of us fail to see our relationship with Jesus as a marathon. I think intellectually we understand that it is, but, as we live our lives we want it to be much more like a sprint. We want answers NOW. We want the fruit (the benefit) of our hard work NOW. We want the change or transformation in our lives or in the world around us to happen NOW.

The reality is that it often takes many lessons or walking through something for awhile before we are changed or transformed by it. We often times have to seek God and wait patiently for His answers in His timing. If you are a Christ follower, you are in a process of becoming more and more like Him. Sometimes progress happens quickly and sometimes it happens more gradually. Either way, we need to remember that we are not in a sprint, we need to strengthen ourselves spiritually by spending time in the Word, by spending time talking to our Father, by allowing Him to work in us and through us so we can build up our endurance and complete the race that He has marked out for us.

When training for her 1/2 marathon, if my wife had only worked on her sprinting, she would not have been able to finish the race, she wouldn't have been able to get up the hill that was at the end of the course. Similarly, if we only get little bits of God (i.e. attend church Sunday but that's it) we will not be able to withstand the trials, the "hills" that we come across. Where are you at with God right now? Are you watching others run the race? Are you running sprints but are unable to run the distance? Or, are you enduring, persevering and working to finish the race?

What is Helpful?

When you see someone in need do you ever ask yourself what you can do to truly help them? We are faced with lots of needs all around us. We have needs, our immediate family has needs, our extended family and our friends have needs, those we work with have needs, those in our community have needs, people all across the world have needs. No matter how far or how close you extend the "circle" of influence, you will see or encounter needs. While these needs can be easy to spot (although sometimes we confuse wants for needs) how to truly help eliminate the needs is not always so clear cut. Many times rather than really meeting the need, we simply put a band aid over it, we treat the symptoms. How do we get to the root, how do we truly help? Should we even help? Are we actually helping or are we just enabling? Obviously the answer is different depending on the need, the individual(s) and the resources that we have.

While many of the variables change from situation to situation, I believe that it is clear in the Bible that we are to help those in need. James 1:27 says that; "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...". Matthew 25:40 says; 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers or mine, you did for me.' Jesus gave specific examples just before this of what "doing for the least of these looked like". It looked like; giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, hospitality to the stranger, clothes to the clothes less, care for the sick and visitation to the prisoner.

I think everybody would want these things lived out if they were in the situation of being hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, etc. For some reason though, the opposite is not always (or even frequently) true. Many people feel that by giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, hospitality to the stranger, clothes to the naked, care for the sick and visitation to the prisoner, that we are simply enabling them to stay that way. Unfortunately, they are right. Sometimes! I don't pretend to know where that line is. All I know is that I don't want to be face to face with Jesus someday and hear what he said in Matthew 25:45, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

A good friend of mine once said to me that if he is going to make a mistake, he wants to make it on the side of God. I agree! In other words, I would rather live out Matthew 25:40 so much that I actually end up enabling people to stay needy than to do the opposite and not help them. This week I would like to challenge you to Live 25:40.

I'm Third

I was talking with a friend of mine recently and she mentioned that she has been reading part of Philippians 2 every day so I thought I would take a look at it to remind myself what it says. Go ahead, take a minute right now and read it.

Did anything stand out to you? Verses 3-6 stood out to me;

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus..."

Say what? When I look at the choices I make, it is amazing how many I make that are about what's best for me. Can you imagine doing NOTHING out of selfish ambition? What would that look like?

"Consider others better than yourselves." Who exactly is "others"? I don't consider myself to have a large ego most of the time but how often do I put "others" above ME? I struggle much of the time putting my own family above myself. I struggle putting my friends above myself. Am I supposed to put even people I don't know above myself? Look to the interests of others?

I am so good at thinking about myself, where will this end? It ends with verse 5 which tells us to have the same attitude as Jesus. While this is not possible for us here on earth, we can submit to the process of becoming more like Jesus by putting our desires, our needs after the desires/needs of others. I more than a little convicted thinking of Jesus leaving his place next to God to come here as a man, live as a man, experience all that we experience and then die in our place. If anyone had the right to think of himself above others, it was Jesus. Instead, Jesus gave up EVERYTHING, He did "nothing out of selfish ambition", He considered others better than himself, He looked to the interests of others.

I went to a youth rally several years ago and heard the phrase "I'm third". Jesus is first, others are second and I am third. That is the perspective that I want. I am not even close to 100% successful with that but I am trying creep that percentage closer and closer.

Who Can Show Us Any Good?

In Psalm 4:6 David says, "Many are asking, 'Who can show us any good?' ". I think there are many people wondering that today as well. If you look at our world this question can seem to not have an answer, at least not an easy one. Things are messed up in our world, just watch the evening news if you need confirmation of that. The problem is, when we look at the world, we are looking in the wrong place. In Mark 10 the rich young man calls Jesus "good teacher" and Jesus responds saying "Why do you call me good? No one is good - except God alone." Only God is good and "every good and perfect gift comes from above" as it says in James 1. God has blessed us in so many ways but we often times don't recognize or we even ignore His blessings. Choose to look for God's blessings in your life. No matter what is going on or what you are going through, you have been given many blessings, choose to see them.

While God alone is good, He has called His people to be salt and light in this world. Because we are to be like Christ as believers, we too can show this world good as we reflect His image. We are not good on our own but as we lean in to Him, trust Him and follow Him, we too can show good. The problem is I get in the way. That's why right here in my blog, for all of you to see and to hold me accountable I want to give up to God my; anger, frustration, selfishness, language, desire for more stuff, need/desire to be right, pessimism, and comfort seeking. In 2010 I want to focus on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable..." because "...if anything is excellent or praiseworthy..." I want to "...think about such things." If I am able to replace the list of struggles with this list from Philippians 4 then I too will be able to show the world good because Christ will shine through me.