Brothers

This a story of two men…both followers of Christ. They are brothers together in this, and like most siblings are very different people.

There is the golden child. Handsome, charismatic, outspoken about his faith. You know his name and what he believes. He seemingly does no wrong. He professes he remains a virgin. By all accounts he is a shining example of positive living.

The other one, though. This brother has lots of rough edges…problems. He is an alcoholic. He has managed to find trouble on more than one occasion. He is a super-star athlete like the other guy, but manages to portray the common man through his struggles that makes his life connect with yours and mine.

There is plenty to learn from the golden boy, but this other guy’s example gives me hope in a way the shiny guy could never hope to give. Josh Hamilton is a baseball player for the Texas Rangers. He has led his team to the past two World Series’, has fallen off the wagon more than once, and last night he had a night that no ballplayer has ever had before. 5 hits, 4 homeruns, and 18 total bases.

He praises God when he succeeds. He apologizes and asks forgiveness when he fails. You never get the impression that he is finished failing, but that doesn’t tarnish his accomplishments at all. It just makes him more relatable.

If your life more resembles Tebow, I am proud of you. God is using you as an example of how to be and I wish you continued success! But if you are more like Josh, take heart. Whether you succeed or fail today, God loves you and will forgive a convicted heart…and lead you to heights never before reached!

All-Stars

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. — Proverbs 11:25 MSG

Watching the NBA All-Star Game this weekend, I’m amazed at the level of talent and athleticism on display.  Such marvelous athletes!  But what you may not know is just how committed to excellence off the court most NBA players are.  Even the best of the best, the players in Orlando for the game spent a full day this past week serving the community.  I applaud them…and I challenge you to follow their lead.

In addition to challenging you to serve your community, I also want to challenge you to acknowledge the true all-star players.  They are the ones who care for you in the hospital, who run the food banks and shelters, and who step up anytime they see a need and lend a hand.  These people put themselves last and rely on God for their provision.  You know who they are…and maybe you are one of those people.  If you are, I salute your sacrifice and pray that God bless you and keep you safe.  You are a star in my book!

So how about it?  Who are the people around you that deserve your appreciation?  Let them know how you feel about them!

The Magic Prayer

God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him. — Proverbs 28:9 MSG

Sitting in his car, he wondered how it had all fallen to pieces so quickly.  Things had been going so well!  He had a decent job and a great girl, a solid family and a really fun group of friends.  It all seemed so long ago and so far out of reach now though it had been only a matter of weeks…where did it all start to go wrong?  Was it when he got stupid and lost his job or when he cheated on his girl?  Maybe it was further back than that, when he left his childhood sweetheart for this girl…or maybe it was something else entirely.  Had God abandoned him, he wondered?  Heck, when was the last time God had even entered into the equation?

Unfortunately, that is a story I fear is all too common.  Life unravels and we wonder why.  Things go wrong and we wonder why God hasn’t swooped down from the heavens and rescued us.  How come there are people who call on God and don’t get a response?  Doesn’t He care?  How could He turn away from one of us?

It is because He is waiting on us to figure it out.  Like a child who has to be taught the meaning of the word please before getting a cheeseburger, we have to figure out that there is a magic prayer.  It is a special prayer because it only works when you truly believe.  It can’t be faked!  It is a prayer acknowledging God’s power and Jesus’ sacrifice.  It is a life pledged fully to following that example.  It is a prayer that says “I will listen to You, God!”

There is someone in your life right now who is like the guy in my story.  They are wondering how life could unravel like it has, even though they may be putting up the shiniest of appearances.  They may have called out to God and heard nothing in response…and they need someone who has prayed the magic prayer to show them the way.

We Can Work It Out

“Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!” — Proverbs 17:9 MSG

Maybe The Beatles said it best…

Life is very short, and there’s no time

For fussing and fighting my friend

I have always thought that it’s a crime

So I will ask you once again

Try to see it my way

Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong

While you see it your way

It’s just that we may fall apart before too long

We can work it out!

We can work it out!

Pick your poison.  Be it politics, faith, or the best way to fix macaroni and cheese, the people in your life are most assuredly not going to agree all of the time.  Me, I like a healthy debate but I do struggle sometimes when I feel I have a very strong case and my conversation partner(s) just don’t want to accept that.  That is a hard thing to cope with and remain reasonable isn’t it?  It can feel like you are talking to a 3-year old…so frustrating!  I suppose the appropriate question to ask is how bad do I want to be acknowledged as correct in my stance?  Do I engage in the argument to win or am I merely hoping to freely give my knowledge and, hopefully, to learn something in return?

You see, entering into it with the idea that it is critical to gain an understanding of the other side of the conversation is key to success.  Many times, a thing is not going to get settled in the immediate future anyway so why bother with getting all heated and ruining relationships?  Is it really worth it to feel good about yourself for a short while only to learn later that, because you insisted on coming across as superior in both position and intellect, you can’t ever walk across that bridge again?  You do realize that there are times when you enter into a conversation on the wrong side, right?

Temper your words!  Try to gain an understanding of the other position and find a way to state your position without climbing on a soap box, and time will tell the answer.

Square 2

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” John 13:34-35 NIV

If a focus on God and Christ’s sacrifice is square one then focusing in on Jesus’ central message has to be square 2. Spend any amount of time reading the four gospels in The New Testament and you have no choice but to see that the big topic is love, and particularly loving others.

God loves the world, Jesus loved enough to give his life for all sin, and time amd again we are given scripture like the one I used today that describe a life like Christ’s as being over flowingly FULL of love for each other. You know He means it when He gets repetitive!

Love one another. Love one another! LOVE ONE ANOTHER! It is a message that bleeds with passion, and I can think of no better time of the year to focus on the truest love of all. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, and I pray that you use today as a springboard to displaying a Christ-like love for everyone in your life!

Square 1

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

Seems like a great time to take a breath, look around, and remember what it is that really matters. We all let life get hectic from time to time…maybe even all of the time for some of us…so it is good to go back to basics when that happens.

Just you and God. God has been, is now, and always will be your starting point. No matter how good a thing might seem, if it is received apart from God then it is doomed to fail.

He is certainly a just God but is always first and foremost a loving God. He loved you enough to give the most important gift imaginable, so why not spend a bit of time with Him today? Why wouldn’t we want to make someone who cares for us THAT much a central focus in our lives?

Haywire

“Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 97:10 NIV

It was one of those times when, as a husband and a father, I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading. I cannot comprehend how a man, a dad, could snap loose so horribly and completely.

Josh Powell went haywire. He killed his wife and tried to hide it by taking his boys camping. According to his youngest son, “Mommy rode in the trunk” when they took their trip. The boys had been placed with their grandparents until yesterday when Powell decided to end his life and theirs.

Now, my heart and mind are at odds here. So many strong emotions surface, and not all of them are in line with Christ’s teachings. What am I to do when faced with such a dilemna? In a haywire world, how can I learn to biblically deal with my many emotions?

The Bible tells me to hate evil, but it also tells me to love everyone like Christ loves me. So, I look at this horrible situation and I have to allow my heart to break for this family and for what those two young boys went through. I have to feel for the grandparents whose lives have been completely twisted around. I also have to allow room to remember that God is in control and that those boys are in a better place, a place where they have peace. Lastly, I have to acknowledge my anger and put it aside, relying on God to handle the fate of a man who lost his way.

The American Dream

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” — Proverbs 21:21 NIV

Our country was built on the idea that everyone has the freedom to choose their path in life. If you were willing to work hard and make sacrifices, if you were unwilling to accept defeat, you could make your life whatever you wanted it to be. Some of the greatest stories in our history star people who were told they couldn’t succeed!

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Is it an idea whose time has passed or simply one that we have forgotten?

We spend more time following flawed celebrities and athletes on Twitter and Facebook than we do following God’s Word…how many of you have The Bible or Jesus on your news feeds????? We worry more about the marital status of the Kardashians than we do about the spiritual health of our spouse and children. Our leaders worry more about getting re-elected than they do about what is best for the country…and we blindly follow them!

You want happiness and liberty? Pursue righteousness and love! Leave all of that other junk where it belongs and make God part of your decision making process!

Giving Thanks

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Philippians 4:6 NIV

I admit it…I am selfish. I talk to God a lot, but like a really one-sided first date it seems to be all about me. Don’t get me wrong, I pray for my family and friends and others in need but even those are often self-centered. It is a lot of talk about the things I wish were different or what I consider “better” and not nearly enough of recognizing all of the blessings I have been given.

The truth is that we are, from the earliest age, built selfishly. Look at a toddler…they want everything for themselves. Give them one toy and they put it down, asking for another! It is easy to fall into the same mode with our prayers.

As you may know, I’ve been keeping a prayer journal over the past few months which is what brought me to this revelation. My solution has been to start every prayer with an attitude of thankfulness. By focusing on at least one thing to be thankful for each time I talk with God, it helps alleviate some of the selfishness that can creep into my thoughts and has made my prayers more fulfilling.

So how about it? Will you join me and always be thankful first when you pray?

Quality Time

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him — 1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV

I remember a phone call I used to get a couple of times per year. My grandad (another one, not the same one I usually write about) would call leading up to my birthday or Christmas wanting me to come see him. Now, my brother and I would visit him often and we always had a blast, but these calls were special. Just me and him and a specific agenda.

The only things he would ever cook were tv dinners and maybe oatmeal. We would stay up late and I would get to build a fire in the fireplace, all the snacks you could want were at the ready, and not only was I allowed to pick the dinner location…I got to sit on his lap amd drive the car a little! Yeah, yeah…not his smartest move, but he made his grandson the happiest boy on the planet. The highlight of the trip was a shopping spree at the store of my choosing. He would give me a soft cap of $50 or so and then grin wide as I went a few dollars over. The thing I didn’t realize until I got older was that he was always teaching me things on these trips as well. Life lessons that needed to be passed along. Most of all, he made me feel important.

So it is with God. He wants your heart in a way that nobody else could ever have it and, once given, can never be taken back. Best of all, he wants to make sure YOU feel important to him…because you are!

It was always more about the true access to my grandad on those trips. The gifts and all were just a bonus. God wants to spend time with you and teach you some important lessons…but can you imagine what kinds of gifts are being prepared for you??!!?!!?