Me & My Girls Acting Crazy!

I am pretty excited about some of the things that God is doing in my life!  I must admit that this last year has been a tough one for me personally, but I am glad for what God has taught and is teaching me through the experiences!  Thank you to my family and friends who have not judged, but loved me and allowed me the space to grow.  I believe that it has all come together to help me to be a more caring and effective pastor and preacher!

More than anything in this world, I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ that makes disciples for His glory and this world’s blessing!  I know who I am and what God has called, created and gifted me to do.  I love His Word and look forward to every opportunity I have to preach and teach it.  I know where He wants to take the ministry of His church and I am excited about seeing us go there!

I hope you will make plans to join me this Sunday as we learn from Matthew 3:13-17 which shares with us the amazing story of “The Baptism Of Jesus!”  There is great glory and blessing in surrender!  The only plan that matters is God’s plan – work to discover it and surrender to it today!

I have noticed a very disturbing trend developing in our country!  Men, women, boys and girls of all ages are looking for someone else to blame!  It really does not matter the issue – big or small.  Most of us are not willing to step up and take responsibility!

We don’t want to take responsibility, but we will huff and puff about how “somebody” else should have taken responsibility.  We want to stand back at a distance and sling mud, rather than get in there and do some work to get rid of the mud!

Many of us are waiting on someone else to do what we should be doing!  We have become lazy, apathetic, stubborn and resistant to the change that would bring amazing growth to our own lives.  Stop looking at everyone else and what they are or are not doing and take a good and honest look at yourself.  What in your life needs to be worked on?  What changes can you make that would make a difference in you and those around you?  I have been taking a look at myself and can tell you that I have a lot that I am working on and need to work on!

God has an incredible plan for all of our lives!  God wants to do some amazing things in and through each one of us!  It is time for us to stop pointing our fingers, placing blame and dodging responsibility.  Step up and step out!  A lot of the frustration that you live with and blame on others everyday is in reality caused by you and your wrong reactions or inaction!  Step up to the plate and deal with the stuff that the Spirit is revealing in your life.  Step out of your comfort zone and allow the Spirit to take you to some new places so that you can experience some new experiences!

God has given you two eyes!  Put the “judgmental eye” on yourself and put the “grace eye on others!”  Take responsibility for you – no one else is going to, so you might as well!  And by the way – you will be glad that you did!

I have been thinking a lot lately about how I need to be thankful!  A few weeks ago, I did something for someone and they were very thankful!  It really was not a big deal.  My action was a very small thing, but it really seemed to make a big difference in this person’s life.  They were really thankful and wanted to express it, so that they made sure that I knew they were thankful again and again.

There are many times that I will go out of my way to do something for someone and they fail to show one ounce of thankfulness.  It is really not a big deal!  I don’t do the things I do for a thank you, but it is always nice when I get one, especially when I get one and you can tell that the person really does mean it!

I think that I miss a lot of opportunities to express my thankfulness!  I am trying to get better!  I am trying to pay attention, but I have a lot of messed up habits to work through and get over.  The important thing – is that I am trying!   And I encourage you to try!

Take some time in the upcoming week to thank about all that you have to be thankful for!  We live in a free country and should be thankful for the men and women who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we often take for granted.  Notice in your everyday life – all of the things that other people do to make your life better and take some time to say:  ”THANK YOU!”

I have run into some people the past couple of days that are taking themselves way to seriously!  I thought this video of Tim Hawkins might help all of us to take it down a notch!  Enjoy life and learn to laugh!

I thought it might be fun to include my daughter Gracie in the video blog for today.  She is a nut for gadgets – wonder where she gets that from?  I hope that you enjoy the video!

On Sunday nights I have been preaching a series that encourages us to stop acting like Christians and instead focus on being Christians!  Last night I was giving Gracie one of my “Dad Lectures”.  I was telling her that I love her and I am proud of her and one of the reasons that we allow her some of the freedoms that we do – is because we trust her and know that she is a good girl.  I then went onto explain to her that if you are a Christian it is important to act like one – to which she replied:  ”Be one!”  I said “What did you say?”  She said “Be one, not act like one!”  My little eight year old gets it!  She has been listening to her Daddy and putting it into practice.

None of us are perfect, but if we have a relationship with Jesus, we are forgiven.  And if we are forgiven, then we are Christians!  This is what we are!  This is who we are!  We need to be Christian!  A term that we use for this is “disciple!”  Jesus taught us that to really have faith means that we will follow Him and His direction!  Discipleship is the way of life for the man, woman, boy or girl that has a relationship with Jesus.  A disciple learns from and follows a teacher.  Our teacher is Jesus!

To be a disciple means that my life and daily living is influenced by Jesus and His life.  My vision is not something that I have to create and craft, it is something that is provided for me by my Savior and friend.  I am accountable to God and His Holy Spirit will communicate with me constantly about the best way to live out my faith.  I must take and make time everyday to study, learn and apply the amazing truths of Scripture.

We cannot reap the harvest of discipleship, unless we do the work of a disciple!  If we want to live in the power of humility, then we must live humble lives.  If we want to grow and be productive, then we must work and do our part to grow according to God’s plan.  

God calls us to make disciples!  If we are going to make disciples, then we must first be disciples!  I’ve got some more work to do!  My focus today:  BEING!  Thank you Grace for the reminder!

Hope!

Do you ever feel insignificant, under-appreciated, uncertain and worthless?  Most all of us at some point in our lives – will feel this way.  It’s not that we aren’t doing anything.  It’s not that we aren’t making a contribution.  It’s just that it really seems that our actions seem to be making very little difference or having very little impact on the world around us!  It would appear that no one around us seems to notice, care or appreciate what we do.  We can’t help but wonder should we even be doing anything at all.  We question in our heads:  “Is my effort really just a big waste of time?”

If you are feeling this way, then the most important question for you to ask and answer is this:  “Are You Doing God’s Will?”  Are you doing the thing that God has called and gifted you to do?  It does not matter how small or insignificant it may seem to the rest of the world.  If you are doing the thing that God has called you to do, then regardless of it’s size according to the world – it is a big deal!  Don’t allow others inattention to the details of what you are doing for God take away from it’s meaning and power! 

Others may not see, recognize or appreciate your labor and contribution, but God knows what is going on and He has promised that He would finish the good work that He started in you.  Are you doing what God has called you to do?  If the answer is yes, then stay after it for God’s glory and everybody’s blessing!  If you discover that you are not doing the thing that God has called and gifted you to do, then make whatever changes you need to make and head your life in the right direction and get started!

God loves you!  You matter!  And what you do matters!  It matters more than most of us realize!

My Sister - Deep In Thought!

Do you ever find yourself fighting the same fight over and over again?  You know that same temptation just seems to keep on knocking at your door and even though you don’t want to, you keep on opening the door and inviting that baby in!  And then comes the guilt – you feel bad, you are disappointed in yourself and you can’t believe that you’ve done it again!

Through your relationship with Jesus Christ, you have the power to make the right choice and be victorious!  It is not always easy, but it is possible!  You don’t have to let sin trap you, discourage you and keep you from the awesome things that God has for you!  Remember:  The thought comes before the action!  This is where we have to learn to fight the fight – in the thought stage!

First, you need to know who you are in and thorough your relationship with Jesus Christ!  I Peter 2:9 says:  ”You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light!”  Knowing who you are in Jesus influences your thinking!  Get your thinking right and you can get your walk right!

Second, you need to answer the question:  ”Who are you?”  This is a little bit different line of thinking from above, although it almost sounds the same!  Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “As you think in your heart so you are…”  It is the thoughts that we think today, that will produce tomorrow’s results!  Who we really are is a result of our thinking, which has been developed as a response to our circumstances.  Most of us are not living up to our potential!  We are not living in the power of who we really are and the great tragedy is:  ”who we are is so much less than God has intended!”

Third, you need to start to exercise and grow your mind to think the right thoughts!  We do this by putting into practice Romans 12:2  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  I like to think of this as “Catching The Right Train!”  At any moment you have multiple thoughts running in and out of your mind.  You are the one that will make the choice about which thought you are going to give your attention to.  We need to make sure that we give our attention to the right thoughts, God’s thoughts and let that be the train that we are riding!  If you want to change your destination, you have to change your train!

It’s your mind and you get to make the choice!  It is not easy, but it is possible – let’s do this thing that God is calling us to do!