Regaining Your Focus

If the condition of ADD/ADHD was around when I was in elementary school there is no doubt in my mind I would have been diagnosed with both and most likely put on heavy doses of medicine to help me. I much liken myself to the dog on the Pixar movie Up. If you remember the movie there was a dog in the movie with a human voice (well at least a collar that transmitted a human voice) and every time something moved it distracted him and he would yell out, "squirrel." That's me in a nutshell, ask my wife if you already don't know me well enough to have discerned it yourself. As much as I would like to say, "it was me" I have to admit it is me. I struggle with focus, with paying attention longer than 20 seconds.
In our passage for this Sunday's sermon this is precisely what Paul, the author of the letter of Ephesians, encourages the church to. To stay, gain, regain focus. Listen to a couple of quotes from this passage we will be using: "let no one deceive you" (Eph 5:6) that is to distract you, to turn your attention away from that which is most important. Another one, "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are the light int he Lord. Walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." (Eph 5:8,10) Paul is saying gain clarity, get perspective don't be distracted by other things that may be well and good but not what is necessarily pleasing to the Lord's desires for you.
A third quote, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph 5:11) That's the equivalent of your mother coming up to you and putting both hands on your face and turning it towards her own and saying, "now look at me when I talk to you!" She is serious and she wants your undivided attention because either you have done something worthy of a spanking or you are about to and she needs you to focus on what she is saying to you. 
And finally look at verses 15-21 of chapter 5 and Paul starts that section out with the exhortation, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise..." This section is screaming out at us to stay, gain and regain focus. Focus on Christ and that which pleases Him and that which He desires for us. What is stealing your focus away from that which is most important?

Sexual Purity

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. Eph. 5:2 Walk as Christ walked. These two passages seems overwhelmingly impossible don't they. How can we imitate God? The Greek word for imitate is to mimic. You have seen 2 pantomimes facing each other and they mimic each other so well you swear that they are actually using a mirror and there is only really one of them. You can't tell which is leading and which is following. You understand that they didn't decide to do such an "act" when they got on stage but rather they have been working on it for a long time, they face each other and practice what the other is doing for hours on end and that's the key; facing each other and copying what you see the other do. That's what Paul is saying to us here, turn your face toward God and copy what you see him do.
This is difficult in every area of life but it is most difficult in the area of Sexual Purity. We have a tendency to look at Sexual Purity as something that teens have to be concerned with before marriage, and they do, but that's not all there is to it. Sexual Purity is an issue the whole church needs to be concerned about. Men seem to have the struggle with their eyes. For a guy the eyes are the gateway to impure thoughts which almost always turn into impure actions. What men allow themselves to see (there is enough to see but we don't have to look, when we choose to look and gawk is what I am talking about) and fantasize about is a tremendous struggle for almost all men.
What women tend to struggle with isn't so much look as it is for attention. Most women want to be noticed, this is a healthy, God-given desire that is to be met in the confines of marriage. The problem is that women often look to be seen in ways that aren't glorifying to God: immodesty, dressing in such a fashion to be seen.
Both men and women have to battle for purity, I've mentioned only a couple of struggles we face together. I am confident there are many of you who struggle to remain Sexually Pure and that this battle is a battle sometimes won and sometimes lost. Ephesians gives us the power and tools to be victorious. I'll talk about them more at length this Sunday but for now know that it starts with turning your face to God, copying what you see him doing and walking as Jesus walked.
May God give you grace and power to walk purely before him and for his Glory today.

Hope For A Hurting World

As Christians how do we cope with or explain tragedies, accidents, heartaches, pain and sufferings? Why are there so many trials, personal attacks and persecution? Why is life so complicated, convoluted, difficult, out of control, filled with setbacks, why so much stress, unrelenting, one thing after another? why do we go through so much of what we go through, when it comes to health, trials, why is life in general so difficult at times? Isn't life supposed to be easier and better as a Christian?
We have all been there or walked with those who have asked these or similar questions and at times we have wavered in our faith and belief in a loving, caring, all powerful God. We have struggled to make sense of the pain and heartache and have found ourselves to be at a loss for answers.
My goal is to in no way make light of the circumstances you find yourself in or to try and cover up your pain or questions with cliches that seem to hurt or induce guilt rather than heal and produce wholeness. What I would like to do in brief is use two verses as backdrops or underpinnings to make three very broad but fundamentally important statements, three principles of the Christian faith that you cannot go without. Three paramount truths that if you miss them you will be subject to a life of frustration and even despair and will succumb to thinking yourself a victim in every painful and trying situation in life.
I will give the two verses first in hopes that you will go to the scriptures to discover the freshness of God's amazing love for you and then I will give the 3 principles, one day at a time that you may have opportunity to consider each of them on their own and to contemplate them as you dwell on each.
The first refreshing Biblical text:
Romans 8:18-39  "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)
I know it's long but hang in there, one more verse for you to chew on then tomorrow the truths we learn from them.
1 Peter 1:3-9 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (NIV)

"I think Positive thoughts toward you today"

This is as good as it can get as far as a person without Christ, or a society without Christ. This is a quote from someone I spoke with on the phone when they learned of my daughters pending heart surgery. I could sense the sincerity in her voice, she was genuinely concerned and then offered these words, "I think positive thoughts toward you today." What else was she gonna say? What else could she do or offer? She has a clear understanding that she has no power within herself to help the situation. What is she left with if she doesn't believe in a God who made her, me, my daughter? What does she stand on if she has only  herself to turn to in times of distress and need?
"The fool says in their heart there is no God." (Ps 14:1) Had I not been so desirous to get off the phone as quickly as possible to get back to "more important" things I might have been a little more bold in engaging this dear lady with the question as to what good she thought her "positive thoughts" might do to help the situation. However, in my usual way I got too caught up in my own little world to see such a divine appoinments. God, I pray you forgive me for my selfishness and empower me to be a better ambassador for you. Amen.
The fool may say in their heart their is no God but the self-absorbed squander opportunites given by God.

Don't Ignore Routine Maintenance

This week I had to spend a little over $1700 on repairs on my truck. I had to put new tires on because the alignment wasn't right and because they weren't rotated regularly. I also had to put new brake rotors all around because the brake pads weren't replaced when they should have been. If it had been properly maintained (I bought it used), the bill to have an alignment and tire rotation along with brake pads probably would have been less than $200.
The late Richard Baxter rights "Take heed to yourselves" in his book to pastors about being certain to care for yourselves in regard to your walk with Christ. His admonition to pastors stands true for everyone: "Take heed to yourselves". His admonition is of paramount importance, see to it that you "maintain" a close, abiding walk of faith and obedience with your Lord Jesus Christ. God commanded Joshua, "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to obey everything written in it. then you will be prosperous and successful." (1:7) And the writter of Hebrews warns "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." (2:1)
This blog could easily turn into a sermon, however, for your sake let it remain an encouragment to you to not neglect the feeding of your soul. Take care to be in communion with your Savior, read his word, pray, worship Him daily.

The American Idols

Just finished (for the second time in a row) a book titled You Are The Treasure that I Seek (but there's a lot of cool stuff out there, Lord). By Greg Dutcher. I had never heard of the guy before and that was a good thing it kind of clued me in on the probability that he wasn't just writing another book because he was a popular guy and new everyone would buy it if he wrote it, even though it probably wouldn't say anything new, just a rehash of what he said in his last book or what somebody else with a popular name just wrote in their last book and that is the thing to write about right now (wow long sentence). You ever notice that trend in our Christian book world?
Turns out Greg is sort of an ordinary type, he's a Senior Pastor who struggles putting Christ first in his life, boy how many of us deal with this on an ongoing basis. The book he writes is the reality of all the "idols" we have to come to terms with in our hearts. The author writes with a funny, fresh perspective, sort of a "confessing idol holder" type, someone you can easily relate to and share in his struggles.
I recommend this book, strongly, it will be available in our church library soon (as soon as I can pry my fingers off it), if you happen to not go to our church (shame on you) maybe you could find a copy on Amazon or something.

Balance...equally as tough

I just got back from a 2 week vacation to beautiful SUNNY Orlando, Florida. It was 80-85 the first week and 75-80 the second week. Boy that was "hard" to take (HaHa). We decided not to do any parks of any sort (Disney etc.) but rather just hang out and enjoy our time together.
Throughout the course of a day there are many competing factors that keep us from spending real, quality time with those we love. There are those necessary things such as jobs that keep us apart (even those may take an unhealthy amount of our time and focus) but I thought it would be important to point out those "unnecessary" things we fill our time with that keep us from developing greater relationships with those we say we love the most, our wife and children.
To start with there are the technological gadgets we surround ourselves with. I remember when cell phones first came out and what a big deal it was to speak to someone using a phone that needed to be hard wired into your car and required a separate antenna and only worked sporadically. Not anymore, everyone has one and it seems most can't live without it. Many people, especially those under 30, have the ear piece to never miss a call and their fingers are fast and furious in texting, to the point where there is a whole new language being developed (there was a young teen girl in youth group who told me that she texted about 3,000 texts a month). Then you throw in the people who have Internet access with their phone and you create a whole sub group who can't live without their facebook and twitter feeds constantly at their fingertips.
That's just the cell phone world, when you throw in the ipod, ipad, mp3 world you have another group who have buried themselves in their music walking around with ear buds in place constantly, oblivious to their surroundings. Move up the tech scale and you have wii and kinnect and all those gaming options. Keep going and you have home Internet and cable and the biggest televisions you have ever seen in many houses (wasn't that long ago that the 19" was standard fare).
Move away from the electronic world and their are still many other chosen distractions interfering with our special relationships, home, yard, car, pet, friend, church, volunteerism, and on and on the list goes. You might start to get the idea that relationships that are deep, intimate, intertwined and lasting are a thing of the past, something only a few might even still want. The reality is we display this truth every day, that relationships aren't a big deal. I dare say that if for any tragic reason we should suddenly lose all technological ability and be locked in a room with our wife and children we wouldn't know what to do.
Back to our trip to Florida, 2 weeks with no appointments, no Internet service (for one week) cell phone off and left on the dresser, no where to go and nothing to do but spend time with my wife and daughter...turns out to be the best two weeks of my life so far.

Humility...it's tough

WARNING: ALWAYS BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR
I made the mistake of praying about my lack of humility and that God would "take this on as his Extreme Makeover". He is answering, and fast and right to the core of it. Ouch! It hurts to recognize how much I want to defend myself and justify my actions, opinions and shortcomings.
I have spent more time licking my wounds, developing arguments in my head and looking at the faults of others all to make myself feel a smidge better, than I care to admit (though it appears I did just admit it). I am not going to take the typical route of claiming I am amongst good company in my battle or use the "we" language instead of the "I or me" language to try and get myself off the hook. I am as guilty as they come and if this were a court of law I would be found overwhelmingly guilty and locked up for life. My self-preservation and pride go so deep I amaze myself.
I cry out for Your hand of mercy to free me. I am weak, I need Your love to free me. Oh, Lord my Rock come rescue me.

To The Praise Of His Glory

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. (Psalm 7:17 ESV)

• Psalm 9:2

  I will be glad and exult in you;
  I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

• Psalm 9:11

  Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
  Tell among the peoples his deeds!

• Psalm 9:14

  that I may recount all your praises,
  that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
  I may rejoice in your salvation.

• Psalm 18:3

  I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
  and I am saved from my enemies.
  The Psalms are full of praise and adoration. Every few hundred facebook posts you run across someone who is full of praise to God for being God. Not for something He has done or spared them from but just because He is God, even less occasionally you run across a person whose life exemplifies this and you are truly humbled in their presence. 
  Today, be that person! Be that person whose life is centered on the praise of God's glory. Give "the glory due His righteousness." Praise Him in the morning, Praise Him in the day time, praise Him in the evening, Praise Him every watch of the night, not for what he has done but for who His is. Praise His Name, may God be exalted above the heavens, may His glory resound in all the earth, let it echo from all His creation. Praise His name

If you have read the book The Shack (or are thinking about it)

The blog is a simple one... "don't." I haven't read a fiction book probably since high school. For the longest time the thought of reading was about as appealing as vomiting. Then I went back to college and that's all I did was read, but not fiction. Now in the ministry I read more than I ever have before, but not fiction. So, I'm going away for a few days with the family and decided that I would read something just for the pleasure of reading, I was going to read a fiction book.
I had heard so much about the book The Shack, for a while it seemed like everyone had read it and it was on the top of every ones must read list, it seemed it set up residency on the USA top 10 list, so I thought, "boy this must be some book, I will read it, everyone is just raving about how it has shaped them and opened their eyes to a whole new dimension about understanding God." Who could resist such reviews? So that settled it, I took the book with me and set out reading it the first chance I got. At first it was captivating ( I love a good mystery) but then it got theological and that's where the "wheels fell off."
The shack is a theological catastrophe trying to disguise itself as a book of fiction. The book completely destroys the God of the bible in favor of a god of his own making, one that is much more...palatable to the human taste bud.
I could go into  great detail about all the criticisms I have against the book but someone else who is way more clear and articulate has already done this so I will just leave a link to it, but first let me tell you a little about him. His name is Tim Challies and he is web designer by trade but has in the last few years grown very popular in the Christian blogging world. A reformed Christian with which we would affirm theological similarities, in other words...trustworthy. His website is www.challies.com and you can go there and read all kinds of great stuff but I want you to go to  this link regarding The Shack and see what a great job he does handling it. http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/a-review-of-the-shack-download-it-here