Looking around

I worked in an interesting sitation years ago where there seemed to be a great working atmosphere. All was well, there were guys that had been there longer than me, there were guys that started after me. We all had a great working relationship from guys old enough to be my father, right down to teenagers. We laughed we pulled pranks on each other, we enjoyed the company of our co-workers. I even remember leaving work thinking how cool the day was, hard work, sometimes very strenuous labor but still an overall good feeling about the day. Then it happened, the one thing that can cause all the good feelings and comradery to fade away. One pay day the checks got distributed and a few of them were given to the wrong person by mistake. One person turned it back in with no questions asked, two others however opened the envelopes out of sheer curiosity and found out what others were making. This caused friction like you could not believe. Some soured towards others, some soured towards the boss, others just got mad at everyone. All because of pay, before those envelopes were opened all was fine, everyone was happy with one another.
Psalm 37
Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong. for like the grass they will soon wither away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in teh land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make yor righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and waith patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
What the Psalmist is saying here is serve God, do what you do for God's glory and don't worry about everyone else.
We played a game last night in youth where two guys were tied together with ropes and there was a very simple way to escape. They were paired up against two of our young ladies and the guys thought they had it so easy. They fought and thought and laughed at the fact that they twisted and maneuvered only to still find themselves tied up. (we will have it uploaded to our facebook later on today) finally the girls had it. The moment they had it, the game wasn't fun any more for the guys. The look on one of their faces was priceless. They immediately went from laughter to frustration, why because they looked to see how the other was doing.
God says serve me, worship me, and worry about you. Don't look over your shoulder or concern yourself with what others have, do this and you will find more peace and far more joy.
Thanks for reading and my apologies for slacking these last 2 days, red ribbon week and Muffins for Moms has had me on the road before 6am the past two days so that I didn't have a chance to blog. Have a great day!

Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladlwell wrote a book entitled the Tipping Point. In it he discussed the various ways that products and services become huge successes. If you invent something, that product will undergo rigorous tests to see if it is a good product to market. Then, the company will mass produce it and may sit on shelves for quite a while. The items will sit until consumers purchase them. They may purchase them slowly but eventually, if it is a good product it will make a break through and that moment when it goes from obscure to popular is the tipping point. It's that time when your invention goes from virtually unknown to a household name. Things like the Sham Wow, Magic Jack, and Ginsu Knives have gone through this process along with millions of other items that need consumers to take on. There has to be a creator and brainchild, there has to be a company that can manufacture them, and there has to be marketing dedicated to getting the word out. THese things together along with the usefulness of the product make it happen.
Ephesians 4:11-12 "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..."
This verse shows us that God used the same process. He created us all to play a role, some of us are inventors, some are mass producers and others are in marketing. It doesn't do any good to have a great preacher with no one to listen, it doesn't do any good to listen if there's no marketing to bring in others, there's no need to do the marketing without a preacher. THe process intertwines itself in a way that you can't tell who is most important. Each has a role and that is the way God designed it.
Ask yourself, is Freedom Baptist Church hitting its tipping point? Are we about to make a major breakthrough, I'm not sure. That is all in God's Hands, but I do feel like we have the right people in place to do the marketing and producing so long as we don't lose sight of the fact that God is in control. So figure out your role, is it inviting, is it telling, is it teaching when they do come? Whatever it is, it is just as important as the rest.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

The shake test

I stood in front of an entire football team, a team who has endured several highs and their share of lows. Over the course of the season we have almost won games we should not win, and lost games that we should win. It's been a rollercoaster of rides that I wanted to address.
I stood up and began to deliver the pre-game as we look at the way we react to such a season of emotional tide changes. I held in my hand a bottle of water, I unscrewed the top so that only the last little turn was left holding the lid on. I shook the bottle vigorously in a way that sent water spewing all over the players sitting closest to me. Some laughed, some rushed away to avoid getting soaked. I asked them this question: "Why did water come out of this bottle?"
I got several different answers from because the water was up to teh top, because the lid wasn't on tight, and because I shook the bottle. All of these were very valid answers, but not what i was looking for.
I then explained the importance of attitude. How our attitude does 3 major things in our lives. First, it reveals the real you. The real you comes out in your attitude towards others, and towards the game. Second, it determines the successes and failures of every relationship you ever have. Your relationship with everyone is affected by your attitude. Third, your attitude is always your choice.
Matthew 15:17-20 Jesus says, "Don't you see that whatever enters the mout goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of teh mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what makes a man unclean; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'"
Jesus is saying what goes in comes out, and when it comes out of your mouth it is from the heart. So your attitude comes out as whatever you have filled yourself up with.
The reason water came out of that bottle when I shook it up, quite simply because the bottle was full of water. What goes into us comes out of us when we get all shook up. So be careful what you watch, listen to and get involved in it must may be what comes out next time you face adversity.

Thanks for reading and have an awesome weekend!

what God really needs

I know I have shared analogies and comparisons of all sorts of what God really needs us to be like. But today I have a good idea of what it is that God needs and it is described in the book of John. You see the moon is a great and beautiful thing, we call it beautiful because it is outlined by the night sky. We also think it is beautiful because we can actually sit and gaze at it, not so for the sun. We cannot look intently into the sun, we can't appreciate it and even if we could it wouldn't be as beautiful as a full moon on a clear night. The sunrise is a beautiful thing on a clear morning and it is majestic, but the light of a full moon is just as nice in my opinion.
We need to remember the job of the moon, it shines a light until the sun comes and it is time to move on. The earth rotates and orbits and as it does the sun comes up and goes down, the moon does the same. The moon is not as bright and is not nearly as powerful as the sun and it knows that. The moon simply reflects the light of the sun, that's it.
God is looking for people to stop trying to be the sun, trying to overpower and bring great attention to themselves. The Christian that God wants to use is the one who shines day in and day out, and gives all the credit to the Lord. The beleiver who is obviously living for Christ, but clearly not taking any credit for any great thing they do.
John 5:35 says, "John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light"
John was a lamp that burned and gave light, but he always let people know the source of his light was God. Never did he let anyone think that he was the light, that he was the source of power for others, or that he was anything more than a reflection. He knew his part and it is time for believers to do the same. It's time for us to reflect God's love, grace and mercy to others and do it in a way that they recognize the source, Jesus Christ. No more taking credit for the great things that God does, just more of being a moon and less trying to be like the sun. God needs more moons, more reflections of Him in this world who can point to the true source of light a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Theme song

Have you ever gone to do something with a song in your head? I used to listen to non-Christian music as a teenager(there wasn't much alternative then) and many times I would wake up to my alarm playing music because I couldn't stand the sound of a regular alarm beeping in my ear. Sometimes it would be a good song, sometimes a not so good song. But regardless of what the song was, it was stuck in my head throughout my day. I would go to school, practice whereever with this song in my head. Isn't it funny how the first things we do in the morning stick with us. THey stay in our heads until we just can't get rid of them. I still to this day get a song stuck in my head at times and it follows me throughout the day. On race days I used to listen to certain songs that would get me more in a race mode. I had a certain cd that I had burned all my favorite songs onto to listen to on the ride over to Gainesville. This was all fine and well, but if I listened to something else earlier that morning, then after I got into the car and strapped in I would revert back to those songs.
I look at the lives of Paul and others and what "Psalms" they may have had stuck in their heads. These guys meditated on God's Word day and night so they had things in their minds that would stick with them much like music for me.
I think Psalm 46 is a good indicator of what the inside of Paul's head must have been like as he faced all forms of persecution. From floggings, to public humiliation, to false accusations to imprisonments, he did it all with a joyous heart and attitude.
Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I believe these verses incapsulate all that Paul was, all that he stood for, and everything that helped him stand. He was an amazing example of the fact that God is an ever-present help in trouble. Paul showed no fear in the face of persecution and no sign of fear all he had to know was that God was there. Many times in the midst of near death experiences Paul simply sat there and endured all the world could throw at him. It was as if he was being still and knowing that God was in control.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

you are what you eat!

So we are in that mode of Alexa really wanting to be an athlete. She is throwing, hitting and pitching most every day now and really into it. She is pushing herself to get better and doing the things she needs to do to get in shape and be the best she can be. She has one problem though, eating. I am trying to teach her that she is going to have to stop being so picky and eat especially when it comes to meat and vegetables. She is slowly starting to understand that, P.J. and her both make sure they take their vitamins every day, now it's time to get them to think about the foods they eat.
Well at the same time I am working on her friendship choices. I'm trying to teach her to choose friends that will help her get better. A friend in school who won't get into trouble and who works hard academically. Friends who read and study and pay attention in class. Because right now, it seems like she is that person, and the leader when it comes to reading and studying in her class. She has to find friends who are the same so that she can reach her potential. As adults we need to do the same, we need to find people who push us spiritually, and emotionally. Those people can be on either end of the spectrum. You may need someone who is spiritually more mature so that they spur you on to get stronger in your walk with Christ. It may be that you need someone a little less mature than you spiritually and they will continue to help push you as they gain spiritual wisdom and maturity. Regardless, you need people who share the same desires in life. Spiritually, if you want to grow you need to surround yourself with people who also want to grow. Whether it's your pastor, or it's just another member of the congregation, or maybe even a brand new Christian. Growth is imperative, and every day you don't grow, you can't get back.
Proverbs 13:20 says, He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
I think that says it all, if we want to grow closer to Jesus Christ we need wisdom and that only comes from surrounding ourselves with those who are seeking God's wisdom as well.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Building up!

My oldest daughter Alexa has taken to softball quite well. She loves the game, she loves working hard to get better but she has her off days. Like anyone else there are days that she just isn't having a good day so we have to adjust. I explained to her that I do something everyday to get better as a Pastor by reading my Bible and studying God's Word. I do something every day to get better as a husband and dad by spending quality time with them and through prayer and reading the Bible. I even do something every day to get better as a racer by practicing my reaction times on teh computer a few times each day. I don't want a day to go by that I didn't get better in all of the areas that I am involved in. That's improvement every day without fail. Alexa gets that, and we talked about when we are having a bad day with softball we need to work on one specific thing to make sure we didn't waste our time and make sure we got better.
What if we took that one step further and worked on our relationships. Spent everyday making them stronger, what would they be like? What if we spent time each day in every conversation making that conversation better? What then, what if we spent our time and energies having fruitful conversations?
Proverbs 12:18 says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."
So ask yourself before and after each conversation you have. Did I make that conversation better, was it fruitful and selfless, or hurtful and selfish. We put our own feelings in front of others and end up hurting people sometimes.
Work on your conversations, you never know when you might say the right thing at the right time to point someone toward Christ.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Running from nothing

So we talked yesterday about false accusations and how to deal with them. Today, I want to talk about people who run from nothing. Have you ever witnessed them, those people who are constantly looking over their shoulder. I had a young man who used to come to youth quite often, he would always have this look on his face, and he would always change his whole body language when I walked into the room. One of the other kids that didn't know him too well said to me, "he must get into a lot of trouble, because he wasn't even doing anything wrong, but he still changed when you came into the room."
I've been around those types of people, I too am one of those when driving. I do it all the time, I'll be driving along listening to the radio, talking to Alexa or P.J. and suddenly I'll see a police car parked on the side of the road. I'll immediately slow down even if I am doing the speed limit.(I threw that one in so we wouldn't be so judmental, haha)
Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked man flees even though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."
I will confess to you that this next story was in my quiet time this morning from Prime Time with God.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the great writer of the Shurlock Holmes mysteries. He was also quite a prankster and he apparently he sent out 12 telegrams one day to 12 respected and well-known people that he knew. The telegrams all said the same thing, "Flee at once all is discovered!" And you know what happened, all 12 of them fled the country.
That is what it is like to live a life of deciet, of trying to get ahead in a non Christlike manner. These men clearly were living a life of sin, and so afraid of being found out that they fled at the very thought of it. If you got that email or phone call or text message today what would you do. If in your inbox it said, "run away everyone knows all about it," would you run? Would you have to take off because there is something you have done that you needed to run from? I hope not, because that is no way to live at all. Live each day to grow more Christlike and see that there is nothing to run from and no reason to look over your shoulder.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

My second stint at Bi-vocational life

If there is one thing I would change about my life right now, if I could wave a magic wand and be able to change anything about me, it wouldn't be more money, or nicer things, or anything like that. It would be to work full time at the church. To be able to get out of bed early each morning and know that everything I do I answer to God for, not a boss, or a committee that works in Tallahassee and discusses the things I do for Betty Griffin House. I would give anything right now to be full time at the church. Unfortunately, my plans and God's plans don't match right now. I just have to keep on keeping on in the secular job world. I dread going to work, I dread being in that office and there is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing about that job that is hard, or unfullfilling except that it isn't for God, or is it?
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
This verse puts me back into perspective(not always), but as long as I see myself sitting in meetings, talking to kids about violence and filling out all kinds of paperwork for God I will continue to do a good job of it. It isn't up for them to see that I hate my work, that I don't want to get out of bed, that I don't like what I am doing. If I can keep this verse in my heart they will never know it, and that is my job. As an affective Pastor I need to realize that everything I do every day is as a representative of God and Freedom Baptist Church.
In the office 7-3 at football practice, at football games, at lunch at the schools, at the race track, coaching softball etc, etc..... No matter what it is that is in my planner for that day I am doing it for the Lord, to the glory of God, and for the furthering of the Gospel.
So, it's with a right heart that I type these words, thank you Lord for another day in bi-vocational ministry! I ask that you continue to pray for me as I fight off the urge to not love my job and opportunities for Christ.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

not just another cliche'

Growing up in a church, and in a family that loves sports I have heard my share of cliche's. You hear coaches using them, players using them, the media using them, over and over again you hear things that are ages old. It takes one to know one. To be the man you have to beat the man. Good players make good plays, great players make others around them better. That's why we play the game. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you today.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
This is a powerful verse in the life of a Christian. First of all, we all know that we are in much need of grace. We are all sinners, we all fall short of what God has planned for us, and we all know that we deserve much worse than what God offers us through the death of His own Son. He reminds us however that His grace is sufficient. There is no amount of anything in life that is sufficient. We always want more money, more accomplishments, more health, more material things, more, more and more. But, Jesus says that His grace is sufficient, there is nothing that can add to it and enhance it, there is nothing that can take it away. It is perfect, but when is His power most perfect? When we are in weakness. When do we pray the most, ask the most, lean on God the most? Usually when we are at our weakest. We lean on God completely when we are at our weakest state. When we need Him most, but He isn't saying that, He's not stating the obvious here. He is telling us that His power is perfected when our power is taken out of the equation. When God gets ready to act, there is nothing we can do to make it stronger, to enhance it, we can either openly participate or get out of the way. When we are zapped of all energy, of all strength and completely spent, God's power is made perfect.
So next time you are completely down, completely worn out from worrying or struggling you can count on God's power to come through, and when it does it is perfect. And stop thinking you can handle it, or you can accomplish whatever it is you are struggling with, let God have it.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

respecting your elders

I remember growing up in church and seeing a lot of "older" people who I really had a lot of respect for. I remember men who were ushers, deacons and trustees that I thought possibly might never do anything wrong. I remember seeing ladies in the church that seemed so godly it was almost impossible to think of them as doing anything wrong. Ofcourse these feelings were as a kid not fully understanding, but they were also my perception of people. As I look around churches today I see people who need more integrity, more guidance, and more elders to respect and look up to. I have seen through the years so many pastors, deacons, trustees, and older members that the teens and kids do not respect because they don't command that respect. Respect from children and teens for older adults is almost automatic, it has to be broken to be lost. They automatically respect their pastor and older members based on age and position in the church, but that with time either grows or tarnishes. Those men that I respected as a child, some are still alive and the ones that are still alive I still respect the same way I did as a child. Can you say that about all of the older people you went to church with, the ones that you specifically respected?
Teens especially are hard on adults, they don't want someone to be a part of something that hardly ever shows up, they see right through that. They don't want someone who isn't consistent in their actions either. Teenagers are under a lot of pressure, but they turn that pressure right around and put the spotlight on the adults. If the adults aren't living up to expectations why should they?
Titus 2:2-3 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in teh way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled and pure, to be busy att home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
The word that jumps off the page at me in these verses as Paul instructs Titus is then. The word then tells us that unless the men and women are living in a way that demands respect from the younger members there will be no chance they can teach the younger generation. No teenagers, young adult, or child wants to learn about self control or purity from someone who is anything but.
As adults we have got to live in a way that is Christlike so that the next generations will want that for themselves. So watch your walk, or don't even bother with the talk. Don't bother trying to lead young people if you aren't leading yourself.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

weeping

When was the last time you cried? The last time you just sat down and let the tears flow, the last time you felt compelled to lose your composure and weep. Jesus did it, he did it for a few reasons but He did it over an entire city.
I have over the years noticed a few things about crying. First of all it is completely natural, babies do it quite well as I recall. Many of them come into this world crying, sometimes at the top of their lungs. Now, one thing that most people don't know is that baby boys cry much more than baby girls. Society, however turns that around and makes it so that boys can't cry, show emotion or be upset. Girls, well it's okay to cry, be emotional and get upset and let the whole world know it. If we are to teach young men to be like Christ, maybe some weeping and some showing emotions would be a good thing. Jesus, was GOd in human form and if He wept over an entire city's demise then surely a young man in today's culture can weep over something that hurts him directly.
JEsus, also showed somewhat of the ways of God. God has the power to do all things, to take control of every situation yet He lets us choose him. He could have created puppets or robots who walk and talk and do all the things He wants, but it would lack love. THere can be no love in a subservient role which is exactly what we would have. Much like an arranged marriage, love is forced and maybe there's a chance for it but it will never be as strong as the bond found through finding that right person and falling in love in advance.
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes'" (Luke 19:41-43).
Jesus is showing us some emotion as well as showing us some helplessness. That's it isn't it? We cry when all other things are exhausted and we feel hopeless. When we are completely out of control, and have no way of changing teh outcome of a situation. Many people cry when loved ones die, when someone breaks up with them, when someone close to them is hurt, or when someone close to them is going away. We do this because we are upset, because our emotions are overcoming us, but mainly because we feel defenseless.
Jesus had done all He could do for the people He came to save and He was faced with the realization that many of them would never accept Him, or even strive to know Him. He was feeling like He had lost all power in teh situation and for the Son of God to feel defenseless is saying a lot.
So cry if you need to, show those emotions and know that your Savior had no problem with weeping publicly.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Apart from me you can do nothing

I think of all the different analogies of needing others. I never truly believed it when I was single, but after being married I realized I needed someone else. I played sports, coached sports and in that arena we are constantly taught that we need each other. You walk into Walmart and you are greeted and given a dried off, cleaned shopping cart because Sam Waldon realized a long time ago that he would make no money without happy customers. We walk through life realizing that we do need the help of others.
Without co-workers our jobs would be much harder, and much more overwhelming. Without customers, our jobs would be for the most part meaningless. Even in Nascar and NHRA racing they realize that without the fans, there would be no sponsors. No company would pay millions of dollars to advertise if there was no one in the stands watching. And if the sponsors weren't putting money into the cars, the teams and the cost of racing then the racers would be without a job. They get that, especially at an NHRA drag racing event the big name celebrity drivers stand for hours each day signing autographs and taking pictures with their fans because they understand the importance. Years ago you could get autographs from pro athletes, but today it is nearly impossible.

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus shared this verse with us to remind of of 2 things. First off all, we are completely dependent on Him. WIthout a vine supplying nourishment the branches just fade and wither. They can produce no fruit, and without JEsus our lives are the same. Without His saving grace, without His power and love we can do nothing. We might as well be running around in circles or trying to catch air. It won't happen, we need to have His power source, and His love and grace in our lives or we are just plain useless.
Secondly, we cannot bear any fruit unless we acknowledge the vine. Without openly admitting regularly that we don't deserve anything, and openly admitting that we are nothing without Jesus we are not fruitful. It's like I shared last week, when we start thinking we are useful, and important instead of seeking to be used by God we are in deep trouble. We can remain used by God so long as we realize we are simply branches, we are to stay connected to the vine and produce fruit, nothing more nothing less.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!