New website

Hello All -

I have shifted my webpage over to www.hoovitorloseit.weebly.com. Hope to see you there.

Thanks.

Does God really confuse you?

"Did you say, Abe Lincoln?"
"No I didn't say Abe Lincoln, I said, 'Hey Blinkin'."

That's about the only line that sticks out to me from the movie, "Robin Hood, Men in Tights". For whatever reason I think of that line often and find myself quoting it out loud, usually to no one in particular. As those goofy lines ran through my head today, I began to think about the idea of being misunderstood.

Two of the most frustrating things are being misunderstood and consistently, not understanding what's going on around you. Regardless of where you find yourself, both ends can leave you feeling like banging your head against the wall. How is it that what seems so clear in your mind can not be manifested into coherent words and sentences that others can comprehend? Why is that everyone else seems to be clicking right along with a particular project or concept and you feel like you are completely in the dark, clueless as to what's happening?

As I've thought about this idea I was reminded of the number of times that Jesus was misunderstood by His disciples, the religious leaders of the day, His own family and really just about everyone He came into contact with while He walked the earth. What was so clear to Christ - His mission, His purpose, His ultimate goal, all were misunderstood by those around Him.

In Mark the 3rd chapter, Jesus' mother and brothers come looking for Him, presumably trying to figure out what He was doing? Of course, the religious leaders had no idea what was going on and even those in His own town of Nazareth demonstrate confusion as to His purposes. The Gospel are full of examples of His own disciples demonstrating complete ignorance as to what Jesus' mission was all about, some of them were looking for an earthly kingdom to be established, others were looking for the power and title that they assumed Jesus would bring them. Confusion all around.

It wasn't until after Jesus' resurrection that the disciples at large finally got what Jesus had been saying all along. Finally something "clicked" inside of them and they figured it out. What was the difference? Why all of the sudden did the disciples finally catch on? Had Jesus started using different words? Did Jesus come up with some new creative strategy to communicate with them? None of the above. The only difference was proof. Jesus was no longer dead. He was alive. The grace was empty. They saw, ate with and talked to Jesus - post resurrection.

It's hard to argue with that kind of proof. I think sometimes we forget about that same proof that is available to us as believers. I've interacted with Jesus on a daily basis for years. I've experienced Him in a very really way on countless occasions. He changed my life in a very real way. My experience with Christ has been more than theory, it's been more than just something I've heard about or read about, I've experienced it for myself. The same could probably be said for you as well. You've been a believer for 5 or 10 or even 20 years or longer and have had dozens or even hundreds of powerful experiences with Christ and yet you still find yourself confused and misunderstanding what God has planned for you. Don't get me wrong, seldom does anyone, including the seasoned saints among us, hit the nail on the head every time with God. The Bible makes clear in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Perhaps we need to entertain the possibility that our lack of understanding and confusion about God's mission, plan and goals for our lives is less about us understanding and more about us wanting to understand. I mean, with all of the interactions that you've had with Christ over the years, with all of the proof that you have experienced first hand, can you still be using the excuse that you're just not sure what He wants? Maybe we know exactly what He wants and we're just not sure that we want the same thing?

Stay Hydrated.

In both 2005 and in 2007 I had the privilege of going to South America and specifically the country of Brazil as a part of two teams that were tasked with helping to build and upkeep several churches and a school that our church here in the states, began nearly 30+ years ago. In 2007 I found myself in a sticky situation as I became ill in a foreign country. In reality I wasn't really in a foreign country, I was actually flying over a foreign country. 

We had been in Brazil for nearly 10 days working as make shift brick layers as we did our best to assemble the walls of the new school house. If you've ever been nearer to the equator than you find yourself now, you know it's hotter. All throughout the day we would work in the heat, mixing mortar and laying bricks, mixing mortar and laying bricks, mixing mortar and laying bricks, mixing mortar...you get the idea.

By mid morning, the guys would be shirtless hoping to receive some relief from the heat, but none would ever come. Our host missionaries attempted to enforce strict rules about our water consumption fearing for our health, but there was a problem. Right across the street from our work site and home away from home for 10 days, was a little Brazilian convenient store.

If you've ever been out of the country you know that you are immediately drawn to anything and everything that reminds you of home. You're searching for the familiar and when you find it, it's tough to let go. Say hello to little glass bottles of Coca-Cola and Orange Fanta. These things were amazing. Ice cold little gems that not only reminded me of home but refreshed me like no bottle of water could, or so I thought. 

Even in the midst of the ever wandering eyes of our missionaries, I would find myself sneaking into my room, digging thorough my luggage for a few coins and making my way to this little oasis of refreshment. 

What I should have known was that while I was feeling refreshed on the surface, my body was actually dehydrating. While I was sucking down bottle after bottle of that liquid goodness, my body was in need of something different.

My lack of real refreshment caught up to me on our plane ride home. We were en route from Belem down to Sao Paulo in one of those massive 11 seats across type of jets. I was tangled up in one of the Spider Man movies when suddenly my body just froze. My arms began to tingle, my chest started hurting, I started sweating buckets and everything started spinning. Now, I don't know if you've ever had this type of experience in general, but let me reassure you that everything changes when you are 6 miles above the earth. Unsure of what to do and really having no other options the flight attendants brought me to the rear of the plane and connected me to an oxygen flow. Thankfully, we were only minutes from landing.  

As soon as we landed, my journey through: hospital infirmaries, ambulance rides at lightning speed through the streets of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo hospital emergency rooms (the use of the term 'hospital emergency room' is in no way connected to anything I had ever experienced prior), and eventually a long plane ride home several days later, began. 

Landing back on American soil was an experience that I will never forget. Seeing the faces of my wife and sons and being re-introduced to things that I had once taken for granted was surreal at best. 

I tell you this lengthy story for a reason: Often what we believe to be refreshing, is really killing us. There is really only one source of true refreshment. God. Whatever it is that you are trusting for your refreshment is a far cry from the real deal. You may feel refreshed for a little while, but the longer that God isn’t really your true source, as long as God really isn’t the "trunk of your tree", the weaker and weaker you will feel.  

So what happens? When we're not really being truly refreshed, we fall into what I like to call, "The Cycle". Much like my Coke and Fanta binges in Brazil, I felt refreshed temporarily and then like clock work, I would come crashing back down. What I failed to understand is that each ride on the cycle resulted in yet another drop in my overall refreshment. 

That’s exactly what happens in our spiritual lives.  We attempt to make a lot of things the source of our refreshment: church attendance or involvement,  just being a good person, money, status, relationships, you fill in the blank for you. It really doesn't matter what we try to substitute, the results are all the same. What God desires from each of us, and what each of us truly needs, is an intimate, passionate, personal relationship with God Himself. 

Stay hydrated!

Stunned by an inside job.

One of the many joys of being in ministry is the opportunity to officiate the weddings of those that I have grown close to over the years. This weekend, one of my very first students in youth ministry will tie the knot with a wonderful woman he met a couple of years ago.

Mike and Jessica's young love reminds me of a couple of things:

1. I am getting old.

No comments necessary on that point. 

2. Marriage is delicate and needs to be protected. 

As I reflect back on Sarah and I's journey over the last almost 14 years I can clearly see the stages of our development as a couple. There was of course the "Honeymoon" stage that everyone knows about. There's no arguing, no tension, everything is always perfect. As a new husband or new wife you can do no wrong during this first blissful stage. But here's a question that I've been thinking about recently, "What changes?" Why does the honeymoon stage eventually disappear? Why don't young married couples who constantly seek to out serve one another turn into old married couples that constantly seek to out serve one another? Here's the answer that you're not going to like if I just described your marriage: Selfishness. By nature we are selfish people. We want what we want when we want it. We want to spend money how we want. We want to go where we want, when we want to go. We want to spend our limited free time doing the things that make us happy. 

Mark 10:6-9 says, “But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

I've always loved the end of that verse, it's common for that last little phrase, "What God has joined together, let no one separate" to be used in weddings just after the new couple is pronounced husband and wife. But here's a thought, with all of the emphasis on keeping marriage free from the outside attack of extra-marital affairs, office romances, old high school flames and the like, what about the possibility of an "inside job". What if we were slowly becoming unaware that our marriages were falling apart, not as a result of an outside force, but because of our own selfishness. 

What if we continued to keep the needs of our spouses as the number one priority of our marriages?
What if husbands and wives repeated their wedding vows to one another at the start of everyday?
What if the honeymoon stage was more than that? 
What if husbands and wives both committed to loving and forgiving as Christ has chosen to love and forgive?

A Revision to the Racists Flyers

Perhaps you've heard of the unfortunate display of hatred and racism that has recently taken place in the Forest Park Community. Check out the link here. A bulk of flyers were distributed on car windshields around the community (apparently at night - no surprise there) that described these slanted, misguided views.

I am thankful that I could not locate the entire letter but rather only an excerpt from the news. As a result, I am only able to make a partial revision. Below is my revision to this hateful letter and a challenge to all Christ followers:

Around Racism ALWAYS Pray!!!

Christian Citizens need to recognize and embrace all racial differences or else suffer the consequences of God. Is being hateful and prejudice worth losing your eternity?

Reality is that "Racial Inequality" is sinful. 

What if we as Citizens of the Kingdom of God took to the streets also. Not in a violent way, not dropping anonymous and cowardly flyers on cars, but what if all believers, black, white, latino and every other shade and hue banded together to take back our communities for Christ. What we are dealing with isn't a "black/white" or "race" issue: we're dealing with a sin issue. It's a matter of the heart and not just the hearts of those that would leave hateful flyers on cars. It's a matter of the heart for all of us. We're quick to point out what others need to do but often fail to challenge ourselves and think through what our role should be in the healing process:

What if we prayed for our neighbors?
What if we shared the love of Christ with every person we came into contact with?
What if we were very careful about how we joke and what we laugh at?
What if we were very aware of what we teach our children about those of different skin tones?
What if we remembered that what we teach has little to do with what we say, but rather how we act?

What if this community bonded together around the Cross of Jesus Christ and prayed for healing and the hearts of those that would feel the need to express such sinful views?

Listen friends, there is no amount of legislation that will change this community and ultimately our country for good. What we are in desperate need of is the Presence of the Almighty God. God alone will change hearts. #prayforforestpark

Have the Homeless Become Invisible?

I came across this video the other day and was struck by its power.

Share your comments on what strikes you the most.

Schizophrenia 2.0

As we think about the idea of schizophrenia (see below) I am wondering how many of us can truly identify with this type of feeling. Here are some questions to consider:

How often do your thoughts not line up with reality?
How often do you say one thing and then do another?
How often do you walk around feeling like there is a target on your back (real or imagined)?
How often do you feel like the world revolves around you (real or imagined)?
How often do you feel like every corner conversation is somehow about you?

Who would be brave enough to leave a comment and share an example of how you might identify? Perhaps we could be an encouragement to someone else who is struggling with this same idea.

Who's First?

Feeling a little Schizophrenic?

Okay, I admit it: I am not really a schizophrenic. At least not one of the technical, psychological type. However as many of you may or may not choose to admit, I can identify with many of the characteristics of a schizophrenic. If you’re anything like me you have experienced at least one moment in your life where you were confident that you were the target of a massive conspiracy. Everyone was out to get you. Every conversation was about you. When you walked into a room, all conversation ceased and every shifty eye focused on you. Sound familiar? 

What about this scenario? Have you ever felt like you were the lone survivor on a planet that was recently visited by aliens on a mission to harvest brains. As you wade through the average day, you become convinced that everyone has completely lost their minds or perhaps, never had a functioning mind to begin with. Have you ever convinced yourself that you’re the only sane one left?

Have you ever felt like you were the right man or woman for the job? Of course you have, who hasn’t right? But have you ever felt like you were the right man or woman for every job? Is everything in your wheelhouse? Are you the expert at everything? Have you become convinced that your ideas are always the best ideas? Is your motto, “My way or the highway”? While you are likely gifted and talented in a whole host of areas, it’s unlikely that you’re the best at everything. If any of this describes you, welcome to the club of average schizophrenics.

Still not convinced? Check out this definition below, but before you skim over it in an effort to dismiss any potential conviction, read it through the lens of your work environment, your family environment or wherever else you sometimes feel like life and everyone around you is coming apart at the seams. 

Schizophrenia (/ˌskɪtsɵˈfrɛniə/ or /ˌskɪtsɵˈfriːniə/)is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thinking in correct perceptions of reality. Common symptoms include delusions such as paranoia, hearing voices or noises that are not there, disorganized thinking, a lack of emotion, and a lack of motivation. Schizophrenia causes significant social and work problems.

If you read that definition with honesty and healthy dose of transparency then you’ll admit that sometimes your thinking is not always in line with reality. I call it the “intellectual hangover”. Think about it, have you ever had a thought that was completely off the charts, completely crazy. Have you ever worked yourself up into a frenzy with thoughts of irrational ideas only to wake up the next morning embarrassed by your previous night’s line of thinking. You find yourself lying in bed, rubbing your forehead unable to remember exactly what happened the night before. Welcome to the “Intellectual Hangover”. Even on our best days you and I can think things that sound just plain crazy when you say them out loud.

• Why is everyone starting at me?

• Why is everyone out to get me?

• I bet there talking about me, aren’t they?

• Why is my plan always the best plan?

• Why does no one else understand what is so clear to me?

If you’re honest, then you’ll admit that you sometimes ask these types of questions and more. You may even hear little voices in your head that pitch all sorts of crazy ideas. Are you really crazy? Probably not, but you may, like me suffer from pseudo schizophrenia. While we’ve not been clinically diagnosed we can share all of the same characteristics with those that have been. 

There are millions of us all around the globe. Because of our sheer numbers there are likely many others just like you and I that make up the members of our families, co-workers, class mates and church members. Some, you have even come into contact with through silent glances of, “Are these people crazy?” or “Can you believe he just said that?” Or maybe you’ve spent some time commiserating with other pseudo schizophrenics as you wallow in your own self pity and exchange alleged war stories. Even in light of our numbers, still others remain in the shadows, alone and wondering when the aliens will return to steal the balance of the population’s brains or perhaps just decide to name them ruler of the universe, a position they’ve always known they’ve deserved.

Thankfulness

I've been thinking about thankfulness lately. I know it's not November, which is of course our traditional time of reflecting on our level of thankfulness, but nevertheless it's been on my mind. Two aspects of thankfulness jump out to me:

1. How good are we at giving thanks when we should?

We're quick to ask, "God where are you?" in the midst of the tough times but why do we not ask that same question in the midst of the good times?

When relationships are struggling...God where are you?
When finances are tight...God where are you?
When we'd rather not share a last name with our kids...God where are you?
When we're being downsized...God where are you?

Why is it that God is always at the forefront of our thinking when times are lean and tough? When something isn't going right, it's God fault. We deceive ourselves into thinking that God hasn't been holding up his end of the bargain. Perhaps we've not properly understood God's role in the world. God is not our genie. God is not our butler. God has never promised that as a Christ follower our lives would be free of suffering or pain or disease or heartbreak. What if we started thanking God even in the midst of the rough patches? What if we started viewing our setbacks as setups for God to move in our lives?

What if we viewed our heartbreak as a new opportunity for thankfulness as God begins the process of healing our hearts? What if we viewed our tight financial picture as opportunity to thank God when He provides for our needs? What if we viewed our kid's mistakes as a chance to model thankfulness for the forgiveness of sins? What if we viewed our downsizing as yet another opportunity to thank God for His faithfulness?

2. How good are we at giving thanks to whom we should?

Isn't it interesting that God's role in our lives can seem ever so slightly diminished when we become super successful? Why does God take a backseat when things are coasting along free of the bumps and bruises that life can so often throw at us?

Here's a question to consider, in the quietness of your mind free from all judgement and Sunday School answers: attempt to answer this question with complete honesty:

When you achieve, when you succeed, when you thrive: who gets the real credit? Ultimately, God may be the one to receive it, but who gets the credit first? 

What if we peeled back the layers of our thankfulness and really came face to face with the possibility that we don't give God the thanks that He deserves? You see, too often we forget that God is the source of all the we possess. He created us in His image and every ability, gift, talent, knowledge and know how originate in HIM. What if we got into the habit of giving God the "First Fruits" of our thankfulness?

What if our first response, regardless of whether or not the situation was big or small, good or bad, ordinary or extraordinary, what if our first response was thankfulness to God?

What if we all empowered other people?

I've been reflecting today on my role as someone who empowers others. I think we've falsely limited the use of this word to the church setting. We speak of empowering others for ministry, equipping people for works of service, delegating jobs and tasks to other people to get them involved in helping to accomplish the mission of the church. These are all good things and should happen within the local church. But what about the other areas of life? What about my family? What about my friends outside the church? What about your co-workers? What about your neighbors? This is the photo that has served as my desktop since my dad's passing in early January. As I've looked at it over the last several months I am reminded of the need to empower. Here's one man (the one clearly sucking his stomach in) empowering three other men to live life.

Sure, my dad could have just done everything for us. He could have cut the grass himself, he could have fixed the hole in the wall after one of our many angry brother fights, by himself. He could have changed the oil alone, he could have built the barn or the deck all by himself without any help from us at all.

Likewise, he could have forced us to create our own school projects all by ourselves without any help at all, he could have chosen to not show us how to handle a gun properly, he could have left us in the dark when it came to roofing a house, he could have left us all by ourselves, groping around in the darkness to figure out life on our own. But he didn't. He empowered us. He showed us the ropes, he guided our hands, he laughed when we made a mess of things, he likely cried when we really made a mess of things, but he knew, as we should also learn that it's all just part of empowering.

My father could have just plugged one hole. He was even good enough to plug several holes at once. But he realized that by empowering us, he was able to multiply his hole plugging ability. One man chose to divide his time in order to multiply his effectiveness and ultimately his impact. 
Here's the even greater part about multiplication, it's hard to stop once it's rolling.

Think for a minute about the lives that will be impacted by those that are represented in just this photo alone. One man's impact on three lives now impacting eleven other lives. You see empowering people has a trickle down effect. Those that have been empowered can't help but want to empower others. It feels great to be empowered but an even greater feeling exist when you're the one doing the empowering.

So what about you? Who are you empowering? Empowering shouldn't be limited to the church setting. We can empower neighbors, co-workers, class-mates, anyone and everyone we come into contact with. Teach, develop, train, better others, guide people. Learn to divide and then multiply. 

The Leprosy Epidemic

We've recently been studying the passage from the Bible out of Matthew Chapter 8:1-4 where the leper approaches Jesus in the midst of crowd, falls down to his knees and says, "Lord if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean." 

Now, the similarities between this leper and us today are striking and numerous, but the one that jumped out to me the most, the one that I've seen countless times in the last 14 or so years of pastoring is how the leper experienced banishment from the community. Having leprosy in Biblical times was more than a physical punishment, it also came with a tremendous amount of social punishment. You were literally kicked out of town. You were sent packing to anywhere but around people. You see, leprosy was contagious and the last thing anyone wanted was to be around a leper. Eventually, entire communities of lepers were formed on the outskirts of the community. It's this fact that made the leper of Matthew chapter 8 so bold, not only in his request, but also the manner in which he did it.

Of course there are still communities of well meaning believers that banish good people at the first sign of sin in their lives, but the vast majority of churches have learned to embrace people and meet them where they are at in their spiritual journey. After all, none of us have arrived, none of us have achieved the perfection that we project when we walk through the doors of the church. We're all messy people.

Why is it then that so many feel banished from the local community of believers? Why are so many people fearful of walking through the doors of the church? As stated above, there are unfortunately many communities of believers who still treat the struggling Christian as they would one with leprosy. They're fearful that their sin will become, "contagious". They're fearful that the one who struggles will somehow "taint" their holy sanctum.

While this does exist, I wonder how many struggling Christians banish themselves from the community of believers? I mean, isn't it easier to not subject yourself to conviction? Isn't it easier to not sit in a sanctuary or auditorium week after week and feel uncomfortable because what's being talked about isn't how you're living your life? What's happening with struggling Christians and churches across the community is no different than what's happening in our country and world at large: a lack of personal responsibility.

No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions and choices and so it becomes easier to just blame other people. We say things like:

-Everyone looks at me when I walk through the doors.
-I feel uncomfortable when I am at church.
-I feel like I'm being attacked.
-I feel like everyone is judging me.

I am certainly not naive enough to think that this type of poor behavior doesn't exist in many churches, but can it really exist in every church, in every case, with all people. We've become good at hearing about a few actual cases and projecting them on to our situations.

Now before you get really upset and fire off a comment to this post with your "actual real-life" example, remember, this may not be for you. But it is for someone.

Stuck behind a bus...

Today, as I was driving to an early morning meeting, I made the unfortunate mistake of pulling in behind a bus on a residential street. Now if you've ever made this mistake you know my pain. You can't pass it. You can't cut across a side street to get ahead of it, you'll never make it. You're just stuck. As that bus plods along stopping at every corner to retrieve its precious cargo, you are held captive.

Since I was afforded a lengthy opportunity to mindlessly drive down this ever lengthening street, I began to think about that bus. As frustrating as it was for me to plod along, the bus driver likely had a completely different perspective. The bus and more specifically the bus driver was perfectly accomplishing his mission. That bus driver had been tasked with retrieving every middle school student on each of those corners and safely delivering them to the local school. He was accomplishing his mission, albeit slowly, with perfect excellence.

In that moment I was reminded that at those time in my life when I become frustrated with my progress, it's not about the speed. It's about the quality of my work. As slowly as the bus was moving, he was doing exactly what he should have been doing.

Sometimes we become too consumed with progress and forget about the quality of our testimony. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. It's about a life welled lived. It's not about our speed or our flashiness. No one cares about how many babies a hospital delivers, they only care about how many of those babies come out of the hospital and head home with mom and dad.

How's your speed? How's your progress? How's your quality?

Bracket Buster

March Madness is here in full force. If you're a bracket junkie or know a bracket junkie then you know that today has wrecked just about everyone's ideas of how they thought things were going to go. Dayton over Ohio State? Harvard over Cincinnati? Thousands of people all across the nation are in disbelief and scrambling to figure out how to make something out of a broken bracket. 

Busted brackets remind me of our broken plans for life. How many times have you and I mapped out every step of our lives in an effort accurately forecast our own futures? 

• Here's where we'll be in five years. 
• Here's where I'm going to college.
• Here's the person I will spend my life with
• Here's my next step for my career.
• Here's how we're going to plan our family.

We've become really good at filling out our brackets for life without ever stopping to consult God. We've already decided who and what are moving on to the next round. But what happens when we experience a bracket buster? What happens when there's an upset? What happens when an unknown "team" comes out of nowhere and obliterates your plan?  

Suddenly we find ourselves scrambling around trying to make sense out of a busted bracket. What would happen if we allowed God in at the beginning of the bracket process?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." 

What if we let God fill out our brackets?

Take off the bib.

"Take off the bib." I ran across this quote while reading the book entitled, "Move" by Hawkins and Parkinson. The premise of the book centers around the lack of spiritual growth that occurs within the church. What's interesting is that this lack of spiritual growth doesn't find its' epicenter in the new believer or even those who attend and are just exploring Christ. The crux of the stagnated and stalled spiritual growth is provided by those tenured saints who populate the pews faithfully and make up the core of the church committees. That's right, a tremendous lack of spiritual growth is occurring in those that attend church regularly and have even made church a priority in their lives.

What we've known all along but are perhaps are just now re-discovering, is that just because someone attends church and even serves in the church doesn't mean they are growing spiritually. You see too often we associate the wrong things with spiritual growth.

• Attendance doesn't equal growth.
• Serving doesn't equal growth.
• Giving doesn't equal growth.
• Leadership doesn't equal growth.

Why are we quick to serve, but not as quick to open the Word for private study? Why are we quick to voice a prayer in the public setting but not as quick to whisper a prayer for the stranger on the street corner? Why are we quick to lead when we haven't really developed ourselves as followers? Why are we still struggling with the same secret sin that we've been dealing with for 10 or even 15 years? Why have we not yet committed ourselves to an accountable relationship? Why have we not yet joined a small group and immersed ourselves in those relationships? Why have we settled for the belief that spiritual growth equals attendance at a church service once a week? 

Jesus makes clear that growing up in Him is more than a weekly commitment. In Luke 9:23 He says that it requires a daily sacrifice. Why are we still wearing a bib?

Snow Piles

I admit it: I'm a people watcher. I love just watching people travel to and fro from stores, walking at the malls, or just walking down the street. Today, during my lunch hour, I dropped through the drive thru and parked in the parking lot of the local grocery store to enjoy my lunch and participate in a little people watching.

While wrapping up my chicken sandwich and preparing to tackle my chili with hot sauce, I noticed these huge piles of snow that were deposited all across the parking lot. With all of the snow that we've had in the area, snow plows have no where to go with the snow other than to mound it up in huge piles all across the parking lots. It's like someone deposited little white mountains all over the city.

What's interesting to me about these piles of snow is that they seem to last forever. Even with the slow onset of warmer weather, these piles of snow seem to be unaffected. They take absolutely forever to melt largely because they keep themselves cold. There is so much snow piled on top of other snow that the inner core of that pile remains below freezing long after the surrounding temperature has risen.

Those piles of snow reminded me of the risk that you and I run. We have a way of surrounding ourselves with people that keep us "below freezing" for as long as possible.

If we tend to be pessimistic, we surround ourselves with others who are also pessimistic.
If we tend to be a gossip, we surround ourselves with other gossips.
If we are negative and whiny people, then that's who we gravitate towards.

The Bible gives us some pretty clear instruction on this idea in Proverbs 13:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:33.

What if, in an effort to really honor God with our lives we "unpiled" ourselves from those that were keeping us wrapped up in sin. If we find ourselves in a pile of negativity, gossip or whatever, let's choose to spread ourselves out and let the Son melt us down.

Have we really outsmarted the Creator?

With the recent debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye many have been giving more thought to all things "Creation" oriented. Questions such as, "How do science and the Bible mesh?", "Shouldn't we be thankful to God for science?" and my personal favorite, "Can't we love and appreciate both God and science?"

Social media has been littered with comments, personal analysis and private theologies now made public for the world to see. Allow me to couch this entire concept and each of the above questions in a phrase that all Christ followers would do well to remember: God Created Everything!

Check out what Colossians 1:16 says.

That's all things. Everything. All of it. You, me, them, us, that, this, things above, things below, things seen, things unseen, everything that is and ever will be or ever has been was and is and will be created by God. Period! And that includes science. Yes, God made science.

If you look up the definition of the word science you get this.

1. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.
2. systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.
3. any of the branches of natural or physical science.
4. systematized knowledge in general.
5. knowledge, as of facts or principles; knowledge gained by systematic study.

According to this definition "Science" is just our human interpretation of what God created. Science isn't adding to God's creation. You see we've confused "science" for something that it isn't.

• Cancer research & treatment
• Heart valve replacement
• Men on the moon
• Cell phone technology
• Brain surgery

The research of those human genomes to help isolate cancer cells are genomes that God created. The replacement of a heart valve is done by the hands of a doctor that God knit together in the womb. The understanding of how to allow a cell phone signal to communicate with a satellite in space and then transfer halfway around the world in a split second while making a phone call is done with the brain power that God gave us as humans.

These are all things that we say, "Science" is responsible for. Friends, science is nothing more than our human attempt to fully understand the complex world and bodies that God gave us at Creation. 

As a result of our misconceptions about what science really is, we say things like, "Can't science and God both exist" or "I am thankful for science because without it...". 

When we say these types of things, what we're really saying is that somehow, science is outside of God. Are we really suggesting that we as the created have outsmarted the Creator?

Slow Leaks (Part #2)

So here's the good news about this whole idea of slow leaks: Jesus has more than just a little experience in dealing with slow leaks in the lives of His followers.  In fact it was one of Jesus’ closest followers that became the epitome of what a slow leak looked like in the life a follower of Jesus Christ.  Check out this passage...

Luke 22:31-32 says...

So here’s Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ closest followers.  Even from the twelve that Jesus did life with, Jesus seemed to have three, Peter, James and John that He interacted with at a different level.  Now to be fair, I don’t think you could have been a disciple and not had an amazing connection with Jesus but Peter’s connection must have been so much more amazing.  But in these verses above, it sounds like Jesus is alluding to some sort of defect with Peter, it’s as if Jesus was already aware of a leak in Peter’s life.  This must have made zero sense to Peter.  I mean after all, Peter absolutely loved Jesus. 

Think for a minute about Peter’s calling as a follower of Jesus.  He’s been fishing all night long, they’re wrapping up for the day, they’re washing the nets out, they’re exhausted and all they’re thinking about is going home.  And here comes this stranger who gets into his boat and says, “Why don’t you drop those nets one more time?”  Are you kidding me?  Who is this guy?  But for whatever reason, Peter obliges Jesus.

• Had Peter been a little more than casually interested as Jesus was teaching there on the beach?  
• Had Jesus’ reputation preceded Him?  
• Had word of the coming Messiah been spreading around the fishing industry?  

For whatever reason, Peter agrees and drops the nets one more time and hauls up a net busting catch of fish.  So many in fact that the other boats have to come over and help haul in the load.  

Can you imagine leaving everything you know, everything you’ve come to depend on for your livelihood, can you imagine walking away from all of that to follow a guy that seemed, at least at this point to deliver on what He promised but in fairness, made some pretty outrageous claims? 

It’s important as we think about these slow leaks in our lives to understand just how radical Peter’s decision to follow Jesus really was.  He wasn’t a casual on-looker to the ministry of Jesus.  

• He jumped in at the ground level.  
• He bought stock in the company.  
• Peter was in it to win it with Jesus.  
• He bet the farm on the claims of Jesus.  
• He pushed all his chips to the middle of the table. 

But for some reason, all of that passion and commitment and excitement slowly leaked from Peter's life and ended with Jesus saying, “Peter, before the rooster crows you will have denied three times that you even know me.”  

Can you imagine Peter’s shock at Jesus’ statement?  I wonder if there wasn’t a little indignation or resentment or frustration on Peter’s part after Jesus makes this comment.  I mean, Peter might have been thinking, “I left everything for you”, “I walked away from my own business to follow you around the countryside and do anything and everything you’ve asked me to do”. And now you’re telling me that I’m going to deny that I even know you.”  Peter was convinced that he could hang in there no matter what happened.  

Peter was confident...in himself.

God maps out pretty clearly that we have absolutely nothing to boast about except for the fact that we know Him.  Peter boasted that he would stay true to Jesus and even die for Him. But his boast came from personal pride and confidence, not spiritual power and boldness.

Listen to the words from Jeremiah 9:24...

I wonder how often we live in the confidence of our ability to stay true to the things of God?  We see stories of people falling into moral failure or people who experience major spiritual blow outs in their lives and we think:

• How can people do that, that would never happen to me.  
• How can she leave her husband, I’d never.
• How can they be so addicted to alcohol, I’d never.
• How can that person completely cash in the chips on their relationship with Jesus, I’d never do that.  

In our effort to stay true to the calling that God has placed on our lives we place the weight of our relationship with God on our shoulders alone. 

Hear this and believe it: “Our shoulders simply aren’t strong enough.”  

Peter has this idea that he was somehow above the possibility of spiritual blowout in his life, and by focusing all of his energy on avoiding the blowout, he missed the leak.

God calls us to stay humble.  He calls us to put all of our trust in Him and realize that without Him, we’re leaky people.

Slow Leaks (Part #1)

Several years ago my entire family took a weekend to visit to Michigan to visit family. Picture a caravan of vehicles each representing different families, my parents and each of my two brother's families, four cars in all.  We had a great weekend of seeing family and sight-seeing but on the way home, a mini disaster struck. Just as we were merging onto I-75 for the straight shot back home, the front driver’s side tire of the van we were driving blew. 

If you've ever had this type of experience, you know that moment of terror that strikes you. I didn’t know if a bomb had gone off or if my engine had just blown up, I didn’t know what happened.  Almost immediately the car lunges to the side, and I realize, we blew a tire.  

A blown tire at 60 or 65 mph has the potential to turn bad in a quick way.  Blown tires can quickly lead to some serious situations. But I got to thinking, even in the midst of the bad, there's a glaring positive with a blown tire and that is, you always know when a tire’s blown.  

There’s never any question.  You’re never driving down the road, hear an explosion, as the car lunges off to one side, followed by the unmistakeable, "thump, thump, thump, thump" and wonder, "I wonder what that was?"  You never mistake a blown tire for being out of windshield wiper fluid. You never mistake a blown tire for a busted tail light.   You always know when you’ve blown a tire.  

I mean think about a blown tire as compared to a slow leaky tire.  Just recently Sarah and I had a slow leak in one of our car tires.  This thing absolutely sucked the life right out of me.  There would be days, even weeks where this thing would be totally fine.  I’d pump it up and nothing, no problems at all.  It would only leak, and this is not an exageration, on the days that I was in a hurry or it was super cold out.  That’s it, it would be totally fine otherwise.  

If you think about it, slow leaks are always harder to catch.  They're harder to catch, they're more difficult to perceive because they happen so slowly.  As I think about the ups and downs of my spiritual life, I realize it’s a lot like my driving record.  I kind of feel like I’ve never totaled my life.  I’m certainly not perfect but just like I’ve been a pretty good driver, I’ve been a pretty good, “spiritual driver”.  I mean I’ve certainly hit my fair share of “mailboxes”.  I’ve had more than a few “fender benders” spiritually speaking, but I can honestly say, “I think I’ve done okay.”  I’ve managed through the grace and forgiveness of God to at least keep the car of my life on the road.  

I often wonder if at times I’m too focused on avoiding the major accidents, I wonder if I’m too focused on avoiding the major blow outs that I miss all of the slow leaks.  Slow leaks are always harder to catch and I sometimes think that I’m missing some. 

Think about your own life...

Maybe it’s the occasional secret sin that’s developed into more of a lifestyle.

Maybe it's the increasing lack of patience with your spouse or kids.

Maybe it's the compromising stances that you've taken at work or at school.

These aren’t blowouts, this is just the reality of our busy lives.

These aren’t blowouts, this is just you and I trying to pay the bills or get a passing grade in that class.  

These aren’t blowouts, this is just you and I trying to make it through a day without strangling one of our kids or screaming at our spouse.

These aren’t blowouts, these are slow leaks.  

And slow leaks are always harder to catch.  

  

Broken Chair

My chair broke today. I was in my office, sitting in my chair talking with a few folks and "snap". The arm of the chair snapped right off. This of course sent me nearly on to the floor, as the arms of the chair also keep the back of the chair in place. Thanks to my cat like reflexes I managed to save myself before disaster struck.

We had a good laugh for a few minutes about the possibilities of what could have occurred had things taken a different course. But after the laughter subsided and my guests made their exodus, I was left with a broken chair.

I made my rounds to the other areas of the building where I might harvest a replacement but wasn't satisfied with any of the options. When I returned to my office I stared at my chair for a few moments and reflected on what I would have done if my dad were still alive. A simple phone call would have solved my problem. No sooner would I have called then he would have been in my office, drill in hand, trick up his sleeve, with a couple of screws in his pocket. He always had what I needed. He always knew what needed to be done and more importantly, how to do it. He was seemingly unintimidated regardless of what lie before him. Nothing was too much, nothing was too difficult, nothing was out of his league. He would simply look at a problem, and fix it.

What I, along with my family lost on January 6th was really, peace of mind. As a father to three sons, he provided a calming presence, an assurance that if the road got rough and the next move was unclear, dad would show the way and lighten the load. He could always fix our chairs.

As I reflected on this truth about my dad, I was reminded of another truth, the Holy Spirit will never leave me. When Jesus ascended into Heaven He promised another that would come in His place to remind us, comfort us, convict us, guide us, encourage us and always be there to fix our chairs.

As I stared at my broken chair I was reminded that my dad is in me. He helped create me. He taught me, he modeled for me, he guided me, he gave me the confidence to know that I was more than able to fix that broken chair. Not because of anything that I've become on my own but because of his influence in my life. With my new resolve I picked my chair up, took it downstairs and screwed it back together.

As I sat back down in my newly repaired chair, I was thankful not only for a father that influenced me in such a powerful way but also for the power and influence of the Holy Spirit who will never pass away. I will never in all of my life be without the peace of mind that can only come from the Spirit's power in my life. A peace that passes all understanding.

Searching for Hidden Treasure

Statistics say that the average super market carries around 42,000 items that are for sale.  

Crest offers 51 variations of its toothpaste in the choice of size, shape and flavor.

There are thousands of different careers that you could choose to pursue.

There are billions of people that you could have chosen to marry.

There are hundreds of cars that you could choose to buy.

There are millions of places you could live.

There are hundreds of different colors for your hair.

There is an endless choice of foods we can eat.

The bottom line is that there a lot of choices out there for just about everything and anything you want to do.  So the question becomes, how in the world do we figure out what to do? in a sea of options, how do you discern the right options? 

Check out the words found in Proverbs 2:1-12...

Well that sounds like a pretty square deal doesn’t it?  Check out what that verse says…

We will have understanding

We will have wisdom

We will gain knowledge

We will have good sense

We will have a shield

We will be protected

We will understand what is right, just and fair

We will know how to find the right course of action every time

We will have right planning

We will be saved from evil people

The passage is very clear that we can have all of that if we just…

Tune our ears to wisdom

Concentrate on understanding

Cry out for insight

Notice what the verse says, it says we are to search for those things as if we were looking for lost money or a hidden treasure. This doesn't come easy. It takes work and patience to really tune our ears to wisdom. It takes focus to concentrate on understanding. It takes humility to cry out for wisdom. 

Do you search for God’s wisdom like you would search after a hidden treasure?

Flip the Switch

John 1:5-9 says...

It’s like that game that you may have played growing up, the one where you stick your hand inside a bag or a box and you have to feel around and guess what it is that you are really touching.  You feel something slimy and wet so you guess that you’re touching worms, and then they open the bag or the box and you were actually touching spaghetti noodles.  Light exposed what was really in the box.  

Light exposes things for what they really are.  Jesus, the Light exposes things for what they really are.  Jesus Himself says so in the book of Mark.

Mark 4:22 says...

Often we don’t even realize that certain areas of our lives are dark, until the light shines in.  We’ve all been sitting in a room working on a project, unaware of how dark it's become until someone flips the switch and poof, we’re amazed at how bright it is now.  We failed to realize how dark it had become until the lights came on.  The light of Christ exposes the darkness in our lives. 

Light also helps us find our way.  We've all utilized a flashlight or a porch light for running to the car after dark to retrieve a cell phone or purse.  At my house we always leave the bathroom light so when the kids wake up in the middle of the night, they can find their way.  Seldom do any of us choose to stumble around an unfamiliar room with no lights on.  If we are not used to our surroundings we simply flip on a light to figure things out.  

What's amazing though, are the number of people who choose to stumble around in life with no lights on.  You and I have at our disposal the greatest Light ever.  John 1:5 says that nothing can overcome the Light of Jesus and yet we continue to stumble in the darkness.  

You decide to use the Light or not use the Light.  The Light is always there, but it may not be on.  Much the same way that your house could be full of lights, but if they are all turned off, then you are still going to stub your toe in the middle of the night.  

Why are we satisfied with stubbing our toes when we don't have to be?

God Speaks (Part #2)

What is prayer?  The correct answer to that question stems from an understanding of the words, "with" and "to".  In reality, prayer is my communication with God.  It's talking and listening. It's giving and receiving. Too often we refer to prayer as, "My communication to God."  Prayer isn't a one way street.  God's not a genie in a bottle. God's not a divine butler.  Often we get confused and assume that prayer is our opportunity to talk and for God to just sit and listen.  We think it’s our opportunity to tell God what we need and where we want His help.  But that's not what prayer is all about.  What prayer is all about, is when we speak to God and God speaks to us.  

I'm reminded of the old story...

Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.  One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. "I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."

You see, far too often we fill our prayers up with talking and asking and pleading. We spend so much time talking and God is never given an opportunity to speak.  We forget to stop and listen. The question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear Him.  

Consider this challenge as you pray: speak less and listen more. Try listening for twice as long as you talk. If you pray for 5 minutes a day, try listening for 10 minutes in addition to your 5 minutes of talked.  Give God the opportunity to speak to you, you won't be disappointed. I'd love to hear your comments as you try this in your prayer life.

God Speaks (Part #1)

“I was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, a little town of northern Alabama.  The beginning of my life was simple and much like every other little life.  I came, I saw, I conquered, as the first baby in the family always does.  They tell me I walked the day I was one year old.  These happy days did not last long.  One brief spring, musical with the song of robin and mocking-bird, one summer rich in fruit and roses, one autumn of gold and crimson sped by and left their gifts at the feet of an eager, delighted child.  Then in the dreary month of February, came the illness, which closed my eyes and ears and plunged me into the unconsciousness of a new-born baby.  They called it acute congestion of the stomach and brain.”  

Those are a few excerpts from a book that Helen Keller wrote about her life.  At the age of nineteen months Helen Keller was shut off from all sight and all sound and as a result could not speak.  I was at the library a while back when I came across this book. As I read the introduction and part of the first chapter I was so overwhelmed by what happened to her.  Maybe the reason I felt so connected to it was because I'm a parent; to think that one of my own sons could wake up one day and no longer have the ability to see or hear anything really impacted me.

I thought about my sons not being able to hear me say, “I love you”. I thought about my sons not being able to hear the door open and get all excited because they knew that sound meant that dad was home.  I thought about them not being able to speak to tell me what they're feeling.  I thought about the confused look that might be on their face because they could no longer hear sounds or see mom and dad.  I thought about the fear that might overtake them when all they could ever experience was complete and utter darkness.  As I thought about those things I was stuck by something else.  I began to wonder how many of us feel that way every day of our lives?  

Not many of us have experienced what Helen Keller experienced in the physical sense, but I would venture to say that all of us have experienced it in the spiritual sense.  You know if you've experienced this because you've thought things like..

“I don’t feel like God is listening to me.”

“I don’t feel like God can hear me when I pray.”

“I don’t think God even notices me because He has so many other bigger more important things to worry about.”   

“I don’t feel like God ever speaks to me.”

Just like Helen Keller felt cut off from everything around her and probably felt very alone you and I often feel cut off from God and very alone.  But how, how can we possibly feel cut off and not connected to a God that is all-powerful and huge beyond our wildest dreams?  How can we not feel connected to the God who tells us in the book of Deuteronomy that He will never leave us or forsake us.  

How is that we don’t feel connected to God?  Let me tell you something that I hope you never forget, something that I hope you will take with you no matter where you go in life: If you ever feel like you're not connected to God or like He’s not communicating with you, it’s not because He isn’t speaking, it’s because you’re not listening.