Live, learn, be free

Finding Wisdom

I read a story once about an factory assembly line breaking down.  The factory manager called in a consultant to help remedy the situation. After looking and searching the line the consultant pulled out a hammer and tapped an area of the line and it began to work again.  The factory manager was thrilled and thanked the consultant for his help. 

The factory manager received a bill for $10,000 from the consultant.  The manager was upset and requested and itemized bill from the consultant.  The second bill stated $5 for tapping the hammer/$9,995 for knowing where to tap.

Wisdom is knowing where to tap.  There are times in our lives where we need help and we know where to tap but there are other times when we need help and it requires finding someone who knows where to tap.  We would be fools to think we will always know where to tap the hammer.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is filled with advice for finding wisdom.  God should be our ultimate source of wisdom.  God has also put people in our lives that will walk with us and tap the hammer for us when we don't know where to tap.

When you need to seek wisdom ask God first.  Proverbs 17:24 says, "a discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth."  Lets be people who keep wisdom in view and not let our eyes wander. 

What Are You Waiting For?

When I talk to people about missions I usually get the same response.  People tell me how they don't think they can afford it, or how they don't want to leave their children behind.  I get excuses from people. 

I think as Christians we need to understand that we all have a part in the great commission.  We can't sit around and wait for someone else to do it.  The command is simple but is for everyone.  Matthew 28:19 is clear.  It tells us we are to "go and make disciples of every nation." 

The words of Jesus are not a suggestion, he tells us very directly to go and to teach what He has commanded us.  I understand it can be intimidating to leave the country to serve God if you have never done that.

Think about the command in Matthew 28, God wants us all to join together to help, we can either go or we can send.  Pray about what God wants you to do and get to work.  If you want a place to start you can visit this website and learn more about missions work in Europe.

What are you waiting for?  God has given us all a command and we need to do our part to reach those who have not heard about Him.  I will be leading a trip to Thessaloniki, Greece at the end of May please contact me if you would like more information.

Depending on God

It can be easy in the world we live in today to say we don't need God.  We can handle things on our own.  We give up on prayer.  We stop communicating with God.  Many say they are just too busy to pray.

It is true that God is all powerful.  He does not need us to pray.  God wants us to pray because it is how we communicate with Him.  We can talk honestly with God when we come to him in prayer.

There are many different ways of praying to God.  Different prayers have different purposes.  Petition, confession, adoration, intercession, meditation, thanksgiving and consecration are the different types of prayers.

Reading through Nehemiah recently I learned about his steadfast prayer life.  Nehemiah was confident in his prayer life.  Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king.  This means he had to taste all of the king's drinks and food to make sure they were not poisoned.

I can not imagine how difficult it must have been for Nehemiah to go to work each day not knowing if he would be die of poisoning.  He trusted in God and he knew God would hear his prayers.  I like how he describes God as attentive to his prayers in Nehemiah 1:11. 

Nehemiah had to be dependent on God, not only because his job was life threatening but because he loved God.  He wanted others to know God and to know of His love.  Let us be people who are dependent on God, people who are courageous and will be open to participate in His work no matter the cost.

Away In A (Dirty) Manger

On Christmas eve my family takes turns reading the story of the birth of Jesus.  This year as we read it I realized how different the Savior's birth is from any of our birth stories. 

I am a December baby, I was born in New York City and as you may imagine there was a snow storm the day my mother went into labor.  The roads were so bad my father had to pull over several times.  Finally a police officer spotted him and helped escort us to the hospital.  Four days before we celebrated the birth of our Savior in 1973, I was born.  My mom tells me the story every year when she calls me to wish me a happy birthday. 

Can you imagine the Mary recounting the story of his birth to Jesus every year as she celebrated his birthday.  What could she say to him?  She would tell him, "your father and I walked from inn to inn as I was in labor."  "We struggled to find a place to bring you into the world."

Imagine Mary telling Jesus there was no where to put him right after his birth, except for a filthy manger.  A place where animals had eaten their meals earlier that day.  What do you suppose Jesus' reaction was?

Jesus was not surprised at all, he knew he would come into this world the way he did.  He came to this world worse off than any of us.  He came to show us the way.  He came to give us life.  He came to die on the cross so we could live with Him forever.

I am thankful and grateful that Jesus came into this world to give us life.  I want to spend my days letting God mold me into the person he wants me to be.  It's the least I can do, is give my life to him.  Thank you Jesus that you came into this life in a dirty manger to bring us life. 

Running In Place

There are times in our lives when we think we are getting ahead and getting things done but it seems like nothing is happening.  It can be frustrating to feel like you are working hard only to not see the results you expected.

I understand this problem firsthand.  I am an impatient person.  I feel like if I am working hard on something I should be able to see the results.  Things changed for me when Elijah was diagnosed with Asperger''s Syndrome. 

The progress Elijah made was slow.  We were busy driving him around to all his therapies and programs.  He was progressing we just weren't seeing the results yet.  Then I was reading James 5 one day and it dawned on me, God wants us to be patient. 

Now I must say this was not an easy process and still isn't but God has been faithful.  He has followed through with His promise to us about our son.  After waiting patiently for 8 years Elijah is making amazing progress.  He had made some progress over the last 8 years just not the kind of progress he is making right now.

We persevered and now we are seeing the results from running in place.  James 5 warns us about wanting it all right now.  We need to be patient and wait on God, His timing is always the best.  We need to keep running in place and be patient, blessings await.

If you are currently struggling with this problem keep in mind the words of James 5.  Be patient and stand firm.  God will always follow through on His promises.  Keep running in place and your reward will come.

Hebrews 12:12

Earlier this year I ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon.  I trained for 6 months.  I worked hard and I planned.  I overcame injuries during training.  I was still caught off guard when my a new injury came up during the race. 

Perseverance and endurance are important in times like those.  My runner partner and I persevered and we finished.  The real joy is just finishing, I knew there was no chance of winning. Some people asked why even try when you know you can't win?

To me running is about my body beating out my mind.  If you have ever done some running you know your mind can get the best of you.  Your body can do the work but your mind talks you out of continuing.  That is what Hebrew 12 is all about. 

Staying in the faith race until the end.  We can have many stumbling blocks in our way but we can overcome them.  We need to stay focused to continue running the race.  Think about what hindrances get in your way.  Hebrews 12 gives us encouragement and support for those times. 

Our biggest struggle for many years has been Asperger's Syndrome.  We have trusted God and prayed for our son.  We have endured and persevered and God has been faithful.  What is your struggle?  Pray and ask God to help you, and He will.  God has given us great hope for our son.   

Busy for Jesus

I will admit I have busied myself with the things of God and my relationship with God has suffered.  It may sound weird but sometimes we get so wrapped up working for God that we forget to spend time alone with God. 

God wants to know us intimately.  In order to do that we need to put down some of the things we are doing for God in order to spend more time with Him.  I realize this seems counter intuitive but it is true.  When we over volunteer for the kingdom our intimacy with God suffers.

As Christians we are the  body of Christ, we all have a part.  Each person needs to step up and do their part.  Just because we see a need does not mean we should fill it.  We need to be a little more selective in what we do for God.

I am guilty of having done this in the past.  I over committed myself at church and my time with God suffered.  I didn't have time to spend with God because I was too busy doing the work of the whole church.

Are you doing too much for God right now?  Take some time to sit and evaluate what you are doing.  Is God calling you to do all those things?  What do you need to say no to in order to say yes to God?  If you are too busy for Jesus than you must take some time to build that relationship back up.

If you are looking for a way to work on building intimacy with God, please check out this link.  It is a book I wrote called In Pursuit of God.  It is a study guide and journal.  It will give you information on the spiritual disciplines.  Whatever source you use remember: working for God and and working with God are two different things.

Marks of Jesus

Peer pressure still gets us as adults, we call it "keeping up with the Joneses."  What we wear, what we drive, and where we live can all be influenced by those around us.  Even our vocabulary can be affected, have you spent any time in the south?  That sweet southern accent can rub off in a second.

We are often tempted to change our behavior in order to be accepted by others.  This lifestyle has a very high price tag.  We need to figure out who's approval is worth it.  We all feel cultural pressure around us.  We must lay every pressure around us at the feet of Jesus. 

Sometimes you may even be tempted to hide your Christianity to make a good impression.  It is important that not matter what comes our way we bear the marks of Jesus.  These are marks of Jesus are the evidence of our faithful service to the King.

Do you have marks of Jesus?  Let us purify our motives in this life.  Let's not go after the approval of men, but let's chase after the approval of God.  The good news is we don't have to run as long or as hard to get God's approval.  He loves us just the way we are, all we have to do is run to him. 

Read through Galatians 6:11-18.  You have already made a good impression on God.  Wear your marks of Jesus with pride.  Give up chasing after man's approval you have already been accepted by God.   

Dueling with the Devil

I know I am going to step on some toes with this blog post but I will not apologize.  I think this topic is so important right now that I want to share this information and I pray God helps you make the right decision for you and your children.  I have noticed a frightening trend in television programming for children.  Harry Potter, Wizards of Waverly Place, Fanboy and Chum Chum and many more have become commonplace.  Magic, witches and wizards are a regular part of many programs on Nickelodeon and Disney.

I want to alert you to the danger of just letting our children watch these programs and movies and read these books.  I have always understood the danger and kept my children away from these programs, movies and books.  Recently I have renewed my resolve to help not just my children but children everywhere. 

We are opening the door to the enemy through our children.  I want to make you aware of the fact that magic, witches and wizards are real.  Satan is in all his glory right now over the fact that so many parents are allowing their children to learn all about him and his powers through seemingly friendly programs.  We can no longer just let our children participate in these things.

Here is the danger: when we let our children watch these programs and read these books we are opening the door to spiritual warfare for them.  You may tell them it's not real, it's just pretend.  Your children talk about it with friends at school who assure them otherwise and they began to change their thinking.  Satan is happy because you have given him an in to your child's heart. 

This is a serious matter.  Our children need to understand that Satan is real and he is the source behind the power to do magic and cast spells.  Most people think it's not a big deal to let them watch this stuff and read these books.  You just tell them it's not real, it's just pretend.  Let me ask you this, if your child came to you and said they wanted to have pretend sex, would you agree to let them?  No, you would be outraged. 

By allowing them to watch these programs and read the books you are allowing them to "pretend" dabble in the occult, pretend leads to real.  Don't be fooled, your child will not be missing out.  My children understand and are alright with "missing out" on these things. 

Please understand this post is done only to alert you to this very important situation.  If you would like more information and details on the specific problems please leave your questions as comments.  You can also visit this website which has more in depth information.  Ben Alexander is a very credible man who started in the occult in a very benign way.  Let's wage war in this battle for our children, we will win and we will be victorious, because with God all things are possible.  He is stronger than the enemy.

Persevering

We are faced with Mt. Everest sized mountains of work in this life.  We have a multitude of rules to follow.  Life can get very challenging for us.  It can be tempting to just coast through life.

Last year Dave Ramsey was a guest speaker at our church, Browns Bridge Community Church.  He spoke about what he calls the "Momentum Theorem".  He talked to us about how the enemy does not want us to persevere. 

The enemy wants us to be quitters.  God calls us to persevere.  In this theorem Ramsey tells us the following: Focused intensity over time, multiplied by God equals unstoppable momentum.  This theorem really struck me.

In our society today it seems people really struggle with focus, there is always something new that draws our attention.  Intensity can be seen at sporting events by those who choose to paint their faces or bodies to support their team.  But where is the intensity in the things that really matter in this world?

As we think about the time required in this theorem we can relate this to perseverance.  It takes time, Ramsey talked about the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare".  You can be slow and ugly but if you keep moving you will eventually win, perseverance is the key.

We can not do any of these things alone, we need God.  God is the power source behind our efforts, when His power is multiplied with our efforts it equals unstoppable momentum.  The key to this whole theorem is to heed the words of Winston Churchill: never give up, never give up, never give up, never give up!