We spent as must energy, passion, time and money sharing/showing our fellow co-workers/students/friends/neighbors/family members about Jesus as we spend on the Christmas season? How much different would our lives look like throughout the year? Maybe it is the commercialization of Christmas now or all the $$ that is spend on gifts that are expected or implied, but each year I get more and more frustrated with this holiday and it seems to me that we have gotten so off track that our excuses start making way too much sense.
I am not talking about catch phrases such as "the reason for the season", etc. What I am trying to get at is that those who experience Jesus as their personal savior have the ultimate gift that we do not deserve but have received anyway. Yet, we ( a big finger is pointing towards me!) are so ofter afraid to even bring up the name Jesus amongst those we work with or go to school with or even live next to. Yet, at the same time we get stressed, spend too much $$ and worry about what I need to buy for so and so and how much time we get off and whose house we are going to for "the day".
Maybe it's the holiday season blues that are getting to me but I don't think so. Instead of thinking about this upcoming Christmas and New Years, maybe we need to start thinking about the other 363 days a year and how those days are so much more important that these two aforementioned days....just a thought
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Marriage is Ministry
So I am perusing the library with the girls a few night ago... I have really been enjoying our local library in the last year or so, but I digress. In my perusing, I happen to run across a book that peaks my interest since I am raising daughters: What He Must Be...if he wants to marry my daughter- Voddie Baucham Jr. Since Buttercup and I are on the precipice of having our teenager enter the dating years, I thought it would be worth the read. I have just begin but have already uncovered a few nuggets that have finally gotten me off my butt and starting back on the "blogging train" (no thanks to be chided on a regular basis by Toirdhealbheach Beucail or "Wrenny" as my youngest for some reason decided to call him)
The author was describing the difference of singleness vs marriage as it relates to the Bible, when you mentioned that Marriage is a Ministry and is there no higher calling than marriage? Being raised as a PK and brought up in the Church, I have understood the Biblical significance of marriage but have never really thought of it in this context before. What actions, thoughts, behaviors would change if I actually viewed my marriage as a ministry?
Martin Luther describes marriage this way: "The ultimate purpose is to obey God, to find aid of counsel against sin; to call upon God; to seek love, to educate children for the glory of God; to live with one's wife in the fear of God and to bear the cross." Not a small task if you ask me but one that is critical to the health and future of the children that we are called to raise.
The importance of my role as a Dad to my daughters has been brought up many, many times in this household in relation to how they will choose their future husband. Yikes! This is not something that is very easy to swallow and one area that I admit that I do not spend enough time thinking about or focusing on. Also, in contemplating Martin Luther's words it is apparent that I do indeed have some work to do in this area.
The author gives a great definition in the same chapter about the role of a husband and father and one that I am going to spend some time reflecting on: "Who a man is as a husband and father to a large degree shapes who he is as a minister of the Gospel."
The author was describing the difference of singleness vs marriage as it relates to the Bible, when you mentioned that Marriage is a Ministry and is there no higher calling than marriage? Being raised as a PK and brought up in the Church, I have understood the Biblical significance of marriage but have never really thought of it in this context before. What actions, thoughts, behaviors would change if I actually viewed my marriage as a ministry?
Martin Luther describes marriage this way: "The ultimate purpose is to obey God, to find aid of counsel against sin; to call upon God; to seek love, to educate children for the glory of God; to live with one's wife in the fear of God and to bear the cross." Not a small task if you ask me but one that is critical to the health and future of the children that we are called to raise.
The importance of my role as a Dad to my daughters has been brought up many, many times in this household in relation to how they will choose their future husband. Yikes! This is not something that is very easy to swallow and one area that I admit that I do not spend enough time thinking about or focusing on. Also, in contemplating Martin Luther's words it is apparent that I do indeed have some work to do in this area.
The author gives a great definition in the same chapter about the role of a husband and father and one that I am going to spend some time reflecting on: "Who a man is as a husband and father to a large degree shapes who he is as a minister of the Gospel."
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Have we gone too far?
One of the shared themes that Buttercup and I have discussing and working through lately is the whole idea of what it means to be a Missionary in our culture. If you put on your Sunday School hat for a moment you will remember that Jesus' life was lived by the power of the Holy Spirit as a missionary in culture. However, in my personal opinion we Christians have taken verses such as Romans 12:2 which states "And do not be conformed to this world.." or statements such as "live in the world, but not of the world" too far. I am struggling with this lately in that I seem to run into more and more Christians who are pulling either themselves or their kids out of public society and only surrounding themselves with fellow believers or those of like mindedness. Granted, a large part of the Christian life is to have community with other believers, be in relationship with them and worship communally on a regular basis. Have we forgotten we also need to be in some kind of "community" with non-believers so that we can share our faith (and sometime use words!)?
For instance, I have noticed that Churches and Christians spend a lot of time in the comfort of the "four walls" of a Church talking about how to interact with non-Christians instead of actually being the culture and loving the ones who need Jesus's love the most. We seem to have somewhere along the way forgotten that we are not to judge those who are living lives in sin or lives that we don't agree with but rather show them the love of Jesus that we have within us. The best example that we have for this and maybe have too often forgotten is how Jesus's spent his 30 years on earth. Jesus was the greatest missionary who has or will ever walk this earth and maybe we need to be reminded of how he lived in a sinful culture:
1. Jesus came into a sinful culture
2. Jesus learned firsthand about a sinful culture. As a perfect missionary, Jesus did not learn about the sinful culture from a careful or safe distance. No, Jesus built friendships with sinners, Jesus learned the language of sinners, Jesus ate food with sinners, Jesus drank wine with sinners, and Jesus participated in the parties and holidays of sinners. Of course this really pissed off the religious leaders of his day and is one of the reasons that they wanted to kill him.
3. Jesus did not condone sin, nor did he sin, himself.
(Taken from "Vintage Church" by Mark Driscoll & Gary Breshears)
We each have our own journey that we are on and we need to individually try to figure out how to live out our faith, raise our kids, educate our kids (i.e, Public, Private, Home school) be a light in a dark world, in the best way that we know how. Although, I have many times judged others for their actions or how they live or don't live out their faith in this sinful culture. The harsh reality and one that I need to be reminded of is that I can only focus on my journey and the journey of my family.
The question that remains is that if we can agree that Jesus was the perfect missionary into a sinful culture, then why do we as a community or body of Christians seem to miss the mark when it comes to how we interact with our sinful culture? Why do we tend then to remain separate from society? Why is it easier for us to judge or condone others sinful lifestyle instead of doing what Jesus did, which was to love them?
A very wise friend (lets call him "Father Dan") recently mentioned to me as we were discussing this, that maybe right now in this phase of our life, God is calling us to be in community with our non-Christian neighbors: i.e, co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, etc.
Something for me to chew on...
For instance, I have noticed that Churches and Christians spend a lot of time in the comfort of the "four walls" of a Church talking about how to interact with non-Christians instead of actually being the culture and loving the ones who need Jesus's love the most. We seem to have somewhere along the way forgotten that we are not to judge those who are living lives in sin or lives that we don't agree with but rather show them the love of Jesus that we have within us. The best example that we have for this and maybe have too often forgotten is how Jesus's spent his 30 years on earth. Jesus was the greatest missionary who has or will ever walk this earth and maybe we need to be reminded of how he lived in a sinful culture:
1. Jesus came into a sinful culture
2. Jesus learned firsthand about a sinful culture. As a perfect missionary, Jesus did not learn about the sinful culture from a careful or safe distance. No, Jesus built friendships with sinners, Jesus learned the language of sinners, Jesus ate food with sinners, Jesus drank wine with sinners, and Jesus participated in the parties and holidays of sinners. Of course this really pissed off the religious leaders of his day and is one of the reasons that they wanted to kill him.
3. Jesus did not condone sin, nor did he sin, himself.
(Taken from "Vintage Church" by Mark Driscoll & Gary Breshears)
We each have our own journey that we are on and we need to individually try to figure out how to live out our faith, raise our kids, educate our kids (i.e, Public, Private, Home school) be a light in a dark world, in the best way that we know how. Although, I have many times judged others for their actions or how they live or don't live out their faith in this sinful culture. The harsh reality and one that I need to be reminded of is that I can only focus on my journey and the journey of my family.
The question that remains is that if we can agree that Jesus was the perfect missionary into a sinful culture, then why do we as a community or body of Christians seem to miss the mark when it comes to how we interact with our sinful culture? Why do we tend then to remain separate from society? Why is it easier for us to judge or condone others sinful lifestyle instead of doing what Jesus did, which was to love them?
A very wise friend (lets call him "Father Dan") recently mentioned to me as we were discussing this, that maybe right now in this phase of our life, God is calling us to be in community with our non-Christian neighbors: i.e, co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, etc.
Something for me to chew on...
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Gospel and a waterslide
I am reading a great book titled "The Blue Parakeet" by Scot McKnight that my Dad sent me. The main theme of the book is to rethink how we read the Bible. Unfortunately, most of us tend to "pick and choose" parts of the Bible that we either like, agree with, or can be obedient to. "Pick and choose" might seem harsh so it might be easier to call it "adapt and adopt" as the author states. However, they are parts that we tend to say "that was then, this is now", etc. The big idea is that we need to read the Bible as a story so that we don't fall into the "adapt and adopt" mentality.
One of the great analogies he uses in the book is about the Gospel and a water slide. I give you the following passage:
"Reading the Bible with our wise mentors is like sliding down a water slide. The gospel is the slide; the Bible is one wall, our teachers and our tradition the other wall, and the water is the Holy Spirit. The pool at the bottom of the slide is our world. If we stay on the slide and inside the walls as we slide down, we will land in our own water world. If we knock down the walls of the slide or get too careless, we can tumble out of the safety of that slide and injure ourselves. However, observe this: our life is lived in the pool. So here's my point: God asks us to listen-attention, absorption, and action- to the gospel story and to read the Bible with our wise mentors who have gone before us; if we do we will land in the pool in our day and in our way."
I have been chewing on the idea of what it means to live in the pool for quite some time. As I mentioned to Toirdhealbheach Beucail today in our phone conversation, the more I understand about the Gospel and really digest it, I realize that Christians as the light are meant to be lived out in the world or our pools and not necessarily in the comfort of the safe 4 walls of a Church. Granted that we do need to worship corporately together but we also need to worship separately which is where living in our pools come in play. I would venture to guess that we tend to focus more on our worship corporately that we do on how we can worship God in our daily lives away from the Church...Something to ponder..
I will leave you with another great nugget I have gained from this book:
"Good works are concrete responses to the needs we see in our neighbors.....This passage in Paul leads me to to the following two conclusions- and they stare at each of us:
-If we are doing good works, you are reading the Bible right
-If we are not doing good works, you are not reading the Bible right"
What can I do moving forward to make sure that I am not spending most of my time in the second group?
One of the great analogies he uses in the book is about the Gospel and a water slide. I give you the following passage:
"Reading the Bible with our wise mentors is like sliding down a water slide. The gospel is the slide; the Bible is one wall, our teachers and our tradition the other wall, and the water is the Holy Spirit. The pool at the bottom of the slide is our world. If we stay on the slide and inside the walls as we slide down, we will land in our own water world. If we knock down the walls of the slide or get too careless, we can tumble out of the safety of that slide and injure ourselves. However, observe this: our life is lived in the pool. So here's my point: God asks us to listen-attention, absorption, and action- to the gospel story and to read the Bible with our wise mentors who have gone before us; if we do we will land in the pool in our day and in our way."
I have been chewing on the idea of what it means to live in the pool for quite some time. As I mentioned to Toirdhealbheach Beucail today in our phone conversation, the more I understand about the Gospel and really digest it, I realize that Christians as the light are meant to be lived out in the world or our pools and not necessarily in the comfort of the safe 4 walls of a Church. Granted that we do need to worship corporately together but we also need to worship separately which is where living in our pools come in play. I would venture to guess that we tend to focus more on our worship corporately that we do on how we can worship God in our daily lives away from the Church...Something to ponder..
I will leave you with another great nugget I have gained from this book:
"Good works are concrete responses to the needs we see in our neighbors.....This passage in Paul leads me to to the following two conclusions- and they stare at each of us:
-If we are doing good works, you are reading the Bible right
-If we are not doing good works, you are not reading the Bible right"
What can I do moving forward to make sure that I am not spending most of my time in the second group?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Who or what is your cornerstone?
For those of you who know me realize that I probably could never be mistaken for a contractor or builder, which is probably wise that I choose sales as my profession. However, even I know that one of the very basics of building anything is to start with a strong foundation or cornerstone (there's our word) to build upon. In 1 Peter 2:4, it describes Jesus as a "living stone" and in 1 Peter 2:6 it states "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious..." Is Jesus my cornerstone? Lets get back to that in a bit...
As I listen to this being preached on Sunday the obvious question that came to mind is what kind of foundation have I built my life and my families life on? What is the one thing or things that are the crucial stone or cornerstone that is evident in my life? If this is evident based on my actions or responses it could be a wide range of things, some good some bad. Worry, pride, stress, possessions, identity, Jesus, The Bible, relaxation, anger, to name just a few. However, can I put my finger on the one cornerstone?
Now, back to my original question. If I say that Jesus is my cornerstone and my true identity, shouldn't Jesus show up somewhere in my life? In other words, shouldn't the stones in my life that are connected to the cornerstone (which is everything) represent Jesus? Do I daily remember that my true identity is in Christ and that we who call Jesus our Lord and Savior are part of a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)? Maybe this explains why so many times in a week, month, year that life seems to be so out of control or fragile that it feels like breaks or stones are about ready to break. When I choose to go it alone and to try to "build" things on my own, why am I so surprised when they start crumbling?
We don't have to worry about coming up with a answer to who our cornerstone is because our words, works and wealth will reflect this.
As I listen to this being preached on Sunday the obvious question that came to mind is what kind of foundation have I built my life and my families life on? What is the one thing or things that are the crucial stone or cornerstone that is evident in my life? If this is evident based on my actions or responses it could be a wide range of things, some good some bad. Worry, pride, stress, possessions, identity, Jesus, The Bible, relaxation, anger, to name just a few. However, can I put my finger on the one cornerstone?
Now, back to my original question. If I say that Jesus is my cornerstone and my true identity, shouldn't Jesus show up somewhere in my life? In other words, shouldn't the stones in my life that are connected to the cornerstone (which is everything) represent Jesus? Do I daily remember that my true identity is in Christ and that we who call Jesus our Lord and Savior are part of a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)? Maybe this explains why so many times in a week, month, year that life seems to be so out of control or fragile that it feels like breaks or stones are about ready to break. When I choose to go it alone and to try to "build" things on my own, why am I so surprised when they start crumbling?
We don't have to worry about coming up with a answer to who our cornerstone is because our words, works and wealth will reflect this.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Grace....again!
"God drops grace into our lives to show us a glimpse of where we will be going" (Mark Driscoll '09) Am I a grace seeker? Anyone who has spent a good amount of time with me can answer that question without much of a thought. One of the many, many things I love and admire about Buttercup is that she has a way of speaking truth (yes, there is such a thing) into my life about what I need to work on. Being truthful, there are time (most) that I don't appreciate it at the moment, but can look back and see where her heart is and the reason she is so bold about it. This is a reoccurring subject in the Otis/Buttercup household. My lack of grace can usually can be seen in how I react or act towards Buttercup, my daughters, friends and family.
Grace is also tied to hope. which can be described as confident security. This leads to another thought. Is the reason that I struggle with showing Grace because I don't have hope? In myself, in others, in general? Wait, this also can be tied to Faith (see previous post). Is it just me, or are you seeing a trend here? Grace, hope, faith all are related to the heart. I know that even though I have a public education, I can at least see that trend. OK, so these are related now what? It seems like I continue to come back to this same well, over and over again.
What prevents me from showing Grace to those that I love and care for? Why is it that this is not something that comes to mind first, instead of anger, frustration or impatience? Maybe I don't truly appreciate the Grace that has been shown me from God and others. You would think that a person who makes as many mistakes over and over again and struggles in may areas as I do, would understand the importance of expressing Grace to others.
As I think about how I can change this trend I plan on integrating the following three questions into my daily life as a barometer of have I am doing in this area:
1. How is my hope?
2. Where is my faith?
3. Am I being a grace seeker?
Grace is also tied to hope. which can be described as confident security. This leads to another thought. Is the reason that I struggle with showing Grace because I don't have hope? In myself, in others, in general? Wait, this also can be tied to Faith (see previous post). Is it just me, or are you seeing a trend here? Grace, hope, faith all are related to the heart. I know that even though I have a public education, I can at least see that trend. OK, so these are related now what? It seems like I continue to come back to this same well, over and over again.
What prevents me from showing Grace to those that I love and care for? Why is it that this is not something that comes to mind first, instead of anger, frustration or impatience? Maybe I don't truly appreciate the Grace that has been shown me from God and others. You would think that a person who makes as many mistakes over and over again and struggles in may areas as I do, would understand the importance of expressing Grace to others.
As I think about how I can change this trend I plan on integrating the following three questions into my daily life as a barometer of have I am doing in this area:
1. How is my hope?
2. Where is my faith?
3. Am I being a grace seeker?
Faith and a motorcycle
So I have been struggling for a long time or you could say that a major theme in my life is my issue of not having faith. No, I am not questioning my faith in God but rather the issue of why I tend to worry about everything instead of having faith. Although, one could argue that what kind of faith in God do I really have if instead of trusting fully in Him, I let the stress and worry about things overtake me to the point of frustration and possible many grey hairs! What makes this seem even worse is that faith seems to come much easier to Buttercup.
I tend to bottle my worries up inside until they are peculating within me and usually they get released on whomever seems to be in front of me at that moment. I was taught when I was a kid and continue to be reminded that you can only worry about what you can control and to give it all to God. Easier said than done, if you ask me! There seems to be so many examples recently where others are going through much worse things that I am but seem to exhibit a mountain more faith that I have. You don't have to look very far to see this, if you open up any newspaper or on the web, you will find another stat about a company closing their doors or laying up a large portion of their work force. I think of my dear friend Toirdhealbheach Beucail and the trial that he is going through right now, in looking for employment in such difficult times. I also think of my brother who is dealing with some very difficult relationships and the stress and worry that comes with it. Yes, there have been some changes to our home finances due to a pay cut and the slow economy hurting our compensation payout and raising two daughters, there never seems to be a lack of things that can consume my mind with worry. This includes future plans that Buttercup and I have in regards to home improvements, education, etc.
What does this have to do with a motorcycle, you may ask? I had the pleasure of going for a long ride last weekend (yes, we actually do see the sun every now and then). As I enjoyed the adrenaline that you find on a sport bike and the excitement of both taking the curves at a greater speed than you would in a car and the scenery that one finds on many of the winding, country roads in the area. I suddenly realized that being on my bike is one of the few things in my life that I don't tend to struggle with Faith. In a strange way that I can't really describe, I just have total faith when I am on my bike. Now, don't get me wrong the WA state drivers still freak me out at times but I still don't have a problem putting my faith into God's hands as I enjoy this testosterone driving activity.
I want to live a life where I can put my entire faith and being into God's hands and to be able to say "do with me as you will" with a open and generous heart. There are many signs and reminders of the things that God has done in my life but why is it that unless it smacks me in the mouth, I can't seem to remember that?
As it states in 1 Peter 3:7 that "our faith is more precious than Gold". This doesn't mean that we don't have reasons to be concerned or worried. In the previous verse it talks about grieving through our trials. I heard our Pastor describe it that we need to sometimes grieve down to the core of who we are and then rejoice in the mercies of God and what He has done for us and will continue to do for us. Grieve first for a little while, and then rejoice.
What can I do today to start building a deeper faith, one that is more valuable that anything I have or could every have within myself?
I tend to bottle my worries up inside until they are peculating within me and usually they get released on whomever seems to be in front of me at that moment. I was taught when I was a kid and continue to be reminded that you can only worry about what you can control and to give it all to God. Easier said than done, if you ask me! There seems to be so many examples recently where others are going through much worse things that I am but seem to exhibit a mountain more faith that I have. You don't have to look very far to see this, if you open up any newspaper or on the web, you will find another stat about a company closing their doors or laying up a large portion of their work force. I think of my dear friend Toirdhealbheach Beucail and the trial that he is going through right now, in looking for employment in such difficult times. I also think of my brother who is dealing with some very difficult relationships and the stress and worry that comes with it. Yes, there have been some changes to our home finances due to a pay cut and the slow economy hurting our compensation payout and raising two daughters, there never seems to be a lack of things that can consume my mind with worry. This includes future plans that Buttercup and I have in regards to home improvements, education, etc.
What does this have to do with a motorcycle, you may ask? I had the pleasure of going for a long ride last weekend (yes, we actually do see the sun every now and then). As I enjoyed the adrenaline that you find on a sport bike and the excitement of both taking the curves at a greater speed than you would in a car and the scenery that one finds on many of the winding, country roads in the area. I suddenly realized that being on my bike is one of the few things in my life that I don't tend to struggle with Faith. In a strange way that I can't really describe, I just have total faith when I am on my bike. Now, don't get me wrong the WA state drivers still freak me out at times but I still don't have a problem putting my faith into God's hands as I enjoy this testosterone driving activity.
I want to live a life where I can put my entire faith and being into God's hands and to be able to say "do with me as you will" with a open and generous heart. There are many signs and reminders of the things that God has done in my life but why is it that unless it smacks me in the mouth, I can't seem to remember that?
As it states in 1 Peter 3:7 that "our faith is more precious than Gold". This doesn't mean that we don't have reasons to be concerned or worried. In the previous verse it talks about grieving through our trials. I heard our Pastor describe it that we need to sometimes grieve down to the core of who we are and then rejoice in the mercies of God and what He has done for us and will continue to do for us. Grieve first for a little while, and then rejoice.
What can I do today to start building a deeper faith, one that is more valuable that anything I have or could every have within myself?
Monday, January 26, 2009
"I make the coffee"
"A teenage son once asked him dad what he said to bereaved families when he would go to the farmhouses after the funeral of loved ones. Surely, I thought, even my father with his close proximity to disease and death and grief would have some wisdom to impart.
'Mostly,' he answered, 'I make the coffee.'
I had some disdain for his answer then, but I honor it now. There is little to do in the face of death but make the coffee. We have no words to blunt its awfulness. It was his presence, more than anything he could say, which mattered." (Chris Hedges, "Losing Moses On The Freeway)
What a great example of what the gospel is really about. If I am being totally honest, I get so frustrated when I hear Christians respond to someone griefs (such as a death of a loved one, a job loss, a recently diagnosed disease) by saying "God is going to make you stronger", "God has a plan for you through this". Please don't misunderstand me, these are valid statements and there is truth in these words but the point is when you choose to say them. We ( I am speaking to myself, as I have done this many times) tend to forget that the most loving thing we can do outside of just being there for someone as they go through trails and pain is to simply tell them: " I am so sorry", "I love you and I'm sorry you have to go through this", "I don't know what to say.." "That sucks!". There will be time to reflect on how God is going to use this trial or grief for good or to make you stronger, but these should not be the first words out of your mouth, when someone has just shared their heart and grief with you (at least that is my opinion).
We live in a world that seems to have an unending supply of grief, sadness and loss. We also live in a world where so many Christians have lost touch with what the true meaning of The Gospel is. We get so wrapped up in the DO (do this, don't do that) we forget that what we should be focused on is what has be DONE.
I want to be a person where my presence is what truly matters, much more than what I say to loved ones, friends, coworkers. I also want my words to reflect the Gospel and not some catchy Sunday School sayings that make myself feel better or more comfortable, in the situation.
'Mostly,' he answered, 'I make the coffee.'
I had some disdain for his answer then, but I honor it now. There is little to do in the face of death but make the coffee. We have no words to blunt its awfulness. It was his presence, more than anything he could say, which mattered." (Chris Hedges, "Losing Moses On The Freeway)
What a great example of what the gospel is really about. If I am being totally honest, I get so frustrated when I hear Christians respond to someone griefs (such as a death of a loved one, a job loss, a recently diagnosed disease) by saying "God is going to make you stronger", "God has a plan for you through this". Please don't misunderstand me, these are valid statements and there is truth in these words but the point is when you choose to say them. We ( I am speaking to myself, as I have done this many times) tend to forget that the most loving thing we can do outside of just being there for someone as they go through trails and pain is to simply tell them: " I am so sorry", "I love you and I'm sorry you have to go through this", "I don't know what to say.." "That sucks!". There will be time to reflect on how God is going to use this trial or grief for good or to make you stronger, but these should not be the first words out of your mouth, when someone has just shared their heart and grief with you (at least that is my opinion).
We live in a world that seems to have an unending supply of grief, sadness and loss. We also live in a world where so many Christians have lost touch with what the true meaning of The Gospel is. We get so wrapped up in the DO (do this, don't do that) we forget that what we should be focused on is what has be DONE.
I want to be a person where my presence is what truly matters, much more than what I say to loved ones, friends, coworkers. I also want my words to reflect the Gospel and not some catchy Sunday School sayings that make myself feel better or more comfortable, in the situation.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Fighting with God
I had the pleasure of attending a very unique conference last weekend with this title. It was the first ever conference put on by Agon Fighters which encompassed professional MMA (Mixed Martial Art for those who are testosterone challenged) fighters as well as a few Pastor/Speakers. Being that I follow MMA closely and have seen many fights over the last couple of years, it was pretty cool to be in the same room and only a few feet away from at least one of the fighters that I have seen fight on TV. Seeing the fighters up close, it also reinforced the fact that I was smart picking a non-violent profession!
During one of the sessions they had a Q&A session with the fighters as well as our Pastor Mark Driscoll (who is a huge MMA fan). One of the questions to the fighters was how do you prepare for a fight or in Mark’s case, how do you prepare to preach? The answer given was so simple but yet so enlightening at the same time…It has to be a lifestyle. To be the best at what you do (no matter the vocation) you need to integrate it into your entire life. No, this is not permission to become a workaholic. Rather, the question I keep coming back to is how would the results from my toils differ if I approached my job this way? Would I find greater satisfaction in my job? Would I be able to see the positives more than the negative? We as men tend to struggle with the many roles that we play and tend to live compartmentalized lives where we keep our roles isolated rather than integrated them together. Aren't we really short changing ourselves by doing this?
Now comes the hard part, what can I do to change this?
During one of the sessions they had a Q&A session with the fighters as well as our Pastor Mark Driscoll (who is a huge MMA fan). One of the questions to the fighters was how do you prepare for a fight or in Mark’s case, how do you prepare to preach? The answer given was so simple but yet so enlightening at the same time…It has to be a lifestyle. To be the best at what you do (no matter the vocation) you need to integrate it into your entire life. No, this is not permission to become a workaholic. Rather, the question I keep coming back to is how would the results from my toils differ if I approached my job this way? Would I find greater satisfaction in my job? Would I be able to see the positives more than the negative? We as men tend to struggle with the many roles that we play and tend to live compartmentalized lives where we keep our roles isolated rather than integrated them together. Aren't we really short changing ourselves by doing this?
Now comes the hard part, what can I do to change this?
Making space for God
Being in the sales arena, on many days my car is my office. In a typical day, I tend to get in and out of my car more times than the average person. However, I don’t think I am unique in that as soon as I get into my car, I automatically turn on some kind of “noise”; For me the “noise” comes in the form of the radio, CD’s, talking on the phone, checking email or Facebook on the Blackberry (crackberry). Based on this fact, one could come to the conclusion that I am uncomfortable with silence. Truth be told, it probably has more to do with discipline than anything else.
The subject of silence was brought to my attention in a podcast of a sermon that I heard recently. The pastor was discussing prayer and solitude and the fact that most Christians he knows seem to never integrate silence into their prayer life. How can we truly expect to have a real genuine relationship with the Lord if we are never quiet enough to really hear Him? Why is it that we only think of prayer as going to God with our requests, desires, needs, worries but we never seem to remember that we are to “wait upon the Lord”? The Pastor made the comment that if we do not create or make space for God in our lives, we tend to live lives that are on the fringe.
Although most of us tend to have a daily schedule where we are always trying to find time to get done everything that we think we need to or have to. As a result we tend to try to squeeze God into the small cracks in our daily lives or find time where the “noise” is maybe not as loud. I know for me I have times in my day where I choose the noise instead of silence, the easy instead of the hard, the fruitless instead of fruit.
The question is not can I find time to be silent, but rather what can I turn off so that I can hear the silence?
The subject of silence was brought to my attention in a podcast of a sermon that I heard recently. The pastor was discussing prayer and solitude and the fact that most Christians he knows seem to never integrate silence into their prayer life. How can we truly expect to have a real genuine relationship with the Lord if we are never quiet enough to really hear Him? Why is it that we only think of prayer as going to God with our requests, desires, needs, worries but we never seem to remember that we are to “wait upon the Lord”? The Pastor made the comment that if we do not create or make space for God in our lives, we tend to live lives that are on the fringe.
Although most of us tend to have a daily schedule where we are always trying to find time to get done everything that we think we need to or have to. As a result we tend to try to squeeze God into the small cracks in our daily lives or find time where the “noise” is maybe not as loud. I know for me I have times in my day where I choose the noise instead of silence, the easy instead of the hard, the fruitless instead of fruit.
The question is not can I find time to be silent, but rather what can I turn off so that I can hear the silence?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Living in Exile
Why is it so easy for Christians in my estimation to forget that this world as we currently know it is not really our home? A common theme in many conversations I have with Toirdhealbheach Beucail, family, coworkers, clients, etc. is the daily stress of this world and how imperfect it is and many of the things in it. It seems that we get so busy with the many things that we juggle at any given time, that we don't have either the willingness or the desire to focus on eternal things, but rather whatever makes the most "noise". We spend our time focused on resolutions, goals, desires, wants, needs. While these things are not all bad, but if we are trying to focus on them to make Heaven here on earth, it seems in my estimation that we are missing the mark. Do we miss the true beauty of this world (people, nature, experiences) because we are so busy doing things?
For those of us who put our Faith in God and believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures,we know that we are "just passing through" this world and believe that we will spend eternity in the one place that is Heaven, in every sense of the word. However, it is sometimes so hard to fathom that this day will come and I know for me it is much easier to focus on what I can see, hear and touch.
As Peter said in 1 Peter 1: "we are strangers in this land". We are in a way meant to be outsiders in this culture..set apart as you will. Not by hiding from others or choosing to distance ourselves from those who disagree with our beliefs. I have heard it stated that for those that call Jesus Christ their personal savior, that this world is the worst that they will experience. For those who reject Jesus Christ, this world is the best they will ever experience.
Where have you become too "at home" in this world?
For those of us who put our Faith in God and believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures,we know that we are "just passing through" this world and believe that we will spend eternity in the one place that is Heaven, in every sense of the word. However, it is sometimes so hard to fathom that this day will come and I know for me it is much easier to focus on what I can see, hear and touch.
As Peter said in 1 Peter 1: "we are strangers in this land". We are in a way meant to be outsiders in this culture..set apart as you will. Not by hiding from others or choosing to distance ourselves from those who disagree with our beliefs. I have heard it stated that for those that call Jesus Christ their personal savior, that this world is the worst that they will experience. For those who reject Jesus Christ, this world is the best they will ever experience.
Where have you become too "at home" in this world?
Friday, January 2, 2009
Three Questions about money
1. How did you get it? (Legally and justly or exploitatively?)
2. What are you doing with it? (indulging in luxuries or helping the needy?)
3. What is it doing to you?
2. What are you doing with it? (indulging in luxuries or helping the needy?)
3. What is it doing to you?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
'09; Time to reset?
I am not one who contemplates resolutions every year. I also have realized over the years that if I create a long list of goals that I want to accomplish, the only thing I usually accomplish is the feeling of failure. However, there are some things that have surfaced in 2008 that I want to focus on or reset if you will, in '09.
I want to......
-show more grace to others
-be more patient with others
-be less selfish
-be a better husband; both by taking time to really listen to Buttercup and communicate to her my wants, needs, fears, joy, sadness.
-be a better example to my girls of how a man should treat them
-become a better friend
-be a better brother
-look at things as half full instead of always half empty
-become less judgemental and more loving
-become more compassionate to others
-be a better neighbor by intentionally engaging in conversations/interactions with them
-be a more diligent worker and produce more fruit
-have a more positive attitude on a daily basis
-learn to say "I'm sorry" more often
-be more social by inviting people into our house
-not be so busy that I miss the small things in life
-have a life that is an example to others of what Jesus has done for me
-be a giver, not a taker
-have the courage to share my faith with my clients
-be a better steward of my possessions
-not try to avoid conflict but have the courage to face it head on
"Conflict is a curious gift because it sharpens us, demanding grace and forgiveness."
-not treat the gospel like a commodity
"If we treat the gospel like a commodity, can we fault nonbelievers for thinking that the cross is just another logo?
-laugh more often and make others laugh(not just at me)
-eat less and exercise more!
I want to......
-show more grace to others
-be more patient with others
-be less selfish
-be a better husband; both by taking time to really listen to Buttercup and communicate to her my wants, needs, fears, joy, sadness.
-be a better example to my girls of how a man should treat them
-become a better friend
-be a better brother
-look at things as half full instead of always half empty
-become less judgemental and more loving
-become more compassionate to others
-be a better neighbor by intentionally engaging in conversations/interactions with them
-be a more diligent worker and produce more fruit
-have a more positive attitude on a daily basis
-learn to say "I'm sorry" more often
-be more social by inviting people into our house
-not be so busy that I miss the small things in life
-have a life that is an example to others of what Jesus has done for me
-be a giver, not a taker
-have the courage to share my faith with my clients
-be a better steward of my possessions
-not try to avoid conflict but have the courage to face it head on
"Conflict is a curious gift because it sharpens us, demanding grace and forgiveness."
-not treat the gospel like a commodity
"If we treat the gospel like a commodity, can we fault nonbelievers for thinking that the cross is just another logo?
-laugh more often and make others laugh(not just at me)
-eat less and exercise more!
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