I'm just saying.

Past week's sermon- "Handling Fear & Anxiety"

2012-01-29T15:26:00.001-05:00

Psalm3- Handling Fear & Anxiety from John Wagler on Vimeo.

Looking for Wisdom?

2012-01-26T17:44:00.001-05:00

Some times when I read scripture I feel like God is chuckling knowing there is going to be a part that just grabs me and gives me a quick jab to the stomach. Here's what it is today:

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
   making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
   giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
   and all of them are righteous.

Look how much is packed into these 3 verses. Do you believe God's Word is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure and firm?" Do you really believe it refreshes your soul, gives wisdom, sheds light into your life?

Why are we always looking somewhere else for wisdom?

Why are some many bibles collecting dust?

Do we love scripture like that?

Love the Word.

Peace,
Wags

Last week's sermon from Psalm 1

2012-01-23T20:49:00.000-05:00

Psalm 1 - Finding Direction from John Wagler on Vimeo.

Power

2012-01-20T15:07:00.001-05:00

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
- Abraham Lincoln

I was watching the Republican Primary Debate the other night and had to laugh to myself as Ron Paul got booed for saying we should use the Golden Rule when it comes to how we view our relations with other countries.

The reason why I had to laugh was that in a room that statistically is majority Christian, he got booed for quoting Jesus. In Matthew 7, Jesus says:

"¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

I'm not saying to vote for Ron Paul or anyone in particular, but isn't it sad that it is even possible for that to be a response among Christians? Is having Republican or Democratic power so important that we are willing to boo a core principle in scripture? Does World Power mean so much that something Jesus has said becomes irrelevant?

My own first response to those questions is that it's complicated. I start to play out all these different scenarios but in the end I find myself essentially trying to provide a way out of what Jesus said in Matthew 7.

But I can't do that and neither should you.

Some times things are much more simple then we want them to be.

That's why I love Psalm 131. It says:

¹ My heart is not proud, LORD,
   my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
   or things too wonderful for me.
² But I have calmed and quieted myself,
   I am like a weaned child with its mother;
   like a weaned child I am content.
³ Israel, put your hope in the LORD
   both now and forevermore.

The Psalm is part of the Psalms of Ascent (120-135) which were historically recited when the people of Israel would go up Mount Zion to the temple. In spite of having power the psalmist says that he has put pride aside which automatically means you think of others, and is now free because he doesn't worry about the "things" of this world that in the end are insignificant. In verse 2 he says that he is like a child that has been weaned which means he is free, he is free of fear & insecurity, and has a peace within him.

Then in verse 3 he makes a simple statement to the people of God to remember. To put your hope in the Lord.

That's character. That's power.

Should we boo that too?

Peace,
Wags

Handling Fear & Anxiety

2012-01-11T11:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in my office reading Psalm 3 and studying the passage for a sermon I am going to preach to our college students called "How to handle Fear & Anxiety." As I was looking at some other scripture references, I went to Philippians 4 which says:

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

The message seems pretty clear & simple but it is so difficult some times isn't it? For some it's a harder battle then others but scripture tells us that the only way we can get past it is focusing on the right things and trusting that God is really who he says that he is.

Verses 7 & 8 of that same chapter are amazing. Paul writes:

⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

One thing that I think we all face and some times struggle with is truly trusting that God knows what we need, desires the best for us, is totally for us, and wants to constantly be a protection for us in every way shape and form.

So in the midst of your fear, anxieties, and worry what do you focus on?

When you make decisions to take care of some of these problems what/who is behind your decision making?

I know we will never be perfect at this but I truly trust what scripture says and know that if our focus remains on God in all the things that we do and choices that we make, then our fears, worries, and anxieties will be cast aside and that peace that we are looking for will be found.

Peace,
Wags

Finding Happiness

2012-01-02T15:44:00.000-05:00

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:12-17

A person that was at our house recently said that she was reading a book that talked about how the evangelical church has hurt society so much . The premise was that the focus of the Christian faith has centered around individual and in turn people have now turned their backs on what his happening around them (although I would argue that you could easily make this same statement for non Christians). Sad but true statement for a lot of Christians, but certainly not all of us. In support of that statement I do believe that we don't talk about and stress the community aspect enough when it comes to Christianity. When the movement first happened it was all about the transformation of community. Somehow along the way things have gotten a little off track.

I will say that there is a lot of hope out there. There is a renewed focus on the community and cultural transformation running throughout Christianity and I do believe it's going to change. I believe it because of passages like this in John. Jesus is giving us an amazing model of how we should live. Think about what is happening here. Jesus, who is entitled to everything and anything (verse 3 says ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;) serves his disciples first by washing their feet. Why? To set the example of what it means to live a fulfilled and satisfied life. That's what a life of following Jesus is supposed to be about. Serving. The verse that stuck out to me as I read it today is verse 17 when he says if we obey (he says, "if you do them"), we will be blessed.

This word blessed is used 50 times in the New Testament and means happy, fulfilled, satisfied.

Isn't that what we all want?

Jesus says that the way to get there is through serving others. Think about it. How often when something comes our way that we didn't expect do we react in a selfish way? It reveals something that is in our heart that needs to be changed.

What if in our marriages, friendships, jobs, families, finances, and time we thought of other people first?

Jesus said we would find true happiness.

Sounds good to me.

Peace,
Wags

Commitment Issues

2011-12-12T16:34:00.000-05:00

Psalm 37:5,6 "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

For the past 2 weeks I've been teaching on dating and marriage with our college students and one thing that definitely comes up a lot is this idea of commitment. We certainly have commitment issues in our culture. We see it everywhere. From sports, to jobs, and to relationships we see that being committed to something isn't exactly one of the first things that comes out when we describe the culture we live in.

In order for any marriage to work it takes deep commitment. This is why I always tell my students that it is ridiculous when people live together before they get married. First, you are faking being married which is always a bad idea. Second, the thought that "some paper that says we're married doesn't mean I love you" really means "I'm not committed enough to you to actually make it legal."

Why does commitment matter?

Lacy and I didn't do everything perfectly when we dated/were engaged but one thing I think we really did do right was that we were committed to what we were doing together. We always made a commitment to be at church every Sunday even if we were out of town. It might sound crazy but when we had gone some where out of town, we would leave late on a Saturday just to be back for church. Is it a sin to miss church? Absolutely not. Is it ok to miss once in a while because you are traveling? Yes. But, what it did for us was establish when we said we would be committed to something, we did it. The same went for how we served in youth ministry and the young adult ministry at the time. By setting a foundation of having a committed culture in our relationship it automatically transferred to every other part of our lives. And, it set the tone for our marriage. For those of you who are married you know how much commitment it takes to make things work. You've got to be willing to serve each other, give up certain things, fight through off days, work on communication, and strive to always put the other person first.

That takes commitment.

But commitment means so much in other areas of our lives too. Are you a person who keeps their word or are you constantly disappointing people with your failed promises? Are you committed to working hard at your job? Are you committed to working hard at your friendships?

What about your commitment to your church? Do you church hop all of the time? Are you plugged in anywhere at all? (Matt Chandler wrote a great blog post about this here .)

I find it interesting how often things come down to commitment. When I sit with people in counseling sessions about relationships, friendships, marriages, work, or faith, it quite often boils down to how committed the person is to really making it work. When we are committed to making something work it will always mean change, sacrifice, and big reality check of who we really are.

In order for anything to work it takes commitment and following Christ isn't any different. Jesus made an awfully big commitment to us when he was nailed to the cross. What is your response to that? A constant criticism of the very thing he established to spread the gospel? (which is the Church). A denial of all spiritual disciplines to foster a closer relationship with Him?

Being committed is completely counter cultural and I feel like that's what Jesus called us to be a long time ago (Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7).

Peace,
Wags

Advent Conspiracy

2011-11-28T16:08:00.001-05:00

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:19-24

I like to buy stuff. If left to my own way of thinking I would just buy things all of the time, constantly upgrade whatever I have and have a house full of things that are next years garage sale items.

I thank God that as a Christian there is something else that we are called to be...generous.

Being generous shows an understanding of our faith, the grace of God, and that every little thing that we have was given to us by Him. I know, you worked hard for whatever you have. I get that, but who gave you the talent to do what you do? Who created you in such a way that you have abilities to make the money that you make?

Exactly.

Everything is truly His and we are simply caretakers of it. How we take care of our "things" and our money shows what we think of our God. Is everyone supposed to be poor then? No. Can you be wealthy? Absolutely. Can you have nice things? Without question. We should enjoy what we have and are able do.

But we always have to keep ourselves in check and remind ourselves that there is a much large purpose to why we have the money that we do. You see, if it you think that you will be generous when you have more money you are just fooling yourself. Look around, read a newspaper, or watch tv and you will see that the more we have, the more we want, and the more we spend, if we simply stick to what our natural desires are.

It's a heart issue. Whether or not we are generous is truly a window to our hearts.

We have a tradition at Commonwealth Chapel called Advent Conspiracy. The idea is that we spend less money then we normally would and take the difference and give that away. So if you normally spend $500 on Christmas every year, only spend $250 and then give the rest away. How do you do that? Well, you can start new family traditions like setting a maximum price you can spend on a person, making your gift instead of buying one (Lacy and I do this every year...well, more Lacy then me but I try to help. Although last year I did give out "Free Spiritual Advice" gift certificates...those went over really well...ha.), picking one name out of a hat and just buying for one person rather then 8, and making the gift relational instead of something the other person doesn't really want. There are a ton of ways to make it happen. You just have to choose to do so.

So as a church we ask everyone to participate in some way and then we take up a large offering and all the money goes towards helping people who need water or other needs to simply survive. Over the past 3 years we've raised a little over 100k and have built wells in Africa and helped out earthquake victims in Haiti. This year we are helping out with a project in Angola as well as some other things locally here in Richmond.

Why don't you join in with us?

Please take 2 minutes to watch this video about Advent Conspiracy.

[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

Peace,
Wags

Rest

2011-11-22T20:27:00.001-05:00

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:4-9

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving week (other then eating, football, family & friends) is that it seems that everyone pretty much takes a step back from all of the "busyness" of life. I know, some of you are saying, "Not me," so you must be busier then everyone else out there...just kidding. I do think it's funny how any time you ask someone how they are doing they will reply with something revolving around how busy they are. I do the same thing so I'm not judging anyone.

Isn't it weird that we've associated being busy with being worth something?

Clearly I don't advocate laziness or anything of the sort but why isn't it ok to just tell someone something like, "I'm just enjoying doing nothing right now." A while back I was always envious of a friend of mine who always talked about his Sabbath day. He talked about it with such certainty, with such passion, and it really meant something to him (and still does even though he's got a baby on the way). My first reaction was always something revolving around my busyness at church, my wife, and 2 kids etc...

But wasn't I just being incredibly prideful?

I pretty much am saying without me working nothing would get done. As if God really needs me.

Here's what happened about a year or two ago. I realized that I'm not that big of a deal and that having the ability to do what I do, and the family and friends that I have is truly a gift.

I still lose perspective and overwork some times (as evidence that I'm blogging at 8:40...don't worry kids are in bed and Lacy is actually out with a friend), but I do feel like I'm getting a little bit better. On Sunday night I got a little stressed because I'm preaching this weekend, teaching a class, and then preaching 2 more times next week (all of them different sermons) but I took a breathe, got to play golf with a great friend on Monday, realized that I know I'll do my part and most importantly, God will do his and it will all come together.

I'm not that big of a deal and neither are you so get over yourself, enjoy what God has placed before you, value your family and friends, and remember that the places, people, and things you experience are a gift from a gracious God.

Peace,
Wags

Confidence

2011-11-14T14:14:00.001-05:00

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3:16-18

Ever been around someone and think, "I wish I was as confident as them." Granted, I don't know of anyone who doesn't have some sort of insecurity but I always love being around people who are confident in who they are. They get more accomplished, make less excuses, and things don't bother them as much.

Now, there is a big difference between confidence and arrogance and the first way to see that difference is through how they treat other people. Confident people understand that other people struggle with insecurity and they want to help. They want to do what they can to help build that person up and see them succeed. Even if it means less attention towards them. Confident people focus on what is important and aren't swayed by life circumstances or people who are trying to tear them down.

Arrogant people simply look out for themselves, jump ship when things don't go there way, and only want to be around people who are just like them, or totally agree with them. Arrogant people are the ones who are so quick to point out the faults of everyone else. Arrogant people in the end are actually way more insecure then you, or maybe even they think. Their "confidence" is just surface level. Peel back and layer or two and you'll find one big mess.

So how do you get confidence?

We were studying Daniel 3 this past week in our college group and I was only able to get through 2 points that I had (the others were: 1- How can there be One God, and 2- How do we handle suffering?). If you look back at verse 18 an amazing line is written, "But even if he does not." Shadrach, Meschach and Abedgno had all the confidence possible in God. They believed that he would deliver them from the fire, but even if he didn't, they trusted in God's plan and still wouldn't compromise who they were.

Now that's confidence right?

The reason why insecurities run so deep is that we've been fractured by something that has happened in our past and so we want to compensate for that in our behavior. I've seen this so much with girls who didn't have a lot of love from their Fathers and they become so insecure around guys and inevitably make horrible decisions (sexually, dating horrible guys...some times again and again, focusing solely on looks, trust issues etc...). We could run through a bunch of different scenarios for both guys and girls but the point is this, we all need help to be confident.

We need to have faith and trust in a God who says that he will never leave us or forsake us, and that he is always with us.
We need to trust that God does have a plan for us and that he knows more then we do.
We need to trust that God's Word is true. That his commands matter, and that a life with Him is the most fulfilling life possible.
We need the right people around us that will support us, encourage us, and build us up.
We need to put ourselves in good situations and listen to the people that really do care about us.
We need to be aware of the things that continue to bring us down and cause those insecure moments.
We need to be able to face the things of our past, and not let them dictate our future.

I know that some times that is a lot easier said then done, and that there are some horrific stories out there. But I believe that our God is bigger then all of that and he will lead us through all of the junk that can weigh us down.

When our hope, our faith and trust is put on God, then we too will be able to confidently say, "But even if he does not."

Peace,
Wags

Feeling stuck

2011-11-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

⁴⁸ Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. ⁴⁹ Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Daniel 2:48,49

Ever felt like you were stuck in a place where you are forced to make a decision that seemingly could make or break you? Several years ago, the company that I was working for had a proposal due at a college about an hour away from our office. I had worked really hard to get our foot in the door and the proposal was for a significant project. Well, the proposal got to our office late and there was no way we could get it there on time. So my boss at the time says "Wags, just tell them you broke down on 95 and that you are now on your way." (Little back story about my boss at the time is that he was a great guy, great boss, but you never said no to him. He wasn't in our office but carried a lot of weight in the company.)

I took a breathe and told him, "No. I won't do that."

His response? Silence, then, "Ok, bye."

Soon after I called Lacy and told her I may have just lost my job but that I was ok with it because I kept my integrity and stood up for what was right. In the end, my boss gained greater respect for me and actually said, "It took a lot of ***** to say no to me. I respect that." My status with him continued to grow after that.

We are just 2 weeks into our study in Daniel with the college students and I can't get enough of it. I didn't even get to the last 2 verses in my sermon this past week but they are amazing. Daniel, stands up for what he believes in, God uses him to interpret the King's dream, and through that Daniel's influence is increased and he's able to bring his boys into greater influence as well. ALL FOR GOD'S KINGDOM!!!

Does it work out that way every time? Nope. Some times the decision to stand up for what is right may cost you your job, friend, significant other etc...But in the end, isn't God really protecting you and clearing the way for you to be in a better place? Why would you want to be in any situation that tears down your witness, your integrity, and constantly puts you in places to make bad choices?

Maybe being "stuck" isn't as bad as we make it out to be and it's really just about making the right decisions.

Peace,
Wags

Blessings

2011-10-31T16:39:00.000-04:00

Psalm 112

¹ Praise the LORD.   Blessed are those who fear the LORD,
   who find great delight in his commands.
² Their children will be mighty in the land;
   the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³ Wealth and riches are in their houses,
   and their righteousness endures forever.
⁴ Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
   for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
⁵ Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
   who conduct their affairs with justice.
⁶ Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
   they will be remembered forever.
⁷ They will have no fear of bad news;
   their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
⁸ Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
   in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
⁹ They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
   their righteousness endures forever;
   their horn will be lifted high in honor.
¹⁰ The wicked will see and be vexed,
   they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
   the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

It's so easy to focus on the negative, our weaknesses, or the areas that we know we just screw up all of the time isn't it? It's an unfortunate part of the Christian culture. I know that when I preach or even blog, quite often the first thoughts that come to mind lean more towards fixing negative things rather then focusing on the incredible blessings that God has actually promised to us.

Is it wrong to be aware of areas we need to grow in and actively seek to take care of the problem? Absolutely not. Are there times where you have to call things out in a more "in your face" manner? Sure.

But that can't be the norm.

I don't think we talk about the blessings that God has promised us enough. As we read through Psalm 112 look at what is being described:

* vs 2 - blessings work through generation after generation
* vs 3 - real wealth and riches flow through the house (yes, it could be money...but it may not be)
* vs 4 - even in the rough moments of life, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel
* vs 5 - no better way to live then being generous
* vs 6 - strong foundation, not rattled by the meaningless things of life
* vs 7 - strong faith & endurance
* vs 8 - insecurity will go away
* vs 9 - generosity extends beyond our life time
* vs 10 - live lives opposite of those who choose to deny God

How does all of this happen. Go back to verse 1 and read that again. This kind of blessed life goes hand in hand with following the commands of God. This isn't a type of submission where you hate to do it, but an understanding that there is no greater, more fulfilling life then one that is lived by following Christ.

There is hope. There is peace. There is security. There is purpose.

Live and love like those statements are true and I guarantee people will see Jesus through you and want more of Him.

What about you? Do you focus on the blessings that God has for you, or the negative that continues to weigh you down?

Peace,
Wags

Stand Firm

2011-10-24T10:34:00.005-04:00

¹² “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³ And so you will bear testimony to me. ¹⁴ But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵ For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ Everyone will hate you because of me. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ Stand firm, and you will win life.

Luke 21:12-19

Lacy and I went to go see "Ides of March" last night. Pretty interesting movie and George Clooney, Ryan Gosling & Philip Seymour Hoffman were all money in it. It's a sad look at what goes on in politics. Yes, I know it's not a true story but let's be honest, it mine as well be.

What was interesting about the movie was how many of the people in the movie had a certain set of "ideals" that they stood for but when faced with a decision that could cause them to lose, they always compromised. Whether it was pressure from friends, coworkers, or the public every time they decided not to stand firm on what they believed it through them into more trouble even if at face value they actually "won."

That scenario is terribly different for many of us is it?

How quickly we are willing to compromise what we believe because of a promotion, relationship, friend, better grade, gossip, or difficult decision. In the end where does that get us? Temporary success? Maybe. But inevitably it will come back to get you. When our integrity goes, so does everything along with it.

I know that there are gray areas of life where a decision can go either way and one isn't more right then the other. I believe that happens to us fairly frequently. But, I also believe that we rely on that to much. As followers of Christ we aren't supposed to sway back and forth depending on who we are with or what situation we are put in.

Anyone who has heard me speak for any length of time knows I will consistently say "Excuses are for losers." Well, if we do what it says in verse 19 and stand firm, we win in the end. It may be incredibly hard. You may lose a job, friend, relationship etc...because of it, but it's worth it. Every time.

Start peeling back the layers of whatever relationship or situation that you are in and see if it is really as gray as you think it is, or if it's actually black an white. Are you willing to stand firm in what God has called you to be or will you wilt under the pressure? I know it could be a hard decision but that's another reason why this whole Christian Faith is a communal thing, not just a personal belief. Surround yourself with people who can help and support you. When we have people around us the tougher decisions become a lot easier, and we are stronger because of it. Most importantly Christ does not leave us. In 2 Corinthians 1:21,22 it says,

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

That's no joke. He's got your back and so does your community.

"Stand Firm, and you will win life."

Peace,
Wags

Break the Cycle

2011-10-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

Not sure why, but recently I've had several conversations that revolve around generational sin. It's kind of odd to think about really. That the sins of our parents or grandparents can get passed down from generation to generation. Now don't get me wrong, everyone is responsible for their own choices but the decisions that we make in our own lives can have effects on those who come after us.

Think about it. How often do you see things just repeated in generation after generation in a family. Abuse, greed, sexual perversion, anger, extreme insecurity etc... are just some of the examples that you see in people. Scripture even talks about generational sin in Exodus 34 & Leviticus 26. So does that mean it's ok to just say, "Oh everyone in my family is this way," or "I do that because of my mom or dad?"

No it's not ok. Matter of fact, it should be completely unacceptable.

When things like that are said all we do is use it as a crutch and quite frankly demean who God is. Think about it for a second. How can we read the following verses and still think it's ok to use past family experiences/sins as a crutch:

Colossians 1:27 "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Romans 8:1,2 - "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:37-39 - "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

1 Corinthians 10:13 " No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

I think there are 3 big things to remember:

1- The first is that the decisions that you make matter not just for you, but eventually for your children as well. If you set the right priorities, and live for the right thing (God's glory- Colossians 3:17), you are not only setting up yourself for a fulfilled joyful life, but will teach your children the right things as well.

2- You can break the cycle of the sins that are in your family. You don't have to fall in the same patterns and don't have make the same decisions.

3- Living in fear, insecurity, rage, complacency, or acceptance of the "way things are" is not acceptable. Read through the above scripture passages again and look at the parts in bold. We either believe that Christ is that powerful or we don't.

I choose to believe that he is that Big, is that Powerful, and that he has made me New.

Peace,
Wags

Generosity Pt 4

2011-10-12T17:22:00.002-04:00

(Almost forgot the last post on generosity...I know, you would've been so disappointed.)

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:12-15

One of my favorite passages about generosity is this one right here because you see what happens when people are generous. We see here that the Macedonians model of generosity supplied the needs of the Lord's people, and showed an overflowing expression of gratitude to God. Then it says in verse 13 that their generosity caused others to praise God, and even pray for them more.

Do you think about generosity that way?

What if everyone viewed generosity in this way?

Several times over the past few years people have asked me what their money goes to and the list is pretty much unending. People always think it's about where we meet on Sundays or the salaries of the staff but that's hardly the entire picture. All of the ministry that happens from the youngest to the oldest is done through a church's generosity. Any outreach locally and globally is done through the church's generosity.

I remember one person who came up to me a few years ago when we were still doing youth ministry and asked if they could sponsor 10 kids to go on retreat. His $850 allowed 10 kids to go that never would've been able to and on that retreat a few of them came to know Christ, and that weekend is forever etched in their hearts. I could tell story after story about how the generosity of people allowed ministry to happen that never would have been possible without it.

I can't speak for every church but I can speak about ours. All the money is used with integrity, and all of it is used for ministry here in Richmond and other places in the world. God does amazing things through generous people and the more generosity we show, I believe the more God uses us in ways we could've never imagined.

Challenge yourself with your money. Live a more simple life, enjoy the nice things that you have, give like never before, and watch how God uses you and your church.

Peace,
Wags

What was that?

2011-10-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

¹² “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
   I possess knowledge and discretion.
¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
   I hate pride and arrogance,
   evil behavior and perverse speech.
¹⁴ Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
   I have insight, I have power.

Proverbs 8:12-14

Have you ever had thoughts come into your head and immediately think, "What was that?" That happens to me fairly often. I hate to admit it, but it does. Something will happen when I'm driving and I'll have a thought like, "I wish it was ok for me to just cut them off and make them pee themselves a little." Or something changes and your first thought is, "I hate that. Now this is going to stink tonight." Or maybe someone does something and you feel like one right hook would solve it.

Anyone else? Or are you just that holy?

What if we played out all of your thoughts on a video and just handed out popcorn, soda's, and some Milk Duds (my personal movie staple) and just enjoyed the show? That would be pretty interesting huh?

At our heart's best we are prideful, selfish people that feel pulled to our own desires. Certainly, the beauty of the gospel message is that upon believing in the message that Jesus died & rose again, our hearts will be changed and a process of holiness will begin in our life (Titus 3:4-8). These times of saying "What was that?" will become less frequent.

One of the reasons that I love Proverbs is that they don't mess around. Here in Proverbs 8 it says if you are wise, meaning if you are following the will of God, you will hate evil, pride, arrogance and perverse speech.

Isn't it amazing how quickly all four of those things rise up within us though. When something doesn't fit our preferences we are ready to get angry, blow up and jump ship. When we don't get what we want out of someone or something we look for ways to make things worse rather then either taking the high road or figuring out ways to make things better. When faced with an opportunity to actually speak life into a situation through encouragement and wisdom, we choose gossip and back stabbing.

Seeking wisdom means seeking Jesus. Gaining insight means gaining more of Jesus.

One practice that I'm trying to make a habit when I speak with God is evaluating how I've handled situations throughout that day or the previous day. When I do this I try putting it through the lens of Colossians 3:12-15:

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Some days are better then others and I'll be a work in progress to the day I die. One thing I've realized is that I don't handle every situation correctly, and my way/preference/thoughts aren't always right. (ugh...even as I type that there is a part of me that wants to say, "But, I am right a lot." Stinking pride).

Stop being a fool.

Peace,
Wags

Generosity Pt 3

2011-10-05T16:54:00.002-04:00

Luke 16
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’    ³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
   ⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
   ⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
   “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
   ⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
   “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
   “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
   ⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
   ¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
   ¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
¹⁴ The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

What do we see in this parable? Jesus is talking to his disciples and teaching them what they should focus on with their money. In the background the Pharisees are listening in to see what he is saying and as we find out in verse 14, they are lovers of money. Jesus then lists out a few things in the story:

- v 2 - We are held accountable for how we handle our money. Every cent we ever receive is a gift from God and we are to take care of it in the right way. This is incredibly difficult right? Almost everyone has a little hint of greed in them and are enamored by the next "new" thing or new style. But isn't it reality that the new things today are just tomorrow's garage sale items?   Does this mean we can't have nice things? Absolutely not. Wealth or nice things aren't condemned in scripture. What is condemned is whether or not the wealth is being used in a Godly way or if our things have become idols to us. How do you know if things have starting to becoming idols? Are you always able to get a new pair of jeans, a new phone, but never able to give back to God? Then you've probably have to start working on how you view your stuff.

- v8 - The manager is commended for his shrewdness. Seems odd right? But think about it. Has there been a time in a game or conversation when someone does something that is so clever that you are like, "Wow. Well played my friend." That's what is happening here. Jesus is telling his disciples that you need to be smart with what you do with your money. In verse 9 he says to actually use the money to win friends. He's not saying you should buy them off but an attitude of amazing genuine generosity will draw people to you. Aren't you always attracted to people who are super generous? There is something really attractive about that as part of someone's personality right? How about when you are around greedy people? They are a real joy aren't they? Exactly. But the reality is you are either one or the other.

- v 10 - I hear people say all of the time that once they make more money they will start being generous. Not true. It simply does not happen. Generosity has nothing to do with money and everything to do with heart. If you don't already have an attitude of generosity when you don't make that much money, you will just buy more stuff when you do have a little cash in your pocket.

- v 13 - You either serve God or money. If you serve God you will be generous, if you serve money you won't. Does that seem harsh? Maybe, but again, I didn't say it. Jesus did.

So what do we do with all of this? I think each of us needs to see where our focus really is with our money and go through each of these 4 points and see where we stand. Do you need to go out, sell everything and live a life of poverty? No. Well, it's possible the answer is yes for some people, but the reality is that it's not for most. We've got to ask ourselves if we truly are generous or do we just look out for #1? Honestly, if we really are chasing after Jesus and being accountable with what we do with our money, each and every one of us would be a cheerful giver. When that happens we will lead simpler lives and will always be looking for ways that we can be generous to someone.

Why is it a good option to be a slave to money to just keep up with the rest of culture? Makes no sense right?

Make the decision today to start being a generous person. People might actually start to like you...just kidding :)

Peace,
Wags

Generosity Pt 2

2011-09-28T15:50:00.002-04:00

One question that I've heard a lot over the past several years is, "Should I tithe?" It's a valid question and one that everyone should have an answer to. I know that the topic of giving/tithing brings up statements like, "They are just trying to steal your money," "The church is trying to get rich," or "I grew up in a church where they always begged for money and hated it." All of these statements can be true for some people. There have been, and will be ministers who try to get rich or essentially steal your money. There will also be situations where churches only focus on money and seem to always be begging for it and guilt you into giving. These occurrences are brutal and unbiblical, but they aren't the norm. By far the majority of Pastors aren't getting "rich" or skimming off the top. And by far the majority of churches try to handle money in a biblical way. I think a lot of times these excuses get thrown out there so the individual doesn't have to deal with the fact that they don't give money and aren't generous at all.

For instance, I've had a couple of people say that to me that go to our church and I've always replied by saying that our books are open to anyone who has questions about any cent that comes into this place. You know how many people in the last 6 years have taken us up on that? One. (unless I've missed hearing about somebody else).

So what that tells me is that the issue about tithing, or lack thereof, goes to something else. That something else is truly examining how we handle our finances, and having to take a look at our hearts.

What is tithing?
Tithing is a concept in the Old Testament where the people were commanded to give 10% of everything that the earned or grew. The word actually means "a tenth part"In reality, there were a couple of other tithes that were in the law as well that pushed the percentage more towards giving 25%. This money would go back to the temple/Tabernacle. The purpose was not simply to support the ministry that was happening and giving back to God. There is a larger purpose. On the last post I said my view of my finances changed when I realized that everything I have or have ever earned is God's. Because of that understanding I began to look at giving generously as a joy because I'm responding to the grace God has given me. Isn't it interesting that we have no problem tipping a good waitress 20% or more but the thought of doing half of that for God is just ridiculous? Or how about the fact that we pay everyone else in our life (cable, internet, electrical, etc...) but fight against giving to God?

Do we still need to give 10%?
This is debatable amongst a lot of people. For me, I think it's a great place to start. I do believe that should be a minimum for everyone but it's an open handed discussion for me. For some people that have never given on a regular basis and have handled their finances in such a way that they can't, start with what you can. I will say this though. If 10% was the minimum in the Old Testament and all God did was raise the bar in the New Testament, I feel like we should have our sight set on being more generous rather then fighting for less. 2 Corinthians speaks of God loving a cheerful giver. Why wouldn't we be cheerful to give back to God?

Where should I tithe?
You should give to wherever you call your home church. That is the place that you should support and pour into. Yes, you can absolutely support other organizations and missionaries as well, but where you get your teaching, where you find your community, and where God has placed you should also be where you give your money.

What does my tithe go to?
Your generosity is critical to what churches are able to accomplish. Your generosity goes towards paying the staff of the church and towards all of the ministry that happens through a church. So anything that happens with children, students, and adults is all supported through a congregations generosity. You will find that the most generous churches also see the most impact, have an incredible culture of giving and sacrifice, and always pushing to do more for God's kingdom.

Some practical steps you could do:
1. Set aside money from your budget as the first thing that you do each month and give
2. Have a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly amount set up through your bank and use autopay
3. Take a good look at your bank and credit card statements. Jesus says in Matthew 6, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." You'll get a good look at what you really value. (I do this at least twice a year and it rocks my world every time).
4. Set goals to be more generous. What Lacy and I have found is that as our faith and understanding of God's grace has increased, so has our desire to be generous. A few years ago we decided that we would try and get to a point where we give away 25%. We were in a much better financial position when we made that decision but even as things haven't been so "cushy" we've never wavered on that goal. We try and make decisions financially around that because that's important to us. (Let me make it clear that we are not there yet, and it's a goal that we incrementally are working towards, and I'm in no way prescribing this for anyone else. I'm also not remotely saying that with any kind of boasting so please don't take it that way.)
5. Read. 2 great books to read through would be The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn, and Money-God or gift by Jamie Munson.

Without question, Christians should be the most generous people on the face of this earth. And this shouldn't be out of guilt, but out of joy. I've never met someone who began to give on a regular basis and hated it. Maybe there is someone out there that is this way but I've personally never had that experience. I've always found that as people begin to reorganize their finances, and work towards being generous it becomes a freeing experience and their relationship with God becomes stronger. We begin to find so much more joy in giving and less from receiving and all of the sudden we see that the verse in Acts 20 (It is better to give then receive) really is true.

Generosity Pt 1

2011-09-26T10:28:00.003-04:00

¹ And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶ So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷ But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

I read this passage on Friday and thought it would be a good idea to do a series of posts on generosity. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict this won't get as much traffic as the "Godly Man" series did but I'm hoping I'm proved wrong.

Why generosity?

I think that it's funny how much Christians actually avoid talking about money (yes I realize generosity is more then money but for now that's what I'm going to focus on). We could ask each other about any other thing in our lives but no one ever asks anyone else how they are doing with their generosity. Think about that. I can have a counseling session with someone and they can share with me about their addiction to porn, that they cheated on their wife, that they are doubting their faith in God, but never once in my entire ministry career has anyone ever sat down and said, "I'm struggling with my generosity."

Jesus talks about money over 25% of the time because he realizes how we can become slaves to it. Immediately we say, "Not me," but the fact is, if you aren't generous then that is exactly what you are. A slave to your money. When Paul writes this section about the Macedonians he is saying that there should be a direct link with being a follower of Christ and generosity. We also see this in the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 and several times in the book of Acts.

So simply put, if you are a follower of Christ then you should be generous.

This totally changed for me personally when I realized that I had gotten into a mindset that 10% was God's and the rest was mine.

Wrong.

100% is God's and he is just letting me take care of it. And the way that I take care of it is a direct representation of my faith in Christ. Isn't the message of what Jesus did the most generous thing possible? Then we should be overly generous as well because we are supposed to be representing that Gospel story here on earth.

I'm not writing any of this to make anyone feel guilty, but I do hope that some people will be convicted and change.

Part 2 will be on tithing, Part 3 will be on refocusing our thoughts, and Part 4 will be on the effects of generosity...I can feel the excitement :) Just to put everyone's mind at ease, I will not say that having nice things is wrong, that having money is wrong or that there is a one size fits all mentality to this topic. I promise, this will be well rounded.

My prayer this week as I write these will be that we will all check our hearts when it comes to this subject, approach it with humility, and that our hearts will be opened to what God is trying to say.

Peace,
Wags

Where there's a will...

2011-09-19T16:11:00.000-04:00

I remember in 8th grade I had a teacher who was obsessed with this educational video called "Where there's a will, there's an A." It detailed all the ways for students to change their behavior with regards to studying and that with the right will, you could be the A student that you've always wanted to be. Problem was, I didn't want to be one & even at that age it just felt weird to me that if you weren't an A student you were some how underachieving/failing in some way (granted, in the video's defense if I did put forth any effort I probably could have been an A student, but whatever).

I remember the teacher talking about this idea of "will" a lot. Today, I find myself talking to people a lot about "will" but it has to do with God's will which is just a little more important then an A. Trying to figure out God's will for your life seems somewhat impossible right? We quite often hear people talk about "His ways are greater then ours" and that we'll never understand why a lot of things work out the way that they do.

That is totally true.

But, I do think that figuring out what God's will for us is way easier then we think. We may not understand it along the way but when we arrive we will always end up saying, "Ohhhhh, I get it now."

When I began to get my life turned around and started making better decisions in my life that actually lined up with scripture this passage out of Proverbs 3 played a big role in helping through that phase of life:

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Now that is a very familiar passage to a lot of people but there is a lot packed into those 2 verses. It simply says that if we Trust in who God is and follow what he says, then our path to His will is made straight.

I feel like that is pretty simple.

We get so caught up in what our "calling" is all the time that we miss out on opportunity after opportunity to do exactly what Jesus actually called us to be. Followers of him. When we actually do that we will be used in ways we never dreamed of. I read a quote where John Stott was asked how do you find God's will for your life? And he responded "go where your gifts are exploited the most." There is only one place where that can happen and that is doing it for the Kingdom of God and following after Jesus with all you've got.

You want to know what your calling in life is? Follow Him.
You want to see how God can use you where you are at? Follow Him.
You want to find God's will in your life? Follow Him.

Proverbs 11:26-28 says that you will find whatever you search for.

God does not hide.

If you search after Him, you will find Him and your path will be made straight.

Peace,
Wags

Desire

2011-09-13T15:19:00.000-04:00

¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 4:1-3

Have you ever been around people that are constantly in fights with people or have the most dramatic lives ever? Typically these are the same people who are constantly saying things like they are "always right" or it's always the "other person's fault." These are also the same people that are just in a constant state of drama and they are the only person that doesn't recognize it.

Do you know someone like this?

If not, then you are probably that person :)

I think we all fall into this at some points though. What James is saying here is that our desires trump everything else and that is why our lives end in fights, craziness, and poor decisions. When our focus is on ourselves we literally go against what Jesus said in Matthew 22:

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We end up letting things that we think we "need" effect everything around us. At some point we have to ask ourselves, "Are my "needs" competing with what God really desires for me?"

One of the things that stops us from experiencing what God has for us is our inability to recognize that our hearts have gotten messed up and that's why our lives have spun out of control.

I know I've done it, and so have you.

When I tell Lacy about how superstitious I was when I played baseball and how everyone on our team was as well she thinks I'm crazy. I remember when we were in the NCAA tournament down at the University of Florida my senior year and we made and epic comeback against Baylor to win in the 9th inning. There were several of us who wore the same socks, same underwear, and did the same routine the next day. Gross? Sure. But that's just the way it is. It was so easy to get in this frame of mind where you think something is automatically going to happen because it did another time.

You start believing things that are blatantly not true.

We've got to face the reality of the selfishness of our own hearts. We've got to pay attention to what we are really desiring in life, who we blame things on, what drives us and what we expect is going to happen.

Not every relationship is going to blow up in your face...maybe you were a little crazy yourself.
Not every boss is a jerk...maybe you aren't the best employee.
Not every bad thing happens on a Tuesday when you don't eat breakfast (yes this is fictitious but people say absurd stuff like this all of the time)...maybe you only choose to remember the bad things that happen and forget the other 99% of the time that things are good.

Check your heart, check your motives, and check your desires.

James ends with this:

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Peace,
Wags

Get off your...

2011-09-05T15:02:00.001-04:00

Butt...what did you think I was going to say? I'll get to that part in just a second.

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:11-14

We are studying 1 Thessalonians right now with our college students and whenever I read one of Paul's epistles or the book of Acts I'm always mesmerized by the things that were done through these guys. These guys went to work for the sake of the Gospel immediately after Jesus left. They were empowered to do great things and did not take it lightly.

How did this happen so quickly though?

Certainly the power of the Holy Spirit working through them is the biggest reason. But, one other reason is maturity. Isn't it interesting that in all other areas of our lives it isn't ok to just stay immature. No one wants and immature boyfriend or girlfriend. It's not cool when you are 25 to be swimming in the kiddie pool (matter of fact, someone would probably call the cops on you...& rightfully so). If you still suck your thumb and you're an adult that isn't something you want to put out there is it? What if you threw a temper tantrum in Target when they didn't have what you wanted? Again, not acceptable.

Point is, why are you ok with being immature in your faith when that's supposed to be the most important thing to you?

If you are brand new to this belief in Jesus then it is totally acceptable to be at a place where you need a lot of help with things. But if you've been doing this for a while shouldn't you be embarrassed a little? And, if you think that you've "arrived" in your faith and that you are a mature Christian now, that should be a warning sign that you aren't nearly as far along as you think. One of the older men in our church that I look up to is in his 80's was talking to me one day and said "You know Wags, the older I get and the longer I know Jesus, the more I realize I don't know a single thing. He teaches me stuff every day and now I just thank him for his grace and hope I can keep learning until he takes me home."

Now that's maturity.

Don't you think it's time to get off your butt and own up to your immaturity and start doing something about it?

You may be saying "How dare Wags say that!" Don't worry, I didn't...the writer of Hebrews did.

I believe that when the message of the Gospel truly grabs a hold of you, immaturity will not be acceptable. When life with Christ becomes real instead of a concept you will find yourself longing for more and more of God's Word, more community, more knowledge, and more opportunities to serve in God's kingdom.

As we seek maturity in Christ, His will becomes clearer, our decisions become laced with integrity, and our lives are dedicated to serving for His Kingdom.

If you want to read a book of the Bible that is specifically addressed to an immature group of believers, read 1 Corinthians and see what happened in that community and how Paul spoke to them.

Peace,
Wags

Looking Back

2011-08-29T11:39:00.002-04:00

Luke 17:32 "Remember Lot’s wife!"

In this passage Jesus is talking to his disciples about his eventual return and what it means to live for him. In the midst of his teaching he makes that simple statement to remember Lot's wife. Often when we read scripture, lines like this can sneak by us, but some times one little line can have so much meaning.

Jesus is referring to a story out of Genesis 19 where God is destroying Sodom and Gomorrah and had previously told Lot and his family to not look back when it happened. Well, as they were leaving the city Lot's wife looked back and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. Some of you may be saying that seems a little harsh. But didn't she deliberately disobey God after she had already been warned? She was clinging to what she was leaving behind and not focused on what God had already laid out for her. So in reality she was trying to have the best of both worlds.

This story brings out 2 major points. The first is the seriousness of obedience. Our faith is exhibited in our obedience to the commands of God. It's really that simple. Either we think God is ruler and we obey Him or we think we are and just follow what we want. The second point is the one that I want to focus on and that is clinging to things in the past.

When I first got married I still had guilt with some things that I had done in the past and even though I knew that I was forgiven there was still something that kept bringing me down. At one point before I had met Lacy I often "looked back" at my past and even though I was coming into a better place with God I still held on to some things because they were "fun" or had distinctive memories to me. When I eventually met Lacy I had stopped doing that but still had some stuff lingering there. I realized it came down to the fact that I was still looking at my past as if it had some bearing on my future and therefore I was holding on to a lot of guilt. I thank God that Lacy was so gracious and amazing when I shared that with her. I can still remember her saying that she "loved me for who I was, not what I had been." A friend of mine also said to me, "God has forgiven you. How arrogant is it of you to try and take it back?"

Some times we get stuck.

I believe that when we break it down this feeling or reality of being stuck is a direct result of looking back. We have a tendency to look at things in the past and let them ruin our future. That's why people end up getting stuck in a horrible cycle. Think about how many times people go back and date the same person over and over again or date the same type of person, and the end result is always the same. Or its the same cycle with your job, your family, your money, your friendships etc... We get stuck because we aren't looking forward to what God actually has for us and the promises that he has made. Instead we look back to the same things that have always brought us down, take us away from God, and in the end put us back right where we used to be.

Do you really want to break the cycle?

Then stop looking back, know that you are forgiven, forgive others, know that your future can be different and most importantly, "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)

If we really believe that God is so great, that he forgives, saves, cares, and that he will come again, then the cycle can be broken and seeing what God really has for you will become all the more clear.

Peace,
Wags

What's that smell?

2011-08-23T16:26:00.002-04:00

Isn't it the worst when you have a shirt or pair of shoes that turns the corner when it comes to smell, and is no longer salvageable? You know, you wear it one time and you catch a whiff of your armpit and think, "Hmm, maybe I didn't put deodorant on today?" or "maybe this didn't get washed?" Then you wash it again, pick it up, smell it and then you realize it's time for it to go (you know you may give it one or two more shots...don't act like you don't). This happened to me when I was at the gym a week ago. Not good.

Does this happen to anyone else? Just me? Cool...

Anyway, I've been reading through 2 Corinthians recently and came across this passage in chapter 2:

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? ¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

This idea of being an "aroma" of Christ is also used in the Old Testament when it talks about a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. So as Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, we become living sacrifices for Him and become a representation of who He is. What's cool about the passage is that it says we can be an aroma that brings life. When people are around us, our lives either show Christ or they show something else.

Paul then asks this question, "Who is equal to such a task?"

Clearly the answer is no one, unless we have Christ working within us. When he isn't working within us, our lives smell like my old workout shirt.

So what kind of smell is coming off of you?

Peace,
Wags

Eager, Unashamed, Power

2011-08-15T20:31:00.006-04:00

¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 1:14-17

As I was reading Romans 1 this morning, three words jumped out at me, eager, unashamed, and power. Paul is writing this letter to the people of Rome and wishing he could be there with them. What he explains to them is convicting.

Paul says that he is EAGER to share the gospel with people. He is eager to share it with Christians because he knows that when we share the gospel with other believers it encourages one another and builds each other up. As that encouragement happens our faith increases and our obedience follows. He is eager to share it with non believers because he knows how crucial the message of Jesus Christ actually is.

Paul is UNASHAMED of his belief in Jesus. He is unashamed of the gospel. Why is he unashamed? Because he believes, knows, and has seen the POWER in the gospel message. This message of Jesus Christ dying for us, taking on sin & death, giving us our salvation by his grace so that one day we can stand before him and be deemed righteous in his eyes.

Is that not the greatest message in the world?

If you answered yes to that question then my follow up questions would be:
- Are you eager to share the gospel?
- Are you unashamed of its message?
- Do you really believe in the power of it?

Every follower of Christ should answer yes to each of those questions without hesitation. The gift of faith not only allows us to receive our salvation (Ephesians 2), but it also promotes righteous living as well. Faith and obedience go hand in hand and there is no getting around that.

If you are reading this and thinking to yourself that you would answer to no to at least 1 of the above questions then let me encourage you to do a couple of things. First, pray that the Spirit would begin to wreck your heart. I mean that. I have prayed that so many times and when it happens I promise you won't regret it. Second, start reading through the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) and really take in the words of Jesus. Then keep going through Acts and watch what happens when the gospel truly grips your heart.

The message and power of the gospel is the same today as it was back then, and our actions should be no different then what we read of the 1st believers.

Be Eager, Stand Unashamed, and Experience the Power of the gospel.

Peace,
Wags

Waiting

2011-08-09T13:54:00.003-04:00

²⁵ “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:25-31

What a comforting passage right? When I read scripture that talks about the greatness of God I always try to remind myself to just pause for a minute and let the words sink in. I encourage you to go and read the entire chapter. It's an amazing description of who God is. But let's break this down for a second:

* Verse 27 when the question is asked about why there are complaints, what Isaiah is referencing is the fact that God always fulfills his plans & promises. We may suffer setbacks, but he never does.
* Verse 30 says that even the youth get tired and faint which means that no matter how much energy and vitality we have, without God we will become tired and feel hopeless.
* Verse 31 when we believe the Hope we have in God, or some translations say, when we "wait" on God, that is when our strength will be renewed. The term strength there is talking about substance, power, and vitality

Isn't it crazy that we can read something like this, realize the greatness of God, honor and respect who He is yet still find it incredibly difficult to wait or have hope that he's going to come through?

Why is that?

I think it's because we think our own human effort can do it all. We think we can control things. When talking about control I always ask our college students the following 4 questions:
1- Did you choose your biological parents?
2- Did you choose your DNA?
3- Did you choose where you were born?
4- Then how much do you really control?

Sure we have choices to make and our decisions matter, but if we believe in the God that is described in Isaiah then shouldn't it be a little easier for us to wait?

I'm an impatient dude and this is definitely something that I struggle with. You know what my "tell" is when I'm trying to do to much personally? I feel mentally exhausted. I've just put everything into my own effort and tried to leave God out of it. I've always been struck by the story of Martin Luther who would double his prayer time when he felt he was at his busiest. He was able to do that because he really did believe that if he waited on the Lord his strength would be renewed.

So do we just sit, wait, and not do anything? No. We engage God. We pray, we participate, we do our part but we wait on, have hope in, and trust that God will continue to strengthen us with what we need (our "daily bread" if you will...sound familiar?).

Have some big decisions to make? Wait on the Lord
Feeling overwhelmed and stressed? Wait on the Lord
Can't stop making poor choices? Wait on the Lord

How are you engaging God? As his children he promises to change us, to love us, to look out for us, to comfort and guide us, and at the end of time restore everything to the way he wanted. Those are great promises, and He comes through...every time.

Peace,
Wags

Godly Men Pt 5

2011-08-05T14:40:00.005-04:00

*** I've had a lot of people text, email or message me about this little run of posts and I've enjoyed writing in a "series" format. If there is any other topic you would like me to blog about in this same style just let me know. I won't do it all of the time but I definitely will every so often. ***

Proverbs 27:17 "¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

This will be the last post on this topic for right now and I hope that some sharpening has been going on. Being a Godly Man is absolutely critical. When I look at my daughter I'm constantly reminded of how it is my job to show her how a man should treat a woman, how a husband should love his wife, and most importantly how a man should love God. When some guy tries to win her affection (when she's 25) with shallow advances, I want her to immediately know that something isn't right. I want her to base her emotions on the right things.

Same goes for Max. I want him to see the same things in me. I want him to know how to treat a woman, know how to talk to her, know what it means to work hard, and how nothing comes before God. I want him to know that it's so important to be strong, to be a rock for his family, but that it's just as important to be compassionate and sensitive to everyone around him.

But what happens if you don't have an earthly Father to look up to? What happens if you have been scarred by idiotic men out there? If you are a guy reading this you can either use that as a crutch or do the exact opposite. Make the decision to be better. Make the decision to not fall into the same habits. Look to your Heavenly Father for what you need. The reality is this. When we chase after Jesus, we become more like him, and when become more like him our issues begin to go away. Why? As the Spirit does work on our hearts our actions and thoughts begin to change. We prioritize the right things and begin to live lives that are defined by the commands of God and not anything else.

If you are single, everything should start now. Establish good habits, get yourself around good people, and set a high standard in your group of friends. Stop prolonging your adolescence and get out of your parents house (unless there is some big reason you are there) and learn how to be on your own. That's part of learning how to be a man. Are you a type of guy you would want your daughter to date? Do you look at or think about women in the right way? Are you really seeking God out in your life?

If you are married, it's never to late to change. Sit down with your wife and have a very open, honest conversation. Does she see you as a Godly Man? Does she want your son to be like you? Are you the spiritual leader of your home? What kind of spiritual fruit are you producing? (Galatians 5...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control).

If you are a guy who really does have it together and loves Jesus, how are you helping those who are younger then you? Are you helping teach someone younger then you? If you aren't you should be and something tells me there are plenty of opportunities in your respective churches/businesses to make that happen.

If you are female let me apologize for all of the jerks out there. All of the boys pretending to be men, and all guys who have treated you with disrespect. That isn't what God wants for you and you deserve better. Protect yourself and don't lower your standards because it will only hurt you in the end. If you keep getting burned by idiot guys my guess is that you are only doing things that attracts idiot guys. It may not seem like it but there are good, God loving guys out there and they will be worth the wait. I'm a real example of how God can change someone and how an idiot guy can get his priorities straight. I wasn't perfect when Lacy and I met (nor am I even close now), but I loved Jesus and really wanted to have the right priorities. It will be VERY PLAIN TO SEE if someone is legit in their faith. That should be your #1 priority without question. Keep having hope and don't lump all guys into the same boat.

Peace,
Wags

Godly Men Pt 4

2011-08-04T12:54:00.003-04:00

2 Timothy 2:22

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Let's talk about sex.

Clearly an enormous issue that men face is what to do with the sex drive they were given and how to get through a day where everywhere you look a sexual image is around. The end result is a staggering percentage of men who look at pornography. I read the other day that almost 70% of men will look at porn at least once a month. That is absolutely crazy. Now what is even crazier is how quickly women are beginning to catch up. Study after study show that the percentage of women viewing porn is growing at an exponential rate. So this post could really be for both men and women but I'm still focusing on Godly men.

The porn industry makes billions of dollars each year and continues to bring in more and more money. Pornography is problematic in a lot of different ways. Here are some:

1- Sex trafficking, which is essentially modern day slavery has a direct link to the pornography industry. So any way that you contribute to pornography, could easily contribute to sex trafficking.
2- Gives and unrealistic view on what sex is like or what its intent is supposed to be
3- Makes you view women as objects
4- Makes you lazy, more selfish and eventually more deviant because you can just take care of it by yourself. So when you actually do get married you have no clue what it takes to have a healthy sex life
5- referring to the deviant comment above...violent porn is the fastest growing kind because a simple image will no longer do. You will always need more. So when faced with an actual naked woman when you are married it doesn't even excite you. It's simple really. No sin is satisfying so you will always want more. If someone starts off stealing gum, inevitably they will try and steal something more expensive. Same goes for pornography. If you view pornography you probably already see this in your life.
6- Sin always leads to more sin unless you are making war against it on a regular basis. So pornography doesn't just stop there. It will always lead to something else, then something else, then something else...
7- You are flat out disobeying God
8- Images seer into your conscience and are difficult to get out

We live in a sex crazed culture and it's only getting worse. People actually define themselves by their sexuality. How crazy is that? Pornography is a huge player in this but so is having a flippant view on sex. Ask yourself this, where do you get your views on sex from? Scripture or Culture? If you aren't getting it from scripture then you've got it completely twisted. How culture views sex is literally the exact opposite of scripture, except for the fact that it's supposed to be fun and feel awesome.

So what do you do?

First you get on your knees and repent. Understand the meaning of repentance too. It's turning away from the behavior and going the other way. The only way any change happens within us is by the Spirit doing it. Titus 2:11-14:

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Our nature changes when the Spirit is doing work in our lives and enables us to say no to ungodliness and passions, and to live self controlled lives. You can try all the tricks you want but change only comes from the heart and that is by the work of the Spirit.

Second, protect your heart. Proverbs 4:20-27

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

If your heart is where all of your actions come from then you have to protect it. Think about that for a second. Whatever you do directly links to where your heart is really at. You have to turn your ears to the Word of God and keep your eyes fixed on Him. When our eyes look for wisdom, satisfaction, and fulfillment elsewhere the end result is never good. Read scripture and seek out counsel when it comes to sex. MAKE ALL OF YOUR VIEWS OF SEX GO ALONG WITH THE BIBLE!

Third, be disciplined. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Being disciplined is part of our life in Christ. Keep yourselves out of situations where you constantly fail. Put whatever blocks you need to on your computer, train your eyes to look away, don't hang out with your girl in places where it's easy to make poor decisions, have people you can be accountable to, and most importantly, pray like crazy. Pray that the Spirit will do work on your heart and change you. Pray that the Spirit will convict you like you've never been convicted before.

Lastly, you make friggin war against it every day. Galatians 6:10-18

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

There is a battle for your soul, your thoughts, and your heart. It's no joke. Stop being a pansy about it and make war against the things that separate you from God. He has given you to tools to do it, so step up and start making changes. Your heart, your relationships, your view of women, and eventually your marriage depend on it.

Does the bible actually say stuff about sex? Absolutely. It says a lot actually. It says it should be passionate, fun, feel incredible (God did create the orgasm), and soul connecting. Read about it, study it, and build your foundation so that when faced with temptation or decisions your mind immediately reflects on scripture and not what is in front of you. Then, as you have an opportunity to date someone you will treat and think about her in the right way.

I spent the first 22 years of my life having a horrible view of what sex really was and I made poor decisions because of it. Everything changed for me when I got my heart right with Jesus. I began to have a proper view of women, sex, and marriage and when I met Lacy everything was built on the right things. Again, it all goes back to Jesus. Because he died and rose again, we can have victory over sin. We are overcomers because of Christ. This is NOT a losing battle.

Quick side note for you ladies...help a brother out. Guys are visual beings and you not leaving anything left to the imagination doesn't help. Plus, if all your putting out there are your looks then what does that say about you? Yes, you can still look good. But do it in the right way.

Peace,
Wags

Godly Men Pt 3

2011-08-03T16:48:00.002-04:00

My son Max is a really sensitive kid (thanks Lacy...& how is that possible with the name Maximus?). At this point in time he does seem to be a little more emotional then Neveah (possibly the understatement of the world), but what I find interesting is the fact that I still see more aggression in Max. Can girls be aggressive? Absolutely. But I think that all guys are wired with an aggressive gene. Some people suppress it, but I believe every guy has it.

Why does it matter?

Well, I believe that guys should ideally set the tone. When a group of guys get together, on a common mission there is a lot of strength, power, and force behind it. Yes, a group of females can be extremely powerful too, but there's just a difference. I'm not saying it in a negative way at all. It's just different. From a scriptural standpoint I believe it is very clear that there is a God given role for both male and female and part of that for a guy is to set the tone. You set the tone in church, family, work, and marriage. (***Please do not take this out of context. I fully support women in ministry and am married to an unquestionable leader. But the Bible is clear on roles, and it isn't a superiority or negative thing. It's an awesome thing. We even see it within the Trinity itself).

One of my favorite scripture passages where we see this is out of Galatians 2. This is where Paul calls Peter (Cephas) out. Here's what it says:

¹¹ When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

I like the line, "I opposed him to his face." From a biblical perspective when men are doing what men are supposed to do they set the tone. This passage is significant because Paul and Peter were the "top 2" so to speak. Paul stands up to him because what he was doing wasn't right and it would have affected the spreading of the Gospel.
Think about that.
Peter's actions were affecting the spreading of the gospel and Paul's reaction is to take care of it right then and there. Can you imagine what the culture must have been like after that happened? When I look at the current "Brotherhood," this is missing.
Where are the guys who are calling other guys to a higher standard? (graciously I might add)
Where are the guys who want to create a culture of expectation?
Where are the guys who genuinely want to lead like they are supposed to?
Where are the guys who will disciple younger guys?
Where are the guys who want to be aggressive in their faith and GO AFTER IT!?

When more guys rise up to take the challenge of what it means to be a Godly man, churches all over the place will see unreal change (And all you ladies will be stoked...can I get an AMEN!?). This includes all the quiet dudes out there too. This has nothing to do with how loud you are, but everything to do with what you are called to be.

Guys, you are supposed to set the tone. So it's time to get off your butt and man up to the calling that God has placed on your life.

Peace,
Wags

Godly Men Pt 2

2011-08-02T15:45:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite interviews from a Coach was in 2007 by Oklahoma State's football Coach Mike Gandy. He does a great job defending one of his players and at one point screams out, "You want to write about someone? Write about me. I'M A MAN! I'M 40!" Technically he's right on all accounts. He's physically a man and he is 40.

But does that really make him a man? If you were to list out characteristics of a "man" what would it be? How many of those things actually matter?

Many times we immediately go to things like men have to be able to work with their hands, know how to fix cars, shoot a gun, play sports, business minded etc...but does that really matter? I've known plenty of men who are great at all of those things but are terrible Dads, Husbands, and have raised boys who've just stayed being boys into their mid 20's-30's and have never actually grown up. I used to have a really skewed view of what it means to be a man. I made a lot of money in business, leaned towards male dominated ways of leadership and thinking (in a superiority type of way), and played the "Drink a beer and watch a game" role pretty well too. I've always been part of leading teams since I was a kid so I was used to always being in a more prominent position with anything that I did. Therefore, I was a man.

Not true. Especially from a biblical point of view.

Being a man doesn't have anything to do with what you are interested in. If you love music. Awesome. Love art, dance (excluding ballet...just kidding...i think. I'm working through that), decorating, cooking? Awesome. If you like to hunt, fish, shoot stuff, and swing a hammer all while wearing camo? That's cool too...well, you don't look cool doing it but the other stuff is cool. Again, kidding.

Jesus encompassed all compassion and sensitivity, but also exhibited immense amounts of strength, perseverance, courage, and will some day come back all tatted up with fire in his eyes and a sword coming out of his mouth. Seriously, that's what the Bible says (Revelation 19). That's why everyone has been speaking out against the feathered blonde hair, blue eyed Jesus that is typically portrayed. That's just wrong on so many levels.

So what does scripture say about characteristics of a Godly Man?

(1) 1 Timothy 3:1-5 ¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

These are qualifications for being an elder in the church which every Godly Man should aspire to be. Not everyone will, but every guy should have the desire to be qualified. Look at what the scripture says though. A man that could be qualified to be an elder would be self controlled, hospitable, level headed, respected, doesn't party, peaceful, generous and above blame, shame, or disgrace (meaning of "above reproach") .

2- Psalm 51:10-17 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. ¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. ¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. ¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. ¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

This Psalm is from King David after Nathan had approached him about his affair with Bathsheeba. David is certainly a "man's man." So we see in David, that a Godly man has a heart that craves purity, and seeks out ways to be closer to God.

(3) 1 Peter 3:7 ⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Weaker partner here is also translated as weaker vessel which refers to porcelain. So a Godly man treats his wife with such care and attention to make sure nothing can harm her in any way. That means protecting his wife in every way. It means being the spiritual leader of the home. It means leading the family and being a provider (this does not mean women can't work or make more money then a man). What if you are single? Get your stuff together now. Get your finances in order, get your spirituality in order and get a strong foundation set before you actually date a girl. You should be protective of all of your single female friends. Make sure they aren't dating jerks, be careful how you talk to them and look at them, and treat them as prized possessions of Christ. I once heard someone use the example that "You could be kissing or hooking up with someone else's future wife or husband and somebody else could be doing the same with yours." Value purity. Crave it like none other.

(4) Ephesians 5:25 ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Think about all the ways Christ loves his church. The sacrifice, the humility, the love, the forgiveness, the compassion, and the way he understood and valued the seriousness of his role. Godly men are supposed to do the same thing. Sure we'll fall short some times but our desire should be to model Christ in that way.

So a quick bullet point list of characteristics of a Godly man looks like this:
- self controlled
- even tempered
- protector
- compassion
- loving
- forgiving
- humble
- doesn't have wandering eyes
- craves purity
- provider
- generous
- courageous
- seeks out peace
- leads/influences
- teaches other guys
- strong in character, beliefs
- Rock when things go wrong or life becomes hard

Pretty simple right? That's why we latch on to scriptures that talk about the Spirit shaping us, and God doing work in us. (Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:9, Galatians 5, John 16)

Quick note to the ladies, there is NO PERFECT MAN OUT THERE, but look for these traits in a guy. The most important thing is that the guy you are interested in loves Jesus and legitimately desires to grow in his faith. If that is there, then you will see a lot of this in him and he will continue to grow in all of these areas. That's how it worked with me. I made a ton of mistakes but by the grace of God he continued to do work in me and I began to truly desire what it meant to be a Godly dude. I still have a ways to go, but when you go after it the right way, it's a great ride.

Peace,
Wags

Men

2011-08-01T09:42:00.003-04:00

The topic of Godly Men certainly isn't a new one but I personally haven't blogged on it before. I've definitely preached on what it means to be a Godly Man but I decided that I'm going to do a few blog entries on it. Don't know how many but it will definitely be the next few.

There are many clear issues with Christian Culture today but one is certainly the issue with the lack of men that are really taking on the challenge of becoming a Godly Man. Our church is really no different then most churches out there right now. The majority of the people that attend our church are female and the most common "complaint" or question that I hear from the women in our church is "Where are all the single Godly Men?"

Now, some of this I do believe is a misperception because there really are some good guys out there and some of the women are actually focusing on the wrong things first (looks, money, etc...). And quite frankly, I know there are some good guys in our church. On the other hand, I do believe there is a huge hole in the church when it comes to finding good, solid, Godly dudes.

Why is that?

I believe what we see in church now is a generation of guys who grew up in a Fatherless home. A Fatherless home could mean a couple of different things. It could mean the Dad actually left and was not present in the boy's life. Or, it could mean he was actually there but didn't love his wife like he should, or show his boy what it means to be a strong, compassionate, God loving man.

What is the end result? Immature 20 & 30 somethings who either "play" church or have no interest at all, who are making a mockery out of what it means to be a Godly man. They use church as a way to just try and find girls and don't treat them any differently then the guy who spends all of his time trying to "get his" at a bar every weekend.

Being a Godly Man means basing your manhood off of your faith and nothing else. Culture does not dictate what it means to be a man, scripture does. What is the first thing that we learn in scripture that a man is supposed to be? A Cultivator. In Genesis 2 we read what God had originally intended for man when everything was "good."

⁵ Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, ⁶ but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
⁸ Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
¹⁰ A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

So what does it mean to cultivate? It means to prepare, to work on, to foster growth. So what does this mean for a guy in 2011? How do we continue to be cultivators?

1- It means that with our minds we study and read scripture to help follow the commands of God.
2- It means we worship with energy, joy, and emotion. One of my favorite things is to see guys going after it in worship. If God is #1 in your life, gives you your fulfillment, and that you truly want to bring glory to him in everything that you do, wouldn't heart-felt worship naturally come out?
3- It means that if you are single, you view women as daughters of Christ, and you honor, respect, and cherish them just as God does. You don't view them as sexual objects, but as images of God to be treated in such a way that helps them grow and become the best versions of themselves. You honor them with your eyes, thoughts, and words.
4- It means that if we are married, your wife is your top priority (outside of God). A husband who cultivates his marriage loves his wife like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5). What an incredible task that is!
5- It means cultivating your friendships. You establish accountability and an understanding that if something isn't right you call each other out on it. Because of this you will set a tone of honesty and integrity in your friendships and this will seep into the culture of the church you attend as well.

There are more things than that but I will leave it at 5 for today.

Time to step up boys.

"Strong Men build strong families, strong families build strong churches, and strong churches transform culture." - Dr. Paul Louis Cole

Peace,
Wags

Get up

2011-07-25T15:30:00.004-04:00

The story of the crippled man at the pool in John 5 has always resonated with me. I'm not sure if it's because I read the story with a different tone than it is actually written in but after the man states why he can't ever be healed, Jesus simply says "Get up." For some reason I just picture Jesus saying that matter of factly and I really like it that way. No deep meaning parable, just a simple "Get up."

I know that I probably fall on the "suck it up" side to much of the time, but I really think as a whole we don't say "Get up" enough. Some times in counseling sessions when someone is asking my opinion on what they need to do I'll just say "you just need to stop" or "you need to fight through it." Sure, I've missed a time or two with that and should have gone the more gracious route (my bad), but in the end I still believe that a lot of our times of being stuck go hand in hand with our lack of belief in who God really is. We don't need some long explanation of why something is happening when simply remembering who God is, is all we need.

Romans 8 says that we are more then conquerors and that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ, we need to really believe that and lean on that. We will get overwhelmed, we will get stressed, we will have really bad times in life and at that very moment this should come rushing to the forefront of our minds.

Romans 6 says that by no means will we go on sinning if we really know and love Christ, that isn't just an "optional" passage. Now, Paul of course knows that we will sin, but he is talking about those people who are simply ok with just living a certain way even though it goes directly against scripture.

James 1 says that the testing of our faith builds perseverance. How many times do you get tested and what is your response?

Some times we all need to be told to "Get up!" We do that by knowing and trusting that God is who he says that He is. That He has overcome all sin, death and evil (1 Corinthians 15), that He is the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12), and that there is a peace with Jesus that truly does surpass all understanding (Philippians 4).

Some times it's just not as difficult as we like to make it.

Peace,
Wags

Push It

2011-07-18T09:44:00.003-04:00

Anyone else singing the Salt-n-Pepa song in their head right now? Sinners...just kidding.

Do you ever think about the fact that the Bible is constantly telling us to push through things? As we read 1 Peter or some of the letters from Paul we constantly hear them say to push through some of the suffering, persecution and pain because it is all worth it. If we go to the book of Exodus and read about God's people we see that they were given the law to be a distinct people. Set apart in how they acted and who they worshiped and were told to continue to push through the oppression of Pharaoh. Ecclesiastes constantly reminds us that things some times suck and don't make sense but to push through because God's got you. If we read the Great Commission in Matthew we see that we are supposed to keep pushing and spread the Gospel and share it with people all around us.

Do you push through or pull back?

When things don't go your way do you pull back and go into a corner and complain about it? How often are you sharing the Gospel with people around you in word and deeds? Do you focus on the things you don't like in your church rather then being part of a solution to help things get better?

If we follow what scripture says we will be people who push through the rougher spots in life. We will be people who take advantage of the opportunities God presents us day in and day out. In Acts 17 Paul is waiting in Athens because he had just been beaten and chased out of town while ministering the people in Thessalonica. Here is what happens in Athens :

⁶Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." ²¹Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Paul Addresses the Areopagus
²²So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷ that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸for

"'In him we live and move and have our being';as even some of your own poets have said,"'For we are indeed his offspring.'
²⁹ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰ The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
³²Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." ³³So Paul went out from their midst. ³⁴But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Paul was constantly pushing through everything that stood in his way and God used him on epic levels. We need to follow that example and push through some of the things that hold us back from sharing our faith with people.

Penn, from Penn & Teller, who is an Atheist, tells the story of a guy who gave him a Bible one night after a show. He said that the guy definitely knew he was an Atheist but was just a genuinely nice dude who just wanted to share his faith. Penn goes on to say in the video some thing that ripped my heart out when I heard it. He says, "How much do you have to hate someone if you believe that your faith holds the key to eternal life and you don't share that with them." (you can watch the video here). I don't know if Penn will ever come to know Christ but if he does, you can guarantee he will point back to that moment after the show as one of his spiritual benchmarks.

Stop trying to pull back and force yourself away from God. Push forward with the strength that he has given you.

Peace,
Wags

Sparrow

2011-07-11T14:52:00.002-04:00

First things first. Lacy and I spent 4 days in Boston last week and it was amazing. It is my favorite city in the U.S. It helps that I'm a huge Red Sox fan but still, Boston is just a cool city (yes, I think it's way better then New York City and no I haven't spent time in Chicago or San Francisco).

While we were there it was just great to walk around and then sit and just talk for hours. Without Max and Neveah it was amazing how much conversation we had! We talked a lot about how blessed we have been with family, friends, and the work that we do. We also talked a lot about constantly enjoying and making the most out of life no matter what we will encounter.

That's why I've loved this summer's College Bible Study on Ecclesiastes. After this week we will have worked our way through the entire book over the past 7 weeks. I've read through it before but I haven't studied it like I did this go around. I love it. Some people think it's depressing and it can be if you focus on the wrong things. The book is actually very real and that's why I get into it so much. The author (may or may not be Solomon) presents real life scenarios and some of them are a little tough to swallow. For every time he says that something doesn't make sense or that it stinks, he balances it out with enjoying your life and knowing that God has got this under control.

As I was reflecting on the book this afternoon I remembered back to when I was a little kid and I first heard this passage out of Matthew 10:

"²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."

The sparrow in that day was essentially deemed a meaningless bird so the analogy of God caring about it meant a lot to the listener. The part as a kid that I remember the most was about every hair on my head being numbered. That blew my mind. I remember pulling one out of my head and wondering if God was on top of it enough to subtract one from the total. But today it had a different meaning for me.

If God cares that much about the sparrow or the hairs on my head, then everything matters.
If God cares that much about those little things in my life then complacency, laziness, and indifference should just go away.

Why?

Because if it matters to God it should matter to me. If it doesn't then there are some serious problems that need to be addressed.

We think we have areas of our lives that we like to keep "hidden" but the reality is that God knows...and he cares. He cares that you may not study his Word. He cares that you don't talk to him enough. He cares that you are making bad decisions. He cares that you place other things before Him. He cares when you are hurting. He cares when you are happy. He cares when you question.

He cares about everything. Do you?

Peace,
Wags

Yes, this is from Sister Act. Lauryn Hill kills it though

Outsiders

2011-07-06T12:14:00.003-04:00

Possibly the most annoying thing that I have to frequently talk about is how a group of people in church aren't welcoming to outsiders. Whether it's someone who is dating a new person, someone just moved to town, a new friend has just tried to join a small group or get to know a certain group of people, I find that this issue of not being welcomed in is all to familiar. It's sad really. Yes, I know that some times personalities don't match up to well but why is it ok to just stiff arm people all of the time?

Read this very slowly...You are not acting like a follower of Christ when you do this.

This past weekend we went to a cookout and the host of the party truly has a gift of hospitality. He has very expensive things all over the place but he was only concerned with one thing, and that was how good of a time his guests were having. Here's the crazy part. There were like 7 or 8 kids there and most of them were under 3. But that didn't matter. From the youngest to the oldest, each person was equally important. There were also some new folks there and it was so cool to see how the entire group of people welcomed them in and went out of there way to talk to them. As Lacy and I left that night our first comment was how we wished that's how it always was.

Why isn't it?

Here's what Paul tells us Romans 12:9-12 ⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

So how do people feel when they are around you or your group of friends?

The title in my bible right above this passage is "Marks of a True Christian." If they don't feel welcomed and loved then there is nothing biblical about the way you are acting. And please stop with all of the lame excuses, they make you look foolish.

How do I know that?

Two ways really. One is that I used to make excuses about it all of the time a few years ago and then I realized what an idiot I was. Do I get it perfect all of the time? No. But I genuinely try. And I swear Lacy does get it perfect all of the time so it's good we are a team on this! The second way that I know is that I sit in conversations with a lot of people that have been genuinely hurt and then I hear what people say from the other side and the reasoning is just dumb 99% of the time.

Biblical love isn't always convenient, comfortable or easy. But that does not give you a way out.

You work at it.
You get better at it.
It will become a part of who you are.

Are you going to be best friends with everyone? Nope. Are people going to always fit right in? Nope. Are there going to be times when a person may find a different group that works better? Absolutely. But they should always feel welcomed, loved, and respected when they come into contact with you or your group of friends.

Peace,
Wags

Short life

2011-06-27T14:54:00.003-04:00

Last week in our college bible study we were going through Ecclesiastes 7 which talks a lot about understanding the reality of our existence. One of the other scripture passages that I referenced was Psalm 90:12 which says "¹² Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." We've all been told to "live like it's our last day" or have been asked the question, "what would you do if this was your last day on earth?" I'm not going to do that. I'm more interested in gaining the heart of wisdom, what about you?

Psalm 90 is actually a prayer from Moses. Yes, the part the Red Sea/10 Commandments Moses. Or you could call him the Murderer Moses because he did that too (no one talks about that to often though). Anyway, most scholars believe that he was writing this during the time where the people of Israel started complaining about God. Well, they did that a lot but this one could be specific to Numbers 14. God responds by saying that no one who treated him with contempt will see the Promise Land. Moses then apparently pens this prayer that we have in Psalm 90.

I just think it's interesting that the prayer of Moses is that God could let his people know how short life is on this earth and that their days are numbered. If he did that, Moses believes that we will move towards the heart of wisdom which is as Paul says in Colossians 3, a life that glorifies God in all that we do.

It's not hard to see that our lives could be short. Many of us have experienced an early death in our families, and all of us have seen it at some point. However, even though we've seen God do amazing things, and even though we have visible evidence to how short life can be, we often act just like the Israelites.

As we move towards the heart of wisdom, the little petty things of this life won't matter as much. Our hearts will be focused on Jesus and our lives will be filled with joy no matter what comes our way. I plan on living until I'm 100 so I've got roughly 24,000 days left to try and gain as much wisdom as possible.

Peace,
Wags

Empathy

2011-06-20T15:44:00.003-04:00

Lacy often says that Max is our reminder to just slow down for a second. There have actually been times when he is told that he can't speak until he is done eating because in between every bite he slowly looks around, comments on something random, looks at his plate, and then decides to take the next bite. Some times it is hilarious and others it's frustrating. But, every time we get a little frustrated we keep reminding ourselves that a great gift that Max already has is just enjoying the moment.

It's no secret that we live in a world where we think everything has to happen when we want it too and if it doesn't we either need a new phone, new waitress, or we can't wait to tell someone who is driving slow in the left lane that they really are #1.

Here's the problem, we've lost the ability to enjoy the moment.

I was reading a study that was done by the University of Michigan that shows students now are far less empathetic to other people then students in the 80's and 90's. Let's be honest, students in the 80's needed a lot of empathy. No generation should ever have to go through bangs being "in" like that ever again. Anyway, the point is we are becoming more and more selfish and less and less compassionate. The data is pretty interesting, especially as they get to talking about the affects of social media and that friendships are becoming more and more shallow because they don't require person to person contact.

I don't have a problem with social media and actually think it's an incredible to keep in touch with people. However there is an enormous downfall to it too. It can't be your "community." Quite often we read that Jesus was "moved to compassion" as he encountered people. In Ephesians 4 it talks about a Spirit filled community "³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Or what about 1 Peter 3:8,9, "⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

We can't accomplish Spirit filled community if we aren't empathetic towards each other. Listen to the needs of people around you. Care about what they are going through. Put your phone down for 2 seconds and enjoy the time you have with friends.

Do you take the time to invest in the people around you? That's the only way you'll ever be empathetic towards anyone, and that's the only way community really happens.

Peace,
Wags

Dry Bones

2011-06-14T20:42:00.003-04:00

I was listening to Gungor this morning and their "Dry Bones" song came on and it made me want to just go back and read the passage out of Ezekiel 37. Here it is:
¹ The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

I love the Bible. I love the fact that you can read a passage several times before but when you read it again it just speaks something different to you then the time before. I love the part in verse 8 where it says that the bones came together and tendons and skin began to form but yet there was no life in the body.

How often are we like that? Bodies without life.

When we begin to operate on our own and just go through life thinking we can just "do what we do" and we'll be ok, fulfilling life begins to slip away. We start to focus on the temporary things and miss out on what God really has for us. Do you find yourself really stressed out, anxious, bitter, or stuck in repeated sinful behavior? Your focus is on the wrong things and you're simply a body with no life in it.

In verse 14 God says that as he puts his Spirit in us we will live. This is not only dealing with our eternal lives but life on this earth as well. When the Spirit of God breathes into us we LIVE (also see John 3, and Titus 3). The meaningless things on this earth begin to have less effect on us and our lives begin to take on a whole new look.

Stop trying to suffocate the Spirit and let him breathe life into you. You won't regret it.

Peace,
Wags

Stumbled on these guys yesterday and like this song a lot

Dreams Part 2

2011-06-05T14:47:00.004-04:00

I can remember as a kid dreaming of the day that I would play in the NBA. When I stopped growing at 5-9" that dream stopped pretty quickly. After that didn't work I turned my attention towards baseball and thought that might work out as well. God had a different plan for me after I got out of college and baseball was not a part of it. But there was a time where I thought that the only way I would ever be successful was through sports. If I really think about it, the reason that I thought that was success was because of what other people thought and what I would see through the media/culture around me.

I was listening to a speaker yesterday at a training event I was at and he talked a little about this with urban kids here in Richmond. He was talking about this crazy misconception that there is with kids and adults that people are actually making it in this world through athletics. The media pumps it up that way and culture buys into it, when the reality is the percentage of athletes that make it is less then 1%. So I started thinking a lot about success yesterday and it led me to 2 questions.

1- How would God define success?
2- If God's view of success is different then the world's then why do we spend our whole lives chasing after worldly success?

So how does God define success then? Here are a few examples from scripture:
- No matter what we face we rely on God- Philippians 4:12, 13 ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

- Humility/Objectivity of who we really are- Romans 12:3 ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

- Everything we do is for His glory- 1 Peter 4:8-11 ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

- We serve - Matthew 25:34-40 ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I could give a ton of other examples about love, generosity, patience, giving up our lives etc...but you can find some more on your own.

Here's the thing. Clearly God's view of success does not match up with the world's view of success. So why do we spend all of our time trying to measure up to a type of success that God doesn't give a rip about?

His dream for us is that we would see a larger purpose in our life and that we would understand that chasing after Godly success will make other people think you are crazy. He might put you in a position as a CEO and want you to use your business for his glory or he might ask you to give up every penny you have an live a life of poverty somewhere. The possibilities are endless and will look different for each person out there. The one constant will be that our lives match up with the commands of scripture and when that happens we will be chasing after the dream that He has already put in place for us.

Dream Godly dreams.

Peace,
Wags

Came across this on my ipod and is one of my all time faves:

Book Reviews

2011-06-02T14:55:00.007-04:00

Over the last few weeks I've been a little more disciplined about reading and I was able to get through 3 books. Here are some quick thoughts on them:

Veneer kind of took be by surprise. The book is written by Timothy Willard and Jason Locy and I ordered it because I was randomly reading a blog I had never read before and they talked about this book. It started off a bit slow for me but once I got about midway through the 1st chapter I was hooked. I absolutely loved the book. It's content with regards to the "app" world we live in and the way that they dissect our culture was awesome. You've got to be foolish to think that the way we view success isn't ridiculous and this book points you back to how scripture defines success.

For the City by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter was great. I've heard both of them speak a bunch and really enjoy them as speakers and it was cool to read their thoughts on what it actually means to be a church that is For the City that you live in. They differentiate between being a church that is simply "In the City" and "For the city." The book is extremely practical and would be a great book for a small group to go through together. The premise behind the book is based off of reading Jeremiah 29 and both of these guys realizing that the idea of Biblical Shalom isn't simply peace, but it's a universal human flourishing and the mechanism that God chose to use is the church. A church's job isn't simply to proclaim the gospel and be located in a city. A church is supposed to proclaim the gospel AND seek shalom for the city. Great read from 2 great Pastors.

Radical Together by David Platt was fantastic. It's a really short read and is an awesome book for small groups and church leadership to go through together. The book will challenge how you think about church, what the church's role is and how you play into it. You may not agree with everything that he says but the heart behind each word is great and it's good to get your "cage rattled" on a pretty regular basis. The thing I've really liked about both of Platt's book is how brutally honest he is. That's a beautiful thing. Honestly, I feel like every person who goes to church should read this book. It will get you fired up and convicted at that same time.

Dreams

2011-05-30T20:01:00.004-04:00

Several weeks ago Lacy and I were watching the show Parenthood and the Father/Grandfather (Craig T. Nelson) was talking to his granddaughter who had spun out of control and said, "You don't have permission to mess with my dreams." What he meant was that he had all of these big dreams for her and her family and her decisions were effecting that. That line just stuck in my head for a few days and I began to look around and think about all of the ways that we try and crush God's dreams for us.

If you sit back for a few minutes and just think about all of the ways that God has provided for you it's crazy. For example, this Thursday will mark our 10 year anniversary. When I think about the dreams that God has for me as a husband to Lacy I always think about Ephesians 5:25- 27,

" ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless,"

and 1 Peter 3:7,

" ⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."

God's dream for me as a husband is to love Lacy in the same way that Christ loved the church! The 1 Peter passage is one of my favorites because the part where it says "weaker partner" or "weaker vessel" in some translations. If you read it in the ESV translation, it says that the phrase is equal to saying the woman is like porcelain and if we as men don't treat our wives with the care and protection that God expects the last part of the passage says that our prayers will be hindered. Talk about a serious verse.

But here is the thing, anything that doesn't work towards fulfilling these passages as a husband means that I'm trying to crush God's dream for me.

This example may not apply to you personally but we all have to understand that in so many areas of our lives God has laid out some big dreams for us. The question is, are you doing anything to crush them?

As we chase after Christ, the dreams he has for us become reality.

Peace,
Wags

Is Jesus enough?

2011-05-23T14:24:00.005-04:00

This past week while we were at the beach I had an opportunity to read 2 books and get a significant way through a 3rd which felt so good. Recently it has been taking a little longer then I've wanted to get through some reading simply because of life. I'll review all 3 once I'm finished at some point this week. But, the 1st one I read is called "For the City" by Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick. Towards the end of the book Matt writes the following statement:

"So here's the question we must all answer in our hearts and with our lives: If the Lord came to you and said, "You're going to preach for forty years, you're never going to see any fruit, you're never going to make any money for your family," would you do it? Would you still be faithful to the call of Jesus? Is Jesus enough for you? If you can't answer this with a "yes," you need to quit the ministry and go sell insurance"

When I read this page of the book I stopped and prayed that I will always answer yes to that question without hesitation. Now, obviously he directed that comment at Pastors but it did make me think about how often we quit on Jesus when he doesn't answer how we want to or doesn't come through the way we would like. We love to quote Isaiah 55:8,9 ( ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts) when it's convenient, but what about when it isn't? What about the times when it stings a little? What about the times where it doesn't make sense, where God may put you through a season of suffering in some capacity?

What do you do then?

Is Jesus enough?

I read Psalm 67 today and asked myself it I'm really willing and have enough faith that God's ways are best. Do I trust that completely? Do I pray and believe in such a simple way such as this Psalm. Here's what it says:

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
² so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

³ May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
⁵ May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.

⁶ The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
⁷ May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

If what Jesus did is really enough then this Psalm should be a simple prayer for me.

If what Jesus did is really enough then Isaiah 55:8,9 should be good enough for me.

If what Jesus did is really enough then no matter what I go through, I will have trust that his ways are gracious, his ways are perfect, and his ways are good.

If what Jesus did is really enough then that should drive every aspect of my life.

If what Jesus did is really enough then even when I struggle, even when I sin, even when I may waiver in my trust and understanding, I run back to him rather then away from Him and his arms are open.

Here's the thing... Jesus IS enough.

Peace,
Wags

P.S.- hate that I started singing "With arms Wide Open" by Creed after that 2nd to last line...ugh. Here's a pretty funny video on that song...http://www.videohippy.com/video/134573/With-Arms-Wide-Open--Literal-Video-Version

Song for the week:

Community

2011-05-17T16:29:00.003-04:00

We are down here in Topsail, NC for our annual beach trip with the college students. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year because it is relaxing, we have over 20 babysitters, and it really solidifies the community of the group. Just sitting back today and watching people hang out and laugh I was reminded of the passage in Genesis 2 where it says that man was not considered "good" until there was community and that's when a "suitable helper" was created.

Simply put, we were created and are meant to be in community.

This is why it's often hard for people to take the next step in their faith. When everything hinges on a Sunday morning gathering it feels incomplete. When we are in community together that is when our faith begins to shape and we see how God really works. What I always love about community is the different ways that you see God working in people's lives and how their stories are always different then yours. It really puts everything into perspective. No, I don't believe that your community of people is solely represented by those who are also Christians, but that should be at the core of it. What's interesting about even a group of Christians in community together is often times it's pretty weak. One of the girls mentioned to me today that she couldn't believe how many conversations that she has had so far these first few days and God hasn't even been brought up. She wasn't blaming anyone else but herself but I think that is extremely common.

Doesn't seem odd that we have to really think about bringing up God with friends who are supposed to be passionate about God as well? Shouldn't the easiest and most fulfilling conversation we could have be talking about what God is doing in our lives?

I realize that I can some times talk about everything else but God with people as well. I feel like I've gotten infinitely better but I've still got some work to do. I want to be encouraged by hearing other people's stories and be there for those who may be in a tough spot. That's part of what community is.

Peace,
Wags

Baptism

2011-05-09T10:44:00.005-04:00

Today is going to be a little more of a practical post. One of my favorite things to do is baptize someone. Really, I think the only thing I like more is sharing the gospel with someone who is questioning life, faith, God, etc... The celebration that happens in a baptism is incredible and to see the look on a person's face is priceless. This past week I had a chance to baptize one of our college students and to see his reaction and the reaction of everyone watching is something that I will never forget. Afterwards, another student came up to me and asked some questions about what it means to be baptized and why we do it and I realized that we don't talk about it like we should and that there are a lot of people who don't know why we should get baptized. So I'm just going to outline some common questions about it. Here we go:

1- Where does baptism come from?
We can look into the Old Testament in the book of Leviticus and see the ritual of baptism. It was a form of purification. Leviticus 16:23,24 " "Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people.”

So we do see that even early on, this act was of importance to God. In Luke 3 we see that John the Baptist continued on this practice with baptism because of repentance of sin and then in Mark 1 we see that Jesus himself got baptized.

2- What is the purpose?
- Romans 6:3,4 says:
"³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. "

So the main purpose is to identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. By doing this you acknowledge that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and by doing it publicly you are making a declaration to family and friends that this is who you are and what you proclaim your life to be. In the New Testament baptism was a no-brainer. Everyone who came to know Christ did it, because they wanted to publicly declare their faith. This was a big deal because by doing this they put themselves in danger, but it their faith meant so much to them that they didn't care. That's why being baptized now is still such a big deal. When we do it, that moment is about one thing and that is our faith in Jesus. It also shows that we are obedient because we are willing to put our faith out there to everyone. Another thing that is important is that we can identify with the early believers. Baptism along with communion are two incredibly powerful ways that we have a chance to be linked with the early church. They did those two things as well and were critical to their faith.

3- Do I need to get baptized in order to be saved?
No. Scripture clearly states that salvation is on faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-10, 2 Corinthians 5:21). Again, this is more of an obedience issue. If you are struggling with whether or not you should because you are battling this out theologically in some way, I think the better thing is to ask yourself why not? Why wouldn't you want to publicly declare your faith? Why wouldn't want to take a step out like that?

4- What's the proper way to be baptized?
We believe that the proper way to be baptized as evidence in Romans 6 and other passages in scripture is to immerse people in water, or dunk them, if you will. Maybe hold you down for a couple of seconds longer for that little extra sin...totally kidding. Are there situations when baptisms happen and dunking isn't an option? Absolutely. And yes, it still counts. But, if available the way it was practiced in scripture was immersion so that is how we do it as well.

5- What about if you were baptized as an infant?
Some people struggle with baptism because they were baptized as an infant. Bible clearly states that baptism is to be done upon repenting of your sin and declaring faith in Jesus as your savior. Peter says in Acts 2:38 ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So again, baptism is a recognition of the decision to follow Christ. My recommendation to anyone who was baptized as an infant but hasn't been as an adult is to get baptized again. I believe the Bible is clear that it goes hand in hand with a decision that you have made personally.

6- Who does the baptizing?
In Matthew 28:18-20, which is also known as the "Great Commission," Jesus tells the disciples to go into all nations and to make for disciples, AND to baptize them as well. That same directive goes to us. So, who baptizes? Traditionally the Pastor does and a lot of times that makes a lot of sense because of the effect the Pastor has had on a person's life. However, anyone who is a follower of Christ is permitted to do a baptism. I think one of the coolest things to see is when a friend baptizes another friend because of the enormous effect they've had on the other person's life. Whenever I've seen or heard about that it affirms Matthew 28.

Well, those are the most common questions that I hear about the issue of baptism. I'm going to have the privilege to baptize another student this Wednesday night. I'm hoping that some other students will want to as well. If you attend Commonwealth Chapel and would like to get baptized just let me know. We will make that happen!

Peace,
Wags

This is an oldie, but it's been on my mind a lot recently because it relates to my message this Sunday. Not going to lie, makes me a little teary eyed and hype every time I hear it:

Random thoughts

2011-05-02T10:25:00.007-04:00

* Had an amazing time with our staff at the Exponential conference this past week. Learned so much about myself and about what Church really should look like. I will post some stuff about it in the next few posts but here are just 2 little nuggets:
1- Disciples don't clamor for attention, they take care of one another...Bill Easum (when talking about what true followers of Christ do as a family)
2- You know your church is being The Church when you see 3 things: 1- people being reconciled to Christ, 2- social justice, 3- showing your city what true beauty is (this will be elaborated on a lot more in the future)

* Finished Rob Bell's Love Wins last week. I won't go into an exhaustive review because everyone already has but I did find it to be interesting and understand why it can be a polarizing read. Personally, I don't agree with his chapter on Hell but liked a lot of other things about the book. People shouldn't be scared to read it. I think how you perceive the book is determined by what your mindset is going into it. If you can't stand Bell then your feelings of dislike will grow, and if you are a supporter then the opposite will happen. To be honest I'm a supporter of him as a brother in Christ even though I disagree with his stance on Hell. What I've been shocked about in this process is how other Christians have acted and how they've handled disagreement. I know, I know, you probably think he's a heretic and a false prophet so you want to call him out. But after hearing him talk on interviews, listening to a couple of his recent sermons, and also talking with someone who knows him personally I just think he's working through some stuff and wrote about it. Was that a mistake? Maybe, maybe not. But he isn't a heretic. The dude passionately loves God.

* Finishing up John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. It's been outstanding. If you are a leader and want to become a better one, you should read this book.

* Also finishing up Eugene Peterson's "A long obedience in the same direction." That guy is just brilliant. He does all of his Bible Study in the original languages for pete's sake.

* 3 Books I'm getting ready to dive into: King's Cross by Tim Keller, For this City by Darren Patrick and Matt Carter, and On the Verge by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson...stoked.

*Last but not least, I feel weird about celebrating Osama's death. I understand it, but I just feel weird about celebrating another person's death regardless of who he is. It goes back to how I feel weird when people read the Bible and feel so thrilled about heaven but the thought of people they know going to Hell has no effect on them at all. How is that possible? Is the world a safer place today then it was yesterday? I don't know...maybe, but probably not. I heard one of the local sports radio guys say today "I hope this is a message to China. Mess with the US and this is what happens." Is that really the message we want out there? I'm not trying to make a political statement or at all demean what our soldiers do to protect this country (I have the HIGHEST respect for all of the soldiers out there). From a spiritual standpoint it just makes me feel weird to see all the celebration. Here's where I'm at personally and I'm not putting this on you in any way. It grieves my heart that he may be in Hell. It grieves my heart that there is so much evil and hatred in this world. It grieves my heart that this will probably create more violence and hatred since that is what always happens. What I'm trying to get better at is funneling my thoughts on current events and life situations through a Gospel centered thought process. What I mean by that is trying to look at things and see "How is the Gospel spread through this?" Or how can God be glorified in this or through it? Super difficult when you pull in things like protection, justice, and "laws of the land." But I just wanted to share that's just where I'm at. I know there will be some of you guys that disagree with me, but I put pretty much everything else out there on the blog so I figured I'd do this too. (And please, if you decide to comment on this keep in mind I'm not trying to start and argument or belittle one side or the other. Be gracious and Christ-like in your comment if you decide to write...yes, I realize that's a total "Jesus Juke." If you don't know what that is from, read this: http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2010/11/the-jesus-juke/

Attention

2011-05-02T10:07:00.003-04:00

We are finishing up the semester and our study in the book of John in our college group. It was 14 weeks long but I think I could have done about a 30 week study on it so I feel like we've missed out on some stuff. Anyway, I was reading John 20:19-22 today and here is what it says: ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Can you imagine what this day must have been like? I know we all remember Good Friday and of course Resurrection Sunday but what about Silent Saturday? Can you imagine what Saturday must have been like? These guys were in and now they are freaked out about what has happened to Jesus. But then, everything changes that day he walked through the door (literally) and says "Peace be with you."

If I were in that room my first couple of reactions would have been: 1- OMG...again, literally not in a derogatory saying God's name in vain type of OMG, 2- Hug Him, 3- Screaming out, "LET'S DO THIS!!!"

Now, it's the last part that scares me a little bit. I think my excitement would have been directed at attention towards me rather then attention towards Jesus. I don't know about you but some times I struggle with that. That is why I love what Jesus says in verse 22. I think he knows those guys would probably do something similar so he refocuses where their minds should be. He says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Nothing happens without the Spirit doing work in us and through us and Jesus needed to set that tone right then and there. I think what Jesus is saying is "Oh, we ARE going to do this...but this is how." It reminds me of the passage in Zechariah 4 that says, "Not by might, Not by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord."

When the attention is put where it should be we will be amazed at what the Spirit can actually do and experience what God has for us.

Peace,
Wags

I know I've used this song before but it just fits so well today:

Celebration

2011-04-24T15:23:00.003-04:00

The thing I like about Easter is that everyone is stoked on coming to church. The downside is I wonder what happens to everyone the following week but that's an entirely different conversation. We had a great celebration this morning at Commonwealth Chapel and there is nothing greater then seeing someone or in this case several people have a real experience with Christ. Today I was reminded of the constant work that the Spirit is doing in people's lives and when the you least expect it, something deep happens. At the end of our service we just celebrated what God had done and while we were doing that I felt in my heart this question of "why don't we celebrate more?"

Look at Facebook today and practically everyone has a status update about the RISEN Christ, and that is awesome. Everyone just seems so happy about it.

I wish we celebrated like this more often. People are attracted to exciting things and is there anything more exciting then Christ?

1 Peter 1 says this: ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Church and Christians should be more fun in my opinion. We should laugh more together, celebrate more together and just be exciting people to be around. That's what I felt like today and I want that to be the norm rather then a handful of times a year.

On another note, I'm heading to a conference this week in Orlando and will probably blog a couple of times so check back later this week.

Peace,
Wags

Passion Week

2011-04-18T09:40:00.004-04:00

"Holy Week", or "Passion Week" started yesterday with Palm Sunday, which is the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and the people shouting "Hosanna!" This year I've been reflecting on this week a lot more then I have in the past. Part of it is that I actually prefer the term "Passion Week" instead of "Holy Week," because the events of this week that take us through the Resurrection show the passion that God has for us.

The question is, do we respond with any passion back towards Him?

I'll be giving a sermon at our Good Friday gatherings this week and this question of passion has been running through my brain for a few weeks. I'll be talking about living in the shadow of the cross, and what the cross actually means for us.

Does the cross illicit passion like it should or is it simply a symbol?

I was reminded of the story of Jeremiah going to the potters house and here is what it says in chapter 18:
"¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ² “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. ⁴ But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. ⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me. ⁶ He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel."

So what is shaping you?

This week I'm going to be praying that God would reveal to me all of the ways that I let other things shape who I am. The reality is we all get cracks some times or become "marred or spoiled" as it says in verse 4. When we are honest enough to recognize what it is, seek after God and allow him to reshape us, we become the masterpiece that he wants us to be. We start living a life for his purpose.

What will you be focusing on this week?

Peace,
Wags

Measuring up

2011-04-11T08:56:00.004-04:00

C.S. Lewis wrote, "We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is comparison that makes you proud. In God we come up against something that is immeasurably superior to us, and it is the proud person's refusal to acknowledge this which means enmity (hostility) towards God. The other vices come to us from the devil working through our animal nature, but Pride comes directly from Hell."

This morning at the gym I realized how much I play the compare game. For me it often comes while I'm listening to a speaker either live or on my ipod, in the gym, playing basketball, or some times even when I hear people talk about their prayer life. I know, sounds pretty crappy that I would compare my prayer life to someone else, but I do. It comes out of envy a lot of times because I really see it as an area that I really need to work on. But nonetheless, I compare myself to them. At the gym I think most guys kind of measure themselves up against other dudes and I do that some times. Especially when I see a guy a lot bigger then me and we are doing comparable weight on something...so lame. When I listen to speakers I some times think that I possibly could have done a better job with a certain topic. Again, I know that's brutal, but once in a while that happens. Even though I played baseball in college, basketball is what I love and I still fall into a mindset some times of comparing myself to some other players especially ones that I compete against that are 10 years younger then me. Let me say that this is typically followed up with this thought, "This is a rec league with 3 fans, and no one cares. Stop being a loser."

When we constantly compare ourselves to other people in can really take away our happiness, joy, and appreciation for what God is doing in our lives and the things that he has blessed us with. One of things you hear about 99% of the time from people who come back from a mission trip is that when they went to a particular poor country they couldn't believe how happy the people were even in the midst of such a struggle.

Why is that?

They can fully appreciate what God is doing for them and they aren't trying to keep up with the person next to them. We buy a new car and when we pull up to a stop light the newer version was just released and all of the sudden we think we are inferior. I feel myself do that with technology some times. My blackberry is going on 3 years old and about 117 times I've thought, "I'd love an iphone." Now is the new technology bad? Of course not. But it's this constant mind game we play with comparing who we are or what we possess with other people that constantly gets us into trouble in practical things and eventually spiritual things as well.

Sadly I see people compare themselves spiritually to others all of the time and it can have a devastating effect on people. Some times those who are a little more mature in their faith are extremely prideful and look down on others who are just beginning or struggling. On the flip side of that is some times those who are new or less mature are envious of those who are really solid in their faith and constantly compare themselves in an unhealthy way.

We need to break the bondage of comparison. When we do we will see all of the ways that God can use us, is blessing us, and is coming after us.

Peace,
Wags

Psalm 123

2011-04-04T10:52:00.005-04:00

I know, really creative title. Spent hours trying to come up with it. Here is the psalm:

¹ I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
² As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.

³ Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
⁴ We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.

We recently started to sing "Always" by Kristian Stanfill and when I first heard it several months ago I was really drawn to the bridge where it says "I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord." I've been thinking through a lot of different things and that line really speaks to me. It speaks to me in a convicting way because I realize how often I don't instinctively just look to God first. It speaks to me in a comforting way because as the song later says, he comes through every time. And, it speaks to me in a challenging way because I realize that if I lift my eyes up to him it means that I really do trust him, and it means that I really do understand that there is total freedom in him.

Why freedom?

Well, I feel the most free when I'm relying on God. I know it's very common for people to say Christianity feels like it's more enslaving then anything but for me when I'm "lifting my eyes" to Him, everything that could weigh me down goes away. Think about it this way. If I look at the money I have and don't view it as mine but as the Lord's, isn't that the most freeing thing ever? Same thing goes for my time, my relationships, my thoughts, etc...

There is nothing more fulfilling then lifting our eyes to God and serving him in all that we do. I know, some times it feels so distant but I read a great chapter on this Psalm the other day. Eugene Peterson says in his book "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction:"

"If God is God at all, he must know more about our needs that we do; if God is God at all, he must be more in touch with the reality of our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies than we are; if God is God at all, he must have a more comprehensive grasp of the interrelations in our families and communities and nations than we do."

What are your eyes looking to right now?

Peace,
Wags

Some times it's not easy

2011-03-28T12:21:00.005-04:00

We are studying the book of John this semester and last week I taught on the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. The rest of John 6 is an awesome chapter that is really deep and caused some trouble with those who were listening. The chapter ends with this:
⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

When I read verse 66 it really stuck out to me how quickly people just decided to leave Jesus. If you read the entire chapter you see that Jesus had just done some amazing things and answered the questions of who he really was. The problem was the listeners didn't like what they heard because in some ways it just didn't make sense.

They wanted it to be easy.

Problem is, some times it just isn't. We struggle with things in life and even get to a point where it feels like we just can't pray any more, so we either decide to get angry at God or simply dismiss him. It's really immature and selfish when you think about it right? But we all do it at some point.

Here's the part of the passage that is awesome. In verses 68 & 69 Peter expresses his faith in who Jesus is, and that is an amazing thing. However, the awesome part of the passage is how we can see that Peter isn't that different then us. What we know of Peter is that he later doubted, he denied Jesus, and even after he had been one of the most phenomenal preachers ever, we see in the book of Galatians he still messed up and did something that was blatantly racist (Galatians 2). So even Peter who was clearly an amazing follower of Christ struggled and at times realized how hard it could be to follow Christ.

So what does this mean for us? It means that some times it just isn't easy. Some times it seems as if it would be easier to just give into a temptation or desire that we have even though we know we shouldn't. But there is a bigger picture. Even though we may struggle it is all apart of us growing and maturing in our faith. Pick anything in your life that you may struggle with and I promise you there are moments where you are better at overcoming in then others. Here's is what we easily forget. We fail to remember how far we have come and get hung up on the current moment of our struggle. Sure, it may not be as far along as we want it to be but don't you think God knows that? He sees our struggle and he knows that we want to get past it.

And you will.

So whatever it is that you struggle with, know that it will be overcome. Know that God is with you in this and that He wants us to come out of it with his help. I've noticed in my own struggles that I've come a long way with a lot of them over the past few years and I know that I will continue to take steps in the right direction when I just simply keep focused on who God is. When my focus goes elsewhere that is when it gets the best of me. Is that frustrating some times? Yes. But clearly we see in scripture that at times it just isn't easy.

But God is worth it.

Peace,

Wags

New Kirk Franklin:

Ears to Hear

2011-03-21T10:38:00.003-04:00

Sunday nights are our date nights and last night we decided to go and see the movie Limitless. We saw the preview and it seemed like an interesting concept and since Robert Dinero was in it I figured it had to be good...nope. There were about 5 different plot lines that were explored and as Lacy said walking out "it felt like they only went 25% of the way with the plot." Plus, someone brought their 3 year old into the movie as well which we couldn't believe. But that's for an entirely different post.

The one thing about the movie that did interest me was when he took the pill and could recall essentially everything he had ever read or seen, and understood everything that was happening around him. The reason why that was so interesting to me is that I've really been thinking a lot about what makes us remember or understand things better at certain times. Countless times at church I've been so in tune with the speaker or scripture passage but then I forget what was said. Other times when I've felt distracted one or two things will just stick in my brain. Doesn't make sense to me some times. So as I began to pray for the sermon this past weekend I kept going back to this line in scripture that Jesus uses a bunch of times, "Those who have ears to hear, let them hear."

I prayed that a lot this past week because whenever we read that line in the Gospels or in Revelation it meant that the listener either got it or they didn't. When they actually did hear what they needed, they were pressing in towards Jesus and things became clear. Those who don't hear are always on the "outside of the inner circle" (Mark 4) or have gotten away from the things that they used to do when they were walking with God (Revelation 2 & 3).

Ever feel like you can't hear God and then some thing just clicks?

That happens to me a lot. It happens when I least expect it to some times. I've realized that you can't predict what the Spirit will do in your heart. But we do know that scripture tells us that the Spirit brings wisdom (1 Cor 2), convicts (John 16), and makes us aware of things (Psalm 51). Even though we don't know when something is going to click our responsibility is to continue to move towards Jesus. I've watched so many people struggle and doubt God but as they continue to seek after him he shows himself...every time (Proverbs 8:17, Matthew 7:8).

They have ears to hear.

So my prayers have changed a little bit recently. A line that I now always put in is that I may have ears to hear. I know that if I keep praying that and reminding myself of that I will hear God a lot more and I will notice the Spirit doing a lot more in my life.

Peace,
Wags

Complaining

2011-03-14T10:16:00.005-04:00

Exodus 16:1-3 ¹ The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. ² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

I was listening to a sermon on complaining this morning and it made me revisit the story of God leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Think about how crazy the reaction is from the people in the above passage. God literally just pulled off an epic miracle by parting the Red Sea and like 2 seconds later they are complaining about how bland the food is. If you continue to read through Exodus and into Numbers you see how they continued to complain at every turn and in the end God basically says, "I'm done with you guys. All you do is complain, disobey, and take me for granted. So, you won't see the land that I had been telling you about. But you know who will? Joshua and Caleb. They honor and respect me and appreciate what I've continued to do. Their hearts are right. Yours are not."

Seem harsh?

I don't think so. They got what they wanted in the end. All they were concerned about was themselves and their selfish behavior was unreal.

Here's the bad part as I really think about it. How different am I then these guys in Exodus?

I can't stand complainers (that maybe a little much but I really don't like being around people who are chronic complainers...still love them though:)) and try so hard not to be one but I've realized that there are a couple of things that I've complained about over the last few months that comes from just being selfish really. It's so easy to fall into that trap and apparently I got a little "loose" in my prayer life and convictions. Instead of looking at it as God providing and how amazing that is I chose to just pick out a few things that annoyed me and focus on that. When that happens the only results are negativity in your life and disrespecting God.

Not so good options.

If we really take a step back and look at our culture in general, complaining is like 2nd nature to us. Think about all of the things we so easily complain about. I could probably make a list of about 50 things right off the top of my head, and that would probably be just examples from church alone.

Do I think that God could hold back some blessings from us if we just continue to complain and disrespect him? Yes, I do. Is it wrong of him to do that? Absolutely not. Lacy and I do that with our kids when they need discipline.

So what if we really started paying attention to what we complain about. What if we began to think about how God can use us in every situation? What if we started to realize all of the ways that God provides for us? What if we started to see that our complaining is simply selfish, immature behavior? What if we started to see the negativity we bring into different areas of our lives?

I honestly believe that we would be shocked at how drastically our lives would change and the ways that God would begin to use us and bless us. Would we all of the sudden be rich and have everything we ever wanted? Nope. But, we would begin to have a relationship with God like we've never had before, we would be people that others love to be around, and we would immediately begin to see that are hearts are in the right place and all that matters is honoring Him!

We would be like Joshua and Caleb.

Peace,
Wags

Love the live version of this song.

Radiant

2011-03-07T11:01:00.004-05:00

I was sitting in a meeting with someone last week and as they began to share what was happening in their life I saw their face start to beam with excitement. When that happened I was immediately drawn into what he was saying. Interestingly enough, when we started to talk about faith and God that same excited look was gone.

When I left and drove home I really started to realize how we talk about what excites us. I talk about my wife and kids all of the time. Why? Because it makes me excited. I love telling stories about what they are doing or funny things they say. Both of them are doing an excellent job at being potty trained and now they feel so confident that when they sit on the toilet they will look at us and say "Excuse me, I need a little privacy." Why do I tell that story? Because it made me laugh and I want to share that with other people.

I wonder if God sits on his throne some times and asks, "Why won't you talk about me?"

The Christian Culture is pretty interesting. If you talk about God to much then people think you are weird because they can't just have a normal conversation with you, but if you don't talk about him at all then no one will know if you are even a Christian or care what God is doing. More and more I notice that most people are on the "not talking enough" side of things. In another meeting I had last week a guy asked me, "What is God doing in you right now?" And it was just an honest question because he wanted to know. It was so refreshing. And I love to talk about God so I was all sorts of amped up.

I wish that was normal.

I wish that we genuinely asked people all of the time what God was up to in their life. I wish that we got excited to answer. Excitement breeds more excitement. Don't believe me? Just watch any Basketball tournament this March. People feed off of each other. I believe that is one way that the Spirit really works through a community when we allow him to.

One of my favorite stories around this is with Moses and the Lord in Exodus 34. You should go and read the whole chapter because it's amazing but here is the part that is amazing:

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

Because Moses was with the Lord his face was radiant and everyone had no choice but to see it. It inspired the people of Israel and they began to work even harder for the Lord.

Does your face beam with excitement when you talk about the Lord?

Peace,

Wags

Song really starts about 2 min in.

Perspective

2011-03-04T10:29:00.006-05:00

Today is a day of perspective for me. On March 4th, 2002 Lacy's brother Adam and a friend Philip were killed in a car accident on their way to pick up a friend for Bible study. It was an event that clearly flipped our world upside down and definitely put our faith to the test. Although I will never understand why it happened, I do understand that God can do good in all things. That night wasn't good at all but I know for certain that God has been with us throughout every moment.

I say it's a day of perspective because every year on this day I am reminded how this very day is a gift from God. Every breathe that I'm allowed to have is a gift from God. And although I know that being in Heaven some day will be amazing, there is a purpose for me while I am here. It also makes me realize that some stuff that will make me a little stressed, irritated or frustrated really isn't that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Peace,
Wags

Calling people out

2011-02-28T13:03:00.004-05:00

Not sure how many of you have seen the recent flurry of tweets, blog posts, and facebook messages about Rob Bell's upcoming book but it has set the Christian blogosphere on fire. Someone who is a very influential blogger posted on Saturday that Bell had become a Universalist based on the publisher's note about the book and a short video clip. An extremely basic synopsis of the Universalism belief is that in the end everyone is saved. The problem with that is several passages of the Bible like Matthew 7, Matthew 25, and John 3 to name a few. The Bible is very clear that not all will be in Heaven. Where the Bible isn't clear really is what Hell looks like and to be honest it really doesn't matter to me personally. The fact that there is eternal separation is enough for me. I know there are a lot of views out there but this isn't a post to try and start some kind of debate. It's really to address something that just bothers me about the Christian culture, and that's the way we run our mouths. Some are worse offenders then others but I don't know of a single person who doesn't fail at this, myself included.

Bell has always been a little of a controversial Pastor because he questions a lot of things and really makes people think about certain aspects of theology that they just take for granted. I personally have listened to roughly 50-60 sermons of his, read 3 of his books, and have always found him to be interesting even if there were times that I didn't agree with what he said. He has a brilliant mind and is a brilliant communicator. And yes, I would be sad if what he is being accused of is true because he would be going against orthodox Christian teaching but here is the reality, no one knows for sure until either he comes out and addresses the issue or people read the book themselves.

That's what has bothered me so much about all the rhetoric going around. None of these guys who are spouting off have ever even read the book! Is it possible they are right? Sure. But whatever happened to the biblical way of approaching people (Matthew 18, Galatians 6:1, Titus 3:10)? Now I also know some of the passages that people will use about warning everyone about false teachers and such, but it seems as if this was a little premature. All the facts aren't out there and to me this really continues to show people how divisive we as Christians can actually be. If these guys turn out to be wrong about Bell then what are they going to do about it? I'm sure they will say sorry, but also try and justify it in some way like the original blogger is already doing. Which will be so sad. I think I might be more scared if they are right because of the precedent this sets for every blogger, twitter, and facebook user out there.

I'm all for right doctrine. I'm all for addressing false teaching and calling that out. I'm all for protecting the church. I'm all for addressing the sin in our lives. I'm all for calling people out when it needs to happen. I understand that teachers are held to a higher standard (James 3:1). All of those are 100% biblical. But to me this just reeks of gossip, even if they do turn out to be right. I've have been deeply hurt by fellow Christians in the past who have said things that were either out of context or when they only had half the story. And I know that's why people end up hating Christians and the church. I know that because I've heard it over and over and over again over the past 9 years of ministry and have felt that way myself.

Here's what I would encourage everyone to do. Read what the Bible says about gossip, slander etc...Read James 3 as well. And to be totally candid this is something that I always pray about and fail in at times. So this is definitely not coming from a "holier than thou" place. Every post I write is a window into what's going on in my head and heart so I am by no means elevating myself in any capacity.

One thing that I've been deeply convicted about over the past 2 years or so is making sure that I play a significant role in trying to unify people and do whatever I can to make others feel loved and appreciated no matter what is happening. I know I stink at it at times but I wonder what would happen if everyone started to think like that. What if we began to stop ourselves from saying things that could hurt someone else because it is gossip or hearsay? What if we started to think about the most "unloveable" person in our lives and used that as a way to judge ourselves on how loving we are?

Btw, here is what I hope will happen. I hope that the people who are accusing Rob Bell of this are wrong and that they publicly issue an apology. Then they meet with Rob Bell personally, forgiveness happens and then they do some sort of ministry together. Man, that would be awesome. Don't know if that will be the case. I just hope it is.

I could go on but this rant is to long already, and longer then I usually write, but thanks for reading.

Peace,
Wags

Are you gonna go my way?

2011-02-20T20:15:00.003-05:00

So Lenny Kravitz is playing before the NBA All Star game right now and I have a few observations: 1-Dude is just cool, 2- I'm tired of this song, 3- why is it ok for songs to have stupid lyrics like "We've got to hug and rub-a-dub" like this song does? But I will say the song made me think that the Spirit must ask us that same question a lot...

Are you gonna go my way?

I've recently been thinking a lot about the book of Acts and I was just reading chapter 5 and I love this part of the chapter:

²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

³³ When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵ Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶ Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷ After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴² Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

The apostles have been spreading the Word like crazy and the Spirit is just doing crazy stuff, so they are facing a lot of persecution. I love what Gamaliel (who was Paul's main teacher as a Pharisee and later became a believer himself...how cool is that?) says in verse 39. He gives a legit statement when he says, "Fellas, if it's of God you ain't stoppin it." (that's how I translate scripture some times fyi). Guess what? It didn't stop then and hasn't stopped since.

Then in verse 42 it says that day after day they went and proclaimed the Word. This was done in both word and deed and they did it wherever they went. They were following what Jesus commanded in Matthew 28 when he said go and make disciples. They were sent to do that and so are you.

I think there is a problem in the church culture with regards to this. I asked Lacy the other night, "Why do we only commission missionaries that are going out of the country or moving somewhere else, when we are all missionaries to our places of work, our homes, our schools, and wherever we choose to go for fun?"

You are a missionary wherever you go.

Are you gonna go your way or God's?

Peace,

Wags

Love this song

Time for Battle

2011-02-14T20:22:00.006-05:00

I was just thinking about a quote by CS Lewis that I read a couple of years ago. Lewis said, “There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.” I realize this will be the 2nd straight week of a Battle theme but it seems as if I've had several conversations with people lately who are just defeated and aren't fighting like they should.

I know what Lewis said isn't something that we typically like to think about but it couldn't be more true. If we are to look at scripture we see that there are an incredible amount of ways that sin/devil/world effects us and is battling for us. Here's a quick list:

1- False Teaching/Doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1,2; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4)
2- Lack of Sex in Marriage (1 Corinthians 7:5)...yes, you read that right
3-Marriage/Dating between believers & nonbelievers ( 2 Cor 6)
4-Bitterness (Ephesians 4)
5-Gossip (1 Tim 5:11-15)
6-Lies (John 8)
7-Idolatry (Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 106, 1 Cor 10)- also Rom 1 (exchange)
8-Try to trap you in a lifestyle (1 timothy 2)
9-Steal God’s word from you/ make you forget the teaching (Matt 13)
10-Confusing your mind (2 Cor 4:4)

There is a battle for you and me but it's not the whole story. One of my favorite verses is from 1 John 4:4 and it says "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (also read Ephesians 6:10-20)

Although the battle may seem tough, exhausting, and at times unending we need to constantly remind ourselves that God is greater then all of it.

Peace,
Wags

I know I've used this song before but it fits.

Standard

2011-02-07T14:41:00.003-05:00

Other then a brutal halftime show and horrible commercials (what happened to them being funny?), I loved watching the Super Bowl last night. It was a great game and got to hang out with some great friends, so it was a good night. I had read an article on Mike Tomlin, the Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and one of his players said that he has this one saying that he repeats all of the time, "The Standard is the Standard." The player was talking about the expectation level that is set and that they don't deviate from that at all.

Do you ever think about the fact that within scripture we have a standard set for us?

Would you say that the Standard is the Standard when it comes to the Bible or do you just kind of make it up as you go?

There is also something called a Battle Standard. This is the person who was carrying the flag that represented their country during battle and when it would stay up high the men knew to keep going if it lowered and started going to other way, they knew to retreat. The reality is, when we keep our standards high we have the ability to keep fighting. When our standards lower, that's when things get messy. That is when we get off track. That is when we begin to give into temptations in our lives.

When we read Isaiah 59 we see that the Lord was upset with the lack of reaction of his people and took up to taking care of things himself. It's a powerful chapter in Isaiah. In verse 19 it says in the King James Version that "when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against them."

The Spirit of the Lord went to battle. The Spirit did work on evil. How do you think that battle went?

Here's the crazy thing, or should I say comforting/amazing thing. The Bible says that same Spirit has been given to those who believe (Romans 5:5)!!!

Stop lowering your standards and place them where God wants them. He wants them up high. He wants us to let his Word dictate what the standard should be. When we do that the Spirit of the Lord will fight this battle with us and guess what?

We win.

Peace,
Wags

Giving Up

2011-02-01T16:53:00.005-05:00

I was listening to a sermon by Francis Chan this afternoon and he was just giving an update on his travels and what he has seen over the past several months. He was talking about the time he spent in India and how he was asked to speak to this one group of people. He said that as they began to share about the persecution that they had gone through and what their lives were like for the sake of their faith in Christ he felt so unworthy to teach them. So, he said he just wanted to learn from them and hear more of their testimonies.

One thing I thought was really interesting that happened with him was that he was going into the experience thinking he was going to teach them when in reality he was the one that had a lot to learn. As a Pastor I think I do that way to much. Some times I don't go into a situation with an attitude that it could be a learning experience for me as well.

It's easy to get caught up into thinking we may have all the right answers when in reality we may have none. I see this a lot in church where because of people's preferences everyone thinks it should be the way they want it. Worship music, programs, lighting, size of font, Pastor's clothes etc...It's not that people shouldn't have preferences or opinions because we all do, but I wonder what church would be like if we were just stoked to be together.

What if we were so happy to have a chance to worship God together?

In another part of that sermon he said he began to tell them what Christianity was like here in America and some of the good and bad aspects of it. When he started to tell them about why people left churches or how nonchalant people were about their faith everyone started to belly laugh. The legitimately thought that he was just joking. When he told them he was serious they couldn't believe it.

I think a lot of it comes down to what we are willing to give up. That's what I'm really convicted about today. Do I really embrace the verse "to live is Christ, to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). I don't mean that everyone needs to be in a place that their life is constantly on the line, but for some it does. It also means that real life is just giving up useless junk and only concentrating on what matters for Christ.

So today I'm asking God, "What am I not willing to give up for you?" (could be scared of the answer btw)

Want to join me?

Peace,
Wags

Old school Kirk Franklin today:

Seasons

2011-01-23T13:59:00.003-05:00

Winter is by far my least favorite season of the year. I'm glad in Richmond it's the shortest one but to be honest I'd rather we just skipped it all together. Between the cold, gray sky, and to many layers of clothing, it just kind of makes me mad some times. Two things that I've really thought about winter recently are; 1- I can't change it and God made it so I should embrace it (although if God chose to eliminate snow and cold I'd be in favor of that), and 2- It really makes me appreciate Spring, Summer, and Fall that much more.

I've been thinking a lot about seasons of life recently too and I've realized that I need to think differently about those as well. This morning I was reading Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 which comes right after the famous "A time to..." passage. This section of chapter 3 says:

⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

What I realized when I was reading this was that too often I don't enjoy the season that I'm in, good or bad. Some times seasons are short, and other times seemingly too long but we are in them for a reason and it's up to us to be sensitive enough to the Spirit doing work in us so that we can figure out what God is up to.

I'm a driven person and constantly look to the next thing and some times that can be very unhealthy. I don't enjoy the season that I'm in enough, even if it's a difficult season of life. God wants us to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in the life he has given us because it is a gift!

Although some who are reading this right now will find it tough to do, God still wants you to find ways to enjoy life. Find the people, places, and things that he has placed before you to grow closer to him and to experience the things on this earth that he created. If it is true that all of creation shouts to the glory of God (Romans 1:20, Psalm 19:1,2) then we need to rethink how we can appreciate the seasons of life that we go through. For those that are in a great place right now, enjoy it to the glory of God like you never have before. Appreciate the little things because those are the things that are going to help you during the more difficult or confusing seasons of your life.

If our life is a gift from God then we should be thankful for it, and if we are thankful for it we should live in such a way that shouts to the giver of that gift.

Peace,
Wags

MLK Jr

2011-01-17T11:18:00.004-05:00

Over the past several years I've always been captivated by the sermons or articles that I have read from the life Martin Luther King Jr. I think it's really cool that on Facebook today many people are paying tribute to him by posting a favorite quote of his. Although flawed just like anyone else, he was an incredible man who fought for the right things. If he were still alive today many of his sermons and passions would still ring true. Have we taken steps forward in some ways? Sure. But, there is still a long way to go when it comes to fighting for the poor and oppressed and loving people like we should.

“Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”

I saw this quote from a sermon that King preached in 1956. He was preaching on the premise of what Paul would say to the American Church today. The sermon talked about how the spiritual development of the church has not kept up with the strides that were being made with science and other areas of society so at some point the church was going to get lose its focus and get left behind. He urged people to fight for their faith and place that as a top priority.

So how far have we come in the last 55 years?

From the rhetoric on news channels on both sides of the political arena to the relationships between churches who feel like they're in competition with each other (so dumb), it seems fitting to say that King was certainly uttering some prophetic words 55 years ago. We constantly let people pull us down. We constantly give into the gossip, the lies, and love to just rip on people.

And that's within the church.

Read some of the words of Paul and let them sink in:
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Ephesians 4:28-30 ²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:10,11 ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

There should be a difference in how a Christian loves on people, encourages people, and builds other people up. Are there times for correction? Yes. But it's done out of love and respect and the other person knows that.

Would anyone be able to tell you are a follower of Christ by the words that you use?

Spend some time today reading through some quotes from King or reading one of his sermons. I promise you will be blessed.

Peace,
Wags

2011-01-14T15:58:00.002-05:00

Saw this video today and I think it's fascinating. After watching it I keep wondering what this means for the church as well...

Nicodemus

2011-01-10T11:58:00.005-05:00

This semester I am going to be working through the book of John with our college students and this morning I was re-reading the passage out of John 3 when Nicodemus and Jesus interact. There are a lot of cool things to this story but today what caught me was verse 11 where Jesus says, "Truly, truly I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony."

Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee (Teacher, Religious Scholar) knew scripture really well. Most of the Pharisees could quote the entire set of Hebrew Scriptures like it was nothing. But, Jesus is telling him that he doesn't really know what he reads and can't accept what Jesus is saying because he has this distorted view on everything.

I feel like that happens to us a lot.

For instance, I heard Rick Warren say in a sermon that "We do what we believe." When we begin to really think about the relationship between what we say we believe and what we actually do it can get ugly fast. We say we believe the Bible to be true which a great starting point but then we don't do what it says. So do you really believe it to be true? Scripture says repeatedly that we are supposed to be over the top generous and there isn't a person out there who can deny that, yet how many of us are generous at all? Scripture talks about how we should use our words to encourage, build up, speak truth, and have integrity yet how many of us participate in gossip, lying, backstabbing, cutting other people down? Scripture talks about unity among believers but is that part of the church culture? Scripture talks about being a witness but how often do we do that? Scripture talks about prayer but when was the last time you talked to God? Scripture talks about a love that brings hope, belief, endurance, patience, humility, but would that be the type of love that an Atheist, Muslim, someone of a different race or political opinion would feel from a Christian?

If we were really to start to break down what our actions speak of our beliefs, things get scary. All of the sudden we would have to start saying things like I believe my money is mine and being selfish with it is amazing. I believe that I know best and you're an idiot so it is fine that I make fun of you or ruin your reputation. I believe that work is more important than my spouse or kids so deal with it. I believe that I can basically control everything but when I need something I'll ask God for help then. I believe the Bible is kind of a joke so that's why I don't really read it, learn from it, or let it change anything I do.

(Little harsh for a Monday? Yeah probably, but for some reason I'm a little fired up today).

So how different are we then Nicodemus?

There isn't one person out there that doesn't have some of this in them to some level. The question is, "Do you want to find out what it is and are you willing to let God deal with it?"(John 16:5-15). For the past few months I had been dealing a lot with whether or not I trust God. For a while I felt like he kept saying, "Trust me, you need to take this next step." For me, and Lacy for that matter, it felt more like a leap then a step but in the end we've completely come to peace with the fact that indeed, He just wanted us to take a next step and that we really can trust him in this.

If we actually did what we say we believed can you imagine the change that would happen in your life, in the church, in the community and in the world? Can you imagine what it would be like to start seeing the things that God wants you to see?

Peace,
Wags

Latest books

2011-01-05T13:34:00.005-05:00

Here are the some quick thoughts on the 2 latest books I've read:

The first book is The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons. He became a well known author for writing the book UnChristian which talked about how people have totally begun to stiff arm Christians because of how judgmental, insensitive, and hypocritical they are. As Lyons began to do more research he says that those who survey the European religious landscape say that it's just a preview of what will happen here in America if things continue. But what I like about this book is that he begins to paint a much different picture about what is happening and what the possibilities are, and why it would be a good thing for the American Christianity as it is to die off. This is not a bash Christianity book. In reality there is a very positive message about where things could be heading. He and his team of researchers began to ask these 3 questions: (1) What does mission look like in America in the 21st century? (2)How should the message of the Gospel go forward? (3) What does it mean to be a Christian in a world that is disenchanted with our movement? He started to look at all of these different aspects of culture and how some amazing Christians are having this enormous impact. One part that I thought was interesting was that as he began to speak to many of these "Next Christians" he realized 6 characteristics about them. They are: 1- Provoked, not offended; 2- Creators, not critics; 3- Called, not employed; 4- Grounded, not distracted; 5- In community, not alone; 6- Countercultural, not "relevant." With so many books that just bash Christians (written by other Christians), it was nice to read a book that was optimistic, challenging, and extremely practical. Well worth the purchase.

The 2nd book I just finished was Generous Justice by Tim Keller. Keller is one of my favorite teachers and this book is absolutely fantastic. It isn't a super easy read but not awful by any means. Really, I think anyone could read it but it may just take a little more time to digest then your typical book. I actually found this book to be more challenging then Irresistible Revolution,Radical or Crazy Love to be honest. I love those books but they are more of a "gut punch" type of book which I personally like a lot, but this book is a lot different. Keller takes a lot of time to dissect what it really means for a Christian to do justice. He breaks down scripture so brilliantly and really challenges some of the things that are prevalent in churches today. Many skeptics of religion would say that it does more harm then good and that Christianity in particular doesn't offer anything towards justice. Keller answers all of those critics for sure. Any Christian who reads this will also be challenged to the very core of who you are and what you say you believe. I promise that if you read this you will have such a greater understanding of what Biblical Justice really is, and it will really make you reflect on what you've been doing about it. This book will spark so many conversations about what you should be doing personally and what churches should be doing corporately. The thing I always feel when I read or listen to Tim Keller is that I am always drastically increasing my Bible knowledge while also drastically increasing awareness of practical ways to make it real in my life. Good stuff for sure.

Next up on the list are Think by John Piper and A Long Obedience by Eugene Peterson (yes Josh Conrad, I know I said I was reading that last time. I got to geeked up on the Keller book and read that instead).

Obligatory New Year's Post

2011-01-03T11:18:00.005-05:00

I wasn't going to do a "New Year" post but I figured what the heck. When I reflect on 2010 a lot of really good things happened and I see how God has really been working in so many cool ways. The crazy part is that I think a lot of it has been building for 2011 to be an AMAZING year. Here are some things that I think are going to be flat out incredible this year:

1- My marriage. Lacy and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in June and our marriage continues to get better. It's hard to believe that I can continue to love and feel loved more every year. God has blessed me beyond belief with her and she is phenomenal. I also just want to acknowledge how incredible she's been over the past month with all the Advent Conspiracy gifts. From paintings, to sewing, to making pajamas for the kids, and some other little things all while being her normal amazing mom/wife, she was like superwoman throughout December.

2- Our Church. Rob and Jen are moving out to California in the beginning of February and it's going to be beyond weird not having them around. They are our best friends and mean so much to us. It's crazy to think I've known Robby since I was a freshman at U of R in 1994 and to think how far things have come. Here's what I know though. God has incredible things planned for them in Santa Cruz and for us here in Richmond too and that is what gets me excited. There is this WOW factor that I believe is going to be running through the core of Commonwealth Chapel this year.

3- In yesterdays sermon 2 things that I referenced have been on my mind for quite some time and I think they are 2 themes that I want to focus on this year. First is the quote from George Washington Carver. He said that "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." I want to have an uncommon type of love and generosity, be an uncommon husband and father, and have an uncommon obedient, passionate, radical relationship with God. The 2nd theme is from a scripture passage out of 2 Corinthians 4:18 and it says: " ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I want to continue to embrace the greatness of God. Continue to acknowledge there is a bigger picture. Continue to focus on the eternal things of God that bring so much hope, love, forgiveness, patience, understanding, justice to this life here on earth. I've been noticing that the more I focus on this stuff the less negative thoughts come into my mind. Negativity and bitterness can kill you and make you miserable to be around. I don't want a trace of that in me and I know that if my focus remains in the right place it will take care of itself.

4- Last thing, and that's my prayer life. The more I pay attention to how God answers prayer the more I realize how important it is and how much it matters. Are there things I will never understand? yup. But that shouldn't stop me and it won't anymore.

So that's my deal for 2011. I also just want to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog. I know you don't have to and your emails or words of encouragement to me about this blog or when you've heard me speak really do make a difference and it's much appreciated. God is good and I'm just glad he uses me some how.

Peace,
Wags

My 2 favorite songs of 2010:

I know this came out in at the end of 2009 but it was still my fave this year:

Rest

2010-12-26T20:38:00.003-05:00

I can't stand snow. I grew up in upstate NY and when it snows 6 months out of the year it's just not that cool anymore. If I could choose any kind of weather it would be 80ish and sunny most of the time with about 2-3 months of fall weather mixed in. I love in Richmond and don't plan on going anywhere so I guess I'll just have to take the snow here and there (although I'm stoked on the fact it's going to be in the 60's this weekend).

Here's the thing that is nice about snow in Richmond though. Everyone basically stops and chills out. We really didn't do anything today but watch football and hangout with family. That's a total win. There are a good amount of things up in the air with us right now and I was telling Lacy that I'm starting to feel it a little bit mentally. I don't ever get super stressed about anything but I notice that when I get a little stressed simple things that don't matter just bother me a little bit. I'm getting better at noticing when it is happening and trying to make sure that I remind myself that I do have a choice in the matter. I can be an idiot and act like a baby or I can say it's not a big deal and get over it.

That's why I really liked doing nothing today. Sure, I'm one plate of noodles and syrup away from completing Will Farrel's diet in Elf, but who cares? Today was a day to simply rest. I needed today to get my thoughts together and to be reminded that it's ok to simply rest.

It's in scripture from the beginning of Genesis and in Matthew 11, Jesus even says to come to him if you are weary and burdened and you will find rest. So I did that today. When I wasn't zoned out on the couch or playing with the kids I just put everything aside and said, "I'm going to find rest in you JC."

It's hard to admit it some times but the world does continue to be ok if we rest like we should. That doesn't give us free reign to be lazy but it does put things into perspective.

I know I can find rest in Jesus because he's got things under control.
I know I can find rest in Jesus because he's got my back.
I know I can find rest in Jesus because he said I could.
I know I can find rest in Jesus because this world thing is a little bigger then me.

So maybe some of you are in the same boat as me and have been feeling a little bit stressed out and I hope that this will be a reminder that you can find rest if you want too.

Peace,
Wags

This song has been stuck in my head since last week:

Santa

2010-12-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

I think people need to relax a little bit with their opinions on Santa. I feel like when you mention your thoughts on our make believe-cookie eating-present giving friend, people either go one extreme or the other. Either you take the Santa has ruined Christmas route or you embrace everything about him and focus in on him rather then Jesus. I've read several different blog posts and Lacy showed me one that just made me shake my head because of how much anger gets put behind people's opinion on this. I'll tell you what I tell Max about 15 times a day (he gets a bit emotional at times): Take a breath...ok...now do it again. Good.

Anyway, over the past couple of weeks I've had several people ask me what Lacy and I are going to do with Max and Neveah. Naturally, we said we are Christians and hate Santa and are plotting how they will ruin it for all of their friends in a couple of years...jk. But I did read this article that was written from and interview with Mark Driscoll. I think it perfectly states where we are at as a family and where I think everyone could be happy. Check it out

If you don't agree, that's fine...you can be wrong. No but seriously, if you'd still rather take a tougher view one way or the other that's your call but just relax about it.

Memories

2010-12-19T20:49:00.003-05:00

When Lacy and I got back from our date night tonight we sat down and watched one of the CBS News shows and they were doing a special on people with incredible memories. It was really fascinating because they would test these 5 people on any day in their entire lives and they could tell you the weather, what happened in the news that day, and essentially every detail of their day. It was incredible to watch them go through all of the details that they would remember and they were ALWAYS right. They don't forget anything...crazy.

As I was sitting there I was thinking about the sermon I will preach on January 2nd to kick the year off for our church. I'm not a big theme guy when I preach, but I figured I need to have some tie in to the "new year." So watching the interviews of these people made me ask myself, "What if I could remember every day this year and everything that I did?"

Would that be a good thing?

I'm pretty sure there were definitely be more good then bad but it was really weird to think about. It kind of made me glad that I forget some things some times. I'll be talking a lot more about this topic in a couple of weeks but one passage that came to mind was out of Romans 6. Here's what it says: ¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I wonder how often we think about what we are chasing after? Do we go after the things that lead to holiness? Is it really worth it to chase after things that you can't take with you when this life is over?

What would happen if you could remember every day and every detail about your life over 2010? What have you been chasing after?

KIA

2010-12-13T11:13:00.005-05:00

Every time I go in to get my haircut, one of the people that works there is always talking about something that he clearly is the "expert" on. Politics? No problem. Relationships? Got that too. Religion, Ending world hunger, Education? Please... Challenge him would ya? The other people that work there actually call him KIA which is short for Know It All. Seems like a really nice guy who means well but man can he run his mouth.

What I find most interesting is that he obviously views himself as having loads of wisdom to impart to all those who can hear and the interesting thing is that everyone basically tunes him out even when he may have a good point here and there. Here are few passages that I picked out about wisdom (there are many, many more):

Job 28:28
"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 19:20
²⁰ Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

Proverbs 28:26
²⁶ Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Proverbs 29:11
¹¹ Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.

James 3:17
¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

I think my favorite out of this bunch is James 3:17 because it's such a good reality check when we begin to put our "wisdom" out there for others to hear. Everyone has opinions and we all think we have the answers to everything but Godly wisdom is soaked in humility. I'm an opinionated dude and some times I definitely need to get myself in check. I need to pray that I realize that it's the Spirit working that allows me to learn, to counsel, and to be a voice that God wants to use. Outside of that I'm just another KIA, and that just annoys me typing it.

What are you seeking wisdom for? Are you willing to accept the answers you may have to hear and are you actually going to the right places for advice?

Peace,
Wags

Well Done

2010-12-06T12:54:00.004-05:00

This is kind of dumb but for some reason one of our favorite random things to do is take our jar of change and bring it into Kroger. We have a tradition (neither of us know why) that whenever we do it we take the money and go to Outback. I mean, I love Outback but it's not like it's some amazing special treat. I remember thinking to myself while using it this last time, "well done whoever invented this, well done." Here's the thing about it though, you always have that random coin from Brazil or something and there are those 3 pennies, 2 dimes and a nickel that never seem to get read by the machine so you keep tossing it back in there. Clearly you hope for the Brazilian coin to somehow register as a half dollar or something and I'm not going to lie, it feels kind of sneaky while you are doing. I never know why the other coins don't register but they get thrown back into the jar and maybe we'll get lucky next time.

Why that story?

I feel like some times we think we can sneak things past God or count things that we've done even though we had completely selfish motives about our "good work." Advent is always a time for me to reflect on good works. For the past few years at Commonwealth Chapel we have done Advent Conspiracy (which you should as well) and it always makes me think about the things that I've done or haven't done for God this year. I'm not talking about anything to earn my salvation (we are saved by Grace, Ephesians 2), just the things that show my faith. It is truly a humbling experience if you really do it objectively. This morning I was thinking about the parable in Matthew 25 when Jesus says in vs 21 ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Can you imagine hearing those words from Jesus?

The reality is that some day we will stand before God and give an account to what we've done (2 Corinthians 5:10), and we certainly can't sneak anything by him (1 John 3:20, Psalm 139:1-3).

I know, no one likes to think or talk about this but if you believe in the Bible and believe it to be true, then this is very much a reality.

Is there any better phrase that can ever be said to you then "Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share in your Master's happiness!"

Peace,
Wags

Advent Conspiracy Video (Let me know if you have any questions)

Old but I saw it on my itunes today and remembered how much I liked this song

Doubt

2010-11-29T13:27:00.003-05:00

I had been wanting to blog about doubt for about a month or so but other things kept popping up that inspired me a little more. But it seems as if this issue of doubt is coming up more and more recently. Doubt can cause people to question God, their faith, relationships, their happiness, their jobs, whether or not to have kids, or even where to live. If doubt isn't handled correctly, it can cause havoc in your life.

So what do we do about doubt?

First thing is to understand that it's ok to doubt. EVERYONE DOUBTS! Look at some of the pillars of faith in the Bible. Abraham doubted and said his wife Sarah was his sister, Moses doubted before going to the Pharaoh, Gideon doubted and kept asking God to give him a sign, Peter doubted on the water, and Thomas doubted that Jesus was alive. I'd be ok with being lumped in with those guys, how about you?

There is a bizarre culture in church today that people think they have to act like they have everything figured out or people think it's unacceptable to ask questions that are bothering you. I'll be the first to admit that some times I doubt. Recently I had been praying about our house and it caused me to have some doubt about theology of prayer. Here's what happened. I started praying that God would send the right people to buy our house and that we would sell it at a price that we wouldn't have to bring money to the table. In the middle of my prayer my mind started racing with these thoughts:

"What if they don't want to buy our house, would God make them?"
"What if they are praying for a deal, who wins? (clearly me b/c I'm a Pastor...jk)
"Wait, what happens when we start looking for a new house? Is God going to force us into something?"
"What does this mean about prayer with other things in life?"

Now, some of you may be saying that's dumb, but I'm ok with that. That's just where my mind went and I began to doubt prayer a little bit.

Second thing to understand is what we do with doubt is critical. If we just let it sit then what will happen is it will turn into cynicism. Once that happens we become frustrated, embittered, angry, and eventually selfish, and at that point in doesn't matter what answer is given to us. It won't be satisfactory because things didn't happen in the timing that we wanted or the way that we wanted so we'll choose to just distance ourselves. The reality is that God doesn't owe us an explanation. He makes that clear in scripture (Luke 13:1-5, John 21:15-23).

So what should we do then?

Pray like crazy. Go to the Bible and look for answers and see what the Spirit reveals to you. Start with Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin, or the parable in Mark 9:17-27. We also need to realize that there is a battle going on for each and everyone of us. Giving into doubt couldn't make Satan happier. Read Ephesians 6:10-19 and pray and reflect on that passage.

If you do that with an open heart and mind there is no question that God will continue to reveal himself to you.

Are there many other facets to doubt? Sure. Seek out answers to your questions!

Peace,
Wags

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T12:17:00.003-05:00

I was reading a study this morning done at the University of Manchester in 2009 that talks about the effect that being grateful has on our sleep patterns. They did a pretty extensive study on those who went to bed thinking about things that they were thankful for and those who went to sleep thinking of negative thoughts. In the end, the results they discovered were that those who had positive thoughts and concentrated on things that they were thankful for had a much better nights sleep. As I looked at a few other studies, having a positive outlook on life and being thankful for things you do have has an enormous effect on our personalities, how we relate to other people, our health, and how we feel about the things that we do have.

The Apostle Paul really seemed to think the same way. The memory verse that Lacy and I have been reading to the kids this week is out of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

What an amazing reminder to all of us. Although some are going through some more difficult times then others, we all have an opportunity to be thankful for something. When we see God even in the tough times of our lives and are thankful for that, verse 18 says that we are in His will. I was talking to one of the members of my "old men posse" at the gym yesterday and he was sharing with me how it has taken him 72 years to realize he needs to change his view of thanksgiving and remember how thankful he needs to be. You know what made him do that? Visiting a 52 year old friend dying with cancer who continually kept saying how thankful she was for her life, the people she knew, and how even in this sickness she has seen God do amazing things at the Hospital and through her family and friends. How cool is that?

So here is what I'm going to do today. I'm not asking God for a single thing. I'm just going to thank Him for everything. For my family and all the people in my life. For the opportunities I have to serve him. For the students in our college group and the people in our church. For the lessons I've learned and will learn, for his forgiveness & grace, and for his unending love. I'm going to list out as many things that I can possibly think of and just be more aware then ever of how thankful I really should be.

I'm going to sleep good tonight!

How about you?

Peace,
Wags

Zip it

2010-11-22T12:19:00.003-05:00

I heard a Pastor say recently that out of all the conversations between Jesus and people in the Gospels, 96% was Jesus talking. Think about what that could mean for us. What if we spent more time actually listening to what God has for us rather then talking so much to try and get our way? What if our prayer time consisted of mostly listening and reflecting? What if we approached every day with the thought of trying to be a great listener?

Some of the more annoying things that I've been noticing a lot more recently are when you are in conversation with people and they constantly look around, text, or give you that glazed look that immediately let's you know that they've checked out and are thinking of something else. I've started to watch how bad people are at listening (me included). I've watched people in meetings just take out their phones and start checking email, seen people at church on facebook during the service and watch people take calls while someone is in mid-sentence. I've done some version of these examples as well and over the last few months I've been making an extra effort to be a better listener. I'm not great at it yet but I want to be.

Honestly, how often is something really that important? I know we all like to think we are more important then we are but some times we just need a reality check.

This definitely spills over into our relationship with God. We spend all of our time talking at him rather then listening. We want answers our way, preferably in text so it's shorter and more to the point. We can't handle waiting and when we get an answer we don't like we either miss it or we whine about it.

Here's what happened to us recently. We have been praying that we could get out of our house and get into a better financial situation to continue to try and live a simpler life (you'd think after hundreds of mistakes we'd figure it out but apparently we are pretty stubborn). Well our house has been on the market for a few months and nothing was happening. We have little wiggle room and we had already dropped the price 20k so it just wasn't good. Well, we got a call from a relocation realtor that said a family from England was moving to Richmond for 2 years and would like to rent our house and the rent would cover our mortgage. Lacy and I talked it to death, discussed it with several other people and then one of our friends simply said, "Well, you prayed to get out of the mortgage and it seems as if he's answered that prayer." Right then that immediately put us at ease. Yes, we expected something totally different but God answered it in another way and we were talking about it so much we had a difficult time hearing what he was saying back.

That situation has started to make me wonder how often God is speaking to me and I'm doing all these other things that don't allow me to listen to him.

What about you? Have you been praying for something for a while and it seems like God hasn't answered? What if he's been trying to tell you something the whole time and you've chosen not to take the time to just listen?

Proverbs 8:34,35
³⁴ Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
³⁵ For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 13:3
³ Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

Proverbs:18:15
¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.

Peace,
Wags

Change

2010-11-15T10:25:00.003-05:00

Change can be such a scary word. There is a lot of comfort in knowing what is going to come next and establishing a routine each day. Most people don't like to be caught of guard or have some thing take them away from their normal daily schedule. But, change happens.

Yesterday at our church, our Head Pastor Rob Rhoden resigned from his position and will be leaving the church some time in March or April. The staff has know about it since June and it has been such an interesting ride so far. The really cool thing about it all is that everyone has focused on the fact that this is about God, not a person. From the 1st meeting we had in June, all of the staff has repeatedly gone back to "It's all about God." When we started off doing that it brought everything into perspective. Immediately the "what if" scenario's that can cause so much worry and fear were thrown out and the focus was on prayer, and communication with each other.

Fear and worry always roll with each other and they can cripple your relationship with God and other people. When change happens in a job, personal life, or in a group you are involved in it's way to easy to immediately focus inward instead of finding rest in a God who is, who was, and who is to come (Revelation 1:8). The prophet Isaiah has some amazing passages to reflect on during times of change. Here are a few:

Isaiah 26:3
³ You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
⁴ Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 32:17-20
¹⁷ The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
¹⁸ My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
¹⁹ Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
²⁰ how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

Isaiah 41:10
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

There is no question that change can be incredibly tough and some times even a battle but when our focus remains where it should be fear and worry will begin to subside. Change will EXPOSE certain things in you. Yes, there may be some tough times for you personally but is this life about you? Do you have enough trust in God?

How will you respond to change in your life?

For us at the church we are genuinely excited for Rob and his family and are equally excited to see what God has in store for us. There is no fear and there is no worry because we know that as long as we continue to stay in step with the Spirit that we will be falling in line with the will of God, and is there any better place to be? How incredible is it that we have an opportunity to be reminded that we need to rely on God? Here is the thing that I'm most excited about. I believe that we are going to look back at this weekend a couple of years from now and be blown away by what God has done and where we will be as a church. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Let me say this too. I have been so impressed with the way the people in our church have responded. Yes, it is an emotional time, and yes it's even sad but it has been remarkable how people have immediately put their focus on the right things. For those of you Commonwealth folks who read this blog, you guys are phenomenal and it's an honor to serve on staff and do ministry with you guys. To those who don't go to Commonwealth and read this every week, I'm sure you are pretty great too... don't be so sensitive.

Peace,
Wags

I was going to do "You never let Go" by Matt Redman and that's one of my faves but that seemed to predictable. So I know I've used this song by David Crowder before but I just feel like it fits.

Mystery

2010-11-08T10:09:00.006-05:00

I was going to blog about doubt this week but I'm going to wait until next week for that one. Here's why. I've been thinking a lot about the mystery of the Christian faith a lot recently. We like to think we are so smart and that everything has to make logical sense but God just doesn't operate that way. I definitely think that scripture makes a lot of logical sense and to me the more you try and disprove it the more it proves itself true (if you are really looking at it objectively). But, to often we try to fit God in this little box.

Here are a few things that I've just noticed recently that got me thinking about the mystery of God, how amazing it is and how much of the time it just doesn't make logical sense:

- reading 2 Samuel 6 and seeing how a King would leap and dance around because he was in the presence of God and didn't care who saw him
- watching a couple of grown men in their 40's become overwhelmed and start crying in church because of what God was doing in their hearts.
- hearing one of our students with tears in her eyes share how she had never felt God in this way and that she wanted to be something different.
- Looking over and seeing a mother worshiping and knowing that her and her husband have decided to move their entire family to Haiti
- getting a text from someone who had questions about scripture and after exchanging a few texts she ended it with "That is so tight. Grace is crazy."

Some things just don't make logical sense and that is one of the beautiful things about God and what he does to our hearts. But to often we get in the way. We aren't open to what God may be trying tell us. We stiff arm the way he's trying to shape us. We stay away from answers to questions that may cause us to change the way we think, act, serve, give, live, love etc... But since when has shying away from how God wants to use us been part of biblical faith? Where is it in scripture that says it's ok for us to do things on our terms?

Here's what I'm going to start doing. I'm going to pray that God continues to do things in my life, in my family, in our church, and in people that I know that make me say, "No way!" I want to see massive things happen that completely blows my mind. I want to be more aware of and appreciate the way that God just wrecks peoples hearts (in a good way). I want to be open to things that maybe I've never thought were how God wants to use me.

We need to pray big. We need to expect God to do crazy things. And here is the thing, when we read scripture, guess what? He comes through. Scary? Some times. Amazing? No doubt.

Peace,
Wags

Few things from last week

2010-11-08T09:59:00.002-05:00

1- Although I will never understand why Walmart has 37 cash registers and only has 3 lanes open at every store, I am pleased to say that they did have Marshmallow Pebbles. Lacy found them and walked in the door and said "How much do you love me?" I may have hyped them up a bit to much in my head but they are definitely good.

2- I hate Daylight Savings Time. It's dumb. Lacy has hated it for a long time and now it has been passed on to me. That's what marriage is about right? Passing on your hatred for other things. Plus, Max & Neveah still wake up an hour early. Not good for Lacy.

3- Max officially talks non stop from morning til night. Yesterday he looked at the candle and said, "Hey candle, how are you? I'm good, how about you?" (He's got a lot of his mother in him)

4- Had our first planning meeting for the Joint College retreat in February and I'm so stoked already.

Marshmallow Pebbles!

2010-11-05T14:21:00.004-04:00

Apparently this came out in July and I've never seen them in a store in Richmond. I keep wondering if my love for sugar cereal will ever go away but to this point it just hasn't. Mock if you will, but I've always dreamed of Marshmallow Pebbles. So here's the deal, if you see it in Richmond let me know where or maybe even pick up a box for your boy Wags. How about that?

Humility

2010-11-01T10:52:00.004-04:00

In yesterday's sermon at church, the thing that stuck in my head the most was the line "everything begins and ends with humility." I know that I've blogged about humility before and I'm thinking the reason it keeps sparking something in my heart is that the Spirit really is convicting me about it.

Last night Max was having a coughing fit, and at 4 a.m. Lacy and I were trying to figure out what should be done. He ended up stopping but the problem now was that I was wide awake. I have a confession, when this happens at night a lot of times I end up praying and I just fall asleep mid prayer but this morning was different. I started praying for my family, my marriage, my friends, every student in our college ministry, our church and then I started getting to some kind of random prayer requests and I thought, "Man, I'm usually asleep by now, what is the deal?" I started thinking about that line in the sermon about humility again and I realized, is there anything scarier to pray for? I mean seriously, who wants to say to God, "Please humble me." So as any good prayer warrior (sarcasm) would do I tried to pray for humility for everyone else before me, and then formed my prayer request in more of a question then an actual statement. In stead of "Please humble me," it was more like "Please humble...me?" (I know, really courageous prayer... what a wuss). I kept thinking about Proverbs 16 that "Pride comes before a fall," and I'm going to be honest that verse has always freaked me out a bit. Not as much as James 3 that says teachers are held to a higher standard but Proverbs 16 is up there on my "could make me pee my pants a little" list of scripture verses (you have no idea how many times I repeat James 3 in my head every time I speak).

Anyway, I eventually fell back to sleep around 5:30 and woke up not to much later and headed to the gym. The entire time there I couldn't get this idea of humility out of my head so when I got home I just decided to look up a few other scripture passages to read and let them marinate a little bit. Here are a few others that I just want to share:

Isaiah 66:2 ² Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.

Proverbs 15:33 ³³ Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD,
and humility comes before honor.

Matthew 23:12 ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

James 4:6-10 ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

I don't know, maybe this thing with humility is just for me and I just needed to vent a little so I could just put it out there but if this is a struggle for you too, know that I'm with you on this. My prayer for myself is that in all I do I will strive to lift up the Lord and to remember that none of this is about me, it's all about Him. And, whatever area's in my life that I have pride in, I pray that the Spirit will make those so clear to me that to not act on it would be incredible disobedience.

Everything begins and ends with humility.

Peace,

Wags

fitting song for today and quickly becoming one of my faves:

2 quick book reviews

2010-10-29T15:11:00.008-04:00

I just finished reading Radical by David Platt and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton. I would definitely recommend reading both of them.

I really enjoyed reading Radical. Well, I don't know if enjoy is the right word because it is deeply convicting. He doesn't mess around with what he says and he just gets right to the point which I always like. There were a couple of things that I didn't necessarily fully agree with him on but it didn't remotely effect the message he is putting out and it was still an awesome read. If you are looking to be challenged, inspired, and convicted as to who you are in Christ and what we are called to be then you should go and get this book right now.

Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White was really interesting as well but in a completely different way. Adam Hamilton is a brilliant communicator and he will challenge you to think of things in a more holistic way. So often our opinions are based on 1 particular side of things that we put on blinders to the truth that could be present in another person's opinion. He does a great job of raising awareness to both sides of a particular argument and making you see where the other side is coming from. He does it with some theological issues as well as some Moral Ethics issues. You may not agree with everything and I didn't either but what fun is it reading a book that just agrees with everything you already think? This book will challenge your opinions and make you realize whether or not you actually have a well informed view or if you are simply just opinionated and short sighted. If there is something in you that just can't stand the far left, far right opinions in politics or the super conservative or liberal opinions of Christianity then you will really enjoy this read. If you are totally content with being extreme one side or the other...read it anyway.

My next 2 books are "The Next Christians" by Gabe Lyons and "A long obedience in the same direction" by Eugene Peterson.

Peace,
Wags

5 Things from this past week

2010-10-25T11:58:00.004-04:00

1- Hate that the Redskins beat the Bears. Skins fans are just as obnoxious as Yankee fans.

2- Why is it so hard to get out of a gym membership?

3- Slightly embarrassed by this, but I can't get the "Whip my Hair" song out of my head.

4- So happy the Yankees lost

5- Finishing up the book "Radical" by David Platt. Good stuff.

Experiencing God

2010-10-25T10:45:00.003-04:00

So this past weekend I preached out of Ephesians 3:14-21 which was Paul's prayer for the church to experience God in a way that would bring them to a fullness of the love of Christ. It is such a powerful thought to think that God would want us to experience him in that way. As Lacy and I sat down and discussed the weekend she brought up a good point about those who may be doing everything that they know possible but are still finding it difficult to experience God. To those that are new to the faith, they probably think that this isn't even possible but if you have been walking with God for even a little length of time you know that this can happen pretty frequently. One of, if not the saddest chapters in the Bible is Psalm 88. Why? Because there is no resolution to anything and the chapter just ends. Here is the entire Psalm:
¹
O LORD, the God who saves me,
day and night I cry out before you.

² May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.

³ For my soul is full of trouble
and my life draws near the grave.

⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man without strength.

⁵ I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.

⁶ You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.

⁷ Your wrath lies heavily upon me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
Selah

⁸ You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;

⁹ my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, O LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰ Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do those who are dead rise up and praise you?
Selah

¹¹ Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction ?

¹² Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹³ But I cry to you for help, O LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴ Why, O LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?

¹⁵ From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death;
I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.

¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.

¹⁷ All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.

¹⁸ You have taken my companions and loved ones from me;
the darkness is my closest friend.

So what do we do with this?

Here are a few things to remember when it comes to processing what God is doing in our life. First, suffering can happen to any one at any time and there doesn't necessarily have to be a "cause." Second, there is nothing in the Bible that says our lives are going to be full of this amazingly close feeling to God. Some times, he will feel distant and we will feel empty. But this is not an excuse to just walk away or stop persevering. Is it not amazing when you talk to someone who has gone through a spiritually dry time or gone through some sort of suffering and they have a testimony to what it was like to come out of it, and how when they did come out of it they look back and see God in so many little things. Don't we absolutely love hearing those stories. Well, now it's your turn to persevere, your turn to fight, your turn to be a witness of your trust in God and your turn to show that you understand what the grace of God really is. The last thing I believe God wants us to remember is that he understands. When we read through scripture (especially the Psalms), we see so many times of people going through dry times, questioning God, some times becoming angry, and even making some poor choices. Why are those passages in there? To show us that God understands. He understands the process, he understands the struggle, and he understands the doubt. But, he wants us to understand that HE IS STILL THERE!

Think about it this way, if we back down and decide to walk away who wins? Certainly not God, and certainly not you so who does that leave? Go ahead and say it...Satan. One thing that we always have to realize is that the pressure, the suffering, the darkness that we may experience will also show us what we are in this for. Are we in it for God or in it for us? True, some times it seems as if people go through more difficult things then others and I wish I had an answer for that but I just don't. However, for those who consistently battle, consistently look to God and consistently become a witness to God's grace in their lives, do they not become the "warriors of the faith" we talk about? (I'm not saying we should seek out suffering. This is about handling it when it comes)

What are some practical things that you could do during this time? Try and experience God in some different ways then you normally do. Take walks in places you've never been and take in his creation while enjoying the silence, read books that will challenge you, serve in some part of the city or in some way that you've never done before, and keep praying, keep reading scripture, keep finding places of joy, keep involved in community and know that God's got your back.

Peace,
Wags

Advent Conspiracy

2010-10-22T14:48:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again. For the 3rd year in a row our church and our families are participating in Advent Conspiracy again. Watch the video if you haven't heard of it before:

Last year our church raised over $40,000 to build wells in Africa for people who do not have access to clean drinking water. We hope to do even more this year. If you are part of another church and would like to team up with us please let me know. We would absolutely love to partner up.

This is an incredible way to open a door of sharing your faith with co-workers, family and friends. I know everyone's first reaction is, "whoa, this is to much," but sit down, pray, and think about it and ask yourself this question, "Why wouldn't I want to do this?"

If you have any questions leave a comment, message me or email me.

Peace,
Wags

Part of the solution

2010-10-18T11:01:00.005-04:00

I was listening to a sermon this morning and the preacher began to talk about the 3 guys from California who started Invisible Children. He described how they bought video equipment on ebay and wanted to shoot a film in Sudan but weren't sure what it was going to be about. On their trip they stopped in Northern Uganda and began to see hundreds of kids that were walking around without any supervision. They followed the kids to these shelters and saw hundreds, some times thousands of kids sleeping on top of each other. They would walk 5 or 6 miles every night to escape the "Lords Resistance Army" that would come in and take these kids and force them to shoot their parents. Once kids are captured they are trained to be violent assassins. This is clearly a very short hand version of what they saw but the main point is what these 3 guys actually did.

They began to follow the kids and began shooting video what they saw. They started a non profit and raised awareness to what was happening. What these guys did captured the attention of people around the world and led to a law in Congress and could end the civil war in Uganda.

Can you believe it?

One of the more famous stories in the Bible is about Esther (side note: there was a movie made loosely based on this story called "One night with the King"...not good). She became the favorite of the King and learned of a plot against the Jewish people through Mordecai. Mordecai replies to Esther in verses 12-14 with this: ¹² When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Some thing that came to mind when reading this scripture and hearing that story today was "what has happened to being part of the solution?" It's easy to complain and critique but why not be a part of the solution to something.

Do you ever think that maybe you are in a specific place at this specific time to help change something?

I'm not saying it is things like, "The music is to loud and I don't like it," so you choose that to be your mission. There is a difference between personal preference and something that is hurting and needs to be fixed. Maybe you see that the kids ministry in your church needs help and rather then complain about it, be a part of the solution. Maybe your church needs help being more mission minded and rather then leaving, stay and help start something. Maybe you see things at your school, your kids school, your job or in your city that needs YOU.

I never thought I would be a Pastor and the more I got involved the more God just kept pulling me in. I'm not saying that once you get involved and become part of the solution that you will automatically go into full time ministry, but what you will see is that you begin to walk in step with God and your life will not be the same. You will get your hands dirty and things will become more real. Your priorities will begin to change and all of the sudden some of the things you used to think were really important, kind of seem silly.

Anyone can run their mouth and trust me, I've been that person, but it takes people who really care, who really want to see God's Kingdom on this earth to step forward and be a part of the solution.

Are you a person who just murmur's in the background or are you someone who is seeking out why God has put you in this specific place at this specific time?

Peace,
Wags

On the way to church

2010-10-11T11:01:00.005-04:00

So yesterday on the way to church I was having a little moment with the man upstairs and realized I was just going to church out of habit and not expecting anything. I some times struggle with that because I go to church on Saturday and Sunday, plus Wednesday Nights with the college students and I frequently have another speaking engagement during the week as well. I was simply just making an excuse for not preparing my heart yesterday morning for what God could have for me and we all know that excuses are for losers. So yesterday morning I was a loser...there, I admitted it.

I grew up going to church, A LOT. It has it's good and bad points but that had more to do with some of the unhealthy things that were going on at my home church but ultimately I think it was good (although some of it is debatable). Either way, there are random things that just got burned into my head that I have no idea how they've stayed there. For instance, why do I know that the hymn "Joy Unspeakable" was page 463 in our hymnals? I literally haven't picked one of those books up since I was like 12. For some reason I had one of the songs we used to sing in worship stuck in my head this morning and I'm going to be honest, it annoys me a bit because I'm not a big fan of some of the songs we used to sing. I think that's God's way of being sarcastic with me, so he wins today. Anyway, the song talked about entering into his gates with thanksgiving & praise. It's out of Psalm 100. Here's what is says:

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

When you go to church what do you expect? Do you enter in a way ready to give praise to a God who is good and lavishes us with love that will endure forever? Do you clear your head and heart and pray for God to do work in you? Or, do you just come to church to be entertained and if the worship isn't what you want or the speaker isn't as funny or interesting as you want you just shut off and blame him or her for why you didn't get anything out of the worship gathering?

What if we actually took time to pray before, during, and after the worship gathering? What if we actually listened like we should during a sermon and actually brought a Bible and a pen to church? (Luke 8:18 - I'm going to expand on this soon, probably both on the blog and in my sermon at church in a couple of weeks). What if we talked about God was doing in us at church during the week and started to put it into practice?

Yes, I know that church isn't the only place that God speaks to us but it is a significant part of the week for all of us as believers (Hebrews 10) and we should value this time together because it's a big deal. If you have been coming to church out of habit, been sleeping in because you just don't "feel" like getting up, or continuously putting other things in front of gathering together on a weekend you need to check your heart.

I had to on Sunday morning.

I'm not saying church attendance is the end-all to your walk with Christ but if it didn't matter then the Bible wouldn't talk about it.

How different would your experience be at church if you walked through the doors with your heart prepared to praise God and with a desire in your heart to actually expect God to do work in you?

Peace,
Wags

Boasting

2010-10-04T12:13:00.005-04:00

We are studying the book of Ephesians for the next 8 weeks at church and I was reading Ephesians 2:1-10 this morning and every time I read it I get so pumped. Here is what it says :

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I absolutely love the fact that the title in the NIV translation says "Made Alive in Christ." I've been really trying to focus my prayer time and thoughts on two major things lately; my life glorifying God in all I do and having a higher view of God. When I read that title today the word Alive just leaped off the page at me.

I sat and reflected for a moment on that phrase, "ALIVE in Christ."

In order for us to understand that we are alive in Christ we first have to understand that we were dead beforehand. Through the amazing grace of Christ, we are saved, made new, and it's not by anything that we have done but by his grace alone.

Isn't that phenomenal?

For as long as I can remember I've battled arrogance/pride/cockiness in my life. I can vividly remember always looking at newspaper clippings in high school and college and really thinking I was something. My life was simply all about baseball and me. When I graduated and playing professionally didn't work out I transferred that same attitude to sales and even though I did very well and I began to get my life with Jesus back in order, nothing had changed as far as my attitude (really, my heart). Through a series of different events things began to change. God has brought me a LONG way but I still have to constantly pray about it and remind myself that I can't boast in anything but Christ. I owe absolutely everything to him. I've found that the more I want to glorify God in who I am and what I do, and the higher my view of God becomes, my attitude (heart) stays in check and the more I actually do for Him.

I know that this is a very well known scripture passage but the part that I think often gets left out is right at the end in verse 10 when it says that we were created in Christ Jesus for what? Good works. Good works don't earn us our salvation but when we understand God's grace and who he is, good works should come pouring out of us.

That won't happen if we boast about ourselves and not about Christ. We will end up doing nice things to be a "good person" but in the end that comes from selfish thinking. We will cut off God from our decision making, we will seek to elevate ourselves and we become the very things that the Bible constantly speaks out against. But, if our good works come out of a passion for Christ and realizing that we were made alive in him, then who are you doing it for? That's right...Him.

Maybe you don't have arrogance issues like I do some times but every single one of us has to answer the question "Who does my life boast about?"

Peace,
Wags

No secret I love Lecrae and this is off his new album

Did you know you are a theologian?

2010-09-27T10:26:00.004-04:00

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 4:5,6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

I was reading through Colossians 3 & 4 this morning and these 2 passages really jumped out at me. I think it really jumped out at me for a couple of reasons but the main thought that came to mind was that we are all theologians. Now, whenever anyone hears that word you immediately think of some sort of Professor or a Pastor with a Ph.D. or something but that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, the actual word theologian means a specialist in theology or particular belief system, but that doesn't mean you have to be able to interpret every scripture in the Bible. Before I go on with this thought, I do want to say the previous sentence doesn't let you off the hook from reading scripture and growing in knowledge. There is a lot of scripture that talks about how everyone one of us who are believers should desire to know more.

Ok, back to where I was going. The study of the Bible and the belief in God makes us theologians. Some may be a little further along "academically" but that doesn't take away the fact that we all are still theologians.

So why does that matter?

Well, it's important to remember that how we act/talk is how we show/tell people what we believe. So if you say Christ is all yet live a completely different life, then what does that say about your theology? If you constantly gossip, lie, or talk perverted what does that say about your theology? If you don't serve, aren't generous, aren't involved in any community of believers, what does that say about your theology?

So what about the other side of things. If everything we did and everything we said was in the name of Jesus wouldn't our theology be pretty legit?

I don't think we remember passages like these 2 in Colossians very often and that is why people get so confused as to what a Christian really sounds like or acts like. Sure, you are going to fail some times but can you imagine if we all simply said, "In everything I do or say I'm going to do it in the name of Jesus."

If being a theologian is a specialist, then how special would you and I be if we made that statement every day?

Peace,
Wags