Feb 26
Author John Ortberg, in his book titled The Life You’ve Always Wanted, draws an interesting contrast between two individuals. One was miserable and cranky, seemingly at odds with life. He was distant and unable to enjoy those closest to him. Each year, his soul got a little smaller. Nothing ever changed in Hank’s life. Mabel, on the other hand, was an extraordinary woman in her eighties. If someone had reason to be disenchanted with life – she was a prime candidate. For 25 years she lived in a sterile understaffed convalescent home. Although she lived in her own little world, confined to a wheelchair and bed, she was different. Although she was blind, deaf and had facial deformities due to the cancer eating the side of her face – Mabel was a joy to be around. Those willing to see past her appearance, would encounter a warm, loving, gentle, and giving person. The difference…? Mabel had a vibrant relationship with the living Christ. To Mabel, Jesus was her life and it showed. She didn’t complain and blame her unusual circumstances. She was content and made the most of the life she had.
Hank is an example of stagnant religious activity, an example of spirituality gone wrong. Without the life and reality of Christ, religious activity is empty and has no ability to transform a person. Spirituality gone wrong is the result of religious activity without the life of God and what it produces is often very ugly and hurtful. It is judgmental, critical, unforgiving, and hard. It is repulsive. It is the antithesis of what Jesus desires to produce in His followers. This is why Jesus so strongly opposed the religious leaders of His day. Their religious activity was void of the reality of God and because of that – they were not a true reflection of what it meant to know God. To know God was to know and practice love. To know God was to know and practice mercy and justice. To know God was to be humble and giving – a servant. And yet this is not what He found among many of the religious leaders.
As you think about your rhythms (religious activity), what are they producing? Are they producing a true reflection of what it means to know God? Are you becoming more loving and kind? More forgiving? Or are they producing spirituality gone wrong? One is repulsive and destructive. The other is contagious. Which one is your spirituality producing?
Jan 29
There is a growing movement at large in our culture today called loneliness. George Gallup was quoted over 20 years ago as saying, “Americans are among the loneliest people in the world.” I recently did a word search on the web and discovered that there are sites solely dedicated to helping people beat loneliness. It’s both real and prevalent in our culture.
It’s strange to think that we can live in crowded neighborhoods, drive on busy highways, sip coffee in Starbucks, work around a lot of people and still be disconnected from meaningful relationships with others. We can be around people all the time and still feel isolated and alone. We may even have a lot of acquaintances, but what about anything of depth?
Excuses? I have a few, what about you? Need someone or something to blame? What about our culture? We have moved away from big covered front porches to big fenced-in backyards. What about the internet? I can escape whenever I want to. I can engage in a virtual world. I can be who I want to be and do what I want to do and never interact with another person. What about my pain? Hey, don’t touch my pain…you are getting way to personal now. Some of us have been hurt so much and know so little healing that we shut people out. What about fear? What if they know who I really am? It’s easy to allow excuses such as these to get in the way of us developing meaningful connections with others.
Even though we all deal with these realities on some level, it doesn’t mean that we have to live a life void of community life, void of deep and meaningful connections. You and I were created to share life with others. Dig down deep and commit to a counter cultural life – a life that values connections. Give yourself to the hard work of overcoming fear and taking a risk. Don’t allow the potential for rejection to get in the way of the together life that you were created for. Reach out to others. Get involved in a small group. Make it a point to be friendly. You can beat loneliness! If you find yourself in that place, can I encourage you here. Don’t stay there.
Dec 09
It’s no surprise that an overdose of bad news is contributing to the hopelessness that seems to be permeating in our culture today. Violence is out of control. Depression is rampant. People aren’t sleeping. Fear surrounding the economy is at an all time high.
While bad news dominates the evening news and steals the spotlight in our newspapers, we have the opportunity to tell a different story – to offer some good news. This is what the Christmas season is all about. It’s about a light that has dawned in the midst of darkness revealing the kind of life that we can have by grace in Christ Jesus. Jesus is light and He wants to be our life. May His light and presence impact our Christmas season. May His good news dominate our thinking, influence our attitudes, and motivate our actions. Merry Christmas!
Nov 25
“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds!” Psalm 9:1
As I encouraged everyone in our Sunday gathering, may we make this Thanksgiving celebration more about the fellowship and those around our table, than that of what happens to be on our table. Our greatest blessings don’t always come in the form of what we have, but rather with whom we get to share them with. Let me encourage you to share your life and your story this Thanksgiving with someone else. Don’t be afraid to slow down. Don’t be afraid to take a break from all the cooking and cleanup to enjoy the rich connections you have with family and friends. Take a risk and intentionally find a way to connect on a level on authenticity this Thanksgiving with the people around your table. They are a gift. Enjoy them!
I was blessed just today by a letter I want to share with you, hoping that it will warm your heart as it has warmed mine.
Dear Ones
I must thank all of you who came and painted my home in 2008. I am more appreciative of your love and efforts as time passes. Just desire to thank you all again – on a special Thanksgiving Day. Find with age (now 87) I am not as sharp mentally as I could be, but am certain you all need to hear you’ll always be special in my prayer life and memory.
Ms. Glass
May the God of all peace bless you and protect you. May He cause His face to shine upon you.
We have much to be thankful for, may we give thanks with our whole hearts! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Nov 11
I officially had one of those days today. You know the kind where everything just seems to be off for whatever reason. Let’s just say I am still reeling from the affects of feeling frustrated as a result. I tried to encourage myself to laugh it off…but I really don’t feel like laughing. So, for now I really don’t have any answers other than a good guy movie (G.I. Joe), a smoothie, and a decent night’s sleep. There’s always tomorrow!
I am looking forward to a new day tomorrow. My wife and I will be celebrating our 15th year together as newly weds. What can I say, Jesus has been good to me.
I must say that I am starting to feel better already as my 4 month old baby girl woos her dad with her charm. I am thankful for all of my blessings!
Do you ever have any off days? What do you do?
Sep 25
In a previous post, I started a fun conversation concerning suggestions for our next vehicle. Let’s see…this has been our 3rd vehicle in the past 4 years. Who does that? A growing family does, right? Well, that has been the case with our family, at least. I don’t know of many people who do it just for the fun of it. Hey wife – let’s go get ourselves a new station wagon.
First, we outgrew the 2 door sports car. I enjoyed our 5 speed Chevy Cavalier even if it wasn’t a Corvet. Then we outgrew the minivan. Just recently we outgrew the Suburban. While we are in no way approaching the need for a bus – I do like our new family wagon. Yes, I have officially gotten over the sporty feel of the Suburban and am now driving a 12 passenger Chevy Express. We are now officially “one of those families.”
“As one of those families” I am blessed and honored to be the dad of 7 amazing children. As I have often said and will say again, I am one blessed man! Jesus has been very good to me and my family.
Kudos to big families!
Aug 27
Last night I was once again reminded of the power of our words – that they either have the power to produce life or the power to produce death.
During my daughter’s soccer practice one of my son’s happened to get engaged in a conversation with one of the players grandmother. She was a sweet lady who had my son going with the words that she used. She was building him up with words like, “there’s nothing you will not be able to do, you are going to run in the Olympics, you are an engineer, you will be someone who creates paths for others to follow, you are brilliant and a leader.” By the time we left that practice field, I’m sure he was convinced that anything was possible.
Proverbs 18:21 says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. It’s amazing the affect our words have on people when we build them up with positive affirmation. In a world where tearing down with words seems to be the norm – I believe that we can choose to be different. Like this grandma, we can choose to build and inspire with our words…even when we are pushed 
.
Do you find yourself struggling to get a grasp of how you talk to others? Do you want to build and not be destructive in how you talk? Be encouraged, you can! Begin by asking Jesus to change your heart. And then put to practice the art of being purposeful in what you say by using words that release life and build people. Looking for a great place to start? Start at home with the people you are closest to and watch the difference it will make not only in your life, but in the lives of others.
Aug 26
Well…I figured that it was time that I wrote something. I guess one could say that I have been experiencing bloggers’s block. I simply haven’t been motivated to write anything. Today I am forcing myself to get back in the groove (if there was ever a groove).
Last week Luke and I went on a 11-12 mile hike and spent the night at Packwood Lake. We had a wonderful time being out in the woods enjoying the wonders of creation and spending time with 7 other great guys. I will list some of the highlights to our hike below. They are not listed in any particular order in case you were wondering.
>Bathroom time in an outhouse
>Jumping off a bridge into breath taking cold water
>Amazing views of the lake and Mount Rainier
>Mice getting into my pack, eating my bagel and leaving a nice mess for me to pick up
>Spending time with my brother and his sons
>Hanging with my son Luke -he is one amazing 7 year old. We had a lot of fun together
>Luke almost jumping off the bridge…I’m glad he didn’t
>Catching crawdads – it took me back to my early camping days
Never been hiking? I highly recommend it! As good as it would be to do it alone…it is even better when you can share it with others. I would love to hear of a fun experience that you have recently shared with someone else.
Jun 24
“If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10
The writer of this great proverb recognizes the importance of strength when it comes to overcoming adversity. Adversity is woven into our system of life. Whether it is the adversity that we experience from within in the form of fear, the adversity we experience in surrounding circumstances, or the adversity we encounter from others – there is no getting away from the reality of adversity. It is the thorns and thistles of life. It is the resistance that we all experience in our movement toward what we are becoming. Once we get an idea in our mind of what Jesus wants to do with our life and we begin making movement toward that picture – we will encounter adversity. There will be things in our journey that will attempt to know us off track, that will attempt to keep us from moving forward trusting what God has promised and purposed for our lives. The key to overcoming adversity has to do with our inner strength. External strengths like education and experience will only take us so far. The consistent fight to overcome adversity comes from within. It comes in understanding who we are and who we are not. It comes in developing the right life perspective. It comes in having our minds renewed by the washing of the water of the Word of God. It comes in developing an ear to hear the voice of God and in following His lead. To faint in the day of adversity is to miss the importance of relationship and the part that relationship plays in our inner lives. Regardless of the adversity, we will find the strength that we need to overcome through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in us.
Do you find yourself in a place of great adversity? What you do and where you turn will say a lot about what you believe. As you strengthen the inner man through relationship with Christ you will overcome and rise above the adversities of life to realize and seize the promises of God!
