Run, Forrest, Run!

Have you ever done something crazy for love? Just admit it…you have. I once had a date with my wife where we went to the lake at sunset and painted watercolor on canvas. We are not really artist but it was fun. You and I have done some interesting things for love. But isn’t it worth it?

We do tend to pursue what we don’t have. Whether it’s a physically fit body, more money, a bigger house, a better job, the perfect marriage…we run after what we don’t have. If you ever end up asking “where has the romance gone?” or “ Why don’t I feel in love any more?”, you probably have your priorities out of line. It should read like this, God is you ONE and your spouse is your TWO. If you find your priorities don’t read like this, I’ve got some suggestions to help reset priorities with your two.

When you think something good, say it. Don’t ever deprive your spouse of positive reinforcement. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us that simply saying great and positive things can help keep sin out of a marriage. Guys, pursue the woman in your life with words of affection…non-sexual affection. Physical touch is important but not for our point here. Tell her you love her BECAUSE _______________. It would mean so much to her to know why you love her. “I love you because you are a wonderful mother..because you are a great woman of God…because you brownies are to die for.” You know why you love her so tell her.

And ladies, pursue your man with words of affirmation. Let him know the positive ways you appreciate him. If he is, tell him he’s a great dad, or wonderful husband, or strong spiritual leader, or has great work ethic but don’t hold back. It will make all the difference to him.

She wants to know, “Do you love me today?” and he wants to know, “Do you believe in my today?”

Secondly, when you think something special, do it. Take off work early to get home and go on a walk together. Go to the park and talk about where you want to be next year or in 3 years. Enjoy time in nature together. Pick her car up from work early, get it cleaned and get it back before she gets off work. Send her flowers for no apparent reason. Bring her/him their favorite drink to work. Pick up tickets to see his favorite team play. Take interest in each other’s hobbies. There is so much you can do to remind your spouse how much you care about them and that you are thinking of them often.

Finally, when you want something different, be it. Sometimes, we end up pointing fingers at each other and playing the blame game. But no one ever criticized each other into a better marriage. You ultimately cannot control other people but you can control yourself. You be the person God has created you to be. You be you.

Remember, to get what you have never had, you’re going to have to do some things you’ve never done. Pursue your two with everything you have. Run after what you want for your marriage. Make God your one and you’ll find everything else will fall into place. Blessings on the journey.

Who's your two?

We’ve all had dreams from an early age of what marriage might be like. For the girls, their guy would be dashing, Prince Charming, sweep you off your feet, a solid job, lots of travel. The dream of a husband would be robust and full. For guys, it would be get married and be intimate with your wife twice a day. And how many of us on both sides are still dreaming?

I’ve counseled many before marriage and couples that have been in crisis and what I’ve found more times than not is their priorities are out of sync. We believe we must find the one who will be everything we are not and fulfill all my life hopes. The trouble is, there is no one in all creation who can or will do that for you. The only one who can do that is God and I don’t know anyone human by that name. So, creating the reality of how things should be in our marriages is…

God is your ONE and your spouse is your TWO. That’s what Jesus says in Mark 12:30-31. “Love God and love people.” As a Christ-follower, we say “I’ll seek the one while preparing for my two.”

In Genesis 2:24, we are reminded we grow up clinging to our parents. But once you’ve discovered your two, you leave your parents and start building a life with the person you’ve chosen to serve God with your whole life. Once you get the priorities in position you’ll discover life is so much easier. Now it’s not to say there aren’t hiccups along the way. Life does happen as they say and there are adjustments to living. But when you have God as your ONE then everything becomes so much clearer.

A second thing we must remember is to protect those priorities. If you’re having difficulty in your marriage right now, it’s more than likely you have your priorities out of whack. One way my wife, Robin, and I have discovered to make sure we keep priorities is to serve God together.

We were in youth ministry together for 20 years and she brought so much to the table helping me with those teens and parents. We have been on many short term mission trips together. It makes me so proud to know I’m married to a woman who wants to put God first.

If your married with kids, remember kids are a temporary assignment. Sure, you’ll be parents your whole life but you’ve really got them for 18-19 years before they graduate and move out. You launch them to go serve God and find their two. But marriage is until death do you part. Don’t ever put your kids as a priority above your marriage. If you do, once the kids leave home, you’ll be sitting at a dining room table wondering who the person is that is sitting across from you.

Can I speak to the men for a moment? You are called to lead in your home. Not be a dictator. Not use power to lord your decision making. You join with your wife and love her like Jesus loved the church (Eph. 5:25). But you as father and husband who is a believer in Jesus Christ, you decide you’re going to be a family who is plugged in at church, who is serving together, who creates the date night for you and your wife, who show your kids what it looks like to be affectionate toward your wife, to join in community and get involved in a connect or small group. You give yourself to Jesus then give yourself to your family.

Make sure God is your ONE and your spouse is your TWO. You’ll find life and the journey that much sweeter and easier. Blessings on that journey.

Home is where family is...

Did you ever see eye to eye with your siblings? Your parents? Even yourself? We’ve all grown up in a family where we celebrated joy and accomplishment together and we also weathered storms together. But no matter how we disagreed, we never left each other. We may have had moments of silence and separation but eventually, we worked it out. Why? Because we are family.

The church is the same way. We are family. We journey together. We may not always get along or see things each other’s way but we don’t walk out on each other. We communicate. We become empathetic. We work it out and meet somewhere in the middle. But we don’t just walk out on each other…that is if we are truly trying to be the body of Christ.

In Acts 2:42-47, we see the description of something radical in that first century. Social groups who were very different but allowing Jesus to unite them in unity…to become family. Even though in that church there were Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slave owners and slaves, merchants and paupers, they all felt equal and united in Jesus. We see them meeting in each other’s houses, taking meals together, selling things and giving money away. They were truly acting like a family, exactly how Jesus had designed it. And we see a couple of things that described them to make this new life happen well.

That first church acted as one family filled with the Holy Spirit. When you look at their life, we know they realized they were created to be in community lifting up the one Savior who made it possible. Even Jesus prayed for the church’s unity. In John 17, Jesus prays for us today saying, “May we be unified to each other like Jesus and Father are unified.”

They were discarding anger, rage, harsh words, selfish thoughts (Ephesians 4) and looking like Jesus. The only way to overcome our selfish desires is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

But they were also one family who had emptied “self”. They realized in Jesus, it was all about serving others and inclusiveness. The type of life Jesus had exampled for us. That first church wanted to look like Jesus and start this radical new community of people who were trying to look like him. The Greek word for that is “ecclesia”. It means “set apart” or “called out”. The church is different from the world. It treats God’s creation differently than the world. The church is called out from the world to be an example of family, community, Jesus.

And today, we are called to live the same way. To be the light for the world around us. We’re called to stop in fighting, stop the hatefulness, stop the self-centeredness. As we look at that first church, we see people who had surrendered to Jesus and were living in such a way the world was taking notice. So, how are you living? Are you looking like Jesus or fighting to get your way? It’s time to leave behind the script the world gives out and live into a life like Jesus. Blessings on your journey.

Mission (Him)possible

You ever been on a mission? I don't mean a mission trip with church but focused on one particular thing? When my boys were young and in Scouts, we did this thing called geo-caching. It’s where you are looking for hidden treasure. Someone hides something small, puts the coordinates on the web (usually in a state park or public area). Then using GPS and a compass, you track it down.

Those Scouts were so focused on finding that thing. Nothing got in their way. Not weather, terrain, people…they had a laser focus to their mission.

As the church and individual followers of Jesus, we too have a mission. A laser focus in life. Jesus tells us what that is in Matthew 28:18-20, “I’ve been given all authority in heaven and on earth. So, go and make disciples…” That’s it. That’s our mission as people who believe in a risen Savior.

As Jesus-followers, we should be compelled by our mission. That first century church could not stop talking about Jesus and his story. We should be the same, absolutely on fire for Jesus and the hope He gives us. C.S. Lewis said, “There is no such thing as a mere mortal.” It’s so true. All of us are going to live forever. So it’s incredibly important that we take everyday, even in the smallest of ways, to tell those around us about Jesus and what He’s done for us.

We should also be confident in our mission. In Acts 4, the disciples are arrested then released and told not to talk anymore about Jesus. But they met with the whole church and prayed to God to give them boldness to continue. They weren’t scared. They didn’t hide. They didn't pray for vengeance against those authorities. They prayed confidently to God knowing he would grant them more opportunity to share Jesus in word and action.

But we’re also reminded we are called to live out our mission every day. Worship is beautiful as we gather on a Sunday morning together but worship doesn’t end there. Worship is every day of our lives. We must pray for boldness to live in to the mission Jesus has placed us on: telling others about how incredible he is and how Jesus is the only hope we have for life.

So pray to be light in the world where you find yourself. Be bold in your actions and words. Be prayerful and ask God for mission. Be courageous and share Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are not on cruise control. We are on mission to share Jesus every day of our lives. Blessings on journey.

Bold is more than a coffee

We all have our idols. People we think are incredible at what they do. The greatest of all time is the phrase we give them. There is a debate about whether it’s MJ or LeBron for basketball. For me and football, it has to be Barry Sanders. He’s the 1988 Heisman trophy winner who played at Oklahoma State University (my alma mater). But no matter what you think, Jesus surpasses EVERYONE in every category as the only one who matters.

When you read Acts 4 and discover how the first century church felt about him and how Jesus changed all of them to care about each other, it’s clear Jesus is all powerful. He can do things to change you for the better. At the end of Acts 2, the church was devoted to each other, performed great works together, met together daily, shared everything they owned, sold things and gave money to the poor, shared life together and changed neighborhoods and towns together ALL in the Name of Jesus! Jesus changes everything and for a few reasons.

Jesus is the only one who reigns. Based on Acts 4, you can put followers of Jesus in a box but you’ll never put Jesus in a box. At the end of Jesus’ time on earth in Matthew 28, Jesus reminds us all authority and power has been given to him on earth, above and below the earth. Daniel 7, the prophet points to the future saying Jesus will come and every nation, every language, every skin color, political party, NFL team…will fall down and worship him.

And Jesus is the only who is worthy. Jesus is the cornerstone for all things new. That first century church believed Jesus as the answer for everything. They were committed to him. Some questions we should ask as we start this new year: What would give Jesus glory in my life? What should I do right now with my talent set? How can I be light? How can I be an encouragement to my family? How can I reaffirm folks at my workplace? How can I be Jesus?

And finally, Jesus is the only one who saves. People were looking at the disciples and were amazed. They were doing extraordinary things even though they had no education. They were changing the world because of the power of Jesus. They realized “there is no other Name by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Because of that truth, the group of believers turned their world upside down for Jesus.

That is our call as well…to be the light wherever we are. To be a representative of Jesus and proclaim his power in word and action. That’s the challenge in 2020. To be bold for Jesus. Stop at nothing to share what He’s done for you. Don’t let anything deter you from being the person God created you to be in his son Jesus. Blessings on the journey.

Something New

Most of us have a desire to do something new in 2020. It could be you’d like to eat more healthy foods and lose weight. Maybe it’s get your body in better physical shape. Or possibly cut back on your social media intake. Most of us will make a New Year’s resolution. All the data says by February 15, 75% of us will not have fulfilled our commitment to be a better person.

What if I told you that while we have good intentions, God has great intentions for us? It’s true that He does. The prophet Isaiah writes down what God wants to say to his people and in Isaiah 43:18-19, God says, “Forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” God clearly is doing new things in your life and He asks, do you not see it? So in order to see it clearly, I’d like you to honestly answer four questions.

What one thing do you desire from God in 2020? David said in Psalm 27:4 the one thing he wanted was to be in the presence of God. For you, if you knew God would grant you one thing, what would it be? Maybe helping a family member or close friend know Jesus. It could be you’d love God to remove a stronghold in your life. Maybe you’d love for your marriage to be more Christ-centered. Only you can answer your desire from God.

When it comes to your relationship with God, what one thing do you lack? For some of us, God has already shown us what we lack but for whatever reason, we refuse to acknowledge it. Maybe you lack great Christian fellowship. You don’t have a tight group of Christian friends with whom you journey. There’s no one to pray over you, hold you accountable or serve with. Maybe you lack giving back to God financially. You’d never tithed. But maybe 2020 is the year you decide to trust God. What’s something you lack but what to own in 2020.

What one thing do you need to let go? The apostle Paul told the church in Philippi he wanted to forget what was behind and press forward into what God had for him (Philippians 3:13-14). If you’re a human being, you are hanging on to stuff you need to release. Maybe someone said something demeaning to you or someone did something offensive to you. You are harboring that moment because one day you’re going to make them pay. Maybe you failed at something: education, hobby, marriage. That failure has become your identity. You’ve let yourself down by caving into temptation. You carry the guilt and shame of sin and you believe God will not forgive you. There are things you carry like an overweight suitcase and you need to let it go.

Finally, what one promise do you need to claim from God in 2020? David says in Psalm 56:9-10 that he knows God is for him. You can claim that promise as a follower of Jesus! God is FOR you! And he has many promises for you in 2020. He’s promised to meet all your needs from his glorious riches. He’s promised to forgive all your sins. He’s promised you’ll not be tempted more than you can bare. He’s promised to never leave you. He’s promised the power to defeat Satan. He’s promised us eternal life through his son, Jesus!

There are so many more promises from God. It’s time to claim yours and rejoice in the coming new year. My prayer is as we move into a new year and new decade, you’ll know Jesus better than you ever have before. Blessings on your journey!

Immanuel

Have you ever given a gift that was not received like you thought it would be? You had a purpose for the gift but the one to whom you gave it saw it differently or had a different experience than you’d hoped. I once received a remote control airplane from an uncle but try as I might, that thing never flew. The gift was given with one expectation which was not realized by me.

When Jesus came to earth as a little baby, it was a gift with purpose from the Father but we, his creation, never saw the gift in the way he wanted. The expected Messiah was not met with fanfare and glory but was simply born in a barn. The Christmas story that we’ve heard so often had an incredible story line. A baby boy was born to two peasant Israelites. The teenage mom, pregnant before marriage, had a very short engagement. The explanation of how she was pregnant seemed so unbelievable. The only visitors on the night of birth were smelly shepherds who had an unimaginable story of how angelic hosts told them to go worship the new king.

But what does the story of Jesus’ birth mean to us? His name, Immanuel, literally means God is with us. How comforting. How warm. How beautiful. We have a Savior who understands our trouble and our life. He’s been there and experienced all the life has to offer us. He is God among us. He’s made some important promises to us and we serve a God who keeps promises!

In Matthew 28, Jesus promises he’ll always be with us. God told us in Hebrews 13, He’ll never leave us nor forsake us. John tells us in John 1, Jesus became flesh and moved into our neighborhood. Jesus is with you. He knows you by name. He wants to journey with you.

Sadly, some don’t believe God’s promise. There are things in their life that veil this truth. Maybe it because you did what you were supposed to and got that degree, put your resume out there, networked but you still have no job. It could be you stayed pure until marriage but there is still no baby crying down the hallway. It’s possible you will go home alone tonight because Mr. or Mrs. Right has not appeared on your horizon. You sit in an office and the doctor tells you the cancer has returned. More than likely, you still bear the shame and guilt of past mistakes because you have not yet laid them at Jesus’ feet.

Whatever the veil, however you have taken the story, no matter what other people tell you, you have a Savior named Jesus who wants to have a relationship with you! You have a God who left the glory of heaven to live and die on this earth so that he could be with you. Jesus has given you the greatest Christmas gift of all time. He’s given you hope, love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. He loves you. Don’t wait to unwrap him. He’s waiting for you with open arms. Jesus is the reason for the season. So embrace Immanuel…He is Jesus…He is God with you. Blessings on your journey.

Strength in weakness

I was a really small guy growing up. I only weighed about 60 pounds in the eighth grade. And that means I was picked on a bunch. In the seventh and eighth grade, I went to a school in Glenwood, AR where grades 7-12 were on the same campus. There were many times I wanted to hide and not come out until I could go home but I figured out a way to get through it all and it made me a better person.

My guess is, you’ve had times when life’s problems dwarfed you too. Times when you felt small and weak and you weren’t sure how to get through the day. Times when you felt the prodigal was too far gone, the diagnosis was too bleak, December was too busy, the workplace too worldly, your sin too great or the battle too big. But remember, God says when we are weak then we are strong. At least those of us who have surrendered to Jesus.

We have all heard the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. An improbable and impossible battle that David wins because he’s put his faith in the God of Heaven’s Armies. No one believed David could best the Philistine’s champion but God knew. David used the smallest, improbable weapon to put Goliath on his knees.

Then, God decided to do the improbable again. He took his smallest weapon, a baby, some 2000 years ago to put Satan and sin on it’s knees. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfilled prophecy. When he was born, the angelic army leaned and said, “What an unusual way to win the battle!”

This time of year, we celebrate what God has done for us. He sent his Son, born of woman. In him, there is victory. In Jesus, we can win any battle in front of us. But to have that victory…to win the battle…to be triumphant over whatever is going on in your life, you’ve got to except Jesus and surrender fully to him.

God gave us all the most precious gift some 2000 years ago. He believed in you. Now, do you believe in him? God who spoke the world into existence choose not to show his power but his love for us through his Son Jesus. When God commands his angelic armies, it was not to wage war but to announce the birth of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It was an unbelievable moment in history, moving from B.C. to A.D. when the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled from Isaiah 9:6-7:

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen.”

Blessings on your journey and may you find the opportunity this week to share the blessing of the reason for the season.

Looking Up

Have you have been in a situation where you needed help? Many times while playing high school football and after a huge tackle, team mates would see me on the ground, put their hand out and help me up. No doubt, you’ve had lots of moments like that when people helped you as you looked up to them.

In 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped in a collapsed mine. They were 2300 feet down and their only hope was far above them. Sure enough, 17 days later, one by one those who were on top pulled 33 miners to safety. Below, they had looked up for hope and help. Now, help came from above.

You know that’s where we were in our sin. We were hopeless. We needed help and our help, our salvation came from above. God Most High made a decision to leave the glory of heaven, put skin on and come to earth. The name God Most High reminds us of God’s greatness and majesty. He is the best, mightiest, most powerful, first and the last, all-knowing, and everlasting Savior.

Jesus left the rights and privileges he had in heaven for the silence of his arrival and humble living of earth. He was God Most High but was born into a peasant family, in a barn, and placed in a feeding trough. Jesus did that for you and for me.

Only 3 miles from where he was born in Bethlehem, was the palace of King Herod in Jerusalem. His palace set high on a hill. The palace itself sat on 45 acres and was 90 feet tall. The grounds surrounding the palace were 200 acres of gardens and swimming pools. If he had stood on his balcony that night, he could have looked to Bethlehem to see where the King of kings was born.

And because we see how humble Jesus was in his coming, we are reminded as his followers we too are called to live out that humble lifestyle. Paul reminds us of just how humble in Philippians 2:3-11. Paul says, “We MUST have the same attitude of Jesus.” It’s an imperative, not an option.

What a gift, the best gift we’ll ever get, in Jesus Christ. He is the Name above all names. He is God Most High. He is our Savior for the ages. As we realize what we have in Jesus, it reminds us of how we are called to live as we follow him. We look to him for our hope and our example.

Two challenges this holiday season (and beyond). Respond to God Most High every day with heart-felt worship. Jesus’ Name should be on our lips and tongue every day, giving him praise and thanks for his gift of love to us. And also, live out the Christmas story through humble service to others. Whether it’s your spouse, your kids, your co-workers, the folks you are standing in line with, your brothers and sisters at your local church…wherever you find yourself, treat others like Jesus has treated you. Blessings on your journey.

God in the Flesh

I’ve been called lots of names over my lifetime. In a high school football game one Friday night, I got burned for a touchdown. The team called me “Toast” after that. It was just once! Sometimes names are hard on you. Sometimes they are wonderful.

Your own personal name is important. It’s yours. When people say your name, it’s special.

Jesus is called lots of names in the New Testament as well. He’s called Son of God, Messiah, teacher, rabbi, Lamb, Christ, Prince of Peace. One of the names Jesus calls himself and it’s used over 80 times in the Gospel accounts is the name “Son of Man”. That means something for us.

Son of Man indicates his purpose and identity. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus says, “The Son of Man came to serve others and give himself as a ransom for others.” In the Hebrew Bible, there are 250 prophetic sayings pointing to the coming Messiah and Son of Man. In Daniel 7, the prophet says that the Son of Man is coming and every race, language and culture will bow before him as the Name above all names.

Did you know the Son of Man was tempted just like we are? He fully understands what you are going through. He resonates with the difficult moments in our life. He acknowledges the relentless assault of the Devil as he tempts us everyday.

In Matthew 4, as Jesus, the Son of Man begins his ministry, he is led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus withstands every attack of Satan. Every temptation is warded off by using scripture and the Spirit. Jesus understands our desire to satisfy our appetites, achieving status, compromising moral principles. He’s gone through it all by verse 11 in Matthew 4.

It reminds me we have a Savior who fully understands our human-ness and loves us anyway. Jesus is God in the flesh. He believes in you as much as you believe in him. So take heart. While Satan shows no signs of ever giving up his hope to ruin our relationship with God in the Flesh, we can overcome whatever he throws at us be staying connected to and standing firm in the Name above all names, Jesus the Christ! Blessings on your journey.