Perfect Attendance

Do you recall the days when you received perfect attendance awards at work or for not missing church on Sunday? Growing up, I made sure that I earned every pin for perfect attendance. I still have my seventeen years worth of perfect attendance pins.

I was quick at the scripture hunt on Sunday night youth group. I had all the answers for the Bible questions. I thought that I was close to the perfect Bible student. Then I went to college. A Christian liberal arts Bible college.

My first class was in Old Testament history. Professor Phillips came into the room for the first class and hopped up on his desk. Standing above a class of thirty students, he proceeded to tell us that Moses had been struck by lightning and that was why he, as the writer of Genesis, had all those crazy ideas about how the earth was made and the creation of Adam and Eve.

His speech lasted for about ten minutes as he raged on about the myth of creation. “How could he say such things in a Bible College?”, I asked myself. I became angry that he had attacked the facts and truths I had learned as a child. Then he got down from the desk and said, “Now, prove me wrong!”

For the next four years, I learned of the faith, trust, and grace of God from this wise professor. For the first time in my life I had to get personal with the Lord. I learned that seventeen years of perfect attendance was good for learning the law of God. But I had missed the redeeming love of Jesus. I had missed His grace.

Where are you in the journey to understanding the power that comes from God’s grace? His Son was sent to give us hope, peace, love, and forgiving grace.  More importantly I found the love of the Jesus in giving his life rather than the law that kept the hammer over my head to bop me on the head to get back in line when I did things wrong.  That was the law portion of the Old Testament.

Is your relationship with the Lord including a daily time thanking Him for His grace? If not, perhaps it should.   It is in building a person relationship and not a religion that you become a Christ Follower and not just a Christian as a religious name.

The Devil's Workshop

Growing up, my grandmother often gave me words of wisdom. She would quote these “tidbits” to me when she desired to keep me from doing something wrong. So the phrase, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop” was impressed into my brain quite often. 

Living on a farm meant chores from early morning until late evening. So I thought there was not a lot of time for my mind to be idle. Nevertheless, when I wanted to relax and do nothing there was always someone like my grandmother to give me a reminder of not being idle.

They believed that if you were not doing something constructive you were inviting Satan into you life. Years later, I realized that it was not continual work that kept Satan away but the grace of God through His son Jesus. Being an “ADHD” personality, I keep moving most of the time, and my mind does not take many breaks.

Even when I am still and take time to meditate on the Word of God, my mind wanders into what I need to be doing in the next five minutes, next five hours, or the next five days.  It is though blogs like this that I can focus on my relationship with the Lord more than I ever have before.

Therefore, I have learned to force myself to spend time incorporating Philippians 4:8 through nature. Being outside and listening for the Lord helps me to grow and look to the future with faith and hope.  For me, everything that the Lord created brings this verse into focus. So to sit and watch the cloud formations,  the squirrels playing in the trees, the new blooms of spring, or to observe a snowfall in the mountains, always brings this verse to the forefront of my life.  Psalms 46:10 says it best when I am seeking the Lord, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In the Disney movie, “Hook” do you recall what it was that made Jack fly? It wasn’t a feather like Dumbo thought, or pixie dust. It was happy thoughts.

Today try and focus on the “happy” thoughts of life. Focus on what is pure, lovely, and good. You do not have to go far.

Just set your mind on things that are worthy of giving the Lord praise.

Then give Him the praise!

Getting Things in Focus

Galatians 3 :1   You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

(The Message)

Picking up my glasses off the night stand each morning, I was reminded that it is time to get replacement lenses.  The scratches on the lenses seem to get worse with every cleaning.  It was getting so bad that I sometimes had trouble focusing on a distant object unless I move the glasses around on my nose.

The doctor noted that I have an acute astigmatism which gives me distortion or blurring of images at all distances, headache and fatigue, and squinting along with eye discomfort or irritation.  When I forget to pick up my glasses, I sometimes have trouble focusing on objects.

Some of my friends who have had lasik or cataract surgery performed say they are amazed with the results.   Most everyone gets immediate results and can see clearly.  It just took some correction steps.

Maybe it has been years since you have focused on what Jesus did for each one of us and the rush of our lives has pushed us to look only at today’s wants and not focus on the One who supplies our needs. 

When we focus on Christ’s death and resurrection, we realize why we celebrate Christmas and Easter.  Without Christ rising from the dead, we have no reason to focus on anything but ourselves.  Any society who has adopted that attitude are now only historic societies.   You can study history and see when the Lord has taken his hand off them and they are not blessed.

In life today you need to build a faith in the impossible.  As you open the Bible and read, it is filled with impossibilities.  Yet we think that it happened thousands of years ago and does not happen today.  Wrong!  

Stop looking at what is right in front of your nose as it may be that your "gimme, gimme"  approach to life just isn't working out. 

When you step back from yourself, you will see life change,  attitude changes, heart changes, marriages restored, emotional repair, physical healing, and so much more.  But without getting your life into focus it is all a blur.   

Maybe your emotional glasses are scratched and you need to look at the rebirth of spring to really focus on what is important and to build your faith for the impossible for your life.  The Lord is waiting for you to ask for the impossible so he can do the impossible in your life.

Are you ready to getting things into focus?

Spiritual Exercise

Corinthians 2  4:16 “Do not lose heart.  Even though our outward person is perishing, the inward person is being renewed day by day.”

I don’t believe there is a diet I haven’t tried or an exercise that has not made me sore.  It was a month before my 30^th birthday and I felt as if life was over.  During the year I had, what I thought, were real physical problems.  Torn tendons and ligaments in my right ankle kept me from playing softball.  I had played the game fervently since I was 15 and enjoyed the relaxation it brought three nights a week. 

Before the injury, warming up before a game and running onto the field to catch fly balls was easy.  I had exercised hard by working on the farm and then in college had built up my strength through Judo.  Staying in shape was no effort. Now all of a sudden, I couldn’t play the game I loved.  So, I chose surgery to repair the damage knowing it meant that the season was lost.  Thoughts like, “Half my life is over”, “I’m really old!”, and “Just think about what you have not done with your life”, all flooded my mind.  Funny how today at twice the age, I quit figuring what percentage is over or how many years are ahead.  Just thrilled that the Lord has given me another day of living.

Have you ever found yourself looking into a mirror and saying, “I’m getting old or my life is over because of a situation, injury, or any reason you can experience?   Good health and exercise are important parts of our lives and should never be glossed over.  Yet the reality of life is the first part of today’s scripture, “the outward body is perishing. . .”  But that does not mean we should ever give up!  The rest of the scripture should become our target, “. . .the inward person is being renewed day by day.”

Spending time with the Lord each day is vital to the renewal of our inward person.  Daily devotions are helpful to motivate you to seek the Lord’s face.  If you don’t take the time to get close to the Lord, you are missing out on the best health of your life. Your spiritual health. Read, pray, and talk to the Lord EVERY day.  Ask Him for wisdom and he will give it to you.  Exercise the spiritual man or woman within you.  You will be amazed how easily you can handle anything the world throws at you!

We all need to improve our health by exercising our spiritual minds. For me, physical exercise does not help the fact that the muscular chest I once had has now moved to my waist line.  The problem for me is that I don’t care much for the truth of the first part of the scripture.   

But I really enjoy the second half of the verse.

What We Don't See

Isaiah 61:11 “For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations.” 

Spring is one of the most exciting times of the year. All the bare trees bud into beautiful colors that only God can paint from His canvas of this world. 

I've noticed that times have really changed, even in the way people plant crops in the spring.  Recently I watched as a large field, that still had the broken stubble of the previous year’s soybeans, experience the transformation into a field of freshly planted corn.

First a machine came into the field and spread a chemical that was designed to kill any new weeds. The next morning an enormous machine drove into the field pulling a cylinder of liquid. This all-in-one machine began moving through the field at an extremely fast pace. Upon closer examination, I noticed that as it passed through the field the soil was tilled, the fertilizer injected into the dirt, the seeds planted, and the ground was covered over the top.  Even though the land looks terrible today, I know that in just a few short weeks, a new crop will emerge.

When in college, a group of us got a real brainstorm for a weekend activity. In early February we went to a local garden store and bought a bag of ammonia nitrate, which is a fast growing fertilizer (before it was illegal to purchase over the counter).   Then late one night we got a coffee can and punched small holes in the bottom of the can. On a farmer’s hillside at the edge of town, late into the night, we carefully spread the fertilizer to spell out words in the field. For months no one could tell that anything had been done to the soil.

Spring came and the grass began to turn from brown to green, the letters sprang out of the ground to spell the name of our college. So as everyone drove down the highway they could see “Milligan College” above the rest of the grass in the field. Some thought it was a mystery and others thought it might be a miracle or sign from God. Still others had no idea how that could happen.

As we train our children, it is often frustrating to think that they hear very little of what we say or pay no attention to our training. They say we are just “out of touch” with their generation. They even believe that parents are the “dumbest” people in the world. Yet God wants us to keep teaching by example, words, actions, and prayer. We never need to give up and just be passive, because years later what we have taught will be brought to light and applied by our children to their lives.  Particularly when our children go through life’s struggles they will recall your words and the principles where you were consistent .

Each year that my children get older they rediscover that Dad did know some things about life. The “fertilizer” planted years before now has reaped a bountiful cropin how they are investing in their children. 

We need to make sure to spread fertilizer of God’s love each day for the people we influence. Someday we will see a great return for the time we invested in other lives.

Spring is here and it is time to start planting.

Life of A Rescurer

I just got back from a great week long conference (NAPO) and reignited a friendship with many people I have known for the past four years.  One of the themes was about CARING.  Whether it is for the elderly, movers, seniors, or any other social group, a Professional Organizer has a career in caring and helping people improve their lives.

For me, I have lived a life as a Rescuer.  I love to help anywhere I can so others can either solve a problem, head in a different direction, step up to the next level, or to pull someone up from the mud they are currently sinking in.  

I have been criticized many times for having the heart of a rescuer as there are times I am taken advantage of for someone elses gain.  It hurts emotionally when I know that I have been used, but my passion for caring and helping drives me to a song that was written in 1869 but is just as important today.  Fanny J Crosby was a small lady of about 4 foot 9 inches tall and was blind from a very young age of six months old - a real perceived disadvantage for most of us.  Yet her blindness never stopped her from accomplishing so much.  One such song  in which she wrote the words is ideal for us rescuers today. 

Click on the link as you can see is the calling of each Christ Follower and Rescuer today.  

Words - Rescue the Pershing

Music - Rescue the Pershing    

Be proud if you are a rescuer because it is a part of the passion that the Lord has placed on your heart to be there when things fall apart.  You can not "FIX"  everything and should not but caring about the issues makes you stronger and presents the love of Christ in every action.  The wisdom of discernment will give you the opportunity of being a blessing to someone instead of just being a doormat  for those who want to use you.

The key is loving God and loving each other!

Our Secret

”Proverbs 28:10  He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap . .

Even nineteen years after it was discovered, I sometimes still become angry. He was a leader in the church, a police officer, publicly involved in a national religious organization, an immediate relative, and a pillar of our community. But he had a secret.

When my daughter was twelve years old she watched a program on television that prompted her to tell his secret. It all began when she was only four years old. This trusted man and his wife were my daughter’s baby sitter. He was retired and said that he enjoyed having her around their house. It started as fondling while she took a bath. Then as she got older, he went further. His words, “this is our secret”, still haunt me. When my daughter got older, she told him that it was wrong and she wanted to tell someone. He said that if she did, no one would believe her because he was a leader in the church, and highly respected in the community.

I vividly recall that Sunday after church when a youth leader called me into the pastor’s office and closed the door. There sat my thirteen year-old daughter, trembling and in tears. As she began to share the story, it is difficult to express the emotions that I felt.

There was anger, pain for what had happened to my baby, disbelief, and confusion. Questions raced across my mind. What had she done to deserve this? Was she telling the truth or just making this up? Why had I not seen it? What had I done wrong for Him to punish me like this? Looking back, I am so proud that she had the courage to expose his secret. I took action and immediately contacted the Sheriff’s office. The next day I got a telephone call from him. His only words were, “I am so sorry. I never thought I’d get caught.”

He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison at the age of 69. The investigation revealed that thirty-eight other girls in the community had been molested by him over a forty-five year span. Prior to his death three years later, he repented. My daughter’s healing took time, as well, and included the two of us crying together, hating together, being angry together, and eventually forgiving together.   More importantly is that her coming forward may have save other young girls from the same trauma.

As we read the above passage, we need to look for “little secrets” in our own lives. We may not think it will affect anyone, but it will. Remember, we are called to a higher purpose. One that includes developing a deeper relationship with Christ, and building others up. Not destroying them.

If you struggle with any secret issues, please seek trusted counsel then be honest, transparent, and open. Realize that people you love will be hurt deeply  but know that God is the Great Healer who has a wonderful plan for your life.

It took me many years to forgive the man who hurt my daughter, but God took those horrible events and used them for His good. He’ll do the same for you.

I'm Leaving Because . . .

Throughout the years, I have seen people leave churches for some of the strangest reasons. One was because the pastor did not seek them out and speak to them after church. Another time people left over the color of the paint on the walls. Still others just withhold their money as a silent way to force changes within the church and control what is happening at this church..

When I talked to these people, they just said, “You don’t understand. This is important and I want the church to go back to the way it was.” Funny, but things haven’t changed much in 2000 years. Paul also talked about divisions in the church to the Corinthians.   The pattern today is usually new church start, great growth, plateau, turn inward to please those attending, worry about maintaining, decline, death.   

Questions to ask yourself.  Is the church teaching sound doctrine? Is it reaching people or just keeping house?   Do I understand the vision for the local church?  Are lives being changed physically, emotionally, and spiritually?  If you response is no, then I would suggest that you first look at yourself and ask, “Why not?”  ?  Is the gossip outlasting the message that is being preached? Ow. . . now that is nitpicking but many times what is mentioned above may apply to your church.

If you seek to be a part of a church who is reaching people for the Lord, pull alongside those people and get to work.  It is in helping others needing to be feed that the message of salvation that we are enriched and fed.

Today it is important for us to look at the things that unite us and not the things in which we disagree. Our purpose as Christ Followers is to bring others to a relationship with the Lord.

When we allow divisions to drive us away, are we just moving our issues from one church to another? Maybe it’s time for us to look at ourselves and pray about our own lives. What are we showing the world when they hear about our divisions?

Most importantly we need to be united in love, peace and forgiveness. Through a growing relationship with the Lord, He will show you that the color of the paint on the walls has nothing to do with having a relationship with others and with the creator of the Universe.  Don’t split hairs any more!

1 Corinthians 1:10   “I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.”

Running Away

There are many times that we believe that we cannot take the pressure of events and situations in our lives.   In that regard, I can honestly say "I know how you feel."  Years ago, traveling was my way of coping with issues in my life during some rough situations in my life.

It was March 1982, and I frequently traveled to California and during my travels I had developed a close relationship with a United States Department of  Defense parts inspector located at one of General Electric’s suppliers.  Al was a quiet man who gave me no idea that there were any major problems in his life and always had a kind word and a smile. On a Sunday in late March , I had traveled to Chicago on business.  At about 10:00 a.m. on Monday my manager called me and told me that Al had committed suicide.

How could that be?  Everything I knew about him and his Christian family never pointed to a problem.  So I took the next plane to Los Angeles and went to his home.  Carol, his wife, showed me the note he left on his dresser.  It was simple.  He wrote, “Here is some money to get you through the next few days.  The insurance will give you a good life.  Better than the one I could give you.”  That was it, nothing else!  We couldn’t understand why he didn’t just take his problems to a counselor and to the Lord.   Instead, he kept them to himself chose to take the step to end his life.

 

I stayed with the family until the next Saturday to help them with their loss, but on the flight back I realized that I had been running away from my own problems and not running to the Lord for refuge.  I had prayed many times for the Lord to take my pain away by an accident of some kind that would end my life.  There was good life insurance to take care of the family.  But I never had the guts to do what Al did.   

Today I am so glad that my request for ending my life in my early 30's was one prayer in which the Lord said, “No”. Soon after my return, I went to elders and our pastor but they only gave me their sympathy for the problems and no help.  Lastly I when to the Lord in a wide open field seeking refuge from my pain.  He welcomed me and allowed me the time I needed to deal with the issues in my life.  Now I give Him praise each day for helping me and seeing how he has blessed me beyond measure today.

There ARE times when we should run from a problem, such as those things that control us.  For some it may be an addiction and for others it can be personal issues. 

Nevertheless, our fleeing should take us to the face of the Lord who loves us more than we will ever know, and nowhere else.  If you’ve ever run away from home, you know how lonely it was, but when the Lord says, “flee”, he means for us to turn from our problems and run to Him, where healing can occur.

Replace the desire to run away and run toward the Home of our Heavenly Father.  I can't thank the Lord enough now for saying "No" to one of my prayers.  Are there any "No" prayers you are thankful for?

I'm Too Busy

When I was just 12 years old, I knew what time my Dad came home from work.  He would be gone at 5:30 in the morning and it was always 6:00 p.m. when he got home.  For him it was a quick dinner and then out on the tractor until dark, so my time with him was limited for any real communication.   As early as February in Ohio, I would bundle up, get out my baseball glove and softball then wait on the back porch steps.  

When he got out of the car, he would lay his briefcase on the rock wall and I would toss the ball to him.  He would play catch with me for about five minutes and then it was off the dinner and his evening work load.  This practice continued every weekday until I was 17.  In all the things I did with and around my father, those few moments of one on one time are etched in my brain forever.

When my children were growing up, I worked three jobs at a time to make ends meet but my best memories were when I could spend just a few minutes with my daughter and her tea parties or my son kicking a soccer ball or other things he enjoyed doing.

Today I am focusing on life and rushing around putting in long days while running two businesses, serving at church, working on the farm, or just helping the town chamber of commerce.  So when it comes to something that needs to be done, I rationalize that I am just too busy.

It is with all the activities that some things get put on the shelf.  Some days it is prayer time, devotional time, time for my wife, time for other people, or even time for myself.  Then I find Bill Hybel’s book, “Too Busy Not to Pray”.  OK Lord, - great sense of humor that it is laying around for me to find.  (This is a good read for any busy person)

I know that my priorities are messed up so I take time to refocus on what is really important. I think,  "What is important to you?"  Job, cars, property, boats, fishing, sports?  

My hope is that the most important things we should do is to invest our personal time with the Lord each day.   Next is to spend time with your children and your spouse.  When you have those priorities in order, you will be amazed how much time you have for everything else that is a must do.

Quit rationalizing that you are too busy, but focus on the Lord and family.   Everything else WILL fall into place.   Trust me that the Lord will bless you more when the focus is on others and you will build memories with your children that will last far beyond your lifetime.  

I know that as a fact, so what memories are you creating this week? 

Too Tired to Think

Have you ever had your calendar overbooked?  Have you worked hard but never see the bottom of the stack of papers?  Recently, there are times I get too tired to think and would like to vegetate but the only thing that happens is I go home and fall asleep.  I've heard people say, "it's emotional, it's physical, it's the economy, it's Satan's way of discouraging, or it's the success of a business."

One thing I realized is that when I am too tired to think, I have to rely on the Lord to take the wheel and drive my life.  I can not do it on my own because I would be in the hospital quickly.  Even though I have 90 hours of work to do in the next 48 hours, I still spend an hour each day of listening to the Lord and talking with him.

You may say, "That's a waste of time"  but it is the best part of each day.  Believe it or not, I rely on the Lord to help me focus on what it the most important things that must get done. 

Right now multitasking has a whole new meaning since one phone call can change the whole plan for the day or week.  I refuse to complain about the business possibilities and thank the Lord each day for another day to watch the Lord work. 

My suggestion to you is that when you are too tired to think, take some time each day and give it to the Lord.  Then watch Him work to give you clear direction that does not require you to think but to follow in the path He lays out. 

Today, I am just following the path laid out for today. The Lord can take care of tomorrow as I am too tired to think about it.  How about you?

Swimming Up Stream

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.

The scenes from any of the TV channels like the Travel Channel or National Geographic are impressive as we watch salmon swimming up stream to spawn, but they can never compare to actually watching three-foot red salmon splashing in the water, over the rapids, in their journey to reach the quiet waters of their nesting place.

While in Alaska and driving to Homer, it all began as we were in the car chasing the flight of the bald eagle. When we saw the eagle swoop down off to the side of the road, we found the first turn off and traveled down this gravel road until we arrived at the Russian River. There we forgot about the eagle and became fascinated with the struggle of these fish that is a part of their life cycle. Knowing their fate made me wonder why they would ever take the risk. Their bodies are bruised and bleeding as they crash against the rocks, yet they keep going up stream.

The dangers that lie in the journey include eagles, bears, raccoons, fishermen, and the impact of all the elements. Then it hits me. God made these creatures to have this built in instinct to travel from the great spacious ocean to the fresh water stream to lay their eggs and then die. Not a life I want, but then I realize that as Christ Followers we are all in this life today to swim up stream.

Over the years there have been so many changes in our values that it appears we may be satisfied to just allow dangers around us to finish us off before we have a chance to finish our goals. Like Paul talked about over 1975 years ago, our plight is not against nations, but against what we Americans may have diluted.

The legal system is stopping us from praying in public, mentioning the word, “God” or “Christ” in certain settings because it may offend someone. And even now there is a move to take the reading of our very Constitution out of schools because God is mentioned by name. The nativity is not allowed to be displayed on government property and these same scenes are being destroyed in front of churches. So what can we do?

As Christians I believe we should begin by praying more for the rights and issues that are quietly being taken from us. We need the Lord’s insight and direction. My grandfather told me in the 1950’s that Christianity is one generation away from being extinct. Our attitude should be that of Christ to tell his message of love, grace, and hope and not just be quietly passive. It was not until the ACLU tried to take the Ten Commandments out of our county courthouse in rural Tennessee that the people started placing copies of the Ten Commandments in their yard. Finally all the legal fights resulted in various religious plaques being posted together in the courthouse as to not offend anyone. The message is now diluted.

As we engage in our daily lives, we must “Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever. You were called to have that life when you confessed the good confession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

We are going to be bruised and battered with what we encounter, but the reward of a relationship with Christ is worth the endeavor. Just make sure you are swimming up stream and not rafting downstream.

Not Your Normal Conference

Yesterday I was given the privilege to serve at  "LIT"  Leaders in Training Conference in Nashville.  My job was minimal in that I was just a Greeter and Parking attendant but once completed I was afforded the opportunity to sit in on sessions.

I know the intent was targeted at stressed, frustrated, and new pastors but something hit me as I listened to the teaching and the theme of the day.  As a entrepreneur and small businessman every word applied to ME.  Mentally, when the word "Pastor" was mentioned, I felt like the speakers were saying "Businessman, Entrepreneur, or Adventurer" and it resonated strongly to what I am going through.

Like many pastors, we put in 50-60 hour weeks, deal with stressful situations,  worry about budgets and income and increasing our attendance (sales).  With each speaker, I thought, "This would be a great seminar for any small business owner but necessary for any Christ Following business owners or someone thinking about starting a business.

So here's the deal, go the www.litconferences.com and click on the Knoxville tab for the May 12th Conference.  I know of conferences where you pay over $1,200 plus travel and do not get as much value as you will for this $49.00 conference.  The sessions will give you insight, excitement, strength, and a new passion to continue the venture even where the economy, family issues, money, and stress have  impacted your original thought.

As a Christ Follower and businessman, I am once again excited with the passion I had pursued and it was all due to this one day conference.  I encourage you to sign up now for LIT2011.

It will be the BEST money spent in 2011.