Mime's are Scary...

Well, that's what my daughter thinks. She saw this 'crazy guy' with his face painted - no way. She didn't want him near her, to look at her, to talk to her - I know, he's a mime, but you get my point.

We get that way with those in our ministries. They act different, may look different, and we don't really want to be around them. They look and act like mimes. But, God loves them. Jesus died for them. If they keep going the way they are going - they will go to hell. That's not what God wants!

Pray to see people through the eyes of God. Whether their mimes or not. Ask God to give you the ability to love them - but watch out - He'll put your prayer to the test. He'll send some difficult people to love. Try to walk as Jesus walked. He loved everyone, even mimes.

Life is Tragic...

I hate to hear it when famous people come to the end of their life sooner than we think they should. Chris Farley was one of the funniest guys. Tommy Boy was one of my favorite movies. His life ended before we really had a time to appreciate it. Today, it's someone else, Heath Ledger. The question that arrives in our minds is 'why?'.

To simply say that we 'don't have all the answers' seems like a poor response. However, it's also the truth. Why does God call some of us out of the world before others. Why does a young man get struck down with cancer? Why does a friend refuse to change the destructive patterns in their life? I only wish I knew.

The end result is the same. We mourn the loss of life. We find blessings in what we have - our health, a long life, or even second chances. We look for a way to move ahead.

My encouragement to you is this: Since we are constantly reminded just how precious life is, then make the most of every minute. Never neglect the frality of life in thinking we always have tomorrow. We hold grudges. We put things off. We always say that we will change tomorrow. Live for today, especially in how you follow Jesus.

January's 'Craziest Thing I Have Ever Heard'

In a new segment...I plan to share some of the craziest things I have heard about. It reminds me of Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation. This story can be verified with a simple Google search.

"A Hillsboro family says it was a labor of love that prompted them to drive their dead grandmother halfway across the country in an RV.

Family members said they were advised by a doctor that if their ailing grandmother passed away during the cross country road trip, they should continue on, and that's exactly what they did.

Polly Craft, 79, wanted to return to Oregon to see relatives before she died. She suffered from kidney failure and Alzheimer's disease. So last Monday, the family packed up its motor home and trailer. They expected the road trip from Arkansas to Oregon to take 48 hours, but bad weather and breakdowns slowed their travel.

Halfway home in Laramie, Wyoming, Polly Craft passed away in her sleep. Family members agreed they should press on. They drove for another 1,000 miles with the 79-year-old's body resting peacefully in the motor home bed. On Saturday, they finally made it to Oregon, where Polly Craft will be laid to rest.

“They said a doctor had told them, based on her condition that if she did die, they should continue to drive to their destination,” said Lt. Michael Rouches with the Hillsboro Police Department. “She had a personal physician here in Hillsboro and the idea was that the physician would have her medical records and information about her condition."

Rouches said there was no suspicion of foul play, and no law was broken. Family members called Hillsboro police on Sunday to report the death. "

Wonderful Reminders...

I do not get real excited about TV, well maybe I do. Yeah, probably a little too excited. But anyway. TV. It is kind of cool to see a show from my childhood resurrected and brought back to current mainstream media. The show is American Gladiators. I remember watching this show with my dad, and a close friend shared the same sentiment. You catch the action and enjoy sharing this time with someone you cared about. Things have come full circle.

Now, I'm the dad and my kids are watching the show with me, one of which have told me that they plan on becoming one the gladiators when they grow up. How wonderful!?! Maybe I should change the channel. Anyway, the point is that while I am currently watching this 'new' show it reminds me of my memories with my dad as we watched the show. That's an awesome feeling.

God has done that alot in my life over the past few days. He takes just simple and ordinary events and it shows me How Great He Really Is! I heard a wonderful message along these lines last weekend at our Associational Meetings. We, followers of Christ, need a reminder every once in a while about our God. We need to be taken back to an earlier experience - before we got busy with church business, before we worried about budgets, and before we cared about whether or not 'we' liked something. I remember my excitement when I first accepted Christ in a leadership role in my life. I remember how I felt when I knelt and prayed - asking God to forgive me. I remember the passion that returned when I rededicated my life to Jesus (on a couple of occasions). I remember what it felt like when I purposely decided to follow Christ into the ministry. I remember what it was like when I accepted my first pastorate. I remember how my heart burned when I was shown Harris County Georgia for the first time. I want this feeling all the time.

There's nothing to be ashamed about when we realize we need a reminder. The only thing that we must caution ourselves against is trying to ignore the fact that we may need a reminder. Find your reminder this week. See how it makes you feel and tell me your story.

The 100 Watt Life...

I had heard this story concerning a church trying to make decisions about its Sunday Night service. Attendance had been dwindling down to only a handful, so the topic of discussion at the next business meeting was whether or not to continue the service. During the discussion, a lady became quite upset. She stood up and told the church how terrible she thought suspending the Sunday Night service was. She added, “It gives me such a warm feeling to drive by my church and see the lights on each Sunday Night.” I’m not sure that’s what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:16.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NSRV

The ‘light’ we are to shine is outward testimony of what Christ has done in our lives. It has little to do with keeping the lights on at church. As I study and pray about my own light; God reveals a few issues that require my attention.

1) The Issues of Fear – most of us do not embrace being in the spotlight. When we let our light shine, we are placing a spotlight on our faith – letting the world know who we are. I must continually make sure my faith and relationship with Christ does not become anonymous. Paul wrote in I Timothy 1:7-8, 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 8 So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Christ. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the proclamation of the Good News. Do not be afraid to let your light shine.
2) The Issues of Fraud – from a practical standpoint, if I am hesitant in letting my light shine, I must do a spiritual check-up on where I am in my relationship with Christ. Is my light not shining because there is something lacking in my walk with Christ? This is such a difficult process, that we ignore any issues that might be present. Because the word ‘Christian’ is used so loosely, we must consider whether or not we are followers of Christ and worshippers of God. True worshippers, Jesus said, would worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. Are we a fraud or are we truthful in our worship? Truth will be seen as in Psalm 71:23, I will shout for joy and sing your praises, for you have redeemed me. Our lights shine in truth.
3) The Issues of Focus – what is our purpose in life? I find in my own life that I have a split personality. There are times that I focus my person on serving God and there are times I focus my person on serving myself. When I am focusing on myself, it is impossible for my light to shine. I am only worried about me. So where does that place my purpose and priorities towards the calling God has placed on our lives? In the closet. Under a bushel. Jesus stated in Matthew 5:14 that we “are the light of the world” to draw people to Him so they will have this same light and their stumbling in the darkness will end. To let my light shine, my focus must be on God.
So let your light shine for all to see.

What is Real Life?

What does the word ‘real’ mean? Webster defines real as “not artificial, fraudulent, illusory, or apparent : genuine: being precisely what the name implies.” As we have made this transition to begin a new church, my first task was to diligently pray and seek God’s Plan on who we would be. The answer came in one of my favorite passages:

“My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” John 10:10b NLT

Christ was sharing that He is our Shepherd. That He is the Door. The immediate question is a ‘door to what?’ Real Life.

I love watching Sportscenter, and the topic of the day and the past few years has been whether or not certain athletes have cheated using performance enhancing drugs. This is mirrored in society with our constant bombardment with ‘knock-offs’ and second-rate reproductions. We need something real and genuine.

I feel God leading us in this direction with our church. People have a deep spiritual need to find the genuine article, especially in a world that tries to focus only on the illusions of life: wealth brings happiness – illusion, beauty is external – illusion, God is irrelevant – another illusion. Jesus stated that His purpose was to help us possess “life in all its fullness,” to help us find ‘real life.’

Real Life is not a mystery. We can obtain it. It is a gift from God through His Son, Jesus Christ. I invite y0u to explore this for yourself and see that Jesus will come through.

Misadventures in Georgia

Where to begin...

Our moving truck arrived 3 days late...

I thought my car got stolen at Target...that was fun. I just forgot where I got parked.

I made four trips to the car tag office in one day. That was an experience that I do not wish to ever repeat. The funny thing about this was getting my tags in December and they would have to be renewed in January, just 3 weeks later. The lady thought I was crazy when I asked to renew my brand new plates. Anything that would keep me from going to this office again in the next three weeks was good.

However, it was my experience at the DMV that takes the cake. Standing in line to get a number, just a number. And it works out that my first trip there ending in my leaving without anything because I did not have another form of ID. All that meant was I would have to come back later.

It is situations like these that we see God produce in us...patience. I'm not sure I am ready for anymore patience for a while.

The Crazy Christmas Adventure

Set the scene, I'm in Georgia - all by my lonesome...Christmas is coming. This leads me to going home for Christmas, which was great!

The trip home could have been a deleted scene from the flick, 'Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.' Everyone was flying the day after Christmas - the flight was 'overbooked' and 'over weight.' The best was that the pilots were over an hour late. As I sat there in St. Louis-Lambert Airport, I could only wonder of where the pilots were and what were they doing before the flight. People were arguing, babies were crying, and I just sat there wondering, 'where are these pilots?' We have to walk outside to get on the plane only to sit there for another hour as the grounds crew were trying to decide whether or not the four toddlers could stay on the plane. They would come tell these families that someone would have to leave the plane and then talk to the pilots and then talk to the families again. Then, after an hour, they shut the door. No decision was made - who knows what was going on.

After the flight, we waited an hour just to get our luggage. We made it but where was my bags? It was crazy. The funny thing was, I think I could have drove the trip in the amount of time it took me waiting for everything. Yeah, flying is easier. Not to complain, because Christmas was great. It was just one of those trips.