3 reasons to be baptized

We're celebrating baptisms this weekend at Grace. I believe that baptism is a critical part of an obedient Christian life. I also feel strongly that the Bible indicates that it is believers who should be baptized. An oft repeated phrase throughout the New Testament is "repent and be baptized" - which seems to indicate that baptism is something that we must choose to do.  I felt so strongly about this that 15 years ago I was baptized as a believer even though I had been baptized as a baby early in my life. Baptism is a symbol of a person’s total identification with Christ and allegiance to him.  But more than that – it is a public declaration -a way of identifying that the person being baptized is now welcome in the community of faith. Here are 3 reasons I think baptism is so important:

1. Jesus commanded it. Baptism is an act of obedience - and for many Christians it is their very first act of obedience.  Jesus was clear about this, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  (Matthew 28:19)
2. It is a primary tradition of the church.  From the very beginning of the church, believers in Jesus have been baptized. In getting baptized, you are demonstrating to the church that you have made a commitment to follow Christ.  ”What are you waiting for?  Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16)
3. Jesus himself was baptized. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:13-17) - There was really no other reason for Jesus to be baptized other than to be an example to us... (oh yeah and for God to split the heavens open and show the world that this was His son...).

It's not too late - if you're still interested in being baptized this weekend at our 9:15 or 11:00 services in McKean - let us know here.  Do some more reading in Romans 6 if you'd like some more theology on the subject.  

  

Combating Workaholism

We went to Arizona for vacation this spring.  It was my first 2 week vacation in many years.  The vacation allowed me to reflect and re-prioritize. Workaholism is something that I've struggled with throughout my career (although I feel like I've made some good strides since the old youth ministry days). There is a great article at Relevant Magazine that has a list of 10 ways to break through workaholism.  You can read the whole article here.  I've grabbed 3 of their suggestions to highlight here - the content from the article is in italics.

1. Observe the Sabbath

Because of my job, Sunday isn't a good Sabbath day for me.  But Friday is the day that I try to reserve for Sabbath.  I don't think the main point is the exact day, but that one day out of seven be set aside for rest and reflection.  I've tried to be much more intentional about how I spend my Sabbath day in recent months. 

After God had spent six days creating the earth, He rested on the seventh day and sanctified it. In Exodus 20: 8:10, we’re instructed: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work”. This isn’t just a suggestion—Sabbath observance is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. Going to church and then coming home to plug in your laptop so you can work the rest of the day just won’t cut it. If you know there’s a big meeting or a final coming up at the start of the week, push yourself hard on the previous Thursday and Friday. Bottom line: If a day of rest is good enough for God, it’s good enough for you, too.  

2. Unplug From Technology

I chose not to take my laptop on our vacation.  This was a good decision. It allowed me opportunity to slow everything down by removing the constant flow of information.

Dr. Bryan Robinson, author of Chained to the Desk, calls technology “the opium of our generation,” and few of us can claim we’ve never felt something of a rush when using a tech toy. But just because you’ve got a new, flashy cell phone, Blackberry or iPhone doesn’t mean you have to answer it, even if your company’s paying for it. Weekends and evenings are what the “ringer off” setting is designed for, so use it. You won’t be able to check work email if you don’t plug in your laptop, and let’s be honest: What could have happened at your job that’s so urgent it needs your immediate attention at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night?

3. Stop Procrastinating

This is one that I need to continue to get better at.  It is the #1 contributor to my workaholism.  When I'm staying ahead on projects and deadlines my workflow is much more manageable.  I've been a life-long procrastinator -and just this year I've started to leverage my calendar and pre-planning to try to combat this.  I'm forcing myself into a schedule that keeps the procrastination to a minimum and helps me to work ahead.

Responding immediately to friends' and colleagues’ voice mails, IMs, Facebook posts, and emails adds up, eventually creating a mountain between you and what you need to get done before the end of the day. Leaving projects until the last minute can be even worse, as it creates unnecessary pressure and can leave you unprepared for that important presentation to your boss. If you plan ahead, particularly for big projects, and block off time daily during which phone, IM and email are off limits, you’ll have no problem getting tasks finished.

What are some tips that you have found helpful in combating workaholism?

3 Reasons I believe in online giving

We have been encouraging the people of Grace Church to explore the possibility of online giving. You can set up your online giving to Grace over here. Kim and I have used this method of giving for years and I really believe in it.  Here's why:


1. First Fruits - So many people take care of themselves first financially and then give God the leftovers...if there are any.  Many people approach the offering time at church like they are tipping God after enjoying a good meal themselves.  The bible commands the opposite approach.  God should get our first and our best. The Old Testament talks about the concept of giving God our "first fruits" (a reference that makes the most sense in an agricultural context but the principle still applies to us).  Proverbs 3:9 says Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.  Setting up an online giving account allows us to set aside our first fruits for God; to fund God's kingdom before funding our own. 


2. Intentional Worship - For many Christians, the act of giving in church is an afterthought.  They find themselves rummaging through their wallet or purse in the middle of the service trying to find a few bucks to throw in the plate.  Again - the bible commands a better way. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. There is a heartfelt intentional decision that is involved in cheerful giving.  This decision should happen in advance of the actual worship service.  Online giving allows us to decide in advance what percentage of our income we will give to God and forces us to be consistent in that giving. Some would argue that the act of dropping a check into the offering plate is the true act of worship and giving online removes this symbolic gesture.  I would argue that it's just as worshipful to intentionally decide up front to give regularly, consistently, and generously.


3. Convenience - And last but not least it is simply more convenient to give online.  It allows us to be most consistent in our giving.  We can be certain that we are giving even when we're out of town for a weekend. It removes the dreaded "I forgot our offering again" moment that plagued Kim and I for many years!  We are an online generation that rarely carries cash or checks anymore.  Most of our financial transactions happen online.  In addition to being personally convenient, it is also more convenient for the church. It is more convenient for the church to process online contributions, it simplifies the financial records the church needs to keep, and it saves time for our volunteers who count and process the offerings every week.


If you have never considered online giving I would encourage you to give it a shot. 

Where does anger come from?

Christian counselors claim that some 50% of the people who they counsel are dealing with issues related to anger. Anger can shatter communication, tear apart relationships, it can ruin our health.  Some people have left a wake of wounded people in their past because of their anger.  And for some – they’re not the angry outburst type – but they have held on to anger for many years and it’s like a cancer that kills their ability to love people and worship God and it’s rotting away any opportunity that they have at healthy relationships moving forward.  


However, anger is not just damaging, it can also be good; even godly. In fact, Ephesians 4:26 - BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN.  The bible acknowledges that we will be angry and there are things that should fuel a righteous anger in us (when we see cases of injustice for example).  

As best as I can tell there are three major originators of anger (this is not scientific but simply from my experience). 

1. Unmet needs (usually unspoken) – this is prevalent especially in marriages

2.  Feelings of violation/ injustice/ humiliation

3.  Lack of control/ Fear

What are some other causes of anger?  What did I miss?

Some biblical principles about money

Money is a huge issue on the news, in our country, in churches, and in families. Just a big issue. It plays a negative role in greed and pride and comparisons and power and self-worth and well... you get the picture.  It can also have a huge positive impact as it is shared and used for good. The Bible has a ton to say about money and our use of it. There's a cool post over at the Stirred Up Leadership Blog about some principles of the wise and biblical use of money.  I picked my three favorites and you can read the other 7 over there if you'd like. 

1. The ultimate goal of frugality is generosity. It’s wise to save and we’re called to live a lifestyle of moderation and contentment. But it’s not just so we can amass more money. It’s not just to accumulate and consume, accumulate and consume.  It’s so we have more to give to those in need and to give to causes that advance the work of God in the world.
2. Our culture lies – very persuasively! The big 3 lies are: 1) Things bring happiness, 2) debt is expected and unavoidable, and 3) a little more money will solve all my problems. We shouldn’t be surprised by the lies and temptations – they are part of the epic struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. Be conscious of the need to refute them – the means to do it is all around us if we look for it.
3. We really are not owners of anything, just caretakers… and all we have is a gift from God. In earthly terms, yes, we own things. We have deeds and titles. But in eternal terms the earth and the fullness thereof belong to the Lord. And the means by which we acquire possessions (our minds, healthy bodies, talents) have come from God. Further, one way or another, we will lose all those earthly treasures, either while we’re here or when we die. 

3 Stages in every great work of God

From the great missionary Hudson Taylor...every great work of God goes through 3 stages:

1. It's impossible
2. It's difficult
3. It's done

What great work is God preparing you for that looks impossible right now?

More than wearing green and getting drunk

Modern day St. Patrick's Day festivities are a reminder to me that our tendency is to take things that are deep and sacred and make them trivial and silly.  The fact that we memorialize an unbelievable Christian saint by pinching each other and getting hammered is just plain stupid.  In an attempt to reclaim St. Paddy's Day I want to suggest a few things that we could learn from St. Patrick.  These are the kinds of things that March 17 should remind us to celebrate and imitate.  I read a book last summer that I would highly recommend called Movements that Change the World.  It includes a chapter on Patrick that is very enlightening.  Addison paints a picture of St. Patrick that is so compelling it made me want to be like him when I grow up! Here is a little background and then three lessons we can learn from Patrick through excerpts from this book by Steve Addison.


Some Background
Patrick lived a privileged life growing up in Britain.  He was born into the Aristocracy and his father was a Roman Magistrate. This meant that one day Patrick would rule a part of Roman nobility in Britain.  When he was 16 though - his village was invaded by raiders and he was kidnapped and taken back to the pagan land of Ireland where he was sold into slavery.   He lived the lonely and difficult life of a slave for the next 6 years. Before his abduction Patrick did not believe in the living God - but as a slave Patrick came to see the hand of God at work all around him.  His land of captivity had become a land of freedom in God.  He would stay out late into the night in the forests and mountains to pray.  He would rise before dawn to pray in the icy coldness of the Irish winters.  This was his delight because the Spirit of God was burning in him.  The rest of his story will be told through 3 lessons I think we can learn from Patrick.


1.  God speaks through whispers if we will listen.  
One night during his captivity in Ireland, God spoke to him in a dream and revealed that there was a ship waiting to take him home to Britain.  There was one small problem - 200 miles of dangerous territory lay between him and his escape. But he made the journey and returned home as a runaway slave. He resumed the life that he once knew with his family.  But again, God had different plans. Patrick awoke one night to the voices of people he had known in Ireland crying out, "we beg you to come and walk with us again!"  Their cries pierced his heart, God was calling him to return to Ireland and he did.  Over time he was ordained as a priest and then as a bishop despite his limited education and experience. God took the initiative to transform a teenager into an apostle compelled by the Spirit to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.  The slave boy had become a slave of Christ and an apostle to Ireland.


2. The work of God can't be contained by religious institutions
Patrick's lack of formal training contributed to his openness to trying new methods that were not approved by the church at the time.  His heart longed to reach the "barbarians" beyond the borders of civilization.  By contrast - the church of the Roman Empire was not interested in taking the gospel beyond their own borders. He traveled throughout Ireland to remote and dangerous places to preach, baptize converts, and raise up clergy for new churches.  Thousands of Irish people turned from their pagan idols to serve the living God. Many of these converts joined Patrick's missionary band. He gave the Irish the gift of non-Roman Christianity.  He liberated Ireland without the backing of the Imperial power. Despite his role in the conversion of much of Ireland, Patrick's worst critics were the bishops in Britain.  Patrick's approach was to de-centralize the church and remove the power from the bishops in large urban centers and give it to the rural and tribal people. The Roman leaders did not approve. Rome had the resources but Patrick's followers had the zeal - and they could not be stopped. 


3. Christianity is a missionary movement and every Christian is a missionary
In the Celtic church life revolved around the monastery. Most monasteries were in remote places and their inhabitants withdrew from the world. Patrick would transform this concept. Under Patrick's influence, wave after wave of Irish youth flooded into monastic life.  Patrick re-imagined the concept of the monasteries and organized them as sending centers. The Irish church took on the character of a missionary movement.  Each outpost made decisions in adapting to local needs and opportunities in their immediate region.  Celtic monasticism was highly flexible, adaptable and transplantable.  Ireland had no major cities, but the monasteries grew rapidly and became the first population centers - they were hubs of unprecedented prosperity, art, and learning.  They were led by young men who once would have given their lives in feuds between clans, but now gave their lives to plant the gospel wherever Christ led them.  For centuries, Ireland became a base from which Christianity spread throughout the British Isles and to much of western and northern Europe as these young monks followed the call of Christ on their lives. 


How this rich history ever turned into shamrock shakes, leprechauns, and getting wasted, I'll never know!  I pray that this day will remind us of these lessons, of the life of this great man of God, and how we might follow Christ more fiercely.

Stages of following Jesus

Pastor Al's sermon yesterday reminded me of this truth.  In his ministry on earth Jesus called his disciples to three successive stages of followership.  The stages increased in intensity the more time they spent with him. I think the stages are still relevant today...

1. Come and see ... who I am.
2. Come and abide ... with me.
3. Come and die ... to yourself. 

Churches need to understand that there are people in their church at all these different stages and create opportunities for people at each stage. 

Some thoughts on envy

This past weekend I spoke on envy. Envy is an interesting sin because it's sneaky.  People are often embarrassed to admit or acknowledge it because it feels a little Jr. High-ish. An overly simplified definition of envy is 'desire mixed with resentment.' Somebody close to you has experienced an advantage or benefit in life that you desire, and you also resent that they are enjoying it and you aren't.  That's envy.  It usually expresses itself in one of the following areas: money, possessions, position, and appearance. The main text I used was James 3:13-18.  Here are a few of the main points. 


1.  Envy is the result of a fallen heart and mind (3:13-15)

• James places envy squarely in the category of "earthly wisdom" 
•  It proves to be a heart issue because it can't be solved in the external ways that people usually attempt. It isn't solved simply by getting more.  If suddenly you had more, your envy would just shift to somebody else.  There are always a bigger fish. It is also not solved by blaming or distancing ourselves from the people we are envious of.  The problem isn't them - it's us - it's a heart that hasn't been fully changed by God.
• It is also an issue of the mind.  In order to conquer envy -our minds need to be renewed and transformed (see Romans 12:1-2)
• Dr. Archibald Hart says “We cannot control our emotions directly, but we can influence how we are FEELING by changing our THOUGHTS.”

2.  With envy comes chaos (3:16)

•  Envy will never produce harmony or love because it’s proud, self-seeking, self-serving, self-indulgent.  It destroys intimacy, it destroys love, it destroys unity, it destroys fellowship, it brings discord, it brings absolute chaos.
•  It brings personal chaos - things like emotional restlessness, depression, consumerism and debt, prayerlessness. 
•  It also brings relational chaos - it causes a distancing and pulling away from others, gossip and slander, and secretly rejoicing when the other person fails.
•   Envy is actually the sin that got Jesus killed (Matthew 27:18). It causes people to do all sorts of crazy things. 

3.  The antidote to envy is Peace (3:17-18)

•  Peace with God - Really, you're not upset with the person you're envious of - you're upset with God. At its heart envy says "God owes me."  When you have the guts to get on your knees and say, “God I think you ripped me off,” is when you will begin the process of getting envy under control.  
•  Peace with others - when James uses the word 'peace' in this passage - he is not talking about 'inner tranquility' like we think of peace.  He is talking about a  socially oriented drive that sought and valued harmonious living. More than just being happy with what they have, James is calling his readers to obsess about something larger and more noble than their neighbor’s property, or status, or spouse. Then there will be no room left in our hearts for envy.

I'm looking forward to another great weekend at Grace as Pastor Al closes out our series on "FEAR"

Anger and Forgiveness: Sermon Recap

I spoke on Anger and Forgiveness this week at Grace.  The over-arching question of the morning was Do you control your anger or does your anger control you? Anger can be good – it can even be godly, but it can also be very destructive.  We looked at Ephesians 4:26-32 to gain some perspective and explored 3 contrasts to help with a biblical understanding of anger. 

1.     Righteous vs. Unrighteous Anger

• Ask yourself: what kinds of things make me angry?
• Unrighteous anger = silly things like getting mad about sports and grocery store lines and self-centered things like jealousy and revenge. 
• Righteous anger = deep-seated, determined and settled conviction –it is anger when God’s name is being scarred
• Takeaway: your circumstances don’t produce anger, your heart does.  Let God change your heart. As our hearts are changed - so too will be the kinds of things that make us angry. 

  

2.      Responding in Anger vs. Reacting in Anger 

• Ask yourself: how does my anger express itself?
• Anger is an emotion, not a behavior. We may not choose the emotion, but we get to decide on our behavior.  An initial feeling of anger may rise, but we are not obligated to respond in an reactionary way.
• If you find yourself reacting with rage or bitterness or slander - it's a warning sign that something unhealthy is going on in your heart. 
• We are like God when we’re "slow" to anger. 
• Takeaway:  Slow down your anger - create some space- and then remove the unhealthy behavior and replace it with healthy actions.  If you get physical in your anger then find a positive physical alternative - if you are verbal, find an outlet for verbal positivity.

3.      Forgiveness vs. Un-forgiveness

• Ask yourself: What do I do with my anger?
•  Forgiveness is the antidote to anger - it is the key to relational healing  even when, and maybe especially when, other person doesn't deserve it at all.
• Forgiveness is the way Jesus. When we don’t forgive we are out of step with our leader.
• When we hold on to anger it is like keeping an open account that says "you owe me." Forgiveness says "I’m deciding that you don’t owe me anymore."  Forgiveness closes the account and breaks the power of anger.  
• Walking in un-forgiveness is lethal. It's like taking poison and expecting the other guy to die.
• Takeaway:  Don’t carry anger for another season...cancel the debt.  Go directly to the person - make a phone call, send and email, set up a time to get together.  It's time. 

Haven't heard from God in a while? ... try this

Sometimes we need conversation starters with God. Like a divine ice-breaker. Often our prayers are very one-sided with us asking for a bunch of stuff and then getting mad at God when He doesn't give it all to us. I have enjoyed some incredible times of "listening prayer" armed with only these three questions, 30 minutes of silence, and a pen and notebook.  Ask the question and then listen for what He says, listen to how He prompts you, write everything down and sort through it later.

1. What is the next step in developing my character?
2. What is the next step in my family?
3. What is the next step in my personal ministry?

Do you have any questions that help you listen to God?

How can you Love your Enemy?

I think one of Jesus' most difficult commands is to love your enemy. Do you have a family member, a co-worker, an acquaintance who you can't stand? They are the person who opposes you, or annoys you, or thinks they're better than you, or who has hurt you deeply. Here are a few practical suggestions to begin the work of forgiving them... it may even lead to loving them.

1. Determine what you think they owe you and then cancel the debt - Decide what it was that they took from you. What do you believe they owe you? Be honest, there is probably nothing they could do to make it right. The work of love and forgiveness is up to you. So, make a list...then cancel the debt, decide to forgive. Take list and burn it – bury it. Determine that he/she doesn't owe you anymore.
2. Speak kindly to them and about them - I heard one time that when it comes to conflicts that rage like fires, each of us carries both a bucket of gasoline and a bucket of water. We get to choose which bucket we'll use. Our words can ignite the flames of anger or they can begin resolution. David, when he spoke about Saul (who was trying to kill him), was overly gracious with his words.
3. When the opportunity presents itself to take them down ... don’t. There will come a time, in many cases, when the person who hates you most, the person who has hurt you, gossiped about you, spread lies about you... there will come a time when you will have an opportunity to take them down - to deliver the kill shot to their reputation. Don’t do it. That’s the time you must be a blessing.

This is the meaning of Christian love.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." 1 Peter 3:9-10


Thanks to John Ortberg for his inspiration for this post. 

Daddy Christmas Tips

With Christmas fast approaching, families can get caught up in the craziness along with the rest of the world. As a dad I can find myself being reactive and not proactive when it comes to making the season meaningful and memorable for my family. Mark Driscoll had a great blog post with some ideas for dads this Christmas - I picked my favorite three and then included the link for the other 13.

1. Dad needs to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?
2. Dad needs to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?
3. Dad needs to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?
   

Check out the rest of them here

Why Remembering is Important on Memorial Day

My grandfather’s name was Jack. I didn’t call him grandpa, I called him Jack. Even his own children (he had 6) weren’t allowed to call him “dad” until they were grown and out of the house. And so when they were at the beach or at the store or in the neighborhood and they wanted to get his attention, they didn’t yell for dad, they yelled “Jack,” so that he looked like one of the brothers and not the father.

Jack was a man of few words, and most of those words would not be appropriate for me write here! I didn’t know Jack deeply. What I knew of him was that he was hardened and somewhat distant. He was stubborn and opinionated. He didn’t like to be around people much and he certainly didn’t trust them, he kept his distance. He kept the thermostat in his home set at 60 degrees in the winter and he hated dogs and sauerkraut.

I found out as I got older that there were some events in Jack’s life that factored in to these personal traits. In 1945, Jack was flying a bombing mission over Germany, when his plane was shot down behind enemy lines. He was captured by enemy soldiers and taken to a small cell where he was kept as a P.O.W. He fought and survived. And fortunately the war ended while he was in prison and he was released to come home.

Our country was built on courage and strength of men and women like my grandfather. If Jack hadn’t been so courageous and strong, I literally wouldn’t be here because he wouldn’t have come home and wouldn’t have conceived my father and on and on. I can make that connection directly, but the connection is there indirectly for all of us. What if at some key moment in our history as a country, our troops had failed? What would it be like in America? Would you and I even be sitting here?

I'm disappointed in myself because I rarely think about what Jack did. I’m forgetful. My very existence was threatened by one key point in his history and because of his survival, I’m here. And I hardly ever think about that. We are a forgetful people. That’s why it is important for us to designate days and holidays to help us remember. Today is one of those days.

There are many examples in scripture of God using days, and markers, and holidays and festivals to help people remember important parts of their heritage. Like a string on a finger, God reminds us to remember. God created our brains so that we can tuck away memories. And then in an evocative way, in an instant as we remember, we are able to bring the past into the present and to live deeply in it. Remembering the past should do three things for us:

1. It should force us to live in reality. We have a tendency to sugar coat the past or forget it all together. But truly remembering will ground us and center us and remind us of what is really going on.
2. It should lead us to gratitude. My blessings as a Christian and as an American are so deep and so rich that my heart should be filled with gratefulness. Emerson said that if the stars came out only once a year, everyone would stay up all night to behold them. But we have seen stars so often that we don't bother to look at them anymore. We have grown accustomed to our blessings.
3. It should move us toward faith. God has allowed us to move through difficulties as a nation much like he has to many of us as individuals. Just as He has been faithful in the past - He will continue to be faithful. That should inspire faith in us.

Why do you think remembering the past is important?

Three Things I Love About My Mom (Part 2)

Read Part 1 here.

2. She taught me to pursue a "because God said so" kind of faith.

One of the most oft-repeated phrases of most moms is "because I said so." My mom said those words her share of times for sure! But mom often took it one step further and instilled in me a "because God said so," faith. The leading question, spoken or unspoken, when making a decision was, "what would God want us to do?"

I had the distinct advantage of growing up in a home where faith was a very active influence. My parents truly decided to follow Christ wholeheartedly when I was 5 or so, so my formative years were filled with an energized faith component.

Dad was discovering the adventure of life-altering changes from a hot-tempered, foul-mouthed football coach to a radical follower of Jesus. And mom was discovering the joys of following Christ day by day and involving herself in the ministry of a local church and life-giving Christian relationships.

I love the passage in Luke 5 when Jesus approaches the disciples, expert fisherman, and gives them some fishing advice. You can imagine how this encounter could go south. A carpenter telling fishermen how to fish! But I think Luke 5:5 contains 5 words that can transform a person's life forever. It comes in Peter's response to Jesus giving him this advice, he says, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

But because you say so...

What a great lesson in obedience. Everything inside me is saying, "I don't think this is right, I'm sure you're wrong Lord, this is my area God - this is my job, this is my family, this is my purchase, this is my decision ... but because you say so.

Mom taught me this same lesson - that success or failure as a Christ follower is contained in my ability to get my head around those 5 words.

Three Things I Love About My Mom (Part 1)

There are two things that every one of us has in common no matter where in the world you're from. One is that we’re all going to die. The other (which is slightly more encouraging for most) is that we all have a mom. My mom is amazing. I just want to remember some of the things that I’ve learned from mom that have served me well over the years, and I hope that reading my ramblings will encourage you to do the same.

1. She taught me about her middle name.
My mom's middle name is Joy. Cynthia Joy Sanford. I am in a long line of generations who make their eyes disappear when they smile. I inherited this trait from my mom. Whenever we smile - our eyes go away. And I'm proud to say that it happens a lot. My mom taught me joy.

She taught me to have a sense of humor, that laughter is an ally. She taught me to not take myself too seriously. If you know me at all - you know that I love to laugh. I got this from my mom. Moms, one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is a demonstration of what joy looks like. Bring joy to your homes.

We named our little girl Ayden Joy Sanford. There are already signs as she gets older (she's 4), that her eyes will be disappearing too.

3 Questions to Ask Before You Judge Someone's Behavior

I deal with sinners up close and personal every day - so I've got some experience. OK, OK - my main experience with this issue comes from being a sinner myself. But this week I dealt with a situation in which one person was judging another person's behavior, pretty harshly, from a distance.

It made me think of a few questions to ask before we jump in the arena and start judging other people's behavior:

1. Do I know their story? There is always a back story to someone's behavior. Usually the more we know about a person's story, the more compassion overtakes judgment.
2. What would my reaction be if I liked them? Usually we judge people from a distance that we don't really care for. Replace the person you are judging with your best friend and see if your attitude doesn't change.
3. What if the sin they were struggling with was the same one I struggle with? Most of us tend to be fiercely forgiving of our own shortcomings. It's easy to judge someone who is a drug addict when you don't deal with drug addiction yourself. Imagine that their sin was your sin of choice and hopefully a little more patience will develop in you.
   

Prayer is Hard

This is difficult to confess as a pastor - but prayer is hard. I've always been a good Bible study guy because it's objective, it's concrete, it's easy to measure. Prayer has always been more difficult for me because it is the opposite of all those things. Plus, it's so personal with God it's threatening. Because maybe He's going to ask me to actually change something about the way I'm doing my life. In the past couple years I have made some good progress in the area of prayer - here are a few of my learnings:

1. Pray out loud - this may seem a little weird but it has helped me a lot. If you do this around people you will look nuts (which is not always bad), but I would recommend a quiet room somewhere by yourself for a designated amount of time. It is much more normal to just talk - much easier to stay focused. Approach prayer like a conversation.
2. Follow my mental wanderings - for years I was frustrated because during prayer my mind would wander to other, seemingly unrelated, things. Now instead of trying to clear my mind of all that stuff - I use it as a springboard. Maybe God is bringing those things to mind because they are the very things I'm supposed to be praying about. Now when something pops in my head I just go with it. I pray about that thing - give it back to God - try to discern if there are other things I should be praying about in and around that topic- and then move on.
3. Listen to God - after doing these first two things I'm usually at a place where I've said what I needed to say out loud to God. I have also followed my mental wanderings wherever they lead. This finally leaves my mind clear and focused. Instead of saying Amen, I stop to listen, and ask God what's next for me. This is the part that gets dangerous because God does speak- we just usually don't stop long enough to listen. He challenges me, encourages me, corrects me, rebukes me, loves me, laughs with me, expresses disappointment in me, pushes me, etc. Then I have to decide whether I will obey or not - but at least there no room to question what God wants - He has made himself clear...
   

Anything that has been helpful for your prayer life?

Ideas to Jump-Start Your Spiritual Life

The majority of people out there believe on God and believe that there is a spiritual component to all of us.  Many people have given up on the God of the Bible because they had a crappy experience with church or with Christians sometime in their past.  Many people have not given up on the God of the Bible but still have a languishing spiritual life because they haven't been intentional about nurturing this part of themselves.  They spend much more time on physical health, occupational health, familial health, emotional health, and while these things are important they are not as critical as the spiritual side of us when it comes to our true fulfillment and purpose.  Here are three ideas to help jump-start a faltering spiritual life.

1. Take a regular half day away - go somewhere away from all media and technology and use the time to pray, write, reflect, ponder, take inventory, confess the junk in your life.  I often ask God the question, "what's next for me?"  What's next in my own personal/spiritual development, what's next in my family life, what's next in my job?
2. Adjust your input - most people are addicted to media.  Media can be a very positive thing if we utilize it to allow soul-expanding content to enter our hearts and minds. About two years ago we cancelled cable at our house (although we still get some channels that we watch).  Some great sources of spiritually enhancing content are: youversion - the bible for i-phones, podcasts of godly pastors/speakers, blog subscriptions to people who will challenge and stretch your thinking on a regular basis.  Use your media intake to expand your soul and not just as a mindless outlet.
3. Find a spiritual partner/ mentor - this takes some initiative and some guts, but if you don't have someone walking your spiritual journey with you, you likely won't progress.  Most of my Christian life has been shared with like-minded travelers who served as sounding boards, confidants, truth-tellers, and butt-kickers.

What's your logical next step toward spiritual progress?

Life Is Short

I spoke a couple of years ago on this theme, and considering my recent post about almost dying, I think it's an appropriate time to post something on the subject. My sermon was based on the words of Moses in Psalm 90:10, 12. He wasn't at a real good place in his life, "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Three things to learn from this passage:

1. The “27,740” Principle - that's the number of days in 76 years. The average life of copper wire is 20 years. The average age for a cat is 15 years. The average life of a dollar bill is 18 months. The average life of a painted line on the road is 3-4 months. The average life of a pro basketball players shoes is 2 weeks. The average life of a tornado is 10 minutes. The average life of a person in America is approximately 76 years or 27,740 days. So far I've used up about 13,380 of mine- almost half- and I subtract one more off the total with every sunset. And so do you.
2. The "Time Flies" Principle - Moses says that soon our time is gone and then we fly away. I read a quote one time that said something like- in childhood, time creeps, as a teenager, time walks, As a young adult, time runs, and during adulthood – time flies. I look no further than the size of my kids to be reminded how quickly time flies.
3. The "Make it Count" Principle - Moses turns to prayer and asks God that He teach us to "number our days." The truth is, our days are already numbered, we’re just not aware of it most of the time. And when you come across people who are aware that their own days are numbered, their perspective is totally different than the rest of us. They’re working on making every moment count on the important stuff. I pray I will follow suit.

"Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Those rewards create almost as many problems as they solve. Our souls are hungry for meaning … we want our lives to matter." -Harold Kushner