Bravery

My daughter is incredibly brave. I mean, life-threatening brave. The highest slide, the fastest car ride, there is absolutely nothing she will not do.

As long as daddy is holding her.

Without daddy, forget it. She won't even watch a new TV show or try a new food. But the second she knows I will do it with her, watch out.

What if we had that attitude with our Heavenly Father? What do you think we would be brave enough to accomplish...?

T

Sifting For Jesus

The other night our daughter asked me to help her find a few of her Disney toys. Of course, the ones she wanted were about an inch high and were in a huge tub of other toys. So I did the only thing I could; I started sifting.

At first I found three toys. But I kept going, after all I had no idea how many of these toys were in there. And after a few more minutes of sifting I found two more. So I kept going, and as I continued sifting I kept finding more and more toys. After about ten minutes we have a whole handful of tiny little toys.

But as I was doing this I thought about how sifting through a toy bin is like finding Jesus. It takes continual concentrated searching for Him. Sometimes we get frustrated because He's hard to see. Sometimes we find a little bit and are satisfied and stop. But to really, really find Jesus it takes sifting through a toy bin over and over and over.

Many people know the "I know the plans I have for you" verse in Jeremiah, but do you know what comes after it? In Jeremiah 29:13 God says If we look for Him wholeheartedly we will find Him. That's not a casual "stumble upon" Jesus. We need to actually focus and search for Jesus to find Him.

In this Lenten season, as we give up or take on things may we use that time and that effort to search for God wholeheartedly. If we continue, even as we grow a little closer to God we press on for more, we may be surprised how little we know about Jesus, and how much He wants to love us.

T

Why Do We Always Give Something Up?

Lent begins this week. On Valentine's Day (which seems kind of fitting). So here's my question. Why do we always give something up?

Seriously, I had someone ask what Lent was this week and before I could answer a student chimed in, "It's where you give stuff up." They seemed to have forgotten why you give something up, to replace that thing/time/whatever it is with Jesus.

Instead, I have a novel idea for this year. Why not try doing something different? I will serve someone each day. I will read a little more of God's Word each day. I will do something that will help me grow closer to God each day, or even better, do something that will help someone else grow closer to God each day.

Because really, has giving up chocolate for a few weeks helped your faith? (for those of you to whom it has, great! For me, not so much...)

T

Could You Answer?

Yesterday before the Superbowl I had a student ask to meet with me and interview me for a class. She asked me what I believe, why I believe it, how it affects my ministry, things like that.

Here's my question: Could you answer that? These are all scary questions that I had no preparation for. But I answered them in part because I push students all the time to think about what they believe and why, and I can't ask them to do that if I'm not constantly doing it myself.

I Peter 3:15 says, "If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." The truth is, rarely are people going to bring up in conversation, "Hey, why do you believe in Jesus? Think about it and get back to me in two weeks." We should be ready to talk about our faith at the drop of a hat.

So, can you answer those questions? If you're looking for help in defining your answer maybe it's time to join a Bible Study and start talking with other disciples of Christ.

T

Why Do We Complain So Much?

I realize I do this too, this is definitely not finger pointing. But something happened this week that made me realize this more than normal. I saw "The Last Jedi".

I know, I'm the last person to see it. But with being sick over Christmas and trying to catch up with everything this past weekend was the first "break" I've had in a while so we I got to see the movie. And then I got to do something else, go back on the internet...

And the amount of complaining about the movie is astounding. But that's not what hit me.

It was the amount of complaining by people who really have nothing to do with the product. I started thinking, you didn't take the time to write a story, develop it, get funding, hire actors, make costumes, etc. etc. and this got me thinking how often do we complain about things that we have absolutely nothing to do with. We're quick to complain but incredibly slow to actually do something, especially something so significant it will touch someone else so deeply they would want to complain about it.

Instead of complaining, let's try doing something about it.

T

You Can't Rush Growth

Sorry it's been a while, but there's a reason. I was sick. Actually, I am sick. Pneumonia. It's been awesome.

But there's something about being sick that I have learned over the years. There's nothing you can do. Literally nothing. You can take a few meds and rest, and that's it. There is no way to rush back into being healthy.

I think often we'd like that to happen when it comes to growth, we'd like to be able to rush it. I heard today about a woman who knew some people who were not acting as they should and her reaction was, "Well, they just should do it!" She's right, but that's not how it works. Personal growth, spiritual growth, whatever it is takes time. Rushing never helps, as much as it hurts.

So I'm still sick, and I'm okay with that. It means I'm tired and can't do as much. Yup. I know there's no way to rush this, and that realization helps me do the healthy thing every day and get a little bit better as slowly as it takes.

As you start your New Year's Resolutions today, take your time. Don't do crazy crash diets or plan to read 14 hours a day. Small, incremental growth is always healthier and more sustainable than wild jumps and bounds.

What are some small, consistent ways you can get to know Jesus better in 2018?

T

Consuming vs. Sharing

Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Walt Disney World. It is truly a magical place to us and one of our favorite places to go. And when we are there we try to be as nice as possible to the Cast Members (employees) who work there. We have seen people treat them horribly for things they can't control, and after taking that from so many people we'd rather build them up then tear them down.

What I realized in doing this on our last trip is how we had a different focus than many others. There are people there who are showing up to consume the magic of Disney. They deserve the best things. They paid for this trip and are going to get everything out of it.

But there are others who are there to share the magic. People make cards for Cast Members to say thank-you. They pick up trash even though it's not their job just because they see trash on the ground. They don't get mad when a ride breaks down because they understand it's not the Cast Member's fault and yelling isn't going to do anything but make everyone unhappy. Instead they try to find other magic to focus on and share.

After watching this all week I started to wonder if we do this to church on Sunday morning (or whenever you worship). Am I there to "consume" my time with Jesus? Does everything have to go my way, do I complain about the temperature, do I make sure I get my seat and if not those in it hear about it? Or am I "sharing" Jesus while at worship? Am I welcoming, hospitable, do I genuinely live-out Jesus to everyone I see while I am worshipping Him?

Worship, like Disney World, can be all about you or all about others? Which do you choose, and how do your actions reflect that?

T

Thankfulness

A moment of reflection:

You just spent the last weekend focusing on being thankful. So how did you show you were thankful? To whom and for what?

Sometimes being thankful is like eating healthy at Thanksgiving. We say we're doing it but have a plate full of stuffing. To really eat healthy at Thanksgiving you have to think about it, a lot.

So think about it, how were you thankful? What ways can you be thankful this week?

Just like eating healthy, it takes a while to see a difference. But if you keep at it everyone around you will notice the change in your thankfulness.

Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Ephesians 4:20 (TLB)

T

When Reality Hits

Last week we celebrated our daughter's birthday. The interesting part of the day? She was way more excited for the anticipation than the actual event.

She had been asking for a present for about a month. She got it, then cried. She said we can't sing "Happy Birthday" until we have the candles in the cupcake. We did it, started to sing, she runs out the room crying.

Sometimes we live in a world that is completely in our mind and we don't realize it. We have a view of God or church or ______ and when reality hits it doesn't line up and so we want to give up.

But there is an alternative.

On her birthday we also told her we were going to the "bouncy slides". She had been before and loved it. But she wasn't sure. A couple of times during the day we did something that were way better than the bouncy slides could ever be. Eventually we had to convince her we were just going to see them or just to walk in.

She went crazy, ran around for the entire time with a smile on her face, and didn't want to leave.

Sometimes we just have to power through and show up when we don't want to or when the initial reaction isn't what we imagined in your head. Because if you can make it thought that one moment, you can enjoy the bouncy slides, love your cupcake, and play with the wonderful toy you wanted (all of which eventually happened).

Don't give up on God or a God experience too quickly...

T

Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for?

No really. Don't play it off or do less here. Not the one word answer at the table Thursday waiting to eat. Stop and actually think about it.

What are you thankful for?

T

The Importance of the Whole Story

I hate driving. Really, I don't mind the act of driving, it's the time spent driving that I can't stand. If we had teleporters sign me up. Because of this I have been watching news of self-driving cars very closely. If I can afford it I will be a very early adopter.

But they keep getting in accidents. Google's cars have been in accidents over ten times. And last week a new driverless shuttle at the Vegas airport got into an accident on its first day.

They must be really bad then... or are they?

That was the headline I saw at first. "Self-driving bus involved in accident on its first day." And most people jump to the conclusion right away there was an error in the technology.

And that's why we need the whole story.

Google's multiple accidents in the self-driving car, all were the other person's fault. The error of the other driver. In the crash by the airport shuttle, the truck in front of it backed into the shuttle. The shuttle wasn't even moving. Even if it were a human driver there still would have been an accident and it still would have been 100% the other driver's fault.

We live in a society that loves headlines and the Twitter version of a news story. The problem is in cases like this reputations are damaged and fear is incited when the real story is something that happens every single day, just this time it happened to a robot car so it's news.

When it comes to Jesus, make sure you're getting the whole story, read the Bible for yourself and join a Bible Study. When it comes to church and family and friends, make sure you are getting the whole story. Without it all you get is fear and damage.

T

How Do Scientists Do It?

This past week I spent a few days with 16 students all in one house living together, living our normal daily lives together while trying to also spend time together learning about Jesus and who we are in Him. And at one point we talked about how we need to spiritual scientists.

Scientists live in this weird dichotomy. They have to accept that what they already know is true. But at the same time they have to challenge those facts to progress. They need to feel confident enough in what they know to say they can know more and move forward finding what they don't, possibly even changing what they knew to begin with.

To know God, we have to live in this place. We must have faith that what we know about God to be true, but not enough faith in it to stay there and say there is nothing else to know about Him. We need to dive into the mysteries before us and draw closer to Him.

Here's the Scripture we looked on the retreat:

We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That’s why we have this Scripture text:

                 No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,
                 Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
                 What God has arranged for those who love him.

But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way. (I Cor. 2:6-13, MSG)

Are you willing to be scientists and dive into the unknown with God...?

T

We Shouldn't Exist

That's part of the conclusion in a latest experiment in Europe. You can read about it here.

That's the thing about miracles, they don't always make sense...

T

Egg Nog

I love egg nog. I mean really love it. It's fantastic. It's one of those drinks that warms my heart and hurts it at the same time. It's fantastic.

The other day I saw it in stores. Already. It's the middle of October and egg nog is for sale!

And that is horrible.

Why? Because I love egg nog. Every year the same thing happens. I see egg nog on sale for the first time that year. I quickly buy some to drink of it's liquid gold. Lorie says she will have a bit, but usually has half a cup and doesn't want any more. That's more for me. So much more. Too much more. And after downing a half gallon of nog in under 24 hours I get tired of it. So tired of it I don't drink it again for the season. When Christmas rolls around the drink that reminds me of my childhood repulses me because I drank too much too soon. I couldn't wait.

I wonder if this is part of the reason God takes His time blessing us or telling us His plans. Do I treat His gifts like egg nog, I see it and need it now, as much as possible in the quickest amount of time?

I'm trying to wait this year, but it's hard. Egg nog is soooo good.

T

Do You Recognize?

I had my Bible open on my computer and there was a note at the bottom that caught my eye. It was a part of Mark 6:54:

Immediately the people recognized Jesus

And it hit me. Do we recognize Jesus? I know I bug people about that all the time in my world, but seriously. If Jesus were in your life today would you recognize Him? Or is He already?

I hope I would, but it just reiterates to me the importance of knowing Jesus, so I will be able to recognize Him...

T

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so my social media is full of posts of people saying what they are thankful again. In two months the same thing will happen with my American friends and family.

But why do we only do this twice a year?

What do you think our lives would look like, even our online lives, if we were to post or share something that we are thankful for every week, maybe even every day? Forget how it would change others, how would it change you?

Being thankful is a choice and exercising it is like exercising any other muscle, it will get stronger the more you do it.

Be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus. ~ I Thessalonians 5:18 (TEV)

T

We Love It So Much We Choose To Be Busy

I haven't written a blog in two weeks (sorry). I realize that I missed it and I miss writing, it's fun for me. But the last few weeks have been full of a new Bible Study, Pumpkins arriving and a new laptop (which is working, yay).

But this time of year reminds me that we only have so much time to spend. I remember talking with the students about this a while back, I hate the phrase "make time". You can't make time. It's impossible. You can only choose how you want to spend the time you have.

And you will spend it on what's important to you. When there are multiple things we love, we choose to be busier. Don't complain to me about how busy you are in band, you signed up for it, you choose to be there, you do it because you love it. If you're too buys, quit.

But they don't quit. Why? They love it.

When you love something you will figure out how to spend more time on it.

So what do you love?

T

Why SPAM Doesn't Work On Me

Because I'm not desperate.

I realized this while going through my spam folder one morning. There are a lot of weird and really inappropriate offers. Why would anyone ever fall for them? And I started to think about it, if I were really, really in need of something, I was incredibly desperate, they might work.

I'm not desperate for a get rich quick scheme, but if I were days away from the house foreclosing on my family would I open it? I'm not desperate for human interaction, but if I were incredibly alone would even a stranger in an email be enticing? 

It got me thinking how desperate people will do crazy things. And they're not always bad. A financially desperate person may finally take the leap and patent that new idea. A desperate person in an abusive relationship will find the courage to leave and live somewhere new and unknown. Sometimes, desperation can cause us to do amazing things.

What would it look like if you were desperate for Jesus?

    I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. 

      He freed me from all my fears. 

    Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; 

      no shadow of shame will darken their faces. 

    In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; 

      he saved me from all my troubles. 

    For the angel of the LORD is a guard; 

      he surrounds and defends all who fear him.  ~ Psalm 34:4-7 (NLT)

T

Are You Only Going to Church in Case You Miss Something?

That's an odd question, I know. I mean, who ever thinks of what they might miss at church Sunday morning before deciding if they should go to church or not? It seems ridiculous.

But do we do that?

I was reading last week about how there are studies (yes, multiple) about when selling to people of trying to sway people to be a part of whatever you are offering, they are more likely to buy in if you instill some fear of them missing out than what they may get out of the situation. So if I was selling a book (which I am), I can tell people how good the book is and what they will get from it but if I want to sell more copies a more effective tactic is to say, "only a few copies left".

It's a product of our Instagram society. Fear of mission out is one of the greatest fears of teenagers and younger people, as they get older I predict it takes the number one spot over fear of public speaking (this is also the YouTube generation). So when it comes to making a decision, people will commonly skip over "is this good for me" and think "will I miss something by not being there."

I wonder how this affects our worship. When we make plans for the week do we factor in if church is something that is healthy and necessary for our soul? Or do we think about what we will miss (or not miss) if we don't go? Hopefully each time we worship together we have a rich spiritual experience together and we see Jesus. After all, who'd want to miss that?

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. ~ Acts 2:42 (CEB), from when the first church was forming.

T

Rest

Today's Labor Day. Instead of a long post, here's my one question:

When was the last time you rested (I mean really rested)?

Think about it...

T