Final 08 Post-A look back

Well there are several posts that I wanted to accomplish before now. One being a full write-up on the India trip, my submission on music and the other two categories from the last series. I have had some time to do them but wasn't in the frame of mind to write.

This year has been a year of wonderful blessings and great tragedy. The last part of the year from september to december, has been at best a blur. Monica, my best friend's wife lost her battle with cancer, so did my Moms best friend. A constant in our church, Larry, went to heaven months after falling from a roof. I attended several viewings and visitations for other friends who lost loved ones. It got to be a bit much.

At the beginning of the year we put our rental house up for sale that we had moved into for a year. After getting a contract on it we moved to a new house only to have the contract fall through just 3 days before the closing. So we have had two houses to tend to for close to ten months now. The market is not helping and for some reason neither is God. He must have other plans.

On the positive end of the stick we truly have been blessed. Our health has been good this year. Food has been on the table. We have grown spiritually and have watched Connor grow quite a bit physically. We (Raina really) also have completed 8 of 9 months of our third pregnancy. We are excited to end this year expecting a new baby boy as apposed to ending last year with the loss off a baby after a short term.

I have also been blessed with work and have enjoyed working so closely with ESPN for a second year. While they are not the only client they are the main one. They have treated us well and as I write this I am enjoying the Chick-fil-a Bowl on my 42 inch plasma provided by them.

Above all we have strived this past year to be obedient and faithful to the Lord and He has been more than that in return. He has provided for us in so many ways allowing Raina to stay home with Connor.

This year will start with the birth of our second but who knows what else is in store for us. We live in troubled times and we have no idea what 2009 may hold. Many will make resolutions that will never be kept past the first month, the economy will most likely continue to decline, the new president will begin his reality check, and many other things will unfold that only God knows. Praise Him for that! We will fall, fail, and forget but He is always forgiving, faithful and never changing.

We are looking forward to what God has for us this year. May we look back in 12 months and be able to testify of changed lives, battles won, lessons learned and continue to worship our God.

The Selfless Life

This has to be the hardest struggle for every person. Dying to self as Paul puts it in Galatians. I don't want to be selfish. I want to give more and be concerned for others before myself. I do know it is a daily thing. Actually doing it is the hard part.

Our mind is so focused on benefiting ourselves and our agenda that it is like a train that is bound to it's tracks. This is a very hard thing. It is not a switch that can be turned on or off at will. It has to be a course correction that takes time.

I don't have much else to say about this other than God is dealing with me about it and I want to be more Christ like. A better servant to Him and a helper to those around me. Maybe by the time my life is over I will have more wisdom on this and can look back and see the green grass of a life lived for others because I sprayed the spiritual roundup on the weeds of selfishness.

The uncluttered life-How important are things?

God has really been working on me about this. I grew up having my needs provided. We never had everything we wanted but we always had enough. Often times if I wanted a certain item I would have to pay for it myself, either with money I got for a birthday, working a side job, or any way I could get a little coin. I always struggled with flaming money. It burned a hole in my pocket before it hit the bottom. There were so many cool things I "needed".

I have a quote on my wall in my office that says, " The secret of happiness is not the enlargement of our means, but the limitation of our desires."

While a great saying, it is very hard to live out. We have so many things. Junk really. And we live in a society that tells us we need more. I find myself thinking, "If I just had that flat panel TV I would be fine. I wouldn't need anything else. That's all I really want." The wiser more experienced side of me knows that the TV would not be the end all. There will always be something else.

The problem most people deal with is getting the TV even though they can't afford it. That's not my problem anymore since we no longer use credit cards and only finance our house and car. My issue is, how important is that TV and does God want me to have it to enjoy?

I am working through coming to a position on this. God does satisfy our mouths with good things the Bible says. I believe though that there are two questions to ask before purchasing and item. 1. Will it pull me away from my walk with Christ and 2. can the money I would use be used better somewhere else. The hardest part for me is that last one. Why? Selfishness. Which leads me to the next post.

Addendum

I wanted to add this since it is Christmas time and to save another post.

Raina and I have been discussing whether or not to teach our boys about Santa Claus. I have a lot of wonderful memories about the anticipation of getting up Christmas morning (getting up really means getting out of bed since I really didn't sleep) and going to the living room to see what Santa had left. Raina on the other hand did not grow up with "Santa".

I never felt angry, upset or hurt when I found out Santa was just a story. Other kids may have but I did not. My memories were good memories and though I did not realize it at the time my parents always gave me gifts that were better than "Santa" and never over emphasized his role. In addition we always spent a great deal of time focused on the Birth of Christ. So my following statements do not come from anything but a positive experience.

I have for some time thought about Santa and whether or not I would lead my children to believe in a man who knows everything I do, sees me when I'm sleeping and when I am awake and knows if I have been bad or good so I should please him... hey wait a minute that guy has a lot of attributes that I have been taught that God has. I find out that this Santa guy was just a made up story based on a guy how did good things for people many generations ago. That also sounds like another person I was told about. Jesus. He was a good guy right? Well if Santa isn't real shouldn't I wonder about those other two that seem to have similar Characteristics?

Whether that thought would ever occur to a child, I can't say. It did not come to my mind, but the devil can use anything and am I willing to take that chance?

Many would say Santa is harmless. Others would say he is the spawn of Satan (hey that spelling is close to santa) but I feel Santa is a great story that has become a replacement for the truth. In that way he IS being used by Satan. Many times if Satan can distract us he is just as satisfied as if he wrecked our lives.

Here is the tie in with the "simple life". I believe that in some ways Santa and Christmas has not been the only factor, but has most definitely contributed to my desire for "things". I'm sure this could be said for many people. Christmas to me meant getting and receiving. I know full well that selfishness is part of the sinful flesh and nature we already have, I am submitting though that Christmas, the one time a year more than any other when we should be focused on the gift of our Saviour, the opposite is the case; we promote the already inner struggle against materialism.

So will Connor and his brother be taught about Santa? Absolutely! Just not that he is real. They will also learn that it truly is better to give than to receive. I think that this year is a good time to start!!!

1. Simplified Christianity-An oxymoron?

Before reading this please read the intro post below this one. Sorry this part is so long. Just be glad I didn't write all my thoughts.

I have been increasingly frustrated by the clutter I see in the church. Not any particular church but if the shoe fits... We make everything so hard. We can't make decisions without having some committee or group of people present it, prolonging and complicating the process. Of course when multiple people come together to make a decision it always takes longer and often causes more problems than it is worth. Why? Well the short answer is we are sinful people. Continuing...

We have to have programs to get people to church. I'm not referring to non-believers, but the actual church members. How can we get them to participate more, we ask? How do we motivate them to "move"; to grow in their walk with Christ? How do we get them to stop nodding their head in agreement to the sermon and actually act on what they hear? Where is the desire to grow deeper? The problem is most of the time we create programs that have to be run by somebody and it usually is the same people doing the work and we see these people "burn out".

We also over-complicate the Gospel. God knows we are simple creatures. Therefore he made the way to heaven, the Gospel as we call it, simple. Jesus himself said it. " Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Do we forget the thief on the cross next to Jesus? According to most Christian "Salvation Plans", that thief would go to hell. We try to "get people saved" by getting them to say a prayer or send them through some five step program like they are in rehab. It's not like that. The thief next to Jesus didn't pray a sinners prayer! He said "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Done.

Why do we complicate things? We even make attending church complicated. Four services a week. Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. That's a lot. Where did that come from? (Read The Open Church) What makes those meetings Biblical? Some people view it as scriptural. Others say, "Well I just think that every time the doors are open we need to be there." Why? To please God? That doesn't impress Him. Maybe to get more teaching? Perhaps we would do better in our walks if we would meditate on the sermon on Sunday for the entire week. I believe it would sink in more and in the long run be more beneficial. Instead we cram so much teaching into four different times, most of which don't tie the subject being taught together. How are we supposed to retain all of that? I would like to say for the record that I am not implying that we drop all of the services, just that some evaluation of the "standard" needs to be done.

The church I use to attend has three identical services on Sunday. I even was a critic of that for some time but now I am rethinking the concept. My biggest criticism was that you got "lost" in the crowd. That no one knew if you were there or not. That actually happened to me. The problem was they provided a way to combat that. Small group interaction that they term Shepherding Groups. Oddly enough I stopped attending a small group. I was very involved in the ministry but I needed interaction on a personal level. It was provided, I just didn't utilize it. I was at the time, one of the type people who now frustrate me. The type that says "no one knows who I am or cares about me". You have to be available! We complain but we don't get involved. That's the fault of the complainer.

You see, if a church is healthy, it will grow. You have two choices as you grow. Spit, or facilitate. To split into another church only populates more churches in an already overpopulated church environment. We don't need more churches. We need healthier versions of what we already have. So facilitation is obviously the answer. People need to feel involved and desire interaction. That can't be provided in a large church only on Sunday mornings. Small groups provide that. I have seen it work! This model simplifies.

I have so many more thoughts but to sum this section up I have to make this statement. I will be re-evaluating "The Church" and my participation as well as where and how I spend my time in service. I want to be as effective as possible for the kingdom!

Flurry of Thoughts

As a result of events in my life over the past few weeks which include a memorable mission trip to India, loosing a friend to cancer, loosing another friend as a result of an accident, and several other changes in life I have a flurry of thoughts in my head.

Because my mind tends to wander I have to do everything I can to organize my thoughts in order not to ramble. So I have categorized many of my thoughts into headings/categories. Here are the categories:

• Simplified Christianity-An oxymoron?
• The Uncluttered Life-How important are things?
• The Selfless Life
• Pain is in our best interest
• Teflon Christianity: How to make it stick?

I will post each one individually over the next few days. Some are long some are short but all together they would be way to long. Stay tuned.

Our trust is in the Lord our God

So a Democrat was elected president this week. That doesn't concern me as much as two things. One, he is a socialist in democrat clothing. Two, the way people in this country and around the world have put so much trust in this man is frightening. It is the closest thing I have seen to a form of the anit-christ. How can people not see the facts on this man? Everything he stands for is socialistic.

Read this quote by Norman Thomas (1884-1968), six-time U.S. Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America

“The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of ‘liberalism’ they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.”

I believe this is exactly what will happen. The Communist Party of America is in favor of BO. That says something.

I predict two things. In the first year he is in office 1. we will have another major terrorist attack and 2. there will be at least one assassination attempt on him.

There is a reason the rest of the world wants him to be president. He is non confrontational. This makes for an easy target. He is all about less military. In this world right now the last thing we need to do is downsize. It's like replacing your pit bull with a poodle to help guard your house. When the world is pointing nuclear warheads at us, and they are (China and Russia), our "Commander in Chief" says he will talk to them. What? Talk to them. I think the democratic word for that is diplomacy. Diplomacy is only effective until someone starts a fight. Then you stop talking and start swinging. Oh but wait, we can't fight. We tied our hands behind our back.

I have friends who voted for BO and I respect their opinion and it doesn't change my view of them one bit. They felt he was the right person for the job. No one can deny his ability to connect with people. He is very charismatic. I just don't think charisma and speaking ability can run a country.

BO ran his campaign on one main word. Change. I will be the first to agree we need change. Bush became the catalyst that made BO's election possible by running his term in office with reckless abandon. I was republican but now I don't know what I am. I'm unhappy with both political parties. Unlike some people I don't feel a viable candidate has to match my every criteria but I would like to see something close to what our forefathers founded this nation on. I know they did not found it on higher taxation, welfare, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, disarming the citizens, or killing innocent babies (abortion-that term we use so we don't have to say kill). All of which BO has openly said he is for.

I don't envy BO with the mess he is facing as president. I know this though, no ONE man can solve it. He will not follow through on most of his promises. No politician ever does. It doesn't have to do with democrat or republican. So will we be better off having him as leader? I doubt it. Would McCain have been better? I don't know that he would but he would have been better for protecting the sanctity of life, the second amendment and so much more that we have worked so hard for.

The bottom line is we don't put our trust in a man. We put our trust in the Living God. The same God who created BO. God sets up leaders and takes them down. Will we suffer in some way because BO is in office? Most definitely! God has a plan though. May we be ever in prayer for our country and our new president. Perhaps this IS the era of change. Change in the lives of Christians as we are forced to seek God's face in prayer in these difficult and unprecedented times.

Die to Live

I lost a friend today. My friend lost his wife.

I say lost because we feel loss. The reality is our loss, her gain. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain." 1 Corinthians 15 talks about a seed has to die before it can be alive. I don't believe it is ironic that I was reading that at the exact moment my friend Monica passed from this earth to heaven. What relief for her to see the face of Jesus. Knowing that her race is finished and she is in eternal bliss and rest. WOW. That is what we all are striving to obtain one day.

But just as she is in rest, her absence leaves us in pain. My dearest friend John has to continue as a single dad. Three children have to grow up without their mom. How is that good? I don't know. I DO know that God has a reason. It's not to make John, the kids or Monica's family suffer. He doesn't get pleasure from our pain. After my sister was killed I had a hard time believing that. These things don't and never will make sense to us here on earth. I hurt for my friend.

All I know is what scripture says. God loves us. He is touched with the feelings of our pain. And my favorite in times like these. "Jesus wept." Why would Jesus cry over the death of Lazarus? He knew the end result was best. Perhaps he was crying because he didn't want to bring him back. Regardless of why he wept, he did. He understands.

So as we weep over our loosing Monica, we can rejoice that she has completed her time here and she is eternally safe and free from cares.