Walk of Life (Part 1)

The Christian faith is often referred to as a walk. For the new year, in the next the next several blogs I want to explore what this walk should look like from the perspective of Paul in Ephesians 4. Here, Paul exhorts, (sorry, big word for teaches) people in the faith to walk worthy of their calling. Calling? Who's calling? Your calling, my calling (wow, that sounds like an old Abbot and Costello skit!).

Paul teaches that we should walk according to the calling which we have received Ephesians 4:1.

What is this calling he is referring to? Simply, it means the invitation to embrace salvation. So, in normal terms he is saying live your life in a way that is congruent with the salvation you have accepted. In other words, walk the talk.

How do we do this? He uses words like lowliness and gentleness, longsuffering and forbearing. Sounds fun, eh? What does that mean? Lowliness simply means to have a humble opinion of one's "self". Gentleness means just that, be gentle with others, kind and considerate. Longsuffering; I like that word. No, I'm not some masochist. It means patience, endurance, constancy and steadfastness. Here's another one; Forbearing; I REALLY like this word; it means "to hold up." So, put this altogether and what do we get?

"Walk the talk. Don't think too highly of your "self". Be kind to others. Be patient, enduring and persevere. Don't give up on others. Build them up instead of tearing them down. In doing so, you can build unity among one another".

So, the first walk that Paul encourages us on is the walk of unity. We'll look more into that one next time.

Caught in the Act

I was going to wait until the New Year on this one but I decided to go for it...

Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16 year old sister of Britney Spears, is pregnant. Part of me wants to say "so what, it's Hollywood, they're a bunch of moral-less hedonists anyways." Another part of me wants to brand a Scarlett Letter to her for her promiscuity. The 3rd part of me, is sad, very sad. I have two daughters and the thought of either one of them coming to me at 16 saying they were pregnant crushes me. Remove the name "Spears" for just a moment; we know the drama and hoopla behind this name. While your at it, forget the "they're teenagers they're going to have sex anyways " arguement also. We are not animals; we are reasoning human beings that understand, or at least have the capability to know right from wrong. I don't buy the "everybody's doing it" bit.

So here you have a 16 year old girl, pregnant. Apparently, she's the "good kid"; went to church, etc... I don't know the family. Apparently, Dr. Phil says her mom is a great mom. Whatever; that may be so. The question for me is, how do I deal with this? How does the church deal with this? Do we, collectively, write these people off just because they are out of touch with society and do whatever they want? Or do we paint them a Scarlett Letter and ostracize them? Or, do we do like Jesus did with the woman who was caught in adultery.

In John 8, we read of a woman caught in the act of adultry. The Pharisees brought her to Jesus. Their intent was to trip Him up so that they could accuse Him of blasphemy.

First of all, realize it was the religious leaders of the day that brought her to Him. Remember, she was caught in the act of adultry. What were they doing spying on a woman and a man having sex? Were they peeping toms? Was this early pornography? Were they on a witch hunt? Incidently, they let the guy off. They were more interested in punishing her. So, they brought her to Jesus fully expecting that He would punish her. According to Hebrew law, stoning to death was prescribed; They had rocks in hand. His response? "Let Him who is without sin cast the first stone". One by one the religious leaders dropped their stones and left so that it was just Jesus and the woman left alone. He asked her a really interesting question, "Where are your accusers, has noone condemned you?" This question was not for His benefit, it was for hers. "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more".

WOW! What a picture! Jesus' proclamation of forgiveness is our model! When we see the Jamie Lynn's and the Britney's of the world, we are not to condemn! If Jesus Himself doesn't condemn her, why do we think we can? Jesus also takes the initiative to encourage her to walk away from her sin; "Go, and sin no more".

To the Jamie Lynn's and the Britney's I say, you are forgiven! Now, go and sin no more...

Some Christmas Pictures

Hanging out at Friday's

after watching Alvin and the Chipmunks, Christmas night

Family Picture

(Alaina, Joey, Kim and Alyssia)

Our Tree (pre-presents!)

Move over Hanna Montana.... It's Lyssi Mississippi!

Just move over!!

The newest member of the family, Princess!

2007 Recap!

Follow the link below, this is really funny! Enjoy!

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/in_2007#login_popup

The Day After...

So, how was Christmas? What was the best gift you received? Better yet, what was the best one you gave?

I received a wedding band. No, I didn't get married... a few years ago, just before my 10th anniversary I lost my wedding band. I was at the home of a client. I took it off and set it down and I maintain the dog swallowed it but the proof could never be found (this too shall pass... yuck!) Anyways, so I have been wearing this clunky, over sized ring I found for a couple of years until now. I have a new, sleek, gold band. I love it!

My wife received her engagement band, Huh??? A few months ago, the diamond fell out of it. I took it and had it repaired. Anyways, she got her ring back for Christmas. "Isn't that re-gifting?" She also received a camera so now she'll to be able to capture those family Samsung moments.

(Ok, I know there is a moral in there; lost wedding ring, broken diamond ring, marriage... we'll get back to that at a later time...)

My girls? Well, my older one received a robotic dog and today will be picking up a robo-hamster. No, that one is actually for real. It's called a Robo. This should be interesting!

My littlest one received some Snow White dolls (which have already been found strewn naked across the house...) and princess walkie-talkies which don't work. Yikes, I have to go to Toy's R Us AFTER Christmas? "Cover me,I'm going in! "

Last night we went out to see the Chipmunks movie. We had a great time. My little one was dancing in the aisle to the music and the rest of us howled, it was so funny, not just her, the movie! It was very well done. A must see. The Chipmunks singing hip-hop? Too funny...

This was a good Christmas. The highlights for me were my girls singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the candles on His birthday cake; Writing the letters they received from "Santa" telling them how proud he is of them; The look on my girls faces when they opened their "favorite gift"; (No mountain of credit card debt!). And, most important, the reminder that I am loved by my family, yes, but also by a God in heaven that cares so much about me, He would do whatever it takes to maintain that relationship with me. Wow...

Simplify

Ok, so, it's Christmas week. Don't expect too much from me. I'll pop in and out just to let you know I'm still here. One thing I'd like to mention is what a great service I was in yesterday. Pastor J spoke on "Simplify" (Yes, I was awake and I took notes ). The main idea was going into the new year light, in other words, leaving our excess baggage from 07 behind. Baggage? Me? No, of course not, well, not if you don't count that trunk behind me. As we end out this year, we tend to become introspective and contemplative. We make resolutions and promise ourselves next year, we'll do better, work harder, lose weight, be a better _________, and so on. The subtle issue here is most of these resolutions are as a result of baggage we took on in the previous year. In the words of the great Bob Newhart, "STOP IT!"

(If you have 6 min and 15 seconds to spare watch this clip... )

Stop it!

Romans 8 says that there is no condemnation, say it again no condemnation, one more time, NO CONDEMNATION for those that are in Christ. Think about it, if you are in Christ, meaning you have a relationship with Him where you seek Him and His guidance, He doesn't condemn us for the dumb and sinful things we tend to do. So, where does the guilt and condemnation come from, you ask? Beats me... it's not from God, I know that. Actually, I do know. It comes from within us. It comes from our sinful nature trying to keep us down and defeated. Again, to quote Bob Newhart, "STOP IT!"

So, as you go into the new year, forget the resolutions! Yes! If you don't have resolutions, you can't break them! How's that with starting a guilt free 08!!

Happy New Year!!

PS: Ok, so maybe I did have something to say after all!

Happy December 25th??

In the spirit of humor and fun...

watch the Video here:Larry The Cable Guy\'s Politically Correct Night Before Christmas


To some of you,

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.


For the rest of you!!

Merry Christmas and an amazingly blessed New Year!!!

Are you ready?

"Are you ready for Christmas?"

How many people have asked you that this week? My response? I'm always ready for Christmas but it has nothing to do with whether or not the gifts are purchased or whatever trappings are associated with Christmas. Quite simply, Christmas is about Christ coming into our world and creating a way for us to have a restored relationship with God and I'm always ready to celebrate that. In fact, we should be celebrating it everyday. We should be ready everyday because, He is coming again. I think, no, I know, we sometimes forget that. In the same way that we get all caught up in the gifts and the craziness of the "holiday" and forget the true meaning of Christmas, we get all caught up in the craziness of this world and forget He's coming back for us.

So, my question for you is, are you ready for the "second Christmas"? Unlike the current holiday "season" we celebrate which seems to begin shortly before Halloween (at least in the retail world) we don't know the day or the hour of this second coming, we just need to be ready.

The Bumblebee

Have you seen this?
Ok, so, I was at a client's house last night and he was watching Clash of the Choirs. You have got to watch this.... Enjoy...

Some favorite quotes...

'We come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. " Angelina Jolie

"Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you." – Ovid

(Trust me, you don't want to see a picture of this guy)

"The older we get the more we realize that service to others is the only way to stay happy. If we do nothing to benefit others, we will do nothing to benefit ourselves."
– Carl Holmes

(or this one)

"Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one’s better abilities or ideas, but the courage one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk and to act."
Maxwell Maltz

What next?

Writers block has set in so, I'll leave you with one of my favorite stories...

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."
"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"
"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.
Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of he poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.
To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: "gimel, zayin, yud", which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass."
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.

Take heart, no matter what we experience in life.... This too shall pass...

Characters of Christmas, ?

There is one more character in the story of Christmas... Can you guess?

No, not the sheep...

Perhaps, the second most important character after Jesus Himself...

Anyone? anyone? Bueller?

This is a silent character...

Still nothing?

The Christmas story really wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't for this one character...

It's so obvious...

Are you screaming at me through your computer yet?

OK, that last and final character is.....

You.

Yes, you. John 3:16 tells us that God loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus for, you guessed it, you. What are you going to do with that? You can pass it off as some nice religious myth or fairy tale, sure. But, what if it's really true? What then?

Put it this way; if you accept Jesus and in the end He is simply a mythical figure made up by a bunch of people thousands of years ago who wanted to teach something good through a story, then at worst, you've chosen to live a "good and moral life" based on a lie. Reduced to the writings of Greek Mythology and the sort. Noble at best, but foolish. But, let's say you deny these teachings believing them to be false and mythical but in the end you find out they really are true; that Jesus DOES exist and EVERYTHING He said really IS true? What then? Quite a gamble. Well, your fate is much, much worse than just being foolish and naive.

The great author, philosopher and former atheist C.S. Lewis put it this way,

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. You can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great moral teacher. He has not left that open to us."

Ouch... That stings. Read it again... In other words, nowhere in the Bible are we given the option of looking at Jesus as a "good moral teacher". He either was who He said He was, or He is a raving madman or a liar. That's it, A, B, or C. I mean, imagine someone coming out today and saying they were the Son of God? That is absolutely insane.

So, as the last and final character of this most amazing story of a second chance at right relationship with God, what is your response? Mary was humble and submissive; Joseph obeyed; the shepherds worshiped and the Wise Men brought gifts. What is your part in this story? The script is written... For God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life... Do you believe?

Characters of Christmas, Baby Jesus

This video clip from the movie Talladega Nights may be offensive to some. Please watch at your own discretion. Thanks.

The Baby Jesus

It's pretty easy and convenient to leave baby Jesus in the manger. Jesus, as a baby is pretty safe actually. He's sweet, cute, cuddly doing the baby things that babies often do. But the reality is, there is so much more to Jesus than just the "8 pound, 6 ounce" baby. If we leave Him there, in a dirty, smelly manger, we've missed the whole story. The manger scene, as miraculous as it was, was just one small piece of His life. That was His entrance into the world. Jesus came with a purpose. He came that we might have life abundant. He came to save us from our sin. He came to heal. He came to restore our relationship with God. We've heard that so many times that we miss it. It's become cliche-ish in the church. We miss this simple truth; without Him, we are terribly lost.

The angels proclaimed good news and glad tidings. It's the gospel, plain and simple. In Romans 1:16, Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel because the gospel "is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes." The gospel, simply, is the story of Jesus and it began the day He was born into our world. The simple story of Jesus coming into our world to make it possible for us to restore our relationship with God is THE POWER of God for salvation. It's not the miracles that He would later do, it's Jesus Himself.

So, the question is, which Jesus do you believe in? Do you, like Ricky Bobby, choose to believe in the 8 pound 6 ounce baby Jesus, safe and helpless in the manger? Or is He the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the only One who can restore our relationship with God?

Characters of Christmas, The Wise Men

The Wise Men

In a small southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature bothered me. The three wise men were wearing fireman's helmets. Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left. At a "Quik Stop" on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "Are you kiddin' me? Don't you ever read the Bible!" I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible.
She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage. Sticking it in my face she said "See, it says right here, the three wise men came from afar."

Ok, I hear the groaning... sorry!

We actually don't know how many Wise Men there were. According to the book of Matthew, we know that 3 presented gifts to Jesus; gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each gift was symbolic to the life of Christ. The gold alludes to His kingship. The frankincense to His Divinity and the myrrh to His death.

Another thing we miss is that by the time the Wise Men reach Jesus, he is actually a young child. The Wise Men didn't see the baby in the manger as is customarily thought. They traveled from a fire, I mean, afar many thousands of miles probably by camel caravan so it makes sense Jesus would have been older and the family established in a home.

But more important is the idea of the gift. We leave Santa milk and cookies (or for the more health conscious, carrot sticks and celery) but what do we give Jesus? Let me suggest 3 things we can give to the person who TRULY has everything:

Our time. Spend time serving others this Christmas season. Whatever that looks like whatever you do sometimes just spending time with someone can mean the world to them.

Our treasure. This one can be misunderstood. It doesn't mean just going out and mindlessly spending a gazillion dollars on everyone. Look around. There are people hurting and struggling to make ends meet. Find someone specifically and help them out this season. Buy them groceries or some gifts for the kids.

Our talent. Do something for someone. Fix a leaky faucet or if you're artistically inclined, paint them picture.

By serving others in these ways we are giving to Jesus.

Characters of Christmas, The Shepherds

The Shepherds

So, when God wants to announce the miracle birth of His Son, He doesn't send out a press release to CNN or Fox News or whatever the "establishment" was at that time. He announces it to some shepherds in the field. Why, you ask? Well, let me propose this... I have no earthly idea!! However, when we read how the shepherds responded to this miraculous news, it makes much more sense. Luke 2:9-17

I've never met a shepherd but it seems like these shepherds were pretty simple living people. When they saw the angel and heard the amazing news, they didn't stop to pontificate the theological and geo-political ramifications of the coming of the King of Kings. No, they freaked out! Wouldn't you? I have no idea what the angel(s) would've looked like but I think I would've freaked out also. After they collected themselves (and quite possibly the sheep as well), they went to find the baby. Let me rephrase that; they sought out Jesus. They looked for Him. They wanted to know Him. They wanted to worship Him and we see that in their response. They returned to the fields where they were watching the sheep and glorified and praised God for what He had revealed to them. Wow!!!

This season, are you seeking the baby or the best deal in the malls? Are you seeking relationship or the best rewards on your MasterCard or Visa? Are you praising God because of what he has revealed to you?

Characters of Christmas, Joseph

Joseph

OK, wrap your mind around this one. Joseph, the humble carpenter in the Christmas story we read of in the Bible is the descendant of King David and the earthly father of Jesus, the King of Kings. We know Mary was specially chosen by God to birth the Lord but someone had to father Him as well. Joseph didn't just "happen along" nor was he just an extra. God knew what He was doing when He chose Joseph in infinity past to be the earthly Father of Jesus. So, what does Joseph bring to the table? Matthew 1:18 tells the story.

• He was a just man. He was "upright" and "virtuous". Wow! How many people do you know that you can say live "upright" and "virtuous" lives? Joseph was human too. He had considered leaving Mary and would have been, by law, justified to do so. After all, Mary was pregnant and it wasn't "his". However;


• He was obedient. An angel went to Joseph in a dream and explained what had happened. Joseph followed through and married Mary.

Do these qualities typify our lives? Are we living just and virtuous lives? As my friend says, "do we live our life as if it was being shown on a big screen for all to see?" It's easy to say, "if you don't like me or how I live, so what, that's your problem." No, it's not, especially for someone that is considered a "leader", a Christian leader especially but any leader, really. We owe it to those we lead in whatever capacity, to live above the fray and that requires sacrifice sometimes. The Bible teaches us to live our lives in such a way that we do not become stumbling blocks for other people. That my friends, is love lived out. If our lives are causing other people to question our faith or their own in a negative way, how is that living in love? Our lives should be pointing towards Christ, not away from.

Question, if your life were a movie, what would it be rated? Would you take your kids to see that movie? Your significant other? Your friends? Your Pastor? Jesus? Would you be comfortable with what you were watching or squirming in your seat. Honestly? There are times when I'd be squirming but as I keep this image in my mind, of this movie screen, it helps put things back in line.

Characters of Christmas, Mary

Mary

Mary does not live up to her name. I really had trouble with this one. Her name in the original Hebrew in the context of Luke 2 means rebellious. Thank goodness she doesn't live up to her name! Instead, Mary is a picture of humilty, submission, purity and courage. How can any of us even begin to imagine the experiences she had from the time of meeting the Angel Gabriel, conceiving miraculously to giving birth to God in the flesh? Though some ascribe deity to Mary which I don't agree with, I do agree that she had a very special call on her life to be the birth mother of the Son of God. She serves as a shining example not just to women but to all of us in how we should respond to God's call on our lives.

• She was humble. I mean, she was giving birth to God in the flesh. She certainly could have become proud and arrogant but she didn't. She was humble, quiet and contemplative.
• She was submissive to God's will. WOW! Imagine what God could do in our lives if we just put down our wants and desires and just let Him!
• She was pure. What? Purity? Yes, God requires purity from all of us. She was blameless. She had not been with any man. She was a young (probably teenage) woman who kept herself pure; certainly a model for young women today. God requires holiness and purity from those who follow Him.
• She was courageous. She risked ridicule and being ostracized. Joseph almost had her put away(a nice way of saying divorce. Even though they were not married yet, they were promised to each other.) The law could have required death. She didn't complain or try to get out of it. She accepted her call and serves as a shining example even today of courage to carry out God's will.

The Angel Gabriel encouraged her with the same words that we can be encouraged by. The Angel said she was highly favored; that the Lord is with her; She is blessed. We too can claim these same promises if we submit to God's will in our lives.

Ironman

I love this picture! See the people walking behind me??

Yesterday, my older daughter and I sat and watched the Ironman Hawaii World Championships. She was bored, I was in awe. I am completely amazed by that race. This race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride follwed by a marathon, yes, all in one day. And, to boot, you have to complete each discipline in a certain time or your disqualified. One day, I'll be old enough to actually qualify for Hawaii (I'm too slow so I figure if I can maintain my current speed, at some point I'll be as fast as the 60 year olds...). I'm actually at the point now where I have to remind myself that I actually did compete in this crazy sport. I don't even own a road bike anymore. 4 years ago now, I competed in the 1/2 Ironman distance (1.2 m swim, 56 m bike, 13.1 m run) race in Clermont, FL, a long way from Hawaii but still an accomplishment for me.

Everytime I watch this race, I'm amazed at not just the pro's who can complete this thing in under 9 hours, but at the ones that "shouldn't" be doing this race like the double leg amputee, the legally blind man or the 70 plus yr old nun. One of the striking images this year for me was watching the "pro's" who wouldn't drop out because they were having a bad race. They continued on being passed by "mere mortals" determined to finish the race no matter what. That's courage, persistence and honor.

It's takes about a year of dedicated training to do his sport.

Someday, when I "get my ducks in a row" I'll try it again, but for now I live vicariously through those iron men and women who commit to doing whatever it takes to compete in Ironman...